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The study of CaCO3 polymorphism is of great significance for understanding the mechanism of bacterial carbonate mineralization and the genesis of carbonate rock formation throughout geological history.

Studying the crystallization sequence of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) polymorphs provides great insights into bacterial mineralization mechanisms, and carbonate rock genesis in recent geological history. CaCO3 biomineralization studies were conducted using Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942. Changes in bacterial optical density, polysaccharide content, carbonic anhydrase activity, pH, Ca2+, Mg2+, phosphate, and bicarbonate concentrations in medium, and precipitation levels were recorded, while precipitate morphology and polymorphisms were characterized. We identified an abnormal crystallization sequence order of carbonate polymorphs: calcite, aragonite, and vaterite, which failed to obey Ostwald’s rule. We investigated saturation indices (SI) and calculated calcite, aragonite, and vaterite quantities. Also, two mineralization studies were performed using PCC 7942 in the medium-plus different phosphates levels and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secreted by PCC 7942. Calcite was precipitated due to phosphate levels >7 µmol·L−1 and SIvaterite values aragonite values >2.3 and phosphate levels −1 exerted crucial roles in aragonite formation. Finally, decreased phosphate and Mg2+ levels promoted vaterite crystallization. We suggest this unique crystallization order may be attributed to changes in bacterial density and PO43− levels. Our study provides new insights into bacterial mineralization mechanisms.HIGHLIGHTSShow that calcite, aragonite, and vaterite crystallized in order in MICP.The abnormal crystallization sequence of CaCO3 polymorphs does not follow Ostward’s theory.The metabolic activity of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 and phosphate levels should be responsible for this unique crystallization order. Show that calcite, aragonite, and vaterite crystallized in order in MICP. The abnormal crystallization sequence of CaCO3 polymorphs does not follow Ostward’s theory. The metabolic activity of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 and phosphate levels should be responsible for this unique crystallization order.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) specifically targeting pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) and containing silver nanoparticles have been prepared by free radical polymerization reaction using methyl methacrylate (MMA) as a functional monomer, PCNB as a template molecule, 1,4-butanedioldimethacrylate as a cross linker, lauroyl peroxide (LPO) as an initiator, and the silver nanoparticles with the best surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect as SERS enhancement materials. Our results indicated that MIPs specifically recognize PCNB from complex matrices. The intensity of the PCNB characteristic peak was proportional to the concentration, with a linear range of 0.005 to 0.15 μg/mL and a limit of detection of 5.0 ng/mL. The recovery rates and relative standard deviation for the detection of PCNB spiked in the rice samples were from 94.4% to 103.3% and from 4.6% to 7.4%, respectively. The experimental results are consistent with those by the GC-MS method, indicating that the rapid detection of PCNB in food matrices by SERS-MIPs is reliable. In view of the insolubility of PCNB in water, oil-soluble silver nanoparticles were synthesized which can be expanded to detect oil-soluble toxic substances. For the first time, the proposed method provides a point-of-care and cost-effective tool for rapidly detecting PCNB in food matrices with high sensitivity and selectivity by employing SERS-MIPs method.

Cantharidin (CTD) is an effective antitumor agent. However, it exhibits significant hepatotoxicity, the mechanism of which remains unclear. In this study, biochemical and histopathological analyses complemented with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS)-based targeted metabolomic analysis of bile acids (BAs) were employed to investigate CTD-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Sixteen male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: control and CTD (1.0 mg/kg) groups. Serum and liver samples were collected after 28 days of intervention. Biochemical, histopathological, and BA metabolomic analyses were performed for all samples. Further, the key biomarkers of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity were identified via multivariate and metabolic pathway analyses. In addition, metabolite-gene-enzyme network and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses were used to identify the signaling pathways related to CTD-induced hepatotoxicity. The results revealed significantly increased levels of biochemical indices (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bile acid). Histopathological analysis revealed that the hepatocytes were damaged. Further, 20 endogenous BAs were quantitated via UHPLC-MS/MS, and multivariate and metabolic pathway analyses of BAs revealed that hyocholic acid, cholic acid, and chenodeoxycholic acid were the key biomarkers of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity. Meanwhile, primary and secondary BA biosynthesis and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism were found to be associated with the mechanism by which CTD induced hepatotoxicity in rats. This study provides useful insights for research on the mechanism of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity.

