Patterns of volatile metabolites and nonvolatile trichothecenes produced by isolates of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stachybotrys,Fusarium, Trichoderma,Trichothecium</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Memnoniella</Emphasis>

We reported previously that trichodiene, a volatile trichothecene derivative, was produced by a Stachybotrys isolate, also known to produce highly cytotoxic, non-volatile, macrocyclic trichothecenes (satrotoxins). We investigated the relationship between the production of trichodiene and various non-volatile trichothecenes for several molds. Volatile metabolites were concentrated by adsorption on Tenax TA and analyzed by GC/MS, while non-volatile metabolites were separated by HPLC, derivatized and analyzed by GC/MS. Stachybotrys chartarum isolates producing macrocyclic trichothecenes secreted significantly larger amounts of trichodiene and other sesquiterpenes than isolates which only produced simple trichothecenes. The amounts of secreted trichodiene were relatively small in all cases. With the exception of Memnoniella, which excreted small amounts of sesquiterpenes, the other isolates produced varying amounts of sesquiterpenes, including trichodiene, as well as simple tricothecenes, no detectable trichodiene, but large amounts of griseofulvin derivatives. In Stachybotrys there is apparently a correlation between trichodiene and macrocyclic trichothecene production. In the remaining isolates, there was no simple relationship between trichodiene and non-volatile trichothecene synthesis. Trichodiene is produced in larger amounts by Stachybotrys isolates, which also produce satratoxins, but it will be difficult to utilize this metabolite to detect toxic isolates in buildings due to the relatively small amounts excreted.     

Effects of Mn(II) and Fe(II) on microbial removal of arsenic (III)

Goal, scope, and background  Arsenic contamination in groundwater creates severe health problems in the world. There are many physiochemical and biological methods available for remediation of arsenic from groundwater. Among them, microbial remediation could be taken as one of the least expensive methods, though it takes longer treatment time. The main objective of this research was to study the improvement on remediation by addition of some essential ion salts such as Mn and Fe. Materials and methods   Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Escherichia coli were taken as model microbes from Dhulikhel, 30 km east from Kathmandu, Nepal. Results and discussion  Microbes used in this study showed different abilities in their removal of As(III) with and without addition of Mn and Fe salts. The trend of remediation increased with time. S. aureus was found to be the best among the microbes used. It showed almost 100% removal after 48-h culture, both with and without Fe and Mn salts. Rate of removal of As increased with addition of Fe and Mn for all microbes. Removal efficiency was found to increase by about 32% on average after addition of salts in 24-h cultures of S. aureus.     

利用发光菌和大型蚤对北方某城市再生水急性毒性的调查

利用发光菌和大型蚤作为受试生物测定了北方某城市5个再生水原水(城市污水厂二级出水)和2个再生水处理系统的各工艺出水的急性毒性.结果表明,各再生水原水对大型蚤和发光菌具有不同程度的毒性效应,其中工业废水占较大比例的K和B厂再生水原水的大型蚤48 h总抑制率分别高达90%和100%,发光菌发光抑制率分别达到74.2%和46...     

Bioindicators for toxicity assesment of effluents from a wastewater treatment plant

The discharge of effluents and toxic compounds into aquatic systems represents a growing environmental problem involving an impact on water ecology and potential effect on human health. Most municipal wastewaters are complex mixtures; their complexity led as to carry out a hazard assessment using chemical analyses and biological tests.This study investigates biochemical alteratiobns in two sentinel organisms, the Anodonta cygnea mussel and the Xenopus laevis frog exposed for different lengths of time to various concentrartion of wastewater of the S. Antonino Ticino treatment plant. The results point out the long-life of toxic compounds.     

氧化亚铁硫杆菌浸铜作用研究

为研究氧化亚铁硫杆菌(Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans,简称A.f)对铜浸出的作用,从某煤堆积水中分离得到A.f菌,利用该菌对铜进行浸出实验,设置3个处理,3个处理的浸出液分别为9 K培养基(简称S),成熟菌液(简称MS)和过滤除菌液(简称FS)。结果表明,3个处理中铜都得到了浸出,浸出铜浓度按S、FS和MS依次递增分别为4 433、5 377和6 296 mg/L;浸出初期,MS中的铜,浸出速度最快,过滤除菌液中次之,而培养基中的速度比较稳定,比前两者均慢,24 h后三者浸铜速度趋近一致;三者中pH、Eh变化相似,pH均先升高至3.4左右保持相对稳定,Eh均先迅速下降至280 mV后保持稳定。由实验可知,氧化亚铁硫杆菌主要在浸出初期促进了铜的浸出,且菌液中溶解氧氧化Fe2+以及酸性条件下氧化Cu0对铜的浸出作用不容忽视。     

