Aerobic co-composting of mature compost with cattle manure: Organic matter conversion and microbial community characterization.

The production of organic fertilizer by aerobic composting of cattle manure is an important way of its resource utilization. This study evaluated the effects of adding mature compost on the decomposition and microbial communities in the aerobic composting of cattle manure. The addition of mature compost shortens the composting cycle and results in a final lignocellulosic degradation rate of 35%. Metagenomic analysis showed that this was due to the proliferation of thermophilic and organic matter-degrading functional microorganisms, which enhanced the activity of carbohydrate-active enzymes. With the addition of mature compost, the microbial community exhibited stronger metabolic functions, especially carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, which are the driving forces of organic matter degradation. This study deepens the understanding of organic matter conversion and microbial community metabolic functions when mature compost is used for livestock manure composting and provides a promising technology for livestock manure composting.

Eliminating Nanocrystal Surface Light Loss and Ion Migration to Achieve Bright Mixed-Halide Blue Perovskite LEDs.

Blue light-emittin g diodes (LEDs) are important components for perovskite electroluminescence applications, which still suffer from insufficient luminescence efficiency and poor stability. In Cl/Br mixed perovskite NCs, surficial defects cause severe light failure and ion migration, the in-depth mechanism of which is also not clear. To gain insights into these issues, we employ the ligand post-addition approach for mixed Cl/Br NCs by using octylammonium hydrobromide (OctBr) ligands, which effectively decrease surficial light loss and block ion migration pathways. The passivated CsPbCl1.5Br1.5 NCs exhibit exceptional blue emission with 95% PLQY, and the electroluminescence spectra of LEDs are located at the initial positions at the initial states. The treated NC blue devices show a negligible color shift as the voltage increases, which proves that electric-field-driven ion migration is drastically suppressed. In addition, OctBr-treated CsPbCl1.5Br1.5 and CsPbClBr2 NC LEDs show high external quantum efficiencies of 2.42 and 3.05% for emission peaks at 456 and 480 nm, respectively. Our work identified the nature of NC surface defects and provided a surficial modification approach to develop high-performance and color-stable blue mixed-halide perovskite LEDs.

In Situ Ti6Al4V/TiB Composites Prepared by Hydrogen-Assisted Sintering of Blends Containing TiH2 and Ball-Milled Ti+TiB2 Powders.

In the present study, 98.6-99.5% dense in situ reinforced Ti6Al4V/TiB composites were manufactured with a newly developed approach based on hydrogen-assisted blended elemental powder metallurgy (BEPM). The approach includes the activation milling of titanium powder produced with hydrogenation-dehydrogenation (HDH-Ti powder) with finer TiB2 additives, following blending with TiH2 and master alloy (MA) powders, and final press-and-sinter operations. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations prove the formation of microstructures with improved density and homogeneous distribution of TiB reinforcements in a sintered Ti6Al4V matrix. Hardness and compressive tests validated the high mechanical characteristics of produced composites. The effect of preliminary milling time over 2-6 h and the ratio of hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated titanium powders used (TiH2 vs. HDH Ti) on microstructure and mechanical properties were studied to further optimize the processing parameters. Test results indicate the above approach can be regarded as a promising route for the cost-effective manufacturing of Ti6Al4V/TiB composite with reduced porosity, tailored microstructure uniformity, acceptable impurity level and, hence, mechanical characteristics sufficient for practice applications.

Color-Stable and High-Efficiency Blue Perovskite Nanocrystal Light-Emitting Diodes via Monovalent Copper Ion Lowering Lead Defects.

Light-emitting diodes using metal halide perovskite (PeLEDs) exhibit a strong potential for emerging display technologies due to their unique optoelectronic characteristics. However, for blue emission PeLEDs, there remains a huge challenge to achieve high performance, an issue that has been addressed in their red and green counterparts. The community is circumventing the challenges in synthesizing stable, high-quantum-efficiency, and low-defect-density blue emitters. Here, a facile strategy that replaces Pb by adding a monovalent ion Cu+, in this case into CsPbClBr2 perovskite, is carried out. This decreases the Pb dangling bonds and increases the radiative recombination for the enhancement of blue emission. The nanoparticles obtained by this method maintain a blue emission at 479 nm. The photoluminescence quantum yield is 2 times higher than the pristine analogue. The corresponding perovskite nanocrystal (PNC) LEDs achieve stable electroluminescence spectrum at high brightness. Simultaneously, the optimal blue PNC LEDs obtain the maximum values of luminance and external quantum efficiency of 1537 cd m-2 and 3.78%, respectively. And the device realizes typical blue light CIE chromaticity coordinates of (0.098, 0.123). Our work reveals that the substitution of Pb by heterovalent ions significantly decreases nanocrystal defects, which will pave the way of perovskite LEDs for practical applications in the future.

Metabolic potential of microbial community and distribution mechanism of Staphylococcus species during broad bean paste fermentation.

