Accumulation and relationship of metals in different soil aggregate fractions along soil profiles

Different aggregates vary in their ability to retain or adsorb metals in soil. Five soil profiles were sampled from different soil horizons and grouped, and the concentrations of Al, Mg,Ca, Fe, Mn, Cd, Cu and Pb were determined in six sizes of aggregates(> 2, 2-1, 1-0.6, 0.6-0.25,0.25-0.053, < 0.053 mm). Significantly high(p < 0.05) structural stability indexes(SSI) and aggregate stability indexes(ASI) were recorded in the topsoil horizon, which may be attributed to the high soil organi...     

Studies on the drug resistance profile of Enterococcus faecium distributed from poultry retailers to hospitals

The multidrug resistant Enterococcus faecium (MEF) strains originating from farm animals are proliferating at a substantial pace to impact downstream food chains and could reach hospitals. This study was conducted to elucidate the drug susceptibility profile of MEF strains collected from poultry products in Ann Arbor, MI area and clinical settings from Michigan State Lab and Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC) in Florida. Presumptive positive Enterococcus isolates at species level were identified by Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF) analysis. The antibiotic susceptibility profile for both poultry and clinical strains was determined by the Thermo Scientific's Sensititre conform to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) and validated via quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) methods. Out of 50 poultry samples (Turkey: n = 30; Chicken: n = 20), 36 samples were positive for Enterococcus species from which 20.83% were identified as E. faecium. All the E. faecium isolates were multidrug resistant and displayed resistance to the last alternative drug, quinupristin/dalfopristin (QD) used to treat vancomycin resistant E. faecium (VRE) in hospitals. Results indicate the presence of MEF strains in food animals and clinical settings that are also resistant to QD.     

Vertical Profile of Acid Volatile Sulfide (AVS) and Risk Assessment of Sediments from Baihua Lake,China

Acid volatile sulfide (AVS), simultaneously extracted metals (SEMs), and total concentrations of trace elements (Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, Ni, Hg, As, and Cr) were studied in sediment cores from Baihua Lake in southwest China. The molar ratios of SEMs to AVS for all samples were lower than 1.0 except for the 25- to 30-cm layer of the sample collected at location YPZ, indicating that the heavy metals were currently not significantly bioavailable as a whole to benthic organisms. Based on the sediment quality guidelines and the potential ecological risk assessment, Hg presented a high ecological risk for the water body.     

高加速应力筛选剖面验证技术分析

高加速应力筛选试验(HASS)技术是近年来不断发展起来的可靠性新技术,其工作原理、试验目的、应力要求等与传统的可靠性试验有所不同,是考核与提高产品质量与可靠性的强有力的工具。本文就HASS试验技术基本原理和环境应力与诱发的故障模式之间关系进行了简要分析,重点阐述了HASS试验技术的核心之一—筛选剖面图的验证技术,并对HASS剖面验证技术的特点、所需资源和其它的相关内容作了说明。     

Effect of municipal waste water effluent upon the expression of Glutathione S-transferase isoenzymes of brine shrimp Artemia

Multiple isoenzymes of the detoxification enzyme family Glutathione S-transferase are expressed in the brine shrimp Artemia. The number of the major ones detected in crude extract by means of chromatofocusing varied between three and four, depending on the age. Two isoenzymes, one alkaline and one neutral (with corresponding isoelectric points of 8.5 and 7.2) appear to be dominant in all three developmental stages studied, (24, 48, and 72 h after hatching). Culturing Artemia for 48 h after hatching, in artificial sea water prepared by municipal wastewater effluent resulted to significant alterations of the isoenzyme profile. In comparison to organisms cultured for the same period of time in artificial sea water prepared by filtered tap water, the expression of the alkaline isoenzyme decreased by 62% while that of the neutral isoenzyme increased by 58%. Furthermore, the enzyme activity of the major isoenzyme of the acidic area increased by more than two folds. It is worth mentioning that although the specific activity of the total enzyme in the whole body homogenate was elevated, no statistically significant alteration of the Km value was observed. These findings suggest that study of the isoenzyme profile of Glutathione S-transferase may offer high sensitivity in detecting environmental pollution and needs to be further investigated.     