污泥堆肥施用于草坪草栽培:Zn和Cu的分布特征简

为了探索污泥堆肥中重金属在土壤-植物系统中的积累与转移特性，通过温室盆栽实验，分析了污泥堆肥对草坪草高羊茅、黑麦草和白三叶生物量积累的情况，研究了污泥堆肥中Zn和Cu在植物和土壤中的分布特征。结果表明，污泥堆肥施用可以有效促进3种草坪草的积累生物量，在0~6 kg/m²的污泥堆肥施用量范围内，草坪草的生物量积累随着施用量的增加而提高。土壤中Zn和Cu的含量随污泥堆肥施加量的增加而增大，85%以上的Zn和Cu残留在土壤中。污泥堆肥中的Zn和Cu均可以被植物吸收，随着污泥堆肥施用量的增加，草坪草对Zn和Cu的吸收量增大，但当污泥堆肥施用量超过一定阈值时，草坪草吸收Zn和Cu不再增加，甚至减少；对于不同的草坪草，这一阈值有所不同。植物对Zn和Cu的吸收量只占土壤中Zn和Cu减少量的5%左右。根据生物富集系数（BCF）的计算结果推测，污泥堆肥的施用对土壤环境的影响大于对植物体内累积Zn和Cu的影响。     

Marine macroalgal community structure, metal content and reproductive function near an acid mine drainage outflow

Marine macroalgal communities were examined near the outflow of acid mine drainage (AMD) from the Britannia Mine, British Columbia, Canada. No marine algae were present within 100 m of the mouth of Britannia Creek, which carries the AMD into the marine environment. At greater distances (300-700 m) from this Creek, mean summer cover of filamentous green algae, mostly Enteromorpha intestinalis, was >60%, which was significantly higher than at nearby reference stations. At still greater distances (600-1000 m) from Britannia Creek, Fucus gardneri dominated algal communities that were similar to those at reference stations. No consistent differences were detected in mean plant length, mean per cent cover or mean oocyte production between F. gardneri near Britannia Creek and those at reference stations. Cu body burden in F. gardneri near Britannia Creek was five to 17 times higher than in reference plants.     

不同质量浓度黄菖蒲和狭叶香蒲对铜绿微囊藻的化感作用简

分别采用黄菖蒲（Iris pseudacorus L.）、狭叶香蒲（Typha angustifolia L.）和铜绿微囊藻（Microcystis aeruginosa）共生培养的实验方法研究了不同质量浓度黄菖蒲、狭叶香蒲对铜绿微囊藻的化感作用。结果表明，黄菖蒲在质量浓度大于10 g/L时对初始密度为1.0×10⁷ ind/mL的铜绿微囊藻具有较好的抑制作用，表现为黄菖蒲质量浓度为10、20和40 g/L时，第15天对铜绿微囊藻的抑制率分别为30.1%、51.8%和84.0%；狭叶香蒲在质量浓度大于20 g/L时对铜绿微囊藻有明显的抑制作用，表现为狭叶香蒲质量浓度为20 g/L和40 g/L时，第15天对铜绿微囊藻的抑制率分别为34.2%和77.7%，实验过程中，铜绿微囊藻叶绿素a含量逐渐减少，而藻密度、SOD活性及MDA含量先增加后逐渐降低，表明经过一段时间持续地化感胁迫，黄菖蒲和狭叶香蒲可以诱导铜绿微囊藻产生氧化胁迫，导致细胞结构严重损伤和叶绿素大量分解，从而强烈抑制铜绿微囊藻的生长。     

Physical-chemical and ecotoxicological evaluation of water based drilling fluids used in Italian off-shore

In order to evaluate the effects on the marine ecosystem caused by an eventual discharge into sea of water based drilling fluids, as current legislation allows, chemical and ecotoxicological analyses were performed on the most common drilling muds and products used in Italian off-shore activities. The chemical analysis on drilling fluids involved the leaching test and the measurement of total content of heavy metals, whereas biodegradation tests were performed on the products used in mud's formulations. As for ecotoxicological evaluation, two marine organisms, the crustacean Artemia salina and the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, were selected to determine the LC₅₀ and the EC₅₀ respectively.     

