A novel magnesium-calcium hydroxyapatite adsorbent was prepared by the Sol-gel method with different proportions of Mg/(Ca+Mg) using Mg²⁺ as doped ions, and the removal characteristics and process mechanism of Pb²⁺ on the magnesium-calcium hydroxyapatite in an aqueous solutions were studied. The results show that the surface of the adsorbent is composed mainly of a hydroxyphosphonite compound[Pb₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂], The morphological characteristics of the magnesium-calcium hydroxyapatite adsorbent surface was investigated as crystal structure changes from short rods to needle structures according to scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Testing at a temperature of 25℃ and pH of 5 showed that the adsorption of Pb²⁺ by magnesium-calcium hydroxyapatite reached equilibrium within 720 min. The adsorption capacity was determined to be 813.17 mg·g^-1 at a dosage of 0.6 g·L^-1. The thermodynamic test results of ΔG^θ<0, ΔS^θ>0, and ΔH^θ>0 indicated that the adsorption process of Pb²⁺ by magnesium-calcium hydroxyapatite is a spontaneous process with endothermic reaction and entropy increments, and higher temperatures were considered be favorable for adsorption at a range of 25-45℃. The adsorption could be effectively described by a pseudo-second-order kinetic equation. The equilibrium data were found to follow the Langmuir adsorption model. Material characterization and adsorption tests showed that surface complexation and dissolution-precipitation were the main mechanisms for the removal of Pb²⁺ by magnesium-calcium hydroxyapatite in an aqueous solution.

As an important urban drinking water source, reservoirs are a special type of water body formed by artificial dams. Water quality of reservoirs directly affects the residents' drinking water safety. In order to reveal the characteristics of stratification and vertical changes of bacterial communities in the Miyun Reservoir, a drinking water source of Beijing, vertical stratified samples were collected during the stable stratified period of the reservoir (autumn). The vertical distribution characteristics of bacterial communities in the Miyun Reservoir were studied by using 16S rDNA terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and quantitative PCR. Cluster analysis and multivariate statistical analysis were used to reveal the response relationships between bacterial communities and environmental factors. The results were as follows. ①The thermocline of the Miyun Reservoir was located at a water depth of 20-30 m, and the water temperature range was 15-19℃. The cluster analysis data of the seven sampled water layers were divided into an aerobic area (upper layer) and anoxic area (lower layer). The temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH gradually decreased below 15 m. The electrical conductivity, ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, and total nitrogen changed significantly after 15 m. The water quality showed obvious features in the vertical direction. ② The redundancy analysis (RDA) results showed that there were obvious vertical changes in the dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductivity, ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and nitrite nitrogen between the aerobic and anoxic water layer. Those factors were the main environmental factors affecting the vertical distribution of the bacterial communities in the Miyun Reservoir. ③ The total bacterial number fluctuated with changes in the water depth. The Shannon-Wiener index and the number of T-RFs of bacteria in the aerobic zone were significantly higher than those in the anoxic zone, which indicates that there was significant stratification in the distribution of bacterial communities in the water of the Miyun Reservoir in autumn. This study explored the effects of water stratification on reservoir water quality and bacterial communities, and the findings provide a scientific basis for predicting water quality changes and reservoir management.

Northeastern China experiences severe atmospheric pollution, with an increasing occurrence of heavy haze episodes. Based on ground monitoring data, satellite products and meteorological products of atmospheric pollutants in northeast China from 2013 to 2017, the characteristics of spatial and temporal distribution of air quality and the causes of heavy haze events in northeast China were discussed. It was found that the "Shenyang-Changchun-Harbin" city belt was the most polluted area in the region on an annual scale. The spatial distribution of air quality index (AQI) values had a clear seasonality, with the worst pollution occurring in winter, an approximately oval-shaped polluted area around western Jilin Province in spring, and the best air quality occurring in summer and most of autumn. The three periods that typically experienced intense haze events were Period I from late-October to early-November (i. e., late autumn and early winter), Period Ⅱ from late-December to January (i. e., the coldest time in winter), and Period Ⅲ from April to mid-May (i. e., spring). During Period I, strong PM_2.5 emissions from seasonal crop residue burning and coal burning for winter heating were the dominant reasons for the occurrence of extreme haze events (AQI>300). Period Ⅱ had frequent heavy haze events (200 < AQI < 300) in the coldest months of January and February(200 < AQI < 300), which were due to high PM_2.5 emissions from coal burning and vehicle fuel consumption, a lower atmospheric boundary layer, and stagnant atmospheric conditions. Haze events in Period Ⅲ, with high PM₁₀ concentrations, were primarily caused by the regional transportation of windblown dust from degraded grassland in central Inner Mongolia and bare soil in western Jilin Province. Local agricultural tilling could also release PM₁₀ and enhance the levels of windblown dust from tilled soil.

