All-inorganic carbon-based CsPbIBr2 perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted increasing interest due to the low cost and the balance between bandgap and stability. However, the relatively narrow ...light absorption range (300 to 600 nm) limited the further improvement of short-circuit current density (JSC) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs. Considering the inevitable reflectance loss (~10%) at air/glass interface, we prepared the moth-eye anti-reflector by ultraviolet nanoimprint technology and achieved an average reflectance as low as 5.15%. By attaching the anti-reflector on the glass side of PSCs, the JSC was promoted by 9.4% from 10.89 mA/cm2 to 11.91 mA/cm2, which is the highest among PSCs with a structure of glass/FTO/c-TiO2/CsPbIBr2/Carbon, and the PCE was enhanced by 9.9% from 9.17% to 10.08%. The results demonstrated that the larger JSC induced by the optical reflectance modulation of moth-eye anti-reflector was responsible for the improved PCE. Simultaneously, this moth-eye anti-reflector can withstand a high temperature up to 200 °C, and perform efficiently at a wide range of incident angles from 40° to 90° and under various light intensities. This work is helpful to further improve the performance of CsPbIBr2 PSCs by optical modulation and boost the possible application of wide-range-wavelength anti-reflector in single and multi-junction solar cells.
Methyl parathion (MP), a highly toxic organophosphorus pesticide, was widely used for agriculture crop protection. During the production of MP and the process of MP-containing wastewater treatment, ...MP can release into the atmosphere and will do great harm to adjacent communities. A consortium comprised of an engineered microorganism and a natural p-nitrophenol (PNP) degrader was assembled for complete mineralization of MP. We genetically engineered Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) enabling the overexpression of methyl parathion hydrolase (MPH). In addition, we isolated Ochrobactrum sp. strain LL-1 that utilized PNP, a product of MP hydrolysis, as the sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source. The coculture effectively hydrolyzed 0.2 mM MP and prevented the accumulation of PNP in suspended culture. A laboratory-scale bioreactor containing the dual-species consortium was developed for the treatment of artificial off-gas containing MP. The bioreactor maintained over 98% of average MP removal efficiency over a 75 day period, and PNP produced from hydrolysis of MP was degraded completely, indicating that complete mineralization of MP was achieved. The strategy of linking degrading consortium to a bioreactor may provide an alternative to physicochemical abatement technologies for the treatment of waste-gas streams containing MP as well as other PNP-substituted organophosphates.
To reveal the characteristics of indigenous microbiome including the pathogenic-related ones on Angkor monuments in Cambodia and the distribution pattern of resistome at different locations, several ...sites, namely Angkor Wat, Bayon of Angkor Thom, and Prasat Preah Vihear with different exposure levels to tourists were selected to conduct the metagenomic analysis in this study. The general characteristics of the microbiome on these monuments were revealed, and the association between the environmental geo-ecological feature and the indigenous microbiome was delineated. The most common microbial groups included 6 phyla, namely Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Nitrospirae, Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia on the monuments, but Firmicutes and Chlamydiae were the most dominant phyla found in bats droppings. The taxonomic family of Chitinophagaceae could serve as a signature microbial group for Preah Vihear, the less visited site. More importantly, the pathogenic-related characteristics of the microbiome residing on Angkor monuments were uncovered. A set of specific antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) with cross-niches dispersal capacity (between the environmental microbiome and the microbiome within warm blood fauna) was identified to be high by the source tracking analysis based on ARGs profile varies in this study. Among the 10 ARG-types detected in this study, 6 of them are confined to resistance mechanism of antibiotic efflux-pump. The findings of this study provide new a new direction on public health management and implication globally at archaeological sites for tourism.
Display omitted
•Discrepancies of microbiome on Angkor monuments reflect geo-ecological features.•Popular visiting sites have few types of ARGs than the less-bustling sites.•The antibiotic efflux pump genes have high diffusivity potential on Angkor monuments.
Tilapia lake virus (TiLV) is a newly emerged pathogen responsible for high mortality and economic losses in the global tilapia industry. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent and control ...viral diseases. There is currently no vaccine on the market to control TiLV infections. Recently, we identified that TiLV segment 8 encoded a protein (VP20) with immunogenicity sufficient for use as a vaccine antigen. In this study, the immune responses and protective efficacy elicited by VP20 with different prime-boost vaccination regimens (DNA only, protein only, and DNA plus protein) in tilapia was evaluated. The results indicated that both pV-optiVP20 plasmid and rVP20 protein induced humoral and cellular immune responses. Tilapia in the DNA prime-protein boost group developed significantly higher levels of antibody response compared with those immunized with either the DNA or the protein alone (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the highest mRNA levels of the genes TNF-α, IL-1β, IgM, CD4, MHC-Ia and MHC-II were induced following priming with the pV-optiVP20 and boosting with the rVP20. Additionally, tilapia inoculated with the pV-optiVP20 prime-rVP20 boost regimen had a 72.5% survival rate against challenge with the lethal TiLV 2017A compared with 50% or 52.5% survival using the pV-optiVP20 and the rVP20 vaccinations alone. These findings demonstrated that VP20-based vaccine could elicit both humoral and cellular immune responses and significantly protected the fish against infectious challenge by TiLV. The DNA prime-protein boost immunization strategy showed the potential advantage over a solo vaccination.