不同水温下鲴鱼对铜绿微囊藻的控制作用及对水质的影响

在室内受控模拟条件下开展实验,研究了在19、23、27、31、35℃5个水温梯度下鲴鱼对铜绿微囊藻和水质的影响。研究结果表明,在不同水温下,鲴鱼对铜绿微囊藻具有较强的控制作用,实验结束时铜绿微囊藻密度减少至初始密度的18%~30%,摄食率和消化率分别为6.83×104~8.32×104cells/(g·d)、93%~98%;叶绿素a的去除率为68%~88%;实验组TP、TN去除率分别为22%~25%、20%~38%,对照组的分别为80%~94%、28%~40%。对照组NH+4-N浓度变化很小(0.071~0.073 mg/L),而实验组氨氮浓度显著增大(2.222~3.645 mg/L),分别为初始值的31、34、42、51和46倍。     

The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae can enhance arsenic tolerance in Medicago truncatula by increasing plant phosphorus status and restricting arsenate uptake

A pot experiment examined the biomass and As uptake of Medicago truncatula colonized by the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Glomus mosseae in low-P soil experimentally contaminated with different levels of arsenate. The biomass of G. mosseae external mycelium was unaffected by the highest addition level of As studied (200 mg kg⁻¹) but shoot and root biomass declined in both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants, indicating that the AM fungus was more tolerant than M. truncatula to arsenate. Mycorrhizal inoculation increased shoot and root dry weights by enhancing host plant P nutrition and lowering shoot and root As concentrations compared with uninoculated plants. The AM fungus may have been highly tolerant to As and conferred enhanced tolerance to arsenate on the host plant by enhancing P nutrition and restricting root As uptake.     

全氟辛烷磺酸盐(PFOS)在藻渣/小球藻上的吸附行为及机理

为了开发新型廉价生物吸附剂,以高效吸附去除水体中全氟辛烷磺酸盐(PFOS),对小球藻提取生物柴油后的藻渣吸附酸性水体中的PFOS进行了吸附行为及机理的研究。小球藻提取生物质柴油后,比表面积、孔容、孔径几乎没有变化;等电点由3.3降低至2.7;蛋白质含量由51.45%提高到57.35%。在酸性条件下(pH≤3),小球藻和藻渣对PFOS的吸附率均达到99%以上;随着pH值增加至7,二者的吸附去除率迅速降低,但仍保持在22%~26%。小球藻和藻渣对PFOS的最大吸附容量分别为353.69 mg/g和444.83 mg/g。Freundlich模型能较好地拟合二者对PFOS的吸附数据,表明为多层吸附,即小球藻以静电吸引的形式吸附PFOS阴离子,并疏水分配至所含蛋白质中;而藻渣中含量较高的蛋白质对PFOS的疏水性分配作用是导致藻渣吸附量增高的主要原因。     

耐寒人工湿地植物石龙芮和酸模联用研究

为了提高人工湿地在寒冷季节的运行效率，对2种非夏季植物作为湿地植物处理生活污水的可行性进行了研究。结果表明,在本实验条件下2种植物对N、P元素都具有很好的去除效果，对COD的去除也达到45%～50%。通过单一植物系统和复合植物系统的处理效果比较，发现石龙芮酸模复合植物系统对污水中的P元素和COD的去除率更高。研究表明，石龙芮和酸模作为人工湿地植物具有可行性，与常规植物互补使用能在一定程度上延长人工湿地的运行时间。     

隐孢子虫3种检测方法比较

为建立一套行之有效的隐孢子虫灭活效果评价方法，在构建鸡源隐孢子虫C. baileyi动物模型的基础上，选用3种检测方法（抗酸染色、饱和蔗糖悬浮镜检和荧光检测），对鸡源隐孢子虫进行镜检、数量统计，并比较3种方法的优劣及适用范围。结果显示：荧光染色法具有最佳的检测效率（检出数量为改良抗酸染色法，饱和蔗糖悬浮镜检法的2.1和2.6倍；检测时间为120 min），并能够进行隐孢子虫的活性鉴定，可以作为饮用水消毒剂灭活隐孢子虫的评定方法，是一种高效、简便、较为廉价，并具有较大发展前景的检测方法。     

一株耐铬不动杆菌对十二烷基硫酸钠的降解特性

研究醋酸钙不动杆菌H1的降解广谱性时,发现其能在高浓度十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)环境中生长。经过对菌株H1降解特性研究,结果表明,该菌利用SDS的最适温度为30℃,最适pH为7.0,最适接种量为2%,并适应低渗透压环境。当SDS浓度低于400 mg/L时,菌株H1对SDS的降解率在85%以上,且在SDS浓度为400 mg/L时,达到最大降解率94%。当K2Cr2O7为500 mg/L时,菌株H1对SDS的降解率仍达到50%左右。添加酵母浸出物可促进SDS的降解。     

Inductive potency of TCDD, TBDD and three 2,3,7,8-mixed-halogenated dioxins in liver microsomes of male rats. Enzyme kinetic considerations

The enzyme inducing potency of single doses of three 2,3,7,8-substituted mixed halogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins was investigated and compared with 2,3,7,8-TCDD and 2,3,7,8-TBDD. All substances showed a quite similar potency for EROD induction. The use of a substrate concentration of 0.5 μM ethoxyresorufin is strongly recommended.     

