Parameter optimization of environmental technologies using a LCA-based analysis scheme: A bioaugmentation case study

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has proven to be a useful tool in assessing environmental technologies in a retrospective manner. To fully uncover the environmental improvement potential while advancing technologies under technical and environmental constraints, this study recommended approaching the LCA proactively to assess the progress of parameter optimization before determining critical parameters. To that end, the present work introduced a multimethod eight-step (MMES) analysis scheme, which included an integration of LCA with Plackett-Burman multifactorial design, central composite design, and multi-objective optimization. By creating a large number of scenarios through experimental design, we jointly optimized technical efficiency and environmental sustainability, which allowed for the identification of critical parameters that likely had contradictory influences on different objectives. Through a case study concerning the bioaugmentation of constructed wetland (CW), we applied the MMES scheme to optimize the culture conditions of the strain Arthrobacter sp. ZXY-2 for enhanced atrazine removal. The results showed that, by reducing the Na₂HPO₄·12H₂O concentration from 6.5 g/L to 6 g/L in the culture condition, we decreased the freshwater ecotoxicity potential and maintained a high level of atrazine removal. Regarding the production process of microbial inocula, the strain ZXY-2 grown at the optimized culture reduced the total environmental impact from 13% to 50% compared with the original culture and helped the CW exhibit more favorable atrazine-removal performance. Taken together, the case study demonstrated the effectiveness of using the MMES scheme for parameter optimization of environmental technologies. For future development, the MMES scheme should extend the application to more fields and refine uncertainty management.

TaqMan real-time PCR for detecting bovine viral diarrhea virus

The present study was aimed to establish a novel TaqMan real-time PCR (RTm-PCR) for detecting and typing bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), and also to develop a diagnostic protocol which simplifies sample collection and processing. Universal primers and TaqMan-MGB probes were designed from the known sequences of conserved 5' - and 3'-untranslated regions (5'UTR, 3'UTR) of the NADL strain of BVDV. Prior to optimizing the assay, cDNAs were transcribed in vitro to make standard curves. The sensitivity, specificity and stability (reproducibility) were evaluated. The RTm-PCR was tested on the 312 feces specimens collected from persistently infected (PI) calves. The results showed the optimum conditions for RTm-PCR were 17.0 μmol/L primer, 7.5 μmol/L probe and 51.4°C annealing temperature. The established TaqMan RTm-PCR assay could specially detect BVDV without detecting any other viruses. Its detection limit was 1.55×100 copies/μL for viral RNA. It was 10000-fold higher than conventional PCR with excellent specificity and reproducibility. 312 samples were tested using this method and universal PCR from six dairy farms, respectively. Positive detections were found in 49 and 44 feces samples, respectively. The occurrence rate was 89.80%. In conclusion, the established TaqMan RTm-PCR could rapidly detect BVDV and effectively identify PI cattle. The detection limit of RTm-PCR was 1.55 copies/μL. It will be beneficial for enhancing diagnosis and therapy efficacy and reduce losses in cattle farms.

A systematic review and computational modelling analysis of unilateral montages in electroconvulsive therapy

OBJECTIVE

To examine the clinical outcomes of ECT unilateral placements compared in prior studies and apply insights from computational modelling to understand differences between placements.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, Scopus and PsycINFO and reference lists were systematically searched for studies of depressed patients where two unilateral placements were compared and clinical outcomes were reported. Computational modelling was done to generate electric field maps for each unilateral placement identified in the systematic review.

RESULTS

A total of 29 studies met criteria for inclusion. Eight studies reported efficacy outcomes and 23 studies reported cognitive outcomes. Most studies found no significant difference in efficacy between right unilateral (RUL) and left unilateral (LUL) ECT, and no difference was found between temporo-parietal and fronto-temporal ECT. For the majority of studies, RUL placements had better verbal anterograde memory outcomes compared with the LUL placements. There was some evidence suggestive of cognitive advantages for fronto-frontal and fronto-parietal placements relative to temporo-parietal ECT.

CONCLUSIONS

For efficacy, studies mainly focused on the comparison of right vs. left hemispheric stimulation, with the available evidence suggesting no substantive difference. RUL placements tended to have better verbal anterograde memory outcomes relative to LUL placements, though limited differences were found between the RUL placements.

