DNA Heat Treatment for Improving qPCR Analysis of Human Adenovirus in Wastewater

PCR inhibitory substances in complex sample matrices can cause false negatives or under-estimation of target concentration. This study assessed DNA heat treatment for reducing inhibition during qPCR analysis of human adenovirus (HAdV) in wastewater samples. Inhibition was reduced by heat treating DNA, where mean HAdV concentration was increased by 0.71 log₁₀ GC/L (and up to 3.04 log₁₀ GC/L in one case), and replicate variability and false negatives were reduced. DNA heat treatment should be further investigated for improving reliability of HAdV concentration estimates in water, which can support more accurate assessment of health risks associated with viral pathogen exposure.     

Assessment and Evaluation of an Integrated Hybrid Anaerobic–Aerobic Sewage Treatment System for the Removal of Enteric Viruses

The capability of a cost-effective and a small size decentralized pilot wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to remove enteric viruses such as rotavirus, norovirus genogroup I (GGI), norovirus genogroup II (GGII), Hepatitis E virus (HEV), and adenovirus was studied. This pilot plant is an integrated hybrid anaerobic/aerobic setup which consisted of anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), biological aerated filter (BAF), and inclined plate settler (IPS). Both the UASB and BAF are packed with a non-woven polyester fabric (NWPF). Results indicated that the overall log₁₀ reductions of enteric viruses’ genome copies through the whole system were 3.1 ± 1, 3.3 ± 0.5, and 2.6 ± 0.9 log₁₀ for rotavirus, norovirus GGI, and adenovirus, respectively. Reduction efficiency for both norovirus GGII and HEV after the different treatment steps could not be calculated because there were no significant numbers of positive samples for both viruses. The overall reduction of rotavirus infectious units through the whole system was 2.2 ± 0.8 log₁₀ reduction which is very close to the overall log₁₀ reduction of adenovirus infectious units through the whole system which was 2.1 ± 0.8 log₁₀ reduction. There was no considerable difference in the removal efficiency for different rotavirus G and P types. Adenovirus 41 was the only type detected in the all positive samples. Although the pilot WWTP investigated is cost effective, has a small footprint, does not need a long distance network pipes, and easy to operate, its efficiency to remove enteric viruses is comparable with the conventional centralized WWTPs.     

小型封闭水体环境因子与叶绿素a的时空分布及相关性研究

以崇明岛前卫村的一个小型封闭富营养化水体为对象,自2007年7月~2011年9月进行了约4 a的野外观测,研究了物化因子、水动力因素和叶绿素a(Chl-a)的时空分布特征及其相关性.结果表明,该水体Chl-a含量具有明显的时空差异性.Chl-a含量与水温、浊度、TN和TP均呈显著正相关关系,水温和营养盐是影响浮游植物季节动态的主要因素,浊度的季节变化是浮游植物生长的结果表征.Chl-a的空间差异性与不同水域水动力条件的差异有关,受风影响显著的水域(北河道)流速多分布在0.08~0.22 m·s-1范围内,Chl-a含量显著较低(平均浓度为53.11μg·L-1).从流速与Chl-a的关系分析来看,流速与Chl-a浓度呈显著负相关关系,流速总体分布在0~0.10 m·s-1的水域Chl-a含量显著偏高(平均浓度为35.30μg·L-1).该结果表明较大强度的水动力条件能够对富营养化封闭水体中浮游植物生长产生显著的抑制作用,可为相关水体的水华防治提供有益借鉴.     

基于SWAT模型的三峡库区香溪河非点源氮磷负荷模拟

三峡水库蓄水后,水动力条件改变下营养盐的过量输入导致部分支流库湾水华现象及水体富营养化问题严重.本文以香溪河为研究示范区,基于GIS平台建立流域下垫面空间数据库,以氮磷为研究对象,应用SWAT模型对流域三大主要水系及涉及35个子流域进行2000-2009年径流、营养盐输出模拟研究,并对实测数据和模拟结果进行分析,结果表明:径流模拟结果校验阶段的效率系数0.65和0.86,确定系数是0.78和0.91,模拟效果较好,径流和营养盐负荷受降雨影响呈正相关关系,在丰水年和丰水季节较大,2000-2009年期间TN和TP年均负荷分别是2640.64和300.01 t,在2007年达到最大值,分别是3475.96和399.20 t,在2005年为最小值,分别是2036.72和226.44 t,TN和TP负荷的贡献率高岚水系＞古夫水系＞南阳水系,支流TN和TP输出强度空间差异较大,空间分布差异系数分别是0.34和0.58,TN最大值和最小值是29.39 kg·hm-2·a-1和3.86 kg·hm-2·a-1,TP最大值和最小值分别是4.90 kg·hm-2·a-1和0.54 kg·hm-2·a-1.     

