FeMo2Ox(OH)y-based mineral hydrogels as a novel POD nanozyme for sensitive and selective detection of aromatic amines contaminants via a colorimetric sensor array.

Developing convenient pathways to discriminate and identify multiple aromatic amines (AAs) remains fascinating and critical. Here, a novel three-channel colorimetric sensor array based on FeMo2Ox(OH)y-based mineral (FM) hydrogels is successfully constructed to monitor AAs in tap water. Benefiting from the substantial oxygen vacancies (VO), FM nanozymes exhibit extraordinary peroxidase (POD)-like activities with Km of 0.133 mM and Vmax of 2.518 × 10-2 mM·s-1 toward 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), which are much better than horseradish peroxidase and most of POD mimics. This reveals that doping Cu and Co into FM (FM-Cu and FM-Co) can change POD activity. Based on various POD activities, TMB and H2O2 are used to generate fingerprint colorimetry signals from the colorimetry sensor array. The analytes can accurately discriminate through linear discriminant analysis, with a detection limit as low as 2.12 × 10-2-0.14 µM. The sensor array can effectively identify and discriminate AA contaminants and their mixtures and has performed well in real sample tests.

Enhancing anaerobic digestion of pharmaceutical industries wastewater with the composite addition of zero valent iron (ZVI) and granular activated carbon (GAC).

Anaerobic digestion of pharmaceutical wastewater is challenged by its contained toxic compounds which limits the stability and efficiency of methane production and organic degradation. In this study, zero valent iron (ZVI) and granular activated carbon (GAC) were added with different strategies to improve anaerobic digestion of pharmaceutical wastewater. The results confirmed synergy effects of ZVI + GAC for both COD removal (increased by 13.4%) and methane production (increased by 11.0%). Furthermore, ZVI + GAC improved the removal of pharmaceutical intermediates, in particular, the residues (%) of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and 2,2'-methylenebis(6-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol) were only 30.48 ± 6.53 and 39.92 ± 4.50, and effectively reduced biotoxicity. The promoted results were attributed to the establishment of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET). Microbial community analysis revealed that ZVI + GAC decreased species evenness and richness in bacterial whereas increased in archaeal. The relative abundance of acetotrophic methanogens decreased but hydrogenotrophic and methylotrophic methanogens increased, which broadening the pathway of methane production.

[Polymorphism in exon 2 of pig FIT1 gene and its association with fat-deposition-related traits].

In pig industry, fat deposition related traits such as back fat thickness and fat rate are of great economic importance. Thus, research on genes related with fat deposition can offer many useful values theoretically and practically. Gene FIT1 (Fat-inducing transcript 1) plays an important role in packaging lipid droplets. Here, we used FIT1 gene as the candidate gene for fat deposition. Sequence comparison revealed that an insertion/deletion mutation occurred at 590~595 bp of the second exon. We then carried out PCR-SSCP analysis followed by association analysis in F2 "Large white xMeishan" resource family. In all the individuals tested, all Meishan pigs possessed the insertion, which was designated allele A, while most Large white pigs possessed the deletion and was named as allele B. Association analysis in F2 resource family showed that this site was highly associated with fat percentage (FP), 6-7 rib fat thickness (RFT), buttock fat thickness (BFT), leaf fat weigh (LFW), total internal fat weigh (TFW), and internal fat rate (IFR) (Plt;0.01). These results indicated that FIT1 gene may have some important values for application. Further and deep research is necessary for revealing more information on this gene in order to provide a new marker for molecular marker-assisted selection breeding.