Evaluation of humic acid removal by a flat submerged membrane photoreactor

A flat submerged membrane combined with a TiO 2 /UV photocatalytic reactor (FSMPR) was employed in batch mode to remove humic acid (HA). HA removal efficiency was characterized by UV 254 absorbance, UV-vis spectra, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, specific UV absorbance (SUVA), and trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP). The FSMPR process was effective in removing more than 86% of DOC and nearly 100% of UV 254 absorbance, while the THMFPs of samples were reduced to < 19 μ g/L after 150 min of treatment. In addition, changes in transmembrane pressure (TMP) with and without UV were evaluated; TiO 2 /UV was effective at controlling membrane fouling by HA. Analysis of the molecular weight (MW) distributions and three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra of HAs revealed that the effectiveness in membrane fouling control is a result of changes in HA molecular characteristics. The TiO 2 /UV photocatalytic reactor caused the degradation of high MW, hydrophobic humic-like molecules to low MW, hydrophilic protein-like molecules, although this fraction was not completely removed during 150 min of treatment and was less responsible for membrane fouling.     

The uptake of ethyl iodide on black carbon surface

The importance of the iodine chemistry in the atmosphere has been demonstrated by recent obserations. The uptake of ethyl iodine on black carbon surface was inestigated at 298 K for the first time. Degussa FW2 （an amorphous black carbon comprising medium oxides） was used as black carbon sample. Black carbon surface was found to be deactiated in reaction with C2H51, and the uptake coefficient （r） was dependent on the time of exposure. The alue of （2.3±0.9）×10^-2 was determined for the initial uptake coefficient （No）. The result suggests that the heterogeneous loss of C2H51 on carbonaceous aerosols may be important under the atmospheric conditions.     

Binding of Euplotes octocarinatus centrin with target peptide melittin

Interactions between model target peptide melittin (ME) and Euplotes octocarinatus centrin (EoCen) were investigated by fluorescence spectra, circular dichroism (CD) spectra and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). In 0.1 mol/L N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N-2-ethanesulfonic acid (Hepes) and 150 mmol/L NaCl at pH 7.4, EoCen and isolated short C-terminal domain of EoCen (SC-EoCen) form 1:1 peptide:protein complexes. However, no detectable signal changes can be observed while isolated N-terminal domain of EoCen (N-EoCen) or isolated long C-terminal domain of EoCen (LC-EoCen) was added into solution of ME. The interaction between EoCen and ME is specified exclusively for the short C-terminal domain of EoCen. On the basis of fluorescence titration curves, the conditional binding constants of ME with EoCen and SC-EoCen were calculated to be logKME-EoCen = 6.81±0.33 and log- KME-SC-EoCen = 6.51±0.45, respectively.     

典型多环芳烃电化学可逆增溶作用研究

提出采用具有电化学开关特性的季铵盐实现对典型多环芳烃(PAHs)的可逆增溶,研究了十一烷基二茂铁三甲基溴化铵(FTMA)的电化学可逆特性及其对菲、芘、苊的增溶作用.结果表明:FTMA具有良好的电化学可逆特性,通过电化学氧化及还原作用,其在氧化态与还原态之间的转化效率可达到90%以上,临界胶束浓度(CMC)及表面张力在2种状态时也发生了极大变化;FTMA对菲、芘、苊具有显著的增溶作用,且增溶作用大小顺序为芘>菲>苊;经电化学氧化之后FTMA失去表面活性及增溶能力,FTMA对3种PAHs的摩尔增溶比均降低了85%以上,但经电化学还原之后其增溶能力仍可恢复.     

The reaction of acenaphthene with nitrobenzene

The reaction of acenaphthene with nitrobenzene was investigated in the presence of AlCl₃. The results showed that the reaction proceeded via carboncation-electrophilic substitution reaction and free radical substitution reaction pathway. The products of acenaphthenyl phenylamine and biacenaphthyl could be synthesized by this reaction. The influence of the amount of AlCl₃ and the temperature on the components of products were also studied in this reaction. Foundation item: Supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 29676045) Biography: Wu Lin (1965-), male, Postdictor, research direction: PAHs catalytic conversion and its biologic toxicity.     

