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Vanadium dioxide (VO 2) is a promising material for energy-saving smart windows due to its reversible metal-to-insulator transition near room temperature, concomitantly with a structural phase transition between monoclinic VO 2 (M) phase and rutile VO 2 (R) phase. However, the fact that VO 2 has a complex crystalline phase makes its reliable synthesis an obstacle to its practical application. Machine learning (ML), a specific subset of artificial intelligence, can be utilized to generate virtual representations of experimental conditions and outcomes for the purpose of predicting experiments. Therefore, in the paper, four machine learning models were trained to perform optimization of the VO 2 hydrothermal synthesis. A random forest model achieved a classification accuracy of 87.27%. The synthetic parameter space was explored to filter combinations with a synthetic probability above 90%. Random forest models were used to guide the experimental synthesis, and the obtained products were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed that phase-pure VO 2 (B) and VO 2 (M) were successfully synthesized, demonstrating the effectiveness of machine learning in optimizing material synthesis, alleviating the stochasticity of material synthesis caused by the control of synthesis conditions, and promoting the application research of VO 2 materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal was achieved in Fe(Ⅱ) amended PD/A. • Fe(Ⅱ)-driven spatial distribution of function bacteria intensified PD/A stability. • Lower effluent TIN of PD/A process could meet more stringent effluent standard. • Heterotroph and AnAOB exhibited positive feedbacks on low-dose Fe(Ⅱ) induction. The mainstream anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) faces considerable challenges with low-strength municipal wastewater. A Fe(Ⅱ)-amended partial denitrification coupled anammox (PD/A) process was conducted and achieved a long-term and efficient nitrogen and phosphorus removal, yielding effluent total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations of 1.97 ± 1.03 mg/L and 0.23 ± 0.13 mg/L, respectively, which could well meet more stringent effluent discharge standard of some wastewater treatment plants in specific geographical locations, e.g., estuaries. Fe(Ⅱ)-driven vivianite formation provided key nucleuses for the optimization of the spatial distribution of heterotrophic and anammox bacteria with enhanced extracellular polymeric substances as key driving forces. Metagenomics analysis further revealed the increase of key genes, enhancing anammox bacteria homeostasis, which also bolstered the resistance to environmental perturbations. This study provided a comprehensive sight into the function of Fe(Ⅱ) in mainstream PD/A process, and explored a promising alternative for synergetic nitrogen and phosphorus removal for low-strength municipal wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The effect of Na 2 CO 3 , Fe and Na 2 CO 3 + Fe during hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of wheat stalk with different temperature and reaction time was investigated in this study. The results indicated that Na 2 CO 3 + Fe can promote the cracking of wheat stalk compared with Na 2 CO 3 or Fe. Meanwhile, higher temperature favored the decomposition of wheat stalk and formation of heavy bio-oil. The highest heavy bio-oil yield was 24.25 wt% and the maximum liquefaction conversion rate was 89.45 wt% in system of Na 2 CO 3 + Fe at 270 °C. The analysis results indicated that longer reaction time could promote liquefaction conversion especially for heavy bio-oil with Na 2 CO 3 + Fe during the process of HTL. GC–MS, UPLC-MS and FT-IR analysis indicated that the major organic compounds in heavy bio-oil were aromatic compounds, alcohols, ketones, alkanes, and aldehydes, among of them aromatic compounds were the most prevalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work prepared Al 0·4 CoCu 0·6 Ni(Si 0.2 )Ti x (Si 0 Ti x (x ≤ 1.0) and Si 0.2 Ti x (x ≤ 0.5)) high entropy alloys (HEAs) with high strength and excellent plasticity by optimizing the added ratio of Ti and rapid cooling, discussed the effects of Ti and cooling rate on HEAs' microstructures and mechanical properties. The results showed that arc melted and copper injected Si 0 Ti x HEAs' phase structures changed gradually from “fcc + L1 2 (Si 0 Ti 0.25 )” to “fcc + L1 2 +minor bcc (Si 0 Ti 0.5 )” and finally to “fcc + L1 2 +bcc + Ni 3 Ti-type phase (Si 0 Ti 0.75 , Si 0 Ti 1.0 )”. But they transformed from “fcc + L1 2 +bcc + Ni 16 Ti 6 Si 7 -type phase (Si 0·2 Ti 0.25 )” to “fcc + L1 2 +bcc + AlNi 2 Ti-type + Ni 16 Ti 6 Si 7 -type phase (Si 0·2 Ti 0.5 )” for Si 0.2 Ti x HEAs. The micro-hardness of arc melted and copper injected HEAs gradually increased compared with Si 0 Ti 0 matrix HEA and that of