Marine sediment is considered a vast sink for organic pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, little is known about the relationship between subcritical PAH allocation and benthic microbial patterns. Thus, we carried out a field investigation at the abandoned Yellow River Delta (AYRD) to deepen the understanding of PAHs' horizontal distribution and ecological roles on the continental shelf. The PAH level in the AYRD is relatively low and distance-independent, indicating it resulted from long-term, chronic, anthropogenic input. The combined application of diagnostic molecular ratios reported inconsistent PAH sources, which might be due to the low PAH concentrations and the complexity of contributing sources. Positive Matrix Factorization provided a more robust source classification and identified three main PAH sources-coal combustion and vehicle emissions, petrogenic process, and fossil fuels. The benthic microbiome did not show a significant response to PAHs in terms of microbial assemblage or alpha-diversity. However, Operational Taxonomic Units in some specific phyla, like Thaumarchaeota, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Chytridiomycota, correlated with the PAH source indicators, supporting the notion that PAH source indicators can act as a novel environmental indicator for microbial adaption. What's more, Microbial Ecological Networks show more connection at sites identified as biomass combustion by both Fluoranthene/(Fluoranthene + Pyrene) and Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene/(Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene + Benzo(ghi)perylene) compared to the ones identified as biomass combustion by Fluoranthene/(Fluoranthene + Pyrene) and petroleum combustion by Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene/(Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene + Benzo(ghi)perylene). Herein, we demonstrate that the PAHs' source indicator can serve as a novel indicator of the interactions between microorganisms, and thus, should be applied to the sustainable management effort in the offshore area.

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-04T12:41:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-07-02 National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Background-The uptake of proven stroke treatments varies widely. We aimed to determine the association of evidence-based processes of care for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and clinical outcome of patients who participated in the HEADPOST (Head Positioning in Acute Stroke Trial), a multicenter cluster crossover trial of lying flat versus sitting up, head positioning in acute stroke. Methods and Results-Use of 8 AIS processes of care were considered: reperfusion therapy in eligible patients; acute stroke unit care; antihypertensive, antiplatelet, statin, and anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation; dysphagia assessment; and physiotherapist review. Hierarchical, mixed, logistic regression models were performed to determine associations with good outcome (modified Rankin Scale scores 0-2) at 90 days, adjusted for patient and hospital variables. Among 9485 patients with AIS, implementation of all processes of care in eligible patients, or defect-free care, was associated with improved outcome (odds ratio, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.18-1.65) and better survival (odds ratio, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.62-3.09). Defect-free stroke care was also significantly associated with excellent outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 0-1) (odds ratio, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.04-1.43). No hospital characteristic was independently predictive of outcome. Only 1445 (15%) of eligible patients with AIS received all processes of care, with significant regional variations in overall and individual rates. Conclusions-Use of evidence-based care is associated with improved clinical outcome in AIS. Strategies are required to address regional variation in the use of proven AIS treatments. Univ New South Wales, Fac Med, George Inst Global Hlth, Sydney, NSW, Australia Ctr Estudios Clin, Inst Ciencias & Innovac Med, Santiago, Chile Clin Alemana Univ Desarrollo, Fac Med, Serv Neurol, Dept Neurol & Psiquiatria, Santiago, Chile