Identification of potential electrotrophic microbial community in paddy soils by enrichment of microbial electrolysis cell biocathodes

Electrotrophs are microbes that can receive electrons directly from cathode in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). They not only participate in organic biosynthesis, but also be crucial in cathode-based bioremediation. However, little is known about the electrotrophic community in paddy soils. Here, the putative electrotrophs were enriched by cathodes of MECs constructed from five paddy soils with various properties using bicarbonate as an electron acceptor, and identified by 16S rRNA-gene based Illumina sequencing. The electrons were gradually consumed on the cathodes, and 25%–45% of which were recovered to reduce bicarbonate to acetic acid during MEC operation. Firmicutes was the dominant bacterial phylum on the cathodes, and Bacillus genus within this phylum was greatly enriched and was the most abundant population among the detected putative electrotrophs for almost all soils. Furthermore, several other members of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria may also participate in electrotrophic process in different soils. Soil pH, amorphous iron and electrical conductivity significantly influenced the putative electrotrophic bacterial community, which explained about 33.5% of the community structural variation. This study provides a basis for understanding the microbial diversity of putative electrotrophs in paddy soils, and highlights the importance of soil properties in shaping the community of putative electrotrophs.     

油脂对红壤结构性质与水流运动特征的影响

本文通过室内灌水入渗试验,研究了灌溉水油脂浓度（0,1.0,3.0和10.0g/L）、灌水频率（1d1次,2d1次,4d1次）和灌溉模式（纯清水灌溉,纯含油脂灌溉水灌溉,含油脂灌溉水-清水交替灌溉）对受灌土壤结构性质与水流运动特征的影响.结果显示,随灌水进入到受灌土壤中的油脂主要集中在优先流通道中快速运动,优先流湿润锋处的土壤油脂浓度较高且不受灌溉水中油脂浓度的影响,表明即便是采用较低油脂浓度的灌溉水灌溉,依然对地下水系统存在较高的污染风险;高频率、低定额的含油脂灌溉水灌溉有利于进入到受灌土壤中的油脂向深层土壤运动,使得斥水性土层厚度增大,从而导致入渗水流运动的不确定性及地下水系统的污染风险均增大;油脂对受灌土壤团聚体的再团聚作用只有在其浓度较高时才能形成,含油脂灌溉水-清水交替灌溉因降低了受灌土壤的油脂浓度反而导致土壤团聚体分散和破碎.研究成果对再生水和原污水农田灌溉制度设计具有参考价值.     

Optimal range of plug-in electric vehicles in Beijing and Shanghai

Both China’s national subsidy policies for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) purchasers and passenger cars corporate average fuel consumption and new vehicle credit regulation (dual-credit policy) favor long-range 300+ km battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 80+ km plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). However, these electric vehicles tend to have lower energy efficiency and higher purchase and operation costs. Vehicle with larger batteries can also be less equitable because the subsidies are often provided to more expensive vehicles and wealthier owners. This study takes advantage of a novel dataset of daily driving data from 39,854 conventional gasoline vehicles in Beijing and 4999 PHEVs in Shanghai to determine the optimal range of BEVs and PHEVs within their respective cities. We simulate a model to explore ranges with which PEVs emit less GHGs than that of a baseline hybrid and conventional gasoline vehicle while ensuring that all daily travel demands are met. Our findings indicate that in both cities, the optimal ranges to balance cost and travel demand for BEVs are 350 km or less and for PHEVs are 60 km or less in Beijing and 80 km or less in Shanghai. We also find that to minimize carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, the ranges are even lower 10 km in Beijing and 30 km in Shanghai. Our study suggests that instead of encouraging long-range PEVs, governments should subsidize PEV models with shorter ranges. Parallel efforts should also be made to both increase renewable energy over fossil fuels and expand charging facilities. Although individual mobility demand varies, the government could reduce occasional long-distance driving by subsidizing alternative transportation choices. Providing week-long driving trials to consumers before their purchases may help decrease the demand of very long range PEVs by alleviating the range anxiety through a learning process.

     

感潮河段污水处理厂尾水对受纳水体的水质影响研究

感潮河段污水处理厂尾水排放对受纳水体产生一定影响,利用二维水动力水质耦合模型,以COD、NH3-N、TP为污染因子,分别以正常排放和事故排放两种条件,模拟江苏南部某污水处理厂尾水排放,分析江段大小潮时污染物浓度增量情况。实验结果表明:正常排放,尾水对排放口附近江段保护区水质影响小;事故排放,尾水对保护区水质无影响,但长江水体影响范围增大,沿岸污染物浓度增高,且小潮周期影响作用强于大潮周期,污水处理厂应加强管理,尤其在小潮时应避免污水事故排放。     

Working backwards to move forwards: Graph-based connectivity metrics for reserve network selection

In this paper we apply graph theory in a reserve selection exercise to explore the tradeoffs between maintaining connectivity and minimizing the total area of a protected area network. Rather than focus on a single organism, we used a multi-species approach and looked at the tradeoff curves for organisms with varying dispersal abilities. We first generated the tradeoff curves using a graph-based metric to determine the importance of individual patches for maintaining connectivity. We then performed an analogous set of analyses using patch size as a surrogate measure of importance.     

