Degrading Treatment Research Articles

Enhancing Manganese Peroxidase: Innovations in Genetic Modification, Screening Processes, and Sustainable Agricultural Applications.

Manganese peroxidase (MnP), a vital extracellular enzyme for the degradation of lignin and other organic pollutants, has demonstrated immense potential for agricultural and environmental applications, including straw pretreatment, feed fermentation, mycotoxin degradation, and water treatment. However, current research remains in its exploratory phase, with naturally sourced MnP unable to meet industrial-scale demands and no mature commercial enzyme preparations available on the market. This comprehensive review innovatively constructs a framework for MnP research, probing into its molecular conformation and catalytic principles, while providing an overview of the advancements in high-throughput screening and In silco designing strategies. Specifically, this review focuses on the practical applications of MnP in sustainable agriculture, elaborating on its potential and challenges in straw resource utilization, efficient feed fermentation, mycotoxin control, and water quality improvement. Furthermore, this review summarizes the recent achievements in optimizing MnP activity through enzyme engineering techniques and discuss customized mutation strategies tailored to specific agricultural and environmental requirements, thereby laying a solid theoretical foundation and scientific basis for the industrial production and commercialization of MnP.

Daily requests and complaints in Spanish prisons: Looking beyond legal regulation

AbstractThis article deals with the right to make requests and complaints (RCs) inside Spanish prisons. It discusses the European Prison Rules and the principles set forward by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), examining how the Spanish system respects these. It then introduces the RCs system in Spain. Through research carried out in four prisons, interviews with the directors and with 21 inmates and taking as an example one prison, we were able to discover that the number of requests in one year is 55,000. This result reveals the formalised character of Spanish prisons and raises the question as to how to respond to RCs inside prison. The last part of the article draws on interviews with three Penitentiary Judges and discusses their role in reviewing RCs. In our analysis of 626 of the final decisions we found that 98.6% were denied. Finally, the article provides some explanations for this result and questions whether judges can be said to provide an effective remedy in such cases.

Regulation Act of Torture in Criminal Code: Opportunity and Challenge to Improve Human Rights Situation in Indonesia

This research aims to analyze the opportunities and challenges with regulating the criminal act of torture in Law No. 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP). The provisions regarding the criminal act of torture in the Criminal Code certainly open up opportunities in efforts to eliminate the practice of torture in Indonesia. The provisions of Article 530 of the current Criminal Code and the explanatory section stipulate that this article directly derives from the provisions in the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. On the other hand, all efforts and mechanisms to eliminate the practice of torture in Indonesia still require many steps to be taken. This research was conducted using a normative juridical method with a statutory approach. This research also provides an explanation of several gaps from previous similar studies by explaining several novel analyses, such as: (1) the application of sanctions to perpetrators must be adjusted to the provisions of international instruments, (2) revision of various articles in the Criminal Procedure Code which has the potential to perpetuate the practice of torture, and (3) the urgency to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT). The conclusion of this research is an explanation that the regulation of criminal acts of torture in the provisions of the new Criminal Code needs to be appreciated, but of course it is not enough. The state must have high commitment and political will to revise the Criminal Procedure Code openly and involve the community, ratify OPCAT, implement national legal provisions, and ensure law enforcement against perpetrators.

Beyond the “Hybrid Attack” Paradigm: EU-Belarus Border Crisis and the Erosion of Asylum-Seeker Rights in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland

While in the recent years violations of asylum-seeker rights have been increasingly documented in EU Member States, the crisis at the EU-Belarus border has opened up a whole new chapter in this area. In response to the perceived migrant instrumentalisation by the Belarusian regime, several Member States—Latvia, Lithuania and Poland—have openly introduced long-term, far-reaching and blanket legislative measures that severely restricted the right to seek asylum and formalised pushbacks—contrary to their obligations under EU law and international refugee and human rights law. This paper approaches the topic from a comparative socio-legal perspective. Apart from a legal analysis of the Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish domestic measures, it is based on interviews with non-EU nationals affected, as well as NGO representatives, volunteers and legal practitioners who have been providing legal and humanitarian assistance to people crossing from Belarus. The paper, first, offers an overview of Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish responses to the events at the border and looks at how the relevant measures affect the non-EU nationals involved. Second, it engages with the migrant instrumentalisation paradigm, relied on by the governments to derogate from EU and international legal framework, and explores the EU-level response to the crisis. This study argues that EU’s border with Belarus has de facto become an exclusion zone where protection seekers are deprived of their right to claim asylum and continuously exposed to various types of inhuman and degrading treatment. It also demonstrates that the migrant instrumentalisation concept is problematic on multiple levels and does not correspond to the realities on the ground.