Peking Univ, Hlth Sci Ctr, George Inst Global Hlth, Beijing, Peoples R China Australian Catholic Univ, Nursing Res Inst, St Vincents Hlth Australia Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia Univ Cent Lancashire, Fac Hlth & Wellbeing, Preston, Lancs, England Univ Chile, Fac Med, Dept Ciencias Neurol, Santiago, Chile Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Med Sch, Stroke Serv Neurol Div, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil Fukuoka Univ, Fac Med, Dept Prevent Med & Publ Hlth, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan Univ Leicester, Dept Cardiovasc Sci, Leicester Biomed Res Ctr, Leicester, Leics, England Univ Leicester, Natl Inst Hlth Res, Leicester Biomed Res Ctr, Leicester, Leics, England Univ Edinburgh, Ctr Clin Brain Sci, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland George Inst Global Hlth, Sydney, NSW, Australia Univ Desarrollo, Serv Neurol, Dept Neurol & Psiquiatria Clin Alemana Santiago, Santiago, Chile St Vincents Hlth Australia Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia Australian Catholic Univ, Sydney, NSW, Australia Univ Cent Lancashire, Stroke Practice Res Unit, Sch Hlth, Lancashire Clin Trials Unit, Preston, Lancs, England Univ Leicester, Dept Cardiovasc Sci, Cardiovasc Res Ctr, British Heart Fdn, Leicester, Leics, England Univ Kelaniya, Dept Pharmacol, Fac Med, Colombo, Sri Lanka Christian Med Coll & Hosp, Dept Neurol, Ludhiana, India Kaohsiung Med Univ & Hosp, Dept Neurol, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Linkou Chang Gung Mem Hosp, Dept Neurol, Taipei, Taiwan Peking Union Med Coll Hosp, Beijing, Peoples R China Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Sch Med, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil Monash Univ, Dept Epidemiol & Prevent Med, Melbourne, Vic, Australia Univ Cent Lancashire, Sch Hlth Sci, Coll Hlth & Wellbeing, Preston, Lancs, England Univ Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile Univ New South Wales, Neurosci Res Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia Natl Univ Singapore, Dept Pharmacol, Singapore, Singapore Bradford Royal Infirm, Bradford Inst Hlth Res, Leeds, W Yorkshire, England Christian Med College, Ludhiana, Punjab, India RemediumOne Pvt Ltd, Kandy, Sri Lanka Kaohsiung Med Univ, Chung Ho Mem Hosp, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Calvary Publ Hosp Bruce, Bruce, Australia Royal North Shore Hosp, St Leonards, NSW, Australia Royal Prince Alfred Hosp, Camperdown, NSW, Australia Concord Repatriat Gen Hosp, Camperdown, NSW, Australia Fiona Stanley Hosp, Camperdown, NSW, Australia Macquarie Base Hosp, Melbourne, Vic, Australia Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, Hosp Clin, Sao Paulo, Brazil Hosp Governador Celso Ramos, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil Sao Paulo State Univ, Hosp Fac Med Botucatu, UNESP, Sao Paulo, Brazil Yangquan Coalmine Grp Gen Hosp, Yangquan, Peoples R China Nanjing Med Univ, Nanjing Hosp 1, Nanjing, Jiangsu, Peoples R China 85 Hosp Peoples Liberat Army, Beijing, Peoples R China Chifeng Univ, Affiliated Hosp, Chifeng, Peoples R China Beijing Pinggu Hosp, Beijing, Peoples R China Wenzhou Med Univ, Affiliated Hosp 1, Wenzhou, Peoples R China Soochow Univ, Affiliated Hosp 2, Suzhou, Peoples R China Hebei Med Univ, Hosp 3, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, Peoples R China Capital Med Univ, Xuanwu Hosp, Beijing, Peoples R China Jining Med Univ, Affiliated Hosp, Jining, Peoples R China Third Peoples Hosp Huizhou, Huizhou, Peoples R China Second Cangzhou Cent Hosp, Cangzhou, Peoples R China Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ, Hosp Affiliated, Sch Med, Shanghai, Peoples R China Baogang Hosp, Baotou, Peoples R China Harbin Med Univ, Affiliated Hosp 1, Harbin, Heilongjiang, Peoples R China Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ Sch, Tong Ren Hosp, Peoples Hosp Hejian City, Shanghai, Peoples R China Peking Univ, Shougang Hosp, Beijing, Peoples R China Guangzhou Med Univ, Affiliated Hosp 3, Guangzhou, Guangdong, Peoples R China Second Hosp Nanchang, Nanchang, Jiangxi, Peoples R China Bethune Int Peace Hosp, Beijing, Peoples R China Hua Henan Prov Peoples Hosp, Beijing, Peoples R China Hua Henan Prov Peoples Hosp, Zhengzhou, Henan, Peoples R China Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ, Sch