copper injected HEAs were larger than arc melted HEAs (except Si 0 Ti 0.5 ). The compressive properties of Si 0 Ti 0.25 , Si 0 Ti 0.5 and Si 0·2 Ti 0.25 HEAs were relatively better, in which, the yield strengths of copper injected Si 0 Ti 0.25 , Si 0 Ti 0.5 and Si 0·2 Ti 0.25 HEAs were 2.7, 2.9 and 4.8 times than that of arc melted Si 0 Ti 0 matrix HEA (295 MPa), the fracture strain rates of the corresponding HEAs were 47.1%, 22.4% and 13.5% respectively. It introduced three strengthening mechanisms of solid solution strengthening, trace phase transformation and fine grain strengthening and realized HEAs' strength-ductility balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-situ passivation of engineering materials is an economical and effective method to control internal phosphorus load in aquatic systems. However, few studies have simulated aerobic and anaerobic environments to compare the engineering materials control sediment phosphorus release performance with or without sediment re-suspension. In this study, we prepared and optimized lanthanum modified thermally attapulgite (LMTA) for sediment phosphorus immobilization with a maximum adsorption capacity of 97.99 mg/g. An 88-day sediment core cultivation experiment revealed that LMTA reduced the concentration of soluble reactive phosphate (SRP) and total phosphorus (TP) by 89.3% and 79.4% in absence of re-suspension, and by 89.8% and 78.3% with re-suspension, respectively. LMTA also transformed sediment Mobile-P into HCl-P and Res-P, which are inert phosphorus forms. Moreover, high-throughput sequencing showed that Nitrospirae abundance was significantly increased with LMTA, which could promote the water nitrogen cycle. The results confirmed that LMTA effectively controls internal phosphorus release, even under sediment re-suspension conditions. [Display omitted] • LMTA exhibits exceptional P uptake of 97.99 mg/g. • The performance of LMTA is compared in presence or absence of sediment re-suspension. • LMTA converts part of sediment's Mobile-P into Inert-P. • The increase of Nitrospirae abundance is beneficial to the water environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, radiative cooling has garnered widespread attention due to its energy-independent and environmentally friendly nature. However, one major challenge in the field of radiative cooling faces is the lack of artificial control over the cooling effect, which not only impacts cooling comfort but also leads to unnecessary energy waste during heating in cold environments. In this paper, a novel approach to address this challenge is proposed by a radiative cooling device with a three-layer structure consisting of vanadium dioxide (VO 2), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and silver. The transition of VO 2 between the metallic and insulating states results in the formation and disappearance of the Fabry-Pérot resonator, thereby facilitating the transition between different cooling modes. Additionally, the stretchability of the PDMS enables the device to achieve different radiative cooling power by applying varying levels of stress. In high-temperature environments, it achieves an average net radiative cooling power of 96.2 W/m2 throughout the day, highlighting its exceptional energy-saving capabilities. In low-temperature environments, the cooling effect can be suppressed to prevent excessive cooling, achieving a temperature reduction as low as 0.4 °C. This device offers controllable cooling power, and its diverse control modes in different environments contribute to its excellent environmental adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work prepared Al 0.4 CoCu 0.6 NiSi x (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2) high entropy alloys by vacuum arc melting (M x ) and copper injection fast solidification (I x ), discussed the influence of trace Si and rapid cooling on the alloys' microstructures and mechanical properties, analyzed the alloys' strengthening mechanism and evaluated the proportion of different strengthening effects on the improved mechanical properties. The results showed that M x had a fcc + L1 2 structure, but it transformed to fcc + L1 2 + minor bcc when x = 0.1 and 0.2. I x had a fcc + L1 2 structure except I 0.2 (fcc + L1 2 + minor bcc). With the increase of silicon, M x 's hardness increased from 193 HV to 334 HV and I x 's hardness increased from 216 HV to 395 HV. M 0.2 's yield strength increased to 588 MPa, which was 2 times than that of M 0 , the fracture strength and plastic deformation were 3074 MPa, 40.5%. I x 's yield strength increased to 690 MPa, which was 2.3 times than that of M 0 , the fracture strength and plastic deformation reached 3407 MPa, 33.1%. The alloys' strengthening mechanism was the formation of bcc phase, solid solution strengthening and fine grain strengthening. And the strengthening effect of bcc