Demonstration of adapted packed-bed bioreactor for accurate and rapid estimation of biochemical oxygen demand: insights into the influence of microbial community structure and functions.

This study demonstrated a novel approach to accurately estimate 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in textile wastewater using a microbial consortium from food processing wastewater fixed on coconut fibers. Although glucose-glutamic acid (GGA) has been widely known as the most preferred substrates for microbial respiration, its calibration surprisingly resulted in an overestimation of BOD in textile wastewater due to its lower utilization rate compared to that of textile wastewater. After being adapted with a new nutrient environment composed of GGA and textile wastewater, the adapted packed-bed bioreactors (PBBRs) was capable of accurate estimation of BOD in textile wastewater using GGA standard solution.

Effective removal of atrazine pesticide residue from wastewater using transition metal-doped zinc oxide photocatalyst.

Frequent use of pesticides results in the release of large quantities of their residues in the environment, raising various concerns for humans and the ecosystem. This work introduces a simple and cost-effective method for removal atrazine pesticide residue (APR) from agricultural wastewater using Cu doped-ZnO photocatalyst (Cu-ZnO). The modification of ZnO with Cu significantly improved its optical and photoelectrochemical properties, with the band gap narrowing from 3.

Improved photocatalytic decomposition of carbaryl pesticide in wastewater using ZnO nanorods.

This study explores the enhanced photocatalytic performance of ZnO nanorods (ZnO-R) for degrading the carbaryl pesticide (CB) in wastewater. For comparison, commercial ZnO (ZnO-C) was used to evaluate the differences in the photocatalytic decomposition of CB between ZnO-R and ZnO-C. The results regarding the material properties demonstrated that ZnO-R enhances CB removal performance due to its unique rod shape, which extends light absorption and improves electron-hole separation.

Discovery of Novel Antioomycete Metabolites from the Marine-Derived Fungus .

In our screening program for natural products that are effective in controlling plant diseases, we found that the culture filtrate of SFC20160907-M11 effectively suppressed the development of tomato late blight disease caused by . Using a bioassay-guided fractionation of antioomycete activity, 12 active compounds (-) were obtained from an ethyl acetate extract of the culture filtrate. Chemical structures of five new compounds - were determined by the extensive analyses of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), and circular dichroism (CD) data.

Oxidation of antibiotic micropollutants in various water resources through integration of BiWO and g-CN.

Recently, the hazardous effects of antibiotic micropollutants on the environment and human health have become a major concern. To address this challenge, semiconductor-based photocatalysis has emerged as a promising solution for environmental remediation. Our study has developed BiWO/g-CN (BWCN) photocatalyst with unique characteristics such as reactive surface sites, enhanced charge transfer efficiency, and accelerated separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs.

Edeine B produced by reduces the virulence of a plant pathogenic fungus by inhibiting mitochondrial respiration.

Plant pathogenic fungi cause serious diseases, which result in the loss of crop yields and reduce the quality of crops worldwide. To counteract the escalating risks of chemical fungicides, interest in biological control agents to manage plant diseases has significantly increased. In this study, we comprehensively screened microbial culture filtrates using a yeast screening system to find microbes exhibiting respiratory inhibition activity.

Exploring the potential of CoMoO-modified graphitic carbon nitride to boost oxidation of amoxicillin micropollutants in hospital wastewater.

This study investigates the removal of amoxicillin micropollutants (AM) from hospital wastewater using CoMoO-modified graphitic carbon nitride (CMO/gCN). Consequently, CMO/gCN exhibits notable improvements in visible light absorption and electron-hole separation rates compared to unmodified gCN. Besides, CMO/gCN significantly enhances the removal efficiency of AM, attaining an impressive 96.

Natural Cellulose Fiber-Derived Photothermal Aerogel for Efficient and Sustainable Solar Desalination.

Aerogels are becoming a promising platform to fabricate photothermal materials for use in solar steam generation (SSG), which have remarkable application potential in solar desalination, due to their excellent thermal management, salt resistance, and considerable water evaporation rate. In this work, a novel photothermal material is fabricated by forming a suspension between sugarcane bagasse fibers (SBF) and poly(vinyl alcohol), tannic acid (TA), and Fe solutions via hydrogen bonds of hydroxyl groups. After freeze drying, the fabricated SBF aerogel-based photothermal (SBFAP) material possesses a 3D interconnected porous microstructure, which could enhance water transportation ability, reduce thermal conductivity, and quickly dissolve salt crystals on the SBFAP surface.

