Metabolites change of Scenedesmus obliquus exerted by AgNPs

With increasing emission of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into the environment, it is important to understand the effects of ambient concentration of AgNPs. The biological effects of AgNPs on Scenedesmus obliquus, a ubiquitous freshwater microalgae, was evaluated. AgNPs exerted a minor inhibitory effect at low doses. Non-targeted metabolomic studies were conducted to understand and analyze the effect of AgNPs on algal cells from a molecular perspective. During the 48?hr of exposure to AgNPs, 30 metabolites were identified, of which nine had significant changes compared to the control group. These include d-galactose, sucrose, and d-fructose. These carbohydrates are involved in the synthesis and repair of cell walls. Glycine, an important constituent amino acid of glutathione, increased with AgNP exposure concentration increasing, likely to counteract an increased intracellular oxidative stress. These results provide a new understanding of the toxicity effects and mechanism of AgNPs. These metabolites could be useful biomarkers for future research, employed in the early detection of environmental risk from AgNPs.     

Vertical response of microbial community and degrading genes to petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in saline alkaline soil

A column microcosm was conducted by amending crude oil into Dagang Oilfield soil to simulate the bioremediation process. The dynamic change of microbial communities and metabolic genes in vertical depth soil from 0 to 80 cm were characterized to evaluate the petroleum degradation potential of indigenous microorganism. The influence of environmental variables on the microbial responds to petroleum contamination were analyzed. Degradation extent of 42.45% of n-alkanes(C8–C40) and 34.61% of 16ΣPAH were reached after 22 weeks. Relative abundance of alkB, nah, and phe gene showed about 10-fold increment in different depth of soil layers. Result of HTS profiles demonstrated that Pseudomonas, Marinobacter and Lactococcus were the major petroleum-degrading bacteria in0–30 and 30–60 cm depth of soils. Fusarium and Aspergillus were the dominant oil-degrading fungi in the 0–60 cm depth of soils. In 60–80 cm deep soil, anaerobic bacteria such as Bacteroidetes, Lactococcus, and Alcanivorax played important roles in petroleum degradation.Redundancy analysis(RDA) and correlation analysis demonstrated that petroleum hydrocarbons(PHs) as well as soil salinity, clay content, and anaerobic conditions were the dominant effect factors on microbial community compositions in 0–30, 30–60, and 60–80 cm depth of soils, respectively.     

Molecular approaches for the detection and monitoring of microbial communities in bioaerosols: A review

Bioaerosols significantly affect atmospheric processes while they undergo long-range vertical and horizontal transport and influence atmospheric chemistry and physics and climate change. Accumulating evidence suggests that exposure to bioaerosols may cause adverse health effects, including severe disease. Studies of bioaerosols have primarily focused on their chemical composition and largely neglected their biological composition and the negative effects of biological composition on ecosystems and human health. Here, current molecular methods for the identification, quantification, and distribution of bioaerosol agents are reviewed. Modern developments in environmental microbiology technology would be favorable in elucidation of microbial temporal and spatial distribution in the atmosphere at high resolution. In addition, these provide additional supports for growing evidence that microbial diversity or composition in the bioaerosol is an indispensable environmental aspect linking with public health.     

"南泰27"火灾事故分析及有关问题的探讨

通过对“南泰27”轮载运集装箱危险货物发生火灾事故的调查处理和事故分析,提出了加强管理的对策和处置此类事故中应注意的问题。     

Molecular characterization of root exudates using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

The release of root exudates(REs) provides an important source of soil organic carbon. This work revealed the molecular composition of REs of different plant species including alfalfa( Medicago sativa L.), bean( Phaseolus vulgaris L.), barley( Hordeum vulgare L.), maize( Zea mays), wheat( Triticum aestivum L.), ryegrass( Lolium perenne L.) and pumpkin( Cucurbita maxima) using electrospray ionization coupled with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry(ESI FT-ICR MS). The comb...     

Oxidation of As(Ⅲ) by potassium permanganate

The oxidation of As(Ⅲ) with potassium permanganate was studied under conditions including pH, initial As(Ⅲ) concentration and dosage of Mn(Ⅶ). The results have shown that potassium permanganate was an effective agent for oxidizing of As(Ⅲ) in a wide pH range. The pH value of tested water was not a significant factor affecting the oxidation of As(Ⅲ) by Mn(Ⅶ). Although theoretical redox analyses suggest that Mn(Ⅶ) should have better performance in oxidization of As(Ⅲ) within lower pH ranges, the experimental results show that the oxidation efficiencies of As(Ⅲ) under basic and acidic conditions were similar, which may be due to the adsorption of As(Ⅲ) on the Mn(OH)2 and MnO2 resulting from the oxidation of As(Ⅲ).     

