Microbial growth with vapor-phase substrate

Limited information exists on influences of the diffusive transport of volatile organic contaminants (VOC) on bacterial activity in the unsaturated zone of the terrestrial subsurface. Diffusion of VOC in the vapor-phase is much more efficient than in water and results in effective VOC transport and high bioavailability despite restricted mobility of bacteria in the vadose zone. Since many bacteria tend to accumulate at solid-water, solid-air and air-water interfaces, such phase boundaries are of a special interest for VOC-biodegradation. In an attempt to evaluate microbial activity toward air-borne substrates, this study investigated the spatio-temporal interplay between growth of Pseudomonas putida (NAH7) on vapor-phase naphthalene (NAPH) and its repercussion on vapor-phase NAPH concentrations. Our data demonstrate that growth rates of strain PpG7 were inversely correlated to the distance from the source of vapor-phase NAPH. Despite the high gas phase diffusivity of NAPH, microbial growth was absent at distances above 5 cm from the source when sufficient biomass was located in between. This indicates a high efficiency of suspended bacteria to acquire vapor-phase compounds and influence headspace concentration gradients at the centimeter-scale. It further suggests a crucial role of microorganisms as biofilters for gas-phase VOC emanating from contaminated groundwater or soil.     

航空聚氨酯涂层老化分析

随着飞机服役时间的增长,其结构表面的有机涂层逐渐老化失效,最终导致机体金属结构的腐蚀。基于某沿海机场的严酷环境条件,依据编制的适用于有机涂层的加速试验谱,开展涂层加速老化试验,分析涂层老化规律。     

Investor demand and spot commodity prices: Reply 2

This, our second reply to Östensson, supplements our earlier more technical analysis with a simple intuitive explanation of how investor demand can be driving commodity prices higher even when investor stocks are falling.     

Solvent extraction for heavy crude oil removal from contaminated soils

A new strategy of heavy crude oil removal from contaminated soils was studied. The hexane-acetone solvent mixture was used to investigate the ability of solvent extraction technique for cleaning up soils under various extraction conditions. The mixtures of hexane and acetone (25 vol%) were demonstrated to be the most effective in removing petroleum hydrocarbons from contaminated soils and approx 90% of saturates, naphthene aromatics, polar aromatics, and 60% of nC₇-asphaltenes were removed. Kinetic experiments demonstrated that the equilibrium was reached in 5 min and the majority of the oil pollutants were removed within 0.5 min. The effect of the ratio between solvent and soil on the extraction efficiency was also studied and results showed that the efficiency would increase following the higher solvent soil ratio. Then the multistage continuous extraction was considered to enhance the removal efficiency of oil pollutants. Three stages crosscurrent and countercurrent solvent extraction with the solvent soil ratio 6:1 removed 97% oil contaminants from soil. Clearly the results showed that the mixed-solvent of hexane and acetone (25 vol%) with character of low-toxic, acceptable cost and high efficiency was promising in solvent extraction to remove heavy oil fractions as well as petroleum hydrocarbons from contaminated soils.     

Comparative trends and seasonal variation of ⁷Be, ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs at two altitude sites in the central part of France

The atmospheric concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs, ²¹⁰Pb, and ⁷Be were measured over a three-year period at two research stations located less than 12 km apart and at different altitudes (puy de Dôme, 1465 m a.s.l. and Opme, 660 m a.s.l., France). Seasonal trends in all radionuclides were observed at both stations, with high concentration measured during the summer and low concentrations during the winter. The ²¹⁰Pb concentrations at both stations were similar to each other. Higher concentrations of both ⁷Be and ¹³⁷Cs were measured at puy de Dôme than at Opme. These observations can be explained by the stratospheric and upper tropospheric sources of ⁷Be and the long-range transportation of ¹³⁷Cs at high altitudes. Air mass origins during sampling periods were classified into several groups by their route to the stations (marine, marine modified, continental and mediterranean). We observed that ⁷Be concentrations were constant regardless of the air mass origins, unlike ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb concentrations that increased when influenced by continental air masses. Higher ⁷Be concentrations were observed when air masses were arriving from the upper troposphere than from the boundary layer, the opposite was observed for ¹³⁷Cs. The temporal trend in concentrations of ⁷Be shows good agreement with previous modelling studies suggesting that there is a good understanding of its sources and the atmospheric vertical mixing of this radionuclide. The sources and mixing of ²¹⁰Pb, however, seem to be more complex than it appeared to be in previous modelling studies.     