Modeling and Optimization of Sisal Fiber Degradation Treatment by Calcined Bentonite for Cement Composite Materials

ABSTRACT The treatment of sisal fiber by pozzolanic materials like kaolin and silica-fume has been explored; however, no study has modeled and optimized the effect of sisal fiber degradation treatment using calcined bentonite. Therefore, the present study investigate the effects of treating sisal fiber with different doses of calcined bentonite, bentonite calcination temperatures, and times on fiber breaking load, degradation resistance, and water absorption using the central composite design-response surface method (CCD-RSM). The best performance of the optimum treated sisal fiber selected from the CCD-RSM based on the established goal of maximizing breaking load and degradation resistance with minimum water absorption, it was obtained a calcined bentonite dose of 30.067%, a bentonite calcination temperature of 800°C, and a calcination time of 179.99 min. Based on these factors, experimentally found sisal fiber breaking load 12.87 N, degradation resistance 98.44%, and water absorption 39.05%, all are within the 95% confidence level compared to the optimum numerical suggested values. Hence, the optimum treated sisal fiber improved breaking load by 33.37% and degradation resistance by 98%, while it reduced water absorption by 60.95%, compared to raw sisal fiber. Besides these, the optimum treated sisal fiber exhibits higher surface roughness and lower porosity than the raw sisal fiber.

Response-independent outcome presentations dissociate stimulus and value based choice

A stimulus that predicts the delivery of a specific food outcome can bias performance towards instrumental actions that earn that same outcome in a phenomenon known as specific Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (PIT). The precise mechanism by which the specific instrumental action is selected under these circumstances has remained elusive. The present set of experiments explored whether treatments that undermine the response-outcome (R-O) association also affect the expression of specific PIT. Consistent with previous work, in Experiment 1 we showed that specific PIT remains intact after an instrumental degradation treatment that attempted to undermine R-O associations. However, we additionally demonstrated that outcome-devaluation sensitivity also persisted after degradation, suggesting that R-O associations were impervious to the degradation treatment, and precluding any conclusions about the necessity of R-O associations for specific PIT expression. Nevertheless, given the two-lever two-outcome design of this experiment it is possible that R-O associations were indeed undermined by degradation and that the devaluation effect was driven by distinct, incidental Pavlovian lever-outcome associations. To nullify the obscuring effects of these incidental Pavlovian associations, we used a bidirectional lever for instrumental conditioning that could be pushed to the left or the right for distinct outcomes. In Experiment 2 we demonstrated that specific PIT could be observed on this bidirectional manipulandum whether the subjects were hungry or sated, consistent with the literature. The critical third Experiment used an identical design to Experiment 1 except that the two instrumental responses were made on the single bidirectional manipulanda. Here, specific PIT was intact after instrumental degradation and, crucially, we saw no evidence of outcome devaluation sensitivity in these same subjects, suggesting that the R-O associations were weakened or undermined by this treatment. We conclude that the expression of specific PIT is resistant to treatments that undermine R-O associations and disrupt value based choice, and discuss how these findings contribute to our understanding of the associative framework supporting behavioral control.

Biosurfactant production by Bacillus cereus GX7 utilizing organic waste and its application in the remediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated environments.

The use of biosurfactants represents a promising technology for remediating hydrocarbon pollution in the environment. This study evaluated a highly effective biosurfactant strain-Bacillus cereus GX7's ability to produce biosurfactants from industrial and agriculture organic wastes. Bacillus cereus GX7 showed poor utilization capacity for oil soluble organic waste but effectively utilized of water- soluble organic wastes such as starch hydrolysate and wheat bran juice as carbon sources to enhance biosurfactant production. This led to significant improvements in surface tension and emulsification index. Corn steep liquor was also effective as a nitrogen source for Bacillus cereus GX7 in biosurfactant production. The biosurfactants produced by strain Bacillus cereus GX7 demonstrated a remediation effect on oily beach sand, but are slightly inferior to chemical surfactants. Inoculation with Bacillus cereus GX7 (70.36%) or its fermentation solution (94.38%) effectively enhanced the degradation efficiency of diesel oil in polluted seawater, surpassing that of indigenous degrading bacteria treatments (57.62%). Moreover, inoculation with Bacillus cereus GX7's fermentation solution notably improved the community structure by increasing the abundance of functional bacteria such as Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas in seawater. These findings suggest that the Bacillus cereus GX7 as a promising candidate for bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons.

