Identifying the fate of dissolved organic matter in wastewater treatment plant effluent-dominated urban river based on fluorescence fingerprinting and flux budget approach.

Effluent organic matter from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is an important source of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in urban rivers worldwide and is an important water quality factor. Identifying the fate of DOM in urban river is crucial for water quality management. To address this concern, a fluorescent flux budget approach was conducted to probe the fate of DOM in WWTP effluent-dominated urban river, in combination with field measurement and fluorescence fingerprinting. An urban river receiving two WWTP effluents in Hefei City, China was chosen as the study site, where longitudinal measurements of river hydrology and water quality were performed. The fluorescence fingerprinting revealed the presence of two humic-like components (C1, C4), one fulvic-like component (C2) and one protein-like component (C3) in this investigated river, among which C2 and C4 were indicative of anthropogenic influences, closely associated with treated effluents. For each fluorescent component, the WWTP effluent contributed over 80 % of the total fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) input in this river. Using the developed FDOM flux budget model, it was found that the C1 and C3 were almost conserved within the waterbody, while the C2 and C4 experienced losses due to biogeochemical reactions. The decay rates of C2 and C4 were estimated to be 0.109-0.174 d-1 and 0.096-0.320 d-1, respectively. Spatial heterogeneity of decay rates for C2 and C4 were associated with the varied chemistries of the lateral input sources including two treated effluents and one tributary flow. Our study highlights that after treated effluent is released into the receiving waterbody, the FDOM would undergo loss from the waters particularly for anthropogenic fulvic-like substance C2 and humic-like substance C4. Additionally, the quantified FDOM decay rate in actual urban water environment provides insights for river water quality management, especially when using DOM as the surrogate indicator of organic pollutants.

Efficacy and mechanism of action of Yanxiao Di'naer formula for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis treatment based on metabolomics and RNA sequencing.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease worldwide. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a crucial component of this disease spectrum. The Yanxiao Di'naer formula (YXDNE) is an Uyghur medical extract that has been used in folk medicine to treat hepatitis for a long time. However, the role and mechanism of action of YXDNE in NASH treatment remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of YXDNE in treating NASH induced by injections of carbon tetrachloride combined with a high-fat high-cholesterol diet (HFHCD), and to clarify the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: The compounds in the YXDNE extract were analysed for classification and proportions using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The efficacy of YXDNE in treating abnormal lipid metabolism was evaluated in L02 cells in vitro. In addition, a C57BL/6 mouse model of NASH was established to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of YXDNE in vivo. Metabolomics and RNA sequencing were used to analyse the therapeutic effects of YXDNE on the liver. The corresponding signalling pathways were found to target AMPKα1, PPARα, and NF-κB. The efficacy of YXDNE was validated using inhibitors or silencing RNA (siRNA) against AMPKα1 and PPARα. RESULTS: This study confirmed that YXDNE treatment ameliorated NASH in a murine model of this disease. Metabolomics analysis suggested that YXDNE efficacy was associated with fatty acid catabolism and AMPK signalling pathways. RNA sequencing results showed that YXDNE efficacy in treating NASH was highly correlated with the AMPK, PPARα and NF-κB pathways. Both in vitro and in vivo experimental data demonstrated that YXDNE affected the expression of p-AMPKα1, PPARα, p-NF-κB, IκB, and p-IκB. The efficacy of YXDNE in treating NASH in vitro was cancelled when AMPK was inhibited with Compound C or PPARα was modulated via siRNA. CONCLUSIONS: YXDNE may have a therapeutic effect on abnormal lipid metabolism in L02 cells and in a murine model of NASH by affecting the AMPKα1/PPARα/NF-κB signalling pathway. Therefore, YXDNE has the potential for clinical application in the prevention and treatment of NASH.

Enhancing insight into DOM fate in aquatic systems: Introducing the FLOTATION model.

