Silicon nanoparticles as a fluorometric probe for sensitive detection of cyanide ion and its application in C. elegans bio-imaging.

In recent years, silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) have been explored as a promising alternative to traditional organic fluorophores in optical sensing and bioimaging applications owing to their exceptional optical properties and negligible toxicity. In this study, water-dispersible Si NPs were prepared from a 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane precursor using a facile one-pot process. The as-prepared Si NPs exhibited excitation-wavelength-dependent fluorescence properties and bright green fluorescence at 530 nm upon excitation at 420 nm. The fluorescence properties of Si NPs remained unperturbed under various physiological conditions, such as varying pH, ionic strength, and incubation time. A sensitive fluorometric turn-off sensor for cyanide ion (CN-) detection was devised based on the unique fluorescence properties of Si NPs. The Si NPs-based detection assay showed a good linear response toward CN- ranging between 0 and 33 µM, with a limit of detection as low as 0.90 nM. Caenorhabditis elegans is used as a model organism to evaluate the in vivo toxicity and molecular imaging capability of Si NPs.

Electro-oxidation of heavy metals contaminated water using banana waste-derived activated carbon and Fe3O4 nanocomposites.

The main objective of this study was to banana waste-derived activated carbon (BWAC) make a high pore surface area was prepared and composited with Fe3O4 via a facile hydrothermal method. Various physiochemical characteristics of the prepared samples were evaluated using XRD, FTIR, FESEM, Raman Spectroscopy and XPS analysis. In addition, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses were performed to determine the electrochemical properties of the prepared samples. The Fe3O4/BWAC sample showed a higher capacitance (285 F g-1) than BWAC at the same scan rate of 10 mV s-1. The capacitive deionization (CDI) cell configuration was varied, and its electro-sorption and defluoridization efficiencies were analyzed during the lead (Pb2+) removal 90%. An asymmetric combination of electrodes in the CDI cell exhibited better heavy metal removal performance, possibly due to the synergistic effect of the high surface area and the balance between the active adsorption site and the overlapping effect of the EDL. As a result, Fe3O4/BWAC could be a potential resource for supercapacitors and CDI electrodes, and the novel Fe3O4/BWAC nanocomposites outstanding performance suggests that they could be helpful for future energy storage and environmental applications.

Integrated catalytic insights into methanol production: Sustainable framework for CO2 conversion.

A continuous increase in the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is causing serious threats to the environment and life on the earth, and CO2 is one of the major candidates. Reducing the excess CO2 by converting into industrial products could be beneficial for the environment and also boost up industrial growth. In particular, the conversion of CO2 into methanol is very beneficial as it is cheaper to produce from biomass, less inflammable, and advantageous to many industries. Application of various plants, algae, and microbial enzymes to recycle the CO2 and using these enzymes separately along with CO2-phillic materials and chemicals can be a sustainable solution to reduce the global carbon footprint. Materials such as MOFs, porphyrins, and nanomaterials are also used widely for CO2 absorption and conversion into methanol. Thus, a combination of enzymes and materials which convert the CO2 into methanol could energize the CO2 utilization. The CO2 to methanol conversion utilizes carbon better than the conventional syngas and the reaction yields fewer by-products. The methanol produced can further be utilized as a clean-burning fuel, in pharmaceuticals, automobiles and as a general solvent in various industries etc. This makes methanol an ideal fuel in comparison to the conventional petroleum-based ones and it is advantageous for a safer and cleaner environment. In this review article, various aspects of the circular economy with the present scenario of environmental crisis will also be considered for large-scale sustainable biorefinery of methanol production from atmospheric CO2.

Sustainable enzymatic technologies in waste animal fat and protein management.

Waste animal fats and proteins (WAFP) are rich in various animal by-products from food industries. On one hand, increasing production of huge amounts of WAFP brings a great challenge to their appropriate disposal, and raises severe risks to environment and life health. On the other hand, the high fat and protein contents in these animal wastes are valuable resources which can be reutilized in an eco-friendly and renewable way. Sustainable enzymatic technologies are promising methods for WAFP management. This review discussed the application of various enzymes in the conversion of WSFP to value-added biodiesel and bioactivate hydrolysates. New biotechnologies to discover novel enzymes with robust properties were proposed as well. This paper also presented the bio-utilization strategy of animal fat and protein wastes as alternative nutrient media for microorganism growth activities to yield important industrial enzymes cost-effectively.

Production and Characterization of Cross-Linked Aggregates of Geobacillus thermoleovorans CCR11 Thermoalkaliphilic Recombinant Lipase.

