Phosphorus adsorption from aqueous solutions using different types of cement: kinetics, isotherms, and mechanisms.

Exploring low-cost and high-performance phosphorus (P) adsorbents is key to controlling P contamination in water. This study evaluated the P adsorption performance of three types of cement: Ordinary Portland cement (OPC), Portland slag cement (PSC), and Portland pozzolana cement (PPC). Furthermore, SEM-EDS, XRD, XPS, and FTIR were employed to reveal the adsorption mechanism.

Enhanced ammonia removal in tidal flow constructed wetland by incorporating steel slag: Performance, microbial community, and heavy metal release.

Utilizing alkaline solid wastes, such as steel slag, as substrates in tidal flow constructed wetlands (TFCWs) can effectively neutralize the acidity generated by nitrification. However, the impacts of steel slag on microbial communities and the potential risk of heavy metal release remain poorly understood. To address these knowledge gaps, this study compared the performance and microbial community structure of TFCWs filled with a mixture of steel slag and zeolite (TFCW-S) to those filled with zeolite alone (TFCW-Z).

Effect of macadamia oil cake on blood lipid characteristics and intestinal microbiota in hyperlipidemic rat.

Macadamia oil cake (MOC) is a type of macadamia nut by-product, that is extremely rich in amino acids and has beneficial health effects. It lowers blood lipid levels and regulates the intestinal microbiota. MOC effectively attenuated total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in model rats.

Battery-free temperature logger for deep-sea hydrothermal fluids based on heat pipe heat exchangers and thermoelectric generators.

Long-term in situ measurements of the temperature of hydrothermal fluids have great significance in the research of seafloor hydrothermal activities. Herein, we developed a self-powered battery-free temperature logger for measuring and recording the temperature of hydrothermal fluids. A gravity heat pipe made of titanium alloy was employed as the heat-conducting element of the temperature logger to capture heat from a hydrothermal vent and transfer it to the thermoelectric unit.

Effects of exogenous calcium on cadmium accumulation in amaranth.

Calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals in plants act as a sink for excess Ca and play an essential role in detoxifying heavy metals (HMs). However, the mechanism and related influencing factors remain unclear. Amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.

Phase evolution and arsenic immobilization of arsenate-bearing amorphous calcium phosphate.

The formation of As(V) substituted hydroxylapatite (HAP) has a vital influence on the fate of As(V) in the environment. However, despite growing evidence showing that HAP crystallizes in vivo and in vitro with amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) as a precursor, a knowledge gap exists concerning the transformation from arsenate-bearing ACP (AsACP) to arsenate-bearing HAP (AsHAP). Here we synthesized AsACP nano-particles with varied As contents and investigated the arsenic incorporation during their phase evolution.

Changes of In Situ Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Communities in the Upper Sanya River to the Sea over a Nine-Hour Period.

The transition areas of riverine, estuarine, and marine environments are particularly valuable for the research of microbial ecology, biogeochemical processes, and other physical-chemical studies. Although a large number of microbial-related studies have been conducted within such systems, the vast majority of sampling have been conducted over a large span of time and distance, which may lead to separate batches of samples receiving interference from different factors, thus increasing or decreasing the variability between samples to some extent. In this study, a new in situ filtration system was used to collect membrane samples from six different sampling sites along the Sanya River, from upstream freshwater to the sea, over a nine-hour period.

Effect of phosphate on cadmium immobilized by microbial-induced carbonate precipitation: Mobilization or immobilization?

Microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a promising technology to immobilize/remediate heavy metals (HMs) like cadmium (Cd). However, the long-term stability of MICP-immobilized HMs is unclear, especially in farmland where chemical fertilization is necessary. Therefore, we performed MICP treatment on soils contaminated with various Cd compounds (CdCO, CdS, and CdCl) and added diammonium phosphate (DAP) to explore the impact of phosphate on the MICP-immobilized Cd.

The fate of Cd during the replacement of Cd-bearing calcite by calcium phosphate minerals.

Carbonate-bound speciation is a critical sink of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) like cadmium (Cd) in soil and sediment. In a phosphate-rich environment, carbonate minerals could be replaced by phosphate minerals such as dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD, also known as brushite), octacalcium phosphate (OCP), and hydroxylapatite (HAP). Currently, it is unclear the migration and fate of PTEs during the replacement of PTEs-bearing carbonates by HAP and related intermediate minerals.

Effect of steel slag on ammonia removal and ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in zeolite-based tidal flow constructed wetlands.

The ammonia removal performance of tidal flow constructed wetlands (TFCWs) requires to be improved under high hydraulic loading rates (HLRs). The pH decrease caused by nitrification may adversely affect the NH-N removal and ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs) of TFCWs. Herein, TFCWs with zeolite (TFCW_Z) and a mixture of zeolite and steel slag (TFCW_S) were built to investigate the influence of steel slag on NH-N removal and AOMs.

Enhanced immobilization of uranium(VI) during the conversion of microbially induced calcite to hydroxylapatite.

