Development of UroSAM: a machine learning model to automatically identify kidney stone composition from endoscopic video.

Introduction Chemical composition analysis is important in prevention counseling for kidney stone disease. Advances in laser technology have made dusting techniques more prevalent, but this offers no consistent way to collect enough material to send for chemical analysis, leading many to forgo this test. We developed a novel machine learning (ML) model to effectively assess stone composition based on intraoperative endoscopic video data. Methods Two endourologists performed ureteroscopy for kidney stones ≥ 10mm. Representative videos were recorded intraoperatively. Individual frames were extracted from the videos and the stone was outlined by human tracing. An ML model, UroSAM, was built and trained to automatically identify kidney stones in the images and predict the majority stone composition: calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM), dihydrate (COD), calcium phosphate (CAP), or uric acid (UA). UroSAM was built on top of the publicly available Segment Anything Model (SAM) and incorporated a U-Net convolutional neural network (CNN). Discussion A total of 78 ureteroscopy videos were collected; 50 were used for the model after exclusions (32 COM, 8 COD, 8 CAP, 2 UA). The ML model segmented the images with 94.77% precision. Dice coefficient (0.9135) and Intersection over Union (0.8496) confirmed good segmentation performance of the ML model. A video-wise evaluation demonstrated 60% correct classification of stone composition. Subgroup analysis showed correct classification in 84.4% of COM videos. A post-hoc adaptive threshold technique was used to mitigate biasing of the model towards COM due to data imbalance - this improved the overall correct classification to 62% while improving the classification of COD, CAP, and UA videos. Conclusions This study demonstrates the successful development of UroSAM, an ML model that precisely identifies kidney stones from natural endoscopic video data. More high quality video data will improve the performance of the model in classifying the majority stone composition.

Olanzapine for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting after gynecologic laparoscopic surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate the prophylactic effect of oral olanzapine in postoperative nausea and vomiting after gynecologic laparoscopic surgery. Methods: ASA I-II, aged 18-75 years, planned to undergo gynecologic laparoscopic surgery with general anesthesia in adult female patients. Using the randomized numbers table, the patients were placed in two groups. Oral olanzapine 5 mg or placebo was given 1 h before anesthesia. All patients received standard antiemetic prophylaxis with dexamethasone and granisetron. The primary outcome was nausea and/or vomiting in the 24 h after the postoperative. Results: A total of 250 patients were randomized, and 241 were analyzed. The primary outcome occurred in 10 of 120 patients (8.3%) in the olanzapine group and 23 of 121 patients (19.2%) in the placebo group (p = 0.014). According to Kaplan-Meier analysis, the probabilities of nausea and/or vomiting in the 24 h after the postoperative in the olanzapine group were lower than in the placebo group (log-rank p = 0.014). In a multivariate Cox analysis, the variables of use of olanzapine [hazard ratio (HR): 0.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.16-0.79; p = 0.012] and use of vasoactive drugs (HR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.07-5.75; p = 0.034) were independently associated with nausea and/or vomiting in the 24 h after the postoperative. Conclusion: Our data suggest that olanzapine relative to placebo decreased the risk of nausea and/or vomiting in the 24 h after gynecologic laparoscopic surgery. Trial registration: The trial was registered prior to patient enrollment at The Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=166900, link to registry page, Principal investigator: Nanjin Chen, Date of registration: 25 April 2022).

