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.     

Low or absent unconjugated estriol in pregnancy: an indicator for steroid sulfatase deficiency detectable by fluorescence in situ hybridization and biochemical analysis

It has been previously reported that a low or absent maternal serum unconjugated estriol (uE3) level is associated with placental steroid sulfatase (STS) deficiency. Here we report a correlation between patients who present with a very low or absent maternal serum uE3 and a deletion of the STS gene as assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We studied nine prenatal cases that presented to the clinical laboratory with an abnormal triple screen, specifically low or absent maternal serum uE3 and a 46,XY karyotype. FISH analysis showed complete deletion of a probe containing the STS gene in six cases and one case had a partial deletion (reduced but not absent signal). The remaining two cases were not deleted for the STS probe. All mothers tested whose fetus showed a deletion were shown to be STS deletion carriers using FISH. Biochemical analysis was performed on 7/9 prenatal specimens. All fetuses deleted for the STS probe were also found to be deficient for STS by biochemical analysis of cultured amniotic fluid (5/5). Of the two fetuses not deleted for the STS probe, one was deficient for STS activity, while the other had a normal result. The abnormal result of enzyme deficiency by biochemical analysis in a non-deletion case likely represents a mutation in the STS gene, not detectable by this FISH assay. Postnatal FISH confirmation of the STS deletion was performed in 1/7 cases. Clinical follow-up was available for 4/9 cases following birth. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

一种在线监测机动车尾气超标排放的有效方法

分析机动车尾气污染现状和国内外有效的监测治理方法,对利用汽车OBD尾气监控系统判别车辆尾气超标的方法进行了探讨,并对移动污染源(机动车)的动态监测和管理提出见解,认为运用这个方法可以减少机动车尾气污染和降低排放总量。     

水环境中病毒检测技术研究进展

综述了水环境病毒检测技术的研究进展。介绍了过滤法、吸附法、离心法、混凝法等水环境病毒富集方法的原理和优缺点;总结了基于聚合酶链式反应(PCR),包括巢式PCR、多重PCR、实时荧光定量PCR、细胞联合培养PCR和数字PCR,以及高通量测序等分子生物学技术在水环境病毒检测中的应用;指出了水环境中病毒检测技术当前存在的问题和未来发展方向,为水环境中病毒的检测与管控提供技术支撑。     

三种农作物秸秆燃烧颗粒态多环芳烃排放特征

收集3种农作物秸秆玉米,水稻和小麦露天燃烧排放的颗粒物样品,并利用气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS)对样品中的34种多环芳烃(PAHs)进行分析,研究颗粒态PAHs的排放因子及可用于源解析的诊断参数.结果表明,3种秸秆燃烧总PAHs的排放因子为644.18~1798.13μg/kg;其中4环PAHs在秸秆燃烧样品中含量最高,约占38.8%~58.8%,6环PAHs所占比例相对较小,约占5.72%~15.17%.PAHs中部分单体具有相对较强致癌性,对环境和人体健康的影响不可忽视.首次检测分子量为300的高分子多环芳烃二苯并[a,e]荧蒽.在玉米、水稻和小麦秸秆燃烧排放颗粒物中的排放因子分别为6.70,2.77和2.92μg/kg.此外,研究发现BaP/BghiP, Phe/Phe+Ant和Flu/(Flu + Pyr)比值可以作为较好的区分秸秆燃烧与其他来源的诊断参数.     

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.     

Enhancement effect of water associated with natural organic matter (NOM) on organic compound-NOM interactions: a case study with carbamazepine

Natural organic matter (NOM) in soils and sediments is recognized to strongly affect environmental distributions of organic compounds. Water associated with NOM may have a significant impact on NOM-organic compound interactions. The objectives of this research were (1) to determine the effect of hydration of a model NOM sorbent on interactions with a probe organic compound, carbamazepine (CBZ), and (2) based on the comparison with the literature data, to evaluate the effect of organic compound structure on the cooperative participation of water molecules in organic sorbate-NOM interactions. CBZ is one of the most widely reported water pollutants from the pharmaceutical and personal care products family. Therefore, CBZ sorption on Pahokee peat was compared from water and from n-hexadecane, using solubility-normalized solute concentrations. CBZ-NOM interactions were enhanced by one to two orders of magnitudes when NOM became fully hydrated. This enhancement is associated with the distinct ability of CBZ to undergo strong, specific interactions with NOM which was revealed by comparing the transfer of CBZ and another model sorbate, phenanthrene, from solution in n-hexadecane to the hydrated NOM sorbent. The enhancing effect of NOM hydration on CBZ-NOM interactions was also observed when CBZ sorption was examined on partially hydrated NOM. In comparison with a smaller-size organic sorbate such as phenol, CBZ needs more NOM-associated water in order to demonstrate the strengthening of interactions with NOM. Therefore, for penetration of the larger sorbate molecules into the NOM interior, a greater number of water molecules are needed to compensate for the local NOM disintegration thus suggesting the greater extent of the cooperativity in an involvement of water molecules in the CBZ-NOM interactions.