Revisiting the Asymmetric Matching Pennies Contradiction in China.

The asymmetric matching pennies contradiction posits that contrary to the prediction of mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium, experimental subjects' choices are, in practice, based heavily on the magnitudes of their own payoffs. Own-payoff effects are robustly confirmed in the literature. Closely following the experimental setups in the literature which support the contradiction, we conduct a series of asymmetric matching pennies games in China, hypothesizing play which is closer to equilibrium frequencies than previously found. Contrary to previous experiments which were conducted in the United States, we find that there are essentially no own-payoff effects among Row players who face large payoff asymmetry. In a Quantal Response Equilibrium framework allowing for altruism or spite, the behavior of our subjects corresponded to a positive spite parameter, whereas the results of previous studies corresponded to altruism. Our results may be consistent with recent psychology literature that finds people from collectivist cultures are substantially more adept at taking the perspective of others compared with people from individualist cultures, a feature of the reasoning needed to obtain mixed-strategy equilibrium.

Self-serving reward and punishment: evidence from the laboratory.

Reward for altruism and punishment for selfishness are crucial components for the maintenance of society. Past studies have provided strong evidence that people are willing to incur costs to punish selfish behaviors and to reward altruistic behaviors, but how their willingness to do so depends on their relationship with the individuals conducting the anti-social or pro-social behaviors is much less explored. To probe into this question, we devised a three-stage experiment that combined a revised dictator game and third-party reward or punishment. We employed two payoff frameworks, alignment and conflict, and analyzed how third-party's willingness to reward and punish differed when their interests were either aligned or in conflict with the first-party under observation. We found that due to considerations for personal interests, third-party's reward and punishment levels deviated from what was deemed "legitimate" by society, that is, the level of reward and punishment that enhances society's intrinsic motivations to comply with social norms and act pro-socially. When an anti-social behavior was observed, third-party punished less severely under the alignment framework than under the conflict framework; when a pro-social behavior was observed, third-party demonstrated self-serving reward under the alignment framework, but they rewarded altruistically under the conflict framework. These findings provided evidence for third-party's self-serving reward and punishment.

Anti-inflammatory effects of 6S-5-methyltetrahydrofolate-calcium on RAW264.7 cells and zebrafish.

AIM: 6S-5-methyltetrahydrofolate is the predominant form of dietary folate in circulation and is used as a crystalline form of calcium salt (MTHF-Ca). Reports revealed that MTHF-Ca was more safe than folic acid, a synthetic and highly stable version of folate. Folic acid has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects. The study's objective was to assess the anti-inflammatory effect of MTHF-Ca in vitro and in vivo. MAIN METHODS: In vitro, the ROS production was assessed by H2DCFDA, and nuclear translocation of NF-κB were evaluated by the NF-κB nuclear translocation assay kit. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were assessed using ELISA. In vivo, ROS production was assessed by H2DCFDA, neutrophils and macrophages recruitment were evaluated in tail transection-induced and CuSO4-induced zebrafish inflammation models. Expression of inflammation related genes were also investigated based on CuSO4-induced zebrafish inflammation model. KEY FINDINGS: MTHF-Ca treatment decreased LPS-induced ROS production, inhibited nuclear translocation of NF-κB and decreased the levels of IL-6, IL-1ß and TNF-α in RAW264.7 cells. In addition, MTHF-Ca treatment inhibited ROS production, suppressed the recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages, and reduced the expression of inflammation related genes, including jnk, erk, nf-κb, myd88, p65, tnf-α, and il-1b in zebrafish larvae. SIGNIFICANCE: MTHF-Ca may play an anti-inflammatory role by reducing the recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages and keeping the low levels of proinflammatory mediators and cytokines. MTHF-Ca may have a potential role in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Guidelines for management of pediatric acute hyperextension spinal cord injury / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

Pediatric acute hyperextension spinal cord injury (SCI) named as PAHSCI by us, is a special type of thoracolumbar SCI without radiographic abnormality and highly related to back-bend in dance training, which has been increasingly reported. At present, it has become the leading cause of SCI in children, and brings a heavy social and economic burden. Both domestic and foreign academic institutions and dance education organizations lack a correct understanding of PAHSCI and relevant standards, specifications or guidelines. In order to provide standardized guidance, the expert team formulated this guideline based on the principles of science and practicability, starting from the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, etiology, admission evaluation, treatment, complications and prevention. This guideline puts forward 23 recommendations for 14 related issues.