phase was greater than fine grain strengthening and the fine grain strengthening effect was greater than solid solution strengthening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of macroalgae residue was accomplished with seven kinds of amine catalysts for chemical and bio-oil production. The effect of HTL conditions on product distribution was investigated, and results showed that both temperature and amines concentration have significant effects on conversion of macroalgae residue to liquid products and bio-oil. The effect of different amines on composition of liquid products and bio-oil was also studied. The main ingredient of liquid products were organic acids, and the yield of organic acids declined with the increase of alkyl chain in amines. The yield of bio-oil increased with the addition of alkyl chain for primary amines and tertiary amines, while decreased for secondary amines. Methylamine had the highest yield of liquid products of 79.09 wt%, and the highest bio-oil yield of 24.37 wt% was obtained in the presence of triethylamine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of Undaria pinnatifida residue to glycolic acid was carried out using methylamine as catalyst by hydrothermal method at relatively low temperature. GC–MS and HPLC were used to identify the composition of bio-oil and liquid products which provide the knowledge of the chemical reaction pathways of the hydrothermal liquefaction. The main liquid product was organic acid which contained glycolic acid, lactic acid, formic acid and acetic acid. And the major organic acid was glycolic acid with the highest yield of 46.52% or 33.98% of dry biomass. Methylamine promoted the dissolution of cellulose from Undaria pinnatifida residue, and significantly improved the yield of glycolic acid. The mechanism of HTL was investigated and the results show that the carbocation C 3 was attacked by methylamine molecule which led to the high yield of glycolic acid. In addition, the recovery of methylamine was studied and the highest recovery rate reached 99.28%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effect of trimethylamine (TMA) on the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process and the recycle of TMA. The results suggest that the peeling reaction occurred on the surface and the cleavage of cellulose leading to water-soluble substances and bio-oil. The highest content of organic acids was found in the water-soluble phase. Model compounds, different glucides with TMA were used to investigate the mechanism of the HTL. Results suggest that the OH − appeared to selectively interact with C–O–C bonds, and thus causing the key linkages of cellulose to become much easier to be cleaved under mild conditions. In addition, the conditions for TMA recovery were optimized and the highest TMA recovery rate reached 98.89%. The recovered TMA had the same properties as the original compound, and it was perfectly re-usable in the conversion process of HTL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient and economical disposal of urea wastewater for promoting wastewater reuse, are still tough obstacles for the sustainable development of urea industry. In order to explore newly efficient and economical alternative for urea wastewater treatment, a novel one-stage autotrophic nitrogen removal reactor (submerged aerated biological filter, SABF) simultaneously combining with urea hydrolysis, partial nitritation (PN) and anammox was carried out and stably operated for 126 days. The SABF reactor not only presented excellent urea removal efficiency (˃ 99.5%) with average effluent urea concentration of 0.83 mg/L to meet reuse standard, but also achieved high nitrogen removal loading, ammonium removal efficiency and total nitrogen removal efficiency as 1.5 kg N/(m3·d), 89.46% and 77.09%, respectively. The urea removal mechanism was proven as the intracellular urea hydrolysis, which was conducive to accomplish the persistent free ammonia (FA) inhibition on nitrite-oxidizing bacteria for stable PN and guaranteed total nitrogen removal by anammox. High-throughput sequencing analysis results revealed that Nitrosomonas accounting for 15.92% should be responsible for excellent urea hydrolysis and PN performance and Candidatus_Brocadia with relative abundance of 1.63% was the main anammox bacteria for further nitrogen removal in the SABF reactor. The proposed process showed significant advantages of extremely low operational cost and high removal efficiency with recyclable effluent for urea wastewater treatment. This study provided a novel and superior alternative for the cleaner production of urea manufacturing enterprises, which can well alleviate the stress of urea wastewater treatment and further benefit the sustainable development of urea industry in the future. [Display omitted] • A novel one-stage nitrogen removal process for urea wastewater