Inhibitory kinetics of β-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) by cadmium北大核心CSCD

Cadmium (Cd2+) pollution in an aquatic environment can negatively affect certain reproductive parameters of aquatic animals. β-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase (NAGase) is considered to play an important role in the fertilization process. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of Cd2+ on the activity of NAGase purified f rom the testis of Nile tilapia, toward contributing new knowledge on the breadth of negative effects of Cd2+ for Nile tilapia production. The kinetic method of substrate reaction was used for this assessment, and an inhibitory model was established to study the kinetics of NAGase under inhibition by Cd2+. The results showed that Cd2+ could reversibly inhibit the enzymatic activity of NAGase, and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration was estimated to be 40.95 mmol/L. Cd2+ was found to be a competitive inhibitor of NAGase, and the inhibitory constant was determined to be 17.13 mmol/L. The microscopic rate constants of inactivation were also determined. Together, these findings demonstrate that Cd2+ is a reversible inhibitor that can competitively inhibit NAGase. These results may provide a theoretical foundation for further studies on the reproduction of tilapia. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Formation of a Mercury Plated Carbon Paste Electrode by Electroreduction of a Mercury(II) Diethyldithiocarbamate Modified Carbon Paste

A novel approach to formation of a mercury film electrode (MFE) at the surface of a carbon paste electrode is proposed in this paper. This MFE is easy to fabricate, has good reproducibility and avoids the use of a plating mercury solution. In this new type of MFE, mercuric diethyldithiocarbamate (Hg(DDTC)2) was mixed with graphite powder and paraffin oil to form a chemically modified carbon paste electrode. When a -0.95V potential was applied to the electrode, the Hg(II) (in Hg(DDTC)2) was reduced to metallic Hg, thus forming a mercury film at the surface of the carbon paste electrode. The characteristics of this MFE were studied. This modified electrode was used in anodic stripping voltammetry. Conditions for the simultaneous determination of trace amount of Pb(II) and Cd(II) were also investigated.     

Lean methane premixed combustion over a catalytically stabilized zirconia foam burner

This study experimentally investigates lean methane/air premixed combustion in a catalytic zirconia foam burner. The burner is packed with an inert perforated alumina plate at the inlet preheating zone and with catalytic zirconia foams at the combustion zone. Catalytic foams are prepared by using a modified perovskite catalyst (LaMn_0.4Co_0.6O₃), in which the transition metal ion Co is partially substituted by Mn and supported by inert zirconia foam. Results indicate that the flame stability limits of both catalytic and inert burners expand with increasing equivalence ratios. The stable combustion region of the catalytic burner is larger than that of the inert burner. The heterogeneous catalytic combustion effect can decrease and increase the lower and upper flame stability limits, respectively. The central temperatures of the flame fronts are higher in the catalytic burner than in the inert burner. The pressure drops of the catalytic burner are almost equal to those of the inert burner in cold flows but are significantly higher than those in the inert burner in reaction flows. Less amounts of carbon monoxide, nitric oxides, and unburned hydrocarbon emissions are detected in the catalytic burner relative to the inert burner. The thermal radiation efficiencies of the catalytic burner vary between 0.24 and 0.39 and are favorably superior to those of the inert burner, ranging from 0.11 to 0.20.     

Application of Wavelet Coherence Method to Investigate Karst Spring Discharge Response to Climate Teleconnection Patterns

The impact of climate teleconnections on the regional hydrometeorology has been well studied, but very little effort has been made to relate climate teleconnections with groundwater flow variation. In this study, we used a wavelet coherence method to analyze monthly climate indices, precipitation, and spring discharge data, and investigated the relation between major teleconnection patterns (the Arctic Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, El Niño‐Southern Oscillation, and Indian Ocean Dipole) and karst hydrological process in Niangziguan Springs Basin, China. The results indicate precipitation and spring discharges correlate well with climate indices at intra‐ and inter‐annual time scales. Further, the climate indices are mainly correlated with precipitation at shorter periodicities, but correlated with spring discharge at longer scales. The difference reflects the modulation of karst aquifers on precipitation‐spring discharge during the processes of precipitation infiltration into the ground, and subsequent transformation into spring discharge. When teleconnection signals are transmitted into spring discharge via precipitation infiltration and groundwater propagation, some high‐frequency climatic signals are likely to be filtered, attenuated, and delayed, thus only low‐frequency climatic signals are preserved in spring discharge.     