Minimally invasive treatment of unstable pelvic fractures with blunt head technique of Kirschner wire and 3D-printed external template technigue / 中华创伤骨科杂志

Objective:To explore the safety and efficacy of the minimally invasive treatment of unstable pelvic fractures with the blunt head technique of Kirschner wire and 3D-printed external template technique.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted of the clinical data of 21 patients with unstable pelvic fracture who had undergone minimally invasive treatment at Department of Orthopaedics, Union Hospital from May 2016 to July 2018 using 3D-printed external templates and the blunt head technique of Kirschner wire. There were 7 males and 14 females with an age of 43.6 years (from 19 to 65 years). According to the Tile classification, there were 3 cases of B1, 7 ones of B2, 6 ones of C1 and 5 ones of C2. The intraoperative fluoroscopy, operation time, postoperative fracture reduction and functional recovery of the pelvis at the last follow-up were recorded.Results:The 21 patients were followed up for an average of 16.3 months (from 12 to 24 months). A total of 33 wires were inserted in the 21 patients, including 15 S 1 ones and 18 S 2 ones. The intraoperative fluoroscopy ranged from 13 to 27 times, averaging 21.8 times. The operation time ranged from 65 to 130 min, averaging 88.6 min. The anterior subcutaneous internal fixation was used to fix the anterior ring in 9 patients. No vascular injury occurred during the operation. By the Matta criteria, the postoperative fracture reduction was assessed as excellent in 14 cases, good in 5, and fair in 2, giving an excellent to good rate of 90.5% (19/21). By the Majeed scoring system, the pelvic function at the last follow-up was assessed as excellent in 10 cases, good in 8, and fair in 3, giving an excellent to good rate of 85.7% (18/21). Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve injury occurred in 2 patients but was recovered by the 3-month follow-up. No other complications were follwed up. Conclusion:The minimally invasive treatment of unstable pelvic fractures with the blunt head technique of Kirschner wire assissted by 3D-printed external templates is safe and effective, showing advatages of reduced fluoroscopic frequency and operation time.

Acute hyperextension spinal cord injury in children: A retrospective study / 中华骨科杂志

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics and prognosis of acute hyperextension spinal cord injury (SCI) in children, and to provide some recommendations for the treatment and prevention of this disease.Methods:Reviewed the data of children of SCI after sustained or repeated hyperextension of the spine at Wuhan Union Hospital and Wuhan Children's Hospital from September 2010 to September 2020. According to the American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale (AIS grade), the patients were divided into complete SCI group and incomplete SCI group. The age, symptoms and evolution after injury, neurological level of injury, imaging data, laboratory examination data, prognosis and complications of the two groups were analyzed. Retrospectively summarize the characteristics of this type of injury.Results:Forty-four cases of acute hyperextension SCI in children were included. Their age ranged from 3 to 10 years old, 95% of them were under 8 years old and 95% of them were female. There was no significant difference in age at injury and time of dance training between children with complete SCI and incomplete SCI. Back and leg pain, lower limb weakness or paresthesia, and rapidly progress to complete or incomplete SCI in a short period were typical symptoms. All blood test results anddiagnostic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid were unremarkable or negative. There was no fracture or dislocation in the whole spine. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a longitudinally extended intramedullary high-intensity signal in the thoracolumbar spinal cord. Complete SCI accounted for 60% of all cases, and the prognosis was poor with spinal cord atrophy and various complications.Conclusion:Children younger than 10 years old after sustained or repeated hyperextension of the spine may suffer acute hyperextension SCI. Children with complete SCI have poor prognosis and serious complications. Therefore, prevention of this type of injury is the best strategy.