Molecular diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at a large-scale antimony mining area in southern China

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF) have great potential for assisting heavy metal hyperaccumulators in the remediation of contaminated soils. However, little information is available about the community composition of AMF under natural conditions in soils contaminated by antimony(Sb). The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of AMF molecular diversity, and to explore the effects of Sb content and soil properties on the AMF community structure in an Sb mining area. Four Sb mine spoils and one adjacent reference area were selected from around the Xikuangshan mine in southern China. The association of AMF molecular diversity and community composition with the rhizosphere soils of the dominant plant species was studied by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis(PCR-DGGE). Results from all five studied sites showed that the diversity of AMF decreased with increasing Sb concentration. Principal component analysis(PCA) indicated that the AMF community structure was markedly different among these groups. Further redundancy analysis(RDA) showed that Sb contamination was the dominating factor influencing the AMF community structure in the Sb mine area. However, the multivariate analysis showed that, apart from the soil Sb content, extractable nitrogen content and organic matter content also attributed to AMF sequence distribution type. Some AMF sequences were only found in the highly contaminated area and these might be ideal candidates for improving phytoremediation efficiency in Sb mining regions. Gene sequencing analysis revealed that most species were affiliated with Glomus, suggesting that Glomus was the dominant AMF genus in the studied Sb mining area.     

Relating Cd2 + binding by humic acids to molecular weight: A modeling and spectroscopic study

Molecular weight(Mw) is a fundamental property of humic acids(HAs), which considerably affect the mobility and speciation of heavy metals in the environment. In this study, soil humic acid(HA) extracted from Jinyun Mountain, Chongqing was ultra-filtered into four fractions according to the molecular weight, and their properties were characterized.Complexation of cadmium was investigated by titration experiments. For the first time,Langmuir and non-ideal competitive adsorption-Donna(NICA-Donnan) models combined with fluorescence excitation-emission matrix(EEM) quenching were employed to elucidate the binding characteristics of individual Mw fractions of HA. The results showed that the concentration of acidic functional groups decreased with increasing Mw, especially the phenolic groups. The humification degree and aliphaticity increased with increasing Mw as indicated by elemental composition analysis and FT-IR spectra. The binding capacity of Cd~(2+) to Mw fractions of HA followed the order UF1( 5 kDa) UF2(5–10 kDa) UF4( 30 kDa) UF3(10–30 kDa). Moreover, the distribution of cadmium speciation indicated that the phenolic groups were responsible for the variations in binding of Cd~(2+) among different Mw fractions. The results of fluorescence quenching illustrated that the binding capacity of Cd~(2+) to Mw fractions was controlled by the content of functional groups, while the binding affinity was largely influenced by structural factors. The results provide a better understanding of the roles that different HA Mw fractions play in heavy metal binding,which has important implications in the control of heavy metal migration and bio-toxicity.     

Interaction of bisphenol A with dissolved organic matter in extractive and adsorptive removal processes

The fate of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in natural and engineered systems is complicated due to their interactions with various water constituents. This study investigated the interaction of bisphenol A (BPA) with dissolved organic matter (DOM) and colloids present in surface water and secondary effluent as well as its adsorptive removal by powdered activated carbons. The solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) method followed by thermal desorption and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was utilized for determining the distribution of BPA molecules in water. The BPA removal by SPME decreased with the increased DOM content, where the formation of BPA-DOM complexes in an aqueous matrix was responsible for the reduced extraction of BPA. Colloidal particles in water samples sorbed BPA leading to the marked reduction of liquid phase BPA. BPA-DOM complexes had a negative impact on the adsorptive removal of BPA by powered activated carbons. The complex formation was characterized based on Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, along with the calculation of molecular interactions between BPA and functional groups in DOM. It was found that the hydrogen bonding between DOM and BPA would be preferred over aromatic interactions. A pseudo-equilibrium molecular coordination model for the complexation between a BPA molecule and a hydroxyl group of the DOM was developed, which enabled estimation of the maximum sorption site and complex formation constant as well as prediction of organic complexes at various DOM levels.     

基于下垫面遥感资料的海河流域水文类型分区划分

以海河流域为研究对象,根据1956—2005年的年降雨量和水面蒸发资料、DEM、土地利用、土壤和植被覆盖遥感图,提取了反映下垫面条件和气候特征的物理因子,并以此作为分区指标,以子流域为划分单元,依据下垫面条件和气候因子的相似性和差异性,采用地理信息系统和多元统计分析的方法,将海河流域内1 399个子流域划分7类水文类型分区(HTR),并分析了各水文类型分区的空间分布特征及产汇流机制。其中HTR1、HTR2和HTR4位于平原地区,土地利用类型以耕地为主,其他水文类型分区位于山区和丘陵区。HTR1耕地面积比例最大;HTR2土壤透水性最差,易产生超渗地表径流;HTR3土壤透水性最好,易产生地下径流和壤中流;HTR4年蒸发量较大,年降雨量较小,气候最干旱;HTR5和HTR6土地利用类型分别以草地和林地为主;HTR7年降雨量较大,年蒸发量较小,气候最湿润。分区成果明确地反映了流域的下垫面情况及气候条件,分区结果与流域的地形地貌非常吻合,也反映了流域水文特征的分布规律。通过分析水文类型分区内典型流域的下垫面和气候情况以及水文特征,阐述了分区结果的准确性及合理性,为海河流域水文特征的研究及水资源评价提供了依据。