was developed. • Intracellular urea hydrolysis, partial nitritation, anammox were integrated in SABF. • A high N removal rate of 1.5 kg N/(m3·d) was achieved at 30 °C. • Effluent urea concentration was stably lower than 1 mg/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn straw can be converted into monophenyl compounds by hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) in Nano ferrite+inorganic base catalyst system, and dual catalytic systems were favorable for some specific monophenyl compounds in this process. [Display omitted] • HTL of corn straw with Nano ferrite + inorganic base catalyst system was reported. • Highest yield of heavy bio-oil was 34.02 wt% at 180 °C with ZnFe 2 O 4. • Dual catalytic systems were helpful to preparation of mono benzene ring compounds. • Dual catalytic systems have obvious synergistic effect. Hydrothermal liquefaction of corn straw with different catalytic systems and temperatures were investigated in this study. Results showed dual catalytic system can effectively promote the degradation of corn straw at low temperature. With increase of temperature, aqueous phase increased and straw residue decreased for all catalytic systems. The heavy bio-oil yield increased with the increasing of temperature for single catalytic system, while the trend was opposite for dual catalytic system. In single catalytic system, ZnFe 2 O 4 was more suitable for preparation of heavy bio-oil, and the maximum yield reached 34.02 wt% at 180 °C. The proportion of monophenyl compounds in heavy bio-oil for dual catalytic system reached the maximum of 84% at 220 °C with ZnFe 2 O 4. At 180 °C, the contents of Benzofuran,2,3-dihydro and 2-Methoxy-4-vinylphenol reached the maximum of 31.42% and 17.64% in CoFe 2 O 4 catalyst system, and the maximum yield of Vanillin was 10.82% with ZnFe 2 O 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cost-effective nitrogen removal from iron oxide wastewater is a limitation in the sustainable development of the iron oxide manufacturing industry. Two processes, namely, complete nitritation (in a sequencing batch reactor with zeolite powder, ZSBR) combined with traditional denitrification and partial nitritation (in the same ZSBR) combined with anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), were successfully developed and then compared for long-term nitrogen removal from iron oxide wastewater. Stable and complete nitritation with nitrite accumulation ratio (NAR) > 95.1% was achieved in the ZSBR. Nitrogen removal rates (NRRs) of up to 4.083 ± 0.727 kg N/m3/d were obtained subsequently in a denitrifying upflow sludge blanket reactor at an influent chemical oxygen demand/total nitrogen ratio of 2.5. Efficient partial nitritation was also achieved with effluent NO 2 −–N/NH 4 +–N ratios of 1.1–1.5 and NAR > 92.0% in the ZSBR, with a final NRR of 1.175 kg N/m3/d in the subsequent anammox reactor. The addition of zeolite achieved persistent free ammonia inhibition on nitrite oxidizing bacteria in the ZSBR and resulted in efficient and controllable nitrite accumulation. The total chemical cost in the complete nitritation–denitrification process was 3.32 USD/kg NH 4 +–N, which was 1.14 times higher than that in the partial nitritation–anammox process. Both processes were effective and reliable in achieving nitrogen removal from iron oxide wastewater for the sustainable development of the iron oxide manufacturing industry. [Display omitted] • Two novel nitrogen removal processes were compared for iron oxide wastewater. • Both complete nitritation and partial nitritation (PN) were effectively achieved. • Free ammonia inhibition on nitrite oxidizing bacteria was crucial for nitritation. • Nitritation-denitrification consumed 2.14 times the chemical cost of PN-anammox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogas slurry, a liquid end product of animal manure fermentation, is widely used as fertilizer in crop fields. Land application may introduce antibiotics and related resistance genes from livestock production into agricultural soil. Nevertheless, changes in antimicrobial resistance in soil where biogas slurry has been repeatedly applied are not fully understood. In the present study, 13 veterinary antibiotics were analyzed in soils that were repeatedly sprayed with biogas slurry, and simultaneously, temporal changes in antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and bacterial community composition were investigated using a real-time quantitative PCR assay and MiSeq sequencing. Long-term repeated application of biogas slurry did not result in excessive accumulation of antibiotic residuals in the soil but increased the abundance of ARGs and facilitated ARG transfer among potential hosts. Although the quantitative PCR assay showed a decreasing trend for the relative abundance of ARGs over time, a relevance network analysis revealed highly