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Background: It has been shown that Kudzu root has significant pharmacological effects such as improving microcirculation, dilating coronary arteries, and increasing cerebral and coronary blood flow, but its material basis and mechanism of action are not clear. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of action of Kudzu root in the prevention and treatment of cerebral ischemia (CI) through network pharmacology combined with animal experiments. Methods: The components of kudzu root were screened by using the Chemistry Database, Chinese Academy of Science. Linpinski's five rules were used to perform pharmacophore-like analysis to obtain the active ingredients of Kudzu root. The Swiss Target Prediction Service database was used to predict the potential protein targets of kudzu root components associated with CI. An active ingredient-target network was constructed by using Cytoscape 3.6.0. A rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was established, then the main targets and signaling pathways predicted were verified by observing the area of cerebral infarction and Western blot experiments. Results: In total, 84 major active compounds and 34 targets included gerberoside, belonging to the isoflavone class, gallic acid, amino acid class, 4-Methylphenol, phenolic class, and quercetin, and flavonoid class (Flavonoids). The targets covered were proteins related to excitatory amino acids and calcium overload, including Excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (SLC1A2), Glutamate receptor ionotropic, kainate 1 (GRIK1), Glutamate receptor ionotropic, NMDA 1 (GRIN1), Glutamate receptor 2(GRIA2), Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), Neuronal nitric oxide synthase(nNOS). Glutamatergic energy is prominent, and calcium transport across the membrane is central to the network and occupies an important position. Conclusion: Kudzu root can significantly reduce neurological damage in rats with CI, and also significantly reduce the rate of cerebral infarction. It is worth noting that kudzu root can prevent and treat CI by reducing excitatory amino acid toxicity and improving calcium overload.

As a new type of biological treatment process, membrane aerated biofilm reactors (MABRs), which have received extensive attention and research in recent years, could reduce energy consumption by 70% compared to the traditional activated sludge process. The MABR system uses bubble-free aeration membrane material as the carrier, the counter-diffusion mechanism of oxygen and pollutants enables ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrate oxidizing bacteria (NOB) to adhere to the membrane surface so that simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) can occur to achieve simultaneous nitrogen and carbon removal. Currently, MABR technology has been successfully applied to the treatment of municipal sewage, various industrial wastewater, pharmaceutical, high salinity, high ammonia, aquaculture wastewater, landfill leachate and black and odorous water bodies in rivers. Many laboratory experiments and pilot-scale MABR reactors have been used to study the performance of membrane materials, the mechanism of pollutant removal and the effects of different factors on the system. However, the performance of MABR is affected by factors such as dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, C/N, biofilm thickness, hydraulic retention time (HRT), temperature, etc., which limits large-scale promotion. Therefore, membrane materials, membrane modules, biofilm, application of MABR technology, influencing factors of MABR system performance, and limitations and perspectives of MABR are reviewed in this paper, and we expect to provide valuable information.

The size effect of magnetite (Fe

With the development of information technology, big data technology is widely used to improve people’s work efficiency. At present, computers are widely used in various industries, and information security is of great practical significance for enterprises. In order to further improve security, big data technology must be effectively applied to computer information security protection. This paper discusses the big data technology in computer information security to a certain extent. On this basis, the in-depth analysis and Research on the application of big data technology provides a reliable guarantee for computer information security, and has certain reference significance for technical personnel engaged in related business.

This study examines the economic benefits of food waste treatment projects in China and factors affecting them. National-level pilot projects for food waste treatment located in 29 cities were selected as samples. The economics of food waste recycling from the investors’ perspective, in terms of investment during the construction phase and cost and benefit during the operation phase, was assessed. Results indicate that the average tonnage investment of food waste treatment projects was RMB 700.0±188.9 thousand yuan, with a profit to cost ratio of 0.08±0.37. This ratio increased to 0.95±0.57 following the application of government subsidies. It highlights the limited economic benefits of food waste treatment facilities, which rely on government subsidies to maintain their operations in China. Further analysis using a multi-factor analysis model revealed that regional location, service population size, processing technique, and urban income exerted varying impacts on the economy of food waste treatment. Population size exerted the highest impact (P = 0.016) during the construction stage, and processing techniques notably influenced the project economy during the operation stage. The study highlights the need to prioritize service population size and processing techniques during economic decision-making and management of food waste recycling projects. The results of this study can serve as a valuable practical reference for guiding future policies regarding food waste treatment and related planning.