Bioaugmentation of atrazine removal in constructed wetland: Performance, microbial dynamics, and environmental impacts

Constructed wetland (CW) is an efficient technology to treat urban storm water runoff. However, the CW has limited capacity to degrade atrazine, a frequently detected herbicide in runoff. Bioaugmentation provides a feasible enhanced alternative; nevertheless, incorporating bioaugmentation into CW is likely to perpetuate the environmental consequences and incur complex trade-offs between environmental improvement and burdens. Since few efforts were made to improve above situation, the present work proposed the application of bioaugmentation, and tested the feasibility from both efficiency and sustainability dimensions. Results showed that bioaugmentation markedly enhanced atrazine degradation from 5 mg/L to below the threshold value within 43 day by increasing functional atrazine-degrading bacteria. Pseudomonas and Arthrobacter significantly proliferated among atrazine-degrading bacterial genera, indicating high adaptability and atrazine-degrading contribution. With life cycle assessment, enhancing 1 kg of atrazine degradation could decrease environmental burdens with 27.60 kg 1,4-DCB-Eq of freshwater-ecotoxicity reduction, and achieve shorter payback period compared to non-bioaugmented CW.

Magnetic biochar catalysts from anaerobic digested sludge: Production, application and environment impact

Regulated disposal or re-utilization of dewatered sludge is of economic benefits and can avoid secondary contamination to the environment; however, feasible and effective management strategies are still lacking. In this study, a peroxydisulfate/zero-valent iron (PDS-ZVI) system is proposed to destroy proteins in soluble extracellular polymeric substances (S-EPS) and loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) in anaerobic digested sludge (ADS) to improve the dewaterability. Moreover, ADS derived biochars supported via iron oxides (Fe-ADSBC) were generated by dewatering and thermal annealing. Intriguingly, the iron species was discovered to gradually transform from Fe₃O₄ to FeO with increased pyrolysis temperatures from 600 to 1000 °C. The manipulated iron species on the biochar can remarkably impact the catalytic activity in PDS activation and degradation of sulfamethazine (SMT). The in situ radical scavenging and capturing tests revealed that the principal reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Fe-ADSBC/PDS system experienced a variation from OH into SO₄^- at higher annealing temperature (1000 °C). In addition, the carbonaceous ADSBC can promote the catalytic activity of iron oxides by synergistically facilitating the adsorption of reactants and charge transfer through COFe bonds at the interfaces. This study enables the first insights into the properties and catalytic performance of Fe-ADSBC, meanwhile unveils the mechanism, reaction pathways, and environmental impacts of the ultimate transformation products (TPs) from SMT degradation in the Fe-ADSBC/PDS system. The study also contributes to developing value-added green biochar catalysts from bio-wastes towards environmental purification.

Modeling the oxygen-depleting potential and spatially differentiated effect of sewage organics in life cycle assessment for wastewater management

Excessive organic emissions measured as chemical oxygen demand (COD) have caused serious regional water pollution i.e. the widespread malodorous black rivers in China. Assessing the optimum treatment strategies is generally a complicated work involving sophisticated trade-offs across regional improvement and global sustainability. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a promising tool to support such trade-offs, but it appears difficult to comprehensively reflect the direct impact of high-COD wastewater. This is because, the current LCA framework only highlights the effect of nutrients as a representative eutrophication indicator. To address this issue, this study extends the LCA framework by defining a new COD category to characterize the oxygen-depleting processes associated with development of characterization factors and models. By combining water quality model, the modeling scheme is shown capable of converting dynamic effects of COD on the receiving water into the spatially differentiated impact-assessment results. Upon a descriptive case, we also illustrate that the modeling scheme can construct different environmental situations by varying the embedded variables. This enables the refined investigations of the paradigm shift in wastewater treatment, which contributes to the avoidance of "one-size-fits-all" solution identified without considerations of environmental sustainability. Last, we discuss the ways to further refining the modeling scheme to make it applicable in more cases of water pollution.

