Norovirus GII.Pe Genotype: Tracking a Foodborne Outbreak on a Cruise Ship Through Molecular Epidemiology,Brazil, 2014

Norovirus (NoV) is recognized as the most common cause of foodborne outbreaks. In 2014, an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis occurred on a cruise ship in Brazil, and NoV became the suspected etiology. Here we present the molecular identification of the NoV strains and the use of sequence analysis to determine modes of virus transmission. Food (cream cheese, tuna salad, grilled fish, orange mousse, and vegetables soup) and clinical samples were analyzed by ELISA, conventional RT-PCR, qRT-PCR, and sequencing. Genogroup GII NoV was identified by ELISA and conventional RT-PCR in fecal samples from 5 of 12 patients tested (41.7%), and in the orange mousse food sample by conventional RT-PCR and qRT-PCR. Two fecal GII NoV samples and the orange mousse GII NoV sample were successfully genotyped as GII.Pe (ORF 1), revealed 98.0–98.8% identities among them, and shared phylogenetically distinct cluster. Establishing the source of a NoV outbreak can be a challenging task. In this report, the molecular analysis of the partial RdRp NoV gene provided a powerful tool for genotyping (GII.Pe) and tracking of outbreak-related samples. In addition, the same fast and simple extraction methods applied to clinical samples could be successfully used for complex food matrices, and have the potential to be introduced in routine laboratories for screening foods for presence of NoV.     

Use of Preservative Agents and Antibiotics for Increased Poliovirus Survival on Positively Charged Filters

Environmental surveillance of poliovirus (PV) and other non-enveloped viruses can help identify silent circulation and is necessary to certify eradication. The bag-mediated filtration system is an efficient method to filter large volumes of environmental waters at field sites for monitoring the presence of viruses. As filters may require long transit times to off-site laboratories for processing, viral inactivation or overgrowth of bacteria and fungi can interfere with virus detection and quantification (Miki and Jacquet in Aquatic Microb Ecol 51(2):195–208, 2008). To evaluate virus survival over time on ViroCap^? filters, the filters were seeded with PV type 1 (PV1) and/or MS2 and then dosed with preservatives or antibiotics prior to storage and elution. These filters were stored at various temperatures and time periods, and then eluted for PV1 and MS2 recovery quantification. Filters dosed with the preservative combination of 2% sodium benzoate and 0.2% calcium propionate had increased virus survival over time when stored at 25 °C, compared to samples stored at 25 °C with no preservatives. While elution within 24 h of filtration is recommended, if storage or shipping is required then this preservative mixture can help preserve sample integrity. Addition of an antibiotic cocktail containing cephapirin, gentamicin, and Proclin^? 300 increased recovery after storage at 4 and 25 °C, when compared to storage with no antibiotics. The antibiotic cocktail can aid sample preservation if access to appropriate antibiotics storage is available and sample cold chain is unreliable. This study demonstrated that the use of preservatives or antibiotics is a simple, cost-effective method to improve virus detection from ViroCap cartridge filters over time.     

Surface lipids of queen-laid eggs do not regulate queen production in a fission-performing ant

In animal societies, most collective and individual decision making depends on the presence of reproductive individuals. The efficient transmission of information among reproductive and non-reproductive individuals is therefore a determinant of colony organization. In social insects, the presence of a queen modulates multiple colonial activities. In many species, it negatively affects worker reproduction and the development of diploid larvae into future queens. The queen mostly signals her presence through pheromone emission, but the means by which these chemicals are distributed in the colony are still unclear. In several ant species, queen-laid eggs are the vehicle of the queen signal. The aim of this study was to investigate whether queen-laid eggs of the ant Aphaenogaster senilis possess queen-specific cuticular hydrocarbons and/or Dufour or poison gland compounds, and whether the presence of eggs inhibited larval development into queens. Our results show that the queen- and worker-laid eggs shared cuticular and Dufour hydrocarbons with the adults; however, their poison gland compounds were not similar. Queen-laid eggs had more dimethylalkanes and possessed a queen-specific mixture of cuticular hydrocarbons composed of 3,11?+?3,9?+?3,7-dimethylnonacosane, in higher proportions than did worker-laid eggs. Even though the queen-laid eggs were biochemically similar to the queen, their addition to experimentally queenless groups did not prevent the development of new queens. More studies are needed on the means by which queen ant pheromones are transmitted in the colony, and how these mechanisms correlates with life history traits.     

