Herbicide promotes the conjugative transfer of multi-resistance genes by facilitating cellular contact and plasmid transfer

The global dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), especially via plasmid-mediated horizontal transfer, is becoming a pervasive health threat. While our previous study found that herbicides can accelerate the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of ARGs in soil bacteria, the underlying mechanisms by which herbicides promote the HGT of ARGs across and within bacterial genera are still unclear. Here, the underlying mechanism associated with herbicide-promoted HGT was analyzed by detecting intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, extracellular polymeric substance composition, cell membrane integrity and proton motive force combined with genome-wide RNA sequencing. Exposure to herbicides induced a series of the above bacterial responses to promote HGT except for the ROS response, including compact cell-to-cell contact by enhancing pilus-encoded gene expression and decreasing cell surface charge, increasing cell membrane permeability, and enhancing the proton motive force, providing additional power for DNA uptake. This study provides a mechanistic understanding of the risk of bacterial resistance spread promoted by herbicides, which elucidates a new perspective on nonantibiotic agrochemical acceleration of the HGT of ARGs.     

Thermodynamic coupling characteristics in hybrid (dry/wet) cooling system

A hybrid cooling system consisting of both a dry section and wet section is proposed in this paper as a means to conserving energy and water by combining the benefits of both dry and wet cooling modes. A new thermodynamic coupling characteristics computing model was established to identify the best combination of dry and wet cooling subsystems in the hybrid tower throughout year-round operation based on its air thermodynamic state under the “no plume” principle. A hybrid cooling tower in Inner Mongolia, China, consisting of an elliptical tube heat exchanger with rectangular fins and counter-flow wet packing, was designed as an example under the no plume principle. The minimum number of heat exchanger units in service and the corresponding thermodynamic operating parameters were obtained under a year-round operation. The tower exhibited notable advantages in regards to water conservation compared to the traditional evaporative cooling tower at an estimated yearly savings of 3.74 × 10⁷ kg water.     

新疆大气氮沉降监测研究进展浅析

通过对新疆12个监测点氮沉降研究结果发现,无机活性氮浓度(p NH 4+、p NO 3-、NH 3、NO 2)在不同生态系统存在较大的时空差异,氮沉降通量变化随人为干扰程度呈递增趋势。总结了当前新疆大气氮沉降监测研究进展,包括主要监测方法、不同生态系统大气氮素干沉降的时空差异性分析、大气氮素干湿沉降通量估算。对大气氮素干湿沉降通量的整体估算、不同生态系统的监测常态化等还存在不足,未来评估氮沉降的综合气候效应、定量临界负荷以及生态系统对氮沉降通量急剧增加的响应是今后研究的重点方向。     

Soil to leaf transfer factor for the radionuclides ²²⁶Ra, ⁴⁰K, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr at Kaiga region, India

Transfer factors are the most important parameters required for mathematical modeling used for environmental impact assessment of radioactive contamination in the environment. In this paper soil to leaf transfer factor for the radionuclides ⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr is estimated for Kaiga region in Karnataka state, India. Among the plants in which study is carried out, ²²⁶Ra, ⁴⁰K, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr activity in leaves of herbaceous plants is higher than that of tree leaves. Soil to leaf transfer factor for ²²⁶Ra, ⁴⁰K, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr was found to be in the range of 0.03-0.65, 0.32-8.04, 0.05-3.03 and 0.42-2.67 respectively.     

基于农户调查的农用地流转影响因素研究——以重庆市典型区(县)为例

农用地流转是充分发挥土地利用效益,实现农业规模化生产和产业化经营的一种积极探索,采用参与式农户评估法,以重庆市典型区(县)为例,对农用地流转的影响因素进行了探讨。分析结果表明:缺乏规范的操作程序与农用地流转中介组织、缺乏完善的社会保障体系以及区位条件的差异是影响重庆地区农用地流转的主要因素。建立健全农用地流转相关政策和农村社会保障制度,加速城镇化进程和加强农村基础设施建设对重庆地区的农用地流转具有积极的推动作用。     

Targeted gene flow for conservation

Anthropogenic threats often impose strong selection on affected populations, causing rapid evolutionary responses. Unfortunately, these adaptive responses are rarely harnessed for conservation. We suggest that conservation managers pay close attention to adaptive processes and geographic variation, with an eye to using them for conservation goals. Translocating pre‐adapted individuals into recipient populations is currently considered a potentially important management tool in the face of climate change. Targeted gene flow, which involves moving individuals with favorable traits to areas where these traits would have a conservation benefit, could have a much broader application in conservation. Across a species’ range there may be long‐standing geographic variation in traits or variation may have rapidly developed in response to a threatening process. Targeted gene flow could be used to promote natural resistance to threats to increase species resilience. We suggest that targeted gene flow is a currently underappreciated strategy in conservation that has applications ranging from the management of invasive species and their impacts to controlling the impact and virulence of pathogens.     

几种倒伞型表面曝气机的充氧性能

对安徽某科技公司产自行研究的几种倒伞型表面曝气器的充氧性能进行模拟比较研究,利用合肥某氧化沟装置在清水条件下对各叶轮的氧总转移系数KLa、理论充氧能力qc、理论动力效率E及水体流速v进行了测试,对比分析了叶片安装角度、片数及叶片设计对充氧能力的影响。结果表明,叶片导流辐板斜角设计对充氧效率影响最大,是叶轮性能提升最关键因素。     

A/O-MBR中MLSS浓度对污泥性能及膜通量的影响

采用国产聚丙烯中空纤维帘式膜组件,进行了A/O-MBR系统处理生活污水的实验研究,主要探讨了系统中污泥浓度(MLSS)与膜通量变化过程的关系。实验结果表明,MLSS由3 805 mg/L升高到6 912 mg/L时,污泥混合液胞外聚合物(EPS)由43 mg/g VSS增加到81 mg/g VSS,EPS中多糖与蛋白质的比例从0.87增加到1.08。同时,污泥相对疏水性(RH)的降低与Zeta电位的升高也在一定程度上共同促进了膜污染速率的上升。实验条件下,当运行时间为60 d左右,MLSS升高至6 200 mg/L时,跨膜压差上升迅速,膜组件清洗周期由初始的22 d缩短为11 d。A/O-MBR中由于MLSS浓度变化而导致的活性污泥混合液特性的变化,是影响膜通量变化的重要原因。     

油田高含盐污水雾化蒸发的数值模拟

基于FLUENT软件,对油田高含盐污水的雾化蒸发过程进行了数值模拟,得到了逆流型雾化蒸发塔内的流场分布特性,对比分析了不同操作参数对蒸发效果的影响。结果表明:液滴蒸发速率沿塔体中心轴线自上而下呈加快趋势;进口空气流速与温度是影响液滴蒸发的关键操作参数,提高流速及温度均可加快液滴的蒸发速率;当进口空气流速达到0.4 m/s后,对蒸发速率的影响减弱;当进口空气温度达到313 K后,对蒸发速率的提高作用不大;喷雾锥角的变化对蒸发速率影响不明显;液滴越细化,蒸发速率越快。