Nitric oxide suppresses stomatal opening by inhibiting inward-rectifying K<Stack><Subscript>in</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript></Stack> channels in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> guard cells

We explore nitric oxide （NO） effect on K^＋in, channels in Arabidopsis guard cells. We observed NO inhibited K^＋in, currents when Ca^2＋ chelator EGTA （Ethylene glycol-bis（2-aminoethylether）-N,N,N′,N;tetraacetic acid） was not added in the pipette solution; K^＋in currents were not sensitive to NO when cytosolic Ca^2＋ was chelated by EGTA. NO inhibited the Arabidopsis stomatal opening, but when EGTA was added in the bath solution, inhibition effect of NO on stomatal opening vanished. Thus, it implies that NO elevates cytosolic Ca^2＋ by activating plasma membrane Ca^2＋ channels firstly, then inactivates K^＋in, chartnels, resulting in stomatal opening suppressed subsequently.     

Comparison of different triolein-based composite semipermeable membranes for passive sampling of organochlorine pesticides

Passive sampling methods have been widely used for more than 20 years because they can provide information on time-weighted average concentrations(CTWA) of hydrophobic organic contaminants in water.Many factors affect the efficiency and applicability of a passive sampling process.Among others,selection of the sampler design and choice of the supporting membrane material are important factors that determine the performance of passive samplers.In this work,the influences of some critical properties of membranes,such as membrane density,hydrophilicity of the membrane surface,and chemical and mechanical resistances,on the uptake of organic chlorinated pesticides(OCPs) were evaluated.Four membrane materials,namely cellulose acetate(CA),cellulose acetate butyrate(CAB),a cellulose acetate-cellulose triacetate blend(CA-CTA),and cellulose triacetate(CTA),and their triolein-embedded samplers were selected for the study.The four membranes are all hydrophilic;CAB has the highest contact angle and CA has the lowest.CTA is chemically and mechanically resistant,and has better tensile strength than the other membranes have.CAB does not have good chemical resistance and dissolves in hexane/dichloromethane solvent.CA and CTA alone showed lower uptake rates for the selected OCPs than with triolein-embedded passive samplers,indicating that triolein increased the accumulation capacity.Triolein-embedded CA(TECAM),CA-CTA(TECA-CTA),CTA(TECTA),and CAB(TECAB) as passive samplers showed similar uptake patterns;TECTA showed the highest uptake rates and TECAB showed the poorest accumulation.In summary,TECTA gave the best performance among all the tested composite semipermeable membranes.     

Harmonic hexagonal superlattice pattern in a dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure

We report a harmonic hexagonal superlattice pattern in a dielectric barrier discharge in air/argon mixture at atmospheric pressure. The bifurcation scenario of harmonic hexagonal superlattice pattern with the applied voltage increasing is given. The phase diagram of the pattern types as a function of the applied voltage and the air-concentration is obtained. The hysteresis of pattern transitions at the upward and downward stage of the applied voltage is observed. The correlation measurements indicate that harmonic hexagonal superlattice pattern is an interleaving of two different transient sublattices. The spatial power spectrum demonstrates that harmonic hexagonal superlattice pattern has two separate wave vectors. Both small wave vector qh and big wave vector Kh, belong to the harmonic mode, and they obey a triad resonant interaction qh^1 ＋ qh^2 = Kh.     

Characterization of PM2.5/PM2.5-10 and source tracking in the juncture belt between urban and rural areas of Beijing

Coarse （PM2.5-10） and fine （PM2.5） atmospheric particulate samples were collected in summer and winter during 2005-2007 in the juncture belt between urban and rural areas of Beijing. Elements, ions, organic/elemental carbon （OC/EC） and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） were determined to obtain some latest information about the particulate pollution in the juncture belt of Beijing. Particulate matter levels at this site were high as compared with the levels at other sampling sites in Beijing. Pollution elements, secondary ions and PAHs were enriched in fine particles rather than in coarse particles. An obvious seasonal variation of the chemical composition of PM was observed. Source apportionment results showed that secondary components were the largest mass contributor of PM2.5, accounting for 28%; whereas soil-related sources were the largest contributor of PM2.5-10, explaining about 49% of the total mass. The abnormal levels of soil heavy metals at the electronic waste disassembly site in the upwind villages suggested the potential impact of such activities to the environment.     