•Tilapia inoculated with VP20 based vaccine induced strong humoral and cellular immune responses.•Tilapias in the DNA prime-protein boost group developed a stronger immune response than those immunized with either the DNA or the protein alone.•TiLV VP20 based vaccine significantly lower the viral loads and resulted in significant increases in survival.•The DNA prime-protein boost immunization strategy showed the potential advantage over a solo vaccination for the prevention of TiLVD.
The insecticide resistance‐associated esterase, carboxylesterase B1 (CaE B1), from mosquito was used to degrade the organophosphorus compounds. To eradicate the need for enzyme purification and ...minimize the resistance to mass transport of the substrate and product across the cell membranes, the CaE B1 was displayed on the cell surface of Escherichia coli fused to the C‐terminus of the ice nucleation protein (INP). The presence of CaE B1 on the bacterial cell surface was verified by SDS‐PAGE, Western blotting analysis, and immunofluorescence microscopy. More than 50% of active CaE B1 is exported across the membrane and anchored onto the cell surface as determined by proteinase accessibility and cell fractionation experiments. In contrast, only a 6% drop in activity for proteinase K‐treated cells was detected from E.coli cells containing pET‐B1. From the degradation experiment, more than 80% of the malathion was degraded by whole cells containing plasmid pUC‐NC‐B1. Constitutive expression of CaE B1 on the surface using INPNC resulted in no cell lysis, and the suspended cultures also exhibited good stability. Because of their high biodegradation activity and superior stability, these “live biocatalysts” are promising for detoxification of organophosphorus pesticides.
The pre-weaned weight gain is an important performance trait of pigs in intensive pig production. The bacterial microbiome inside the host is vital to host health and growth performance. The purpose ...of this study was to explore the possible associations of the intestinal microbiome with the pre-weaned weight gain in intensive pig production. In this study, several anatomical sites (jejunum, ileum, cecum, and colon) were examined for bacterial microbiome structure using 16S rRNA V4-V5 region sequencing with Illumina Miseq. The results showed that the microbial richness (estimated by Chao1 index) in jejunum was positively correlated with the pre-weaned weight gain. This study also revealed that the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in colon were the weight gaining-related phyla; while the Selenomonas and Moraxella in ileum and the Lactobacillus in both cecum and colon were the weight gaining-related genera for the pre-weaned piglets in intensive pig prodution. Several intra-microbial interactions within commensal microbiome correlated with the pre-weaned weight gain were excavated, as well. Overall, this study provides an expanded view of the commensal bacterial community inside four anatomical intestinal sites of the commercial piglets and the associations of the intestinal microbiome with the pre-weaned weight gaining performance in intensive pig production.
World cultural heritage suffers from deterioration caused by both natural and anthropogenic processes, among which microorganisms are significantly involved. Among the key issues of this topic, ...sampling techniques and analytical methods for revealing the microbiome are fundamental to obtaining useful results for understanding the key players and processes involved, and also for effective protection and management of the cultural heritage for humanity. A non-invasive and non-destructive sampling method is required for sampling of cultural properties prior to further analysis of the microbiome. One example is illustrated in this article. For many years, culture-dependent methods had been used before the invention of polymerase-chain reaction (PCR) methods and, more recently, specifically high-throughput next generation sequencing (NGS). NGS reveals the whole microbial community composition and the active microorganisms from genomic DNA and RNA, respectively. The recovered environmental DNA and RNA from samples provide the information on microbial community and composition, and the active members and biochemical processes of the microbial attributes. It should be emphasized that the metabolically-active members of functional microflora in the biofilm or microbiome on cultural heritage must be determined and identified from the RNA-based analysis to gain a substantially important insight of the active biodeterioration processes and also the effectiveness of the conservation strategies. The importance of the culture-independent technique, based on NGS, is that it can be used in combination with the conventional culturing methods to guide the isolation and enrichment of new microorganisms to gain further biochemical insights to advance the role of the specific microbial groups for biodeterioration of cultural heritage. At the same time, effective restoration and maintenance strategies can be formulated for the protection of world cultural heritage. Keywords: cultural heritage; microbiome; biochemical processes; nitrogen cycle; sulfur cycle; acidic attack; stone and rock
Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) and nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-damo) processes are two newly discovered biochemical pathways for removal of reactive nitrogen species and ...methane. An investigation was initiated to investigate the simultaneous removal of ammonium and methane and the corresponding microorganisms in a full-scale sewage treatment plant and four landfill leachate treatment plants. In this study, hzsB and pmoA genes were used to amplify the genomic DNA of these samples to reveal the diversity of anammox bacteria and n-damo bacteria in these WWTPs. Both anammox bacteria and n-damo bacteria were detected successfully in all samples. The hzsB gene-based PCR amplified sequences featured three genera of Candidatus (Ca.) Brocadia, Ca. Kuenenia and Ca. Jettenia in these WWTPs, while the pmoA gene amplification showed two species of Ca. Methylomirabilis oxyfera and Ca. Methylomirabilis sinica. It was observed that after inoculation of anammox sludge, Brocadia becomes more dominant from the initial co-existing consortium of Kuenenia and Brocadia, and the community diversity decreased accordingly. Based on quantitative 16S rRNA gene PCR, the abundance of anammox bacteria ranged from 2.64 × 106 to 1.73 × 1013 copies per gram dry sludge in the five plants, particularly high on the carriers of landfill leachate wastewaters and the abundance of n-damo bacteria ranged from 2.52 × 107 to 2.19 × 108 copies per gram dry sludge in the five plants. Results shows that abundances of anammox bacteria and AOB (ammonium oxidizing bacteria) were limited by the lower ammonium in the sewage treatment plant, but were higher corresponding to ammonium concentration. Successful inoculation of anammox bacteria was achieved in practical engineering systems and the co-occurrence of anammox bacteria and n-damo bacteria plays an important role in N and C removal in WWTPs.
•Both anammox and n-namo bacteria are detected in wastewater treatment plants.•Abundance of n-damo is several order of magnitude lower than that of anammox bacteria.•Much high abundance and affinity of anammox bacteria to surfaces are evident.•Wastewater treat can take advantage of them save energy and decrease emission of greenhouse gas.
Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are the main nitrifiers which are well studied in natural environments, and AOA frequently outnumber AOB by orders especially in acidic conditions, ...making AOA the most promising ammonia oxidizers. The phylogeny of AOA revealed in related studies, however, often varied and hardly reach a consensus on functional phylotypes. The objective of this study was to compare ammonia-oxidizing communities by amoA gene and transcript based on both genomic DNA and RNA in extremely acidic forest soils (pH <4.5). Our results support the numerical and functional dominance of AOA over AOB in acidic soils as bacterial amoA gene and transcript were both under detection limits and archaeal amoA, in contrast, were abundant and responded to the fluctuations of environmental factors. Organic matter from tree residues was proposed as the main source of microbial available nitrogen, and the potential co-precipitation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) with soluble Al³⁺ species in acidic soil matrix may further restrict the amount of nitrogen sources required by AOB besides NH₃/NH₄⁺ equilibrium. Although AOA were better adapted to oligotrophic environments, they were susceptible to the toxicity of exchangeable Al³⁺. Phylotypes affiliated to Nitrososphaera, Nitrososphaera sister group, and Nitrosotalea were detected by amoA gene and transcript. Nitrosotalea devantaerra and Nitrososphaera sister group were the major AOA. Compared to the genomic DNA data, higher relative abundances of Nitrososphaera and Nitrososphaera sister group were recognized in amoA transcript inferred AOA communities, where Nitrosotalea relative abundance was found lower, implying the functional activities of Nitrososphaera sister group and Nitrososphaera were easily underestimated and Nitrosotalea did not attribute proportionally to nitrification in extremely acidic soils. Further comparison of the different AOA community compositions and relative abundance of each phylotypes revealed by amoA genes and transcripts make it possible to identify the functional AOA species and assess their ecological role in extremely acidic soils.
•This is the first study on detection of CyHV-2 by LAMP.•8 sets of primers were designed, and the optimum one was determined.•LAMP is superior to conventional PCR and real-time PCR.•LAMP is more ...suitable for rapid detection of CyHV-2 under field conditions.
Goldfish Haematopoietic Necrosis caused by Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) is a severe fish disease with high level of mortality. This is the first study on detection of this disease by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). A set of six primers targeting terminase gene (accession no. EU349285.1) was determined after a serial of tests. Detection limit was 1.09×10−4μg/μL, which was superior to conventional PCR and real-time PCR. No cross reaction with 28 other viruses or bacteria commonly found in fish was observed. The application of commercial kit and instrument for the LAMP assay could reduce the risk of cross contamination, which is suitable for detection of infection under field conditions.
PDF
