Enhanced degradation of tetracycline by gas-liquid discharge plasma coupled with g-C_(3)N_(4)/TiO_(2)

Plasma-catalysis is considered as one of the most promising technologies for antibiotic degradation in water.In the plasma-catalytic system,one of the factors affecting the degradation effect is the performance of the photocatalyst,which is usually restricted by the rapid recombination of electrons and holes as well as narrow light absorption range.In this research,a photocatalyst g-C_(3)N_(4)/TiO_(2) was prepared and coupled with gas-liquid discharge(GLD)to degrade tetracycline(TC).The performance was examined,and the degradation pathways and mechanisms were studied.Results show that a 90%degradation rate is achieved in the GLD with g-C_(3)N_(4)/TiO_(2) over a 10 min treatment.Increasing the pulse voltage is conducive to increasing the degradation rate,whereas the addition of excessive g-C_(3)N_(4)/TiO_(2) tends to precipitate agglomerates,resulting in a poor degradation efficiency.The redox properties of the g-C_(3)N_(4)/TiO_(2) surface promote the generation of oxidizing active species(H2O2,O3)in solution.Radical quenching experiments showed that·OH,hole(h^(+)),play important roles in the TC degradation by the discharge with g-C_(3)N_(4)/TiO_(2).Two potential degradation pathways were proposed based on the intermediates.The toxicity of tetracycline was reduced by treatment in the system.Furthermore,the g-C_(3)N_(4)/TiO_(2) composites exhibited excellent recoverability and stability.

Structural Analysis of Piezo1 Ion Channel Reveals the Relationship between Amino Acid Sequence Mutations and Human Diseases

Since first identified in 2010, Piezo proteins have been found to perform as poreforming mechanosensitive ion channels across a wide range of animals. As a Piezo ortholog primarily expressed in mammalian systems, Piezo1 has been observed to distribute mainly in nonsensory tissues, regulating osmotic homeostasis, proprioception, and light touch. With previous studies on the putative structure of Piezo1, the gating system and several mechanotransduction mechanisms have been proposed. Besides, mutations of specific amino acid sequences in Piezo1 have been linked to several human diseases such as dehydrated hereditary xerocytosis (DHS) and congenital lymphatic dysplasia (CLD). However, most of these mutations have not been well characterized. To further elucidate the relations between these mutations and diseases, UCSF Chimera is used as the tool to visualize the structural importance of each of these mutated amino acids. With the aid from UCSF Chimera, this study has recorded and interpreted clashes and contacts originated from each of the mutations. Accordingly, specific mechanisms between mutations and human diseases are proposed, which pave the way for healing.

Degradation of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride in a multiphase mixed system by subaquatic gas-liquid discharge plasma

In recent years, antibiotic pollution has become a serious threat to human health. In this study, a gas-liquid discharge plasma is developed to degrade ciprofloxacin hydrochloride in a multiphase mixed system containing inorganic and organic impurities. The discharge characteristics are analyzed by diagnosing the applied voltage and discharge current waveforms, as well as the optical emission spectra. The work investigates how degradation efficiency is affected by applied voltage, gas flow rate, treatment time, initial concentration as well as the addition of γ-Al_(2)O_(3) pellets and peanut straw. After 70 min, the degradation efficiency of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride in the multiphase mixed system reached 99.6%. Its removal efficiency increases as the initial concentration decreases and the applied voltage increases. Besides, there is still a good degradation efficiency of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride with the addition of peanut straw.The degradation mechanism of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride is investigated through the analysis of degraded intermediates and reactive species.