Water quality modeling can help to understand the source, transport, transformation and fate of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in aquatic systems. However, water quality models typically use biological oxygen demand as the state variable for DOM, which poorly represents the bio-refractory fraction of the DOM pool. Furthermore, photodegradation, which has a significant impact on the fate of DOM, is often neglected in water quality models. To fill these gaps, we developed the FLOTATION (FLuorescent dOm Transport And TransformatION) model, which includes three processes: biodegradation, photodegradation, and primary production formation. We applied the model to the Nanfei River to understand the source, spatial distribution, and fate of DOM under low flow conditions. The model was set up and calibrated with the longitudinal measurements of four humic-like components (C1-C4) and one protein-like component (C5) identified by excitation-emission matrix parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC). The results showed that the simulation reproduced the longitudinal variations of all components well. The photodegradation process removed 18 %, 15 % and 21 % of the total input loadings of the humic-like components C1, C2 and C4, respectively. Algal primary production contributed 18 % of the downstream transport loading, constituting an important autochthonous source. For the protein-like C5, photodegradation and biodegradation together removed 7 % of the input loading. Our newly developed FLOATATION model can facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the fate and transport of DOM in aquatic environments.

A hybrid deep learning approach to improve real-time effluent quality prediction in wastewater treatment plant.

Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operation is usually intricate due to large variations in influent characteristics and nonlinear sewage treatment processes. Effective modeling of WWTP effluent water quality can provide valuable decision-making support to facilitate their operations and management. In this study, we developed a novel hybrid deep learning model by combining the temporal convolutional network (TCN) model with the long short-term memory (LSTM) network model to improve the simulation of hourly total nitrogen (TN) concentration in WWTP effluent. The developed model was tested in a WWTP in Jiangsu Province, China, where the prediction results of the hybrid TCN-LSTM model were compared with those of single deep learning models (TCN and LSTM) and traditional machine learning model (feedforward neural network, FFNN). The hybrid TCN-LSTM model could achieve 33.1 % higher accuracy as compared to the single TCN or LSTM model, and its performance could improve by 63.6 % comparing to the traditional FFNN model. The developed hybrid model also exhibited a higher power prediction of WWTP effluent TN for the next multiple time steps within eight hours, as compared to the standalone TCN, LSTM, and FFNN models. Finally, employing model interpretation approach of Shapley additive explanation to identify the key parameters influencing the behavior of WWTP effluent water quality, it was found that removing variables that did not contribute to the model output could further improve modeling efficiency while optimizing monitoring and management strategies.

Hugan Buzure Granule Alleviates Acute Kidney Injury in Mice by Inhibiting NLRP3/Caspase-1 Pathway and TLR4/NF-κB Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Hugan Buzure Granule (HBG) is a traditional prescription of Uygur nationality in China mainly used to treat liver cold, stomachache, spleen and rib pain, arthralgia, rheumatism and urinary system diseases. Its mechanism of action in treating acute kidney injury (AKI) continues to remain unconfirmed. This study's objective was to investigate the pharmacodynamics and mechanism of HBG in the management of AKI. METHODS: The damage to the kidney tissue was examined by using H&E (Hematoxylin-eosin) staining. The BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) and Cr (Creatinine) in serum were examined by biochemical kit. The content of ROS (Reactive oxygen species) in kidney tissue was determined by ROS frozen section staining, while the amount of MDA (Malondialdehyde), GSH (Glutathione), and the enzymes of CAT (Catalase) and SOD (Superoxide dismutase) were assessed by using a biochemical kit. The tissue apoptosis was seen by using the TUNEL assay. ELISA kit was utilized to assess the content of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1ß in serum. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were utilized to identify the translation of proteins associated to the NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway and the TLR4/NF-κB pathway in various tissues. RESULTS: HBG considerably improved the renal injury in mice and decreased their kidney coefficient in contrast with the Control group. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot demonstrated that the translation of NLRP3, Caspase-1, IL-18, IL-1ß, TLR4, NF-κB, IL-6, TNF-α were down-regulated in HBG groups. CONCLUSIONS: HBG may have a protective effect against AKI through anti-oxidative stress, inhibition of apoptosis and reduction of serum inflammatory factor levels. The mechanisms involved inhibiting NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway and TLR4/NF-κB pathway.