Preventing nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic gynecological surgery: the benefits of using olanzapine Why was this study done? Despite the use of antiemetics, postoperative nausea and vomiting remain prevalent. Furthermore, patients who undergo gynecological laparoscopic surgery are at an increased risk. Therefore, this study investigated whether oral Olanzapine could reduce the incidence of nausea and vomiting after gynaecological Laparoscopy? What did the researchers do? The research team examined patients who underwent gynecological laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia. They observed the occurrence of nausea and vomiting within 24 hours after surgery in patients who either received or did not receive Olanzapine treatment. The goal was to assess the effectiveness of Olanzapine in reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting. What did the researchers find? The addition of Olanzapine, when combined with granisetron and dexamethasone, resulted in a decreased risk of nausea and/or vomiting within the 24 hours following gynecologic laparoscopic surgery, as compared to the placebo. Administering oral Olanzapine at a dosage of 5 mg reduced the incidence of nausea and vomiting after gynecological laparoscopy from 19.2% to 8.3%. What do the findings mean? This study has identified a safe and effective medication for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting. Implementing Olanzapine as a preventive measure can significantly reduce the incidence of nausea and vomiting following surgery, thereby enhancing the overall medical experience for patients.

MoS2-based nanocomposites and aerogels for antibiotic pollutants removal from wastewater by photocatalytic degradation process: A review.

Photocatalytic technologies based on molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) catalysts are effective, eco-friendly, and promising for antibiotic pollutants treatment. The technologies used by MoS2-based nanocomposites and aerogels for efficient degradation of antibiotics are reviewed in detail for the first time in this paper. The fundamental aspects of MoS2 were comprehensively scrutinized, encompassing crystal structure, optical properties, and photocatalytic principle. Then, the main synthesized methods and advantages/disadvantages for the preparation of MoS2-based nanocomposites and aerogels were systematically presented. Besides, a comprehensive overview of diverse MoS2-based nanocomposites and aerogels photo-degradation systems that enhanced the degradation of antibiotic pollutants were revealed. Meanwhile, the photo-degradation mechanism concentrated on the photoelectron transfer pathways and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were systematically evaluated. Finally, the challenges and perspectives for deeply development of MoS2-based nanocomposites and aerogels were discussed. This review may help researchers to deeply understand the research status of MoS2-based nanocomposites and aerogels for antibiotics removal, and makes clear the photo-degradation mechanism from photoelectron transfer pathways and ROS aspects of MoS2-based nanocomposites and aerogels.

Effects of microcystin-LR on purification efficiency of simulating drinking water source by Hydrocharis dubia (Bl.) backer.

The safety of drinking water source directly affects human health. Microcystin-LR (MC-LR), a toxic and common pollutant in drinking water source, is released by algae and can impede the in-situ remediation effect of aquatic plant. Finding out the effect mechanism of MC-LR on the purification of drinking water by aquatic plant is the key to its application. This study aims to explore the performance and mechanism of MC-LR on drinking water source purification by Hydrocharis dubia (Bl.) backer. The optimum removal efficiency of NH4+-N, TP and COD were 90.7%, 93.2% and 77.3% at MC-LR concentration of 0.5 µg L-1, respectively. With the increase of MC-LR concentration, the pollutants removal rate was obviously inhibited causing by concentration-dependent. Furthermore, the growth and development of the Hydrocharis dubia (Bl.) backer roots were significantly promoted at the concentration of 0.1 µg L-1. The length, tips, surface area, and average diameter of the root increased by 71.3%, 271.4%, 265.5%, and 113.0%, respectively. Chlorophyll contents under low-concentration MC-LR show a 14.5%-15.7% promoting effect compared with the control group. The activities of POD and CAT were also stimulated with the MC-LR increasing (<1.0 µg L-1). Notably, the MDA contents increased with increasing MC-LR concentration (p < 0.01). This study indicates the effect mechanism of MC-LR on Hydrocharis dubia (Bl.) backer purification performance relies on the increased growth and enzyme activity of Hydrocharis dubia (Bl.) backer.

Projection of land susceptibility to subsidence hazard in China using an interpretable CNN deep learning model.