Immobilization of enzymes has many advantages for their application in biotechnological processes. In particular, the cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) allow the production of solid biocatalysts with a high enzymatic loading and the advantage of obtaining derivatives with high stability at low cost. The purpose of this study was to produce cross-linked enzymatic aggregates (CLEAs) of LipMatCCR11, a 43 kDa recombinant solvent-tolerant thermoalkaliphilic lipase from Geobacillus thermoleovorans CCR11. LipMatCCR11-CLEAs were prepared using (NH4)2SO4 (40% w/v) as precipitant agent and glutaraldehyde (40 mM) as cross-linker, at pH 9, 20 °C. A U10(56) uniform design was used to optimize CLEA production, varying protein concentration, ammonium sulfate %, pH, glutaraldehyde concentration, temperature, and incubation time. The synthesized CLEAs were also analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that showed individual particles of <1 µm grouped to form a superstructure. The cross-linked aggregates showed a maximum mass activity of 7750 U/g at 40 °C and pH 8 and retained more than 20% activity at 100 °C. Greater thermostability, resistance to alkaline conditions and the presence of organic solvents, and better durability during storage were observed for LipMatCCR11-CLEAs in comparison with the soluble enzyme. LipMatCCR11-CLEAs presented good reusability by conserving 40% of their initial activity after 9 cycles of reuse.

Submerged membrane filtration process coupled with powdered activated carbon for nonylphenol ethoxylates removal.

A combination of a submerged membrane filtration system and powdered activated carbon (PAC) was investigated for nonylphenol ethoxylates removal. Both filtration flux and initial powdered activated carbon dosage had significant effects on the micropollutants removal efficiency. The best performance was achieved under the filtration flux of 20 L/m2.h and the initial powdered activated carbon of 50 mg/L. The removal efficiencies of nonylphenol ethoxylates was obtained at 75±5% in the first 60 hours, and then decreased at 55±7% and 23±11% in the following hours, respectively. As observed, over 65% of dissolved organic carbon mass adsorbed into powdered activated carbon that was suspended in the bulk phase, and the remainder was adsorbed into powdered activated carbon that deposited on the membrane surface. It reveals that the combination between submerged membrane filtration and PAC could be an effective solution for enhancing removal of micropollutants from water.

Performance of mediator-less double chamber microbial fuel cell-based biosensor for measuring biological chemical oxygen.

Recently, the microbial fuel cell-based biosensor has been considered as an attractive technology for measuring wastewater quality such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). In this study, a mediator-less double compartment MFC based biosensor utilizing carbon felt as an anode electrode and inoculated with mixed culture was developed to improve the real application of a rapid BOD detection. This study aims to: (i) establish the effect of the operating conditions (i.e., pH, external resistance, fuel feeding rate) on MFC performance; (ii) investigate the correlation between biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and signal output, and (iii) evaluate the operational stability of the biosensor. The presented result reveals that the maximum current and power production was obtained while 100 mM NaCl and 50 mM Phosphate buffer saline was used as a catholyte solution, neutral pH condition of media and fuel feeding rate at 0.3 mL min-1. Notably, a wider range of BOD concentration up to 300 mg L -1 can be obtained with the voltage output (R2 > 0.9901). Stable and steady power was produced by running MFC in 30 days when cells operated at 1000 Ω external resistance. Our research has some competition with the previous double chamber MFC in the upper limit of BOD detection. This results might help to increase the real application of MFC based BOD biosensor in real-time measurement.

A novel protease-immobilized carbon catalyst for the effective fragmentation of proteins in high-TDS wastewater generated in tanneries: Spectral and electrochemical studies.

The aim of this study was to degrade proteins in high-total dissolved solids (TDS)-containing wastewater produced during the soaking process in tanneries (tannery-TDS wastewater) using a halotolerant protease-assisted nanoporous carbon catalyst (STPNPAC). A halotolerant protease was obtained from the halophile, Lysinibacillus macroides, using animal fleshing as the substrate. The protease was immobilized using ethylene diamine (EDA)/glutaraldehyde functionalized nanoporous activated carbon (EGNPAC). The optimum conditions for the immobilization of protease were determined as time (120 min), pH (6), protease concentration (575-600 U/g), EGNPAC size, salinity, and temperature (30 °C). The immobilization was confirmed by FTIR, TGA-DSC, SEM, and XRD analyses. The adsorption kinetics was consistent with a pseudo first order rate constant of 1.43 × 10-2 min-1. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS) confirmed the effective immobilization of the protease onto EGNPAC. STPNAPC was found to efficiently degrade the proteins in tannery-TDS wastewater, with a complete fragmentation time of 90 min at pH 6 and 30 °C. Accordingly, the protein fragmentation was confirmed by UV-visible and UV-fluorescence spectroscopy, ESI-mass spectrometric analysis and circular dichroic studies. The formation of protein hydrolysates was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry and electrical impedance studies. BOD5: COD value, 0.426 of treated tannery-TDS wastewater may favor sequential biological treatment processes.