细菌B1胞外活性物质对球形棕囊藻的溶藻机制初探

为探讨溶藻细菌B1对球形棕囊藻的溶藻作用机理及起作用的胞外活性物质的类别,研究了从珠海香洲码头赤潮海水中分离获得的溶藻细菌BI的无菌滤液对球形棕囊藻生长过程中的叶绿素a含量、丙二醛含量(MDA)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)和过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性的影响,并对溶藻细菌B1分泌的胞外活性物质进行了初步分析.当100 mL藻液中加入1 mL的无菌滤液,除藻率达到了83％.B1无菌滤液使藻中丙二醛的含量显著上升,48 h达到最大值153％,球形棕囊藻的SOD、CAT活性在处理开始后保持下降趋势,分别在96 h、48 h达到最低值27％、33％.研究表明B1无菌滤液(不大于1 mL)对棕囊藻的溶藻效果与加入的量成正比,且主要通过降低机体中保护酶的活性和加剧膜脂质过氧化的程度等来抑制球形棕囊藻的生长;细菌B1分泌的胞外活性物质中可能含有芳香醛类且包括载有磷基团的有机物,但不含蛋白质.     

Tolerating an infection: an indirect benefit of co-founding queen associations in the ant Lasius niger

Pathogens exert a strong selection pressure on organisms to evolve effective immune defences. In addition to individual immunity, social organisms can act cooperatively to produce collective defences. In many ant species, queens have the option to found a colony alone or in groups with other, often unrelated, conspecifics. These associations are transient, usually lasting only as long as each queen benefits from the presence of others. In fact, once the first workers emerge, queens fight to the death for dominance. One potential advantage of co-founding may be that queens benefit from collective disease defences, such as mutual grooming, that act against common soil pathogens. We test this hypothesis by exposing single and co-founding queens to a fungal parasite, in order to assess whether queens in co-founding associations have improved survival. Surprisingly, co-foundresses exposed to the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium did not engage in cooperative disease defences, and consequently, we find no direct benefit of multiple queens on survival. However, an indirect benefit was observed, with parasite-exposed queens producing more brood when they co-founded, than when they were alone. We suggest this is due to a trade-off between reproduction and immunity. Additionally, we report an extraordinary ability of the queens to tolerate an infection for long periods after parasite exposure. Our study suggests that there are no social immunity benefits for co-founding ant queens, but that in parasite-rich environments, the presence of additional queens may nevertheless improve the chances of colony founding success.     

Pb(II) removal from water using Fe-coated bamboo charcoal with the assistance of microwaves

Bamboo charcoal(BC) was used as starting material to prepare iron-modified bamboo charcoal(Fe-MBC) by its impregnation in FeCl 3 and HNO 3 solutions simultaneously,followed by microwave heating.The material can be used as an adsorbent for Pb(Ⅱ) contaminants removal in water.The composites were prepared with Fe molar concentration of 0.5,1.0 and 2.0 mol/L and characterized by means of N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms,X-ray diffraction spectroscopy(XRD),scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry(SEM-EDS),Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) and point of zero charge(pH pzc) measurements.Nitrogen adsorption analyses showed that the BET specific surface area and total pore volume increased with iron impregnation.The adsorbent with Fe molar concentration of 2 mol/L(2Fe-MBC) exhibited the highest surface area and produced the best pore structure.The Pb(Ⅱ) adsorption process of 2Fe-MBC and BC were evaluated in batch experiments and 2Fe-MBC showed an excellent adsorption capability for removal Pb(Ⅱ).The adsorption of Pb(Ⅱ) strongly depended on solution pH,with maximum values at pH 5.0.The ionic strength had a significant effect on the adsorption at pH < 6.0.The adsorption isotherms followed the Langmuir isotherm model well,and the maximum adsorption capacity for Pb(Ⅱ) was 200.38 mg/g for 2Fe-MBC.The adsorption processes were well fitted by a pseudo second-order kinetic model.Thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption of Pb(Ⅱ) onto Fe-MBC was feasible,spontaneous,and exothermic under the studied conditions,and the ion exchange mechanism played an significant role.These results have important implications for the design of low-cost and effective adsorbents in the removal of Pb(Ⅱ) from wastewater.     

我国水质水量联合调度研究现状和发展趋势

水质和水量的联合调控是未来水资源调度和水污染控制的主要决策技术之一。文章从水资源调度入手,介绍了水质水量联合调度的概念和重要性,简析了国内外水质水量联合调度的研究现状、发展趋势以及"十一五"国内相关工作的最新进展。并对我国水质水量联合调度研究工作进行了展望。