Concentrations, profiles and gas-particle partitioning of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs in the ambient air of an E-waste dismantling area, southeast China

Polychlorinated diebenzo-p-dioxins （PCDDs）, polychlorinated diebenzofurans （PCDFs）, polychlorinated biphenyls （PCBs） and polybrominated diphenyl ethers （PBDEs） were monitored in the ambient air of Taizhou, an E-waste dismantling area of southeast China to evaluate their concentrations, profiles and gas-particle partitioning. The ∑PCDD/Fs concentrations ranged from 2.91 to 50.6 pg/ma, with an average of 14.3 pg/ma. The I-TEQs for PCDD/Fs were in the range of 0.20-3.45 pg/ma, with an average of 1.10 pg/ma, The ∑PCBs concentrations and TEQs ranged from 4.23 to 11.35 ng/ma, 0.050 to 0.859 pg（TEQ）/ma, respectively. The concentrations of ∑PBDEs ranged from 92 to 3086 pg/ma, with an average of 894 pg/ma, The pollution levels of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs were higher than other urban sites, which may be associated with the E-waste dismantling activities. The PCDD/Fs were found exclusively in the particle phase whereas PCBs distributed dominantly in the gas phase. The gas-partilce partitioning was also assessed by correlating the gas-particle partition coefficient （Kp） with the subcooled liquid vapor pressure （pL^0）. The measured particulate sorptions of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs were compared with the predictions from Junge-Pankow model and Koa absorption model. The Junge-Pankow model well estimated the particulate fractions of PCBs. However, it underestimated the sorptions of PCDD/Fs and overestimated the fractions of PBDEs. The predicted particulate fractions of PCDD/Fs and PCBs from Koa model fitted well with the measured data.     

Genome evolution of novel influenza A （H1N1 ） viruses in humans

The epidemic situation of A H1N1 flu arose in North America in April 2009, which rapidly expanded to three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, with the risk ranking up to 5. Until May 13th, the flu virus of A H1N1 had spread into 33 countries and regions, with a laboratory confirmed case number of 5728, including 61 deaths. Based on IRV and EpiFluDB database, 425 parts of A H1N1 flu virus sequence were achieved, followed by sequenced comparison and evolution analysis. The results showed that the current predominant A H1N1 flu virus was a kind of triple reassortment A flu virus： （i） HA, NA, MP, NP and NS originated from swine influenza virus; PB2 and PA originated from bird influenza virus; PB1 originated from human influenza virus. （ii） The origin of swine influenza virus could be subdivided as follows： HA, NP and NS originated from classic swine influenza virus of H1N1 subtype; NA and MP originated from bird origin swine influenza virus of H1N1 subtype. （iii） A H1N1 flu virus experienced no significant mutation during the epidemic spread, accompanied with no reassortment of the virus genome. In the paper, the region of the representative strains for sequence analysis （A/California/04/2009 （H1N1） and A/Mexico/4486/2009 （H1N1）） included USA and Mexico and was relatively wide, which suggested that the analysis results were convincing.     

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating of the Gangou granitoids, Central Tianshan Mountains, Northwest China and tectonic significances

Two types of granitoids, highly deformed eugen grenitoids end undeformed fine-grained grenitoids, ere widely distributed in Gangou area, Central Tianshen Mountains, Northwest China. The augen grenitoids are high-K calc-alkaline characterized by high K20, Rb, Y and Th, and low Sr and Sr/Y. They also have high contents of large ion lithophile elements （LILE）, such as Be, Rb, K and Th, and relatively low contents of high field strength elements （HFSE）, such as Zr, Y and Nb. The fine-grained granitoids are calc-alkaline cherecterlzed by high Sr, low Y and HREE, similar to adakitic rocks, and with Na20/K20〈2 （1.76-1.91）, high/sr （0.70689--0.70981）, and negative εNd（t） （-2.4-5.3）. High-precision SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating results indicate that the Gangou augen greniUods were formed at 428 ± 10 Me, and the fine-grained granitoids were emplaced at 361 -368 Me. These geochemical and U-Pb zircon data have significant implications for the timing of closure of the Mishigou-Gangou Ocean and the evolution of the Central Tianshan orogenic belt.     