A smart sewer detection approach based on wavelet denoising of in-sewer temperature sensing measurement.

Urban sewer detection is important for the proper conveyance of sanitary water to wastewater treatment plant prior to environmental discharge. An effective approach to address this important process still needs to be developed. This study introduced a novel data-driven approach to sewer detection utilizing in-sewer distributed temperature sensing (DTS) measurement combined with wavelet-based denoising of DTS data. It underlines that the effective denoising of DTS data, and consequently the accurate determination of DTS noise threshold, is pivotal to reliable sewer detection. DTS background noise is chiefly influenced by the threshold rescaling. A reliable DTS background noise threshold was found to be ±0.25 °C in a field study, established with the threshold rescaling of a level-dependent estimation of level noise, and the associated threshold selection rule of heuristics threshold or minimum maximum variance. Deviation from this threshold could hamper the identification of true inflow or infiltration points. Applying the established threshold to the study site, our study identified two sewer problematic points including a groundwater infiltration point, and a clean water inflow point based on generated three-value image. Further interpretation of the three-value image revealed that both groundwater infiltration and clean water inflow into the sewer exhibited intermittent instead of constant behavior, which was due to time-variable water head difference associated with sewage discharge variation over the daily period and rainfall events. Thus, the methodology offers considerable potential for urban sewer detection, especially for its performance to capture intermittent sewer infiltrations and inflows without draining sewers.

Mechanism of near-field optical nanopatterning on noble metal nano-films by a nanosecond laser irradiating a cantilevered scanning near-field optical microscopy probe.

To overcome the diffraction limit, a laser irradiating cantilevered scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) probe has been used in near-field optical nanopatterning. In this paper, the mechanism of nanopatterning on noble metal nano-films by this technique is investigated by the finite element method. It is proposed that the main mechanism of this phenomenon is the melt and reshaping of the nano-film under the SNOM tip. The melt is caused by the surface plasmon polariton-assisted enhancement and restriction within the SNOM tip aperture. The impacts of the gap g between the tip and substrate and the polarization of the laser are further analyzed.

Fabrication of nanostructure on Au nano-film by nanosecond laser coupled with cantilevered scanning near-field optical microscopy probe.

Diffraction limit has been the constraint of the nanostructure fabrication. Because the scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) can work in the evanescent near-field region, its application in nano-processing has received extensive attention from researchers globally. In this paper, we combined nanosecond laser with cantilevered SNOM probe. Utilizing the high precision of the confinement and enhancement effect of probe tip and the high instantaneous energy of the laser, we realized nanostructure fabrication andin situdetection on Au nano-film. Feature sizes down to 47 nm full width at half maximum were fabricated. We investigated the laser propagation through the SNOM tip aperture and the light field intensity distribution on the surface of substrate theoretically. The calculation results demonstrate that the laser is highly restricted within the SNOM aperture and enhanced on the exit plane at the rim of aperture. After the transmission, the light field intensity distribution on the surface of the Au nano-film was enhanced due to the localized surface plasmon resonance. The thermal distribution on the surface of Au nano-film indicates that the peak of the temperature distribution appeared at the surface right underneath the center of the aperture. It is proved that the simulation results are consistent with the experimental results.

Current Progress, Challenges and Perspectives in the Microalgal-Bacterial Aerobic Granular Sludge Process: A Review.

Traditional wastewater treatment technologies have become increasingly inefficient to meet the needs of low-consumption and sustainable wastewater treatment. Researchers are committed to seeking new wastewater treatment technologies, to reduce the pressure on the environment caused by resource shortages. Recently, a microalgal-bacterial granular sludge (MBGS) technology has attracted widespread attention due to its high efficiency wastewater treatment capacity, low energy consumption, low CO2 emissions, potentially high added values, and resource recovery capabilities. This review focused primarily on the following aspects of microalgal-bacterial granular sludge technology: (1) MBGS culture and maintenance operating parameters, (2) MBGS application in different wastewaters, (3) MBGS additional products: biofuels and bioproducts, (4) MBGS energy saving and consumption reduction: greenhouse gas emission reduction, and (5) challenges and prospects. The information in this review will help us better understand the current progress and future direction of the MBGS technology development. It is expected that this review will provide a sound theoretical basis for the practical applications of a MBGS technology in environmentally sustainable wastewater treatment, resource recovery, and system optimization.

