Synergetic effects during co-pyrolysis of waste textiles and Ca/Fe-rich industrial sewage sludge: Reaction kinetics and product distribution.

Co-pyrolysis is a promising technology for industrial organic waste to utilize their unique resource and energy properties for efficient conversion into valuable products. This study was the first time to characterize the co-pyrolysis of waste textiles with Ca-rich industrial sludge and Fe-rich industrial sludge on a laboratory-scale fixed bed. The properties, mechanisms, gas, oil and carbon production were investigated as a function of temperature and mixing type. Co-pyrolysis increased the total weight loss from 50.05 % to 69.81 % for Ca-rich industrial sludge mixed with 50 % waste textiles and from 49.13 % to 70.01 % for Fe-rich industrial sludge mixed with 50 % waste textiles. The activation energy of co-pyrolysis was approximately 50 % lower compared to the pyrolysis of waste textiles alone. The optimal reaction model for the different reaction stages for all samples was three diffusion (D3). Co-pyrolysis resulted in lower CO and CO2 emission temperatures of about 25-110 °C and produced more short-chain organic compounds (C < 10). Co-pyrolysis produced more aldehydes and ketones organics. Moreover, co-pyrolysis char exhibited an elevated level of fatty alkyl side chains and bridge branching, as well as higher degrees of aromatization and stability. This study offers valuable insights into the potential application of pyrolysis for the management of Ca/Fe-rich industrial sludge and waste textiles, thereby serving as a basis for future utilization endeavors.

The synergistic effect of oxidant-peroxide coupling systems for water and wastewater treatments.

With the growing complexity and severity of water pollution, it has become increasingly challenging to effectively remove contaminants or inactivate microorganisms just by traditional chemical oxidants such as O3, chlorine, Fe(VI) and Mn(VII). Up till now, numerous studies have indicated that these oxidants in combination with peroxides (i.e., hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), peroxymonosulfate (PMS), peracetic acid (PAA) and periodate (PI)) exhibited excellent synergistic oxidation. This paper provided a comprehensive review on the combination of aforementioned oxidant-peroxide applied in water and wastewater treatments. From one aspect, the paper thoroughly elucidated the synergy mechanism of each oxidant-peroxide combination in turn. Among these combinations, H2O2 or PMS generally performed as the activator of four traditional oxidants above to accelerate reactive species generation and therein various reaction mechanisms, including electron transfer, O atom abstraction and oxo ligand substitution, were involved. In addition, although neither PAA nor PI was able to directly activate Fe(VI) and Mn(VII), they could act as the stabilizer of intermediate reactive iron/manganese species to improve the latter utilization efficiency. From another aspect, this paper summarized the influence of water quality parameters, such as pH, inorganic ions and natural organic matter (NOM), on the oxidation performance of most combined systems. Finally, this paper highlighted knowledge gaps and identified areas that require further research.

Antimicrobial peptides in combination with citronellal efficiently kills multidrug resistance bacteria.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered as the most potential alternatives to antibiotics, but they have several drawbacks, including high cost, medium antimicrobial efficacy, poor cell selectivity, which limit clinical application. To overcome the above problems, combination therapy of AMPs with adjuvants might maximize the effectiveness of AMPs. We found that citronellal can substantially potentiate the ZY4R peptide efficacy against Escherichia coli ATCC25922. However, it is unclear whether ZY4R/citronellal combination poses synergistic antimicrobial effects against most bacteria, and their synergy mechanism has not been elucidated. PURPOSE: To investigate synergistic antimicrobial efficacies, biosafety, and synergy mechanism of ZY4R/citronellal combination. METHOD: Checkerboard, time-kill curves, cytotoxicity assays, and in vivo animal models were conducted to assess synergistic antimicrobial effects and biosafety of the ZY4R/citronellal combination. To evaluate their synergy mechanism, a series of cell-based assays and transcriptome analysis were performed. RESULTS: ZY4R/citronellal combination exhibited synergistic antimicrobial effects against 20 clinically significant pathogens, with the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) ranging from 0.313 to 0.047. Meanwhile, ZY4R/citronellal combination enhanced antimicrobial efficacies without compromising cell selectivity, contributing to decreasing drug dosage and improving biosafety. Compared with ZY4R (4 mg/kg) and citronellal (25 mg/kg) alone, ZY4R (4 mg/kg)/citronellal (25 mg/kg) combination significantly decreased the bacterial load in peritoneal fluid, liver, and kidney (P < 0.05) and alleviated pathological damage of the organs of mice. Mechanistic studies showed that ZY4R allowed citronellal to pass through the outer membrane rapidly and acted on the inner membrane together with citronellal, causing more potent membrane damage. The membrane damage prompted the continuous accumulation of citronellal in cells, and citronellal further induced energy breakdown and inhibited exopolysaccharide (EPS) production, which aggravated ZY4R-induced outer membrane damage, thereby resulting in bacterial death. CONCLUSIONS: ZY4R/citronellal combination exhibited broad-spectrum synergy with a low resistance development and high biosafety. Their synergy mechanism acted on two important cellular targets (energy metabolism and membrane integrity). Combination therapy of ZY4R with citronellal may be a promising mixture to combat bacterial infections facing an antibiotic-resistance crisis.

