Low-carbon assessment for ecological wastewater treatment by a constructed wetland in Beijing

Presented in this paper is a low-carbon assessment for wastewater treatment by a constructed wetland as ecological engineering. Systems accounting by combining process and input-output analyses is applied to track both direct and indirect GHG emissions associated with the wastewater treatment. Based on the detailed assessment procedures and the embodied GHG emission intensity database for the Chinese economy in 2007, the GHG emissions embodied in both the construction and operation stages of a pilot constructed wetland in Beijing are investigated in concrete detail, with parallel calculations carried out for a cyclic activated sludge plant as a typical conventional wastewater treatment system for comparison. With the overall embodied GHG emissions taken into account, the constructed wetland is shown to be remarkably less carbon intensive than the conventional wastewater treatment system, and the contrast in GHG emission structure is also revealed and characterized. According to the results, the ecological engineering of the constructed wetland is considered to be favorable for achieving the low-carbon goal.     

Factors affecting subject-specific finite element models of implant-fitted rat bone specimens: critical analysis of a technical protocol

The authors propose a protocol to derive finite element (FE) models from micro computer tomography scans of implanted rat bone. A semi-automatic procedure allows segmenting the images using specimen-specific bone mineral density (BMD) thresholds. An open-source FE model generator processes the segmented images to a quality tetrahedral mesh. The material properties assigned to each element are integrated from the BMD field. Piecewise, threshold-dependent density–elasticity relationships are implemented to limit the effects of metal artefacts. A detailed sensitivity study highlights the coherence of the generated models and quantifies the influence of the modelling parameters on the results. Two applications of the protocol are proposed. The stiffness of bare and implanted rat tibiae specimens is predicted by simulating three-point bending and inter-implant displacement, respectively. Results are compared with experimental tests. The mean value and the variability between the specimens are well captured in both tests.     

Contribution of ΔpH and ΔE to Photosynthesis of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii

The contribution of two components (pH and E) of the proton motive force to photosynthesis of C. reinhardtii was studied. Valinomycin, a photophosphorylation uncoupler, decreased significantly the fast phase (related mainly to the membrane electric potential) of millisecond delayed light emission (ms-DLE) of C. reinhardtii. Nigericin, another photophosphorylation uncoupler, decreased the slow phase (related mainly to the proton gradient) and partly also the fast phase of ms-DLE. Both valinomycin and nigericin decreased the net ATP content and photosynthetic rate of C. reinhardtii, but the inhibition by nigericin was stronger than that by valinomycin. Hence both components of the proton motive force contribute to photosynthesis and although the contribution of pH is larger than that of E, the latter is not negligible in photosynthesis of C. reinhardtii.     

Does hardness of food affect the development of pharyngeal teeth of the black carp,Mylopharyngodon piceus (Pisces: Cyprinidae)?

We investigated whether food type influences development of the pharyngeal crushing apparatus of black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus, Cyprinidae). Fish fed a hard diet had average standard lengths and weights larger than those fed a soft diet; these observations in part could be related to differences in nutritional value of the two food types. The lower pharyngeal bones, which bear molariform teeth were examined using three dimensional computed tomography (CT) scans. After adjusting for differences in the standard length of the fish, the total volume and exterior surface areas of the pharyngeal teeth were greater in fish fed hard diets than in those fed soft diets.Total weights of the pharyngeal arches were less in the fish fed a soft diet than in those fed a hard diet. These results indicated that food type affects development of the pharyngeal crushing mill of black carp and therefore if black carp are produced for snail control, a hard diet should be provided from an as early time as possible in the production cycle.     

苏北沿海滩涂养殖湿地磷化氢的释放及其影响因素

利用静态暗箱采样方法和气相色谱-氮磷检测器(GC-NPD)分析技术测定了苏北沿海滩涂养殖湿地区域磷化氢的释放通量,研究了其季节和空间变化特征,并探讨了其潜在的影响因素。结果表明,各季节磷化氢释放通量的高低排序为:8月份5月份11月份2月份,其变化范围分别为16.5—168.9、8.3—105.9、8.2—64.5和-19.5—49.6 ng m-2h-1,平均值分别为65.0、36.5、25.9和16.4 ng m-2h-1;空间变化明显,各季节的平均值,b10站位最高,b3次之,b5和b8站位相对较低。磷化氢释放通量与沉积环境因子的相关性分析显示,释放通量与TP、IP、OP、OC、TN、SC和T有较好的线性正相关关系(相关系数R分别为0.807、0.579、0.828、0.825、0.467、0.605和0.551,P值0.01),与Eh有较好的线性负相关关系(R为-0.774,P值0.01),表明在研究调查区域,较高的磷、碳、氮、硫组分含量,较高的温度和较低的氧化还原电位更有利于磷化氢的释放过程。     

Deformation of articular cartilage during static loading of a knee joint – Experimental and finite element analysis