Med, Shanghai Ninth Peoples Hosp, Shanghai, Peoples R China Shijiazhuang Cent Hosp, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, Peoples R China Hosp Base San Jos de Osorno, Osorno, Chile Christian Med Coll & Hosp, Ludhiana, Punjab, India Unit Narayana Hrudayalaya Ltd, Mazumdar Shaw Med Ctr, Bangalore, Karnataka, India Dr Ramesh Cardiac & Multispecial Hosp Pvt Ltd, Guntur, India Post Grad Inst Med Educ & Res, Chandigarh, India Baby Mem Hosp Ltd, Calicut, Kerala, India Sree Chitra Tirunal Inst Med Sci & Technol, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India Sri Jayawardenepura Gen Hosp, Sri Jayawardenepura Kott, Sri Lanka Colombo North Teaching Hosp, Colombo, Sri Lanka Colombo South Coching Hosp, Colombo, Sri Lanka Linkou Chang Gung Mem Hosp, Taoyuan, Taiwan Taipei Med Univ, Shuang Ho Hosp, Taipei, Taiwan En Chu Kong Hosp, New Taipei, Taiwan Natl Cheng Kung Univ Hosp, Tainan, Taiwan Queen Alexandra Hosp, Portsmouth, Hants, England Portsmouth Hosp NHS Natl Hlth Serv iTrust, Portsmouth, Hants, England Univ Coll London Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, London, England Univ Hosp Birmingham NHS Fdn Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hosp Birmingham, Birmingham, W Midlands, England Southend Univ Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, Southend On Sea, England Kings Coll Hosp London, London, England York Teaching Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, York, N Yorkshire, England Nottingham Univ Hosp NHS Trust, Nottingham, England Blackpool Teaching Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, Blackpool, England Gloucestershire Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, Gloucestershire Royal Hosp, Gloucester, England Teaching Hospi NHS Fdn Trust, London, England Royal Cornwall Hosp NHS Trust, Truro, England Royal London Hosp, Barts Hlth NHS Trust, London, England Sheffield Teaching Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, Sheffield, S Yorkshire, England Cambridge Univ Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, Addenbrookes Hosp, Cambridge, England Royal Victoria Hosp, Belfast Hlth & Social Care Trust, London, England Pinderfields Gen Hosp, Mid Yorkshire Hosp NHS Trust, Wakefield, England Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Fdn Trust, London, England Bradford Teaching Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, Bradford, W Yorkshire, England Great Western Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, Swindon, Wilts, England Watford Dist Gen Hosp, Watford, England Imperial Coll Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England Medway NHS Fdn Trust, Gillingham, England Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen Univ NHS Trust, Liverpool, Merseyside, England Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Fdn Trust, Huddersfield, W Yorkshire, England Hywel Dda Univ Hlth Board, Haverfordwest, Wales Chesterfield Royal Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, Calow, England Luton & Dunstable Univ Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, Luton, Beds, England Countess Chester Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, Chester, Cheshire, England Peterborough City Hosp, Peterborough, Cambs, England Univ Hosp Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester Royal Infirm, Leicester, Leics, England Dist Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, London, England Barnsley Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, Barnsley, England Dorset Cty Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, Dorchester, England Royal Bournemouth & Christchurch Hosp NHS Fdn Tru, Royal Bournemouth Hosp, Bournemouth, Dorset, England Southern Hlth & Social Care Trust, Craigavon Area Hosp, Portadown, England United Lincolnshire Hosp NHS Trust, Pilgrim Hosp, Lincoln, England Bedford Hosp NHS Trust, Bedford, England Sao Paulo State Univ, Hosp Fac Med Botucatu, UNESP, Sao Paulo, Brazil National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia: 1066966