Although the microbial diversity and structure in bean-based fermented foods have been widely studied, systematic studies on functional microbiota and mechanism of community forms in multi-microbial fermentation systems were still lacking. In this work, the metabolic pathway and functional potential of microbial community in broad bean paste (BBP) were investigated by metagenomics approach, and Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Weissella, Aspergillus and Zygosaccharomyces were found to be the potential predominant populations responsible for substrate alteration and flavor biosynthesis. Among them, Staphylococcus was the most abundant and widespread functional microbe, and closely related Staphylococcus species were diverse and ubiquitously distributed, with the opportunistic pathogen S. gallinarum being the most abundant Staphylococcus specie isolated from BBP. To explain the dominance status of S. gallinarum and species distributions of Staphylococcus genus, we tested the effects of abiotic and biotic factors on three Staphylococcus species using a tractable BBP model, demonstrating that adaptation to environmental conditions (environmental parameters and other functional microbes) led to the dominant position and species coexistence of Staphylococcus, and congeneric competition among Staphylococcus species further shaped ecological distributions of closely related Staphylococcus species. In general, this work revealed the metabolic potential of microbial community and distribution mechanism of Staphylococcus species during BBP fermentation, which could help traditional factories to more precisely control the safety and quality of bean-based fermented foods.

Development of a defined autochthonous starter through dissecting the seasonal microbiome of broad bean paste.

Bean-based fermentation foods are usually ripened in open environment, which would lead to inconsistencies in flavor and quality between batches. The physicochemical metabolism and microbial community of seasonal broad bean paste (BBP) were compared to distinguish discriminant metabolites and unique taxa, as well as their specific reasons for different flavor and quality in this study. Here, we found that environmental variables led to the seasonal distribution of microbiota, and differential microorganisms further contributed to the inconsistency of flavor quality, in which Lactobacillales was responsible for the higher titratable acid and amino acid nitrogen concentration in winter pei, while Saccharomycetales benefited the formation of volatile flavor substances in autumn pei. Additionally, we compared the effect of different combinations of Lactobacillales with Zygosaccharomyces rouxii on the quality of BBP, and found that W. confusa was more suitable for BBP fermentation rather than T. halophilus in terms of sensory characteristics and physicochemical metabolites.

A Bottom-Up Approach To Develop a Synthetic Microbial Community Model: Application for Efficient Reduced-Salt Broad Bean Paste Fermentation.

Humans have used high salinity for the production of bean-based fermented foods over thousands of years. Although high salinity can inhibit the growth of harmful microbes and select functional microbiota in an open environment, it also affects fermentation efficiency of bean-based fermented foods and has a negative impact on people's health. Therefore, it is imperative to develop novel defined starter cultures for reduced-salt fermentation in a sterile environment. Here, we explored the microbial assembly and function in the fermentation of traditional Chinese broad bean paste with 12% salinity. The results revealed that the salinity and microbial interactions together drove the dynamic of community and pointed out that five dominant genera (Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Weissella, Aspergillus, and Zygosaccharomyces) may play different key roles in different fermentation stages. Then, core species were isolated from broad bean paste, and their salinity tolerance, interactions, and metabolic characteristics were evaluated. The results provided an opportunity to validate in situ predictions through in vitro dissection of microbial assembly and function. Last, we reconstructed the synthetic microbial community with five strains (Aspergillus oryzae, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus gallinarum, Weissella confusa, and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii) under different salinities and realized efficient fermentation of broad bean paste for 6 weeks in a sterile environment with 6% salinity. In general, this work provided a bottom-up approach for the development of a simplified microbial community model with desired functions to improve the fermentation efficiency of bean-based fermented foods by deconstructing and reconstructing the microbial structure and function.IMPORTANCE Humans have mastered high-salinity fermentation techniques for bean-based fermented product preparation over thousands of years. High salinity was used to select the functional microbiota and conducted food fermentation production with unique flavor. Although a high-salinity environment is beneficial for suppressing harmful microbes in the open fermentation environment, the fermentation efficiency of functional microbes is partially inhibited. Therefore, application of defined starter cultures for reduced-salt fermentation in a sterile environment is an alternative approach to improve the fermentation efficiency of bean-based fermented foods and guide the transformation of traditional industry. However, the assembly and function of self-organized microbiota in an open fermentation environment are still unclear. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of microbial function and the mechanism of community succession in a high-salinity environment during the fermentation of broad bean paste so as to reconstruct the microbial community and realize efficient fermentation of broad bean paste in a sterile environment.

Formation of organic chloramines during chlor(am)ination and UV/chlor(am)ination of algae organic matter in drinking water.

