Critical analysis on the transformation and upgrading strategy of Chinese municipal wastewater treatment plants: Towards sustainable water remediation and zero carbon emissions.

In the light of circular economy aspects, processing of large-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) needs reconsideration to limit the overuse of energy, implement of non-green technologies and emit abundant greenhouse gas. Along with the huge increase in the worldwide population and agro-industrial activities, global environmental organizations have issued several recent roles to boost scientific and industrial communities towards sustainable development. Over recent years, China has imposed national and regional standards to control and manage the discharged liquid and solid waste, as well as to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. The aim of this report is to analyze the current state of Chinese WWTPs routing and related issues such as climate change and air pollution. The used strategies in Chinese WWTPs and upgrading trends were critically discussed. Several points were addressed including the performance, environmental impact, and energy demand of bio-enhanced technologies, including hydrolytic acidification pretreatment, efficient (toxic) strain treatment, and anaerobic ammonia oxidation denitrification technology, as well as advanced treatment technologies composed of physical and chemical treatment technologies, biological treatment technology and combined treatment technology. Discussion and critical analysis based on the current data and national policies were provided and employed to develop the future development trend of municipal WWTPs in China from the construction of sustainable and "Zero carbon" WWTPs.

Peripheral intravenous infusion for children based on computer digital video technology.

PURPOSE: Intravenous infusion techniques often take a long time and require continuous monitoring of the infusion, and the needle must be removed promptly at the end of the injection, placing a burden on the patient, family and medical workers. Thus, this paper presents a droplet flow rate monitoring system based on an embedded system. METHODS: In our retrospective study, according to different intervention measures, 80 patients were divided into two groups to compare the improvement of children's adverse psychological conditions. The patients were divided into control and intervention groups, with 40 patients in each group. Patients in the intervention group received psychological care and Online Real-Time Fusion Method to monitor the infusion state. Patients in the control group received routine infusions. Computer digital video technology and online real-time fusion algorithm were utilized to determine whether the parameters of the intravenous infusion model were optimized. The model's accuracy was used to evaluate whether the success rate of one-time needle insertion was improved. RESULTS: The system can also be used for other monitoring. It is simple and convenient to set up and dismantle. The system can significantly relieve medical workers and patients. It was found that the observation group is significantly better than the control group in terms of psychological improvement (P<0.05). Comparing the patient's satisfaction, the difference between the two groups was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: When administering intravenous infusions in children, applying various forms of psychological interventions and giving emotional support can significantly improve their compliance and their mental state. It is of great significance to enhance the effect of infusions in patients.

The O-glycosylating enzyme GALNT2 acts as an oncogenic driver in non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: N-Acetylgalactosaminyltransferases (GALNTs), the enzymes that initiate mucin-type O-glycosylation, are closely associated with tumor occurrence and progression. However, a comprehensive analysis of GALNTs in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is lacking. METHODS: The expression profiles and prognostic values of the GALNT family members in NSCLC were analyzed using publicly available databases. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments were applied to assess the biological function of GALNT2 in NSCLC. High-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics approaches were employed to uncover the regulatory mechanism of GALNT2. RESULTS: Among the family members of GALNTs, only GALNT2 was frequently overexpressed in NSCLC tissues and was positively correlated with poor prognosis. In vitro assays showed that GALNT2 knockdown repressed NSCLC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, but induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Correspondently, GALNT2 overexpression exerted the opposite effects. In vivo experiments demonstrated that knockdown of GALNT2 restrained tumor formation in nude mice. Mechanistic investigations revealed that GALNT2 modified the O-glycosylation of ITGA5 and affected the activation of the PI3K/Akt and MAPK/ERK pathways. Further studies showed that miR-30d was a negative regulator of GALNT2. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that GALNT2 is an oncogene in NSCLC and has the potential as a target for NSCLC therapy.

Effect of Orem's Self-Care Theory Combined with Active Pain Assessment on Pain, Stress and Psychological State of Children with Nephroblastoma Surgery.