complex bacteria-ARG co-occurrence after long-term application, which implied that repeated application might intensify horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of ARGs among different bacterial hosts in soil. The increased relative abundance of the intl1 gene supported the shift in ARG-bacteria co-occurrence. Furthermore, ordination analysis showed that the distributions of antibiotic resistance bacteria (ARB) and ARGs were closely related to application duration than to the influence of antibiotic residuals in the biogas slurry-treated soil environment. Additionally, natural level of ARG abundance in untreated soils indirectly suggested the presence/absence of antibiotics was not a key determinant causing the spread of antimicrobial resistance. This study provides improved insight into the effects of long-term repeated application of biogas slurry on the shift in ARG abundances and bacteria-ARG co-occurrence in soils, highlighting the need to focus on the influence of changed soil environment on the ARG transfer. Image 1 • Long-term repeated application of biogas slurry increases resistance risk in soils. • ARG abundance in applied soil showed a decreasing trend over time. • Various ARGs also inhabit soils without manure contamination. • ARG-bacteria co-occurrence becomes more complex over time in applied soil. • Applied duration was a key factor and mainly contributed to the transfer of ARGs. Long-term repeated application of biogas slurry increased the relative abundance of ARGs and facilitated the horizontal transfer of ARGs among bacteria in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn straw can be converted into aromatic hydrocarbons and organic acids by hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), and copper oxide can be reduced to copper powder in this process. • HTL of corn straw with CuO + NaOH, NaOH and CuO was reported. • CuO + NaOH has synergistic effect on production of heavy bio-oil. • Highest yield of heavy bio-oil was 38.2 wt.% at 190 °C. • High temperature can increase the proportion of aromatic compounds in heavy bio-oil. • The maximum ratio of aromatic compounds in heavy bio-oil was 89.84% at 230 °C. In this study, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of corn straw at different operation temperatures, reaction time and catalyst dosage were investigated, and the main product was heavy bio-oil. Results showed that CuO + NaOH have a synergistic effect in the HTL of corn straw. The product distribution and composition were also studied during the process, in which aromatic compounds achieved the highest proportion in heavy bio-oil. Moreover, the yield of aromatic compounds in hydrothermal products increased under simultaneous action of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. The maximum ratio of aromatic compounds was 89.84% under condition of temperature 230 °C, reaction time 1 h, CuO content 3 g and NaOH 100 mL (1 mol·L−1). GC–MS analysis indicated that the major organic compounds in heavy bio-oil at temperatures between 210 °C and 270 °C were interestingly similar. SEM, XRD, H 2 -TPR and XPS analysis showed that CuO was completely reduced to copper in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium dioxide (VO 2) is a key material for thermochromic smart windows that can respond to environmental temperature to regulate near-infrared transmittance automatically. To date, VO 2 -based smart windows have made great progress, but practical applications still remain restricted by two tough challenges, i.e., low solar regulation ability and unpopular color. In view of the above two challenges, in this paper, novel warm/cool-tone switchable VO 2 -based composite films were designed and prepared. The novel composite films demonstrate outstanding optical properties: Δ T sol = 18.92% and T lum,l = 48.70%. The high solar modulation efficiency is attributed to the modulation of the thermochromic microcapsules in visible light waveband and VO 2 in near-infrared region. Meanwhile changes in color of the composite films at different temperatures were also studied in order to develop high-performance warm/cool-tone switchable thermochromic smart windows. These promising results will benefit to promote the popularization and application of smart windows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from manure management are an environmental concern that hinders the livestock industry. Methane (CH 4 ) is the primary non-CO 2 GHG emitted from outdoor manure storage facilities. Understanding the relationship between the microbial community and manure physicochemical characteristics, together with their contributions to CH 4 emission during storage are of importance for mitigation and ecological significance. In this study, the archaeal and bacterial communities in manure were investigated using high-throughput sequencing, revealing that