Low-Temperature Synthesis of Anatase TiO2 Nanoparticles with Tunable Surface Charges for Enhancing Photocatalytic Activity

In this work, the positively or negatively charged anatase TiO[subscript 2] nanoparticles were synthesized via a low temperature precipitation-peptization process (LTPPP) in the presence of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) and poly(sodium4- styrenesulfonate) (PSS). X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) confirmed the anatase crystalline phase. The charges of the prepared TiO[subscript 2], PEI-TiO[subscript 2] and PSS-TiO[subscript 2] nanoparticles were investigated by zeta potentials. The results showed that the zeta potentials of PEI-TiO[subscript 2] nanoparticles can be tuned from +39.47 mV to +95.46 mV, and that of PSS-TiO[subscript 2] nanoparticles can be adjusted from −56.63 mV to −119.32 mV. In comparison with TiO[subscript 2], PSS-TiO[subscript 2] exhibited dramatic adsorption and degradation of dye molecules, while the PEI modified TiO[subscript 2] nanoparticles showed lower photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic performances of these charged nanoparticles were elucidated by the results of UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) and the photoluminescence (PL) spectra, which indicated that the PSS-TiO[subscript 2] nanoparticles showed a lower recombination rate of electron-hole pairs than TiO[subscript 2] and PEI-TiO[subscript 2].National Natural Science Foundation (China) (21176005

Environmental Accounting Information Disclosure Driving Factors: The Case of Listed Firms in China

This study explores factors that drive environmental accounting information disclosure (EAID) among corporations in China. Using a sample of 200 A-shared listed firms, we apply a structural equation model (SEM) and multiple linear regressions to examine how, and to what extent, external pressure, corporate performance and corporate governance affects the EAID of corporations. The results show that external pressure and corporate performance can significantly and positively affect corporate EAID. Regarding external pressure, government regulations, media pressure and loans are the most important driving factors, whereas profitability and sales ability are the most important ones among corporate performance factors. However, we found that governance factors have no significant impact on EAID. This paper enriches research on environmental accounting information disclosure and provides important insights for Chinese regulators into effective ways of fostering disclosures of environmental accounting information and raising corporate awareness of CSR fulfillment to ensure sustainable development

Association between gut microbial diversity and technique failure in peritoneal dialysis patients

AbstractBackground Gut dysbiosis in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients causes chronic inflammation and metabolic disorders which result in a series of complications, probably playing an important role in PD technique failure. The reduction in gut microbial diversity was a common feature of gut dysbiosis. The objective was to explore the relationship between gut microbial diversity and technique failure in PD patients.Methods The gut microbiota was analyzed by 16s ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify association between gut microbial diversity and technique failure in PD patients.Results In this study, a total of 101 PD patients were enrolled. During a median follow-up of 38 months, we found that lower diversity was independently associated with a higher risk of technique failure (hazard ratio [HR], 2.682; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.319–5.456; p = 0.006). In addition, older age (HR, 1.034; 95% CI, 1.005–1.063; p = 0.020) and the history of diabetes (HR, 5.547; 95% CI, 2.218–13.876; p < 0.001) were also independent predictors for technique failure of PD patients. The prediction model constructed on the basis of three independent risk factors above performed well in predicting technique failure at 36 and 48 months (36 months: area under the curve [AUC] = 0.861; 95% CI, 0.836–0.886; 48 months: AUC = 0.815; 95% CI, 0.774–0.857).Conclusion Gut microbial diversity was independently correlated with technique failure in PD patients, and some specific microbial taxa may serve as a potential therapeutic target for decreasing PD technique failure

<i>PhoD</i> Harboring Microbial Community and Alkaline Phosphatase as Affected by Long Term Fertilization Regimes on a Calcareous Soil

Organic phosphorus (Po) may play a vital role in phosphorus availability via its mineralization by alkaline phosphatase (ALP), being encoded by phoD gene, in calcareous soil. Understanding the effects of long-term fertilization on the community of phoD harboring bacteria and the related alteration of the P availability owing to the changes in ALP secretion may offer a chance to elucidate the Po contribution to soil available P. Based on a long-term experiment, we analyzed the phoD gene harboring microbial diversity, abundance and composition, ALP and Po forms, and their relationship. The treatments involved were control without any fertilizers (CK), synthetic nitrogen and potassium (NK), synthetic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK), NPK and crop stalk return (SNPK), and NPK plus organic manure (MNPK). Fertilization increased the abundance and diversity of phoD gene harboring microbial over CK. Those receiving NPK and NPK treatments integrated with organic supplements significantly improved the relative abundance of Proteobacteria but decreased Gemmatimonadetes at the phylum level, while all fertilized treatments appreciably increased the relative abundance of Lysobacter but decreased that of Gemmatirosa and Afipia, at the genus level. SNPK and MNPK treatments noticeably increased the relative abundance of Methylobacter but reduced Pseudomonas and Streptomyces relative to those receiving synthetic fertilizer treatments. Long-term fertilization markedly raised ALP activity, which was significantly and positively correlated with the relative abundance of the phylum Proteobacteria as represented by the genera Methylobacterium and Lysobacter. ALP was closely associated with moderately labile Po, followed by enzyme P, recalcitrant Po, and labile Po. The changes in phoD bacteria and ALP were mainly driven by soil organic carbon, Olsen P and pH. We concluded that the long-term fertilization, especially the addition of organic supplements, profoundly modified the soil properties and subsequently changed the diversity and relative abundance of phoD gene harboring bacteria, which promoted the activity of ALP, and thus the mineralization of various forms of Po (mainly moderately labile Po) to enhance the P availability

PhoD Harboring Microbial Community and Alkaline Phosphatase as Affected by Long Term Fertilization Regimes on a Calcareous Soil

Organic phosphorus (Po) may play a vital role in phosphorus availability via its mineralization by alkaline phosphatase (ALP), being encoded by phoD gene, in calcareous soil. Understanding the effects of long-term fertilization on the community of phoD harboring bacteria and the related alteration of the P availability owing to the changes in ALP secretion may offer a chance to elucidate the Po contribution to soil available P. Based on a long-term experiment, we analyzed the phoD gene harboring microbial diversity, abundance and composition, ALP and Po forms, and their relationship. The treatments involved were control without any fertilizers (CK), synthetic nitrogen and potassium (NK), synthetic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK), NPK and crop stalk return (SNPK), and NPK plus organic manure (MNPK). Fertilization increased the abundance and diversity of phoD gene harboring microbial over CK. Those receiving NPK and NPK treatments integrated with organic supplements significantly improved the relative abundance of Proteobacteria but decreased Gemmatimonadetes at the phylum level, while all fertilized treatments appreciably increased the relative abundance of Lysobacter but decreased that of Gemmatirosa and Afipia, at the genus level. SNPK and MNPK treatments noticeably increased the relative abundance of Methylobacter but reduced Pseudomonas and Streptomyces relative to those receiving synthetic fertilizer treatments. Long-term fertilization markedly raised ALP activity, which was significantly and positively correlated with the relative abundance of the phylum Proteobacteria as represented by the genera Methylobacterium and Lysobacter. ALP was closely associated with moderately labile Po, followed by enzyme P, recalcitrant Po, and labile Po. The changes in phoD bacteria and ALP were mainly driven by soil organic carbon, Olsen P and pH. We concluded that the long-term fertilization, especially the addition of organic supplements, profoundly modified the soil properties and subsequently changed the diversity and relative abundance of phoD gene harboring bacteria, which promoted the activity of ALP, and thus the mineralization of various forms of Po (mainly moderately labile Po) to enhance the P availability