Promotion of Para-Chlorophenol Reduction and Extracellular Electron Transfer in an Anaerobic System at the Presence of Iron-Oxides

Anaerobic dechlorination of chlorophenols often subjects to their toxicity and recalcitrance, presenting low loading rate and poor degradation efficiency. In this study, in order to accelerate p-chlorophenol (p-CP) reduction and extracellular electron transfer in an anaerobic system, three iron-oxide nanoparticles, namely hematite, magnetite and ferrihydrite, were coupled into an anaerobic system, with the performance and underlying role of iron-oxide nanoparticles elucidated. The reductive dechlorination of p-CP was notably improved in the anaerobic systems coupled by hematite and magnetite, although ferrihydrite did not plays a positive role. Enhanced dechlorination of p-CP in hematite or magnetite coupled anaerobic system was linked to the obvious accumulation of acetate, lower oxidation–reduction potential and pH, which were beneficial for reductive dechlorination. Electron transfer could be enhanced by Fe2+/Fe3+ redox couple on the iron oxides surface formed through dissimilatory iron-reduction. This study demonstrated that the coupling of iron-oxide nanoparticles such as hematite and magnetite could be a promising alternative to the conventional anaerobic reduction process for the removal of CPs from wastewater

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

An Economic Analysis of Tropical Timber Concessions

132 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1997.The study of harvest concessions could be improved by alternative model specifications. More empirical data collection and analyses could be carried out. The different assumptions about enforceability and the validity of the theoretical results obtained can be tested empirically. It would also be informative to study the role of reputation such as a review strategy in concession logging.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

Impacts of policy reforms on forestry environments and biodiversity

China has serious environmental problems but China has begun to address some of them. The data for environmental assesments of China's forests are sparse at best, therefore, the authors survey general impressions before focusing on one representative topic, the loss of biodiveristy that necessarily occurs as China deplete its natural forests. China's large expanse of natural forest may support the largest range of biodiversity as well. Managed forests support some environmental services and they play a crucial role in controlling erosion, but they are not as important as natural forests for the protection of critical habitats and general biodiversity. The central government has identified the enviroment as a focal policy issue for the twenty-first century, and it has begun enforcing compliance with environmental regulations on polluting industries. It is insufficient to presume that comprehensive rules such as increasing forest cover in general, or even saving all natural forests, will solve all forestry problems. Beter data and more thorough analyses are needed to assess the relative magnitudes of these problems and the most effective means of addressing them

Multifunctional laser imaging of cancer cell secretion with hybrid liquid crystal resonators

Laser emission imaging is an emerging technology, which offers immense potential for revealing biological behavior with enhanced light-matter interactions and signal contrast. State-of-the-art lasers mostly provide physical information of cells, without being able to perform various biochemical functions or biological information of cell. Here this need is addressed by introducing hybrid liquid crystal microlaser resonators, an approach for label-free laser emission imaging of secreted molecules associated with various types of cell–environment interaction. Liquid crystal microdroplets are designed as signal amplifiers to report subtle molecular events sandwiched in a Fabry–Pérot microcavity. Through the integration with a galvometer scanner, dynamic information of cell physiological processes is recorded through different lasing wavelengths. The capability of detecting small molecule, redox oxygen species, to larger molecules such as overexpressed proteins is demonstrated by using pancreatic cancer cell line. The capability of monitoring cell responses to anticancer drug is also illustrated. The proposed concept can be extended to multiplexed biolasers for investigating cell signaling, cell–cell interactions, and drug screening.Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)Nanyang Technological UniversityThis research was supported by A*STAR under its AME IRG Grant (Project No. A20E5c0085). The authors would like to thank the lab support from Centre of Bio-Devices and Bioinformatics and Internal Grant from NTU.