氧化亚铁硫杆菌的筛选、生长特性及其橡胶再生研究

从大西洋底死火山口土壤中筛选出一株硫杆菌,经16S rDNA鉴定为氧化亚铁硫杆菌。研究了初始底物Fe2+浓度,初始pH,接种量对其生长的影响,确定了其最佳的生长的条件:在30℃、170 r/min条件下,最适底物Fe2+浓度为9 g/L,最佳初始pH为2.5,最适接种量为10%(体积分数)。探讨了氧化亚铁硫杆菌对天然硫化橡胶的脱硫再生,橡胶的SEM分析、FTIR图谱及EDS图谱研究表明氧化亚铁硫杆菌对硫化胶粉的硫交联键有断裂或转化作用,脱硫率达52.6%,氧化亚铁硫杆菌对天然橡胶具有一定的再生作用。     

地表水中隐孢子虫和贾第鞭毛虫微球的混凝去除

以向地表水中投加的隐孢子虫微球和贾第鞭毛虫微球为对象,研究通过对给水混凝工艺对其的去除效果进行比较,着重考察了不同混凝剂种类、投加量及水样pH值对去除效果的影响.结果表明,混凝工艺可较为有效地去除地表水中的两虫微球,去除率最高可达4 lg.相比常规的金属盐类混凝剂,高分子的PAC、PAFC混凝剂对两虫微球的混凝去除率更...     

The variability of processes involved in transgene dispersal—case studies from Brassica and related genera

Background, aim, and scope

We strive to predict consequences of genetically modified plants (GMPs) being cultivated openly in the environment, as human and animal health, biodiversity, agricultural practise and farmers’ economy could be affected. Therefore, it is unfortunate that the risk assessment of GMPs is burdened by uncertainty. One of the reasons for the uncertainty is that the GMPs are interacting with the ecosystems at the release site thereby creating variability. This variability, e.g. in gene flow, makes consequence analysis difficult. The review illustrates the great uncertainty of results from gene-flow analysis.

Main features

Many independent experiments were performed on the individual processes in gene flow. The results comprise information both from laboratory, growth chambers and field trials, and they were generated using molecular or phenotypic markers and analysis of fitness parameters. Monitoring of the extent of spontaneous introgression in natural populations was also performed. Modelling was used as an additional tool to identify key parameters in gene flow.

Results

The GM plant may affect the environment directly or indirectly by dispersal of the transgene. Magnitude of the transgene dispersal will depend on the GM crop, the agricultural practise and the environment of the release site. From case-to-case these three factors provide a variability that is reflected in widely different likelihoods of transgene dispersal and fitness of introgressed plants. In the present review, this is illustrated through a bunch of examples mostly from our own research on oilseed rape, Brassica napus. In the Brassica cases, the variability affected all five main steps in the process of gene dispersal. The modelling performed suggests that in Brassica, differences in fitness among plant genome classes could be a dominant factor in the establishment and survival of introgressed populations.

Discussion

Up to now, experimental analyses have mainly focused on studying the many individual processes of gene flow. This can be criticised, as these experiments are normally carried out in widely different environments and with different genotypes, and thus providing bits and pieces difficult to assemble. Only few gene-flow studies have been performed in natural populations and over several plant generations, though this could give a more coherent and holistic view.

Conclusion

The variability inherent in the processes of gene flow in Brassica is apparent and remedies are wished for. One possibility is to expose the study species to additional experiments and monitoring, but this is costly and will likely not cover all possible scenarios. Another remedy is modelling gene flow. Modelling is a valuable tool in identifying key factors in the gene-flow process for which more knowledge is needed, and identifying parameters and processes which are relatively insensitive to change and therefore require less attention in future collections of data. But the interdependence between models and experimental data is extensive, as models depend on experimental data for their development or testing.

Recommendations

More and more transgenic varieties are being grown worldwide harbouring genes that might potentially affect the environment (e.g. drought tolerance, salt tolerance, disease tolerance, pharmaceutical genes). This calls for a thorough risk assessment. However, in Brassica, the limited and uncertain knowledge on gene flow is an obstacle to this. Modelling of gene flow should be optimised, and modelling outputs verified in targeted field studies and at the landscape level. Last but not least, it is important to remember that transgene flow in itself is not necessarily a thread, but it is the consequences of gene flow that may jeopardise the ecosystems and the agricultural production. This emphasises the importance of consequence analysis of genetically modified plants.