Surface water are frequently subjected to problems of algal blooms and release of algae organic matter (AOM) from the algae cells, which cause many water quality issues. This study investigated the formation of organic chloramines and nitrogenous disinfection by-products (N-DBPs) during chlor(am)ination and UV/chlor(am)ination of AOM in drinking water. AOM caused higher organic chloramine formation than humic acid and fulvic acid during chlor(am)ination. The formation of organic chloramines increased first and then decreased with the increase of free chlorine dosage, but kept increasing with the increase of NH2Cl dosage. During AOM chlorination, the formation of organic chloramines kept decreasing as the reaction time went by, and the maximum organic chloramine proportion (79.1%) in total chlorine occurred at 8 h. However, during AOM chloramination, the formation of organic chloramines increased first, decreased in the following and then increased again as the reaction time went by, and the maximum organic chloramine proportion (22.1%) in total chlorine occurred at 24 h. UV irradiation pretreatment did not effectively influence organic chloramine formation during AOM chlor(am)ination, but accelerated the degradation of organic chloramines during chloramination. Besides, UV pretreatment enhanced the formation of N-DBPs during the subsequent chlor(am)ination of AOM, especially dichloroacetonitrile.

[Composition of NOM in raw water of Danjiangkou Reservoir of South-to-North Water Diversion Project and comparison of efficacy of enhanced coagulation].

The best enhanced coagulation conditions for the raw water of Danjiangkou Reservoir of South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the molecular weights as well as hydrophobicity composition of Natural organic matter (NOM) in the water were investigated in this study. The results showed that the NOM in the raw water of Danjiangkou Reservoir of South-to-North Water Diversion Project was mainly composed of the fraction with a molecular weight of < 1 000 and transphilic components. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC, 39.98%) and UV254 (39.10%) were the major components. And the fraction with a molecular weight of < 1 000 had the highest contents of THMFP and N-DBPFP. In the raw water of Danjiangkou Reservoir, the sum of transphilic and hydrophobic fractions was up to 80%, and the hydrophobic fraction was the minimum contributor of the NOM, but the THMFP of the hydrophobic fraction had the highest percentage. And when the raw water of Danjiangkou Reservoir was treated using polymeric ferric sulfate (PFS, 4 mg x L(-1)) and poly-acrylamide (PAM, 0.4 mg x L(-1)) , the optimal removal rates of turbidity, DOC, UV254 and THMFP were 76.33%, 25.57%, 37.78% and 23.16%, respectively. The results of this paper can provide theoretical and technological basis for upgrading of the process and operation optimization of original drinking water treatment plants in the intake area of South-to-North Water Diversion Project.

[Formation of Disinfection By-Products During Chlor(am)ination of Danjiangkou Reservoir Water and Comparison of Disinfection Processes].

This study discussed the formation of volatile carbonaceous disinfection by-products (DBPs) and nitrogenous DBPs during chlor(am) ination of Danjingkou Reservoir water which was the source of the Middle Route Project of South-to-North Water Diversion Project. The effects of disinfection methods, disinfectant dosage, reaction time, pH values and bromide ion concentration were investigated. And the disinfection parameters were optimized. Four DBPs, including chloroform (CF), bromodichloromethane (BDCM), dichloroacetonitrile(DCAN) and trichloronitromethane(TCNM), were observed during the chlorination. But only CF and TCNM were detected during the chloramination of water. The disinfection by-product (DBP) concentration from chlorination is 7. 5 times higher than that from chloramination, and the yield of DBPs from short time chlorination then chloramination is in between the first two methods. All kinds of DBPs detected increased with the dosage of increasing chlorine, but the increases slowed down when the dosage was higher than 2 mg . L -1. The formation of CF varied a little as the dosage of chloramine increasing. TCNM was detected when the chloramine dosage was greater than 2 mg . L -1. As reaction time going on, chlorine decayed much faster than chloramine, while DBP formation under chlorination was faster than that of chloramination. THM produced by chlorine increased with the increasing pH, while chloramination showed no obvious changes. As the bromide ion increasing, the species of DBPs transformed from chlorinated DBPs to brominated ones, and the total yield of DBPs increased during both chlorination and chloramination, but the former one was obviously more than that of the latter one. In order to reduce the risk of DBP formation, the chloramination is suggested in the treatment of water from Danjiangkou Reservoir. And if chlorination is applied, the disinfectant dosage should be controlled seriously.

Role of poly-galacturonase inhibiting protein in plant defense.

Polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) are plant proteins believed to play an important role in the defense against plant pathogen fungals. PGIPs are glycoproteins located in plant cell wall which reduce the hydrolytic activity of polygalacturonases (PGs), limit the growth of plant pathogens, and also elicit defense responses in plant. Furthermore, PGIPs belong to the super family of leucine reach repeat (LRR) proteins which also include the products of several plant resistance genes. Many of the studies show the PGIP properties, molecular characteristics, and PGIP gene expression induced by some elicitors. Some of the studies review individual PGIP gene expression in different signal transduction pathways. This article summarizes the properties, different signal transduction mechanisms, detecting methods, transgenic plants, and function of PGIP. It also presents PGIP gene expression in different stages of maturity, tissues, and varieties. The review especially reports the particular PGIP gene expression induced by different biotic and abiotic stresses, offers some questions, and prospects the future study, which are needed in order to develop efficient strategies for disease-resistant plants. They may be useful for genetic engineering to obtain transgenic plants with increased tolerance to fungal infection, which decrease the use of insecticide.