HIT.WATER scheme: An integrated LCA-based decision-support platform for evaluation of wastewater discharge limits

Determination of appropriate effluent quality limits (EQL) for wastewater treatment plants in China is a complicated process involving multiple factors that need joint consideration. Based on advantages of compiling the energy and material flows as well as the emissions into air, water and soil, life cycle assessment (LCA) presents a standardized approach for evaluation of EQL alternatives. However, challenges arise when incorporating more factors is indispensable, especially for the elements concerning downstream receiving water body, official watershed planning and stakeholder's participation. To this end, an integrated LCA-based decision-support platform named HIT.WATER scheme is proposed, linking the currently available LCA system with Water Quality Model (WQM), Plackett-Burman (PB) design and Conjoint Analysis (CA). A demonstrative case study was conducted to illustrate the processing procedures. Results obtained in the current study show that the officially defined river functions and the downstream cross-section distances resulted in more significant effects on the assessment outcome than other factors such as self-purification coefficients and weighting factors. Nevertheless, the comparisons among EQL alternatives were carried out and the differences were observed, which were dynamic, varying with the changed conditions of either natural factors (e.g. downstream distances) or human factors (e.g. officially defined river functions). Quantitatively presenting the dynamic comparisons to indicate the differences among the alternatives was a principal function of the HIT.WATER scheme. In particular, the approach allows the environmental impacts of EQL examined from various perspectives, which is conducive to the preclusion of "one-size-fits-all" determination with sustainability consideration. Stakeholder's participation was achieved through a transparent decision-making process, and their selection and judgment criterion could be explicitly presented using quantitative metrics. We conclude that the HIT.WATER scheme can be applied to broader scales where the evaluation of paradigm shifts (technological advancement or effluent standard changes) in sewage systems is necessary.

Abstract GS1-02: Towards a human breast cell atlas

The human breast tissue consists of lobules connected to a complex network of ducts that are evolutionarily designed to produce and transport milk to nourish offspring. Histopathology has identified 10 major cell types based on morphological features but have provided limited information on cell states - the transcriptional programs of cell types that reflect different biological functions. In this study, we have generated an unbiased 'cell atlas' of the normal human breast to define the cell types and cell states using single cell RNA sequencing methods. We performed 3' microdroplet based single cell RNA sequencing of 31,442 stromal cells from 11 women with pathologically normal breast tissues that were collected from mastectomies. Unbiased expression analysis identified three major cell types: epithelial cells (luminal and basal), fibroblasts and endothelial cells, in addition to several minor cell types: macrophages, T-cells, natural killer cells, pericytes and smooth muscle cells. Analysis of cell states of these cell types revealed different transcriptional programs in luminal epithelial cells (hormone receptor positive and secretory), basal epithelial cells (myoepithelial or basement-like), endothelial cells (lymphatic or vascular), macrophages (M1 or M2) and fibroblasts (three subgroups) and provided insight into progenitors of each cell types. These data provide a valuable reference for the research community and will provide new insights into how normal cell types are transformed in the tumor microenvironment to promote or inhibit the progression of breast cancer.

Citation Format: Seth TK, Bai S, Hu M, Sei E, Wood A, Wiley J, Chen H, Contreras A, Teshome M, Lim B, Navin NE. Towards a human breast cell atlas [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr GS1-02.

Establishing a decision-support system for eco-design of biological wastewater treatment: A case study of bioaugmented constructed wetland

Deep treatment is a common approach to enhance pollutant removal for biological wastewater treatment technologies (BWTTs), and life cycle assessment (LCA) holds substantial advantages to support process optimization. However, there lacks of LCA-based benchmarks that cover human-nature nexuses and stakeholder involvement, which limits the guidance and eco-design of BWTTs. This study proposed a decision-support system (DSS) by linking LCA with Water Quality Model and Conjoint Analysis. Three major findings were identified based on a demonstrative case (constructed wetland bioaugmented by dosing different microbial inocula): (1) Increasing bacterial intensities would achieve net environmental improvement, but it might not apply to all cases; (2) Making full use of natural self-purification capacity could partly replace the functions of BWTTs; (3) Stakeholders would concern aquatic environmental improvement when receiving river that had limited environmental capacity. Overall, the DSS provided a data-driven platform for screening options before determinations were made to constrain wastewater treatment sustainability.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate protected vanadium-induced eggshell depigmentation via P38MAPK-Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in laying hens