Evolutionary game study of crowdsourcing open innovation synergy mechanism.

Open innovation crowdsourcing can help enterprises meet the challenges of a rapidly changing environment and improve their innovation performance. This study introduces network externalities as influencing factors of the crowdsourcing open innovation synergy mechanism. This study constructed the game payment matrix of the crowdsourcing open innovation synergy mechanism, and the evolutionary game method obtained the equilibrium solution of the crowdsourcing open innovation synergy mechanism. The impact of changes in the main influencing factors on the issuers' and receivers' willingness to collaborate and innovate was explored through numerical and case studies. The study shows that the higher the synergy benefit and its allocation coefficient need to be within a reasonable range for the willingness to collaborate and innovate to increase; the lower the original cost of both parties, and the higher the cost reduction coefficient under the policy support of the crowdsourcing platform, the higher the willingness to collaborate and innovate; the higher the network externality and the lower the penalty for breach of contract, the higher the desire to collaborate and innovate. The study recommends strengthening non-school education to guide innovation for all, and refining relevant policies to tailor innovation to local conditions. This study provides a new perspective and theoretical guidance for enterprises to build a crowdsourcing open innovation synergy mechanism and is a valuable reference for open innovation management.

Game analysis on regenerative synergy mechanism of the supply chain of integrate infrastructure engineering.

How to ensure the smooth implementation of convergent infrastructure engineering as the risk of sudden public events persists, allowing the engineering supply chain companies to break through the blockages to regenerate collaboratively and form a regenerated collaborative union. By establishing a mathematical game model, this paper explores the synergistic mechanism of supply chain regeneration for convergent infrastructure engineering, which takes into account cooperation and competition, investigates the impact of supply chain nodes' regeneration capacity and economic performance, as well as the dynamic changes in the importance weights of supply chain nodes, when adopting the collaborative decision of supply chain regeneration, the benefits of the supply chain system, are more than those when suppliers and manufacturers "act of one's own free will" by making decentralized decisions to undertake supply chain regeneration separately. All the investment costs of supply chain regeneration are higher than those in non-cooperative games. Based on the comparison of equilibrium solutions, it was found that exploring the collaborative mechanism of its convergence infrastructure engineering supply chain regeneration provides useful arguments for the emergency re-engineering of the engineering supply chain with a tube mathematical basis. Through constructing a dynamic game model for the exploration of the supply chain regeneration synergy mechanism, this paper provides methods and support for the emergency synergy among subjects of infrastructure construction projects, especially in improving the mobilization effectiveness of the entire infrastructure construction supply chain in critical emergencies and enhancing the emergency re-engineering capability of the supply chain.

Synergy with farnesol rejuvenates colistin activity against Colistin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in vitro and in vivo.

Colistin (COL) is considered the last line of treatment against infections due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria (GNB). However, the increasing number of colistin-resistant (COL-R) bacteria is a great threat to public health. In this study, a strategy of combining farnesol (FAR), which has anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties, with COL to restart COL activity was proposed. The synergistic effect of FAR combined with COL against COL-R GNB in vivo and in vitro were investigated. The excellent synergistic antibacterial activity of the COL-FAR combination was confirmed by performing the checkerboard assay, time-killing assay, and LIVE/DEAD bacterial cell viability assay. Crystal violet staining and scanning electron microscopy results showed that COL-FAR prevented biofilm formation and eradicated pre-existing mature biofilm. Cytotoxicity assay showed that FAR at 64 µg/mL was not cytotoxic to RAW264.7 cells. In vivo infection experiments showed that COL-FAR increased the survival rate of infected Galleria mellonella and decreased the bacterial load in a mouse thigh infection model. These results indicate that COL-FAR is a potentially effective therapeutic option for combating COL-R GNB infections.

