Competition of bloom-forming marine phytoplankton at low nutrient concentrations

Competition of three bloom-forming marine phytoplankton (diatom Skeletonema costatum, and dinoflagellates Prorocentrum minimum and Alexandrium tamarense) was studied through a series of multispecies cultures with di erent nitrate (NaNO3) and phosphate (NaH2PO4) levels and excess silicate to interpret red tide algae succession. S. costatum outgrew the other two dinoflagellates in nitrate and phosphate replete cultures with 10 mol/L Na2SiO3. Under nitrate limited (8.82 mol/L NaNO3) conditions, the growth of S. costatum was also dominant when phosphate concentrations were from 3.6 to 108 mol/L. Cell density of the two dinoflagellates only increased slightly, to less than 400 and 600 cells/mL, respectively. Cell density of S. costatum decreased with time before day 12, and then increased to 4000 cells/mL (1.5 mg/L dry biomass) at NaNO3 concentrations between 88.2 and 882 mol/L with limited phosphate (0.36 mol/L NaH2PO4) levels. In addition, P. minimum grew well with a maximal cell density of 1690–2100 cells/mL (0.5–0.6 mg/L dry biomass). Although S. costatum initially grew fast, its cell density decreased quickly with time later in the growth phase and the two dinoflagellates were dominant under the nitrate-limited and high nitrate conditions with limited phosphate. These results indicated that the diatom was a poor competitor compared to the two dinoflagellates under limited phosphate; however, it grew well under limited nitrate when growth of the dinoflagellates was near detection limits.     

Effect of nutrient conditions on the toxicity of naphthalene to Chlorella pyrenoidosa

The toxicity of naphthalene to a freshwater microalga, Chlorella pyrenoidosa, and the subsequent recovery of algae from the damage were investigated under two nutrient conditions, either enriched with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), or starved of N and P. Results showed that C. pyrenoidosa was more sensitive to naphthalene under N,P-enriched condition, and the inhibitory rate generally increased at first and then decreased gradually with the evaporation of naphthalene under both nutrient conditions. Enriched N, P reduced the inhibitory rate at initial naphthalene concentration of 5 and 10 mg/L, but enhanced it at 100 mg/L, at which more severe ultrastructure damages were found than those under N,P-starved condition. Observed damages included partly or totally disappearance of nucleolus, nuclear, and plasma membranes. According to the chlorophyll content and cell density measurements, C. pyrenoidosa could recover from naphthalene damage with initial concentrations 6 50 mg/L in 7 days under both nutrient conditions, while they could not recover if the initial concentration of naphthalene was at 100 mg/L. Under the N,P-starved condition, the inability of C. pyrenoidosa to recover from the naphthalene damage was consistent with the results of high inhibitory rate, low value of specific growth rate (SGR, 0.05 day??1), and the severe destruction of cell structure. However, under the N,P-enriched conditions, the observed lower inhibitory rate, higher value of SGR (0.55 day??1), and the intact cell structure of most cells suggested that algae could potentially recover from the naphthalene damage.     

一株苯酚降解菌的分离鉴定及响应面法优化其固定化

从太原市焦化厂废水活性污泥中分离、筛选出一株苯酚降解细菌,经生理生化反应和16S rRNA鉴定,该菌株为Diaphorobacter属细菌,命名为PD-07.代谢机制研究表明,苯酚可诱导该菌合成邻苯二酚2,3-加氧酶降解苯酚.为了提高该菌株对苯酚的降解率,以海藻酸钙为材料,对该菌株进行包埋固定化研究.首先采用Plackett–Burman实验设计筛选出影响固定化菌株苯酚降解率的关键因素,然后采用最陡爬坡实验逼近最大苯酚降解率响应区域.最后用Box–Behnken实验设计及响应面回归分析,应用二次方程对实验数据进行拟合得,拟合曲线与实验实测值相关性良好,最佳条件为海藻酸钠浓度3.83%(m/V)、CaCl20.3mol/L、菌胶比1:26.73、固定化时间2h、摇床转速180r/min、培养温度30℃、初始pH值7.2、液固比4.86:1,在此条件下苯酚降解率可达96.89%.     

Primary neuronal-astrocytic co-culture platform for neurotoxicity assessment of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate

Plastics such as polyvinyl chlorides （PVC） are widely used in many indoor constructed environments; however, their unbound chemicals, such as di-（2-ethylhexyl） phthalates （DEHP）, can leach into the surrounding environment. This study focused on DEHP＇s effect on the central nervous system by determining the precise DEHP content in mice brain tissue after exposure to the chemical, to evaluate the specific exposure range. Primary neuronal-astrocyte co-culture systems were used as in vitro models for chemical hazard identification of DEHP. Oxidative stress was hypothesized as a probable mechanism involved, and therefore the total reactive oxygen species （ROS） concentration was determined as a biomarker of oxidative stress. In addition, NeuriteTracer, a neurite tracing plugin with ImageJ, was used to develop an assay for neurotoxicity to provide quantitative measurements of neurological parameters, such as neuronal number, neuron count and neurite length, all of which could indicate neurotoxic effects. The results showed that with 1 nmol/L DEHP exposure, there was a significant increase in ROS concentrations, indicating that the neuronal-astrocyte cultures were injured due to exposure to DEHP. In response, astrocyte proliferation （gliosis） was initiated, serving as a mechanism to maintain a homeostatic environment for neurons and protect neurons from toxic chemicals. There is a need to assess the cumulative effects of DEHP in animals to evaluate the possible uotake and effects on the human neuronal system from exoosure to DEHP in the indoor environment.     

