Mechanisms of denitrifying granular sludge disintegration and calcium ion-enhanced re-granulation in acidic wastewater treatment.

Granular sludge is an alternative technology for the direct treatment of acidic nitrate-containing wastewater. Rapid remediation of disintegrated granules is essential to achieve efficient nitrogen removal. In this study, denitrifying granules were inactivated and disintegrated when the influent nitrate-nitrogen concentration was elevated from 240 to 360 mg L in acidic wastewater (pH = 4.

In situ acid production by organic matter induced with trace homogeneous Fenton reagent for membrane fouling control.

The homogeneous Fenton process involves both coagulation and oxidation, but it requires added acidity, so it is rarely used to control membrane fouling. This work found that the pH of neutral simulated wastewater sharply declined to 4.1 after pre-treatment with 0.

Achievement of waste sludge deep dehydration under acidic conditions with polydimethyldiallylammonium chloride and ferric chloride: performance and mechanism.

The biological treatment of wastewater generates a substantial amount of waste sludge that requires dewatering before final disposal. Efficient sludge dewatering is essential to minimize storage and transportation costs. In this study, the sludge conditioners polydimethyldiallylammonium chloride (PDMDAAC) and ferric chloride (FeCl) were sequentially dosed, and the pH was adjusted to 3.

Trends of hospitalisation for patients with liver cirrhosis in Ningxia, China: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To evaluate the changing trends of hospitalisation for patients with liver cirrhosis between 2015 and 2019 by using hospitalisation summary records in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), China.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Setting: Hospitalisation summary records between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2019 from 28 top-ranking hospitals in NHAR were extracted and rigorously analysed.

Enhanced degradation of reactive black 5 via persulfate activation by natural bornite: influencing parameters, mechanism and degradation pathway.

Reactive black 5 (RBk5) is a refractory azo dye that constitutes a serious threat to the environment and humans. Herein, natural bornite (Nbo) was utilized to activate persulfate (PDS) for the RBk5 removal. The particle size of the Nbo catalyst was optimized and the RBk5 degradation rate constant that responded positively to the particle size of the Nbo catalyst was exhibited.

Recent advances in thin film nanocomposite membranes containing an interlayer (TFNi): fabrication, applications, characterization and perspectives.

Polyamide (PA) reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes have been applied widely for desalination and wastewater reuse in the last 5-10 years. A novel thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane featuring a nanomaterial interlayer (TFNi) has emerged in recent years and attracted the attention of researchers. The novel TFNi membranes are prepared from different nanomaterials and with different loading methods.

Denitrification for acidic wastewater treatment: Long-term performance, microbial communities, and nitrous oxide emissions.

Acidic nitrogenous wastewater often requires alkali pretreatment before biological treatment, which results in increased system complexity and operating costs. The demonstration of denitrification under acidic conditions would provide a theoretical basis for the direct treatment of such wastewater. In this study, the denitrification performance, microbial community, and nitrous oxide (NO) emissions under acidic conditions were investigated using a sequencing batch reactor.

Drug and therapeutics committee interventions in managing irrational drug use and antimicrobial stewardship in China.

This study aimed to investigate the key points in the transformation of the functions of the Drug and Therapeutics Committee (DTC) of the Shandong Provincial Third Hospital and how to provide full authority to its role in the control of rational drug use, especially in the management of antibiotic use. A prescription review management group, antimicrobial stewardship group, and rational drug use service group were established under the DTC. From January 2016 to December 2021, each group played a role in promoting rational drug use and antimicrobial stewardship.

Evaluating the effectiveness of drug and therapeutics committees (DTCs) in controlling irrational drug use: A retrospective analysis.

What Is Known And Objective: This study aimed to explore methods to optimize the function of Drug and Therapeutics Committees (DTCs) in controlling irrational drug use. Clinical pharmacologists contribute their specific knowledge and skills to DTCs and help guide rational therapeutics. The DTC is the highest organization of hospital pharmacy management.

Efficient degradation of minocycline by natural bornite-activated hydrogen peroxide and persulfate: kinetics and mechanisms.

Natural bornite (NBo), a sulfide mineral of copper and iron, is one of the main mineral raw materials for copper extraction. In this study, NBo-activated hydrogen peroxide (HO) and persulfate processes (PS) for the degradation of minocycline (MNC) in aqueous solution were systemically investigated and compared. The MNC removal rates with the NBo/PS and NBo/HO processes were 86.

Identifying the fouling behavior of forward osmosis membranes exposed to different inorganic components with high ionic strength.

Functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube (f-MWCNT) mixed matrix forward osmosis (FO) membranes were fabricated by phase inversion, and the mechanism of sodium alginate (SA) membrane fouling in the presence of various inorganic components with high ionic strength was thoroughly investigated. The membrane incorporated with 0.5% f-MWCNTs (M-0.

Stable Forward Osmosis Nanocomposite Membrane Doped with Sulfonated Graphene Oxide@Metal-Organic Frameworks for Heavy Metal Removal.

A sulfonated graphene oxide@metal-organic framework-modified forward osmosis nanocomposite (SGO@UiO-66-TFN) membrane was developed to improve stability and heavy metal removal performance. An in situ growth method was applied to uniformly distribute UiO-66 nanomaterial with a frame structure on SGO nanosheets to form SGO@UiO-66 composite nanomaterial. This nanomaterial was then added to a polyamide layer using interfacial polymerization.

Upregulated microRNA-126 induces apoptosis of dental pulp stem cell via mediating PTEN-regulated Akt activation.

Introduction: Human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) have potential applications in regenerative medicine. The molecular mechanisms underlying DPSCs viability and apoptosis are not completely understood. Here, we investigated the role of miR-126 in DPSCs viability and apoptosis.

