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.     

Density functional theory (DFT) studies of vanadium-titanium based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts

Based on density functional theory (DFT) and basic structure models, the chemical reactions on the surface of vanadium-titanium based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) denitrification catalysts were summarized. Reasonable structural models (non-periodic and periodic structural models) are the basis of density functional calculations. A periodic structure model was more appropriate to represent the catalyst surface, and its theoretical calculation results were more comparable with the experimental results than a non-periodic model. It is generally believed that the SCR mechanism where NH₃ and NO react to produce N₂ and H₂O follows an Eley-Rideal type mechanism. NH₂NO was found to be an important intermediate in the SCR reaction, with multiple production routes. Simultaneously, the effects of H₂O, SO₂ and metal on SCR catalysts were also summarized.     

Coupling mechanism of activated carbon mixed with dust for flue gas desulfurization and denitrification

To clarify the effect of coking dust, sintering dust and fly ash on the activity of activated carbon for various industrial flue gas desulfurization and denitrification, the coupling mechanism of the mixed activated carbon and dust was investigated to provide theoretical reference for the stable operation. The results show that coking dust had 34% desulfurization efficiency and 10% denitrification efficiency; correspondingly, sintering dust and fly ash had no obvious desulfurization and denitrification activities. For the mixture of activated carbon and dust, the coking dust reduced the desulfurization and denitrification efficiencies by blocking the pores of activated carbon, and its inhibiting effect on activated carbon was larger than its own desulfurization and denitrification activity. The sintering dust also reduced the desulfurization efficiency on the activated carbon while enhancing the denitrification efficiency. Fly ash blocked the pores of activated carbon and reduced its reaction activity. The reaction activity of coking dust mainly came from the surface functional groups, similar to that of activated carbon. The reaction activity of sintering dust mainly came from the oxidative property of Fe₂O₃, which oxidized NO to NO₂ and promoted the fast selectively catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO to form N₂. Sintering dust was activated by the joint action of activated carbon, and both had a coupling function. Sintering dust enhanced the adsorption and oxidation of NO, and activated carbon further promoted the reduction of NO_x by NH₃; thus, the denitrification efficiency increased by 5%-7% on the activated carbon.     

大气污染特征研究及臭氧污染个例分析——以深圳市龙华区为例

根据深圳市龙华区观澜子站空气质量监测数据,对龙华区近年来空气质量状况、主要大气污染物浓度时间变化特征、气象条件和污染物浓度相关性,以及典型臭氧(O_3)污染过程进行了分析。结果表明龙华区空气质量以优良为主,空气质量指数(AQI)超标日中,O_3浓度超标天数最多,其次依次是PM_(2.5)、PM_(10)和二氧化氮(NO_2)。PM_(2.5)、PM_(10)和NO_2在秋冬季的浓度最高,春季次之,夏季最低;而O_3浓度则在夏秋季最高,春季次之,冬季最低。除O_3(日间浓度高于夜间浓度)以外,PM_(2.5)、PM10和NO_2晚间浓度高于日间浓度。此外,相关性研究表明,颗粒物污染以细颗粒物为主,O_3(8 h)和NO_2与颗粒物浓度均呈正相关性。由于地域差异的存在,O_3(8 h)和颗粒物浓度的相关性在不同地域表现也不同。同时,大气污染物浓度与气象条件和人为排放源的相关性较高。     

基于视觉传达自然环境艺术设计研究

自然环境艺术是必行之路,而自然环境艺术最直接的体现就是自然园林的建设,身处在自然生态环境中,可以让人感到放松,缓解疲乏,在心理上给人一种慰藉。但是大多数自然园林的设计并不能百分百还原生态自然景观,会存在一定的矛盾,人为痕迹过重,视觉传达效果大打折扣。以自然环境艺术的代表——自然生态园林为例,从视觉传达角度,进行自然生态园林设计,并利用SD评估方法对自然生态园林设计效果进行分析,结果表明:基于视觉传达设计自然生态园林,视觉效果得到极大提高,会给人带来视觉愉悦感。     

绿色环境保护节能建筑的设计与实现研究

为了实现建筑行业的可持续发展,设计并实现绿色环保节能建筑,将节能环保理念渗透在建筑设计的每个细节中。分析融入节能环保理念的建筑设计过程,对其中的架构环保节能设计、节能环保材料的选用以及节能环保技术发展进行研究,并重点分析了资源可持续利用、太阳能利用以及电气节能技术在绿色环保节能建筑设计中的应用过程。通过绿色建筑节能环保总设计,绿色节能环保建筑构造的优化设计以及绿色建筑的暖通空调设计,实现绿色环保节能建筑的高质量设计。     

