Carbon monoxide from composting due to thermal oxidation of biomass

Emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) were observed from decomposing organic wastes and litter under laboratory, pilot composting plant, and natural conditions. Field studies included air from inside a compost heap of about 200 m3, emissions from composting of livestock wastes at a biologically operating farm, and leaf litter pile air samples. The concentration of CO was up to 120 micromol mol(-1) in the compost piles of green waste, and up to 10 micromol mol(-1) in flux chambers above livestock waste windrow composts. The mean CO flux rates were approximately 20 mg CO m(-2) h(-1) for compost heaps of green waste, and varied from 30 to 100 mg CO m(-2) h(-1) for fresh dung windrows. Laboratory studies using a temperature and ventilation-controlled substrate container were performed to elucidate the origin of CO, and included hay samples of fixed moisture content at temperatures between 5 and 65 degrees C, including nonsterilized as well as sterilized samples. The concentration of CO was up to 160 micromol mol(-1) in these experiments, and Arrhenius-type plot analyses resulted in activation energies of 65 kJ mol(-1) for thermochemically produced CO from the nonsterilized compost substrate. Sterilized samples showed dramatically reduced CO2 but virtually unchanged CO emissions, albeit at a slightly lower activation energy, likely a result of the high-temperature sterilization. Though globally and regionally these CO emissions are only a minor source, thermochemically produced CO emissions might affect local air quality in and near composting facilities.     

Fenton法氧化处理水中土霉素的研究

为了评价Fenton法预处理抗生素生产废水中残留的高浓度土霉素的可行性,对Fenton试剂(Fe2 -H2O2)法催化氧化降解水溶液中的土霉素进行了研究.探讨了H2O2与Fe2 投加比例、投加量以及起始pH值对降解效果的影响,同时考察了土霉素废水中大量共存的草酸根离子对氧化过程的影响.结果表明,当H2O2与Fe2 按照5:1的比例投加时降解效率最高,最佳初始pH值在3.0-4.0之间.在最佳投加比例下,H2O2投加量为0.9 mmol/L,100 mg/L的土霉素可在10 min内得到完全降解.最佳反应条件下经过处理后土霉素水溶液TOC的去除率达40%左右,可生化性(BOD5/COD)也得到明显的改善.水中共存的草酸根离子对氧化效率具有明显的影响,但通过增加亚铁离子的量可以消除草酸的影响.     

Soil and vegetation carbon stocks in Brazilian Western Amazonia: relationships and ecological implications for natural landscapes

The relationships between soils attributes, soil carbon stocks and vegetation carbon stocks are poorly know in Amazonia, even at regional scale. In this paper, we used the large and reliable soil database from Western Amazonia obtained from the RADAMBRASIL project and recent estimates of vegetation biomass to investigate some environmental relationships, quantifying C stocks of intact ecosystem in Western Amazonia. The results allowed separating the western Amazonia into 6 sectors, called pedo-zones: Roraima, Rio Negro Basin, Tertiary Plateaux of the Amazon, Javari-Juruá-Purus lowland, Acre Basin and Rondonia uplands. The highest C stock for the whole soil is observed in the Acre and in the Rio Negro sectors. In the former, this is due to the high nutrient status and high clay activity, whereas in the latter, it is attributed to a downward carbon movement attributed to widespread podzolization and arenization, forming spodic horizons. The youthful nature of shallow soils of the Javari-Juruá-Purus lowlands, associated with high Al, results in a high phytomass C/soil C ratio. A similar trend was observed for the shallow soils from the Roraima and Rondonia highlands. A consistent east–west decline in biomass carbon in the Rio Negro Basin sector is associated with increasing rainfall and higher sand amounts. It is related to lesser C protection and greater C loss of sandy soils, subjected to active chemical leaching and widespread podzolization. Also, these soils possess lower cation exchangeable capacity and lower water retention capacity. Zones where deeply weathered Latosols dominate have a overall pattern of high C sequestration, and greater than the shallower soils from the upper Amazon, west of Madeira and Negro rivers. This was attributed to deeper incorporation of carbon in these clayey and highly pedo-bioturbated soils. The results highlight the urgent need for refining soil data at an appropriate scale for C stocks calculations purposes in Amazonia. There is a risk of misinterpreting C stocks in Amazonia when such great pedological variability is not taken into account.     

计算机模拟研究UO2+2在人体细胞液的形态分布

建立了由多种金属离子和小分子配体组成的多相细胞液热力学平衡模型.模拟研究了UO2 2在组织液和细胞液的形态分布及CO2-3、氨三乙酸（NTA）和乙二胺四乙酸（EDTA）浓度对细胞液中UO2 2形态分布的影响.在组织液中,正常生理pH下,当各形态UO2 2总摩尔浓度 [U]= 1.0×10-6 mol/L 或[U]=1.0×10-3 mol/L时,UO2 2均主要以[UO2(CO3)3]4-和[UO2(CO3)2]2-形态存在.在细胞液中,当[U]=1.0×10-6 mol/L时,UO2 2主要以[UO2(CO3)3]4-和[UO2(CO3)2]2-存在；当[U]=1.0×10-3 mol/L,pH为6.0～6.8时,细胞液中存在大量的固相(UO2)3(PO4)2·4H2O,当pH为6.8～7.4时,UO2 2主要以[UO2(CO3)3]4-、[UO2(CO3)2]2-和[(UO2)2CO3(OH)3]-存在.细胞液中(UO2)3(PO4)2·4H2O含量随[U]升高而增加.通过调节细胞液pH和增加细胞液CO2-3浓度均能降低其固相UO2 2配合物含量.在细胞液中增加NTA会增加(UO2)3(PO4)2·4H2O含量,当添加EDTA时会显著降低(UO2)3(PO4)2·4H2O含量.     