Background: With the development of medical technology and the innovation of various surgical options, the survival time of children with nephroblastoma is significantly prolonged. However, postoperative pain and stress response have been plagued by children with nephroblastoma during the postoperative treatment. At present, there is still a lack of effective care programs. Methods: We accessed our institutional database to retrospectively screen clinical data from all children with nephroblastoma who were surgically treated in our hospital between July 2020 and July 2021. Some children received routine care, while others received Orem-based self-care theory and active pain assessment. Results: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 150 children with nephroblastoma who underwent surgical treatment were included in this study. On the third day after surgery, the scores of pain control effect and satisfaction degree of pain education in the study group were higher than those in the control group, and the physical and daily life influence, emotion influence, and pain experienced in the study group were lower than those in the control group. The differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in C-SUPPH and ESCA scores between the two groups before nursing (p > 0.05). After nursing, the C-SUPPH and ESCA scores of the two groups were higher than those before nursing, and the C-SUPPH and ESCA scores of the study group were higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05). Before nursing, the levels of ACTH, Cor, and ANP between the two groups were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The levels of ACTH, Cor, and ANP in the two groups were lower than those before nursing and 3 d and 7 d after nursing, and the index levels after 7 d of nursing were lower than those after 3 d of nursing. After nursing, the levels of ACTH, Cor, and ANP in the study group at each time point were lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in SAS and SDS scores between the two groups before nursing (p > 0.05). After nursing, the SAS and SDS scores of both groups were lower than those before nursing, and the SAS and SDS scores of the study group were lower than those of the control group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in PSQI scores between the two groups before nursing (p > 0.05). After nursing, the PSQI scores of the two groups were lower than those before nursing, and the PSQI scores of the study were lower than those of the control group (p < 0.05). The average daily crying time, the average hospitalization time, and postoperative off-bed time in the study group were shorter than those in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Orem's self-care theory combined with active pain assessment can reduce pain in children undergoing nephroblastoma surgery, improve their stress response and psychological state, and improve their sleep quality, which is conducive to postoperative recovery and worthy of promotion.

Preparation of Mn/Ti-modified zeolite and its performance for removing iron and manganese.

Excessive iron and manganese presented in groundwater sources may cause harm to human health that needs to be solved urgently. This research aims to develop high-performance Mn/Ti-modified zeolites using sol-gel method and hydrothermal synthesis method to remove Fe2+ and Mn2+ simultaneously. The preparation parameters were optimized by response surface methodology, and the results confirmed that the optimal preparation conditions were as follows: mass ratio of MnO2-TiO2/zeolite = 1, hydrothermal temperature = 200°C, and calcination temperature = 500°C. The results of batch adsorption experiments showed that the best removal rate of Fe2+ and Mn2+ by modified zeolite materials which was prepared under the optimum conditions reached 96.8% and 94.4%, respectively, at which the saturated adsorption capacity was 2.80 mg/g and 1.86 mg/g. Through the adsorption kinetics, thermodynamics, internal diffusion, and isothermal adsorption analyses, it is confirmed that the adsorption process of Fe2+ and Mn2+ by the modified zeolite is mainly chemical adsorption. The results of the Weber-Morris internal diffusion model prove that internal diffusion is not the only step that controls the adsorption process. In addition, combined with the characterization of the composite-modified zeolite and the adsorption experimental study, it shows that there is an autocatalytic reaction in the adsorption process.

Electrocoagulation coupled with conductive ceramic membrane filtration for wastewater treatment: Toward membrane modification, characterization, and application.

Membrane separation is an effective solution for pollutant removal, however, achieving high permeability and antifouling ability remains a pressing challenge for its widespread application. In this study, a novel method of coating flat ceramic membranes (CMs) with a conductive film (Sb-SnO2) was developed to enhance the filtration and antifouling performance of CMs when the membrane filtration was coupled with electrocoagulation. After comparing the parameters, including the film sheet resistance and pure water flux, with those of other coating methods (i.e., gel coating and immersion hydrolysis), a well-fixed conductive coating with optimal permeability and stability was generated using spray pyrolysis with a substrate ceramic membrane surface temperature of 475 °C, precursor concentration of 0.5 M (calculate as SnO2), and spraying amount of 50 mL (120 cm2), during membrane modification. Batch filtration experiments using wastewater from the mechanical industry demonstrated that the conductive ceramic membrane (CCM) cathode integrated with electrocoagulation at an electric field of 2.8 V/cm (3.0 mA/cm2) achieved permeate fluxes that were 0.34, 0.70, 0.75 and 1.41 times higher than those of sole CM separation after four cycles. Moreover, the membrane separation process was dominated by the standard pore-blocking model, and its correlation coefficient decreased with the exertion of the electric field, indicating that membrane filtration fouling changed from irreversible to reversible. This CCM combined with electrocoagulation exhibited significant potential for alleviating membrane fouling and widespread application, and could act as a promising technology for industrial wastewater treatment.