With the purpose of developing a novel approach of agricultural waste treatment and overcoming bottlenecks for upscaling solid-state fermentation processes, the type of aerated, continuously stirred solid-state bioreactors were used for the production of γ-PGA by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens JX-6. Using corn stalk and soybean meal, the most common agricultural waste in China, as solid substrates, the maximum production of γ-PGA was 116.88 ± 5.05 g/kg and 102.48 ± 3.30 g/kg in 50 L and 150 L bioreactors, respectively. Production of γ-PGA in 50 L bioreactor was higher than in 150 L bioreactor, demonstrating that a reduction in γ-PGA production occurred as the fermentation system enlarged. An analysis of the interactions among fermentation parameters (temperature, moisture, and pH), γ-PGA production, solid substrates and bacterial communities indicated that different bioreactor capacities caused changes in fermentation parameters and bacterial communities, which in turn affected substrate utilization and γ-PGA production. Overall, obtaining considerable amounts of γ-PGA under non-sterilized fermentation expressed that JX-6 has excellent abilities to adapt to these substrates and conditions. Bioconversion of agricultural waste into γ-PGA in scale-up fermentation was successfully conducted by creating a more stable and suitable fermentation environment in bioreactors.

Disequilibrium of CD4⁺ T-cell subpopulations in peripheral blood (PB) of patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) has been well established, whereas the profile of CD4⁺ T-cell subpopulations in bone marrow (BM) remains elusive. In the present study, the frequencies of T helper 22 (Th22), Th17, Th1, Th2, follicular T helper (Tfh) cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs) as well as their effector cytokines in BM and PB from active ITP patients and healthy controls (HCs) were determined. Results showed that the frequencies of Th22, Th17, Th1, and Tfh cells were significantly higher, but Treg number was remarkably lower in BM from ITP patients than from HCs. In the ITP group, it was notable that the numbers of BM Th22, Th17, Th1, Th2, and Tfh cells were significantly elevated compared with the matched PB counterparts, while Treg number in BM was considerably reduced compared with that in PB. In consistence with the BM Th subset pattern, plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-22, IL-17A, and interferon (INF)-γ in BM from ITP patients were significantly increased compared with that from HCs. Therefore, the balance of CD4⁺ T-cell subsets was disrupted in both BM and PB of ITP patients, suggesting that this might play important roles in the pathophysiological process of ITP.

Water lilies belong to the angiosperm order Nymphaeales. Amborellales, Nymphaeales and Austrobaileyales together form the so-called ANA-grade of angiosperms, which are extant representatives of lineages that diverged the earliest from the lineage leading to the extant mesangiosperms^1-3. Here we report the 409-megabase genome sequence of the blue-petal water lily (Nymphaea colorata). Our phylogenomic analyses support Amborellales and Nymphaeales as successive sister lineages to all other extant angiosperms. The N. colorata genome and 19 other water lily transcriptomes reveal a Nymphaealean whole-genome duplication event, which is shared by Nymphaeaceae and possibly Cabombaceae. Among the genes retained from this whole-genome duplication are homologues of genes that regulate flowering transition and flower development. The broad expression of homologues of floral ABCE genes in N. colorata might support a similarly broadly active ancestral ABCE model of floral organ determination in early angiosperms. Water lilies have evolved attractive floral scents and colours, which are features shared with mesangiosperms, and we identified their putative biosynthetic genes in N. colorata. The chemical compounds and biosynthetic genes behind floral scents suggest that they have evolved in parallel to those in mesangiosperms. Because of its unique phylogenetic position, the N. colorata genome sheds light on the early evolution of angiosperms.

Aspergillus ochraceus is reported to be the major contributor of ochratoxin A (OTA), classified as one of the possible human carcinogen (group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The heterotrimeric velvet complex proteins, LaeA/VeA/VelB, have been most studied in fungi to clarify the relation between light-dependent morphology and secondary metabolism. To explore possible genetic targets to control OTA contamination, we have identified laeA, veA, and velB in A. ochraceus. The loss of laeA, veA, and velB yielded mutants with differences in vegetative growth and conidial production. Especially, ΔlaeA almost lost the ability to generate conidiaphore under dark condition. The deletion of laeA, veA, and velB drastically reduced the production of OTA. The wild-type A. ochraceus produced about 1 and 7 μg/cm² OTA under light and dark conditions on media, whereas the three gene deletion mutants produced less than 20 ng/cm² OTA, which was correlated with a down regulation of OTA biosynthetic genes. Pathogenicity studies of ΔlaeA, ΔveA, and ΔvelB showed their reduction in disease severity in pears. Furthermore, 66.1% of the backbone genes in secondary metabolite gene cluster were significantly regulated, among which 81.6% were downregulated. Taking together, these results revealed that velvet complex proteins played crucial roles in asexual development, secondary metabolism, and fungal virulence in A. ochraceus.

Three new 11-hydroxyburnamine (<b>1</b>) and rauvoyunnanines A-B (<b>2</b>-<b>3</b>), and fourteen known (<b>4</b>-<b>17</b>) monoterpenoid indole alkaloids were isolated from the total alkaloids extract of <i>Rauvolfia yunnanensis</i>, which exhibited promising immunosuppressive activity on T cell proliferation in preliminary screening. Their structures were determined by analysis of high-resolution electrospray ionization mass (HRESIMS), ultraviolet (UV) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data, and by comparison with the literature. All the alkaloids were evaluated for inhibitory activity on T cell proliferation. Among them, one new compound (<b>1</b>) and reserpine (<b>6</b>) exhibited moderate immunosuppressive activity, with IC₅₀ values of 5.9 μM and 5.0 μM, respectively.