Improved Cr (VI) adsorption performance in wastewater and groundwater by synthesized magnetic adsorbent derived from FeO loaded corn straw biochar.

This work developed an easy method to utilize corn straw (CS) waste for sustainable development and reduce the volume of waste volume as well as bring value-added. The magnetic adsorbent was prepared by loading FeO onto biochar derived from corn straw (Fe@CSBC), then used for capturing Cr (VI) in groundwater and wastewater samples. The characterization of adsorbents showed that Fe3O4 was successfully loaded on corn straw biochar (CSBC) and contributed to the improvement of the surface area, and surface functional groups like Fe-O, Fe-OOH, CO, and O-H.

Phenyl Ethers from the Marine-Derived Fungus and Their Antimicrobial Activity Against Plant Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria.

Marine fungi produce various secondary metabolites with unique chemical structures and diverse biological activities. In the continuing search for new antifungal agents from fungi isolated from marine environments, the culture filtrate of a fungus SFC20160407-M11 exhibited the potential to control plant diseases caused by fungi. From the culture filtrate of SFC20160407-M11, a total of seven compounds were isolated and identified by activity-guided column chromatography and spectroscopic analysis: violaceol I (), violaceol II (), diorcinol (), versinol (), orcinol (), orsellinic acid (), and sydowiol C ().

Metabolic rates, feed intake, appetite control, and gut transit of clownfish Amphiprion ocellaris exposed to increased temperature and limited feed availability.

Episodes of elevated temperature, combined with lower feed availability, are among the predicted scenarios of climate change representing a challenge for coral reef fish. We investigated the response of clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) to a scenario in which it received a single meal to satiety after 48 h fasting at 32 °C (climate change scenario) and 28 °C (control). We analysed the metabolic rate (MR), feed intake, gut transit, and expression of selected brain neuropeptides and one receptor believed to be involved in appetite control.

Photodegradation of ciprofloxacin antibiotic in water by using ZnO-doped g-CN photocatalyst.

Ciprofloxacin antibiotic (CIP) is one of the antibiotics with the highest rate of antibiotic resistance, if used and managed improperly, can have a negative impact on the ecosystem. In this research, ZnO modified g-CN photocatalyst was prepared and applied for the decomposition of CIP antibiotic compounds in water. The removal performance of CIP by using ZnO/g-CN reached 93.

Curvicollide D, a new modified γ-lactone from the culture broth of Albifimbria verrucaria and its antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi.

In our screening program for new antifungal active compounds, a new modified γ-lactone curvicollide D (1) together with five known trichothecenes (2-6) were isolated from the culture filtrate of fungus Albifimbria verrucaria based on the in vitro antifungal assay. The chemical structure of new compound 1 was elucidated by NMR and HR-MS spectroscopic analyses, and the relative configurations of 1 were deduced from NOE experiments and coupling constant analysis. Compound 1 exhibited moderate antifungal activities against plant pathogenic fungi Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum coccodes, and Magnaporthe oryzae with MIC value in a range of 100-200 µg ml.

Flexible, affordable and environmentally sustainable solar vapor generation based on ferric tannate/bacterial cellulose composite for efficient desalination solutions.

Desalination by solar steam generation (SSG) system is a green technology to produce pure water, which can address the issue of water scarcity. A novel photothermal material for the SSG system was fabricated by immersing bacterial cellulose (BC) sequentially into tannic acid (TA) and iron(iii) (Fe) solutions. Surface analysis of the resulting BC-TA-Fe (BTF) material showed that coordination nanocomplexes between Fe and hydroxyl groups of TA were formed on the surface of cellulose nanofibers.

Machine-learning reinforcement for optimizing multilayered thin films: applications in designing broadband antireflection coatings.

The design and fabrication of nanoscale multilayered thin films play an essential role in regulating the operation efficiency of sensitive optical sensors and filters. In this paper, we introduce a packaged tool that employs flexible electromagnetic calculation software with machine learning in order to find the optimized double-band antireflection coatings in intervals of wavelength from 3 to 5 µm and 8 to 12 µm. Instead of computing or modeling an extremely enormous set of thin film structures, this tool enhanced with machine learning can swiftly predict the optical properties of a given structure with >99.

Clerodane Diterpenoids Identified from Showing Antifungal Activity against Plant Pathogens.