Erjing pill, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formulation composed of Polygonatum sibiricum and Lycium chinense, has an important role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the underlying mechanisms of the action of Erjing pill in AD have remained elusive. In the present study, the key ingredients of Erjing pill were investigated and the active components and their mechanisms of action on AD were analyzed based on networks pharmacology. By using the TCM and TCM Systems Pharmacology and databases, the components of Erjing pill were screened and the data were captured using Discovery Studio. The SwissTarget webserver database was used to predict the potential protein targets of Erjing pill components for pathologies related to AD. The data were further analyzed with the disease targets of AD based on analysis of the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, DiGSeE and Therapeutic Target Database. Subsequent analysis of mechanistic pathways of the screened components and protein targets allowed us to construct a network by using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, which revealed potential molecular mechanisms of Erjing pill against AD. Finally, the protective effect of three active components on neurons was verified using an in vitro injury model of PC12 cells induced by Aβ25-35. The results indicated that 65 bioactive components of Erjing pill, including lauric acid and zederone, and 6 targets, including acetylcholinesterase, butylcholinesterase and amyloid protein precursor, were closely associated with the prevention and treatment of AD. The molecular components of Erjing pill were indicated to be involved in various biological signaling processes, mainly in synaptic signal transmission, transsynaptic signal transmission and chemical synaptic transmission. Furthermore, related pathways targeted by Erjing pill in AD included the regulation of neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, serotoninergic synapses, calcium signaling pathways and dopaminergic synapses. A cell viability assay indicated that the compounds (polygonatine A, polygonatine C and 4',5-dihydroxyflavone) assessed were able to significantly improve the survival rate and increase the Ca2+ level in a PC12 cell model of AD induced by amyloid-β25-35. The present study revealed that the mechanisms of action of Erjing pill to prevent and treat AD included a multicompound, multitarget and multipathway regulatory network.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Tinospora sinensis (Lour.) Merr. belongs to the family Menispermaceae. It is called LeZhe and is widely used as a kind of folk medicine especially in the Tibetan Plateau of China. T. sinensis has the functions of clearing away heat and detoxification, dispelling wind and dredging collaterals, calming and soothing the nerves. T. sinensis is an effective medicine for the prevention and treatment of aging diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the Tibetan Plateau of China, whereas its material basis and underlying mechanisms are not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the material basis and potential mechanisms of T. sinensis in the treatment of AD by using network pharmacology and molecular docking. Materials and methods In this study, targets were collected from DrugBank database, Therapeutic Target Database (TTD) and literatures reports for the treatment of AD. Compounds were searched by literatures and systematic separation from T. sinensis. The molecular docking experiment was carried out by using Autodock Vina software to screen the bioactive compounds in T. sinensis and target proteins for AD. Then, the “compound-target network” was constructed by Cytoscape software. The drug-like properties of the active compounds were analyzed by pKCSM performs, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING). The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) target pathway enrichment analysis was carried out by Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Furthermore, the protective effect of neurons of two active compounds were verified with the injury cell model of PC12 and primary hippocampus neurons induced by Aβ25-35. Finally, the key proteins of related pathways were quantitatively analyzed with Western blot method. Results In total, 105 compounds and 38 targets have been screened. The main active compounds contained berberine, which belongs to alkaloids, Aurantiamide acetate, N–P-coumaroyltyramine, which belongs to amides, Trans-syringin and 3-demethyl-phillyrin, which belongs to phenylpropanoids. The targets covered inflammation-related proteins, including Protein kinase B (AKT), Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), Tyrosine-protein kinase JAK1 (JAK1), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), Neuronal NOS (NOS1), and cholinergic function-related proteins, including α4-Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α4 nAChR), Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M1 (Muscarnic M1). Inflammation and cholinergic dysfunction were the center of the network and occupy a dominant position. And the results of enrichment analysis shown the pathways mainly contained phosphoinositide-3-kinase/Akt (PI3K/Akt) signal pathway, neurotrophic factors (NTFs) signal pathway, Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) signal pathway, mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) signal pathway, Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signal pathway, insulin resistance (IR). The results of in vitro assays showed that the tested compounds could significantly improve the survival rate and inhibit the apoptosis of PC12 cells and primary hippocampal neurons injured by Aβ25-35. Western blot results showed that T. sinensis had a significant effect on the expression of protein PI3K and Akt. Conclusion: Our results revealed that T. sinensis could prevent and treat AD through a multi-compound-multi-target-multi-pathway regulatory network. Our work also expected to provide new ideas and theoretical bases for searching for the active compounds in T. sinensis and potential mechanism in the prevention and treatment of AD by the network pharmacology and molecular docking. The results of in vitro assay and in vivo assay supported the results of molecular docking.

