Review on reactive species in water treatment using electrical discharge plasma:formation, measurement, mechanisms and mass transfer

In the electrical discharge plasma process, various chemical and physical processes can participate in the removal of contaminants. In this paper, the chemical and physical processes that occur as a result of the electrical discharge plasma are reviewed, and their possible roles in the degradation of contaminants are discussed. Measurement methods for the quantification of important reactive species and their advantages and shortcomings are presented. Approaches on how to enhance the diffusion of the reactive species in solution are examined. In addition, the formation of typical reactive species in different electrical discharge plasma is compared.

Establishment and application of a surrogate model for human Ebola virus disease in BSL-2 laboratory

The Ebola virus(EBOV)is a member of the Orthoebolavirus genus,Filoviridae family,which causes severe hemorrhagic diseases in humans and non-human primates(NHPs),with a case fatality rate of up to 90%.The development of countermeasures against EBOV has been hindered by the lack of ideal animal models,as EBOV requires handling in biosafety level(BSL)-4 facilities.Therefore,accessible and convenient animal models are urgently needed to promote prophylactic and therapeutic approaches against EBOV.In this study,a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus expressing Ebola virus glycoprotein(VSV-EBOV/GP)was constructed and applied as a surrogate virus,establishing a lethal infection in hamsters.Following infection with VSV-EBOV/GP,3-week-old female Syrian hamsters exhibited disease signs such as weight loss,multi-organ failure,severe uveitis,high viral loads,and developed severe systemic diseases similar to those observed in human EBOV patients.All animals succumbed at 2–3 days post-infection(dpi).Histopathological changes indicated that VSV-EBOV/GP targeted liver cells,suggesting that the tissue tropism of VSV-EBOV/GP was comparable to wild-type EBOV(WT EBOV).Notably,the pathogenicity of the VSV-EBOV/GP was found to be species-specific,age-related,gender-associated,and challenge route-dependent.Subsequently,equine anti-EBOV immunoglobulins and a subunit vaccine were validated using this model.Overall,this surrogate model represents a safe,effective,and economical tool for rapid preclinical evaluation of medical countermeasures against EBOV under BSL-2 conditions,which would accelerate technological advances and breakthroughs in confronting Ebola virus disease.

Viral vectored vaccines:design,development,preventive and therapeutic applications in human diseases

Human diseases,particularly infectious diseases and cancers,pose unprecedented challenges to public health security and the global economy.The development and distribution of novel prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines are the prioritized countermeasures of human disease.Among all vaccine platforms,viral vector vaccines offer distinguished advantages and represent prominent choices for pathogens that have hampered control efforts based on conventional vaccine approaches.Currently,viral vector vaccines remain one of the best strategies for induction of robust humoral and cellular immunity against human diseases.Numerous viruses of different families and origins,including vesicular stomatitis virus,rabies virus,parainfluenza virus,measles virus,Newcastle disease virus,influenza virus,adenovirus and poxvirus,are deemed to be prominent viral vectors that differ in structural characteristics,design strategy,antigen presentation capability,immunogenicity and protective efficacy.This review summarized the overall profile of the design strategies,progress in advance and steps taken to address barriers to the deployment of these viral vector vaccines,simultaneously highlighting their potential for mucosal delivery,therapeutic application in cancer as well as other key aspects concerning the rational application of these viral vector vaccines.Appropriate and accurate technological advances in viral vector vaccines would consolidate their position as a leading approach to accelerate breakthroughs in novel vaccines and facilitate a rapid response to public health emergencies.