Effects of light intensity on biomass, carbohydrate and fatty acid compositions of three different mixed consortia from natural ecological water bodies.

This study investigated the effect of light intensity on three various microalga consortia collected from natural ecological water bodies (named A, B and C) towards their fatty acid profiling and fractions, carbohydrate and protein production at different light intensities of 100, 200 and 300 µmol m-2 s-1. The results indicating that increasing light intensity positively correlated with the lipid production than carbohydrate and protein. Irrespective to the solids (Total and Volatile Solid) content, lipids and carbohydrate has varied significantly. Consortia C showed higher productivity toward lipids, whereas consortia A and B accumulated more carbohydrate and protein, respectively. The microscopic images revealed the breakdown of cells during the increase in light intensity, in spite, the similar algal species were observed in all consortia experimented. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that low light intensity aid relatively in high protein, Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus, meanwhile high intensity attributed carbohydrates and unsaturated fatty acids (USFA) contents.

Influence of biochar on physico-chemical and microbial community during swine manure composting process.

Excessive nutrients and toxic gas emissions from animal manure management are of great global concern, with negative environmental and economic consequences worldwide. Due to biochar recalcitrance and sorption properties, this study investigated the effect of the biochar(BC) derived from bamboo, amendment on swine manure(SM) composting efficiency through physical, physio-chemical, gaseous emissions, microbiological, and phytotoxic analysis during the 56 day process of in-vessel composting. The treatments were set-up from different ratios of biochar to swine manure mixed with sawdust(SD)(i.e. SM + SD + 3%BC(T1), SM:SD + 5 %BC(T2) and SM:SD + 10 %BC (T3)), while treatment without biochar amendment was used as a control, SM:SD(C). The results showed that, compared to the control, biochar amended compost mixtures had significantly reduced (p ≤ 0.05) bulk density, organic matter(OM), C:N ratio, NH3 emission, pathogenic microorganisms, and phytotoxicity effect (Cress seed, Lepidium sativum Linn.). On the other hand, biochar amendment mixtures had increased total porosity, water holding capacity, rapid thermophilic temperature, and nitrate nitrogen. However, with the most prominent effects in terms of the nutrient quality and degradation rate of compost mixtures, the amendment of 10% biochar is recommended for swine manure management through the composting process.

Positive effects of compost and vermicompost produced from tannery waste-animal fleshing on the growth and yield of commercial crop-tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) plant.

Accumulation of solid waste has intensified with the increase in world population and industrialization. Most importantly, wastes of animal origin such as animal manures and tannery wastes are a major under-utilized resource in most countries with potential for utilization in crop production. This study evaluated the potential of solid state hydrolyzed tannery animal fleshing (SSF-ANFL) and submerged state hydrolyzed tannery ANFL (SmF-ANFL) vermicompost and compost amended soils on the growth, yield and chemical characteristics of tomatoes. It was interesting to observe that of most measured parameters, the SSF amended treatments resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) the highest measurements compared to the SmF amended treatments. On average, the SSF vermicompost resulted in a 10%, 8.9% and 14% higher plant height, stem girth and leaf numbers, respectively, compared to other treatments combined. It was also noteworthy that, for the same parameters, the SSF-ANFL based treatments resulted in a 7.7%, 10.1% and 7.4% higher plant height, stem girth and leaf numbers, respectively, relative to the SmF-ANFL based treatments. The study demonstrates the potential of animal fleshing based vermicomposts as nutrient sources in crop production.

Integrative Bioinformatics and Functional Analyses of GEO, ENCODE, and TCGA Reveal FADD as a Direct Target of the Tumor Suppressor BRCA1.

BRCA1 is a multifunctional tumor suppressor involved in several essential cellular processes. Although many of these functions are driven by or related to its transcriptional/epigenetic regulator activity, there has been no genome-wide study to reveal the transcriptional/epigenetic targets of BRCA1. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of genomics/transcriptomics data to identify novel BRCA1 target genes. We first analyzed ENCODE data with BRCA1 chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-sequencing results and identified a set of genes with a promoter occupied by BRCA1. We collected 3085 loci with a BRCA1 ChIP signal from four cell lines and calculated the distance between the loci and the nearest gene transcription start site (TSS). Overall, 66.5% of the BRCA1-bound loci fell into a 2-kb region around the TSS, suggesting a role in transcriptional regulation. We selected 45 candidate genes based on gene expression correlation data, obtained from two GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) datasets and TCGA data of human breast cancer, compared to BRCA1 expression levels. Among them, we further tested three genes (MEIS2, CKS1B and FADD) and verified FADD as a novel direct target of BRCA1 by ChIP, RT-PCR, and a luciferase reporter assay. Collectively, our data demonstrate genome-wide transcriptional regulation by BRCA1 and suggest target genes as biomarker candidates for BRCA1-associated breast cancer.