Land subsidence is a worldwide geo-environmental hazard. Clarifying the influencing factors of land subsidence hazards susceptibility (LSHS) and their spatial distribution are critical to the prevention and control of subsidence disasters. In this study, we selected natural and anthropogenic features or variables on LSHS and used the interpretable convolutional neural network (CNN) method to successfully construct a LSHS model in China. The model performed well, with AUC and F1-score testing set accuracies reaching 0.9939 and 0.9566, respectively. The interpretable method of SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) was use to elucidate the individual contribution of input features to the predictions of CNN model. The importance ranking of model variables showed that population, gross domestic product (GDP) and groundwater storage (GWS) change are the three major factors that affect China's land subsidence. During year 2004-2016, an area of 237.6 thousand km2 was classified as high and very high LSHS, mainly concentrated in the North China Plain, central Shanxi, southern Shaanxi, Shanghai and the junction of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. There will be 333.82-343.12 thousand km2 of areas located in the high and very high LSHS in the mid-21st century (2030-2059) and 361.9-385.92 thousand km2 of areas in the late-21st century (2070-2099). Future population exposure to high and very high LSHS will be 252.12-270.19 million people (mid-21st century) and 196.14-274.50 million people (late-21st century), respectively, compared with the historical exposure of 210.99 million people. The proportion of future railway and road exposure will reach 14.63 %-14.89 % and 11.51 %-11.82 % in the mid-21st century, and 15.46 %-17.12 % and 12.35 %-13.11 % in the late-21st century, respectively. Our findings provide an important information for creating regional adaptation policies and strategies to mitigate damage induced by subsidence.

A simple control and high accuracy measurement method of open-cell four-electrode conductivity electrode.

The paper presents a simple control and high-accuracy measurement method for a four-electrode conductivity probe based on the principle of the bi-directional voltage pulse. The two-way differential AC (alternating current) pulse voltage signal for the reference resistance and solution resistance is modulated into the single DC stationary voltage response signal to drop the demand for software and hardware and effectively eliminate the influence of excitation voltage pulse amplitude on measurement accuracy, and then the synchronous rectification DC measurement is proposed without any control timing. Meanwhile, the mathematical expression between the single output DC voltage signal and the solution conductivity is given. The test results in the laboratory and in the field indicate that the relative error of the conductivity measurement is within 2.5% in a conductance range of 10 uS/cm to 200 mS/cm, and the proposed measurement method has a good application prospect in application.

Experimental Investigation on Laser-Induced Electrochemical Silver Plating Technology.

The silver coating is widely used in electronic device manufacturing due to its excellent conductivity and soldering properties. Conventional preparation of local silver coating often uses the preplated silver, mask high-speed silver plating, and deplated silver processes. In this paper, the laser-induced electrodeposition technique is used to perform maskless laser-induced localized electrodeposition on a copper substrate preplated with a layer of silver. After the deplated silver process, ultrathin silver coatings with high dimensional accuracy, good corrosion resistance, and good bonding were obtained. The spatial distribution of the transient temperature field under laser irradiation is studied, the variation pattern of cathode substrate current under laser irradiation is tested, and finally, the spatial distribution of the pressure field under laser irradiation is simulated by Comsol. The effect of different laser scanning methods on the coating morphology was investigated, and the experimental study of the different single pulse energy-induced localized silver coatings was systematically carried out. The results show that the localized coating obtained by cross-line scanning with a laser single pulse energy of 93 µJ is flat with a film thickness of 0.23 µm, high dimensional accuracy, and good bonding force and corrosion resistance properties. This method provides a new approach for the preparation of a localized silver coating.

Adhesion-regulating molecule 1 (ADRM1) can be a potential biomarker and target for bladder cancer.

