CsPbX/SiO (X = Cl, Br, I) monoliths prepared via a novel sol-gel route starting from CsPbX nanocrystals.

We developed a facile synthesis of nanocomposite powders of CsPbX nanocrystals (NCs) embedded in silica. The synthesis starts from colloidal CsPbX NCs that are mixed with tetraethyl orthosilicate in the presence of nitric acid, which triggers the sol-gel reaction yielding the formation of SiO and the conversion of starting NCs into CsPbX ones. The overall reaction delivers CsPbX NCs encased in a silica matrix.

Degradation mechanism, intermediates and toxicology assessment of tris-(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate using ultraviolet activated hydrogen peroxide.

Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs), one kind of emerging flame retardants, have received prevalent attention owing to their ubiquity in aquatic matrices and their characteristics of being refractory to biodegradation. In current research, the degradation mechanism of tris-(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP), one of OPFRs, and its toxicological evaluation using UV-driven hydroxyl radical oxidation were investigated. A pseudo-first order reaction was fitted with an apparent rate constant (K) of 0.

Reductive dissolution of jarosite by a sulfate reducing bacterial community: Secondary mineralization and microflora development.

Jarosite is an iron-hydroxysulfate mineral commonly found in acid mine drainage (AMD). Given its strong adsorption capacity and its ability to co-precipitation with heavy metals, jarosite is considered a potent scavenger of contaminants in AMD-impacted environments. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) play an important role in the reductive dissolution of jarosite; however, the mechanism involved has yet to be elucidated.

HfN Nanoparticles: An Unexplored Catalyst for the Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Water electrolysis is one of the most promising methods to produce H and O as high potential fuels. Comparing the two half-reactions, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is the more difficult to be optimized and still relies on expensive noble metal-based catalysts such as Ru or Ir. In this paper, we prepared nanoparticles of HfN and Hf ON and tested them for the OER for the first time.

Hypoxic preconditioning relieved ischemic cerebral injury by promoting immunomodulation and microglia polarization after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats.

Objectives: This study was designed to investigate whether immunomodulation and Microglia polarization is involved in the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effect induced by hypoxic preconditioning (HPC) in the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) brain injury model.

Methods: Longa method, (neurological disability status scale) NDSS method and TTC staining were used to evaluate the degree of cerebral infarction injury under different treatments (Sham, HPC, MCAO and co-treatment with HPC and MCAO). Western blot was used to detect expression profiles of apoptosis and related factors of neurological function.

Postoperative Serum Levels of Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), Interleukin-17 (IL-17), and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) in Patients Following Hip Replacement Surgery for Traumatic Fractured Femoral Neck: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of postoperative serum levels of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-17 (IL-17), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in patients who required hip replacement surgery for traumatic fractured neck of femur. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective study included 180 patients who had hip replacement surgery for traumatic fractured neck of femur and a control group of 100 patients. Differences between the two groups were compared for serum levels of IL-1ß, IL-17, and TNF-alpha, and the Harris Hip Score (HHS) (maximum 100 points) using Pearson's correlation.

Impact of gender as a prognostic factor in HBV-related Hepatocellular Carcinoma: the survival strength of female patients in BCLC stage 0-B.

: Although previous studies suggested that female patients who underwent curative resection in early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) had better survival rates than male patients, it is unclear whether females in different HCC stages actually have survival advantage. This study aimed to investigate whether gender differences in the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification system contributed to different survival outcomes in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC. : A retrospective analysis was performed of 1,753 patients diagnosed with HBV-related HCC between January 2008 and June 2017 at the Beijing Ditan hospital.

The effect of silver oxidation on the photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZnO hybrid plasmonic/metal-oxide nanostructures under visible light and in the dark.