MPEG-7在智能视频监控系统中的应用

本文将MPEG-7与智能监控系统相结合,针对具体监控场合,设计了监控系统的整体框架,选择了开发平台、工具和监控设备。设计了智能分析算法,从监控视频流中提取了感兴趣的文件信息,并保存为基于MPEG-7的内容描述文件。设计了检索器程序,最终实现了视频监控录像文件信息的组织、存储和快速检索。     

Medical radioisotopes in the environment – following the pathway from patient to river sediment

Motivated by the detection of ¹³¹I in river sediment in routine long-term surveillance samples, a systematic short-term study of the wastewater treatment chain was planned and conducted. Inflow, effluent and primary sludge were collected on a daily basis during two weeks at a regional wastewater treatment plant. Samples were investigated by gamma spectroscopy. Four medically used isotopes could be identified (¹³¹I and ^99mTc regularly, ¹⁵³Sm and ¹²³I sporadically). The concentration levels coincide well with literature data for ¹³¹I, and with our own long-term data for ¹³¹I and ^99mTc for the same plant. Cosmogenic ⁷Be activity in primary sludge correlated well with rainfall intensity. Surface sediment was sampled at low tide at both shores of the river, up- and downstream of the plant. ¹³¹I was identified in all samples, with a sharp maximum (about 100 Bq kg⁻¹ d.m.) at the discharge point of the plant and lower levels elsewhere, decreasing monotonically in downstream direction. ⁷Be and ¹³⁷Cs showed the same behaviour, but no peak at the discharge point. Predictions from simple equilibrium models for the transport and sedimentation of ¹³¹I show good agreement with the experimental data and suggest that the wastewater treatment plant is the main source for this isotope.     

Ectopic expression of Arabidopsis ABC transporter MRP7 modifies cadmium root-to-shoot transport and accumulation

Arabidopsis MRPs/ABCCs have been shown to remove various organic and inorganic substrates from the cytosol to other subcellular compartments. Here we first demonstrate that heterologous expression of AtMRP7 in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum var. Xanthi) modifies cadmium accumulation, distribution and tolerance. Arabidopsis MRP7 was localized both in the tonoplast and in the plasma membrane when expressed in tobacco. Its overexpression increased tobacco Cd-tolerance and resulted in enhanced cadmium concentration in leaf vacuoles, indicating more efficient detoxification by means of vacuolar storage. Heterologous AtMRP7 expression also led to more efficient retention of Cd in roots, suggesting a contribution to the control of cadmium root-to-shoot translocation. The results underscore the use of AtMRP7 in plant genetic engineering to modify the heavy-metal accumulation pattern for a broad range of applications.     

基于因子分析的BP神经网络对成都市需水量的预测

在对四川省成都市的水资源进行综合规划与评价的过程中,通过主成分因子分析可知人口、GDP、给排水管道长度等因素对需水量预测有较大影响,如何建立这些因素与需水量之间的数学关系是预测工作的重点。本文将介绍通过MATLAB数学分析软件建立BP神经网络预测模型,并对模型的预测结果进行评价。     

Ti/Ti4O7阳极电化学氧化降解水中的美托洛尔

等离子喷涂法制备了钛基亚氧化钛电极(Ti/Ti_4O_7),以该电极为阳极,研究了电化学氧化法对水中美托洛尔的去除效果.考察了电流密度(5~25 mA·cm~(-2))、极板间距(5~25 mm)和初始浓度(3~50 mg·L~(-1))对美托洛尔电化学降解效率的影响;分析美托洛尔电化学降解过程中溶液总有机碳(TOC)和毒性的变化,鉴别反应中间产物并计算其毒性.研究表明:Ti/Ti_4O_7阳极电化学降解美托洛尔反应符合一级反应动力学规律(R20.95),降解效率随电流密度的增大而增大,随极板间距和初始浓度的增大而减小;TOC去除率在反应40 min后可达56.5%;反应过程中产生了质合比为266、250、223和207的中间产物,造成美托洛尔溶液的生物毒性在电化学反应过程中先升高后下降.