Here, we studied seasonal variation of effluent organic matter (EfOM), based on molecular weight distribution and fluorescent components, during the traditional anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A

This study examined the environmental impacts and energy consumption of three solid digestate treatment scenarios to quantify their impacts on the entire food waste (FW)-based biogas system: (1) incineration; (2) composting, and; (3) landfill. The results showed that composting had the largest net energy consumption, but least total environmental impact of 57.3 kWh and 8.75 E-03, respectively, whereas landfill showed the opposite pattern. Moreover, there were significant differences (p 0.05) and relatively high contributions between the digestate treatment subunits among the three scenarios. The most significant contributions of digestate subunits in methods 1-3 to the 100-year global warming potential (GWP

Due to global warming, some regions of Earth may face frequent and severe droughts in the future, leading to the deterioration of surface water quality. In this study, we investigated the effects of drought-induced drawdown on the water quality of the Zhoucun Reservoir, Shandong Province, East China, during the fall overturn. Field surveys were conducted during stratification (April–November) over three standard years 2012, 2013, and 2014, and over the El Nino event of 2015. Temporal and vertical variations of the physical and chemical indexes were investigated during monitoring. Results show that after the formation of stratification, the hypolimnion rapidly shifted to anaerobic conditions, with the accumulation of pollutants such as manganese (Mn) and total phosphorous (TP). Due to the extreme El Nino event in 2015, both the upper and lower metalimnion limits moved down along with the water level in summer, which resulted in the transfer of hypolimnion water to the metalimnion. In summer 2015, large amounts of pollutants were measured in the metalimnion: a phenomenon that did not occur at the same period of the standard years. At the beginning of the overturn in 2015, the water quality of the whole reservoir deteriorated when the metalimnion water shifted to the epilimnion. Mn and TP concentrations in the epilimnion reached 0.202 mg/L and 0.086 mg/L, respectively, which are significantly higher than those in the standard years. Although the tributary rivers entered the epilimnion of the reservoir during the overturn, Mn and TP concentrations of the inflow were only of 0.049–0.072 mg/L and 0.033–0.047 mg/L, respectively, indicating that these rivers were not the source of the high TP and high Mn concentrations in the epilimnion. Hence, we conclude that more attention should be paid to the metalimnion position and the vertical distribution of pollutants when studying lakes and reservoirs experiencing droughts.