Adhesion-regulating molecule 1 (ADRM1) has been implicated in tumor development, yet its specific role in bladder cancer (BC) remains undefined. This study aimed to elucidate the function of ADRM1 in BC through a combination of bioinformatics analysis and immunohistochemical analysis (IHC). Utilizing R version 3.6.3 and relevant packages, we analyzed online database data. Validation was conducted through IHC data, approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee (Approval No. K20220830). In both paired and unpaired comparisons, ADRM1 expression was significantly elevated in BC tissues compared to adjacent tissues, as evidenced by the results of TCGA dataset and IHC data. Patients with high ADRM1 expression had statistically worse overall survival than those with low ADRM1 expression in TCGA dataset, GSE32548 dataset, GSE32894 dataset, and IHC data. Functional analysis unveiled enrichment in immune-related pathways, and a robust positive correlation emerged between ADRM1 expression and pivotal immune checkpoints, including CD274, PDCD1, and PDCD1LG2. In tumor microenvironment, samples with the high ADRM1 expression contained statistical higher proportion of CD8 + T cells and Macrophage infiltration. Meanwhile, these high ADRM1-expressing samples displayed elevated tumor mutation burden scores and stemness indices, implying potential benefits from immunotherapy. Patients with low ADRM1 expression were sensitive to cisplatin, docetaxel, vinblastine, mitomycin C, and methotrexate. According to the findings from bioinformatics and IHC analyses, ADRM1 demonstrates prognostic significance for BC patients and holds predictive potential for both immunotherapy and chemotherapy responses. This underscores its role as a biomarker and therapeutic target in BC.

The pathological significance and potential mechanism of ARHGEF6 in lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidences suggest that ARHGEF6 is involved in cancers but the exact significance and underlying mechanism are unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the pathological significance and potential mechanism of ARHGEF6 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). METHODS: Bioinformatics and experimental methods were used to analyze the expression, the clinical significance, the cellular function and potential mechanisms of ARHGEF6 in LUAD. RESULTS: ARHGEF6 was downregulated in LUAD tumor tissues and correlated negatively with poor prognosis and tumor stemness, positively with the Stromal score, the Immune score and the ESTIMATE score. The expression level of ARHGEF6 was also associated with drug sensitivity, the abundance of immune cells, the expression levels of Immune checkpoint genes and immunotherapy response. Mast cells, T cells and NK cells were the first three cells with the highest expression of ARHGEF6 in LUAD tissues. Overexpression of ARHGEF6 reduced proliferation and migration of LUAD cells and the growth of xenografted tumors, which could be reversed by re-knockdown of ARHGEF6. Results of RNA sequencing revealed that ARHGEF6 overexpression induced significant changes in the expression profile of LUAD cells, and genes encoding uridine 5'-diphosphate-glucuronic acid transferases (UGTs) and extracellular matrix (ECM) components were downregulated. CONCLUSIONS: ARHGEF6 functions as a tumor suppressor in LUAD and may serve as a new prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target. Regulating tumor microenvironment and immunity, inhibiting the expression of UGTs and ECM components in the cancer cells, and decreasing the stemness of the tumors may among the mechanisms underlying the function of ARHGEF6 in LUAD.

Rapid measurement of brown tide algae using Zernike moments and ensemble learning based on excitation-emission matrix fluorescence.

Accurate real-time prediction of microalgae density has great practical significance for taking countermeasures before the advent of Harmful algal blooms (HABs), and the non-destructive and sensitive property of excitation-emission matrix fluorescence (EEMF) spectroscopy makes it applicable to online monitoring and control. In this study, an efficient image preprocessing algorithm based on Zernike moments (ZMs) was proposed to extract compelling features from EEM intensities images. The determination of the highest order of ZMs considered both reconstruction error and computational cost, then the optimal subset of preliminarily extracted 36 ZMs was screened via the BorutaShap algorithm. Aureococcus anophagefferens concentration prediction models were developed by combining BorutaShap and ensemble learning models (random forest (RF), gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), and XGBoost). The experimental results show that BorutaShap_GBDT preserved the superior subset of ZMs, and the integration of BorutaShap_GBDT and XGBoost achieved the highest prediction accuracy. This research provides a new and promising strategy for rapidly measuring microalgae cell density.

A novel endothelial-related prognostic index by integrating single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing data for patients with kidney renal clear cell carcinoma.