Effect of red mud addition on the fractionation and bio-accessibility of Pb,Zn and As in combined contaminated soil

Using soil incubation experiments, the effect of red mud addition on the fractionation and bioaccessibility of Pb, Zn and As in combined contaminated soil was studied. The results showed that red mud addition could significantly decrease the concentration of HOAc-extractable Pb and Zn in soil. Compared with the control, 5% red mud addition could significantly reduce the concentrations of HOAc-extractable Pb and Zn in soil after 1, 2 and 3 months of incubation [62.5, 65.3 and 73.5% decrease (Pb), 56.7, 65.8 and 67.4% decrease (Zn)]. Whereas adding red mud could remarkably increase the concentrations of specific absorbed As and residual As in soil. The result of a simple bioavailability extraction test (SBET) indicated that all treatments with red mud addition markedly reduced the concentration of bioaccessible Zn but increased the concentration of bioaccessible As in soil, while having little effect on the concentration of bioaccessible Pb in soil. After 3 months incubation, all treatments including 1, 2 and 5% red mud addition reduced the concentration of bioaccessible Zn by 53.1–56.7% compared with the control, but increased the concentration of bioaccessible As by 1.81–6.25 times. The results suggested that red mud is an additive with potential for the remediation soil contaminated soil by combinations of heavy metals, although it should be added based on the different heavy metals in the soil. Combined use of red mud and hyperaccumulators to remediate heavy metal contaminated soil needs further study.     

Selenium speciation in acidic environmental samples: application to acid rain-soil interaction at Mount Etna volcano

Speciation plays a crucial role in elemental mobility. However, trace level selenium (Se) speciation analyses in aqueous samples from acidic environments are hampered due to adsorption of the analytes (i.e. selenate, selenite) on precipitates. Such solid phases can form during pH adaptation up till now necessary for chromatographic separation. Thermodynamic calculations in this study predicted that a pH < 4 is needed to prevent precipitation of Al and Fe phases. Therefore, a speciation method with a low pH eluent that matches the natural sample pH of acid rain-soil interaction samples from Etna volcano was developed. With a mobile phase containing 20 mM ammonium citrate at pH 3, selenate and selenite could be separated in different acidic media (spiked water, rain, soil leachates) in <10 min with a LOQ of 0.2 μg L⁻¹ using ⁷⁸Se for detection. Applying this speciation analysis to study acid rain-soil interaction using synthetic rain based on H₂SO₄ and soil samples collected at the flanks of Etna volcano demonstrated the dominance of selenate over selenite in leachates from samples collected close to the volcanic craters. This suggests that competitive behavior with sulfate present in acid rain might be a key factor in Se mobilization. The developed speciation method can significantly contribute to understand Se cycling in acidic, Al/Fe rich environments.     

Differential partitioning and speciation of Hg in wet FGD facilities of two Spanish PCC power plants

This paper evaluates the speciation and partitioning of mercury in two Spanish pulverised coal combustion power plants (PP1 and PP2), equipped with wet limestone-based flue gas desulphurisation facilities (FGD) operating with forced oxidation and re-circulation of FGD water streams. These plants are fed with coal (PP1) and coal/pet-coke blends (PP2) with different mercury contents. The behaviour, partitioning and speciation of Hg were found to be similar during the combustion processes but different in the FGD systems of the two power plants. A high proportion (86-88%) of Hg escaped the electrostatic precipitator in gaseous form, Hg²⁺ being the predominant mercury species (68-86%) to enter the FGD. At this point, a relatively high total Hg retention (72% and 65%) was achieved in the PP1 and PP2 (2007) FGD facilities respectively. However, during the second sampling campaign for PP2 (2008), the mercury removal achieved by the FGD was much lower (26%). Lab-scale tests point to liquid/gas ratio as the main parameter affecting oxidised mercury capture in the scrubber. The partitioning of the gaseous mercury reaching the FGD system in the wastes and by-products differed. In the low mercury input power plant (PP1) most of the mercury (67%) was associated with the FGD gypsum. Moreover in PP2 a significant proportion of the gaseous mercury reaching the FGD system remained in the aqueous phase (45%) in the 2007 sampling campaign while most of it escaped in 2008 (74%). This may be attributed to the scrubber operating conditions and the different composition and chemistry of the scrubber solution probably due to the use of an additive.     

Characteristics and provenance of dustfall during an unusual floating dust event

This study aims to investigate the characteristics, provenance, and particle-related pollution of an intense dustfall event that occurred in Beijing on 16–17 April 2006. Satellite images reveal that the aeolian dust originated in northeastern Alxa League of Inner Mongolia and passed southeastward across northern Ningxia, middle Inner Mongolia, northern Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Hebei provinces. The dust then moved out of continental China in the vicinity of Beijing and Tianjin. The floating dust led to severe air pollution in Huhhot, Datong, and Beijing. We measured dustfall by collecting dust samples, investigated particle morphology, and calculated the mass medium diameter (MMD) of the dustfall using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Major elements and mineral content of the dust particles were determined by electron probe and powder X-ray diffractometer, respectively. The relative abundance of dustfall during this event was 12.5–15.0 g m^?2, making up about 10% of the total annual dustfall in Beijing. Dustfall amounted to 205 thousand tons in Beijing, the largest amount observed in recent years. The dust particles were mostly angular, subangular and subrounded in morphology, and the MMD was nearly 12 μm. Particles <10 μm accounted for 54.7% by number, but fine sand particles (larger than 50 μm) made up 53.7% by volume. Particles with diameters larger than 20 μm made up of the predominant volume of the samples (90.35%). Hence, this dustfall event was characterized by a high content of fine sand and coarse silt particles. The principal elements in the dust particles were C, O, Si, Al, Fe, and Ca, whereas the major minerals were quartz, Na-feldspar, calcite, and clay minerals.