Removal of Cr(vi) in wastewater by Fe-Mn oxide loaded sludge biochar.

Sludge biochar loaded with Fe-Mn oxides (FMBC) was prepared and employed to remove Cr(vi) from wastewater. The influences of solution pH, co-existing ion, contact time, adsorption temperature and Cd(vi) concentrations on removing Cr(vi) by FMBC were investigated. The Cr(vi) adsorption on FMBC had strong pH dependence. Additionally, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, SiO32-, NO3- and Cl- ions exhibited no influence on Cr(vi) removal efficiency for FMBC, whereas there were inhibition effects of Pb2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, CO32-, SO42-, and PO43- on removing Cr(vi). The Cr(vi) adsorption from solution for FMBC was well described by models of pseudo-second-order and Langmuir, and the largest Cr(vi) removal capacity of FMBC reached 172.3 mg g-1. FMBC had good capacity for treating electroplating wastewater and mineral dissolving wastewater containing Cr(vi). After five regenerations, the 50 and 5 mg L-1 Cr(vi) removing efficiency of FMBC was 82.34% and 97.68%, respectively. The Cr(vi) removal for FMBC involved adsorption-reduction and re-adsorption of Cr(iii) generated by reduction. These results indicated that FMBC has good prospects for remediating Cr(vi)-containing wastewater.

Crop diversification promotes soil aggregation and carbon accumulation in global agroecosystems: A meta-analysis.

Soil aggregation contributes to the stability of soil structure and the sequestration of soil organic carbon (SOC), making it an important indicator of soil health in agroecosystems. Crop diversification is considered a rational management practice for promoting sustainable agriculture. However, the complexity of cropping systems and crop species across different regions limits our comprehensive understanding of soil aggregation and associated carbon (C) content under crop diversification. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis by integrating 1924 observations from three diversification strategies (cover crops, crop rotation, and intercropping) in global agroecosystems to explore the effects of crop diversification on soil aggregates and associated C content. The results showed that compared to monoculture, crop diversification significantly increased the mean weight diameter and bulk soil C by 7.5% and 3.3%, respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the proportion of macroaggregates and their associated C content by 5.0% and 12.5%, while there was a significant decrease in the proportion of microaggregates as well as silt-clay fractions along with their associated C under crop diversification. Through further analysis, we identified several important factors that influence changes in soil aggregation and C content induced by crop diversification including climatic conditions, soil properties, crop species, and agronomic practices at the experimental sites. Interestingly, no significant differences were found among the three cropping systems (cover crops, crop rotation, and intercropping), while the effects induced by crop diversifications showed relatively consistent results for monoculture crops as well as additive crops and crop diversity. Moreover, the impact of crop diversification on soil aggregates and associated C content is influenced by soil properties such as pH and SOC. In general, our findings demonstrate that crop diversification promotes soil aggregation and enhances SOC levels in agroecosystems worldwide.

Removal of Cr(VI) ions from wastewater by Fe3O4-loaded porous sludge biochar.

In this work, porous sludge biochar (PSBC) was prepared by molten salt-assisted pyrolysis of municipal sludge, and PSBC loaded with Fe3O4 (Fe3O4@PSBC) was synthesized by chemical precipitation. The effects of pH (2.0-10.0), sorbent dosage (0.1-2 g/L), coexisting ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, Cl-, SiO32-, NO3-, CO32-, SO42-, and PO43-), adsorption temperature (288, 298, and 308 K), initial Cr(VI) ion concentrations (50-150 mg/L), and adsorption time (5-300 min) on the removal of Cr(VI) ions by the sorbent were investigated. The mechanism of the removal of Cr(VI) ions was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The result showed that the removal of Cr(VI) ions on PSBC and Fe3O4@PSBC had a strong dependence on the pH of solution. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) ions by PSBC and Fe3O4@PSBC was 162 and 209 mg/g, respectively, at a dosage of 0.4 g/L, pH of 3, and temperature of 298 K. The removal process of Cr(VI) ions could be fitted by the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The breakthrough curves were in good agreement with the theoretical values of the Thomas model. The mechanism of the removal of Cr(VI) ions by Fe3O4@PSBC mainly contain complexation, reduction, and electrostatic interaction. This work proposes a new removal material for Cr(VI)-containing wastewater.

Removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions by nZVI-loaded sludge-derived biochar: performance and mechanism.

With the rapid development of highland railways in China, a large amount of heavy metal wastewater was inevitably generated during the manufacturing process of alloy materials required for railway construction. In this paper, pyrolysis of municipal sludge was followed by ball milling to obtain ball milling sludge-derived biochar (SDBC), and then nZVI-loaded SDBC materials (nZVI@SDBC) were prepared by liquid-phase reduction. The effects of different factors on the Cr(VI) removal were investigated. The maximum Cr(VI) adsorption capacity of nZVI@SDBC(2:1) was 178.05 mg/g. The Cr(VI) removal process could be fitted by the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The Cr(VI) removal mechanism mainly included complexation, reduction, electrostatic interaction, and coprecipitation. The Cr(VI) removal by nZVI@SDBC(2:1) was maintained at over 90% after five replicate experiments. nZVI@SDBC(2:1) was capable of removing most of the Cr(VI) from real electroplating wastewater. The cost of using nZVI@SDBC(2:1) to remove 1 m3 of actual wastewater is approximately 325.7162 USD/m3. This work provided a new idea for the solution of Cr(VI)-containing wastewater from the production of railway materials.

Recovery of NH4 +-N and PO4 3--P from urine using sludge-derived biochar as a fertilizer: performance and mechanism.

Sludge-derived biochar (BS) was prepared by pyrolyzing municipal sludge at different temperatures and was used to recover NH4 +-N and PO4 3--P from urine. The effects of dosage, adsorption time, and urine concentration on the adsorption of NH4 +-N and PO4 3--P were investigated, and the adsorbed BS was used as a fertilizer to study its effect on the growth of pakchoi cabbage. The Elovich model was more consistent with the adsorption processes of NH4 +-N and PO4 3--P. Both the NH4 +-N and PO4 3--P adsorption isotherm model agreed with the Redlich-Peterson model. The Langmuir model showed that the largest adsorption capacity of BS600 for NH4 +-N and PO4 3--P could reach 114.64 mg g-1 and 31.05 mg g-1, respectively. The NH4 +-N adsorption mechanism of BS may have complexation with O-containing functional groups and precipitation reactions, while the removal mechanism of PO4 3--P was co-precipitation. The pot experiment demonstrated that adsorbed BS600 can better promote the growth of pakchoi cabbage with the same amount of addition. With the addition of 5% adsorbed BS600, the weight of cabbage was 64.49 g heavier than without the addition of BS600. This research provided theoretical support for the recovery of NH4 +-N and PO4 3--P from urine as a fertilizer.

A meta-analysis of the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy on quality of life and psychological health of breast cancer survivors and patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) on quality of life (QOL) and psychological health of breast cancer survivors and patients. METHODS: A total of 1289 references were examined from an overall literature search in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Randomized controlled trials assessing the efficacy of CBT compared with a range of comparators in cancer survivors. We assessed the effect of CBT by using the standardized mean difference as effect size. RESULTS: Among 1289 abstracts and 292 full-text articles reviewed, 10 studies were included. At the posttreatment period, the pooled effect size for CBT on QOL was 0.57 (95% CI, 0.44 to 0.69; P < .001), on depression was -1.11 (95% CI, -1.28 to -0.94; P < .001), on stress was -0.40 (95% CI, -0.53 to -0.26; P < .001), on anxiety was -1.10 (95% CI, -1.27 to -0.93; P < .001), and on hyperarousal cluster of symptoms was -0.18 (95% CI, -0.30 to -0.05; P < .001). The QOL was considered statistically medium effect sizes. The depression and anxiety were considered statistically large effect sizes. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive behavior therapy is an effective therapy for psychological symptoms of cancer survivors and patients, with meaningfully clinical effect sizes. These findings suggested that CBT should be used as the intervention for breast cancer survivors and patients when possible.