Background: Endothelial cells in the tumor microenvironment play an important role in the development of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC). We wanted to further identify the function of endothelial cells in KIRC patients by integrating single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing data. Methods: Online databases provide the original data of this study. An endothelial-related prognostic index (ERPI) was constructed and validated by R version 3.6.3 and relative packages. Results: The ERPI consisted of three genes (CCND1, MALL, and VWF). Patients with high ERPI scores were significantly correlated with worse prognosis than those with low ERPI scores in the TCGA training group, TCGA test group, and GSE29609 group. A positive correlation was identified between the ERPI score and poor clinical features. The results of functional analysis indicated that ERPI was significantly associated with immune-related activities. We suggested that patients with high ERPI scores were more likely to benefit from immunotherapy based on the results of immune checkpoints, tumor microenvironment, stemness index, and TCIA, while patients with low ERPI scores were sensitive to gemcitabine, docetaxel, paclitaxel, axitinib, pazopanib, sorafenib, and temsirolimus according to the results of the "pRRophetic" algorithm. Therefore, this ERPI may help doctors choose the optimal treatment for patients with KIRC. Conclusion: By integrating single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing data from KIRC patients, we successfully identified the key genes from the perspective of endothelial cells in the tumor microenvironment and constructed ERPIs that had positive implications in precision medicine.

Enhanced adsorption of phosphate from pickling wastewater by Fe-N co-pyrolysis biochar: Performance, mechanism and reusability.

A one-step method of preparation using a novel nitrogen (N)-doped Fe-rich biochar (N5-CB) resulted in a maximum adsorption capacity (314.52 mg/g) compared with Fe-rich biochar (CB, 104.044 mg/g). It can be used to adsorb phosphate (P) efficiently. Additionally, the adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics indicated that the adsorption of P onto N5-CB was mainly mediated via multilayer coverage, endothermic, spontaneous, and physical mechanisms. The main adsorption mechanisms include Fe-P precipitation, FeOP bonding, and electronic effect. Further, the highly active Fe-Nx sites and graphitic N induced by N doping were the dominant driving force underlying enhanced P adsorption. Active Fe-Nx sites resulted in a positively-charged carbon structure and P absorption via electrostatic effect. Based on the simple method of pyrolysis, N5-CB can be used in P removal from pickling wastewater with excellent adsorption capacity and remarkable recyclability.

Promotion of higher synthesis temperature for higher-efficient removal of antimonite and antimonate in aqueous solution by iron-loaded porous biochar.

Iron-loaded porous biochar (FPBC) was synthesized by co-pyrolysis method using sawdust and potassium ferrate at 500 (FPBC500) and 800°C (FPBC800), then characterized and applied to eliminate antimonite (Sb(III)) and antimonate (Sb(V)) in aqueous. Due to alkali erosion on feedstock and K/Fe-oxides attacking carbon, FPBC800 obtained a larger specific surface area (SSA) (515.49 m2·g-1) that was 5.48-fold that of PFBC500, meaning the exposure of more active sites. Fe3O4 was formed on FPBC500, but Fe0 and Fe3C were generated on FPBC800. FPBC800 showed the optimal sorption performance for Sb(III) (144.48 mg·g-1) and Sb(V) (45.29 mg·g-1), which were much higher than that of FPBC500. Noteworthily, Sb(III) anchored on FPBC was oxidized to Sb(V) with less ecotoxicity; moreover, FPBC800 with Fe0 showed stronger oxidization. Although pH-dependent sorption of Sb(III)/Sb(V) on FPBC occurred, the resistance to environmental factors showed a potential for eliminating actual pollution, demonstrating an easy-to-operate construction strategy for modified biochar.

Proanthocyanidins Alleviate Cadmium Stress in Industrial Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.).