It has been demonstrated that tea polyphenol (TP) epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) can confer protection against vanadium (V) toxicity in laying hens; however, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms beyond this effect are still limited. In this study, 360 hens were randomly assigned to the 3 groups to study whether the potential mechanism P38MAPK-Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway is involved in the protective effect of EGCG on eggshell pigmentation in vanadium challenged laying hens. Treatments included a control group, a 10 mg/kg V (V10), and a V10 plus 130 mg/kg of EGCG group (V10+EGCG130). Both eggshell color and protoporphyrin IX were decreased in the V10 group compared with the control diet, while EGCG130 treatment partially improved shell color and protoporphyrin IX (P < 0.05). The V10 exposure induced higher cell apoptosis rate and oxidative stress in birds as evidenced by the histological apoptosis status, decreased uterine glutathione-S transferase (GST) and high abundance of malondialdehyde (MDA) compared with the control group, whereas EGCG130 markedly alleviated oxidative stress via reducing MDA generation (P < 0.05). Dietary vanadium reduced ferrochelatase, NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and heme oxygenase (HO-1) mRNA expression, while EGCG up-regulated Nrf2 and HO-1 expression (P < 0.05). Protein levels of Nrf2, HO-1 and phospho-p38 (P-P38) MAPK were reduced in V10 group, while dietary supplementation with 130 mg/kg EGCG markedly increased Nrf2, HO-1 and P-P38 MAPK protein levels in the uterus compared with the V10 group (P < 0.01). In conclusion, EGCG improved eggshell color and antioxidant system in V10-challenged hens, which seems to be associated with P38MAPK-Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Engaging multiple weighting approaches and Conjoint Analysis to extend results acceptance of life cycle assessment in biological wastewater treatment technologies

Environmental impacts of biological wastewater treatment technologies (BWTTs) can be evaluated by life cycle assessment (LCA). However, very few efforts have been made to expand the ranges of results acceptance and promote stakeholders to participate in the results analysis. To facilitate the evaluation reaching more wide and deep understanding, this study proposed to employ multiple weighting methods and the Conjoint Analysis. To investigate the feasibility, an illustrative case of a bioaugmented constructed wetland was carried out. Weighting results indicated that appropriate improvement strategies could be obtained from synthesizing the similarities and differences of LCA results due to different weighting methods employed. Meanwhile, application of Conjoint Analysis was conducive to the communication between LCA practitioners and BWTTs stakeholders. In a simulated decision-situation, this study found that the decision-making process of stakeholders could be clearly derived to indicate how stakeholders would take trade-offs and make choices based on analyzing LCA outcome.

ELF3 is an antagonist of oncogenic-signalling-induced expression of EMT-TF ZEB1

Background: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key step in the transformation of epithelial cells into migratory and invasive tumour cells. Intricate positive and negative regulatory processes regulate EMT. Many oncogenic signalling pathways can induce EMT, but the specific mechanisms of how this occurs, and how this process is controlled are not fully understood. Methods: RNA-Seq analysis, computational analysis of protein networks and large-scale cancer genomics datasets were used to identify ELF3 as a negative regulator of the expression of EMT markers. Western blotting coupled to siRNA as well as analysis of tumour/normal colorectal cancer panels was used to investigate the expression and function of ELF3. Results: RNA-Seq analysis of colorectal cancer cells expressing mutant and wild-type β-catenin and analysis of colorectal cancer cells expressing inducible mutant RAS showed that ELF3 expression is reduced in response to oncogenic signalling and antagonizes Wnt and RAS oncogenic signalling pathways. Analysis of gene-expression patterns across The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and protein localization in colorectal cancer tumour panels showed that ELF3 expression is anti-correlated with β-catenin and markers of EMT and correlates with better clinical prognosis. Conclusions: ELF3 is a negative regulator of the EMT transcription factor (EMT-TF) ZEB1 through its function as an antagonist of oncogenic signalling.

Association of a 4-Locus Gene Model Including IL13, IL4, FCER1B, and ADRB2 With the Asthma Predictive Index and Atopy in Chinese Han Children

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Asthma is a complex and heterogeneous disease. We found gene-gene interactions between IL13 rs20541, IL4 rs2243250, ADRB2 rs1042713, and FCER1B rs569108 in asthmatic Chinese Han children. This 4-locus set constituted an optimal statistical interaction model. We examined associations between the 4-gene model (IL13, IL4, FCER1B, and ADRB2) and the Asthma Predictive Index (API) and atopy in Chinese Han children.

METHODS

Four single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the 4 genes were genotyped in 385 preschool children with wheezing symptoms using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The t test and x2 tests were used for the analysis.