Terrestrial fungi, especially arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, enhance heavy metal sequestration and promote ecosystem restoration. However, their ecological functions were historically overlooked in discussions regarding water quality. As an AM fungi-derived stable soil protein fraction, glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) may provide insights into the ecological functions of AM fungi associated with water quality in coastal ecosystems. Here, we first assessed the metal-loading dynamics and ecological functions of GRSP transported into aquatic ecosystems, characterized the composition characteristics, and revealed the mechanisms underlying Cu and Cd sequestration. Combining in situ sampling and in vitro cultures, we found that the composition characteristics of GRSP were significantly affected by the element and mineral composition of sediments. In situ, GRSP-bound Cu and Cd contributed 18.91–22.03% of the total Cu and 2.27–6.37% of the total Cd. Functional group ligands and ion exchange were the principal mechanisms of Cu binding by GRSP, while Cd binding was dominated by functional group ligands. During the in vitro experiment, GRSP sequestered large amounts of Cu and Cd and formed stable complexes, while further dialysis only released 25.74 ± 3.85% and 33.53 ± 3.62% of GRSP-bound Cu and Cd, respectively.

To better understand the uptake, biotransformation and physiological response to tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in mangrove plants, a short term 14-day hydroponic assay with two mangrove species, Avicennia marina (A. marina) and Kandelia obovata (K. obovata), was conducted. Results showed that two mangrove species could uptake, translocate and accumulate TBBPA from solution. The hydroxylation and debromination metabolites of TBBPA, including OH-TBBPA, TriBBPA, MonoBBPA, and BPA, were found in both mangroves for the first time. The high-level TBBPA suppressed the growth and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content of K. obovata, did not pose any negative affect on A. marina. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) of K. obovata significantly increased in the 7th day, whereas, SOD and POD activities at high-levels of TBBPA became comparable to the control in the 14th day. Contrastingly, the antioxidant enzymes activities of A. marina were positively stimulated by TBBPA during the 14-day of observation, indicating that A. marina was more tolerant of TBBPA.

Mesoporous ZnO/TiO 2 hollow microspheres have been successfully synthesized by a facile one-step hydrothermal route without any template. The effect of reactants, temperature and hydrothermal time on the morphology and photocatalytic degradation activity has been investigated in details. The hollow microspheres with average diameter of 0.5–2 μm showed time-dependent growth process and consisted of nanoparticles with a diameter of 10–20 nm. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO/TiO 2 hollow microspheres was evaluated via the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO). Compared with the pristine TiO 2 hollow microspheres or ZnO nanosheets, the ZnO/TiO 2 hollow microspheres produced significantly positive effect on the band-gap energy shift (from 3.16 eV (TiO 2 ) to 2.80 eV (ZnO/TiO 2 )) and photocatalytic degradation (with a high apparent reaction rate of 10.19 × 10 −2 min −1 ) probably owing to the hybrid hollow microsphere morphology and their synergistic catalytic effect.

Mg2Ni alloy prepared by vacuum induction melting is rapidly quenched in the presence of an external magnetic field. The effects of magnetic field on the microstructure and electrochemical hydrogen storage behavior of Mg2Ni alloy are well investigated for the first time. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) studies show that the applied magnetic field results in a preferred orientation growth during the rapid solidification of alloy melt, which induces the generation of columnar crystals. Meanwhile, decreased grain size and increased internal strain are noted for this alloy, as well as the eliminated composition segregation. It is found on the charge–discharge experiments that the as-prepared alloy displays an increased capacity and improved cycle stability compared to the alloys without magnetic field treatment. The potentiodynamic polarization results indicate that the Mg2Ni alloy exhibits relatively high corrosion resistance against the alkaline solution. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) results demonstrate enhanced electrochemical kinetics for the treated Mg2Ni alloy, consistent with the enhanced electrochemical properties.