Application of zeolites in permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) for in-situ groundwater remediation: A critical review.

Permeable reactive barrier (PRB) is one of the most promising in-situ groundwater remediation technologies due to its low costs and wide immobilization suitability for multiple contaminants. Reactive medium is a key component of PRBs and their selection needs to consider removal effectiveness as well as permeability. Zeolites have been extensively reported as reactive media owing to their high adsorption capacity, diverse pore structure and high stability. Moreover, the application of zeolites can reduce the PRBs fouling and clogging compared to reductants like zero-valence iron (ZVI) due to no formation of secondary precipitates, such as iron monosulfide, in spite of their reactivity to remove organics. This study gives a detailed review of lab-scale applications of zeolites in PRBs in terms of sorption characteristics, mechanisms, column performance and desorption features, as well as their field-scale applications to point out their application tendency in PRBs for contaminated groundwater remediation. On this basis, future prospects and suggestions for using zeolites in PRBs for groundwater remediation were put forward. This study provides a comprehensive and critical review of the lab-scale and field-scale applications of zeolites in PRBs and is expected to guide the future design and applications of adsorbents-based PRBs for groundwater remediation.

Mechanism of Shiliu Buxue Syrup for anemia using integrated metabolomics and network pharmacology.

For many years, Shiliu Buxue Syrup (SLBXS) has been used in the treatment of anemia in Xinjiang, China. However, the potential therapeutic mechanism of SLBXS in the treatment of anemia remains unclear. We qualitatively analyzed the ingredients of SLBXS and predicted the underlying mechanisms by network pharmacology. A mice model of anemia was established by subcutaneous injection of 1-Acetyl-2-phenylhydrazine (APH). Spleen metabolomics was performed to screen potential biomarkers and pathways related to anemia. Furthermore, core targets of crucial pathways were experimentally validated. Finally, molecular docking was used for predicting interactions between compositions and targets. Network pharmacology indicated that the 230 SLBXS ingredients may affect 141 target proteins to regulate the PI3K/AKT and HIF-1 signaling pathways. Metabolomics revealed that SLBXS could mediate 30 biomarkers, such as phosphoric acid, l-pyroglutamic acid, alpha-Tocopherol, 1-stearoyl-rac-glycerol, and dihydroxyacetone phosphate, to regulate drug metabolism-other enzymes, glutathione metabolism, glycolysis or gluconeogenesis, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, and purine metabolism. Western blot indicated that SLBXS can regulate the protein expression levels of AKT1, Bcl2, Caspase3, HIF-1α, VEGF-A, and NOS2. The molecular docking revealed that most of the compositions had a good binding ability to the core targets. Based on these findings, we speculate that SLBXS treats anemia mainly by modulating the PI3K/AKT and HIF-1 pathways and glutathione and glycolytic metabolisms.

Simultaneous removal of Pb and MTBE by mixed zeolites in fixed-bed column tests.

The co-contamination of metals and organic pollutants, such as Pb and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), in groundwater, has become a common and major phenomenon in many contaminated sites. This study evaluated the feasibility of their simultaneous removal with permeable reactive barrier (PRB) packed with mixed zeolites (clinoptilolite and ZSM-5) using fixed-bed column tests and breakthrough curve modeling. The effect of grain size on the permeability of PRB and removal efficacy was also assessed by granular and power clinoptilolite. The replacement of granular clinoptilolite by powder clinoptilolite largely reduced the breakthrough time but increased the saturation time nearly fourfold. The column adsorption capacity of clinoptilolite powders almost tripled that of clinoptilolite granules (130.6 mg/g versus 45.3 mg/g) due to higher specific surface areas. The minimum thickness and corresponding longevity of PRB were calculated as 7.12 cm and 321.5 min when 5% of granular clinoptilolite was mixed with 5% ZSM-5 and 90% sand as mixed PRB reactive media compared with 10.86 cm and 1230.2 min for the application of powder clinoptilolite. This study is expected to provide theoretical support and guidance for the practical application of mixed adsorbents in PRBs.