Does prison labour rehabilitate, punish, discipline or exploit a traumatised and racialised population in Australian and American prisons?

This article describes the incarcerated population in Australia and the US as being comprised of peo-ple primarily from racialised and marginalised communities, of whom many have histories of trauma. It is argued that their pre-existing trauma is compounded by trauma arising from both deprivation of liberty in and of itself, and their treatment and conditions in prison. The article compares and draws parallels between rehabilitation as understood under the UN Convention against Tortureand Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment with rehabilitation as an objective of the criminal legal system, arguing for the need for the criminal legal system to refocus from reducing reoffending to pursuing healing. The article argues that contemporary prison labour in Australia and the US should be analysed in the context of historical slavery and forced labour. It considers the different objectives of prison labour, concluding that it is not feasible to effectively achieve multiple objectives (e.g. rehabilitation versus recouping State costs associated with incarceration). The signifi-cant risk that prison labour as it currently operates can amount to exploitative or degrading treatment is explored in the article, which argues that international legal protections need to be strengthened. The article also recommends that there needs to be improved transparency and research regarding the use and effectiveness of prison labour in these jurisdictions (and more broadly) in achieving rehabili-tation, particularly livelihoods in the community, after release from prison.

Міжнародно-правові та національні гарантії реалізації права особи на захист життя і здоров’я

This article analyzes the norms of international and national legislation concerning the right of individuals to life and health protection, through the lens of their practical implementation. The study identifies the positive and negative aspects of the legislative regulation of the right to protection, examines the reasons for states’ non-compliance with certain international legal treaties, and offers several remarks on the effectiveness and feasibility of the established legal provisions. In particular, the publication emphasizes the high efficacy of the norms of the European Convention on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in light of the practice of the European Court of Human Rights and the activities of UN specialized committees. At the same time, the paper criticizes the effectiveness of the provisions of the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols due to the lack of proper mechanisms for their implementation and identifies the main reasons for states’ violations of the aforementioned international treaties. Among the main issues of the implementation of the norms of these conventions, the author identifies the lack of political will of the states, insufficient training and awareness of military personnel, non-compliance by states with international justice mechanisms, and the lack of effective control and monitoring of compliance with the norms of the conventions. Additionally, based on the analysis of the practice of applying the legal rules on necessary defense, the article highlights the urgent need to define the time limits of the defense situation and the criteria for determining the proportionality of actions during defense at the legislative level. Furthermore, to improve and eliminate inconsistencies between the provisions of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the Constitution of Ukraine, the author proposes specific amendments to the Basic Law.

Практика розгляду судами справ про притягнення осіб до адміністративної відповідальності за вчинення домашнього насильства

The article analyses the practice of courts considering cases of bringing persons to administrative liability for committing domestic violence. As social conditions change, so do the forms of violent acts and the preconditions for their commission, as well as the practice of courts considering such cases. Domestic violence is behaviour in which physical and psychological coercion is used to establish and maintain control over a loved one, with whom the perpetrator is usually connected by common life or family ties. It is often a cyclical pattern of behaviour that escalates, endangering the life and emotional well-being of victims. The rights violated by domestic violence include basic fundamental rights protected by international law, such as the right to life and bodily integrity and freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. The article identifies the penalties most often applied to persons brought to justice, including a fine, which is considered to be insufficiently effective because it may have an impact on the victim and because of the small amount of the fine. The problem identified is that the courts do not pay enough attention to clarifying all the circumstances of the case, and the justification for applying the type of penalty for domestic violence is insufficient. The problem of recording cases of domestic violence is equally problematic, as protocols are often drawn up in violation of the requirements of the Code of Administrative Offences. The problem of recognising children as victims in cases of violence committed in their presence remains. It is noted that the establishment of administrative liability for domestic violence is not a sufficiently effective means of combating domestic violence and preventing its recurrence.