Construction and investigation of ß3GNT2-associated regulatory network in esophageal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Glycosyltransferases play a crucial role in various cancers. ß1, 3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 2, a polylactosamine synthase, is an important member of the glycosyltransferase family. However, the biological function and regulatory mechanism of ß3GNT2 in esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) is still poorly understood. METHODS: The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression databases were used for gene expression and prognosis analysis. Quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry were performed to detect the expression of ß3GNT2 in ESCA cell lines and tissues. In vitro assays and xenograft tumor models were utilized to evaluate the impact of ß3GNT2 on ESCA progression. The downstream effectors and upstream regulators of ß3GNT2 were predicted by online software and verified by functional experiments. RESULTS: We found that ß3GNT2 was highly expressed in ESCA tissues and positively correlated with poor prognosis in ESCA patients. ß3GNT2 expression was closely associated with the tumor size, TNM stage, and overall survival of ESCA patients. Functionally, ß3GNT2 promoted ESCA cell growth, migration, and invasion in vitro, as well as tumorigenesis in vivo. Mechanistically, ß3GNT2 knockdown decreased the expression of the polylactosamine on EGFR. Knockdown of ß3GNT2 also inhibited the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. Meanwhile, the JAK/STAT inhibitor could partly reverse the biological effects caused by ß3GNT2 overexpression. Moreover, ß3GNT2 expression was positively regulated by CREB1 and negatively regulated by miR-133b. Both CREB1 and miR-133b was involved in the ß3GNT2-mediated ESCA progression. CONCLUSIONS: Our study, for the first time, reveals the importance of ß3GNT2 in ESCA progression and offers a potential therapeutic target for ESCA.

A Novel Green Diluent for the Preparation of Poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) Membranes via a Thermally-Induced Phase Separation Method.

The use of green solvents satisfies safer chemical engineering practices and environmental security. Herein, myristic acid (MA)-a green diluent-was selected to prepare poly- (4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP) membranes with bicontinuous porous structure via a thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) process to maintain a high gas permeability. Firstly, based on the Hansen solubility parameter 'distance', Ra, the effect of four natural fatty acids on the PMP membrane structure was compared and studied to determine the optimal green diluent, MA. The thermodynamic phase diagram of the PMP-MA system was calculated and presented to show that a liquid-liquid phase separation region could be found during the TIPS process and the monotectic point was around 34.89 wt%. Then, the effect of the PMP concentration on the morphologies and crystallization behavior was systematically investigated to determine a proper PMP concentration for the membrane preparation. Finally, PMP hollow fiber (HF) membranes were fabricated with a PMP concentration of 30 wt% for the membrane performance characterization. The resultant PMP HF membranes possessed good performances that the porosity was 70%, the tensile strength was 96 cN, and the nitrogen flux was 8.20 ± 0.10 mL·(bar·cm2·min)-1. We believe that this work can be a beneficial reference for people interested in the preparation of PMP membranes for medical applications.

Technical and Economic Evaluation of WWTP Renovation Based on Applying Ultrafiltration Membrane.

Nowadays, the standards of discharging are gradually becoming stricter, since much attention has been paid to the protection of natural water resources around the world. Therefore, it is urgent to upgrade the existing wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), to improve the effluent quality, and reduce the discharged pollutants to the natural environment. In this paper, taking the "Liaocheng UESH (UE Envirotech) WWTP in Shandong province of China" as an example, the existing problems and the detailed measures for a renovation were systemically discussed by technical and economic evaluation, before and after the renovation. During the renovation, the ultrafiltration membrane was added as the final stage of the designed process route, while upgrading the operation conditions of biochemical process at the same time. After the renovation, the removal rates of chemical oxygen demand (CODcr), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total phosphorus (TP) and other major pollutants were improved greatly, and the results fully achieved the standards of surface water class IV. The ultrafiltration system performs a stable permeability around 1.5 LMH/kPa. Besides, the economic performance of the renovation was evaluated via the net present value (NPV) method. The result reveals that the NPV of the renovation of the WWTP within the 20 year life cycle is CNY 72.51 million and the overall investment cost can be recovered within the fourth year after the reoperation of the plant. This research does not only indicate that it is feasible to take an ultrafiltration membrane as the main technology, both from technical and economic perspectives, while upgrading the biochemical process section in the meantime, but also provides a new strategy for the renovation of existing WWTPs to achieve more stringent emission standards.

Amphipathic Janus Membrane with Hierarchical Multiscale Hyperporous Structure for Interfacial Catalysis.