Multiple electron acceptor-mediated sulfur autotrophic denitrification: Nitrogen source competition, long-term performance and microbial community evolution.

Sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification (SDAD) is feasible for the treatment of low-C/N-ratio and sulfur-laden wastewaters. The nitrite accumulated in SDAD will affect the performance and stability of the system but can be a potential electron acceptor. Thus, single- and multiple-electron acceptor-mediated SDAD systems were investigated. Batch assays revealed that nitrite and nitrate were the preferential options in the SDAD system with single and multiple electron acceptors, respectively. Synchronous nitrogen and sulfur removal was successfully achieved in continuous flow experiments with multiple electron acceptors, and the system could adapt well to high concentrations of sulfide, nitrate and nitrite (i.e., 720, 108 and 64.8 mg L-1, respectively), with the predominant genera shifting from Thiobacillus (48.88%) at the initial stage to unclassified_p_Firmicute (34.24%) and Syner-01 (12.31%) at the last stage. This work provides a fundamental basis for applying and regulating SDAD with multiple electron acceptors for the remediation of nitrogen- and sulfide- laden wastewaters.

The treatment of acetabular posterior wall/column fracture with the novel integrative anatomical plate / 中华骨科杂志

Objective:To explore the feasibility, safety and clinical efficacy of using the self-developed acetabular posterior wall and column integrative anatomical plate to treat various types of posterior wall/column fractures.Methods:Between January 2016 and January 2019, 21 patients involving acetabular posterior wall and/or column were treated with the novel acetabular posterior wall and column integrative plate, the data were collected and retrospectively analyzed. There were 11 males and 10 females, with an average of 48 years old (range, 18-65 years old). According to the classification of AO/OTA, there were 6 simple fractures, 9 comminuted fractures, and 6 associated with joint surface compression of posterior wall; and there were 16 simple acetabular posterior wall fractures and 5 cases associated with acetabular posterior column fractures. Before operation, the CT data of each patient was collected and imported into Mimics software to reconstruct and print a 3D model of pelvis and injured and mirrored side to simulate operation. All patients were treated with a single Kocher-Langenbeck approach for posterior acetabular fractures, and fixed with the novel integrated anatomical plate after satisfactory reduction was achieved. Matta score was used to evaluate the quality of fracture reduction, and the modified Merle D'Aubigné-Postel score was adopted to evaluate functional recovery of hip joint.Results:21 patients involved in this study, the average time of plate insertion after successful reduction was 20 min (range, 15-30 min); the mean time of operation was 180 min (range, 90-300 min); the intraoperative mean bleeding volume was 700 ml (range, 300-1 500 ml). All the incisions healed by level 1 classification, and no incisions infection and sciatic nerve injury occurred. The patients included in the study have been followed up for at least one year and the imaging data was intact, the mean follow-up time was 19 month (range, 12-26 month). The fracture reduction was evaluated according to the Matta score: 16 cases were anatomical reduction, 3 cases were satisfactory reduction, 2 cases were unsatisfactory reduction, the satisfactory rate of reduction was 90.5% (19/21); the modified Merle D'Aubigné-Postel score at 3 month was 13.0±2.2 (range, 9-16), 6 month was 15.8±2.4 (range, 10-18) and last follow up was 17.0±1.8 (range, 13-18), respectively; the difference was statistically significant ( F=15.38, P < 0.001). At the last follow-up, 15 cases were excellent, 3 cases were good and 3 cases were fair, the total excellent and good rate was 85.7% (18/21). One case developed symptoms of sciatic nerve injury after operation, but the symptoms resolved after treating with neurotrophic drug by 6 months. 2 cases developed arthritis related pain after operation, receiving symptomatic treatment with oral painkillers. During the follow-up period, no complications such as plate broken and screw loosen occurred. Conclusion:The use of an integrative anatomical plate for treating posterior wall/column fractures of acetabulum achieved satisfactory fixation and postoperative functional recovery.