A new synergetic hybrid Ag/ZnO nanostructure was fabricated which is able to cause photocatalytic degradation (in high yields) of methylene blue under visible light as well as in the dark. In this nanostructure, ZnO was synthesized using the arc discharge method in water and was coupled with Ag via a chemical reduction method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy results confirmed the existence of defects in ZnO in the hybrid nanostructures; these defects act as electron traps and inhibit the recombination of electron-hole pairs.

Oxidation degradation of tris-(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate by ultraviolet driven sulfate radical: Mechanisms and toxicology assessment of degradation intermediates using flow cytometry analyses.

Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) were frequently detected in biotic and abiotic matrix owing to their persistence and recalcitrant degradation. Some specific OPFRs, such as tris-(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP), pose a significant potential risk to human health due to their high water solubility. Therefore, an environmentally sound and high efficient technique is in urgent need of controlling TCPP.

Analysis and experimental investigation of a subwavelength phased parallel-plate waveguide array for manipulation of electromagnetic waves.

Phase-gradient metasurfaces can be designed to manipulate electromagnetic waves according to the generalized Snell's law. Here, we show that a phased parallel-plate waveguide array (PPWA) can be devised to act in the same manner as a phase-gradient metasurface. We derive an analytic model that describes the wave propagation in the PPWA and calculate both the angle and amplitude distribution of the diffracted waves.

Insights into removal mechanisms of bisphenol A and its analogues in municipal wastewater treatment plants.

The occurrence and removal mechanisms of bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogues in municipal WWTPs were critically reviewed in this article. BPA appeared to be the dominant bisphenol, and the removal efficiency of bisphenols was in the order of bisphenol AP>bisphenol P>bisphenol F>bisphenol Z>bisphenol C>bisphenol S>bisphenol B>BPA>bisphenol E>bisphenol AF. It was also found that BPA removal showed linear relationships to those of its analogues, which have been proven by BPA vs BPS or BPF.

Aggregation kinetics of UV irradiated nanoplastics in aquatic environments.

Nanoplastics (NPs) derived from degradation of macroplastics and microplastics possess potential threat to aquatic biota and human health. Their fate and transport in aquatic systems are mainly governed by aging processes and aggregation behavior. In this study, we simulated plastic aging process using UV-irradiation and compared the aggregation kinetics of fresh versus aged polystyrene NPs (PSNPs) under aqueous conditions.

Reductive debromination of decabromodiphenyl ether by iron sulfide-coated nanoscale zerovalent iron: mechanistic insights from Fe(II) dissolution and solvent kinetic isotope effects.

The mechanism that iron sulfide-coated nanoscale zero valent iron (S-nZVI) has better reduction activity towards organic pollutants than nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) has long been debated. In this work, a systematic study was investigated to compare differences of main influences, BDE-209 degradation pathway, degradation kinetics and reduction mechanism of BDE-209 between nZVI and S-nZVI systems. The observed transformation rate of BDE-209 (k) by S-nZVI was 58.

Changes in fish sex ratio as a basis for regulating endocrine disruptors.

Fish sex ratio (SR) is an endpoint potentially indicating both endocrine activity and adversity, essential elements for identifying Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) as required by the EU regulations. Due to different protocols and methods in the literature studies, SR data vary greatly. This study analyses literature SR data and discusses important considerations for using SR data in the regulatory context for the hazard identification, classification, PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic) assessment, testing, and risk assessment.

Mineral and bone disorder in hemodialysis patients in the Tibetan Plateau: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Mineral and bone disorder (MBD) in hemodialysis patients is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Studies on the MBD status of hemodialysis patients at high altitudes are extremely limited. A total of 146 hemodialysis patients from 5 local hospitals across all districts with hemodialysis centers in the Tibetan Plateau were enrolled in this cross-sectional study.

Coupled Kinetics Model for Microbially Mediated Arsenic Reduction and Adsorption/Desorption on Iron Oxides: Role of Arsenic Desorption Induced by Microbes.