The rational design and realization of multiscale porous structures has been a long-standing challenge in membrane science. Block copolymers (BCPs) with their self-assembly-enabled nanodomains have the potential to make structural breakthroughs. An amphipathic Janus membrane, with a hierarchical multiscale hyperporous structure constituted by polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS4VP) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) blocks, was designed and synthesized in this work. Hydrophobic PVDF dominated one side of the membrane, and hydrophilic PS4VP, with nanopores that formed inside the macroporous channels of PVDF via a self-assembly approach, dominated the other side. Candida Rugosa Lipase (CRL), as a model biocatalyst, was immobilized in the PS4VP nanopores via injection. The immobilized lipase was exactly suspended at the interface of the organic and aqueous phases, owing to the amphipathic property of the Janus membrane. The designed structures and catalysis performances were further characterized. The immobilized lipase exhibited a three times higher specific activity than free lipase, and the relative activity still remained above 90% after 10 cycles of reusing, indicating the observable promotion and the guaranteed stability of the Janus membrane in interfacial catalysis. This work provided a general, facile and unique example for the design and synthesis of a hierarchical multiscale hyperporous membrane for interfacial catalysis.

Effects of Room Temperature Stretching and Annealing on the Crystallization Behavior and Performance of Polyvinylidene Fluoride Hollow Fiber Membranes.

A treatment consisting of room temperature stretching and subsequent annealing was utilized to regulate the morphology and performance of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membranes. The effects of stretching ratios and stretching rates on the crystallization behavior, morphology, and performance of the PVDF membranes were investigated. The results showed that the treatment resulted in generation of the ß crystalline phase PVDF and increased the crystallinity of the membrane materials. The treatment also brought about the orientation of the membrane pores along the stretching direction and led to an increase in the mean pore size of the membranes. In addition, as the stretching ratio increased, the tensile strength and permeation flux were improved while the elongation at break was depressed. However, compared to the stretching ratio, the stretching rate had less influence on the membrane structure and performance. In general, as the stretching ratio was 50% and the stretching rate was 20 mm/min, the tensile strength was increased by 36% to 7.47 MPa, and the pure water flux was as high as 776.28 L/(m2·h·0.1bar), while the mean pore size was not changed significantly. This research proved that the room temperature stretching and subsequent annealing was a simple but effective method for regulating the structure and the performance of the PVDF porous membranes.

Ion-Responsive Channels of Zwitterion-Carbon Nanotube Membrane for Rapid Water Permeation and Ultrahigh Mono-/Multivalent Ion Selectivity.

The rational combination of polymer matrix and nanostructured building blocks leads to the formation of composite membranes with unexpected capability of selectivity of monovalent electrolytes and water, which affords the feasibility to effeciently remove harmful ions and neutral molecules from the environment of concentrated salines. However, the multivalent ion rejection in salined water of routine nanocomposite membranes was less than 98% when ion strength is high, resulting in a poor ion selectivity far below the acceptable value. In this contribution, the ion-responsive membrane with zwitterion-carbon nanotube (ZCNT) entrances at the surface and nanochannels inside membrane has been proposed to obtain ultrahigh multivalent ion rejection. The mean effective pore diameter of ZCNT membrane was dedicated tuned from 1.24 to 0.54 nm with the rise in Na2SO4 concentration from 0 to 70 mol m(-3) as contrary to the conventional rejection drop in carbon nanotube (CNT) membrane. The ultrahigh selective permeabilities of monovalent anions against divalent anions of 93 and against glucose of 5.5 were obtained on ZCNT membrane, while such selectivities were only 20 and 1.6 for the pristine CNT membrane, respectively. The ZCNT membranes have potential applications in treatment of salined water with general NaCl concentration from 100 to 600 mol m(-3), which are widely applicable in desalination, food, and biological separation processes.

Systemic Lipopolysaccharide Administration-Induced Cognitive Impairments are Reversed by Erythropoietin Treatment in Mice.

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a frequent complication in critically ill patients and is associated with long-term cognitive impairments. However, the pathophysiology underlying SAE is poorly understood and the pharmacologic treatment is lacking. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of erythropoietin (EPO) on cognitive impairments in an animal model of SAE induced by peripheral administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Mice were randomly divided into the sham + vehicle, sham + EPO, LPS + vehicle, and LPS + EPO groups. EPO was administrated 30 min after the LPS administration and daily afterward for 2 days. Behavioral tests were performed on days 6 and 7 with open field and fear conditioning tests, respectively. The survival rate was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The levels of proinflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and apoptosis-related markers were measured in the hippocampus at the indicated time points. The synaptic morphometry changes in the CA1 region were observed with transmission electron microscopy. Our results showed that LPS administration resulted in high mortality rate and cognitive impairments, which were accompanied by increased expressions of interleukin-1ß, malondialdehyde, cleaved caspase-3, and abnormal synaptic morphometry changes in the hippocampus. Notably, EPO treatment reversed the cognitive impairments and rescued the brain pathology induced by LPS administration. In conclusion, our data suggested that treatment with EPO reduced the mortality rate and ameliorated cognitive impairments in an animal model of SAE.