聚氨酯海绵中碳纳米管与各向异性形状Ni的协同效应增强电磁干扰屏蔽性能

巧妙的微观结构设计和合适的多组分策略仍然是高效吸收型电磁干扰屏蔽材料在轻质、低填充水平和薄样品厚度方面的挑战.本文基于独特的屏蔽胶囊结构,采用浸渍法制备了柔性水性聚氨酯/介电碳纳米管/磁各向异性镍(链或花)电磁屏蔽复合海绵.结果表明,增加镍(花状或链状)填料的含量可显著提高复合材料的导电性和电磁干扰屏蔽性能.水性聚氨酯/碳纳米管/8 wt%镍花-三聚氰胺海绵和水性聚氨酯/碳纳米管/8 wt%镍链-三聚氰胺海绵的电磁屏蔽性能分别为42.8和46.7 dB,优于仅含碳纳米管的复合海绵.碳纳米管与镍(花状或链状)之间的协同作用意味着复合海绵的屏蔽电磁干扰的主要机制来自于吸收过程.重要的是,在水性聚氨酯层的保护下,复合材料在强烈的物理和化学损伤下仍然表现出良好的电磁屏蔽性能.这项工作为设计新颖、轻量化和高效的电磁屏蔽复合材料提供了一种简单的协同策略,在便携式和可穿戴电子设备中显示出巨大的应用前景.

Taurolidine improved protection against highly pathogenetic avian influenza H5N1 virus lethal-infection in mouse model by regulating the NF-κB signaling pathway

Taurolidine(TRD),a derivative of taurine,has anti-bacterial and anti-tumor effects by chemically reacting with cell-walls,endotoxins and exotoxins to inhibit the adhesion of microorganisms.However,its application in antiviral therapy is seldom reported.Here,we reported that TRD significantly inhibited the replication of influenza virus H5N1 in MDCK cells with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration(EC_(50))of 34.45μg/mL.Furthermore,the drug inhibited the amplification of the cytokine storm effect and improved the survival rate of mice lethal challenged with H5N1(protection rate was 86%).Moreover,TRD attenuated virus-induced lung damage and reduced virus titers in mice lungs.Administration of TRD reduced the number of neutrophils and increased the number of lymphocytes in the blood of H5N1 virus-infected mice.Importantly,the drug regulated the NF-κB signaling pathway by inhibiting the separation of NF-κB and IκBa,thereby reducing the expression of inflammatory factors.In conclusion,our findings suggested that TRD could act as a potential anti-influenza drug candidate in further clinical studies.

CD97 negatively regulates the innate immune response against RNA viruses by promoting RNF125-mediated RIG-I degradation

The G protein-coupled receptor ADGRE5(CD97)binds to various metabolites that play crucial regulatory roles in metabolism.However,its function in the antiviral innate immune response remains to be determined.In this study,we report that CD97 inhibits virus-induced type-I interferon(IFN-I)release and enhances RNA virus replication in cells and mice.CD97 was identified as a new negative regulator of the innate immune receptor RIG-I,and RIG-1 degradation led to the suppression of the IFN-I signaling pathway.Furthermore,overexpression of CD97 promoted the ubiquitination of RIG-I,resulting in its degradation,but did not impact its mRNA expression.Mechanistically,CD97 upregulates RNF125 expression to induce RNF125-mediated RIG-I degradation via K48-linked ubiquitination at Lys181 after RNA virus infection.Most importantly,CD97-deficient mice are more resistant than wild-type mice to RNA virus infection.We also found that sanguinarine-mediated inhibition of CD97 effectively blocks VSV and SARS-CoV-2 replication.These findings elucidate a previously unknown mechanism through which CD97 negatively regulates RIG-I in the antiviral innate immune response and provide a molecular basis for the development of new therapeutic strategies and the design of targeted antiviral agents.

SARS-CoV-2 ORF10 suppresses the antiviral innate immune response by degrading MAVS through mitophagy