manure physicochemical characteristics have a major influence on the distribution and enrichment of methanogenic taxa as well as CH 4 emission. Moisture and total phosphorus (TP) were positively correlated with Methanocorpusculum abundance in cow manure with high CH 4 emission, while they were negatively correlated with Methanobacterium abundance in heifer manure with low CH 4 emission at the species level. Quantitative PCR analysis of transcript abundance of alpha subunit of Methyl coenzyme-M reductase (mcrA) gene in cow manure disclosed relatively strong activity of Methanocorpusculum . sPLS regression and network analyses of microbial taxa revealed that different bacteria–methanogen patterns are associated with CH 4 emission. Our data indicates that the manure physicochemical characteristics influence CH 4 emissions by altering the divergence of methanogens that differ in transcriptional efficiency of mcrA gene and are correlated with some bacterial taxa, providing insights into the mechanisms of CH 4 emission during manure storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodegradation of microplastics (MPs) in the environment has attracted widespread attention. In this review, the influencing factors, degradation mechanisms, and possible risks to ecology and environment of MPs photodegradation are explored. The differences in the photodegradation mechanisms of aromatic and aliphatic MPs are innovatively summarized. In addition, the possibility of MPs photodegradation process occurring under different light source conditions, including natural and simulated light, is evaluated. Concurrently, the impact of photodegradation on the physicochemical properties of MPs is discussed. This review underscores the research gaps in MPs photodegradation and provides guidance for future investigations into the photoaging of MPs. • Photodegradation mechanism of aromatic and aliphatic MPs is first summarized. • The impact of external and internal factors on MPs photodegradation is analyzed. • Photodegradation process and property changes of MPs are reviewed. • Environmental and ecological risks of MPs photoaging are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Temperature showed effects on zeolite biological fixed bed for low NH 4 +-N wastewater. • Stable nitrite accumulation was only achieved by biological desorption at 36.0 °C. • Microbial structure significantly changed under different operational temperature. • Sustained NOB inhibition by free ammonia was the key for stable nitrite accumulation. How to achieve stable nitrite accumulation was still a huge challenge for low-carbon and energy-saving biological nitrogen removal of low-strength ammonium wastewater. This study proposed a new way to solve this problem with zeolite biological fixed bed (ZBFB) by cycle operation of adsorption and biological desorption. In order to evaluate nitritation performance of this reactor, the influence of operational temperature on nitrite accumulation stability was investigated by 126 cycles operation in four parallel ZBFB reactors for low-strength ammonium wastewater (50 mg/L NH 4 +-N). It was found that higher operational temperature (i.e., 36.0 °C), rather than other temperature (i.e., 27.0 °C, 30.0 °C, 33.0 °C), could maintain stable nitrite accumulation with nitrite production rate of 0.312 kg NO 2 –-N·m−3 zeolite·day−1 and nitrite accumulation ratio higher than 95.0% after biological desorption. High-throughput sequencing analysis results showed that bacterial structure significantly changed in ZBFB under different operational temperature, and obvious enrichment of genus Nitrosomonas (AOB) and gradually enhanced free ammonia (FA) inhibition on genus Nitrospira and Nitrobacter (NOB) were found by elevation of operational temperature, leading to different nitrite accumulation performance in ZBFB reactors. The mechanism for stable nitrite accumulation performance by ZBFB might be attributed to overwhelming growth rate of AOB than NOB, faster ammonium desorption and enhanced FA inhibition on NOB under operational temperature (i.e., 36.0 °C). All in all, keeping high temperature for biological desorption step should be extremely crucial for stable nitrite accumulation by ZBFB, which could facilitate further low-carbon and energy-saving biological nitrogen removal for low-strength ammonium wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manure containing antibiotics is considered a hazardous substance that poses a serious health risk to the environment and to human health. Anaerobic digestion (AD) could not only treatment animal waste but also generate valuable biogas. However, the interaction between antibiotics in manure and the AD process has not been clearly understood. In this study, experiments on biochemical methane potential (BMP) were conducted to determine the inhibition of the AD process from antibiotics and the