New Ni-based quaternary disk-shaped catalysts for low-temperature CO2 methanation: Fabrication, characterization, and performance.

Ni-based quaternary disk catalysts were manufactured for low-temperature CO2 methanation reactions, and the reaction activity was examined with respect to the thermal treatment conditions. By applying varying reduction and combustion treatments, the same catalysts were compared, and the Ni oxidation conditions and physical features were confirmed through X-Ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray analyses. In addition, oxygen adsorption/desorption changes were measured by temperature-programmed reduction after pre-treating with oxygen and hydrogen. The reduction treatment catalyst showed a conversion of 20% at 280 °C, and the 70% calcined catalyst did not form a NiO crystalloid. The activation of the catalyst increased because of NiO movement on the catalyst surface, which enabled easy transformation to metallic Ni. The prepared catalyst is a highly reactive, yet stable, candidate for practical catalytic CO2 methanation.

Effects of nutrient ratios and carbon dioxide bio-sequestration on biomass growth of Chlorella sp. in bubble column photobioreactor.

Photobioreactor technology, especially bubble column configuration, employing microalgae cultivation (e.g., Chlorella sp.), is an ideal man-made environment to achieve sufficient microalgae biomass through its strictly operational control. Nutrients, typically N and P, are necessary elements in the cultivation process, which determine biomass yield and productivity. Specifically, N:P ratios have certain effects on microalgae's biomass growth. It is also attractive that microalgae can sequester CO2 by using that carbon source for photosynthesis and, subsequently, reducing CO2 emission. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of N:P ratios on Chlorella sp.'s growth, and to study the dynamic of CO2 fixation in the bubble column photobioreactor. According to our results, N:P ratio of 15:1 could produce the highest biomass yield (3568 ±â€¯158 mg L-1). The maximum algae concentration was 105 × 106 cells mL-1, receiving after 92 h. Chlorella sp. was also able to sequester CO2 at 28 ±â€¯1.2%, while the specific growth rate and carbon fixation rate were observed at 0.064 h-1 and 68.9 ±â€¯1.91 mg L-1 h-1, respectively. The types of carbon sources (e.g., organic and inorganic carbon) possessed potential impact on microalgae's cultivation.

A magnetically separable and recyclable Ag-supported magnetic TiO2 composite catalyst: Fabrication, characterization, and photocatalytic activity.

In this study, a magnetically separable, highly active, and recyclable photocatalyst was synthesized by physico-chemical incorporation of Ag, TiO2, and Fe3O4 into one structure. The physical and chemical properties of the catalysts were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, field emission transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The Ag-supported magnetic TiO2 composite demonstrated desirable properties and features such as a narrow band gap of 1.163 eV, modifiable structure, and high degradation efficiency. The activity and durability of the synthesized photocatalyst in the degradation of methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solutions under visible light irradiation and different experimental conditions were evaluated and compared to those of commercial TiO2 and Ag/TiO2 composites. It was found that the synthesized composite showed a much higher MO photodegradation efficiency than the other composites under visible light irradiation. Moreover, it exhibited a high photocatalytic activity and was recoverable and durable; its photocatalytic efficiency in MO removal was consistently higher than 93.1% after five reuses without any evident signs of deactivation. Thus, the developed photocatalyst is a very promising material for practical applications in environmental pollution remediation.

Development of Novel Therapeutic Agents by Inhibition of Oncogenic MicroRNAs.

MicroRNAs (miRs, miRNAs) are regulatory small noncoding RNAs, with their roles already confirmed to be important for post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression affecting cell physiology and disease development. Upregulation of a cancer-causing miRNA, known as oncogenic miRNA, has been found in many types of cancers and, therefore, represents a potential new class of targets for therapeutic inhibition. Several strategies have been developed in recent years to inhibit oncogenic miRNAs. Among them is a direct approach that targets mature oncogenic miRNA with an antisense sequence known as antimiR, which could be an oligonucleotide or miRNA sponge. In contrast, an indirect approach is to block the biogenesis of miRNA by genome editing using the CRISPR/Cas9 system or a small molecule inhibitor. The development of these inhibitors is straightforward but involves significant scientific and therapeutic challenges that need to be resolved. In this review, we summarize recent relevant studies on the development of miRNA inhibitors against cancer.