Carbonate-bound uranium (U) is critical in controlling the migration of U in circumneutral to alkaline conditions. The potential release risk of carbonate-bound U should be concerned due to the contribution of mineral replacement. Herein, we explored the fate of U during the conversion process from microbial-induced calcite to hydroxylapatite (HAP) and investigated the phase and morphology evolution of minerals and the immobilization efficiency, distribution, and stability of U.

Piezoelectric Effect Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Pt/BiGdTiO Plasmonic Photocatalysis.

Novel Pt/BiGdTiO heterojunction was synthesized by a decoration of Pt nanoparticles (PtNPs) on the surface of piezoelectric BiGdTiO (BGTO) through an impregnation process. The photocatalytic, piezo-catalytic, and piezo-photocatalytic activities of the Pt/BGTO heterojunction for methyl orange (MO) degradation were investigated under ultrasonic excitation and whole spectrum light irradiation. The internal piezoelectric field of BGTO and a plasmonic effect have been proven important for the photocatalytic activity of the heterojunctions.

Characterization of differentiated autoregulation of LuxI/LuxR-type quorum sensing system in Pseudoalteromonas.

Gram-negative bacteria usually use acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs)-mediated LuxI/LuxR-type quorum sensing (QS) systems for cell-cell cooperation and/or bacteria-environment communication. LuxI and LuxR are AHLs synthase and receptor, respectively. These two parts could form a positive regulatory feedback loop, controlling various types of group behaviors.

Potential Predictors of Psychological Wellbeing in Elementary School Students.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association of elementary school students' manipulative skill competency, cardiorespiratory fitness, and cognitive function with psychological wellbeing (PWB), as well as whether the association had gender differences.

Methods: Participants were 291 fourth-grade students (166 boys vs. 125 girls; mean age = 9.

Hfq and sRNA00002 positively regulate the LuxI/LuxR-type quorum sensing system in Pseudoalteromonas.

Pseudoalteromonas spp. are Gram-negative bacteria which are ubiquitous in marine environments. Our previous work found that there is a classic LuxI/LuxR-type quorum sensing (QS) system which was named YasI/YasR in Pseudoalteromonas sp.

Ferric iron incorporation promotes brushite hydrolysis and enhances cadmium immobilization.

Dissolution-precipitation processes on the surface of brushite (dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, DCPD) control the migration and transformation of potentially harmful elements (PHEs). The incorporation of impurities could affect the properties of DCPD and its interactions with PHEs. In this study, we synthesized Fe-bearing DCPD via coprecipitation and investigated the influence of Fe incorporation on the crystal structure, hydrolysis process, and Cd removal performance.

Immobilization and migration of arsenic during the conversion of microbially induced calcium carbonate to hydroxylapatite.

Coprecipitation with calcium carbonate (CaCO) could decrease the bioavailability of arsenic (As). However, in a phosphate-rich environment, some CaCO will be converted to hydroxylapatite (HAP). Currently, the behavior of carbonate-bound As during conversion is unclear.

Effects of hydraulic loading rate and substrate on ammonium removal in tidal flow constructed wetlands treating black and odorous water bodies.

The efficient removal of ammonium nitrogen (NH-N) is vital to eliminating black and odorous water bodies. In this work, tidal flow constructed wetlands with gravel (TFCW-G) and with a mixture of zeolite and gravel (TFCW-Z) were set up to treat black and odorous water bodies at different hydraulic loading rates (HLRs). Results showed that zeolite significantly enhanced nitrogen removal, and the maximum NH-N removal efficiency of 96.

Stringent starvation protein A and LuxI/LuxR-type quorum sensing system constitute a mutual positive regulation loop in Pseudoalteromonas.

Bacteria commonly exhibit social activities through acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs)-based quorum sensing (QS) systems to form their unique social network. The sigma factor RpoS is an important regulator that controls QS system in different bacteria. However, the upstream of RpoS involving regulation on QS system remains unclear.

Divalent heavy metals and uranyl cations incorporated in calcite change its dissolution process.

Due to the high capacity of impurities in its structure, calcite is regarded as one of the most attractive minerals to trap heavy metals (HMs) and radionuclides via substitution during coprecipitation/crystal growth. As a high-reactivity mineral, calcite may release HMs via dissolution. However, the influence of the incorporated HMs and radionuclides in calcite on its dissolution is unclear.

SspA positively controls exopolysaccharides production and biofilm formation by up-regulating the algU expression in Pseudoalteromonas sp. R3.

Biofilm formation enhances the survival and persistence of microorganisms in response to environmental stresses. It has been revealed that stringent starvation protein A (SspA) can function as an important regulator dealing with environmental stresses for bacterial survival. However, the connection between SspA and biofilm formation is essentially unclear yet.

Cadmium isotopes as tracers in environmental studies: A review.

Cadmium isotopic compositions in non-contaminated systems and anthropogenic sources of Cd generally have different isotopic signatures. Cadmium isotopes, as a novel tracer, can be useful for fingerprinting the anthropogenic Cd sources, providing a promising source tracing technique in environmental studies. This review presents: (i) analytical techniques for Cd isotopic composition; (ii) isotopic signatures of Cd derived from anthropogenic activities; (iii) isotopic compositions of Cd in the industrial-impacted environmental samples; (iv) cadmium isotopic fractionation induced by geochemical process.