Mutagenic and cytotoxic potential of Endosulfan and Lambda-cyhalothrin - In vitro study describing individual and combined effects of pesticides

Excessive use of pesticides poses increased risks to non target species including humans. In the developing countries, lack of proper awareness about the toxic potential of pesticides makes the farmer more vulnerable to pesticide linked toxicities, which could lead to diverse pathological conditions. The toxic potential of a pesticide could be determined by their ability to induce genetic mutations and cytotoxicity. Hence, determination of genetic mutation and cytotoxicity of each pesticide is unavoidable to legislate health and safety appraisal about pesticides. The objective of current investigation was to determine the genotoxic and cytotoxic potential of Endosulfan（EN） and Lambda-cyhalothrin（LC）; individually and in combination. 3-（4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl）-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide（MTT） assay was utilized to determine cytotoxicity, while two mutant histidine dependent Salmonella strains（TA98, TA100） were used to determine the mutagenicity of EN and LC.Moreover, mutagenicity assay was conducted with and without S9 to evaluate the effects of metabolic activation on mutagenicity. Even though a dose dependent increase in the number of revertant colonies was detected with EN against both bacterial strains, a highly significant（p 〈 0.05） increase in the mutagenicity was detected in TA98 with S9. In comparison, data obtained from LC revealed less mutagenic potential than EN. Surprisingly,the non-mutagenic individual-concentrations of EN and LC showed dose dependent mutagenicity when combined. Combination of EN and LC synergistically induced mutagenicity both in TA98 and TA100. MTT assay spotlighted comparable dose dependent cytotoxicity effects of both pesticides. Interestingly, the combination of EN and LC produced increased reversion and cytotoxicity at lower doses as compared to each pesticide, concluding that pesticide exposure even at sub-lethal doses can produce cytotoxicity and genetic mutations, which could lead to carcinogenicity.     

Characterization of extracellular polymeric substances in the biofilms of typical bacteria by the sulfur K-edge XANES spectroscopy

A combined approach of physicochemical extraction and sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure（XANES） spectroscopy was applied to characterize the extracellular polymeric substances（EPS） of typical bacterial biofilms in this study. Physicochemical analysis showed variation of the contents of DNA,polysaccharide and protein in different fractions of EPS in different mediums. The sulfur K-edge XANES analysis yielded a variety of spectra.Spectral fitting of the XANES spectra utilizing a large set of model compounds showed that there was more reduced sulfur in both LB-EPS（loosely bound EPS） and TB-EPS（tightly bound EPS） of all the biofilms in LB medium than in R2 A medium. More oxidized sulfur was identified in LB-EPS than that in TB-EPS,suggesting different niches and physiological heterogeneity in the biofilms. Our results suggested that the sulfur K-edge XANES can be a useful tool to analyze the sulfur speciation in EPS of biofilms.     

未来10大高风险高回报的新技术

世界经济论坛全球事务理事会发布了一份关于信息技术的新报告,其中提到了10项有可能对全社会造成重大影响的新技术。这10项新技术涵盖了科学、医学、能源、制造、交通和电子等众多领域,理事会的报告简要说明了那些新技术将如何影响和改变我们的生活。     

毒性有机物BPA与普通小球藻的相互影响特性研究

考察了不同浓度双酚A(BPA)对普通小球藻(Chlorella vulgaris)生长特性的影响,以及普通小球藻生长过程对BPA的去除效能.研究表明,低浓度BPA(0~20 mg·L-1)对普通小球藻生长具有促进作用,而高浓度BPA(20~50 mg·L-1)对普通小球藻生长具有抑制作用,且抑制效应与BPA浓度呈正相关关系.低剂量BPA(<20 mg·L-1)对叶绿素含量并无明显的影响,高剂量BPA(>20 mg·L-1)造成叶绿素含量降低.在BPA初始浓度2~50 mg·L-1的范围内,普通小球藻对其都有一定的去除效能,单位普通小球藻对BPA去除速率与其初始浓度呈正相关关系.BPA投加量为50 mg·L-1时,BPA去除速率最大,且最大速率出现于延滞期与对数期之间.     

葡萄籽提取物有望用来治疗血癌

一项新研究表明：在实验室里，当白血病细胞接触到一种葡萄籽提取物时，不下四分之三的白血病细胞在24小时之间内死掉，这些白血病细胞自取灭亡，非常有效，而其他细胞却安然无恙。     

浅谈生物大分子对细胞活动的影响

细胞内、外的生物大分子对细胞形态的变化和功能的实现具有重大影响。本文通过分析细胞内、外基质中的生物大分子对细胞的作用,概括了生物大分子对细胞生物化学活动的三种相互作用,提出在实际的科研过程中,模拟生物的大分子环境,选用模型体系对特定影响进行深入细致的研究。