Leaching of indium from end-of-life LCD panels via catalysis by synergistic microbial communities.

Currently, a large amount of discarded liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are being produced, and the improper treatment of discarded LCDs causes serious environmental pollution problems. Indium is the most valuable metal in LCDs and is present in such devices at a concentration of over 0.025%. In this study, the bioleaching of indium from end-of-life LCD panels was comprehensively investigated through three methods: S-mediated pathway, Fe-mediated pathway and Mixed pathway of S- and Fe-mediated, which yielded maximum bioleaching efficiencies of approximately 100%, 0% and 78%, respectively. Microbial community analysis showed that the dominant functional bacteria under the S-mediated pathway were Acidithiobacillus. The Acidithiobacillus genus catalysed the leaching of indium, which was mainly achieved by indirect bioleaching. In addition, the microorganisms can secrete enzymes and extracellular polymeric substances, which also contributed to the leaching of indium. Therefore, this work provides an economical and efficient biological method for future research and practical applications in indium recovery from solid waste.

Metabolic profiling of femoral muscle from rats at different periods of time after death.

Clarification of postmortem metabolite changes can help characterize the process of biological degradation and facilitate investigations of forensic casework, especially in the estimation of postmortem interval (PMI). Metabolomics can provide information on the molecular profiles of tissues, which can aid in investigating postmortem metabolite changes. In this study, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric (LC-MS) analysis was performed to identify the metabolic profiles of rat femoral muscle at ten periods of time after death within 168 h. The results obtained by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC)- and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)- electrospray ionization (ESI±) have revealed more than 16,000 features from all four datasets. Furthermore, 915 of these features were identified using an in-house database. Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated the time-specific features of molecular profiling at each period of time after death. Moreover, results from partial least squares projection to latent structures-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) disclosed a strong association of metabolic alterations of at least 59 metabolites with the time since death, especially within 48 h after death, which expounds these metabolites as potential indicators in PMI estimation. Altogether, our results illustrate the potentiality of metabolic profiling in the evaluation of PMI and provide candidate metabolite markers with strong correlation with time since death for forensic purpose.

Leaching of vanadium from waste V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalyst catalyzed by functional microorganisms.

Solid wastes are currently produced in large amounts. Although bioleaching of metals from solid wastes is an economical and sustainable technology, it has seldom been used to recycle metals from abandoned catalyst. In this study, the bioleaching of vanadium from V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalyst were comprehensively investigated through five methods: Oligotrophic way, Eutrophic way, S-mediated way, Fe-mediated way and Mixed way of S-mediated and Fe-mediated. The observed vanadium bioleaching effectiveness of the assayed methods was follows: S-mediated > Mixed > Oligotrophic > Eutrophic > Fe-mediated, which yielded the maximum bioleaching efficiencies of approximately 90%, 35%, 33%, 20% and 7%, respectively. The microbial community analysis suggested that the predominant genera Acidithiobacillus and Sulfobacillus from the S-mediated bioleaching way effectively catalyzed the vanadium leaching, which could have occurred through the indirect mechanism from the microbial oxidation of S0. In addition, the direct mechanism, involving direct electron transfer between the catalyst and the microorganisms that attached to the catalyst surface, should also help the vanadium to be leached more effectively. Therefore, this work provides guidance for future research and practical application on the treatment of waste V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalyst.

[Application of the Peak Area Ratio of STR Loci to Amelogenin Locus in the Estimation of DNA Degradation].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the change rules of peak area ratio of STR loci to Amelogenin (AMEL) locus (STR/AMEL), a sex-determining gene in DNA degradation, and to evaluate the application of STR/AMEL value in the estimation of DNA degradation degree. METHODS: DNA was extracted from iliopsoas, and the variations of STR/AMEL value (Penta E/AMEL, Penta D/AMEL, FGA/AMEL) were analyzed after the artificial degradation was made by DNase I, and the changes of these three ratios of the iliopsoas naturally degraded in an outdoor environment were also analyzed. The regression curves were analyzed using the periods of DNA degradation and outside the body as the independent variable (x) and the STR/AMEL value as the dependent variable (y) and three curve equations under two conditions were established. RESULTS: Both under the conditions of artificial and natural degradation, STR/AMEL value had a negative relationship with the degradation time. The relationship between STR/AMEL and degradation time can be well simulated by the cubic function. R2 was over 0.99 under controlled degradation condition and over 0.86 under natural degradation condition. CONCLUSION: The STR/AMEL value (Penta E/AMEL, Penta D/AMEL, FGA/AMEL) is negatively related with the DNA degradation degree, which follows mathematical regression models strictly, and it might be applied to evaluate the DNA degradation degree.

Magnetic Resonance Spectrum Technique in the Follow-up of an Ulnar Nerve Injured Patient.

A 49-year-old Chinese man sustained laceration of the right forearm by a dagger, with his right ulnar nerve completely transected. Four months postinjury, he underwent surgery to repair the nerve. He was examined by electromyogram, nerve conduction velocity, magnetic resonance imaging, and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after the injury. Before surgery, intramyocellular lipid (IMCL)/creatine (Cr) and extramyocellular lipid (EMCL)/Cr were observed to be higher than those of the uninjured side. During the recovery, IMCL/Cr and EMCL/Cr became lower and closer to the uninjured side. This case demonstrates that the change of IMCL/Cr and EMCL/Cr may be related to the recovery of peripheral nerve.

New environmentally friendly catalysts containing Pd-interstitial carbon made from Pd-glucose precursors for ultraselective hydrogenations in the liquid phase.

We report a novel preparation of a Pd nanocatalyst modified with subsurface C via blending a glucose precursor at the molecular level: the catalyst is demonstrated for the first time to be stereoselective in the hydrogenation of alkynes to cis-alkenes in the liquid phase.