Fate and transport of pharmaceuticals in water systems: A processes review.

Pharmaceuticals are globally consumed by humans and animals to support daily health and to treat disease. Following consumption, they may reach the aquatic environment either directly through the discharge of untreated wastewater to water bodies, or indirectly via treated wastewater as a result of their incomplete removal from wastewater treatment plants. This paper reviews the processes that control the occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals in water systems, including sorption, photodegradation, hydrolysis and biodegradation. The degree to which these four processes occur is influenced by pharmaceutical types and their chemical structure as well as environmental factors such as sunlight, water depth, organic matter content, water chemistry, sediment properties, and type and abundance of microorganisms. Depending on the complex interactions of these factors, pharmaceutical compounds may be mineralized, partially degraded, or remain intact because they are resistant to degradation. Kinetic rate parameters and the half-life of a variety of pharmaceutical products are provided herein for the above processes under different environmental conditions. Usually, photodegradation and biodegradation represent dominant reaction processes, while hydrolysis only affects some pharmaceuticals, particularly antibiotics. The identified sorption and reaction rate parameters can be incorporated into a concise modeling framework to assess and predict longitudinal concentration profiles of pharmaceutical products in the manmade and natural systems, particularly when large amounts of pharmaceuticals are discharged during abnormal events such as a virus outbreak. Finally, future research is suggested, including the fate of transformed products (intermediates) in water systems.

Mechanism of nanostructure processing on Au and Ag nano-film by a nanosecond laser illuminating cantilevered scanning near-field optical microscopy tip.

Nanostructure processing by a laser illuminating cantilevered scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) tip is a novel technology that has received extensive attention from researchers. In this paper, theoretical investigations of the mechanism for nanostructure fabrication on Au and Ag nano-film by this technology are realized by the finite element method. The light field intensity and temperature distribution on Au and Ag surfaces at the near-field of the SNOM tip apex after illumination is simulated. The results reveal that the laser is restricted and enhanced within the SNOM tip aperture during illumination. Locally excited surface plasmon polaritons, which induce near-field enhancement on the Au and Ag nano-film at the vicinity of the aperture, are significant for nanostructure fabrication. The impacts of several parameters such as aperture width w, gap between the apex and substrate g, and the initial electric field intensity |E0| of the laser on the temperature of the Au and Ag substrate surfaces during fabrication are deeply studied. It reveals that the surface temperature depends on both the enhancement of the light field intensity and the transmitted laser. The enhancement is dominant in affecting temperature when the gap is small, while the transmittance becomes the main factor influencing the surface temperature with the increase of the gap.

Huganbuzure Granule Attenuates Concanavalin-A-Induced Immune Liver Injury in Mice via Regulating the Balance of Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg Cells and Inhibiting Apoptosis.

In Uygur medicine, Huganbuzure granule (HBG) is one of the classical prescriptions for liver protection. However, its role in immune liver injury remains unknown. This study evaluates the effect of HBG on concanavalin-A- (ConA-) induced immune liver injury and investigates its protective underlying mechanism. BALB/c mice were randomly divided into five groups (n = 24 mice per group): control, ConA, 1.6 g/kg HBG + ConA, 3.2 g/kg HBG + ConA, and 6 mg/kg prednisolone + ConA. HBG was intragastrically administrated once daily for ten consecutive days, prior to ConA (20 mg/kg) injection. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in mouse serum were measured after ConA injection. Moreover, liver-related mRNA levels were evaluated by qPCR. The detection of liver-related proteins was assessed by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Compared with the ConA group, HBG reduced the mRNA expression of IL-17A and IFN-γ and the protein expression of T-bet and ROR-γt. In addition, HBG increased the mRNA expression of IL-4 and TGF-ß and protein expression of GATA3 and Foxp3, indicating that HBG regulated the balance of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg. Furthermore, HBG alleviated immune liver injury by reducing oxidative stress, inhibiting apoptosis, and decreasing the expression of p-JNK, p-ERK, p-p38, p-JAK1, p-STAT1, p-STAT3, and IRF1. Our data suggested that HBG attenuated ConA-induced immune liver injury by regulating the immune balance and inhibiting JAK1/STATs/IRF1 signaling, thereby reducing apoptosis induced by JNK activation. The findings indicate that HBG may be a promising drug for immune liver injury.