In the search for new natural resources showing plant disease control effects, we found that the methanol extract of suppressed fungal disease development in plants. To identify the bioactive substances, the methanol extract of was extracted by organic solvents, and consequently, four new 2-oxo-clerodane diterpenes (), a new 4(3 → 2)--clerodane diterpene (), together with ten known compounds () were isolated and identified from the extracts. Of the new compounds, compound showed a broad spectrum of antifungal activity with moderated minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values in a range of 50-100 μg/mL against tested fungal pathogens.

In Vitro and In Vivo Antifungal Activity of Sorbicillinoids Produced by .

In the search for antifungal agents from marine resources, we recently found that the culture filtrate of SFC100166 effectively suppressed the development of tomato gray mold, rice blast, and tomato late blight. The culture filtrate was then successively extracted with ethyl acetate and n-butanol to identify the fungicidal metabolites. Consequently, a new compound, spirosorbicillinol D (), and a new natural compound, 2',3'-dihydro-epoxysorbicillinol (), together with 11 known compounds (-), were obtained from the solvent extracts.

Food intake, growth, and expression of neuropeptides regulating appetite in clown anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) exposed to predicted climate changes.

The clown anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) is a common model species in studies assessing the impact of climate changes on tropical coral fish physiology, metabolism, growth, and stress. However, the basic endocrine principles for the control of food intake and energy homeostasis, under normal and elevated sea temperatures, in this species remain unknown. In this work, we studied food intake and growth in clown anemonefish reared at different temperatures and with different food availability.

The role of dietary methionine concentrations on growth, metabolism and N-retention in cobia () at elevated water temperatures.

This study determined impacts of dietary methionine concentrations at two temperatures on growth, feeding efficiency and N-metabolites in juvenile cobia. Methionine concentrations of the experimental diets were deficient (M9; 9 g/kg), sufficient (M12; 12 g/kg) and surplus (M16, 16 g/kg). Water temperature was normal (30°C) or elevated (34°C).

The superior photocatalytic activity of Nb doped TiO/g-CN direct Z-scheme system for efficient conversion of CO into valuable fuels.

In this study, we firstly aimed to use Nb as dopant to dope into the TiO lattice in order to narrow band gap energy or enhance photocatalytic activity of the Nb-TiO. Then, the prepared Nb-TiO was combined with g-CN to establish Nb-TiO/g-CN direct Z-scheme system for superior reduction of CO into valuable fuels even under visible light. The obtained results indicated that the band gap energy of the Nb-TiO (2.

25 nm Single-Crystal Silicon Nanowires Fabricated by Anisotropic Wet Etching.

We report a top-down method for fabricating ultra-high aspect ratio single-crystal silicon nanowires. The fabrication method is based on the standard photolithography technique and anisotropic wet etching of the single-crystal silicon in KOH solution. SiO₂ mask nanolines used for patterning single-crystal silicon nanowires are formed by the undercut etching of thin SiO₂ layer in buffered hydrofluoric solution.

Acute and crucial requirement for MeCP2 function upon transition from early to late adult stages of brain maturation.

Germline mutations in the X-linked gene, methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2), underlie most cases of Rett syndrome (RTT), an autism spectrum disorder affecting approximately one in 10 000 female live births. The disease is characterized in affected girls by a latent appearance of symptoms between 12 and 18 months of age while boys usually die before the age of two. The nature of the latency is not known, but RTT-like phenotypes are recapitulated in mouse models, even when MeCP2 is removed at different postnatal stages, including juvenile and adolescent stages.

Complex transposition repair with aortic arch hypoplasia: a simple technique.

A modified technique of interdigitating aortic arch reconstruction was used successfully to treat 8 patients with complex congenital heart disease including transposition of the great arteries, ventricular septal defect, or Taussig-Bing anomalies combined with aortic arch hypoplasia and coarctation of the aorta, without the need for homograft tissue.

Oligodendrocyte lineage cells contribute unique features to Rett syndrome neuropathology.

Mutations in the methyl-CpG binding protein 2 gene, Mecp2, affect primarily the brain and lead to a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders, most commonly Rett syndrome (RTT). Although the neuropathology of RTT is well understood, the cellular and molecular mechanism(s), which lead to the disease initiation and progression, has yet to be elucidated. RTT was initially attributed only to neuronal dysfunction, but our recent studies and those of others show that RTT is not exclusively neuronal but rather also involves interactions between neurons and glia.