Treatment of acetabular both column fractures with integrated acetabular quadrilateral surface buttress plate / 中华骨科杂志

Objective:To investigate the advantages and disadvantages and clinical effects of integrated acetabular quadrilateral surface buttress plate in the treatment of acetabular both column fractures.Methods:From September 2017 to March 2019, 14 patients with acetabular both column fractures were treated with integrated quadrilateral acetabular buttress plate and were followed up. The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. There were 10 males and 4 females with an average age of 53.2 years (range, 26-75 years). Fracture classification were both column fractures according to the Letournel-Judet classification system, including 11 cases of combined posterior wall without posterior dislocation. The time from injury to operation was 8-19 days, with an average of 10.3 days. All operations were performed with a supra-ilioinguinal approach. After satisfactory reduction, the integrated acetabular quadrilateral surface buttress plate was used to fix the anterior and posterior column and quadrilateral fractures at the same time. After operation, Matta criteria was used to evaluate the quality of fracture reduction on postoperative images, and modified Merle d'Aubigné-Postel score to evaluate hip joint function.Results:The average operation time was 180 min (range, 120-320 min), and the intraoperative average blood loss was 980 ml (range, 700-1 600 ml). Operations were performed successfully with none intraoperative reshaping conducted, and the plate could fit into the bone surface well. All 14 patients were followed up with an average of 15.6 months (range, 9-20 months). During the follow-up, all fractures healed with an average of 3 months (range, 2.5-5 months). The reduction quality evaluated by the Matta criteria were 7 anatomical, 5 satisfactory, and 2 unsatisfactory, with an excellent and good rate of 85.7% (12/14). The hip joint function at the last follow-up was in accordance with the modified Merle d'Aubigné-Postel score was 12-18 points, with an average of 16.9 points, of which 8 excellent, 4 good, and 2 fair. The excellent and good function rate was 85.7% (12/14). During the operation, 1 patient had a rupture of about 1 cm of the peritoneum during the separation of the spermatic cord, which was immediately sutured and repaired. One patient had obturator nerve paralysis after the operation, without special treatment, and the paralysis symptoms were relieved during the 6th-month follow-up. There were no other operation-related complications.Conclusion:For both-column fractures characterized by central dislocation of the femoral head, the integrated acetabular quadrilateral buttress plate can simultaneously fix the anterior and posterior columns and quadrilateral surface at the same time. Satisfactory reduction and functional outcomes could be achieved by the novel plates.

A novel strategy for anammox consortia preservation: Transformation into anoxic sulfide oxidation consortia.

The preservation of anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) consortia is crucial for the rapid start-up and the process stability of the anammox based bioreactor. This work proposed and evaluated the feasibility of an anammox consortia preservation strategy, in which the anammox sludge was transformed into intermediate anoxic sulfide oxidation (ASO) functional microorganisms. Initially, the ASO process was successfully started up by inoculating anammox sludge and the overall sulfide and nitrate removal rates stabilized at 57.5 ± 0.22 and 10.0 ± 0.18 kg m-3 day-1, respectively. Then, the bioreactor function was reversely transformed into anammox, whose nitrogen removal rate reached 1.68 kg m-3 day-1. Granule characteristics analysis revealed that both biomass and extracellular polymeric substance content returned to their original states after the reverse start-up. Although the population of Candidatus_Kuenenia was greatly declined during ASO process, its richness was successfully recovered after the reverse start-up of the anammox process. The inferred metagenomes analysis demonstrated that the shifts in functional microorganisms were related to variation in the main metabolic pathways. The specific activities of anammox and ASO both are regarded as key indicators for the successful start-up of bioreactor. This work revealed a novel technique for the preservation of anammox consortia and might be a potential strategy for overcoming the drawback of long start-up time.

Deciphering the microbial community and functional genes response of anammox sludge to sulfide stress.