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. Indigenous aerobic denitrifiers of a reservoir system were enhanced in situ by water lifting and aeration technology. Nitrogen removal characteristics and changes in the bacterial community were investigated. Results from a 30-day experiment showed that the TN in the enhanced water system decreased from 1.08-2.02 to 0.75-0.91 mg/L and that TN removal rates varied between 21.74% and 52.54% without nitrite accumulation, and TN removal rate of surface sediments reached 41.37 ± 1.55%. The densities of aerobic denitrifiers in the enhanced system increased. Furthermore, the enhanced system showed a clear inhibition of Fe, Mn, and P performances. Community analysis using Miseq showed that diversity was higher in the in situ oxygen enhanced system than in the control system. In addition, the microbial composition was significantly different between systems. It can be concluded that in situ enhancement of indigenous aerobic denitrifiers is very effective in removing nitrogen from water reservoir systems.

To achieve chemical free cleaning of fouled membrane, a novel electronic-conductive composite membrane was prepared by electrochemical polymerizing polypyrrole (PPy) onto stainless-steel mesh (SSM) in the present study. The permeability of the fabricated conductive membrane can be tuned by adjusting the cycles of electrochemical cyclic voltammetry to a desired permeability level. The membrane has a significantly higher conductivity superior SSM. The anti-fouling performance was tested by using the membrane as the cathode under 2 V during backwash. The results show that under the power-on mode during backwash, the fouling formed during filtering sodium alginate (SA), bovine serum albumin (BSA), humic acid (HA) solution, and secondary effluent can be significantly more reversible than otherwise. According to size exclusion chromatography analysis, large molecular fraction in SA and small organic fractions in HA can be more effectively removed than under normal backwash. Anti-fouling mechanisms unveiled based on atomic force microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis suggest that the change of the dipole moment of PPy under applied voltage led to the increase of the electronegativity and hydrophilicity of the membrane surface, which improved hydraulic reversibility of membrane fouling. The fabrication method developed in the present study demonstrates a promising process preparing conductive membranes orientating chemical free cleaning.

In the present work, acute impact of heavy metals on activated sludge was investigated, specifically the release of biopolymers and nitrogenous soluble microbiological products (N-SMP) that significantly impact tertiary effluent quality. Based on the previously reported studies, Hg2+ and Ag+ were selected as representative “non-essential” heavy metals, while Cu2+ was selected as the “essential” heavy metal. Stress tests show that under the present experimental conditions, adding a higher concentration of heavy metals to the activated sludge increases the concentration of biopolymers and SMP in the supernatant; N-SMP increased more significantly than carbonaceous products, implying a greater risk of formation of toxic nitrogenous disinfection by-products or membrane fouling in relevant tertiary treatment processes. The severity of the release of SMP into the supernatant depended on the heavy metal, with an order of Hg2+ > Ag+ > Cu2+ (“non-essential” > “essential”) under identical molar concentrations. The mass balance of typical organics (e.g., biopolymers) in SMP and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in activated sludge was analyzed, and a negative correlation between the organics in the SMP and tightly bound EPS was observed, implying that a significant fraction of the SMP could be quickly released from the tightly bound EPS under heavy metal shock conditions and could be related to cell response or damage.

This study investigated the acute impact of heavy metals on activated sludge with respect to the amount properties of biopolymers and other solvable microbiological products (SMPs) released from the sludge. Ten heavy metals were selected for the evaluation. Under the experimental conditions, exposing activated sludge to different metals led to an increase in SMPs, with a more significant increase in nitrogenous organics than in carbonaceous ones, where Hg2+, Ag+, Cu2+, and Cr6+ led to the highest increase in SMP species, while Cd2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, Pb2+, and Co2+ caused limited increase in the middle and small SMP molecules, and Zn2+ and Cr3+ resulted in a decrease in SMP content. To probe the molecular impact of heavy metals and the association between cellular stress and SMP formation, the toxicity of heavy metals was evaluated using a toxicogenomics assay. Based on a correlation analysis between the increase in SMP and the molecular toxicity index-transcriptional effect level index (TELI) of different genes under corresponding stress conditions, eight genes demonstrated a strong correlation with SMP properties and were pre-assumed to have the most significant influence on the increment in SMPs. We further validated the correlation equation established to predict SMP production based on the molecular disturbance of the eight key biomarkers, using arsenic As3+ and vanadium V5+ as tests, and by quantifying the amount of SMPs released from the activated sludge under the influence of these metals using a TELI-derived equation. In addition, the heavy metals that generated greater amounts of reactive oxygen species also caused larger increases in SMPs.