Flos Albiziae aqueous extract and its active constituent quercetin potentiate the hypnotic effect of pentobarbital via the serotonergic system.

Flos albiziae (FA) is reportedly used for treatment of insomnia and anxiety in traditional medicine. The hypnotic effect of an extract of FA (FAE) and its constituent quercetin [2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,5,7-trihydroxy-4H-chromen-4-one, QR] was examined in mice. QR is a widely distributed natural flavonoid abundant in FA flowers and other tissues. The possible mechanisms underlying the hypnotic effects of FAE and QR were investigated using behavioral pharmacology. FAE and QR significantly potentiated pentobarbital-induced [50 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (ip)] sleep (prolonged sleeping time; shortened sleep latency) in a dose-dependent manner, and these effects were augmented by administration of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor of 5-hydroxytryptamine. With a sub-hypnotic dose of pentobarbital (28 mg/kg, ip), FAE and QR significantly increased the rate of sleep onset and were synergistic with 5-HTP (2.5 mg/kg, ip). Pretreatment with p-chlorophenylalanine, an inhibitor of tryptophan hydroxylase, significantly decreased sleeping time and prolonged sleep latency in pentobarbital-treated mice, whereas FAE and QR significantly reversed this effect. Data show that FAE and QR have hypnotic activity, possibly mediated by the serotonergic system. The present study offers a rationale for the use of FA in treating sleep disorders associated with serotonin system dysfunction.

Low-frequency stimulation of the tuberomammillary nucleus facilitates electrical amygdaloid-kindling acquisition in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Histamine plays a suppressive role in seizure. The tuberomammillary nucleus (TM) is the only locus of histaminergic neurons in the brain. To determine whether deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the TM provides protection against seizures, we tested the effects of low-frequency stimulation (LFS, 1 Hz), high frequency stimulation (HFS, 100 Hz), and electrolytic lesions of the TM on seizures generated by amygdaloid kindling, pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) and maximal electroshock (MES) in rats. LFS of TM accelerated the progression of behavioral seizure stage and increased the mean afterdischarge duration (ADD) during acquisition of amygdaloid-kindling seizures, but had no considerable anticonvulsive effect in fully kindled animals. It augmented the MES-induced seizures as well, but had no appreciable effects on PTZ-kindled seizures. In addition, both HFS and bilateral lesions of the TM exacerbated the progression of amygdaloid-kindling seizures. These results suggest that specific negative sites for DBS exist in the brain, such as the TM. This study indicates that it is crucial to choose a suitable target for DBS in the clinical treatment of epilepsy.

Effect of endogenous histamine in the ventral hippocampus on fear memory deficits induced by scopolamine as evaluated by step-through avoidance response in rats.

In the present study, the effects of endogenous histamine in the ventral hippocampus on fear memory deficits induced by scopolamine were investigated as evaluated by step-through avoidance response in adult male rats. Bilateral ventral hippocampal injection of scopolamine (i.h., 2, 5 microg/site) significantly produced depressant effects on the active avoidance response in a dose-dependent manner. Histamine H(3)-antagonist clobenpropit (5, 10 microg/site) significantly ameliorated the fear memory deficits induced by scopolamine in a dose-dependent manner. Its procognitive effect was completely antagonized by immepip (10 microg/site), a selective histamine H(3)-agonist. Both histamine H(1)-antagonist pyrilamine and H(2)-antagonist cimetidine, also inhibited the procognitive effects of clobenpropit. Additionally, the procognitive effects of clobenpropit on the fear memory deficits induced by scopolamine were significantly potentiated by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of histidine, a precursor of histamine, but markedly reversed by i.h. injection of alpha-fluoromethylhistidine (FMH, 10 microg/site), a selective and potent histidine decarboxylase inhibitor. It is concluded that the increased endogenous histamine release in the ventral hippocampus ameliorates the scopolamine-induced fear memory deficits, and its action is mainly mediated by histamine presynaptic H(3)-receptors and postsynaptic H(1)- and H(2)-receptors.