Sulfide has attracted increasing attention due to its odor nuisance, toxicity and corrosion. Although variations in the nitrogen removal performance of anammox under sulfide stress have been reported previously, understanding the microorganisms at the molecular level is of greater significance. This study first deciphered the microbial community and functional gene response of anammox sludge to sulfide stress. Results showed that 20 mg L-1 sulfide could reduce specific anammox activity by 61.7%. The protein-like substances within extracellular polymeric substances were quenched at the end of the experiment. Moreover, the relative abundance of Candidatus Kuenenia significantly decreased from 28.7% to 6.4% while Thiobacillus increased from 0 to 7.2% due to sulfide stress. Furthermore, the abundances of functional genes (hzsA, hdh, nirK and nirS) significantly decreased when the sulfide concentration reached 20 mg L-1. These findings provide a further theoretical basis for the anammox process for nitrogen removal from wastewater containing sulfide.

Whether glycine betaine improves the thermotolerance of mesophilic anammox consortia.

While the application of mesophilic anammox process is currently the state of the art, the feasibility of a thermophilic anammox bioprocess is still unclear. In this study, we investigate whether glycine betaine (GB) addition can enhance the thermotolerance of mesophilic anammox biomass in the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors fed with synthetic wastewater at a nitrogen loading of approximately 4 kg N m-3 d-1. The results showed that during a long-term operation at 45°C with GB (0, 0.1, 1, 2 mM) addition, anammox performance became worse with the final effluent concentrations of NO2 -N of 145 ± 11.6 mg L-1 and nitrogen removal efficiency decreased from 92.3-6.9%. Specific anammox activity decreased from 392.1 ± 12.1-6.0 ± 0.8 mg N g-1 VSS d-1, which were not significantly higher than those in the control reactor. The content of heme c showed a stronger downward trend in T1 (with GB addition) than in the control reactor T0. The qPCR results showed that the relative abundance of Candidatus Kuenenia decreased in both the experimental (from 53.5-28.8%) and control reactors (from 54.1-35.1%). Overall, continuous addition of exogenous GB did not improve the thermotolerance of mesophilic anammox consortia at 45°C.

Conversion of municipal wastewater-derived waste to an adsorbent for phosphorus recovery from secondary effluent.

The sustainable management and recirculation of phosphorus resources are essential to our human lives. In this work, phosphorus removal and recovery from secondary effluent were achieved using municipal wastewater-derived materials as adsorbents. Through modification with 0.5 M NaOH for 30 min, iron containing sludge that originated from the coagulation pretreatment of municipal wastewater was successfully converted to phosphorus adsorbent. The maximal adsorption capacity of the prepared adsorbent was estimated to be 22 mg-P/g, and the adsorption performance remained stable in the pH range of 5-8. FeO(OH) was identified as the key adsorption site, and the ligand exchange mediated chemical adsorption was the main mechanism for phosphorus removal by the prepared material. Moreover, a laboratory-scale continuous-flow adsorption column experiment showed that the surplus phosphorus in secondary effluent could be readily reduced to <0.1 mg/L. By pyrolysis of P-laden alkali-treated iron sludge under oxygen limited conditions, the phosphorus was recovered and successfully applied to support wheat growth. This work provides valuable information for both the sustainable management of phosphorus streams in wastewater and cyclic utilization of waste sludge.

Risk assessment of exported risk of novel coronavirus pneumonia from Hubei Province / 中华预防医学杂志

To evaluate the exported risk of novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) from Hubei Province and the imported risk in various provinces across China. Data of reported NCP cases and Baidu Migration Indexin all provinces of the country as of February 14, 2020 were collected. The correlation analysis between cumulative number of reported cases and the migration index from Hubei was performed, and the imported risks from Hubei to different provinces across China were further evaluated. A total of 49 970 confirmed cases were reported nationwide, of which 37 884 were in Hubei Province. The average daily migration index from Hubei to other provinces was 312.09, Wuhan and other cities in Hubei were 117.95 and 194.16, respectively. The cumulative NCP cases of provinces was positively correlated with the migration index derived from Hubei province, also in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei, with correlation coefficients of 0.84, 0.84, and 0.81. In linear model, population migration from Hubei Province, Wuhan and other cities in Hubei account for 71.2%, 70.1%, and 66.3% of the variation, respectively. The period of high exported risk from Hubei occurred before January 27, of which the risks before January 23 mainly came from Wuhan, and then mainly from other cities in Hubei. Hunan Province, Henan Province and Guangdong Province ranked the top three in terms of cumulative imported risk (the cumulative risk indices were 58.61, 54.75 and 49.62 respectively). The epidemic in each province was mainly caused by the importation of Hubei Province. Taking measures such as restricting the migration of population in Hubei Province and strengthening quarantine measures for immigrants from Hubei Province may greatly reduce the risk of continued spread of the epidemic.