Effect of Polydatin on Neurological Function and the Nrf2 Pathway during Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

This study investigates the effect of polydatin on the neurological function of cerebral hemorrhage rats and on the Nrf2 pathway of the endogenous antioxidant system in tissues around cerebral hematoma. Further, the study also aims to provide solid insights for clinical diagnosis and treatment. A total of 54 SPF grade male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: the sham group, model group, and polydatin group.

Electro-membrane extraction of cadmium(II) by bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate/kerosene/polyvinyl chloride polymer inclusion membrane.

The development of the electroplating and battery industries has increased the environmental problems and the needs for resource recovery of Cd(II). In this study, the Electro-membrane extraction (EME) behaviour of Cd(II) was investigated by using polymer inclusion membrane with bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate as carrier and polyvinyl chloride as base polymer(PD-PIM) at 0-80 V. Results showed that the EME of Cd(II) by PD-PIM can be obtained in the feed phase with pH 3-8 and stripping phase of dilute acid.

Study on stable mass transfer and enrichment of phenol by 1-octanol/kerosene/polyvinyl chloride polymer inclusion membrane.

A polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) that contains a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer matrix and 1-octanol (OCT) as specific carrier (PO-PIM) was prepared to investigate the mass transfer behaviour of phenol in aqueous solutions. Results showed that the mass transfer behaviour of the PO-PIM for phenol conformed to the first-order kinetics. In addition, the mass transfer efficiency for phenol reached the maximum when the OCT content was 82.

New insights into the humic acid fouling mechanism of ultrafiltration membranes for different Ca dosage ranges: results from micro- and macro-level analyses.

To reveal the mechanisms of the influence of Ca on membrane fouling with humic acid (HA), the adhesion forces of HA with both other HA molecules and the membrane, the HA fouling layer structure, HA fouling experiments, and the HA rejections at a wide range of Ca dosages were investigated. The results indicated that the effect of Ca on HA fouling can be divided into three stages. At lower ionic strength (IS) of CaCl, the change in electrostatic forces is the main factor in controlling HA fouling behavior; i.

Effect of Hydration Forces on Protein Fouling of Ultrafiltration Membranes: The Role of Protein Charge, Hydrated Ion Species, and Membrane Hydrophilicity.

To investigate the influence of hydration forces on the protein fouling of membranes and the major influence factors of hydration forces during the ultrafiltration process, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was chosen as model foulant. For various pH levels and hydrated ion and membrane species, the membrane-BSA and BSA-BSA interaction forces, and fouling experiments with BSA, as a function of ionic strength, were measured. Results showed that hydration forces were a universal phenomenon during the membrane filtration process, when the levels of pH, ion species, and membrane performances were appropriate.

Enhanced gypsum scaling by organic fouling layer on nanofiltration membrane: Characteristics and mechanisms.

To investigate how the characteristics of pregenerated organic fouling layers on nanofiltration (NF) membranes influence the subsequent gypsum scaling behavior, filtration experiments with gypsum were carried out with organic-fouled poly(piperazineamide) NF membranes. Organic fouling layer on membrane was induced by bovine serum albumin (BSA), humic acid (HA), and sodium alginate (SA), respectively. The morphology and components of the scalants, the role of Ca(2+) adsorption on the organic fouling layer during gypsum crystallization, and the interaction forces of gypsum on the membrane surface were investigated.

In situ probing of microbial activity within anammox granular biomass with microelectrodes.

An anaerobic rotating biological contactor was fed with inorganic synthetic wastewater for anammox. Besides biofilm, granular biomass with average diameter of approximately 5 mm formed. NH4(+), NO2(-), NO3(-) and pH microelectrodes were used to probe microbial activity in situ within the granules.

Protective effect of neovibsanin B on spatial cognitive functions of rats with cerebrovascular hypoperfusion.

Neovibsanins are believed to be promising candidates for the development of novel therapeutic agents to treat neurological diseases like Alzheimer's disease. It has been shown that chronic cerebral hypoperfusion is linked to neurodegenerative disorders and their subsequent cognitive impairment. In the present study effect of neovibsanin B (NVB) on spatial cognitive functions of rats with lobal cerebrovascular hypoperfusion was investigated.

Enhancement and Mitigation Mechanisms of Protein Fouling of Ultrafiltration Membranes under Different Ionic Strengths.

To determine further the enhancement and mitigation mechanisms of protein fouling, filtration experiments were carried out with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafiltration (UF) membranes and bovine serum albumin (BSA) over a range of ionic strengths. The interaction forces, the adsorption behavior of BSA on the membrane surface, and the structure of the BSA adsorbed layers at corresponding ionic strengths were investigated. Results indicate that when the ionic strength increased from 0 to 1 mM, there was a decrease in the PVDF-BSA and BSA-BSA electrostatic repulsion forces, resulting in a higher deposition rate of BSA onto the membrane surface, and the formation of a denser BSA layer; consequently, membrane fouling was enhanced.

Nitrous oxide emission in autotrophic partial nitritation system: Macro- and microanalyses.

A laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor fed with synthetic high-ammonium wastewater was operated for autotrophic partial nitritation, and the characteristics of N2O emission were investigated by both macro- and microanalysis. A N2O emission quantity of 5.98 ± 1.

Identifying polyvinylidene fluoride ultrafiltration membrane fouling behavior of different effluent organic matter fractions using colloidal probes.

The interaction forces between effluent organic matter (EfOM) fractions and membrane were measured by atomic force microscopy in conjunction with self-made membrane material colloidal probes. The inter-EfOM-fraction and intra-EfOM-fraction interactions were investigated using corresponding EfOM-fraction-coated colloidal probe. We combined this analysis with corresponding fouling experiments to identify the EfOM fractions responsible for polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafiltration membrane fouling.