The dynamic behavior of arsenic (As) species is closely associated with iron mineral dissolution/transformation in the environment. Bacterially induced As(V) desorption from iron oxides may be another important process that facilitates As(V) release from iron oxides without significant reductive dissolution of iron oxides. Under the impact of bacterially induced desorption, As kinetic behavior is controlled by both the microbial reduction of As(V) and the As(III)&As(V) reactions on iron oxide surfaces.

Mechanism of enhancing pyrene-degradation ability of bacteria by layer-by-layer assembly bio-microcapsules materials.

The mechanism of improving pyrene (PYR)-degrading ability of bacteria CP13 in Layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly chitosan/alginate (CHI/ALG) bio-microcapsules was investigated. Flow cytometry analysis showed that LBL microcapsules could effectively slow down the increasing rate of bacterial cell membrane permeability and the decreasing rate of the membrane potential, so as to reduce the death rate and number of the cells, which could protect the degrading bacteria. The results of Fluorescence spectrum, circular dichroism (CD) spectrum and laser light scattering (LLS) analysis revealed that the other possible mechanism for LBL microcapsules to promote bacterial degradation were following: CHI could enter the secondary structure of the protein of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from CP13 and combined with EPS to generate a stable ground material, which had larger molecular weight (3.

Degradation of 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether by Pycnoporus sanguineus in the presence of copper ions.

The degradation of 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) by Pycnoporus sanguineus was investigated in order to explore the impact of the heavy metal Cu on BDE-47 decomposition and the subsequent formation of metabolites, as well as to further elucidate the degradation mechanism of BDE-47. An increase in degradation rate from 18.63% to 49.

Environmental application of MgMn-layered double oxide for simultaneous efficient removal of tetracycline and Cd pollution: Performance and mechanism.

The MgMn-layered double oxide (MgMn-LDO), which was fabricated by calcining MgMn-layered double hydroxide (MgMn-LDH), was used to remove tetracycline (TC) and cadmium (Cd) pollution. In MgMn-LDO activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) system, 97.1% of TC was degraded within 20 min.

A simulation-based bi-level multi-objective programming model for watershed water quality management under interval and stochastic uncertainties.

A simulation-based interval stochastic bi-level multi-objective programming (SISBLMOP) model was proposed in this research, through integrating the global nutrient export from watersheds model, interval parameter programming and stochastic chance-constrained programming into a general bi-level multi-objective programming framework. The SISBLMOP model can handle multiple uncertainties expressed as discrete intervals and probability density functions in both the simulation and optimization processes. System complexities, including the hierarchy structure of upper- and lower-level decision makers, can also be addressed in the model.

Nucleos(t)ide Analogues for Reducing Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background/aims: Studies have shown that nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) treatment can reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, but it is unclear which NA is most effective. We performed a meta-analysis and systematic review comparing the efficacies of NAs in CHB patients.

Methods: We searched literature databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies that analyzed the hepatic biochemical response, virological response, seroconversion rate, drug resistance rate, and HCC incidence rate in CHB patients treated with NAs.

Biogenic iron mineralization of polyferric sulfate by dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria: Effects of medium composition and electric field stimulation.

Polyferric sulfate (PFS) is a coagulant widely used for removing contaminants from the aqueous phase; however, PFS destabilizes and recrystallizes in the solid phase in the presence of dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria (DIRB), which has a profound influence on the cycle of Fe and the fate of the associated pollutants. Our objective is to investigate the combined effects of medium composition and electric field stimulation on the biomineralization of PFS. Batch experiments were conducted with PFS and the DIRB Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 under anoxic conditions to examine the microbial reduction of PFS to Fe(II) and its subsequent biotransformation.

Biodegradation of tricresyl phosphate isomers by Brevibacillus brevis: Degradation pathway and metabolic mechanism.

Tricresyl phosphates (TCPs), a typical sort of organophosphate flame retardants, has received extensive concerns due to its potential adverse effects. However, limited information is available on the efficient and safe removal methods of TCPs. In this regard, TCPs were tentatively biodegraded with Brevibacillus brevis.