Bacterial communities and enzyme activities of PAHs polluted soils

Three soils (i.e. a Belgian soil, B-BT, a German soil, G, and an Italian agricultural soil, I-BT) with different properties and hydrocarbon-pollution history with regard to their potential to degrade phenanthrene were investigated. A chemical and microbiological evaluation of soils was done using measurements of routine chemical properties, bacterial counts and several enzyme activities. The three soils showed different levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), being their contamination strictly associated to their pollution history. High values of enzyme activities and culturable heterotrophic bacteria were detected in the soil with no or negligible presence of organic pollutants. Genetic diversity of soil samples and enrichment cultures was measured as bands on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of amplified 16S rDNA sequences from the soil and enrichment community DNAs. When analysed by Shannon index (H'), the highest genetic biodiversity (H'=2.87) was found in the Belgian soil B-BT with a medium-term exposition to PAHs and the poorest biodiversity (H'=0.85) in the German soil with a long-term exposition to alkanes and PAHs and where absence, or lower levels of enzyme activities were measured. For the Italian agricultural soil I-BT, containing negligible amounts of organic pollutants but the highest Cu content, a Shannon index=2.13 was found. The enrichment of four mixed cultures capable of degrading solid phenanthrene in batch liquid systems was also studied. Phenanthrene degradation rates in batch systems were culture-dependent, and simple (one-slope) and complex (two-slope) kinetic behaviours were observed. The presence of common bands of microbial species in the cultures and in the native soil DNA indicated that those strains could be potential in situ phenanthrene degraders. Consistent with this assumption are the decrease of PAH and phenanthrene contents of Belgian soil B-BT and the isolation of phenanthrene-degrading bacteria. From the fastest phenanthrene-degrading culture C(B-BT), representative strains were identified as Achromobacter xylosoxidans (100%), Methylobacterium sp. (99%), Rhizobium galegae (99%), Rhodococcus aetherovorans (100%), Stenotrophomonas acidaminiphila (100%), Alcaligenes sp. (99%) and Aquamicrobium defluvium (100%). DGGE-profiles of culture C(B-BT) showed bands attributable to Rhodococcus, Achromobacter, Methylobacterium rhizobium, Alcaligenes and Aquamicrobium. The isolation of Rhodococcus aetherovorans and Methylobacterium sp. can be consistent with the hypothesis that different phenanthrene-degrading strategies, cell surface properties, or the presence of xenobiotic-specific membrane carriers could play a role in the uptake/degradation of solid phenanthrene.     

Chronic effects of mercuric chloride on the activities of some enzymes in certain tissues of the fresh water murrel,

Alterations in the activities of some enzymes in the brain, gills, intestine, kidney, liver and muscles have been examined in the fresh water murrel, , after exposure to a sublethal concentration of mercuric chloride (3 μg/1) for 15, 30 and 60 days. The results revealed that after 15 days of exposure amino acid oxidase activity was elevated in brain and liver and inhibited in intestine. The activity of xanthine oxidase was increased in gills, and inhibited in kidney. Thirty days exposure produced significant inhibition in the activities of malate dehydrogenase in liver, glutamate dehydrogenase in gills and brain, aminoacid oxidase in gills, and xanthine oxidase in liver and intestine. In contrast, glutamate dehydrogenase in intestine, kidney and liver and aminoacid oxidase in brain and liver were elevated. After 60 days of treatment, a decrease in the activity of glucose-6-phosphatase was recorded in gills, intestine, kidney and liver. Hexokinase activity in kidney and liver, and malate dehydrogenase in all the six tissues were inhibited. Glutamate dehydrogenase activity in intestine, kidney and liver remained higher than in control fish. In brain, kidney and liver the activity of aminoacid oxidase was elevated, but in gills the enzyme activity decreased. Xanthine oxidase activity was inhibited in intestine and liver.     

污水土地处理试验工程慢速渗滤系统对优先有机污染物的净化

本文通过模拟实验及现场考察,研究了天津污水土地处理试验工程中慢速渗滤系统对优先有机污染物的净化效率以及该系统经处理污水后对土壤及作物的影响进行了探讨.     