A modular approach to Integrated Assessment modeling

In this paper, we present a new approach to model coupling that probably forms the methodological basis of a new generation of Integrated Assessment models. This approach respects the knowledge and expertise that is embodied in existing models and encourages their gradual evolution. Modularity is the guiding principle. Our approach is distinguished by the way modules are coupled which is based on an interplay of a job control module, a numerical coupling module, and a couple of stand-alone functional modules. The numerical coupling module - the core component - serves to treat the feedbacks between the functional modules. A first implemented example that couples an economic and a climate module by means of a two-phase meta-optimization is presented here. The algorithm and mathematical structure behind are discussed as well as important features such as convergence behavior and reliability.     

Optimizing the removal of small fish passage barriers

Removing small artificial barriers that hinder upstream migrations of fish is a major problem in riparian habitat restoration. Because of budgetary limitations, it is necessary to prioritize barrier removal and repair decisions. These have usually been based on scoring and ranking procedures, which, although simple to use, can be very inefficient in terms of increasing the amount of accessible instream habitat. We develop a novel decision-making approach, based on integer programming techniques, which optimizes repair and removal decisions. Results show based on real datasets of barrier culverts located in Washington State that scoring and ranking is over 25% below the optimum on average and a full 100% below in the worst case, producing no net habitat gain whatsoever. This is compared to a dynamic programming method that was able to find optimal solutions in less than a second, even for problems with up to several hundred variables, and a heuristic method, which found solutions with less than a 1% average optimality gap in even less time.     

改进取样方法提高含油废水中CODcr值的准确度

化学需氧量(CODcr)和石油类都是中国实施水污染物排放总量控制指标,也是环境监测的常测项目.CODcr是反映水体中受还原性物质主要是有机物污染程度的综合性指标.矿物油和动、植物油统称为油类,是废水中常见的有机污染物,对CODcr的贡献较大.探索水体中CODcr值与油类物质含量之间的相关性,对CODcr值准确性的判断有一定指导意义.改进含油废水的取样方法,有利于提高CODcr测定值的准确性和代表性.     

上海地区二氧化硫浓度和风速的统计关系

应用上海市1986年6月至1987年5月间5个自动监测站的全年每日逐时SO_2浓度平均值和同步的风速平均值资料,按季进行比较、归纳,得到风速—SO_2浓度的诊断判据,并利用1984年全年的相应资料进行验证,准确率达85％;得到了各季浓度—风速的回归方程,和浓度—风速、温差的二元回归方程、复相关系数。     

The modern theory of biological evolution: an expanded synthesis

In 1858, two naturalists, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, independently proposed natural selection as the basic mechanism responsible for the origin of new phenotypic variants and, ultimately, new species. A large body of evidence for this hypothesis was published in Darwins Origin of Species one year later, the appearance of which provoked other leading scientists like August Weismann to adopt and amplify Darwins perspective. Weismanns neo-Darwinian theory of evolution was further elaborated, most notably in a series of books by Theodosius Dobzhansky, Ernst Mayr, Julian Huxley and others. In this article we first summarize the history of life on Earth and provide recent evidence demonstrating that Darwins dilemma (the apparent missing Precambrian record of life) has been resolved. Next, the historical development and structure of the modern synthesis is described within the context of the following topics: paleobiology and rates of evolution, mass extinctions and species selection, macroevolution and punctuated equilibrium, sexual reproduction and recombination, sexual selection and altruism, endosymbiosis and eukaryotic cell evolution, evolutionary developmental biology, phenotypic plasticity, epigenetic inheritance and molecular evolution, experimental bacterial evolution, and computer simulations (in silico evolution of digital organisms). In addition, we discuss the expansion of the modern synthesis, embracing all branches of scientific disciplines. It is concluded that the basic tenets of the synthetic theory have survived, but in modified form. These sub-theories require continued elaboration, particularly in light of molecular biology, to answer open-ended questions concerning the mechanisms of evolution in all five kingdoms of life.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dr. hc mult. Ernst Mayr on the occasion of his 100th birthdayThis revised version was published online in March 2004, with corrections to the caption of Figure 6.