The global coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)has caused severe morbidity and mortality in humans.It is urgent to understand the function of viral genes.However,the function of open reading frame 10(ORF10),which is uniquely expressed by SARS-CoV-2,remains unclear.In this study,we showed that overexpression of ORF10 markedly suppressed the expression of type I interferon(IFN-I)genes and IFN-stimulated genes.Then,mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein(MAVS)was identified as the target via which ORF10 suppresses the IFN-I signaling pathway,and MAVS was found to be degraded through the ORF10-induced autophagy pathway.Furthermore,overexpression of ORF10 promoted the accumulation of LC3 in mitochondria and induced mitophagy.Mechanistically,ORF10 was translocated to mitochondria by interacting with the mitophagy receptor Nip3-like protein X(NIX)and induced mitophagy through its interaction with both NIX and LC3B.Moreover,knockdown of NIX expression blocked mitophagy activation,MAVS degradation,and IFN-I signaling pathway inhibition by ORF10.Consistent with our observations,in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection,ORF10 inhibited MAVS expression and facilitated viral replication.In brief,our results reveal a novel mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 inhibits the innate immune response;that is,ORF10 induces mitophagy-mediated MAVS degradation by binding to NIX.

Identification of sources,characteristics and photochemical transformations of dissolved organic matter with EEM-PARAFAC in the Wei River of China

Dissolved organic matter(DOM)in rivers is a critical regulator of the cycling and toxicity of pollutants and the behavior of DOM is a key indicator for the health of the environment.We investigated the sources and characteristics of DOM in surface water and sediment samples of the Wei River,China.Dissolved organic carbon(DOC)concentration and ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm(UV254)increased in the surface water and were decreased in the sediment downstream,indicating that the source of DOM in the water differed from the sediment.Parallel factor(PARAFAC)analysis of the excitation-emission matrices(EEM)revealed the presence of terrestrial humus-like,microbial humus-like and tryptophan-like proteins in the surface water,whereas the sediment contained UVA humic-like,UVC humic-like and fulvic-like in the sediment.The DOM in the surface water and sediment were mainly derived from microbial metabolic activity and the surrounding soil.Surface water DOM displayed greater photodegradation potential than sediment DOM.PARAFAC analysis indicated that the terrestrial humic-like substance in the water and the fulvic-like component in the sediment decomposed more rapidly.These data describe the characteristics of DOM in the Wei River and are crucial to understanding the fluctuations in environmental patterns.

Recombinant vaccine containing an RBD-Fc fusion induced protection against SARS-CoV-2 in nonhuman primates and mice

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 104 million individuals and resulted in more than 2.2 million deaths worldwide as of February 7,2021(https://covid19.who.int).The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for safe and effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Improved generation of correlated photon pairs from monolayer WS_2 based on bound states in the continuum

Entangled photons are the fundamental resource in quantum information processing. How to produce them efficiently has always been a matter of concern. Here we propose a new way to produce correlated photons efficiently from monolayer WS_2 based on bound states in the continuum(BICs). The BICs of radiation modes in the monolayer WS_2 are realized by designing the photonic crystal slab-WS_2-slab structure. The generation efficiency of correlated photon pairs from such a structure has been studied by using a rigorous quantum model of spontaneous parametric down-conversion with the plane wave expansion method. It is found that the generation efficiency of correlated photon pairs is greatly improved if the signal and idler fields are located at the BICs determined by the inverse scattering matrix of the structure. This is in contrast to the parametric down-conversion process for the enhanced generation of nonlinear waves if the pump field is located at the BICs determined by the scattering matrix of the structure. The generation rate of the correlated photon pairs can be improved by 7 orders of magnitude in some designed structures. The generated quantum signals are sensitive to the wavelength and exhibit narrowed relative line width, which is very beneficial for quantum information processing.

Persistent free radicals in humin under redox conditions and their impact in transforming polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The role of humic substance-associated persistent free radicals(PFRs)in the fate of organic contaminants under various redox conditions remains unknown.This study examined the characterization of original metal-free peat humin(HM),and HM treated with varying concentrations of H2O2 and L-ascorbic acid(VC)(assigned as H2O2-HM and VC-HM).The concentration of PFRs in HM increased with the addition of VC/H2O2 at concentrations less than 0.08 mol/L.The evolution of PFRs in HM under different environmental conditions(e.g.,oxic/anoxic and humidity)was investigated.Two types of PFRs were detected in HM:a relatively stable radical existed in the original sample,and the other type,which was generated by redox treatments,wa s relatively unstable.The spin densities of VC/H2O2-HM readily returned to the original value under relatively high humidity and oxic conditions.During this process,the HM-associated"unstable"free radicals released an electron to O2,inducing the formation of reactive oxygen species(ROS,i.e.,·OH and·O2-).Th e generated ROS promoted the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons based on the radical quenching measurements.The transformation rates followed the order naphthalene>phenanthrene>anthracene>benzo[a]pyrene.Our results provide valuable insight into the HM-induced transformation of organic contaminants under natural conditions.