RESULTS

Significant correlations were found between the 4-locus gene model and a stringent and loose API (both P<.0001). Additionally, a high-risk asthma genotype was a risk factor for a positive API (stringent API, OR=4.08; loose API, OR=2.36). We also found a statistically significant association between the 4-locus gene model and atopy (P<.01, OR=2.09).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that the 4-locus gene model consisting of L13 rs20541, IL4 rs2243250, ADRB2 rs1042713, and FCER1B rs569108 was associated with the API and atopy. These findings provide evidence that this gene model can be used to determine a high risk of developing asthma and atopy in Chinese Han children.

Identify stakeholders' understandings of life cycle assessment results on wastewater related issues

To facilitate decision-making processes in waste management, it is important to not only evaluate environmental impacts, but also to measure how stakeholders form opinions and make choices based one valuation results. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) have been widely used to evaluate environmental impacts; however, LCAs cannot be used to measure how people make judgments based on evaluation results. As such, in this study, we combined LCA with conjoint analysis, an economic method that allows individuals to consider all factors and demonstrate their preferences simultaneously. We used this combined method in a case study on wastewater treatment, and obtained two major types of estimation results: (1) the relative importance of each impact category of LCA, and (2) the overall preferences of respondents for each alternative. This study also highlighted some issues regarding the combination of methodologies, such as the selection of impact categories in LCA, the conversion of impact categories into understandable attributes for conjoint analysis, and weaknesses in conjoint analysis that need to be addressed and corrected in future studies.

Pseudomonas sp. ZXY-1, a newly isolated and highly efficient atrazine-degrading bacterium, and optimization of biodegradation using response surface methodology

Atrazine, a widely used herbicide, is increasing the agricultural production effectively, while also causing great environmental concern. Efficient atrazine-degrading bacterium is necessary to removal atrazine rapidly to keep a safe environment. In the present study, a new atrazine-degrading strain ZXY-1, identified as Pseudomonas, was isolated. This new isolated strain has a strong ability to biodegrade atrazine with a high efficiency of 9.09mg/L/hr. Temperature, pH, inoculum size and initial atrazine concentration were examined to further optimize the degradation of atrazine, and the synthetic effect of these factors were investigated by the response surface methodology. With a high quadratic polynomial mathematical model (R²=0.9821) being obtained, the highest biodegradation efficiency of 19.03mg/L/hr was reached compared to previous reports under the optimal conditions (30.71°C, pH7.14, 4.23% (V/V) inoculum size and 157.1mg/L initial atrazine concentration). Overall, this study provided an efficient bacterium and approach that could be potentially useful for the bioremediation of wastewater containing atrazine.

Complete genome sequence of Arthrobacter sp. ZXY-2 associated with effective atrazine degradation and salt adaptation

An atrazine-degrading strain Arthrobacter sp. ZXY-2 was originally isolated from Jilin Pesticide Plant (China). Strain ZXY-2 demonstrated excellent atrazine degradation performance and saline tolerance. Here we report the complete genome sequence of strain ZXY-2 contained a circular chromosome and five circular plasmids encoding for the mechanism of salt adaptation and pollutant degradation.

Computational models of Bitemporal, Bifrontal and Right Unilateral ECT predict differential stimulation of brain regions associated with efficacy and cognitive side effects

BACKGROUND

Extensive clinical research has shown that the efficacy and cognitive outcomes of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are determined, in part, by the type of electrode placement used. Bitemporal ECT (BT, stimulating electrodes placed bilaterally in the frontotemporal region) is the form of ECT with relatively potent clinical and cognitive side effects. However, the reasons for this are poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

This study used computational modelling to examine regional differences in brain excitation between BT, Bifrontal (BF) and Right Unilateral (RUL) ECT, currently the most clinically-used ECT placements. Specifically, by comparing similarities and differences in current distribution patterns between BT ECT and the other two placements, the study aimed to create an explanatory model of critical brain sites that mediate antidepressant efficacy and sites associated with cognitive, particularly memory, adverse effects.

METHODS

High resolution finite element human head models were generated from MRI scans of three subjects. The models were used to compare differences in activation between the three ECT placements, using subtraction maps.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

In this exploratory study on three realistic head models, Bitemporal ECT resulted in greater direct stimulation of deep midline structures and also left temporal and inferior frontal regions. Interpreted in light of existing knowledge on depressive pathophysiology and cognitive neuroanatomy, it is suggested that the former sites are related to efficacy and the latter to cognitive deficits. We hereby propose an approach using binarised subtraction models that can be used to optimise, and even individualise, ECT therapies.