Health-Promoting Activities and Associated Mechanisms of Polygonati Rhizoma Polysaccharides.

Polygonati Rhizoma, a typical homology of medicine and food, possesses remarkable anti-fatigue, anti-aging, metabolic regulatory, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-diabetes, and anti-cancer effects. Among bioactive phytochemicals in Polygonati Rhizoma, polysaccharides play important roles in the health-promoting activities through the mechanisms mentioned above and potential synergistic effects with other bioactives. In this review, we briefly introduce the updated biosynthesis of polysaccharides, the purification method, the structure characterization, and food applications, and discuss in detail the biological activities of Polygonati Rhizoma polysaccharides and associated mechanisms, aiming at broadening the usage of Polygonati Rhizoma as functional food and medicine.

Polyethylenimine-grafted nitrogen-doping magnetic biochar for efficient Cr(VI) decontamination: Insights into synthesis and adsorption mechanisms.

Herein, polyethylenimine (PEI)-grafted nitrogen (N)-doping magnetic biochar (PEIMW@MNBCBM) was synthesized, and characterization results showed that the microwave-assisted PEI grafting and ball milling-assisted N doping introduced abundant amino, pyridine N and pyrrole N structures onto biochar, which possessed high affinity to Cr(VI) in the anion form. The as-prepared PEIMW@MNBCBM displayed pH-dependence adsorption performance and high tolerance to co-existing ions with maximum uptake capacity of Cr(VI) identified as 183.02 mg/g. Furthermore, PEIMW@MNBCBM could bind Cr(VI) through electrostatic attraction, complexion, precipitation, reduction and pore filling. Especially, effective reduction of Cr(VI) was ascribed to cooperative electron transfer of partial oxygen-containing functional groups, intramolecular pyridine/pyrrole N, protonated amino and Fe2+ on the adsorbent, while oxygen-containing and amino functional groups from N-doping biochar and PEI synergistically complexed Cr(III) via providing lone pair electrons to form coordinate bonds. Furthermore, the stable precipitation was formed between Fe3+ and Cr(III). Additionally, the Cr(VI) elimination efficiency could maintain 95.83% even after four adsorption-desorption cycles, suggesting PEIMW@MNBCBM as a high-performance adsorbent for Cr(VI) contaminated water remediation.

Biotemplate Fabrication of Hollow Tubular CexSr1-xTiO3 with Regulable Surface Acidity and Oxygen Mobility for Efficient Destruction of Chlorobenzene: Intrinsic Synergy Effect and Reaction Mechanism.

Developing economic and applicable catalysts with elegant chlorine resistance and organic byproduct inhibition capability is of great significance for chlorinated volatile organic compounds (Cl-VOCs) eco-friendly purification. Here, ternary CexSr1-xTiO3 catalysts with tunable surface acidity and oxygen species mobility were creatively fabricated using the hollow tubular-structured fruit hair of Platanus (FHP; a widespread greenery waste) as the scaffolding biotemplate. It is shown that the oxygen vacancy (Ov) triggered by the presence of Ce can optimize the synergy between the Lewis acid sites (LAS) and Brønsted acid sites (BAS). High concentration of Ov and BAS promotes the C-Cl cleavage of chlorobenzene (CB) and accelerates the desorption of Cl• radicals as inorganic chlorine. Simultaneously, the strong electron transfer within Ti-Ce-Sr linkage increases the acidity of LAS, resulting in the superior reducibility of Ce0.4Sr0.6TiO3 and facilitating the deep oxidation of dechlorination intermediates. Additionally, the spatial confinement of the tubular structure remarkably accelerates the CB flow rate and reduces the residence time of byproducts over the prepared catalysts. Owing to these, CB can be efficiently destructed over Ce0.4Sr0.6TiO3 with selectivity of CO2 and inorganic chlorine dramatically enhanced, respectively, approximately 16 and 21 times at 275 °C compared to those of pure SrTiO3. The present work provides a feasible and promising strategy for engineering efficient catalysts for heterogeneous thermocatalytic reactions for industrial-scale Cl-CVOC destruction.

Quercetin Rejuvenates Sensitization of Colistin-Resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella Pneumoniae Clinical Isolates to Colistin.