Here, we studied seasonal variation of effluent organic matter (EfOM), based on molecular weight distribution and fluorescent components, during the traditional anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A2O) wastewater treatment processes. Microbial community structure and effect of temperature on some isolated pure strains were analyzed to explain the related mechanism. Results showed that the anaerobic process played a key role in EfOM removal by removing building blocks, low molecular weight (LMW) neutrals, biopolymers, and protein-related substances (C4 and C5), thus determining the fate of EfOM during the A2O processes. On the other hand, humic substances, LMW neutrals, large molecular-sized hydrophobic humic-like compounds (C3), and aromatic proteins (C4) were generated during the anoxic process in summer and winter. Proteobacteria (Gamma-, Beta-, and Alpha-proteobacteria) and Bacteroidetes constituted over 50% of the sludge community. Temperature was found to be positively correlated with the generation of soluble microbial products (SMP) based on the performance of the mixture of isolated Herbaspirillum sp. (Beta-proteobacteria) and Pseudomonas sp. (Gamma-proteobacteria). Through comprehensive analysis of the co-action of Proteobacteria and temperature, we proposed the Synergetic Effect of Temperature and Proteobacteria as a possible mechanism of the seasonal variation of EfOM. These findings are important for understanding the fate of EfOM during the wastewater treatment processes and therefore be helpful for better EfOM control.

Rainfall-induced nutrient fluctuations in surface water affect phytoplankton communities and cause algal blooms. To examine this influence in the Zhoucun Reservoir, China, field surveys were performed weekly or biweekly from February 2013 (a wet year) to December 2014 (a dry year). Physical conditions, nutrient levels, and phytoplankton functional groups were investigated during monitoring. Nutrient levels increased in the summer of 2013 (TN: 0.85–2.66 mg/L; TP: 0.037–0.138 mg/L), while nitrogen deficiency occurred in the summer of 2014 (TN: 0.38–0.73 mg/L, TP: 0.044–0.079 mg/L). A cyanobacteria bloom that appeared in the summer of 2013 had the dominant phytoplankton functional groups M and Tc. In the summer of 2014, algal cell density and biomass were much lower than those during the corresponding period in 2013, and the co-dominant phytoplankton groups were F, L0, Tc, and S2. Non-N-fixing cyanobacteria were not abundant in summer 2013 probably because of the low ratio of NO3− to NH4+, although nitrogen ...

Denitrification is a major biological process that reduces nitrate to nitrogen gas (N2 or N2O). In shallow eutrophic reservoirs, this process can remove the largest portion of fixed nitrogen and play an important role in the self-purification of this ecosystem. To understand the structure of denitrifying communities in a shallow eutrophic reservoir, NirS-Type and NirK-Type denitrifier communities were explored using a MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technique. NirK and NirS are two functional marker genes for denitrification that encode copper- and cytochrome cd1-containing nitrite reductases, respectively, which catalyze the reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide. MiSeq sequencing revealed a total of 13 102 and 3490 OTUs with 97% similarity for NirS-Type and NirK-Type denitrifiers, which contained 4 and 5 phyla, and 22 and 21 genera for NirS-Type and NirK-Type denitrifiers, respectively. The ACE, Chao diversity, and Shannon richness estimates for NirS-Type denitrifiers were higher than those for NirK-Type denitrifiers. However, the Simpson richness exhibited the opposite trend. The denitrification community structure exhibited significantly seasonal variations during the whole experiment period based on the PCA, Hcluster analysis, OTUs distributions, community composition, and heat map analysis. Meanwhile, the RDA indicated that the total sediment nitrogen, aerobic denitrifiers, functional genes, denitrification rates, and temperature were critical environmental factors influencing the seasonal variation in the bacterial denitrification community.