Photodegradation-induced biological degradation of treated wastewater effluent organic matter in receiving waters.

Effluent organic matter (EfOM) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) constitutes an important source of dissolved organic matter in receiving waters. Photodegradation may alter the properties of WWTP EfOM, thereby impacting its biodegradability and microbial respiration. However, whether and how natural sunlight exposure of EfOM affects its biodegradability and microbial oxygen consumption in the receiving waters are unclear. To address these knowledge gaps, incubation experiments of biodegradation, photodegradation, and bio-photodegradation were conducted with the effluent samples from a tertiary WWTP in Heifei, China. The quantity and quality of the EfOM were examined during the incubations to interpret changes in its lability and composition. The results showed that photodegradation facilitated and accelerated the EfOM biodegradation. After natural sunlight exposure, the EfOM degradation rate was significantly enhanced from 0.004 d-1 to 0.065 d-1 measured by dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Correspondingly, the DOC concentration of EfOM was reduced by 64.2% (26.6% by photodegradation and 37.5% by bio-photodegradation), while the concentration was only reduced by 5.3% in the direct biodegradation. Sunlight exposure of EfOM resulted in lower molecular weight, less aromatic, lower humified, more bleached photoproducts. These substances could be readily metabolized by the native microbial community in the receiving water, stimulating microbial respiration. Correspondingly, the oxygen consumption rate of EfOM increased from almost 0.11 mg L-1 d-1 in the direct biodegradation to 2.17 mg L-1 d-1 in the bio-photodegradation. This study highlights that after EfOM is discharged to the receiving water, its post-processing by sunlight can enhance biodegradability. The existence of the coupled photochemical and biological process is suggested to be considered when determining EfOM fate and managing effluent discharge in receiving waters.

Transcriptomic Analysis Exploring the Molecular Mechanisms of Hanchuan Zupa Granules in Alleviating Asthma in Rat.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the molecular mechanisms of HCZP treatment of asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were divided into normal, asthma, and HCZP groups (n = 10). The asthma model was sensitized by 1 mg ovalbumin (OVA)/aluminum hydroxide Al(OH)3mixture and then challenged with 1% aerosolized OVA for four weeks. Rats in the HCZP group received 10.08 g/kg/d HCZP for four weeks during OVA challenge. Then, lung tissues of rats in each group were collected for RNA sequencing. Moreover, the expression level of some core genes was detected by using western blotting and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Inflammatory cell infiltration and pathological damage of the lungs improved in the HCZP group. Compared with the asthma group (0.049 ± 0.002 mm2/mm; 0.036 ± 0.006 mm2/mm; and 0.014 ± 0.001 mm2/mm), total wall thickness (0.042 ± 0.001 mm2/mm), inner wall thickness (0.013 ± 0.001 mm2/mm), and smooth muscle layer thickness (0.012 ± 0.001 mm2/mm) significantly decreased in the HCZP group. Bioinformatics analysis showed that hub genes such as bradykinin receptor B2 (Bdkrb2) and CD4 molecule (Cd4) had different expression patterns between model and HCZP groups. Two transcription factors, forkhead box Q1 (Foxq1) and nuclear factor of activated T cells 2 (Nfatc2), served important regulatory roles in asthma. Compared with the model group, Bdkrb2 protein expression increased and Nfatc2 protein expression decreased in the HCZP group. Discussion and Conclusion. HCZP could alleviate asthma via regulating the expression of several hub genes, which might serve as therapeutic targets for asthma. However, the mechanism of these genes will be studied in the future.

Sustainable stabilization/solidification of the Pb, Zn, and Cd contaminated soil by red mud-derived binders.