Effects of ultraviolet radiation B （UV-B） on photosynthesis of natural phytoplankton assemblages in a marine bay in Southern China

Solar ultraviolet radiation B (UVB) is known to have inhibitive effects on phytoplankton photosynthesis. UVB light decreases rapidly with increasing depth in the water column and exerts different degrees of UVB inhibitive effects on phytoplankton photosynthesis. In this study, the objectives were to quantify effects of UVB on phytoplankton photosynthesis and quantum yield, and to examine UVB effects on phytoplankton photosynthesis when light varies. The insitu experiments were conducted in Da Ya Bay, which is a semienclosed area in the subtropical South China. The results showed a significant reduction of photosynthetic rates and quantum yield in the presence of UVB. Maximum photosynthetic rates (Pmax) and maximum quantum yield (Φmax) were 11%-22% and 17%-49% less under solar radiation with UVB than without UVB. A simplified model was developed to describe the UVB biologically effective fluence rate (E*inh) as an exponential decay function of depth. Light-shift experiments, in which water samples from the surface and at depth of 4 m were divided into several subsamples, and each subsamples were then incubated at different depths with and without UVB in the water column, showed that phytoplankton from the deeper water (4 m) had more inhibitive rates by UVB than that from the surface when exposed to the same light condition.     

High pressure effects on the crystal structure and electric conductivity of perovskite like（Ca/Sr）2CuO2Cl2 compounds

The crystal structure stability as well as electric conductance of （Sr/Ca）2CuO2Cl2 compound with K2NiF4 structure was investigated up to 31 GPa using diamond anvil technique. It seems that （Sr/Ca）2CuO2Cl2 is quite stable under pressure but with obvious anisotropic compressibility. The equation of state （EOS） obtained shows relative large bulk modulus.     

The role of sediment resuspension duration in release of PAHs

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） are ubiquitous environmental pollutants. Due to their low water solubility and high hydrophobicity, PAHs are rapidly sorbed onto particles and subsequently deposit in sediments once introduced into aquatic environment. In such a way, sediments become a huge sink for PAHs. During sediment resuspension, the potential exists for PAHs to be released from sediments into water. Sediment resuspension plays an important role in the transportation and fate of PAHs in the aquatic environment. In this study, release behavior of PAHs on Yangtze River sediment during resuspension was investigated using a particle entrainment simulator （PES）. The role of resuspension duration on release of 16 PAHs was measured by resuspending sediment for 12 h at 0.2 and 0.5N/m^2, respectively. Results indicated that PAH concentrations in TSS increase over time with more increase of phenanthrene and 4-ring PAHs. Comparing with 0.2 N/m2 （30%）, TPAHs concentrations in TSS demonstrated remarkable increase during 0.5 N/m2 resuspension （37%）. Dissolved PAH concentrations increased throughout the duration with more increase of 2-3 ring PAHs （50%-88%）. Dissolved PAH concentrations showed remarkable increase during 0.5 N/m^2 resuspension （50%）. Moreover, PAH concentrations in overlying water throughout the duration of resuspension were higher than toxic effects threshold values in drinking water developed by WHO, which may cause toxic effect on ecosystem.     

Fluorescence and sensitization performance of phenylene-vinylene-substituted polythiophene

A new kind of polythiophene derivative, Poly(3-{2-[4-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-phenyl]-vinyl}-2,2′-bithiophene) (PTh), was applied in dye-sensitized solar cell to extend the light response of nanocrystalline TiO2 electrode. UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectra were employed to investigate the interaction of PTh with nanocrystalline TiO2. The absorption coefficient of the PTh was high in visible part of spec- trum, and the fluorescence emission of the PTh can be efficiently quenched by TiO2 nanoparticles ow- i...     

