A novel polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-based hybrid monolith as a sorbent for on-line in-tube solid phase microextraction of bisphenols in milk prior to high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection analysis.

An on-line in-tube solid-phase microextraction (in-tube SPME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was proposed based on a novel polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-hybrid monolith for the determination of four bisphenols (BPs) in milk. The monolith was synthesized using acrylamide (AM) and monomethacrylate-functionalized POSS (mono-MA-POSS) as functional monomers to copolymerize with ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA). Due to the abundant hydrogen bonding, π-π and hydrophobic interaction sites, the synthetic monolith displayed satisfying extraction performance for target BPs.

Development of a high-throughput device for liquid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of benzene derivatives in environmental water.

A device coupled with an automatic gas chromatography injection sampler for high-throughput liquid-liquid microextraction has been proposed in this study. This study's main objective was to devise a trap vial directly placed in an automatic liquid sampler (ALS) to collect and inject the extractant without a transfer step. Sixteen groups of microextraction procedures were performed simultaneously to increase the overall efficiency.

Application of the liquid-liquid dispersed microextraction based on phase transition behavior of temperature sensitive polymer to rapidly detect 5 BPs in food packaging.

In this paper, temperature sensitive polymer p(MAH-β-CD-co-NIPAM) was used as extraction in DLLME, because its phase transition behavior can be observed at room temperature due to Hofmeister and non-co-solvent effect. The whole pretreatment process is simple and fast, and the extraction process did not require dispersant to assist dispersion and centrifugation to collect the adsorbent. A new analytical method based on DLLME coupled with HPLC-UV was developed to detect five types of BPs in milk and take-out packaging.

Research and application status of ecological floating bed in eutrophic landscape water restoration.

Ecological floating bed (EFB) has become the preferred technology due to its reputation of green economy, convenience, and efficiency in treating eutrophic landscape water. Based on the statistical analysis of abundant literatures, this paper systematically summarizes the component elements, design parameters, purification mechanism, purification ability, strengthening methods and the correlations among various parameters of EFB, and points out some issues existing in the current research and applications. The results show that the coverage of 5% ~ 38% and water depth of 60 ~ 110 cm should be recommended for EFB design.

Effects of different dosing modes of calcium nitrate on P locking in sediment and nutrient concentrations in waters.

Sediment is an endogenous pollution source, which often leads water systems to eutrophication due to the release of nutrients, especially phosphorus (P). Calcium nitrate (CN) was dosed to the water systems under different modes to control P release from the sediments in this study. A 63-day static laboratory test was conducted to explore the effects of intermittent dosing and one-time dosing modes of CN on P locking in the sediment and the concentrations of nitrogen (N) and P in waters.

Polymer phase transition characteristics coupled with GC-MS for the determination of phthalate esters.

Phthalate esters are easily released from plastics materials and migrate into the soil and water environment, causing serious pollution and posing a great threat to the health of human beings. A novel temperature-sensitive extractant combined with liquid-liquid microextraction was developed to preconcentrate three phthalates in the water environment. To optimize the extraction efficiency for the three phthalate esters, various parameters, including polymer molecular weight, salt type, salt addition, adsorption time, desorption solvent, desorption volume, and desorption time have been studied.

Identification of allelochemicals from pomegranate peel and their effects on Microcystis aeruginosa growth.

This paper studied the inhibitory effect of pomegranate peel (PP) extract on the growth of Microcystis aeruginosa, the model of harmful algal blooms in aquatic environment. The allelochemicals were identified by HPLC-MS/MS from PP and tested by batch experiment through measurement of algal density, chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentration, maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents. Results showed that both PP powder and PP extract had obvious inhibitory effect on M.

Release characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus from sediments formed under different supplemental water sources in Xi'an moat, China.

