Variable emissions of microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) from root-associated fungi isolated from Scots pine

Soils emit a large variety of volatile organic compounds. In natural ecosystems, measurements of microbial volatile organic compound (MVOC) exchange rates between soil and atmosphere are difficult due to e.g. the spatial heterogeneity of the belowground organisms, and due to the many potential sources for the same compounds. We measured in laboratory conditions the MVOC emission rates and spectra of eight typical fungi occurring in boreal forest soils. The studied species are decomposers (Gymnopilus penetrans, Ophiostoma abietinum), ectomycorrhizal (Cenococcum geophilum, Piloderma olivaceum, Suillus variegatus, Tomentellopsis submollis) and endophytic fungi (Meliniomyces variabilis, Phialocephala fortinii). The MVOC emissions contained altogether 21 known and 6 unidentified compounds whose emission rates were >0.1 μg g(DW)^?1 h^?1. The most abundant compounds were the short-chain carbonyl compounds (acetone and acetaldehyde). The greatest carbonyl emissions were measured from P. olivaceum (1.9 mg acetone g(DW)^?1 h^?1) and P. fortinii (0.114 mg acetaldehyde g(DW)^?1 h^?1). Terpenoid emissions (isoprene, mono- and sesquiterpenes) were detected from some fungal cultures, but in relatively small amounts. We conclude that soil micro-organisms can potentially be responsible for significant emissions of volatiles, especially short-chain oxygenated compounds, to the below-canopy atmosphere.     

产业与环境：丹麦展望

近20-30年来,很多国家引进了综合性环境保护法律.然而,人们逐渐认识到,在进行具体技术调控的同时,也需要意识上和管理原则上的改变.为帮助各公司在公司层次上减少、评估、监测和控制环境影响,已经开发了各种环境管理技术.本文根据对丹麦公司的一次调查,论述了下列问题:这些技术是如何在工业中采用的?以及发生态度上的变化了吗?     

Variation of MCPA, metribuzine, methyltriazine-amine and glyphosate degradation, sorption, mineralization and leaching in different soil horizons

Pesticide mineralization and sorption were determined in 75 soil samples from 15 individually drilled holes through the vadose zone along a 28 km long transect of the Danish outwash plain. Mineralization of the phenoxyacetic acid herbicide MCPA was high both in topsoils and in most subsoils, while metribuzine and methyltriazine-amine was always low. Organic matter and soil pH was shown to be responsible for sorption of MCPA and metribuzine in the topsoils. The sorption of methyltriazine-amine in topsoil was positively correlated with clay and negatively correlated with the pH of the soil. Sorption of glyphosate was tested also high in the subsoils. One-dimensional MACRO modeling of the concentration of MCPA, metribuzine and methyltriazine-amine at 2 m depth calculated that the average concentration of MCPA and methyltriazine-amine in the groundwater was below the administrative limit of 0.1 μg/l in all tested profiles while metribuzine always exceeded the 0.1 μg/l threshold value.     

Prenatal DNA Sequencing: Clinical,Counseling, and Diagnostic Laboratory Considerations

Clinical diagnostic laboratories are producing next-generation sequencing-based test results that are becoming increasingly incorporated into patient care. Whole genome and exome sequencing on fetal material derived from amniocytes, chorionic villi, or products of conception is starting to be offered clinically in specialized centers, but it has not yet become routine practice. The technical, interpretation, and ethical challenges are greatest in the area of prenatal medicine because the fetus has a limited health history, and the physical examination is only indirectly available via prenatal sonography. Here, we provide an overview of these challenges and highlight the clinical utility, reporting, and counseling issues associated with prenatal DNA sequencing. Future considerations are also discussed. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aerobic and anaerobic transformations of sulfide in a sewer system--field study and model simulations.

The formation and fate of sulfide in a force main and a downstream-located gravity sewer were investigated in an extensive field study. Sulfide formation in the force main was significant. However, during 14 minutes of transport in the gravity sewer, the sulfide concentration decreased 30%, on average. An application of a conceptual sewer process model for simulating the formation and fate of sulfide was demonstrated. Overall, the model predicted that approximately 90% of the decrease of the sulfide concentration in the gravity sewer was the result of sulfide oxidation and that only a small fraction entered the sewer atmosphere, causing odor and corrosion. Even so, the model predicted concrete corrosion rates of up to 1.2 mm/y in the gravity sewer section.     

