Study on the decolorization of dyes by microorganisms

Thirteen strains of bacteria with ability of dye decolonization were isolated from activated sludge and biofilm collected from textile wastewater treatment plants, and identified as Alteromonas, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter. Alcali-genes and Corynobacterium. These strains D33, D32, D4 of Alteromonas can decolorize 29 kinds of dyes with good decolorizing activities of about 2.6 mg dye/gram wet cells.h-1. The optimum pH was 7-8 and the temperature was 37℃. The growth of bacteria was 3 times better in shaking cultures than in static cultures. But the decolorization rate of dyes was 4-9 times more in the latter than in the former. The results from the examination of the reaction products of Diamond Chrome Red B and Diamond Narry Blue RRN indicated the possibility of biodegradation of these dyes by Enterobacter D17.     

Closely associated theropod trackways from the Jurassic of Zimbabwe

Eighty-eight tracks of large theropod dinosaurs were found in the mid-Jurassic of Zimbabwe. Among the tracks, at least five adjacent trackways are recorded. The adjacent tracks were probably made by animals traveling as a group, given that they are in relatively close succession; that there are three overlapping tracks (among just 23) suggesting reasonably close associations of the animals; that all the tracks are apparently of the same ichnotaxon; that the preservational types of the tracks are similar; and that the tracks are all of animals traveling in one general direction closely associated in time (there are no returning tracks of the same animals or of those of other species; presence of such tracks would be highly probable if the tracks were made over a period of time of even several hours). Nearby, recently discovered giant sauropod tracks, the first in sub-Saharan Africa, indicate a realistic potential of predator/prey interactions between the two groups of dinosaurs.     

Mating success and fidelity to territories in a fallow deer lek: a female removal experiment

A lek is a clump of male territories that females visit only for mating; it is quite a rare mating system among mammals. As we wanted to investigate the role of past male mating success on their fidelity to lek territories, we displaced fallow deer females by a lek (Lek A), i.e. we removed the resources for rutting males. They moved to a new area followed by some of the territorial males (mobile males) where they established a new lek (Lek B). Other males (faithful males) stayed on Lek A. The former had lower mating success and dominance ranking in the early, undisturbed part of the rut. After disturbance, the MS of faithful males was much reduced, while that of mobile males was higher on Lek B than it had been on Lek A. We then disturbed Lek B. Females returned to Lek A, and the mating success of faithful males reverted to its original level. Past mating success was the main factor predicting whether a male was faithful or mobile. We illustrated for the first time the importance of past experience in promoting lek fidelity; this experiment gives an insight into the mechanisms leading to the traditional use of leks.     

Predatory behavior in a necrophagous bee<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Trigona hypogea</Emphasis> (Hymenoptera; Apidae,Meliponini)

Although most bees feed on nectar and pollen, several exceptions have been reported. The strangest of all is the habit found in some neotropical stingless bees, which have completely replaced pollen-eating by eating animal protein from corpses. For more than 20 years, it was believed that carrion was the only protein source for these bees. We report that these bees feed not only off dead animals, but on the living brood of social wasps and possibly other similar sources. Using well developed prey location and foraging behaviors, necrophagous bees discover recently abandoned wasps nests and, within a few hours, prey upon all immatures found there.     

European Atlantic: the hottest oil spill hotspot worldwide

Oil spills caused by maritime transport of petroleum products are still an important source of ocean pollution, especially in main production areas and along major transport routes. We here provide a historical and geographic analysis of the major oil spills (>700 t) since 1960. Spills were recorded from several key marine ecosystems and marine biodiversity hotspots. The past four decades have been characterized by an overall decrease in the number of accidents and tonnes of oil spilled in the sea, but this trend was less distinct in the European Atlantic area. Recent black tides from the Erika and Prestige vessels provided new evidence for the high risk of accidents with serious ecological impact in this area, which according to our analysis is historically the most important oil spill hotspot worldwide. The English Channel and waters around Galicia in Spain were the areas with most accidents. Maritime transport in European Atlantic waters has been predicted to continue increasing. Together with our own results this suggests that, in addition to measures for increased traffic safety, deployment of emergency capacities in the spill hotspot areas may be crucial for a sustainable conservation of sea resources and ecosystems.Electronic Supplementary Material  Supplementary material is available for this article if you access the article at . A link in the frame on the left on that page takes you directly to the supplementary material.     