Right to complain about mistreatment in criminal interviews and interrogations following international and EU law and the Méndez Principles

The paper aims to determine the requirements that must be met in the complaint mechanism to prevent torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment in the pretrial proceeding. This paper analyses the International, regional, and EU laws and policy documents of international organisations andhow the recommendations and complaint mechanisms provided by the MéndezPrinciples contribute to the implementation of International and EU law requirements. It includes a list of conditions to ensure an effective complaintmechanism and analyses them. The paper also discusses problematic issues to be solved while establishing an effective complaint mechanism. The authors concluded that the right to complain during a pre-trial investigation requiresa multifaceted approach that incorporates impartiality, clear guidance, confidentiality, evidence-based decision-making, protection from reprisals, andregular evaluation of the existing policies and practices. The guidance and principles provided by the Méndez Principles lack specific details, leaving space for legal discussions. This requires competent domestic authorities to implement comprehensive guidelines and policies.

Interview with Nils Melzer

Nils Melzer was appointed as the Director of International Law, Policy and Humanitarian Diplomacy of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 2022. He previously served with the ICRC from 1999 until 2011, both as a delegate in operational contexts and as a Legal Adviser in Geneva. He has also been the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (2016–22), Senior Security Policy Adviser to the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2015–16), and Vice-President of the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in Sanremo (2019–22). An affiliate Professor of International Law at the University of Glasgow, he has also held the Swiss Chairs for Human Rights and for International Humanitarian Law at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, and has been a Senior Fellow and Programme Adviser for Emerging Security Challenges at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, as well as Research Director at the Centre for Business and Human Rights at the University of Zürich.

Catalytic pyrolysis mechanism of waste R134a/R32 refrigerant mixture over Cu(1 1 1) surface: Density functional theory study

The development of degradation treatment technology for waste hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) was urgent. Copper, a commonly used catalyst, can be used to efficiently catalyze the pyrolysis of pure HFCs, but the catalytic pyrolysis study of HFC mixtures was lacking. In this work, the catalytic pyrolysis of R134a/R32 refrigerant mixture over Cu(1 1 1) surface was studied by using density functional theory method. Four initial catalytic pyrolysis reactions of R134a in adsorbed R134a/R32 mixture and adsorbed R134a, two initial catalytic pyrolysis reactions of R32 in adsorbed R134a/R32 mixture and adsorbed R32 were investigated. The results showed that copper had a better catalytic effect on the pyrolysis of adsorbed R134a/R32 mixture, adsorbed R134a and adsorbed R32. On the Cu(1 1 1) surface, the pyrolysis of R134a was inhibited and the pyrolysis of R32 was improved by the mixture of R134a and R32.

Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs): An Innovative Strategy for Targeted Protein Degradation and Disease Treatment

Review Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs): An Innovative Strategy for Targeted Protein Degradation and Disease Treatment Jun Xia, James K.S. Norris, May-Li MacKinnon and Sam Butterworth * Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK * Correspondence: sam.butterworth@manchester.ac.uk Received: 18 May 2024; Revised: 9 Jule 2024; Accepted: 9 Jule 2024; Published: 26 August 2024 Abstract: Protein ubiquitination is a highly conserved post-translational modification through which cells initiate the proteasomal degradation of undesired, aberrant, or damaged proteins. Protein ubiquitination plays a crucial role in protein homeostasis and regulates a wide range of essential physiological processes including DNA repair, immunological response, cell survival and apoptosis. Dysregulation of ubiquitination is associated with various pathologies including cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and immune disorders. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) machinery has been utilized in therapeutic research as it can be manipulated to induce the degradation of undruggable proteins in a superior manner to traditional drug modalities. One such a method of specific protein degradation is the use of heterobifunctional molecules such as proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs). This literature review will focus on the composition, mechanism of action and developmental milestones of PROTACs, comparing these against traditional drug discovery and treatment approaches. In addition, the potential benefits of PROTAC usage will be highlighted by analyzing their practical applications in drug therapies.

Effect of Microbial Degradation Treatments on Lignocellulose, Cellulose, and Water-Holding Capacity of Four Typical Forest Fuels from Northeast China