单体滑坡灾害风险预测

以重庆市万州区农机技校滑坡为例，讨论了单体滑坡灾害的风险预测方法。提出采用Monte-Carlo方法预测滑坡发生的概率，利用能量守恒原理和谢德格尔公式推算滑程；结合滑坡裂缝的展布方位，预测出滑坡灾害发生后的影响范围；根据承灾体自身特点和相对于滑坡所处的位置，确定出滑坡灾害影响范围内承灾体的易损性；利用GIS对空间数据的图形叠加功能，将滑坡危险性和灾害易损性叠加，并在考虑库区水位动态变化的基础上，动态预测滑坡灾害导致的经济损失，定量预测滑坡灾害风险大小。结果表明，该滑坡在坝前145m水位和50年一遇暴雨工况下可能的经济损失值最大为10260万元；而在滑坡危险性最大的工况下，滑坡灾害风险不一定最大。所得结果可为滑坡灾害防治工程或土地规划立项提供依据，使政府决策部门在防灾减灾工作中更有针对性。     

Canopy Spectra and Remote Sensing of Ashe Juniper and Associated Vegetation

A study was conducted in central Texas to determine the potential of using remote sensing technology to distinguish Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei Buchholz) infestations on rangelands. Plant canopy reflectance measurements showed that Ashe juniper had lower near-infrared reflectance than other associated woody plant species and lower visible reflectance than mixed herbaceous species in spring and summer. Ashe juniper could be distinguished on color-infrared aerial photographs acquired in March, April, June, and August and on QuickBird false color satellite imagery obtained in June, where it had a distinct dark reddish-brown tonal response. Unsupervised classification techniques were used to classify aerial photographic and satellite imagery of study sites. An accuracy assessment performed on a computer classified map of a photographic image showed that Ashe juniper had producer's and user's accuracies of 100% and 92.9%, respectively, whereas an accuracy assessment performed on a classified map of a satellite image of the same site showed that Ashe juniper had producer's and user's accuracies of 94.1% and 88.1%, respectively. Accuracy assessments performed on classified maps of satellite images of two additional study sites showed that Ashe juniper had producer's and user's accuracies that ranged from 87.1% to 96.4%. These results indicate that both color-infrared photography and false color satellite imagery can be used successfully for distinguishing Ashe juniper infestations.     

Biodegradation of crosslinked acrylic polymers by a white-rot fungus

Two synthetic superabsorbent crosslinked acrylic polymers were mineralized by the white-rot fungusPhanerochaete chrysosporium. The amount of polymer converted to CO₂ increased as the amount of polymer added to the cultures increased. In the presence of sufficiently large amounts of the superabsorbents, such that all of the culture fluid was absorbed and a gelatinous matrix was formed, the fungus still grew and mineralization was observed. Neither the polymers, nor their degradation products were toxic to the fungus. While the rates of mineralization were low, all of the polymers incubated in the liquid fungal cultures were completely depolymerized to water soluble products within 15–18 days. The depolymerization of the polymers was observed only in nitrogen limited cultures of the fungus which secrete the lignin degradation system, however, the water soluble products of depolymerization were mineralized in both nutrient limited and sufficient cultures of the fungus. The rate of mineralization of the depolymerized metabolites was more than two times greater in nutrient sufficient cultures. Following longer incubation periods, most (> 80 %) of the radioactivity was recovered in the fungal mycelial mat suggesting that carbon of the polymer had been converted to fungal metabolites.     

Migration,habitat use,and competition among mobile corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) in the Gulf of Eilat,Red Sea

We examined the impact of seven species of mobile mushroom corals (Fungiidae) on the community structure of sheltered reef slopes in terms of their patterns of migration, habitat use and competition with other benthic organisms. On fringing reefs at Eilat, Red Sea, polyps detached at 1 to 6 cm length, and grew to 11–55 cm length. Attached mushroom corals were oriented vertically in reef cavities. Detached corals migrated downward on the reef slope and onto rubble or soft substratum at the reef base, at 29 to 71 cmyr^–1. Mobility decreased with corallum size and extent of undersurface ornamentation. In aquaria, small corals righted themselves and migrated up to 6 cm d^–1 by nocturnally inflating and pushing their tissues against the substratum. Autonomous coral behavior and storm-generated water motion appeared to account for most fungiid mobility at Eilat. Mushroom corals did not damage each other upon contact, even in multi-species aggregations, but unilaterally damaged non-fungiid scleractinian corals. Their dominance during contact interactions retards overgrowth by larger attached scleractinians, and mobility allows them to colonize soft substrata not accessible to most other reef corals.     

Rapid growth of clones of the red alga Chondrus crispus: applications in assays of toxic substances and in physiological studies

Growth rates of excised apical segments from three Chondrus crispus Stackhouse clones were rapid, reproducible and easily measured using simple equipment. Clonal segments exhibited a high degree of phenotypic stability, with coefficients of variation in growth rates being typically less than 5%. Sensitivity of the assay was demonstrated using 24-h pulses of the toxicants Cu²⁺ (10 to 150 ppb) and the molluscicide Bayluscide (100 to 500 ppb). As a further demonstration of applicability of this assay system, growth rates were measured over two consecutive 24-h photoperiods using a normally pigmented red gametophytic clone and a green colored mutant derived from it. Growth rates were highest in the first hours of the light phase for both clones, with growth of the green mutant being consistently inferior to that of the normally pigmented one. Significant changes were measured with intervals as short as 4 h using only five apical segments for each treatment. The C. crispus assay described is sensitive, relatively rapid, and statistically robust when applied to toxicant testing in seawater and to physiological studies.