Red mud and phosphogypsum are voluminous industrial by-products worldwide. They have long been disposed of in landfills or open storage, leading to a waste of resource and environmental pollution. This study provides a novel approach to recycle these industrial by-products as sustainable red mud-phosphogypsum-Portland cement (RPPC) binders for stabilization/solidification (S/S) of multimetal-contaminated soil. The physical strength, metal leachability and microstructure of S/S soil were investigated after 7-day and 28-day curing, as well as freezing-thawing (F-T) cycle and wetting-drying (W-D) cycle. The results show that the strength of soil treated by all binders fulfilled the uniaxial compressive strength requirement (350 kPa) of S/S waste in landfills. Microstructural analyses show that the main hydration products of the RPPC S/S soil are ilmenite, ettringite, anhydrite and hydrated calcium silicate. The 10% and 15% RPPC binders have a competitive metal immobilization ability compared with 10% PC, but the immobilization priority is different: Pb > Zn > Cd in RPPC system and Zn > Cd > Pb in PC system, respectively, probably due to the precipiataion of Pb2+ with the abundant SO42- in phosphogypsum in RPPC system. The strength of RPPC and PC treated soil was still higher than 350 kPa except for RPPC7.5 after 10 freeze-thaw or 10 wetting-drying cycles. The RPPC binder performed worse than PC binder after both freeze-thaw and wetting-drying cycles, especially at a lower dosage. Only the metal leaching concentrations of samples treated by RPPC15 and PC10 could fulfil the Chinese standards for hazardous wastes.

Advanced mechanism of multiphysics fields tip enhancement induced with varied laser power to fabricate pattern-transformable subdiffraction limit nanostructures.

The nanofabrication platform was carried out using an atomic force microscope (AFM) system and a continuous wave (cw) laser to investigate the influence of laser power on the underlying mechanism of nanostructures fabricated by multiphysics fields tip enhancement (MFTE) induced by a cw laser irradiating the AFM probe tip. The nanostructure fabrication of nanopits and grooves and nanodots and lines on a polymethyl methacrylate thin film was conducted in an ambient environment by changing the incident laser power. The dependence of the MFTE on laser power was numerically analyzed, too. The lateral dimensions of nanopits and grooves and nanodots and lines characterized in situ were 154 nm, 96 nm, 188 nm, and 25 nm, respectively, breaking the optical diffraction limit. It turned out that the nanostructures converted from craters (pits and grooves) to protrusions (dots and lines) when altered with the laser power. Different laser powers can trigger the MFTE to change, thus, inducing varied coupling energy, which is the essential mechanism for nanostructure conversion. We also established a model to analyze the nanostructures transition and to predict the dimensions of nanostructures. The simulation results demonstrate that the MFTE has an essential effect on the formation of nanostructures, which are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Pin-pointing groundwater infiltration into urban sewers using chemical tracer in conjunction with physically based optimization model.

Groundwater infiltration into sanitary sewers increases hydraulic loadings of sewage collection systems and threatens wastewater treatment efficiency. However, cost-effective approach to quantify this important process still needs to be improved in order to better manage this common issue. This paper presents a method for determining the origin and amount of groundwater entering the urban sewer system. On a catchment scale, by measuring and tracking a chemical tracer (i.e., artificial sweetener acesulfame) in the urban sewers, the magnitude of daily groundwater flows in each sub-catchment could be quantified based on a Monte Carlo chemical mass balance approach. For the study site, 7.9% of the sewer length contributed 58% of the total groundwater infiltration. In the identified high-risk sub-catchment, groundwater sources and their spatial-temporal flows could be further pinpointed and elucidated by physically based numerical self-optimization model using microbial genetic algorithm method, which was verified by on-site sewer flow measurements, as well as time-series tracer concentration patterns at the terminal outlet. It was found that the diurnal variations of groundwater seepage into sewer network was linked to the in-pipe water level associated with sewage pumps operation mode, demonstrating the importance of in-pipe water level regulation in controlling groundwater infiltration. Compared with traditional visual inspection or direct flow measurement methods, the proposed approach exhibits distinct advantages in determining groundwater sources and flows in large sewer systems.