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), an annual herbaceous cash crop, is widely used for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils due to its short growth cycle, high tolerance, high biomass, and lack of susceptibility to transfer heavy metals into the human food chain. In this study, a significant increase in proanthocyanidins was found in Yunnan hemp no. 1 after cadmium stress. Proanthocyanidins are presumed to be a key secondary metabolite for cadmium stress mitigation. Therefore, to investigate the effect of proanthocyanidins on industrial hemp under cadmium stress, four experimental treatments were set up: normal environment, cadmium stress, proanthocyanidin treatment, and cadmium stress after pretreatment with proanthocyanidins. The phenotypes from the different treatments were compared. The experimental results showed that pretreatment with proanthocyanidins significantly alleviated cadmium toxicity in industrial hemp. The transcriptome and metabolome of industrial hemp were evaluated in the different treatments. Proanthocyanidin treatment and cadmium stress in industrial hemp mainly affected gene expression in metabolic pathways associated with glutathione metabolism, phenylpropanoids, and photosynthesis, which in turn altered the metabolite content in metabolic pathways of phenylalanine, vitamin metabolism, and carotenoid synthesis. The combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis revealed that proanthocyanidins mitigated cadmium toxicity by enhancing photosynthesis, secondary metabolite synthesis, and antioxidant synthesis. In addition, exogenous proanthocyanidins and cadmium ions acted simultaneously on EDS1 to induce the production of large amounts of salicylic acid in the plant. Finally, overexpression of CsANR and CsLAR, key genes for proanthocyanidins synthesis in industrial hemp, was established in Arabidopsis plants. The corresponding plants were subjected to cadmium stress, and the results showed that CsLAR transgenic plants were more tolerant to cadmium than the CsANR transgenic and wild-type Arabidopsis plants. The results showed that salicylic acid and jasmonic acid were increased in Arabidopsis overexpressing CsLAR compared to AT wild-type Arabidopsis, and levels of secondary metabolites were significantly higher in Arabidopsis overexpressing CsLAR than in AT wild-type Arabidopsis. These results revealed how proanthocyanidins alleviated cadmium stress and laid the foundation for breeding industrial hemp varieties with higher levels of proanthocyanidins and greater tolerance.

The effects of inorganic anions on degradation kinetics and isotope fractionation during the transformation of tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) by UV/persulfate.

Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), as a typical chlorinated flame retardant, is attracting more attention as a carcinogen. Although persulfate-based oxidation exhibits good performance in removing refractory organic pollutants, the kinetics of persulfate-based remediation are affected by inorganic anions, which causes inaccurate remediation efficiency. This study combines steady-state radical concentration modelling with isotope fractionation to investigate the effects of inorganic anions on TCEP degradation by UV/persulfate (UV/PS). In the absence of anions during UV/PS system, the observed degradation rate was (9.7 ± 0.1) × 10-5 s-1, which was approximately 93 % attributed to sulfate radical (SO4-•) oxidation based on radical modelling. Carbon isotope fractionation, coupled with the identification of transformation products by mass spectrometry, suggests a carbon bond split during TCEP degradation with a carbon isotopic fractionation value (ε) of -1.6 ± 0.2 ‰ (± 95 % confidence intervals). With respect to co-existing anions in UV/PS system, the addition of chloride (Cl-) had a negligible effect on degradation rates, while the addition of hydrogencarbonate (HCO3-) caused them to decrease, and the addition of hydrogenphosphate (HPO42-) caused them to increase. Radical modelling suggested that SO4-• was transformed to chlorine radicals (Cl•/Cl2-•), phosphate radicals (HPO4-•), and carbonate radicals (CO3-•). Furthermore, the overlapping 95 % confidence intervals (C.I.) and the statistical tests (p > 0.05) both agree that Cl- and HPO42- gain identical ε values. Nevertheless, when HCO3- coexisted in the UV/PS system, the ε values were distinct. The addition of HCO3- would result in ε variation of TCEP in the UV activated PS process, which should receive more attention when applying remediation.