Since forest fuel decomposes slowly and increases the risk of forest fires by accumulating over the years, forest fuel management to accelerate the decomposition process is essential to prevent forest fires and protect forest resources. In this study, we conducted experiments on forest fuels (Pinus sylvestris var. mongholica, Larix gmelinii, Quercus mongolica and Fraxinus mandshurica) in four typical plantation forests in northeast China by adding Trichoderma spp. to investigate the decomposition process and the changes in cellulose, hemicellulose and the water-holding capacity of the fuels. The addition of Trichoderma spp. accelerated the decomposition of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in the fuel. Trichoderma spp. promoted the ratio of water absorption and loss, as well as the water-holding capacity of the fuels. The ratio of water absorption and loss reached equilibrium when the decomposition time was up to 35 days, and the addition of Trichoderma spp. increased the maximal water-holding capacity of the fuel. The residual ratio of the four types of fuel degraded by the different treatments was inversely proportional to their maximal water-holding capacities and to the residual ratios of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The residual ratios of degradation of the four fuels under different treatments were linearly related to their maximum water-holding capacity, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin residual ratios. Trichoderma spp. had a positive effect on the degradation effect and water-holding capacity of fuel on the ground surface of four typical plantation forests. The study is of positive significance for the decomposition of fuel in forests, it promotes the development of biological fire prevention technology and provides a basis for the reinforcement of the management of fuel in forests and the protection of forest resources.

20 years on from the Dublin Declaration: European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment reporting on the provision of prison needle and syringe programmes in the Council of Europe region

BackgroundPrisons in Europe remain high-risk environments and conducive for infectious disease transmission, often related to injection drug use. Many infected people living in prison unaware of their infection status (HIV, hepatitis C). Despite all Council of Europe (CoE) member states providing community needle and syringe programmes (NSP), prison NSP are limited to seven countries. The study aim was to scrutinise the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CPT) reporting of periodic and ad hoc country mission visits to prisons, with an explicit focus on the extent to which member states are/were fulfilling obligations to protect prisoners from HIV/hepatitis C; and implementing prison NSP under the non-discriminatory equivalence of care principle. Study designSocio-legal review. MethodsA systematic search of the CPT database was conducted in 2024 with no date restriction. All CPT reports were screened in chronological order with the terms; “needle”, “syringe”, “harm reduction” and “NSP”. Relevant narrative content on prison NSP operations, including repeat CPT reminders and any official/publicly expressed reasons for not implementing is presented. ResultsCPT reporting reveals limited prison NSP provision in selected prisons visited on mission, with little change in status over time, despite documented evidence of prior observations around absent/insufficient harm reduction measures and explicit (often longstanding) recommendations to address deficits. Reasons for not implementing prison NSP include; existing availability of opioid substitute treatment, lack of evidence for injecting drug use, for security and maintenance of order, and contradiction with prison protocols sanctioning drug use. ConclusionsPrison health is public health. Regular research and evaluations of prison NSP in Europe are warranted. Future CPT visits should also continue to assess availability and standards of provision; recommend where appropriate including when opioid substitute treatment is already provided, and in line with broad availability of community NSP in Europe.

Light‐Induced Degradation Transition Energy Barrier Measured by Photoluminescence Spectra in Si:In

The impact of light‐induced degradation (LID) treatments is investigated using low‐temperature photoluminescence in Si:In. A feature called as the P‐line, located at 1.118 eV, provides information on the decisive energy barrier for the LID effect. The intensity of the P‐line can be reproducibly influenced by illumination and annealing treatments. The decay of the P‐line after quenching, illumination, and moderate annealing of the silicon samples is measured as function of time and annealing temperature. Both indium‐doped as‐grown Czochralski and indium implanted float‐zone silicon wafers are examined and their behavior is compared. Based on these measurements, an energy barrier for the P‐line defect transition is calculated. The LID defect model is used to discuss the results.

Zn-Al@LDH infused hydrochar as cathode catalyst for upgrading tetracycline degradation and hospital wastewater treatment: A synergy of Fenton-like and bio-electrochemical systems

The present investigation proposed a “Bio-electro-Fenton like (BEFL)” approach for the treatment of antibiotic (tetracycline, TC) containing wastewater. The system is modified using a uniquely developed cathode catalyst Zn-Al@layered double hydroxide (LDH) supported by low-cost carbonaceous material hydrochar (i.e., Zn-Al@LDH/HC), derived from anaerobic digestate and electrocoagulation sludge (waste materials). The result revealed nearly 96.90 ± 0.25 % removal of 10 mg/L of TC as well as about 89.50 ± 0.45 % abatement of total organic carbon (TOC) during 240 min of treatment time using Zn-Al@LDH/HC based BEFL system. Simultaneously, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) abatement in the anodic chamber (with glucose as substrate having COD of 1000 mg/L) was observed to be 85.16 ± 0.50 %. In-situ hydrogen peroxide (46.2 ± 1.2 mg/L as mean 4 h concentration) generation capability of the Zn-Al@LDH/HC was responsible for the outstanding performance of BEFL system. Additionally, the BEFL was also proficient in generation of bioelectricity (1141 ± 25 mA/m2) via the microbial activity in the anodic chamber. Further, the technology was extended for TC degradation in presence of surfactants and real hospital wastewater to depict the effect of real field conditions on the performance of as-synthesized waste derived catalyst. Intermediate products formed, the mechanism of TC degradation, and the phytotoxicity assessment were also illustrated to confirm the negligible toxicity of the treated effluent. Overall, deriving the catalyst from waste materials would reduce the scale-up cost of the proposed technology, enhance environmental sustainability, and contribute to circular economy.