The effect of flower-like and non-flower-like visual properties on choice of unrewarding patterns by bumblebees

How do distinct visual stimuli help bumblebees discover flowers before they have experienced any reward outside of their nest? Two visual floral properties, type of a pattern (concentric vs radial) and its position on unrewarding artificial flowers (central vs peripheral on corolla), were manipulated in two experiments. Both visual properties showed significant effects on floral choice. When pitted against each other, pattern was more important than position. Experiment 1 shows a significant effect of concentric pattern position, and experiment 2 shows a significant preference towards radial patterns regardless of their position. These results show that the presence of markings at the center of a flower are not so important as the presence of markings that will direct bees there.     

Tolerance of Chrysantemum maximum to heavy metals: The potential for its use in the revegetation of tailings heaps

To find if ornamental plants are applicable to the remediation of metal-polluted areas, the tolerance of chrysanthemum plants (Chysanthemum maximum) var. Shasta to different metals under hydroponic conditions was studied. Their responses as influenced by the mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae (Nicol. & Gerd.) Gerdemann & Trappe BEG25 on substrates containing mine residues were also investigated. Our results showed that chrysanthemum is a metal-tolerant plant under hydroponic conditions, plants behaving as Pb-excluders, whereas Cd, Cu and Ni were accumulated in roots. Low accumulation in flowers was observed for Cd and Cu but it was concentration-dependent. Ni and Pb were not translocated to flowers. Shoot biomass was not significantly affected by the different rates of mine residue addition for both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants. Mycorrhizal plants accumulated less Pb and Cu in both shoots and roots than non-mycorrhizal plants. Chysanthemum could be a prospective plant for revegetation of tailings and the use of inoculation may decrease plant metal accumulation in polluted soils.     

AOD渣中铬的短期淋溶特性

在固体废弃物淋溶毒性测试标准的基础上,采用静态实验方法研究淋溶时间、固液比、溶解氧和溶液初始pH值对AOD渣中Cr的短期淋溶的影响。实验结果表明,AOD渣使淋溶液pH快速升高、E和DO快速降低;Cr淋溶呈现快淋溶和慢淋溶2个阶段,24 h内Cr淋溶基本达到平衡;尽管固液比对AOD渣淋溶液中Cr3+浓度的影响较小,但考虑到Cr3+与OH-间的平衡反应,直接采用固体废弃物淋溶毒性测试标准会低估Cr的淋溶量,从而过低评价Cr的淋溶毒性;短期淋溶过程中,溶解氧对Cr淋溶的影响相对较小;与中性淋溶液相比,碱性淋溶液对AOD渣中Cr的淋溶影响较小。而在酸性条件下,延长淋溶时间、降低溶液初始pH值将显著增加淋溶液中Cr3+的浓度。因此,采用中性淋溶液评价AOD中Cr淋溶毒性将显著低估Cr的淋溶毒性。     

内蒙古自治区“十二五”规划循环经济发展水平预测评估

内蒙古自治区“十二五”规划提出要大力发展循环经济,以煤炭、电力、化工、冶金、建材等行业为重点,规划实施将有利于实现内蒙古自治区循环性社会体系的构建,促进循环经济水平和质量的全面提升.在优化水平下2015年内蒙古自治区循环经济发展综合指数为2.03,在优化水平条件下内蒙古循环经济发展水平将有较快的提升.     

丁二烯缓冲罐自聚物的生成原因及防范措施

分析了ABS树脂生产装置丁二烯缓冲罐中丁二烯自聚物的生成原因,提出了预防措施,避免丁二烯自聚物的生成,保证装置的安全平稳运行。     

山区和平原连接处SF6试验及扩散规律研究

为更好了解污染物在复杂地形条件下的湍流扩散规律,2010年9月开展了一系列SF6示踪扩散试验,获取了SF6浓度数据,以此实验数据为基础,计算出SF6浓度分布在水平和垂直方向的扩散标准差、地面峰值浓度等参数,并与P-T-C扩散参数进行对比,总结得出了污染物在山区和平原连接处中性、稳定、强稳定等气象条件下湍流扩散规律。