Rapid in measurements of brown tide algae cell concentrations using fluorescence spectrometry and generalized regression neural network.

The frequent occurrence of brown tide pollution in recent years has brought great losses to the economy of coastal areas. Therefore, accurate and efficient detection of the brown tide algae cell concentration is of great significance to the prevention of marine environmental pollution. In this paper, a combination of three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy and generalized regression neural network is used to detect the concentration of Aureococcus anophagefferens (A. anophagefferens). Firstly, the fluorescence spectrometer was used to collect spectra of A. anophagefferens with different growth cycles and different concentrations. In order to reduce the complexity of fluorescence spectral data and improve the efficiency of model calculation, the gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) algorithm is used to rank the importance of spectral features, and select spectral features with great importance as input and concentration of algal cells as output. In view of the nonlinear relationship between input and output, a generalized regression neural network model optimized by the improved sparrow search algorithm (FASSA-GRNN) was established to predict the concentration of algae cells, The model results show that MSE is 0.0046, MAE is 0.0569, and R2 is 0.9955. In addition, the FASSA-GRNN model is compared with the prediction results of the SSA-GRNN, GWO-GRNN, and GRNN models. The results show that the prediction accuracy of FASSA-GRNN is better than other models, and the improved sparrow search algorithm (FASSA) can reach the global optimum faster during the training process. This research provides a new method for predicting the concentration of algae cells.

MoS2 nanosheets loaded on collapsed structure zeolite as a hydrophilic and efficient photocatalyst for tetracycline degradation and synergistic mechanism.

In this study, MoS2@Z photocatalysts were synthesized by combining ultrasonic and hydrothermal methods, and used for the degradation of tetracycline. The structure characteristics and photocatalytic degradation mechanism of photocatalysts were also systematically investigated. The obtained MoS2@Z-5 exhibits the highest photo-degradation efficiency of tetracycline (87.23%), which is 3.58 times more than alkali-modified zeolite (24.34%) and 1.80 times more than pure MoS2 (48.53%). Furthermore, the MoS2@Z-5 showed significant stability in three times photocatalytic recycles and the removal efficiency only decrease by 9.03%. Crystal structure and micromorphology analysis show modified zeolite with collapsed structure can regulate the morphology of nano-MoS2 and make MoS2 appear fault structure, which can expose more active sites. In addition, low Si/Al ratio zeolite increases the hydrophilia of MoS2@Z-5. Reactive-species-trapping experiments show that the hole is the main reactive oxidizing species. The superior photo-degradation efficiency is mainly attributed to outstanding hydrophilia, exposure of the edge active sites, and efficient separation of photogenerated charge and holes. A possible photocatalytic mechanism and degradation pathways of tetracycline were proposed. The results indicate that MoS2@Z-5 may become an efficient, stable, and promising photocatalyst in tetracycline wastewater treatment.

The effect of co-pyrolysis temperature for iron-biochar composites on their adsorption behavior of antimonite and antimonate in aqueous solution.

Iron-biochar is an efficient adsorbent for contaminants, whereas the role of prepared temperature on removal of antimony (Sb) is unacquainted. In this study, the iron-biochar composites (FBC) were fabricated by co-pyrolysis at 500°C and 800°C and applied to remove antimonite (Sb(III)) and antimonate (Sb(V)) in aqueous. The results showed Fe3O4 was loaded on biochar prepared at 500°C (FBC500), while FeOOH with zero-valent iron (ZVI) was formed on biochar pyrolyzed at 800°C (FBC800). However, FBC500 showed the maximum absorbance for Sb(V) (30.47 mg/g), and FBC800 had optimal removal efficiency for Sb(III) (52.30 mg/g). The sorption of Sb(III) and Sb(V) on FBC was multilayer heterogeneous chemisorption (complexation and ligand exchange). Sb(III) was oxidized to Sb(V) with less toxicity during the corrosion of ZVI on FBC800, leading to the co-precipitation of Sb2O5. The electrostatic interaction affected the adsorption of Sb(V) on FBC500 and FBC800. The FBC800 showed superior reusability and resistance than FBC500.