The endogenous release of nutrients from sediments contributes to the eutrophication of landscape water to a certain degree, which depends on the characteristics of sediments. The study explored the characteristics of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) released from two different sediments, which were deposited from reclaimed water (SRW) or surface water (SSW) respectively in Xi'an moat. This paper aimed to compare the effects of nutrient release from SRW and SSW on the water quality.

Effect of calcium peroxide on the water quality and bacterium community of sediment in black-odor water.

This study investigated how efficiently CaO could treat black-odor landscape water caused by low dissolved oxygen (DO) in a field experiment of 600 m. The study demonstrated that CaO could significantly elevate the DO concentration in waters and the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) level in sediments (p = 0.003 and p = 0), which is conducive to improving the anoxic environment of landscape water.

Temperature sensitive polymer-dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of phenols.

A novel dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method based on temperature-sensitive polymer-induced phase separation was assessed for the determination of phenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), β-naphthol, and bisphenol A. The interaction between β-cyclodextrin-poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) and 2,4-DCP was investigated. The results showed that there was an interaction between 2,4-DCP and the polymer with coiled structures and globular structures.

Effects and mechanisms of calcium peroxide on purification of severely eutrophic water.

In consideration of severe eutrophication of scenic water caused by pollutants released from sediments in summer, calcium peroxide (CaO) was adopted as the slow release peroxide to improve the water quality in a field experiment of 600 m. The effect of CaO on the overlying water, interstitial water, sediment, and sediment microorganisms of scenic water was studied. Results for two months indicated that the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of the overlying water in the test zone was 3.

Effect of a strengthened ecological floating bed on the purification of urban landscape water supplied with reclaimed water.

A floating bed (FB) system vegetated with calamus, iris, lythrum, and Hydrocotyle vulgaris, and a strengthened FB (SFB) system with zeolite and sponge iron as fillers were simultaneously applied to purify urban landscape water in different zones. The urban landscape water, an artificial lake of approximately 326m, was supplied with reclaimed water during a six-month experiment. Results indicated that the concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the SFB zone (SFBZ) were significantly lower than those in the control zone (CZ) and the FB zone (FBZ) after six months of operation.

Scum sludge as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production from wastewater treatment plants.

The main goal of this study was to compare the component and yield of biodiesel obtained by different methods from different sludge in a wastewater treatment plant. Biodiesel was produced by ex-situ and in-situ transesterification of scum, primary and secondary sludge respectively. Results showed that scum sludge had a higher calorific value and neutral lipid than that of primary and secondary sludge.

Activation of HIF-1 by metallothionein contributes to cardiac protection in the diabetic heart.

Metallothionein (MT) protects against heavy metal-induced cellular damage and may participate in other fundamental physiological and pathological processes, such as antioxidation, proliferation, and cell survival. Previously, we have shown that elevation of MT by transgene or by induction with zinc protects the heart against diabetic cardiomyopathy by mechanisms such as antidiabetes-induced oxidative stress and inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3, which mediates glucose metabolism. We also reported that MT overexpression rescued the diabetic-induced reduction of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, which plays an important role in glucose utilization and angiogenesis.

Reverse flow injection spectrophotometric determination of iodate and iodide in table salt.

A very simple and sensitive reverse flow injection method is described for the determination of iodate and iodide. The iodate reacts with excess iodide in acidic medium to form tri-iodide, which can be spectrophotometrically monitored at 351nm, and the absorbance is directly related to the concentration of iodate in the sample. The determination of iodide is based on oxidizing iodide to iodate.

Synthesis of Zn(II) ion-imprinted solid-phase extraction material and its analytical application.

Zn(II) ion-imprinted polymer materials used for solid-phase extraction (SPE) column were prepared by the copolymerization of 8-acryloyloxyquinoline (8-AOQ) monomer and a crosslinker ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) in the presence of 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator. After removing Zn(II) ion from the polymer, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) capable of selectively rebinding Zn(II) ion were obtained. The maximum adsorption capacity of Zn(II) on MIPs beads was about 3.