A new C12 alcohol identified as a sex pheromone and a trail-following pheromone in termites: the diene (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis>)-dodeca-3,6-dien-1-ol

The diunsaturated C12 alcohol (Z,Z)-dodeca-3,6-dien-1-ol (dodecadienol) has been characterized by GC-MS and FTIR as a novel releaser pheromone in termites. This alcohol identified in Ancistrotermes pakistanicus (Termitidae, Macrotermitinae) possesses a double pheromonal function which again illustrates the chemical parsimony of termites compared with other social insects. In workers, dodecadienol elicits trail-following at a very low concentration (activity threshold at 0.1 pg/cm of trail); in male alates it induces trail-following at a low concentration (1–10 pg/cm) and sexual attraction at a higher concentration (about 1 ng). Traces of the monounsaturated C12 alcohol (Z)-dodec-3-en-1-ol (dodecenol), known as a trail pheromone of several Macrotermitinae, were also found in the sternal gland extracts of A. pakistanicus, although only dodecadienol was present at the surface of the sternal gland. Workers of A. pakistanicus are not sensitive to dodecenol, but they are as sensitive to dodecatrienol as to dodecadienol. However, in the study area (Vietnam), A. pakistanicus is living in sympatry only with those Macrotermitinae using dodecenol as a trail pheromone, the foraging populations therefore being well isolated through their respective trail pheromones. The presence of three types of unsaturated C12 alcohols as releaser pheromones in the only Macrotermitinae subfamily is discussed, and a possible biosynthetic pathway from linoleic acid is proposed for dodecadienol.     

A unique strategy of host colony exploitation in a parasitic ant: workers of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Polyrhachis lama</Emphasis> rear their brood in neighbouring host nests

The formicine ant Polyrhachis lama is a social parasite, exploiting its ponerine host ant species Diacamma sp. In most social parasitic associations, the parasitic species are closely related to their host species group, evolving directly from independent ancestors of the host species. However, in the Polyrhachis lama–Diacamma sp. association, the associated species belong to different ant subfamilies. Based on preliminary field surveys, we had presumed that P. lama might have given up its reproductive division of labour, i.e. workers would be able to produce males as well as workers and females parthenogenetically. In this study, this hypothesis was disproved: Polyrhachis lama workers cannot be fertilized and are only able to produce males. In the host–parasite association originating from nests possessing a P. lama queen, workers penetrate surrounding Diacamma sp. nests, carrying brood for rearing within these satellite nests. In this peculiar way, a single P. lama colony is able to exploit several Diacamma sp. colonies simultaneously.     

包含详细微物理过程的一维辐射雾模式

本文建立一个包含详细微物理过程的一维雾模式.模式包括动量方程、热量方程、水汽方程、雾滴凝结增长方程和浓度变化方程等.大气长波辐射采用Roach的五波段模式,微物理过程采用分档技术.试验结果表明,该模式可用于辐射雾的研究.     

热变形对高速钢组织的影响

此文研究了W6Mo5Cr4V2高速钢奥氏体化后在750～1150℃等温热压变形对该钢组织的影响.结果表明:该钢在1050℃或更高温度形变才会发生动态再结晶,而950℃或更低温度形变仅发生动态回复;同时热形变诱发析出了NaCl晶型的MC型碳化物;由于形变及碳化物的析出,使得该钢等温形变后直接淬火组织中的位错马氏体量增多.     

土壤石油污染物生物通风修复的研究进展

生物通风是一种去污效果好、操作费用低的土壤原位修复技术。文章概述了生物通风系统的结构、设计目的、适用范围和优缺点，详细论述了生物通风的国内外研究现状，包括现场应用、影响因素和强化技术及理论研究，并展望了生物通风在我国的应用前景。