Novel conical beam CT-scanners offer high resolution imaging of knee structures with i.a. contrast media, even under weight bearing. With this new technology, we aimed to determine cartilage strains and meniscal movement in a human knee at 0, 1, 5, and 30 min of standing and compare them to the subject-specific 3D finite element (FE) model. The FE model of the volunteer?s knee, based on the geometry obtained from magnetic resonance images, was created to simulate the creep. The effects of collagen fibril network stiffness, nonfibrillar matrix modulus, permeability and fluid flow boundary conditions on the creep response in cartilage were investigated. In the experiment, 80% of the maximum strain in cartilage developed immediately, after which the cartilage continued to deform slowly until the 30 min time point. Cartilage strains and meniscus movement obtained from the FE model matched adequately with the experimentally measured values. Reducing the fibril network stiffness increased the mean strains substantially, while the creep rate was primarily influenced by an increase in the nonfibrillar matrix modulus. Changing the initial permeability and preventing fluid flow through noncontacting surfaces had a negligible effect on cartilage strains. The present results improve understanding of the mechanisms controlling articular cartilage strains and meniscal movements in a knee joint under physiological static loading. Ultimately a validated model could be used as a noninvasive diagnostic tool to locate cartilage areas at risk for degeneration.     

PET probe detecting non-small cell lung cancer susceptible to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR-TKIs) are used as molecular targeted therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The therapy is applied to the patients having EGFR-primary L858R mutation, but drug tolerance caused by EGFR-secondary mutation is occurred within one and half years. For the non-invasive detection of the EGFR-TKIs treatment positive patients by positron emission tomograpy (PET) imagaing, fluorine-18 labeled thienopyrimidine derivative, [¹⁸F]FTP2 was newly synthesized. EGFR inhibition assay, cell uptake study, and blocking study indicated [¹⁸F]FTP2 binds with high and selective affinity for EGFR with L858R mutation, and not with L858R/T790M dual mutations. On animal PET study using tumor bearing mice, H3255 cells expressing L858R mutated EGFR was more clearly visualized than H1975 cells expressing L858R/T790M dual mutated EGFR. [¹⁸F]FTP2 has potential for detecting NSCLC which is susceptible to EGFR-TKI treatment.     

血流剪切力对支架内新生动脉粥样硬化形成的影响

目的:探讨血流剪切力对支架内新生粥样硬化斑块形成的影响。方法:在6只新西兰白兔右髂动脉植入金属裸支架,术后高脂喂养8周。将支架按长度均等分为近中远3段,应用多普勒超声测量各支架段血管的血流速度和血管内径,根据Poiseuille定律计算出术后即刻及术后8周时各支架段的平均血流剪切力。应用光学相干断层成像技术(optical coherence tomography,OCT)检测术后8周支架内新生内膜的生长情况及特性。结果:成功建立支架内斑块动物模型。术后即刻近中远支架段的血流剪切力分别为4.25±0.92,2.49±1.07,1.67±0.49Pa(P0.05);术后8周近中远支架段血流剪切力分别为20.40±6.07,11.09±1.74,7.97±0.26Pa(P0.05),均较术后即刻明显升高(P0.001);术后8周近中远支架段的内膜异质性发生率分别为86.67%,53.33%,41.12%(P0.05);术后8周近中远支架段OCT检测的富含脂质斑块的发生率分别为53.3%,20%,0%(P0.05)。结论:支架内新生粥样硬化斑块的发生可能与较高的血流剪切力相关。     

Identification and demonstration of roGFP2 as an environmental sensor for cryogenic correlative light and electron microscopy

Cryogenic correlative light and electron microscopy (cryo-CLEM) seeks to leverage orthogonal information present in two powerful imaging modalities. While recent advances in cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) allow for the visualization and identification of structures within cells at the nanometer scale, information regarding the cellular environment, such as pH, membrane potential, ionic strength, etc., which influences the observed structures remains absent. Fluorescence microscopy can potentially be used to reveal this information when specific labels, known as fluorescent biosensors, are used, but there has been minimal use of such biosensors in cryo-CLEM to date.Here we demonstrate the applicability of one such biosensor, the fluorescent protein roGFP2, for cryo-CLEM experiments. At room temperature, the ratio of roGFP2 emission brightness when excited at 425 nm or 488 nm is known to report on the local redox potential. When samples containing roGFP2 are rapidly cooled to 77 K in a manner compatible with cryo-EM, the ratio of excitation peaks remains a faithful indicator of the redox potential at the time of freezing. Using purified protein in different oxidizing/reducing environments, we generate a calibration curve which can be used to analyze in situ measurements. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, we investigate the oxidation/reduction state within vitrified Caulobacter crescentus cells. The polar organizing protein Z (PopZ) localizes to the polar regions of C. crescentus where it is known to form a distinct microdomain. By expressing an inducible roGFP2-PopZ fusion we visualize individual microdomains in the context of their redox environment.