Sorption of humic acids (HAs) from a peat soil by multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was examined in this work. Sorption rate of HAs to MWCNTs was dominantly controlled by their diffusion from liquid-MWCNT boundary to MWCNT surfaces. Size exclusion chromatography analysis did not detect preferential sorption of HA fractions to MWCNTs at equilibrium, whereas the components with lower molecular weight in some HA fractions (e.g., HA1) would more preferentially be sorbed to MWCNTs at the initial sorption stage. Equilibrium sorption intensity of HAs by MWCNTs was dependent on their surface area and a sum of meso- and macropore volume. The surface area and sum of meso- and macroporosity-normalized sorption coefficient (K(d)) values of a given HA by MWCNTs increased with increasing outer diameter of MWCNTs, because MWCNTs with larger outer diameter were more strongly dispersed by HAs thereby making more sorption sites exposed for HA sorption. Van der Waals interaction between the alkyl components rather than the aromatic ones of HAs with MWCNTs was likely the key driving force for their sorption. This study highlights the sorption rate-controlling step of HAs from a same source to MWCNTs and the major factors affecting their sorption intensity at equilibrium.

Organic matter-mineral interactions greatly affect the fate of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in the environment. In the present study, the impact of organic matter-mineral interaction on sorption of phenanthrene (PHE) by the original and de-ashed humic acids (HAs) and humin (HM) was examined. After de-ashing treatment, the overall polarity of organic matter in HAs and HM consistently decreased. Differently, the surface polarity of HAs increased but that of HM decreased. No correlation between K(oc) values of PHE by all tested sorbents and their bulk polarity was observed due to inaccessibility of a portion of interior sorption domains. The inaccessibility of interior sorption domains in HAs and HM was partly due to the crystalline structure in organic matter as indicated by differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and ¹³C NMR data and the interference from minerals. A good correlation between surface polarity of the original and de-ashed HAs and HMs and their K(oc) values for PHE indicated its importance in HOC sorption. Dissimilar changes in surface polarity of HAs and HM after de-ashing treatment can be ascribed to the distinct interactions between organic matter and minerals. The solid-state ¹³C NMR, XPS, and elemental composition data of all tested sorbents revealed that a larger fraction of O atoms in HAs were involved in organic matter-mineral interaction as compared to HM. Results of this work highlight the importance of soil organic matter (SOM)-mineral interactions, surface polarity, and microscaled domain arrangement of SOM in HOC sorption.

No abstract

Schizophrenia is a common mental disorder with a complex pattern of inheritance. Despite a large number of studies in the past decades, its molecular etiology remains unknown. In this study, we proposed a 'system-thinking' strategy in seeking the combined effect of susceptibility genes for a complex disorder by using paranoid schizophrenia as an example. We genotyped 85 reported single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) present in 23 genes for the dopamine (DA) metabolism pathway among 83 paranoid schizophrenics and 108 normal controls with detailed clinical and genetic information. We developed two novel multilocus approaches-the potential effective SNP combination pattern and potential effective dynamic effects analysis, by which three susceptibility genotype combinations were found to be associated with schizophrenia. These results were also validated in a family-based cohort consisting of 95 family trios of paranoid schizophrenia. The present findings suggest that the COMT and ALDH3 combination may be the most common type involved in predisposing to schizophrenia. Since the combination blocks the whole pathways for the breakdown of DA and noradrenaline, it is very likely to play a central role in developing paranoid schizophrenia.

Suspension of the pristine and COOH-substituted multi-walled carbon nanotubes (P- and C-MWCNTs) with different outer diameters (ODs) by humic acids (HAs) from a peat soil was examined. Under shaking condition, MWCNTs were not suspended within 5 d. Without HAs, C-MWCNTs were slightly suspended by sonication within 16 h, but no suspension was observed for the pristine ones (P-MWCNTs). HAs greatly enhanced suspension of both P- and C-MWCNTs. The suspension enhancement was attributed to HA sorption, which increased electrostatic repulsion and steric hindrance between individual MWCNTs. Introduction of O-containing hydrophilic moieties to MWCNTs via HA sorption enhanced the interactions of their surfaces with water through H-bonding. Suspending capability of various MWCNTs on suspended mass concentration basis by four HAs showed inconsistent orders with the increasing or decreasing trend of their ODs. However, the suspended surface area concentrations of both P- and C-MWCNTs by individual HAs consistently followed an order of P8 > P30 > P50, and C8 > C30 > C50 (P and C, respectively, refer to P- and C-MWCNTs, and the numbers represent their ODs). These data implied that MWCNTs with smaller OD could be more strongly suspended by a given HA relative to those with larger OD under sonication condition.