Highly efficient remediation of groundwater co-contaminated with Cr(VI) and nitrate by using nano-Fe/Pd bimetal-loaded zeolite: Process product and interaction mechanism.

Hexavalent chromium and nitrate co-contaminated groundwater remediation are attracting extensive attention worldwide. However, the transformation pathways of chromium and nitrate and the interplay mechanism between them remain unclear. In this work, zeolite-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron/palladium (Z-Fe/Pd) was synthesized and used for the first time to simultaneously remediate Cr(VI) and nitrate. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirmed that nanoscale zero-valent iron/palladium was successfully loaded onto zeolite and it exhibited good dispersibility and oxidation resistance. Results of batch experiments showed that the Cr(VI) and nitrate removal efficiencies decreased from 95.5% to 91.5% to 45% and 73%, respectively, with the initial solution pH increasing from 3.0 to 8.0. The removal rates and efficiencies of Cr(VI) and nitrate under anoxic conditions were higher than those under open atmosphere because the dissolved oxygen diminished the electron selectivity toward the target pollutants. Moreover, the presence of Cr(VI) inhibited nitrate reduction by forming Fe(III)-Cr(III) hydroxide to impede electron transfer. Cr(VI) removal was promoted by nitrate, within limits, by balancing the consumption and generation rate of Fe3O4, which enhanced electron migration from the Fe(0) core to the external surface. The removal capacities of Cr(VI) and nitrate reached 121 and 95.5 mg g-1, respectively, which were superior to the removal capacities of similar materials. Results of product identification, XRD, and XPS analyses of spent Z-Fe/Pd indicated that the reduction of Cr(VI) was accompanied by adsorption and co-precipitation, whereas the reduction of nitrate was catalyzed by the synergism of Fe(0) and Pd(0). An alternative to the simultaneous remediation of Cr(VI) and nitrate from groundwater under anoxic conditions is provided.

The effect of substrates on the removal of low-level vanadium, chromium and cadmium from polluted river water by ecological floating beds.

Ecological floating beds (EFBs) is one of the effective methods lately used to remove heavy metals pollutions in water. However, the role of substrate in EFBs was mainly focused on the study of microorganisms, and the effect of substrates on plants enrichment of heavy metals was rarely investigated. This study aimed to investigate the promotion of different substrates (green zeolite, sepiolite, absorbent paper, and ceramsite) on the removal of multi-heavy metals (V, Cr, and Cd) by Acorus calamus L. It also investigated the plant growth status. Results showed that the relative increase rate of Acorus calamus L. fresh weight increased the most in EFBs with green zeolite group (EFB-GZ), which was 60.50%, higher than 38.17% in EFBs with Acorus calamus L. (EFB-A). The enrichment ability of multi-metals in Acorus calamus L. was stronger in EFBs with substrates than in EFB-A, and green zeolite was the best. After 34 days, the total removal efficiency of V, Cr and Cd in EFB-GZ were 79.91%, 95.24% and 91.80%, respectively. Heavy metals translocation from root to shoot influenced by the kinds of substrates. In EFB-GZ, the translocation factor (TF) of V, Cr and Cd were 0.081, 0.263 and 0.180, respectively (0.024, 0.608 and 0.032 in EFB-A). The ability of Acorus calamus L. to resist multi-metals stress was significantly higher in EFBs with substrates than that in EFB-A and the activity of SOD, POD and CAT were increased by heavy metals stress. Our results acquired that green zeolite was the best substrate to promote multi-metals uptake by Acorus calamus L., which could effectively maintain the pH of water, provide a stable environment and nutriment for Acorus calamus L. Green zeolite can promote the translocation of V and Cd from root to shoot in Acorus calamus L., but is not conducive to Cr.