threshold of complete antibiotic removal. The thresholds of the complete antibiotic removal were 60 and 40 mg/kg·TS for CTC and OTC, respectively. CTC and OTC with concentrations below thresholds could increase the BMP of manure. When the CTC and OTC concentrations exceeded the thresholds, they inhibited manure fermentation, and the CTC removal rate declined exponentially with concentration (60–500 mg/kg·TS). The relationship between OTC antibiotic concentration and its removal rate in AD treatment was described with exponential (40–100 mg/kg·TS) and linear equations (100–500 mg/kg·TS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ethnopharmacological relevance: Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides (Apiaceae) have been used as a folk remedy for the treatment of fever, edema, detoxication, throat pain, psoriasis and hepatitis B virus infections in China. The aim of this study is to isolate and identify an anti-HBV compound from this herb. Materials and methods: A compound (saponin) was isolated from the active ethanol extract using bioassay-guided screening. The structure of the saponin was elucidated by spectroscopic methods and compared with published data. The anti-HBV activity of the saponin was evaluated by detecting the levels of HBV antigens, extracellular HBV DNA, nuclear covalent closed circular DNA (cccDNA) and five HBV promoters in HepG2.2.15 cells. In addition, the levels of serum HBsAg/HBeAg, DHBV DNA, ALT/AST and hepatic pathological changes were analyzed in DHBV-infected ducks. Results: The chemical analysis indicated that the saponin isolated from Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides is asiaticoside. The pharmacodynamics experimental studies showed that asiaticoside effectively suppressed the levels of HBsAg/HBeAg, extracellular HBV DNA and intracellular cccDNA in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, experiments demonstrated that asiaticoside markedly reduced viral DNA transcription and replication by inhibiting the activities of core, s1, s2, and X gene promoters. In addition, asiaticoside markedly reduced DHBV replication without any obvious signs of toxicity. The levels of serum DHBV DNA, HBsAg/HBeAg were increased 3 days after drug withdrawal, but the levels rebounded slightly in the asiaticoside treatment groups compared with the 3TC treatment group. Moreover, analysis of the serum ALT/AST levels and the liver pathological changes indicated that asiaticoside could alleviate liver damage. Conclusions: Our results show that asiaticoside could efficiently inhibit HBV replication both in vitro and in vivo, and asiaticoside may be a major bioactive ingredient in Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Swine manure storage is a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study was conducted to quantify CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions from swine manure stored at different stack heights using dynamic emission vessels. Stack heights of 10, 20, and 40cm to cover the typical range of manure stack heights, were examined at 25°C with a ventilation rate of 20air changes/h with each regimen replicated thrice. Results show that the GHG emissions increased on the 2nd to 3rd day of manure storage then decreased to became stable after 10d of storage. Manure stack height affected GHG emissions from stored swine manure, with the lower stack height having higher CO2 and N2O, but lower CH4, emissions/kg of initial manure weight. On the basis of 100yr global warming potential for CH4 and N2O, cumulative emissions were 7.5±1.11, 6.8±1.32 and 10.8±1.23g CO2-eqv/kg initial manure, respectively, for the 10, 20, and 40cm stacks over the 6wk storage period. Results suggest that 20cm stack height produced the least GHG emissions. This paper is part of the special issue entitled: Greenhouse Gases in Animal Agriculture – Finding a Balance between Food and Emissions, Guest Edited by T.A. McAllister, Section Guest Editors: K.A. Beauchemin, X. Hao, S. McGinn and Editor for Animal Feed Science and Technology, P.H. Robinson. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The case study unveils the likely mechanism of a novel stop-loss DAX1 variant preceding the prolonged precocious puberty in the adrenal hypoplasia congenital (AHC) boy. A boy aged five years and nine months initially examined for the primary adrenal insufficiency symptoms. Next-generation sequencing confirmed the X-linked inheritance of a novel stop-loss DAX1 variant: c.1411T>C/p.Ter471Gln associated with AHC in the patient. The patient was subjected to a brief clinical follow-up from 11 to 15.1 years of age. The effect of the mutant-DAX1 variant (p.Ter471Gln) on DAX1-steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1) (protein-protein) interaction was studied by protein-protein docking using the ClusPro-online tool. At 5.9 yrs of age, the patient