Guideline for diagnosis and treatment of spine trauma in the epidemic of COVID-19 / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

Outbreak of COVID-19 is ongoing all over the world. Spine trauma is one of the most common types of trauma and will probably be encountered during the fight against COVID-19 and resumption of work and production. Patients with unstable spine fractures or continuous deterioration of neurological function require emergency surgery. The COVID-19 epidemic has brought tremendous challenges to the diagnosis and treatment of such patients. To coordinate the diagnosis and treatment of infectious disease prevention and spine trauma so as to formulate a rigorous diagnosis and treatment plan and to reduce the disability and mortality of the disease, multidisciplinary collaboration is needed. This expert consensus is formulated in order to (1) prevent and control the epidemic, (2) diagnose and treat patients with spine trauma reasonably, and (3) reduce the risk of cross-infection between patients and medical personnel during the treatment.

The supra-pectineal quadrilateral surface buttress plate for the treatment of complex acetabular fractures / 中华骨科杂志

Objective:To introduce a novel anatomical supra-pectineal quadrilateral surface buttress plate, and explore its advantages, disadvantages and clinical efficacy in the treatment of complex acetabular fractures.Methods:Data of eighteen cases of acetabular fractures treated in our department from March 2017 to March 2019were retrospectively analyzed. There were 15 males and 3 females with an average age of 49.6 years (range, 27-62 years). According to the Letournel-Judet’s classification, there were 3 cases of anterior column fractures (involving quadrilateral surface), 2 cases of "T" shaped, 8 of cases anterior column and posterior hemi-transverse (ACPHT) and 5 cases of double columns fractures. The time from injury to operation was 5-14 days (mean, 7 days). Before operation, all patients were taken pelvic anterior-posterior X-ray and CT scan. All patients were adopted supra-ilioinguinal approach and fixed by supra-pectineal quadrilateral surface buttress plate. Surgical time, intraoperative blood loss and postoperative complications were collected. After operations all patients were taken pelvic X-ray in anterior-posterior and Judet position, as well as CT scan. The radiographic quality of reduction was evaluated by Matta criteria and hip functions were evaluated by Matta Modified Merle d’Aubigné-Postel scoring system.Results:The average surgical time was 130 min (range, 100-200 min). The average blood loss was 560 ml (range, 400-900 ml). An additional shaping was unnecessary in 18 patients who were implanted with the anatomical supra-pectineal quadrilateral surface buttress plate and all patients were operated successfully. All patients were followed up for an average time of 9 months (range, 6-15 months). The quality of fracture reduction was evaluated according to Matta standard, of which there were 11 cases excellent, 4 cases good, and 3 cases poor, with an excellent rate of 83.3% (15/18). At the latest follow-up, the function of the hip joint was evaluated according to the Matta Modified Merle d’Aubigné-Postel scoring system for a mean of 15.8 scores (range, 12-18 scores), of which there were 10 cases excellent, 6 cases good, 2 cases fair, with an excellent rate of 88.9% (16/18). All patients recovered well, and there were 2 cases of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve injury postoperative who had recovered one month later. There was no other postoperative complications.Conclusion:The anterior and posterior column and quadrilateral surface could be stabilized simultaneously by the anatomical supra-pectineal quadrilateral surface buttress plate without intraoperative shaping. Moreover, it is more likely to obtain a satisfactory clinical outcome by using this special plate with lower complications and rigid fixation. Therefore, it is a kind of internal fixation method worthy of promotion in the treatment of complex acetabular fractures.

Microbial community evolution and fate of antibiotic resistance genes in anammox process under oxytetracycline and sulfamethoxazole stresses.