Potential of integrated vertical and horizontal flow constructed wetland with native plants for sewage treatment under different hydraulic loading rates.

In this study, a pilot-scale integrated constructed wetland with vertical flow (VF) and horizontal flow (HF) in series was designed and investigated to evaluate sewage wastewater treatment capacity. The VF unit was planted with Canna indica and was 1.2 m long, 1.2 m wide, and 1.2 m high; whereas the HF unit contained Colocasia esculenta and was 3.0 m long, 1.0 m wide, and 1.0 m high. The system was operated under different hydraulic loading rates (HLRs) of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.15 m/d. The effluent concentrations differed as HLR changed, and the means were total suspended solids (TSS): 87 mg/L; biological oxygen demand (BOD5): 31 mg/L; chemical oxygen demand (CODCr): 59 mg/L; ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N): 5.3 mg/L; nitrate nitrogen NO3-N: 8.4 mg/L; total nitrogen (TN): 7.1 mg/L; phosphate (PO4-P): 0.9 mg/L; and total coliforms (TCol): 1,485 most probable number (MPN)/100 mL. The average removal efficiencies for TSS, BOD5, TN, NH4-N, PO4-P, and TCol were 28.3, 74.9, 79, 76.2, 3.6, and 82%, respectively. There were significant differences in the effluent concentrations among the three HLRs (P < 0.05), except for PO4-P.

Investigation of antibiotics in health care wastewater in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Hospital wastewater contains huge amounts of hazardous pollutants which are being discharged daily to environment with or without treatment. Antibiotics were among the important group of pharmaceuticals considered as a potential source of health risk for human and other living creatures. Although the investigations about the existence of antibiotics in hospital wastewater have gained concern for researchers in many countries, there is only one research conducted in Hanoi-Vietnam. Hence, in this study, investigations have been done to fulfill the requirement of real situation in Vietnam by accomplishing survey for 39 health care facilities in Ho Chi Minh City. As results, seven popular antibiotics were detected to exist in all samples such as sulfamethoxazole (2.5 ± 1.9 µg/L), norfloxacin (9.6 ± 9.8 µg/L), ciprofloxacin (5.3 ± 4.8 µg/L), ofloxacin (10.9 ± 8.1 µg/L), erythromycin (1.2 ± 1.2 µg/L), tetracycline (0.1 ± 0.0 µg/L), and trimethoprim (1.0 ± 0.9 µg/L). On the other hand, survey also showed that only 64% of health care facilities using conventional activate sludge (AS) processes in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). As a consequence, basic environmental factors (BOD5, COD, TSS, NH4+-N, or total coliforms) were not effectively removed from the hospital wastewater due to problems relating to initial design or operational conditions. Therefore, 18% effluent samples of the surveyed WWTPs have exceeded the national standard limits (QCVN 28:2010, level B).

Meta-analysis review for pilot and large-scale constructed wetlands: Design parameters, treatment performance, and influencing factors.

Despite their longstanding use in environmental remediation, constructed wetlands (CWs) are still topical due to their sustainable and nature-based approach. While research and review publications have grown annually by 7.5 % and 37.6 %, respectively, from 2018 to 2022, a quantitative meta-analysis employing advanced statistics and machine learning to assess CWs has not yet been conducted. Further, traditional statistics of mean ± standard deviation could not convey the extent of confidence or uncertainty in results from CW studies. This study employed a 95 % bootstrap-based confidence interval and out-of-bag Random Forest-based driver analysis on data from 55 studies, totaling 163 cases of pilot and full-scale CWs. The study recommends, with 95 % confidence, median surface hydraulic loading rates (HLR) of 0.14 [0.11, 0.17] m/d for vertical flow-CWs (VF) and 0.13 [0.07, 0.22] m/d for horizontal flow-CWs (HF), and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 125.14 [48.0, 189.6] h for VF, 72.00 [42.00, 86.28] h for HF, as practical for new CW design. Permutation importance results indicate influent COD impacted primarily on COD removal rate at 21.58 %, followed by HLR (16.03 %), HRT (12.12 %), and substrate height (H) (10.90 %). For TN treatment, influent TN and COD were the most significant contributors at 12.89 % and 10.01 %, respectively, while H (9.76 %), HRT (9.72 %), and HLR (5.87 %) had lower impacts. Surprisingly, while HRT and H had a limited effect on COD removal, they substantially influenced TN. This study sheds light on CWs' performance, design, and control factors, guiding their operation and optimization.