Stability of green fluorescent protein using luminescence spectroscopy: is GFP applicable to field analysis of contaminants?

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) was first isolated in the early 1970s for experimental use from coelenterates or the Pacific jellyfish. Aequorea victoria (Morin and Hastings, 1971). GFP has since become a favored biomarker in the photophysical analysis of molecular and cell biology because of its strong intrinsic visible fluorescence and the feasibility of fusing it to other proteins without affecting their normal functions (Creemers et al., 2000). Here we report using Bacillus subtilis expressing GFP to evaluate the influence of different environmental pH conditions on GFP fluorescence. Emission acquisitions were configured to excite at 471 nm and detect at an emission from 490 to 650 nm at 1-nm increments. Fluorescence intensity was significantly better at pH 7 (4.2 x 105 cps; P-value < 0.01) than at acid or alkaline conditions. GFP is a good biomarker for environments near netural conditions: however, GFP may be unsuitable where soils or waters are below or above pH 7 because of loss in fluorescence intensity. Alternative fluorescent markers and delivery systems must be examined in different environments to optimize responses from bioreporter molecules.     

绿色荧光蛋白分子标记在环境微生物学研究中的应用

绿色荧光蛋白(green fluorescent protein,GFP)分子标记是现有遗传标记中最简单方便的一种方法，GFP及GFP突变体在微生物降解污染物、生物膜菌群构架、环境生态学和环境检测生物传感器等研究领域取得了很好的应用效果。     

Survey of dioxin sources in the Baltic Region (extended summary)

The present paper summarises the results of the project: 'Survey of Anthropogenic Sources of Dioxins and Furans in the Baltic Region'. As a part of the project, inventories have been carried out in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland by applying the toolkit for quantification of dioxin and furan releases developed by UNEP Chemicals. The main route of direct releases to the environment is emission to air. Total emission to air from Poland was estimated at 490 (88-1,300) g I-TEQ/year, whereas the emissions from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were estimated as being 14 (2.4-54), 23 (2.6-63) and 17 (2.6-38) g I-TEQ, respectively. In general, the uncertainty on the estimates is very high, and recommendations regarding further development of the inventories have been made, and measures for reducing the releases have been provided.     

垃圾焚烧发电的应用前景分析及应对措施

介绍了城市生活垃圾的危害和处置方式，通过对各种处置方式存在问题的比较，得出垃圾焚烧发电前景广阔，符合垃圾利用减量化、资源化、无害化的利用原则。同时对垃圾焚烧发电的应用提出了一些应对措施。     

“首次不罚制”在环境执法推行中的问题与建议

根据“首次不罚制”在环境执法中推行的初步实践，指出了该制度自身存在的问题和制度外的制约因素，并提出了克服这些瓶颈因素的建议。     

天然气引射调峰系统的噪声形成及其治理研究

采用天然气引射调峰技术，能使上海某储配站10台天然气高压球罐的储气调峰能率提高68％，大大有助于解决天然气用气高峰时的供需平衡问题，并能节约初投资人民币1亿元。但使用超音速引射器后，当球罐压力下降到某一值时会产生高频噪声，影响管束区操作环境。本文分析了噪声产生的原因．提出了合理的噪声治理方案，并进行了方案的实施。实践证明：噪声治理效果良好，降低了管束区噪声污染，达到了国家“工业企业噪声卫生标准”。     

生物质快速热裂解主要参数对生物油产率的影响

以松木木屑为原料,在自制的小型流化床上,开展了生物质热裂解温度、生物质粒径和进料速率对生物油产率的影响实验研究.结果表明,在热裂解温度分别为450、475、500、525和550℃条件下,当热裂解温度为500℃时,生物油产率最高,平均产率达到53.33%(质量百分比).反应温度越高,炭产量越低,不可冷凝气体产量越高,气体发热值越高;粒径＜1 mm的生物质其粒径对生物油产率影响不大;生物质进料速率增加时,生物油产率增加.本研究为生物能的利用提供了新的途径.     

Green liquor dregs as an alternative neutralizing agent at a pulp mill

Green liquor dregs is the biggest waste fraction at sulphate pulp mills. It is commonly landfilled. Here we demonstrate that the utilization of green liquor dregs as a neutralizing agent for acidic wastewaters is a potential alternative and an environmentally friendly method in contrast to its landfill disposal. The liming effect value of 39.6% for green liquor dregs, expressed as Ca equivalent, is similar to the liming effect value of 38% of a commercial limestone product. In addition, the pH value of 10.7 indicates a strong liming effect.     

A preliminary investigation of socio-economic problems following the 1978 Thessaloniki (Greece) earthquake

The consequences of social and economic disruption in the city of Thessaloniki following the large earthquake in 1978 are investigated. Specifically, the phenomenon of organized life in camps for Thessaloniki residents over a long period of time is studied. With the use of a questionnaire, all data regarding each person in the camps were assembled and processed with the correspondence analysis method.     

Developing a CFD heat transfer model for applying high expansion foam in an LNG spill

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is widely used to cost-effectively store and transport natural gas. However, a spill of LNG can create a vapor cloud, which can potentially cause fire and explosion. High expansion (HEX) foam is recommended by the NFPA 11 to mitigate the vapor hazard and control LNG pool fire. In this study, the parameters that affect HEX foam performance were examined using lab-scale testing of foam temperature profile and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of heat transfer in vapor channels. A heat transfer model using ANSYS Fluent® was developed to estimate the minimum HEX foam height that allows the vapors from LNG spillage to disperse rapidly. We also performed a sensitivity analysis on the effect of the vaporization rate, the diameter of the vapor channel, and the heat transfer coefficient on the required minimum height of the HEX foam. It can be observed that at least 1.2 m of HEX foam in height are needed to achieve risk mitigation in a typical situation. The simulation results can be used not only for understanding the heat transfer mechanisms when applying HEX foam but also for suggesting to the LNG facility operator how much HEX foam they need for effective risk mitigation under different conditions.