Colistin is being considered as "the last ditch" treatment in many infections caused by Gram-negative stains. However, colistin is becoming increasingly invalid in treating patients who are infected with colistin-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella Pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae). To cope with the continuous emergence of colistin resistance, the development of new drugs and therapies is highly imminent. Herein, in this work, we surprisingly found that the combination of quercetin with colistin could efficiently and synergistically eradicate the colistin-resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae, as confirmed by the synergy checkboard and time-kill assay. Mechanismly, the treatment of quercetin combined with colistin could significantly downregulate the expression of mcr-1 and mgrB that are responsible for colistin-resistance, synergistically enhancing the bacterial cell membrane damage efficacy of colistin. The colistin/quercetin combination was notably efficient in eradicating the colistin-resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, our results may provide an efficient alternative pathway against colistin-resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae infections.

Efficient purification of hydrogen cyanide by synergistic effects of electrochemical and liquid phase catalysis.

In this study, Co, Cu, Pd, and Pd/Cu composite metal ions were used to synthesize metal nanoparticles with high efficiency in purifying hydrogen cyanide gas. The pure liquid phase catalytic purification of hydrogen cyanide gas was studied. According to the removal rate, the Pd/Cu composite metal ions had the best purification efficiency among the nanoparticles of different metal types. The removal rate order was Pd/Cu>Pd>Cu>Co. The gas after reaction were analyzed by gas chromatography, and it was found that HCN was converted into CO2, N2 and NH3 by nanoparticles. Then, Pd/Cu composite metal ions with the highest purification efficiency were used to study the electrochemical synergistic liquid-phase catalytic purification of HCN gas. The effects of electrochemical conditions and current on the electro-hydraulic synergistic purification were studied. The removal efficiency of HCN by electrochemical synergistic liquid phase catalysis was better than that by pure liquid phase catalysis. The different nanoparticles before and after HCN absorption were characterized and analyzed to explore the purification process of HCN. The purification mechanism of hydrogen cyanide by Pd-Cu catalyst under applied voltage was studied under certain conditions. During the catalytic reaction, the nano-catalyst was partially dissolved in liquid phase and partially HCN reacts with metal ions on the free or nanoparticles to form complex [Mc(CN)n]2-n. Homogeneous and quasi-homogeneous reactions in liquid phase interweave together to form a more complex reaction system.

Redesign of urban biowaste sustainable management system based on industrial ecology concept: A case study in China.

Urban biowaste, which refers to the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW), is a predominant type of waste in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, the sustainable management of urban biowaste is a key problem in solid waste management (SWM). However, treatment technologies usually come with secondary pollution and by-products that need further treatment, which would limit the economic and environmental benefits of the waste management system. The concept of industrial ecology has the potential to be introduced into the waste management field to solve this problem. Based on a practical case study of a city in eastern China, this paper conducted a complete urban biowaste treatment system planning exercise using concepts in industrial ecology. The establishment of the new system has significant economic, environmental and social benefits. The total output value of the project would reach 342 million yuan in 2025, corresponding to 945,000 tons of solid wastes consumed every year, which would significantly reduce the environmental pollution caused by solid waste. More than 700 jobs could also be created. In addition, the establishment of an urban biowaste sustainable management system requires the joint effort of enterprise, government and the public, which in turn requires innovation in business models and management policies. Therefore, a special management committee should be established to promote collaboration among stakeholders, and an online platform that enables end-to-end process supervision covering the entire system, including emergency management mechanisms, needs to be established to ensure the long-term stable operation of various treatment facilities. The results of this paper show that synergies among technologies should be promoted to provide systemic benefit, and that the infrastructure for pollution control should be shared to ensure high utilization.

Research on dynamics and mechanism of treatment on phenol simulated wastewater by the ultrasound cooperated electro-assisted micro-electrolysis.