Morphological changes at Vellar estuary, India--impact of the December 2004 tsunami

Coastal subsystems formed by interaction of various processes, impacted by natural hazards like tsunami and storms, pose irreversible morphological changes. Vellar estuary, located on the southeast coast of India, with huge sand dunes (of 3-6m height and spread to 560ha) and barrier islands, has undergone extensive morphological changes due to the giant Indian Ocean tsunami that occurred on 26th December 2004. The damage caused by the tsunami has been quantified using extensive field data collected during pre- and post-tsunami periods through Real Time Kinematic GPS (for mapping coastal features and beach profiles) and Geographic Information System (GIS) couple. The tsunami with a wave height as high as 4m not only inundated the entire coastal land up to a maximum of 2km but also eroded the sand dunes and deposited the eroded material at the inlet, which ultimately formed as a vast tidal flat spread over 31ha. The estuary has suffered immensely due to the tsunami especially in terms of (i) loss of natural protection barriers (sand dunes), which made this coastal area more vulnerable to storm attack, and (ii) shallowness of inlet creating hindrance to navigation of fishing vessels. Based on the observations made at Vellar coast and past recovery experiences of tsunami/hurricanes elsewhere in the world, we contend that the morphological loss might take at least two annual cycles to regain its original form and the rebuilding of sand dunes may even take a decade.     

含油污泥深度调剖技术研究与应用

大庆油田通过含油污泥深度调剖剂的室内配方研究,分析了各种影响因素,得出最佳含油污泥调剖剂配方,并选择杏10-1-W472井进行了现场应用。应用结果为:深度调剖后2个月,周围连通油井开始见效,平均日增液27m3,日增油1.6t,综合含水率下降0.5%,平均流压上升0.93MPa,说明低出液、低含水部位的出液比例得到了大幅提高,实现了对这部分剩余油的挖潜目标。该实验表明:含油污泥经过处理后复配成调剖剂,回注到地下,既可提高采收率,又可解决长期以来含油污泥外排造成的环境污染问题。     

Anaerobic biodegradation of 4-alkylphenols in a paddy soil microcosm supplemented with nitrate

Anaerobic degradation of phenol, p-cresol, 4-n-propylphenol (n-PP), 4-i-propylphenol (i-PP), 4-n-butylphenol (n-BP) and 4-sec-butylphenol (sec-BP) was observed in a paddy soil supplemented with nitrate. We detected the metabolites 4′-hydroxypropiophenone (HPP) from n-PP, 4-i-propenylphenol from i-PP, and 4-(1-butenyl)phenol and 4′-hydroxybutyrophenone (HBP) from n-BP. Compared with the original soils, Betaproteobacteria became predominant in the microcosm during the degradation of phenol and p-cresol whereas no remarkable change was observed in the community degrading propylphenols and butylphenols. The microcosm, however, did not degrade 4-t-butylphenol (t-BP), 4-t-octylphenol (t-OP) and 4-n-octylphenol (n-OP). Paddy soil supplemented with sulfate or iron (III) as electron acceptors did not degrade phenol and 4-alkylphenols with the exception of the degradation of p-cresol in sulfate-reducing conditions. It was demonstrated for the first time that anaerobic microbial degradation of alkylphenols, in a paddy soil supplemented with nitrate as an electron acceptor, occurred via oxidation of the alpha carbon in the alkyl chain.     

半地下有轨电车车站火灾自然排烟模式研究

为确定半地下有轨电车车站火灾情况下自然排烟模式的排烟效果,以某城市有轨电车典型车站为研究对象,采用数值模拟法建立全尺寸模型进行计算,研究半地下有轨电车车站在列车火灾情况下采用自然排烟模式时,车站空间内温度分布、排烟口与楼扶梯口流速等特征参数演化特征,分析半地下有轨电车车站火灾发生时,采用自然排烟模式的气流流场、烟气运动...