Improved third-order nonlinear effect in graphene based on bound states in the continuum

The scattering matrix theory has been developed to calculate the third-order nonlinear effect in sphere-grapheneslab structures. By designing structural parameters, we have demonstrated that the incident electromagnetic wave can be well confined in the graphene in these structures due to the formation of a bound state in the continuum(BIC) of radiation modes. Based on such a bound state, third-harmonic(TH) generation and four-wave mixing(FWM) have been studied. It is found that the efficiency of TH generation in monolayer graphene can be enhanced about 7 orders of magnitude. It is interesting that we can design structure parameters to make all beams(the pump beam, probe beam, and generated FWM signal) be BICs at the same time. In such a case, the efficiency of FWM in monolayer graphene can be enhanced about 9 orders of magnitude. Both the TH and FWM signals are sensitive to the wavelength, and possess high Q factors, which exhibit very good monochromaticity. By taking suitable BICs, the selective generation of TH and FWM signals for S-and P-polarized waves can also be realized,which is beneficial for the design of optical devices.

An mRNA vaccine with broad-spectrum neutralizing protection against Omicron variant sublineages BA.4/5 -included SARS-CoV-2

Dear Editor,The COVID-19 pandemic,caused by SARS-CoV-2,has resulted in more than 500 million confirmed cases,with over 6 million deaths by June 2022.Since the outbreak of the pandemic,five variants,including Alpha,Beta,Gamma,Delta,and Omicron,have been classified as VOCs1.As a result of selection pressure and continued replication of the virus in human populations,new variants are sure to emerge,which will affect the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and vaccine efficacy.

The Application of a Safe Neutralization Assay for Ebola Virus Using Lentivirus-Based Pseudotyped Virus

Dear Editor,Zaire Ebola virus(EBOV)is a negative-sense singlestranded RNA virus that is capable of causing acute hemorrhagic fever with a frightening fatality rate that can reach up to 90%.Due to its high lethality and frequent recurrence,EBOV is a substantial threat to public health.Research about live EBOV is restricted to BSL-4 laboratories;therefore,conventional serological detection methods do not provide a safe way to evaluate neutralizing activity,resulting in a bottleneck in antibody-based detection of viruses such as EBOV.Here,we aim to develop and apply a neutralization assay for EBOV using a generated lentivirus-based pseudotyped EBOV bearing GP on its surface.

Neutralization activity of influenza A virus humanized antibodies against new subtypes of influenza viruses

Antibodies are ideal for controlling the influenza A virus,but their effect on newly emerging strains is unclear.Here,we assessed the neutralization activity of the humanized monoclonal antibodies(mAbs)F10,H98 and H40 against circulating influenza viruses(H5N1,H1N1,H3N2 and H7N7 and new subtypes viruses H5N6 and H7N9).The results showed that all the three humanized mAbs(F10,H98 and H40)displayed different degrees of virus neutralization activities when encountered with different subtypes of influenza viruses.Remarkably,the humanized monoclonal antibody F10 produced higher and broader neutralization titers(range 25–1.56μg/ml)than those of the other two humanized mAbs(H98(range 50–3.12μg/ml),H40(range 50–5.56μg/ml))to against the viruses H5N1,H1N1,H3N2,H7N7,H5N6 and H7N9.This mAb may represent a new class of heterosubtypic neutralizing humanized mAb that could replace vaccines and chemical drugs.