In the research, the ultrasound was introduced to the electric-assisted micro-electrolysis system to improve the treatment efficiency of phenol simulated wastewater. The results showed that the phenol removal efficiency was significantly enhanced by the electric-assisted micro-electrolysis method in the presence of ultrasound, which could reach 88.61% under the initial value of pH 4, an iron dosage of 50 g/L, a mass ratio of iron/carbon of 1:1, and the initial phenol concentration of 100 mg/L. The degradation kinetics of phenol was in accordance with a second-order kinetic model. The synergistic effect of the ultrasonic and electric-assisted micro-electrolysis method was obvious with a synergistic factor at 98.02%. The degradation mechanism of phenol was that the treatment could effectively destroy the benzene ring structure of phenol in the liquid phase with ring-opening reaction and small molecules substances generated. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The article was the pretreatment of coking wastewater. First, the synergistic effects between ultrasound and electrochemical method through the removal ratio of phenol were found. Second, it was showed that the initial pH and applied intensity of voltage had the effects on removal ratio of phenol by the UEME method. Third, the synergy factor (Syn ) between ultrasonic and electrochemical method was 98.02%. Finally, the mechanism of the UEME degradation of phenol was researched. The technology could effectively improve the biodegradability of coking wastewater and provide conditions for subsequent biochemical treatment. So, we thought this article was suitable for the journal.

Protective Effect of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Granati Pericarpium Formula on Ultraviolet-induced Skin Damage / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the potential synergistic protective mechanism of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Granati Pericarpium formula compound by using the methods and tools of network pharmacology，and provide a basis for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） compounds and the discovery of new drugs. Method:Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP） was used to obtain the active components of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Granati Pericarpium formula and their corresponding targets. The obtained targets were input to the UniProt database to inquire the gene names corresponding to the targets. By searching the CTD database，Genecards database and OMIM database of disease-related websites，the anti-sunburn targets were obtained. The interaction of the active targets was analyzed with online STRING database to screen the predicted core targets. The gene ontolog（GO） gene function enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes（KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis of the predictive targets were performed by using DAVID database. Cytoscape 3.6.1 software was used to make "drug-component-target" network diagram，"protein-protein interaction" network diagram and "component-target-pathway" network diagram. Online website Draw Venn Diagram was used to show the relationship between disease targets and drug predicted targets. R Studio software was used to draw the functional enrichment analysis diagram of GO gene and KEGG pathway. Molecular docking between the active ingredients and the core targets was performed using GOLD software. Result:The 16 active compounds were collected，such as liquiritin，glycyrrhizin，kaempferol and quercetin. The active components mainly acted on 5 core targets：protein kinase B1（AKT1），interleukin（IL）-6，vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGFA），tumor necrosis factor（TNF） and tumor suppressor gene （TP53） and played a role in anti-sunburn effect primarily through these pathways such as hepatitis B，pathways in cancer，toxoplasmosis，chagas disease（American trypanosomiasis），and TNF signaling pathway. Conclusion:Based on the method of network pharmacology，the present study has preliminarily explored the anti-sunburn targets and pathways of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Granati Pericarpium formula，and further verified the characteristics of multi-component and multi-target treatment of diseases in TCM，so as to provide certain scientific ideas for the modernization research of Chinese herbal compound prescriptions.

Exploration and establishment of national clinical research center for aging and medicine at Huashan hospital / 中华医院管理杂志

In consideration of the population aging and growing demands for elderly health care, medical institutions in China are faced with severe challenges. Medical knowledge, given its potential to guide clinical practice, cannot apply to clinical practice directly, and a synergy research network should be built among diversified organizations instead. Authors of this paper described the roadblocks against building a medical synergy network, and presented the experiences of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University in its exploration and development of National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine. In view of major setbacks such as the absence of the following factors, namely the trust towards medical evidences produced in other facilities, a trans-organizational information sharing system, a referral procedure, clear requirements at hospital management level, and a well-functioning reimbursement mechanism. Hence the hospital is required to enhance its functionality of clinical research and play a more active role in the clinical research eco-system.

Exploring the molecular basis of antifungal synergies using genome-wide approaches.

Drug resistance poses a significant challenge in antifungal therapy since resistance has been found for all known classes of antifungal drugs. The discovery of compounds that can act synergistically with antifungal drugs is an important strategy to overcome resistance. For such combination therapies to be effective, it is critical to understand the molecular basis for the synergism by examining the cellular effects exerted by the combined drugs. Genomic profiling technologies developed in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been successfully used to investigate antifungal combinations. This review discusses how these technologies have been used not only to identify synergistic mechanisms but also to predict drug synergies. It also discusses how genome-wide genetic interaction studies have been combined with drug-target information to differentiate between antifungal drug synergies that are target-specific versus those that are non-specific. The investigation of the mechanism of action of antifungal synergies will undoubtedly advance the development of optimal and safe combination therapies for the treatment of drug-resistant fungal infections.