Environmental Condition Assessment of US Military Installations Using GIS Based Spatial Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Environment functions in various aspects including soil and water conservation, biodiversity and habitats, and landscape aesthetics. Comprehensive assessment of environmental condition is thus a great challenge. The issues include how to assess individual environmental components such as landscape aesthetics and integrate them into an indicator that can comprehensively quantify environmental condition. In this study, a geographic information systems based spatial multi-criteria decision analysis was used to integrate environmental variables and create the indicator. This approach was applied to Fort Riley Military installation in which land condition and its dynamics due to military training activities were assessed. The indicator was derived by integrating soil erosion, water quality, landscape fragmentation, landscape aesthetics, and noise based on the weights from the experts by assessing and ranking the environmental variables in terms of their importance. The results showed that landscape level indicator well quantified the overall environmental condition and its dynamics, while the indicator at level of patch that is defined as a homogeneous area that is different from its surroundings detailed the spatiotemporal variability of environmental condition. The environmental condition was mostly determined by soil erosion, then landscape fragmentation, water quality, landscape aesthetics, and noise. Overall, environmental condition at both landscape and patch levels greatly varied depending on the degree of ground and canopy disturbance and their spatial patterns due to military training activities and being related to slope. It was also determined the environment itself could be recovered quickly once military training was halt or reduced. Thus, this study provided an effective tool for the army land managers to monitor environmental dynamics and plan military training activities. Its limitation lies at that the obtained values of the indicator vary and are subjective to the experts' knowledge and experience. Thus, further advancing this approach is needed by developing a scientific method to derive the weights of environmental variables.     

Recent changes in flood preparedness of private households and businesses in Germany

Using the focusing event framework, a comprehensive analysis of private households’ and businesses’ preparedness was undertaken in the aftermath of the 2002 and 2006 flood events on the Elbe River in Germany. In August 2002, preparedness of households (n = 235) and businesses (n = 103) was low: 30% of the households and 54% of the businesses took no precautionary measures before the flood event. Many undertaken emergency measures were ineffective, since only 26% of all households knew how to react when the flood warning came, and only 9% of businesses had an emergency plan in place. Due to this extreme flood, double-loop learning occurred in many households and businesses, so that many did implement precautionary measures. The distribution of adopted precautionary measures for households fits well to Preisendörfer’s low-cost hypothesis, but does not apply for businesses. Only 10% of the households (n = 112), but still 29% of the businesses (n = 41) were unprepared before the flood in 2006. Significant improvement in flood preparedness activities is still necessary. Particularly for businesses, regulatory programs and programs encouraging proactive behaviour should be implemented. The focusing event framework proofed to be a useful tool for a differentiated analysis of the responses to and learning due to a disaster also in the commercial and private sector.     

Wood burning impact on PM10 in three Austrian regions

Anhydrosugars (levoglucosan, mannosan and galactosan) were investigated during one year in three Austrian regions at three types of sites (city-heavy traffic-impacted, city-residential and background) in order to assess the magnitude of the contribution of wood smoke to the particulate matter load and its organic fraction. The annually averaged concentrations of levoglucosan ranged from 0.12 to 0.48 μg m^?3. The levoglucosan concentration exhibited a strong annual cycle with higher concentrations in the cold season. The minor anhydrosugars had a similar annual trend, but their concentrations were lower by a factor of about 5 and about 25 in the cold season for mannosan and galactosan, respectively. Levoglucosan concentrations were higher at the inner-urban as compared to rural sites. The contribution of wood smoke to organic carbon and PM₁₀ levels was calculated using a constant ratio of levoglucosan and OC, respectively PM₁₀ as derived for fire wood typical for Alpine European regions [Schmidl, C., Marr, I.L., Caseiro, A.e, Kotianová, P., Berner, A., Bauer, H., Kasper-Giebl, A., Puxbaum, H., 2008a. Chemical characterisation of fine particle emissions from wood stove combustion of common woods growing in mid-European Alpine regions. Atmospheric Environment 42, 126–141]. The estimated contribution of wood smoke-OC to the OC of PM₁₀ ranged from one third to more than half in the cold season with higher contributions up to 70% in winter (December, January and February) in the smaller cities and the rural background. This indicates, that wood smoke is the predominant source of organic material at rural and small urban sites in central Europe. Consistently, wood smoke was an important contributor to PM₁₀ during the cold season, with contributions of around 10% in the Vienna larger region and around 20% at rural sites in the densely forested regions of Salzburg and Styria during the winter months. In those regions residential sites exhibited highest relative wood smoke contents in PM₁₀ during autumn (September till November), indicating the use of wood stoves for auxiliary heating in the transition of warm to cold season. Using the relationships between the different anhydrosugars the combustion of softwood was found to be dominant for the wood smoke occurrence in ambient air at the investigated sites. Potassium, a commonly used tracer for biomass burning, correlated well to levoglucosan, with a mass ratio of around 0.80 in the cold season.