Investigation on the key factors in the hydrothermal synthesis of BN： The way of introducing sodium azide

The way of introducing sodium azide (NaN_3) into the reaction solution played an important role in the preparation of cBN by hydrothermal synthesis method. The results showed that both cBN content and crystalline perfection of the samples improved with increasing R_N value, and pure cBN could be obtained at 300℃ and 10 MPa when R_N increased to 3:1. Here R_N is defined as R_N =NaN_3(I)/NaN_3(II), wherNaN_3(I) denotes the amount of NaN_3 (in molar) that is added into the autoclave at the beginning of threaction process, and NaN_3(II) is the amount of NaN_3 (also in molar) introduced into the autoclave ahigh temperature and high pressure (i.e. 300℃ and 10 MPa). In order to explain the experimental results, a preliminary model was proposed in this paper.     

Performances improvement of eosin Y sensitized solar cells by modifying TiO2 electrode with silane-coupling reagent

Chemical fixing of xanthene dye （eosin Y） on the surface of TiO2 electrode was carried out by modifying the electrode with silane-coupling reagent to obtain stable dye-sensitized TiO2 electrode. Such silane modification can not only evidently enhance the stability of dye-sensitized TiO2 electrode but also improve the energy conversion efficiency of the assembled cells by increasing short-circuit photocurrent （Jsc） and open-circuit photovoltage （Voc）. It was found that the improvements of cell performances differ depending on the composition of the electrolyte. The optimum cell of the cell performance was achieved in the electrolyte with 0.5 mol/L TBAI/0.05 mol/L 12/EC：PC（3：1 w/w）, yielding Jsc of 4.69 mA. cm-2, Voc of 0,595 V, fill factor （FF） of 0.64 and ηof 1,78%, Different spectroscopic techniques including UV-Vis spectra, fluorescence spectra, EIS and dark current measurements were employed to derive reasonable analysis and explanations.     

Molecular characterization of H1N1 influenza A viruses from human cases in North America

Subtypes of H1N1 influenza virus can be found in humans in North America, while they are also associated with the infection of swine. Characterization of the genotypes of viral strains in human populations is important to understand the source and distribution of viral strains. Genomic and protein sequences of 10 isolates of the 2009 outbreak of influenza A （H1N1） virus in North America were obtained from GenBank database. To characterize the genotypes of these viruses, phylogenetic trees of genes PB2, PB1, PA, HA, NP, NA, NS and M were constructed by Phylip3.67 program and N-Linked glycosylation sites of HA, NA, PB2, NS1 and M2 proteins were analyzed online by NetNGlyc1.0 program. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that these isolates are virtually identical but may be recombinant viruses because their genomic fragments come from different viruses. The isolates also contain a characteristic lowly pathogenic amino acid motif at their HA cleavage sites （IPSIQSR↓GL）, and an E residue at position 627 of the PB2 protein which shows its high affinity to humans. The homologous model of M proteins showed that the viruses had obtained the ability of anti-amantadine due to the mutation at the drug-sensitive site, while sequence analysis of NA proteins indicated that the viruses are still susceptible to the neuraminidase inhibitor drug （i.e. oseltamivir and zanamivir） because no mutations have been observed. Our results strongly suggested that the viruses responsible for the 2009 outbreaks of influenza A （H1N1） virus have the ability to cross species barriers to infect human and mammalian animals based on molecular analysis. These findings may further facilitate the therapy and prevention of possible transmission from North America to other countries.     

Synthesis, characterization and magnetic properties of near monodisperse Fe3O4 sub-microspheres

Near monodisperse Fe3O4 sub-microspheres with an average diameter of 170 nm have been synthesized by a solvothermal reduction method, using K3[Fe（CN）6] as the raw material in the absence of any surfactants at 200~C℃ for 24 h. The products were detected by XRD, FESEM, TEM, and XPS. The investigation of the reaction parameters indicates that ethylene glycol plays a key role both as reducing agent and solvent. In addition, the reaction time and temperature also have important influences on the final product. The hysteresis loop of the near monodisperse Fe3O4 sub-microspheres shows a ferromagnetic behavior with saturation magnetization of 60.8 emu/g and coercivity of 124.7Oe.