We investigated the contribution of different functional groups on polysaccharides to membrane fouling. To achieve so, we examined the adsorption of two typical polysaccharides, i.e., glucan (only –OH) and sodium alginate (enriched –COOH) on surfaces of PVDF membranes with and without graphene oxide (GO) modification. The results suggest that the interaction between carboxyl groups and Ca2+ significantly altered the particle size and charge of sodium alginate. Resultantly, the irreversible fouling of PVDF membrane surface caused by polysaccharide (i.e., sodium alginate) adsorption became more reversible when the concentration of Ca2+ exceeded a critical value. In comparison, glucan containing only hydroxyl groups exhibited unidirectional increase in irreversible fouling along with the increased Ca2+ concentration. Modification of PVDF membrane using GO did alleviate adsorptive fouling, but the Ca2+ bridging between the modified membrane surface and sodium alginate makes the fouling less reversible. Therefore, foulant property and water chemistry should be taken in to account in evaluating the performance of membrane hydrophilization using GO.

Using laboratory experiments, the authors investigated the impact of dry-heat and moist-heat treatment processes on hazardous trace elements (As, Hg, Cd, Cr, and Pb) in food waste and explored their distribution patterns for three waste components: oil, aqueous, and solid components. The results indicated that an insignificant reduction of hazardous trace elements in heat-treated waste-0.61-14.29% after moist-heat treatment and 4.53-12.25% after dry-heat treatment-and a significant reduction in hazardous trace elements (except for Hg without external addition) after centrifugal dehydration (P0.5). Moreover, after heat treatment, over 90% of the hazardous trace elements in the waste were detected in the aqueous and solid components, whereas only a trace amount of hazardous trace elements was detected in the oil component (0.01%). In addition, results indicated that heat treatment process did not significantly reduce the concentration of hazardous trace elements in food waste, but the separation process for solid and aqueous components, such as centrifugal dehydration, could reduce the risk considerably. Finally, combined with the separation technology for solid and liquid components, dry-heat treatment is superior to moist-heat treatment on the removal of external water-soluble ionic hazardous trace elements.An insignificant reduction of hazardous trace elements in heat-treated waste showed that heat treatment does not reduce trace elements contamination in food waste considerably, whereas the separation process for solid and aqueous components, such as centrifugal dehydration, could reduce the risk significantly. Moreover, combined with the separation technology for solid and liquid components, dry-heat treatment is superior to moist-heat treatment for the removal of external water-soluble ionic hazardous trace elements, by exploring distribution patterns of trace elements in three waste components: oil, aqueous, and solid components.

Sulfides and volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSc) in water are not only malodorous but also toxic to humans and aquatic organisms. They cause serious deterioration in the ecological environment and pollute drinking water sources. In the present study, a source water reservoir--Zhoucun Reservoir in East China--was selected as the study site. Through a combination of field monitoring and in situ release experiments of sulfides, the characteristics of seasonal variation and distribution of sulfides and VOSc in the reservoir were studied, and the cause of the sulfide pollution was explained. The results show that sulfide pollution was quite severe in August and September 2014 in the Zhoucun Reservoir, with up to 1.59 mg·L(-1) of sulfides in the lower layer water. The main source of sulfides is endogenous pollution. VOSc concentration correlates very well with that of sulfides during the summer, with a peak VOSc concentration of 44.37 μg·L(-1). An installed water-lifting aeration system was shown to directly oxygenate the lower layer water, as well as mix water from the lower and the upper layers. Finally, the principle and results of controlling sulfides and VOSc in reservoirs using water-lifting aerators are clarified. Information about sulfides and VOSc fluctuation and control gained in this study may be applicable to similar reservoirs, and useful in practical water quality improvement and pollution prevention.