exhibited precocious puberty with the secondary sexual characteristics of Tanner 2 stage (of 9–14 yrs of age). The patient showed primary adrenal insufficiency with diminished cortisol concentrations at blood serum (25 ng/ml) and urine (3.55 μg/24 h) levels. Upon steroidal exposure, the patient showed normalized serum cortisol levels of 45–61 ng/ml. However, the precocious puberty got prolonged with the increased penis length of 8.5 cm and the bone age of 18 yrs old during the follow-up. The patient showed increased basal serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (110->2000 pg/ml) and follicle-stimulating hormone (18.4–22.3 mIU/ml) concentrations. Following an elevated hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis activity witnessed upon gonarellin stimulation. Protein-protein docking confirmed a weaker interaction between the mutant-DAX1 (p.Ter471Gln) protein and the wild-SF1 protein. Overall, we hypothesize the weakened mutant-DAX1-SF1 (protein-protein) interaction could govern the prolonged precocious puberty augmented with the elevated hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal/adrenal axis responses via SF1-induced neuronal nitric oxide synthetase activation in the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogas digestate is a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and could pose a high health risk to both human and animals if the host microorganisms of ARGs become aerosolized. The purpose of this study was to investigate the diversity and relative abundance characteristics of aerosol-loaded ARGs from biogas digestate during storage, and to explore whether the change of ARGs in biogas digestate directly affect the dispersion of aerosol-loaded ARGs. This study reported for the first time that 28 of 42 ARG subtypes detected in the biogas digestate could be dispersed to the atmosphere via aerosol dispersion in a lab-scale dynamic emission vessels experiment. The relative abundance or diversity of ARGs in aerosols were different from that in biogas digestate, and no significant correlation were observed between the relative abundance of ARGs in biogas digestate and aerosols. The dominant ARGs were tetracycline resistance genes in biogas digestate and β -lactam resistance genes in aerosols. The process of biogas digestate storage reduced the total relative abundance of targeted ARGs in biogas digestate, decreased by 0.35 copies/16S rRNA after 30 days of storage, but increased the abundance of some ARG subtypes, including tetM , tetX , tetQ , tetS, ermF and sul2. High-concerned ARGs, including NDM-1 , mcr-1 and vancomycin resistance genes (including vanA , vanB , v anRA and vanSA), were found in biogas digestate, and NDM-1 and vanB were also detected in aerosols. These results indicated a potential risk of ARGs dispersion during biogas digestate storage. Further research on the dispersion of ARGs from biogas digestate is required to elucidate the emission mechanism and develop mitigation measures. Unlabelled Image • Storage of biogas digestate is able to remove some antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) while others are persistent. • 28 of 42 ARGs in biogas digestate can emit into the atmosphere through aerosol dispersion, including NDM-1 and vanB. • The diversity and abundance of ARGs in biogas digestate and aerosols are not consistent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Significant differences in NPR were observed at different COD/N ratios. • Proper NO 2 −-N/NH 4 +-N ratio of 1.4 ± 0.5 could be obtained at COD/N ratio of 0.5. • Increasing airflow rate was found as an effective way to recovery PN performance. • AOB was the dominant nitrifying bacteria according to high-throughput sequencing. Influences of organics on partial nitritation performance were investigated in a lab-scale sequencing batch biofilm reactor filled with zeolite. Significant differences in nitrite production rate (NPR) were observed between different dosages of glucose. With influent COD/N ratio from 0 to 1.5, NPR declined from 0.4 to 0.05 kg/(m3·d). Meanwhile, an appropriate NO 2 −-N/NH 4 +-N ratio (1.4 ± 0.5) could be obtained for simultaneous anammox denitrification at COD/N ratio of 0.5. Increasing airflow rate was found as an effective recovery strategy. Other than competition of heterotrophs with nitrifiers for dissolved oxygen, it has been verified that addition of organics generated higher free ammonia, and then further inhibited ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Moreover, three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (3D-EEM) results revealed that protein-like and humic acid-like substances were the main components in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). And high-throughput sequencing analysis demonstrated that the relative abundance of AOB decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]