The microbial community characteristics, functional and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), anammox performance under individual and combined oxytetracycline (OTC) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) were tested under environmentally relevant levels. The results showed that anammox performance was inhibited when the OTC or SMX concentration increased from 0.5 to 1.0 mg L-1. The absolute abundance of tetX in OTC (3.03 × 106 copies mg-1), SMX (2.80 × 106 copies mg-1) and OTC + SMX (2.03 × 106 copies mg-1) was the highest and one more order of magnitude higher than that of tetG, tetM, intI1, or sul2. The anammox performance in the presence of OTC or SMX was lower than that sum of their independent effects. The enrichment of sludge resistomes with prolonged exposure time and increasing OTC and SMX doses might be due to succession of bacterial hosts and potential elevation of ARGs by horizontal transfer.

Adaption and restoration of anammox biomass to Cd(II) stress: Performance, extracellular polymeric substance and microbial community.

Cadmium (Cd) can cause the deterioration of biological systems through inhibiting the enzymes activity and disturbing the microbial metabolism. Although the influence of Cd on conventional wastewater treatment process has been studied, the response of anammox to Cd exposure still remains unclear. This study firstly investigated the adaption and restoration of anammox biomass to Cd(II) stress. Results showed that long-term exposure of anammox bacteria to 2 mg L-1 Cd(II) was beneficial for the reactor performance, while 5 mg L-1 Cd(II) would cause the decline of SAA, extracellular polymeric substance content and relative abundance of Candidatus kuenenia by 40%, 25% and 31%, respectively. Furthermore, these indexes could approximately recover to the initial status after withdrawing Cd(II) from the influent. Overall, the anammox biomass exhibited a certain adaption and restoration ability to the suppression of Cd(II). This study may provide key valuable information for the biological treatment of wastewater containing Cd(II).

The performance and microbial community in response to MnO2 nanoparticles in anammox granular sludge.

The response of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process and granular sludge in the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor was analyzed under long-term exposure to MnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) (1-200 mg L-1). The addition of 200 mg L-1 MnO2 NPs had a significantly positive effect on nitrogen removal and this system exhibited excellent performance, with a total nitrogen removal efficiency of 93.1%. Moreover, the specific anammox activity enhanced with increasing concentrations of MnO2 NPs up to the maximum value of 657.3 ±â€¯9.3 mg TN g-1 VSS d-1 under MnO2 NPs concentration of 200 mg L-1. This value was approximately 1.6-fold higher than that of the reactor in the absence of MnO2 NPs. The extracellular polymeric substances and settling velocity were both increased with MnO2 NPs addition. Meanwhile, the high-throughput sequencing results revealed that MnO2 NPs increased the relative abundance of dominant bacteria (Candidatus Kuenenia) from 17.3% at the absence of MnO2 NPs to 23.9% at 200 mg L-1 MnO2 NPs, which resulted in a higher efficiency of biological nitrogen removal on the anammox system. These results indicated that MnO2 NPs enhanced nitrogen removal performance of anammox process.

Merely inoculating anammox sludge to achieve the start-up of anammox and autotrophic desulfurization-denitrification process.

Anammox and autotrophic desulfurization-denitrification (AADD) process is feasible for the nitrogen and sulfide removal in the same reactor, and the influence of excess nitrate produced by anammox could also be alleviated simultaneously. This study firstly proposed a novel strategy with inoculating single anammox sludge to start up the AADD process. Results demonstrated that the 90% nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE), 2.55kgm-3 d-1 nitrogen removal rate (NRR), and 95% sulfide removal efficiency (SRE) were obtained at the influent total nitrogen of 280mgL-1 and sulfide of 221.5mgL-1, and the final effluent nitrate concentration was as low as 8mgL-1 under the appropriate operation conditions. Tryptophan-like and protein-like substances were characterized as the main components in bound EPS. Thiobacillus (35.68%) and Pseudoxanthomonas (11.61%) were identified as the predominant genera. This study will pave a potential avenue to promote the treatment of high concentration nitrogen and sulfide in wastewater in the future.