Electrodeposition of WO3 Nanoparticles Onto a Carbon Membrane Surface for the Development of a Hybrid Filtration/Photocatalysis System

This study proposes the development of a photoactive filtration membrane using carbon fiber (CF) modified with an n-type semiconductor (WO3) to create a hybrid filtration/photocatalysis system applied in water treatment for simultaneous retention and degradation of the emerging contaminant (Sertraline - SER). The membrane was prepared through chemical electrodeposition in a three-electrode electrochemical cell, utilizing CF as the working electrode, two-dimensionally stable anode counter electrodes (De Nora), and an Ag/AgCl 4.0 mol L-1 KCl reference electrode. The preparation conditions included: 5.0 mmol L-1 of Na2WO4, 0.075% (v/v) H2O2, pH 1.4, with a potential of -0.5 V applied for 1 h, followed by heat treatment at 450 °C.Characterizations revealed a mesoporous structure, with UV-Vis absorption (300 - 700 nm), a band gap of 3.6 eV, and a BET surface area of 3.1 m2 g-1. Micrographs illustrated the formation of a uniform layer of WO3 on the CF surface, and characteristic peaks of C and WO3 in the monoclinic phase were confirmed. XPS analysis assigned species, including C 1s, O 1s, W (4f, 4f7/2, 4d5/2 4d3/2), with an intense peak at 530 eV related to the metallic bond (W-O).The optimized experimental conditions: SER 2.0 mg L-1, volume 100 mL, flow rate 180 mL min-1, pH 5.6, UV LED irradiation, complete removal of SER was observed in 30 min when applied to real effluents from a water treatment plant before and after the chlorination step. Additionally, complete degradation was achieved after 90 min of the experiment in simulated effluents in Milli-Q water. The photoactive membrane proved effective under various conditions, achieving 1.41 mg L-1 SER degradation after five reuse cycles and complete SER degradation after 40 min under solar irradiation. Experiments with scavenger agents confirmed the participation of species (HO•, O2 •-, 1O2, h+, and H2O2) in the degradation process. Additionally, six degradation products were identified with mass-charge (m/z) of 176, 189, 191, 273, 293, and 322, generated from hydroxylation, demethylation, and dechlorination reactions.The photoactive membrane has shown excellent potential for applications in filtration processes, mitigating issues associated with fouling. It facilitates the rapid removal and effective degradation of pollutants while also allowing for its application under various irradiation conditions. This feature simplifies and enables effective management in the treatment of contaminated waters.

Protective effects of degraded Bletilla striata polysaccharides against UVB-induced oxidative stress in skin

The Bletilla striata polysaccharides (BSP) extracted through alkali-assisted method exhibit significant antioxidant activity, but its bioaccessibility was inadequate due to its tightly filamentous reticulation structure and high molecular weight. The anti-photoaging and anti-melanogenesis effects of degraded BSP (DBSPs) against UVB-induced oxidative stress on the skin were investigated. The molecular weights of the DBSPs were reduced to 153.94 kDa, 66.96 kDa, and 15.54 kDa from an initial value of 298.82 kDa. The degradation treatment altered the branched chain structure of the DBSPs, while the backbone structure, triple-helix structure, and crystallinity remained. DBSPs with a lower molecular weight exhibit better in vitro antioxidant activity. DBSPs did not show cytotoxicity to HSF cells but inhibited B16F10 cell proliferation. The addition of DBSPs protected HSF and B16F10 cells from oxidative stress and reduced ROS levels, B16F10 melanin content, and B16F10 tyrosinase activity after UVB damage, but DBSP-10 particles were slightly less effective due to aggregation. In contrast, DBSP-5 demonstrated effectiveness in reducing MDA levels in cells stressed by oxidative stress, increased total antioxidant capacity, and inhibited melanogenesis in B16F10, suggesting that DBSP-5 has potential as a topical therapeutic agent for the treatment of skin diseases associated with oxidative stress.