瀑布沟水电站的主要环境问题

本文简要介绍了瀑布沟水电站的工程情况，工程地区的环境特点，以及兴建该工程带来的主要环境影响，包括自然环境，生物环境和社会环境的影响及其评价结论。     

不同桩芯微型桩抗弯承载力试验研究∗

为研究不同桩芯微型桩在隧道洞口不良地质边坡中的治理效果,拟对钢筋-混凝土、工字钢-混凝土、钢管-钢筋-混凝土、钢管-工字钢-混凝土微型桩开展抗弯极限承载力试验。研究表明,工字钢-混凝土微型桩相比钢筋-混凝土微型桩极限抗弯承载力不仅大幅度提升,其抵抗位移变形的能力也有所增加。钢筋-混凝土微型桩和工字钢-混凝土微型桩桩径由140 mm变化到203 mm,韧性分别提高25%、50%,抗弯承载力分别提高89%、91%。钢管微型桩的韧度、极限抗弯承载力都明显强于裸露混凝土桩,即使变形已非常显著,仍能继续受力。钢管-钢筋-混凝土微型桩、钢管-工字钢-混凝土微型桩桩径由140 mm变化到203 mm,抗弯承载力分别提高近256%、265%。     

Quantification of steroid sex hormones using solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

In this study, the occurrence of trace amounts of natural and synthetic steroid estrogens in the aquatic environment was studied using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray mass spectrometry, following solid-phase extraction (SPE). The SPE was performed with C18 and NH2 cartridges. The first objective was to develop a reliable method for analyzing steroid estrogens (resulting from human and animal excretions) in different matrices. The method developed was then applied to quantify the occurrence of natural and synthetic hormones (estrone [E1], 17beta-estradiol [betaE2], 17alpha-estradiol [alphaE2], estriol [E3], and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol [EE2]) in environmental samples in surface water and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent and effluent. In the WWTP influents, betaE2, alphaE2, and E3 were identified as ranging up to 72.6 ng/L in WWTP influent and to 16 ng/L in WWTP effluent. Analysis o f surface wa ter sampled upstream from the WWTP revealed the presence of all five estrogens, at levels up to 19.8 ng/L. These concentrations of estrogens pose an issue for large and small communities, because they are higher than the recommended guidelines for estrogen-active compounds and because a lot of communities use surface water as drinking-water sources.     

Eolian Dust Affects Phytoplankton in the Waters off Kuwait, the Arabian Gulf

 Summer phytoplankton assemblages from surface waters off Kuwait were enriched with levels of eolian dust (10⁵, 10⁶, and 10⁷ mg/m³), similar to seasonal dust fallout for this region. Algal growth was positive and dose dependent. Highest biomass was up to 527 μg chlorophyll a/l on day 5. The maximum doublings of biomass per day were 0.64, 0.77, and 1.42, corresponding to 10⁵, 10⁶, and 10⁷ mg/m³ enrichment and were significantly higher than the 0.56 for control. Changes in the phytoplankton species composition occurred with changes in biomass, with small algae dominating peak populations. It is suggested that through enrichment of trace elements via eolian dust, a high level of phytoplankton biomass and growth can be sustained in this arid environment. Received: 15 October / Accepted in revised form: 16 June 1999     

一种计量青鳉鱼胸鳍和尾鳍摆动频率和幅值的计算机视觉算法

青鳉鱼在饮用水安全领域具有很高的应用价值,其鱼鳍的活动状态可以反映水质的污染状况。但由于技术条件的限制,传统的方法无法实时而有效地提取到这些特征。针对这个问题,提出了一种可以高效识别并测量青鳉鱼胸、尾鳍摆动频率和幅值的计算机视觉算法。其中,为了快速地提取到这2个细节,自动阈值分割、帧差法、背景差分法、重心法、图像卷积和骨架细化等耗时极短的图像处理方法被应用到这项研究当中。初步试验显示这种算法在应用过程中是高效而可行的。它可以被广泛地应用到水环境监测领域,如研究有毒物质对青鳉鱼行为特性的影响和评估水环境的危险程度。     

高原山地农户旱灾应灾行为研究——以云南省南涧县为例

旱灾作为云南省的第一大农业气象灾害,给农业生产造成了巨大的损失。在旱灾面前,人类既是旱灾承灾体,又是减灾政策、措施以及直接抗旱减灾响应行为的具体执行者。在灾害的发生过程中,人类应灾行为对提高旱灾应对能力、减少旱灾损失有着更为实际的效果。该文以云南省南涧县为例,通过问卷调查和入户访谈获取数据,使用主成分分析和系统聚类分析方法对数据进行处理,并将收集到的11种应灾行为分为三大类进行多维尺度分析;根据175名农户对11种应灾行为的评价特点,将这些农户进行判别分析并划分为三类应灾人群,针对不同应灾人群中的典型农户分析其应灾行为特征。