Incorporation and utilization of bacterial lipids in theSolemya velum symbiosis

We undertook a detailed analysis of the lipid composition ofSolemya velum (Say), a bivalve containing endosymbiotic chemoautotrophic bacteria, in order to determine the presence of lipid biomarkers of endosymbiont activity. The symbiont-free clamMya arenaria (L.) and the sulfur-oxidizing bacteriumThiomicrospira crunogena (Jannasch et al.) were analyzed for comparative purposes. The ¹³C ratios of the fatty acids and sterols were also measured to elucidate potential carbon sources for the lipids of each bivalve species. Both fatty acid and sterol composition differed markedly between the two bivalves. The lipids ofS. velum were characterized by large amounts of 18: 17 (cis-vaccenic acid), 16:0, and 16 : 17 fatty acids, and low concentrations of the highly unsaturated plant-derived fatty acids characteristic of most marine bivalves. Cholest-5-en-3-ol (cholesterol) accounted for greater than 95% of the sterols inS. velum. In contrast,M. arenaria had fatty acid and sterol compositions similar to typical marine bivalves and was characterized by large amounts of the highly unsaturated fatty acids 20 : 53 and 22 : 63 and a variety of plant-derived sterols. The fatty acids ofT. crunogena were similar to those ofS. velum and were dominated by 18:17, 16:0 and 16:17 fatty acids. Thecis-vaccenic acid found inS. velum is almost certainly symbiontderived and serves as a potential biomarker for symbiontlipid incorporation by the host. The high concentrations ofcis-vaccenic acid (up to 35% of the total fatty acid content) in both symbiont-containing and symbiont-free tissues ofS. velum demonstrate the importance of the endosymbionts in the lipid metabolism of this bivalve. The presence ofcis-vaccenic acid in all the major lipid classes ofS. velum demonstrates both incorporation and utilization of this compound. The ¹³C ratios of the fatty acids and sterols ofS. velum were significantly lighter (–38.4 to –45.3) than those ofM. arenaria (–23.8 to – 24.2) and were similar to the values found for the fatty acids ofT. crunogena (–45); this suggests that the lipids ofS. velum are either derived directly from the endosymbionts or are synthesized using endosymbiontderived carbon.Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Contribution No. 7356Please address all correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Conway at her present address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA     

Studies on the effects of some organic pollutants on the heavy metal transport in an Indian soil

The translocation of some heavy metals, such as Hg, Cd, Cu, Co, Ni and Zn, as affected by organic pollutants, i.e. methanol, ethanol, propanol, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde, acetone, ethyl methyl ketone and cyclo-hexanone, was studied in an Indian red soil using soil thin layer chromatography. It was observed that an increase in the concentration of organic compounds in developer enhances the heavy metal mobility, except in the case of Cu and Hg which show a decreasing trend. The results are discussed in relation to the physico-chemical characteristics of the soil and adsorption/desorption phenomena.     

Digestive mechanics and gluttonous feeding in the feather starOligometra serripinna (Echinodermata: Crinoidea)

The movement and digestion of food in the gut ofOligometra serripinna (Carpenter) were studied at Lizard Island (14°3842S; 145°2710E) in the austral winter of 1986. Feather stars in the laboratory were fed a brief, small meal of brine shrimp nauplii and killed at increasing time intervals thereafter. Histological reconstructions showed that the ingested nauplii progressed along the digestive tract surprisingly quickly. Some nauplii were found in the mid and hind intestine in only 30 min, and all of the nauplii had reached the hind intestine and rectum in 1 h. Digestion of the nauplii had started at 1 h, and only a few fragments of naupliar exoskeleton remained in the hind intestine and rectum 5 h after the start of feeding. Videotape analysis showed that no fecal pellets were released during this experiment. In the natural environment ofO. serripinna, ingested particles may similarly be transported quickly to the hind part of the gut and digested there — when feather stars were fixed in the field, most of the gut contents were found in the hind intestine and rectum.O. serripinna, which efficiently rejects inert particles before they are ingested, usually defecates infrequently (probably not more than once over a span of many hours) and differs from some other feather stars that ingest numerous inert particles and defecate much more frequently. When specimens ofO. serripinna were fed continuously on brine shrimp nauplii,Artemia sp. (San Francisco strain), in the laboratory, the feather stars fed gluttonously, packing their guts with several hundred nauplii in 1 to 2 h. Thereafter, superfluous feeding began (i.e., further ingestions appeared to force undigested nauplii, some of them still living, out of the anus). These observations suggest thatO. serripinna usually feeds at relatively modest rates in its natural habitat, but can feed gluttonously to take advantage of infrequent patches of highly concentrated, nutritious particles (e.g. copepod swarms, migrating demersal zooplankton, and invertebrate gametes from mass spawnings). It is likely that such patches of nutritious particles are usually small enough to drift out of reach of the feather stars before gluttonous feeding proceeds to superfluous feeding. Opportunities for superfluous feeding in nature are probably very infrequent (e.g. ingestion of coral gametes and embryos after a mass spawning), and the feather stars evidently have no behavior that stops further ingestions after the gut becomes filled to capacity.