Reproductive partitioning in communally breeding guira cuckoos,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Guira guira</Emphasis>

Guira cuckoos, Guira guira, exhibit a rare polygynandrous reproductive system with groups containing several male and female breeders, allowing for important tests of reproductive skew models. Female reproductive strategies involve leaving the group, varying clutch size, egg ejection and infanticide, among others. Here we examined the predictions of reproductive skew models relative to reproductive partitioning among females in groups. We used yolk protein electrophoresis to identify individual females eggs in joint nests. We found that reproductive partitioning favors early-laying females, which lay and incubate more eggs than females that begin laying later. Because the female that lays first tends to switch between repeated nesting bouts, and females do not always contribute eggs to each bout, female reproductive success tends to equalize within groups over time. The pattern of reproductive partitioning differs from that described for anis, another crotophagine joint-nester. We calculated reproductive skew indices for groups in 2 years, for both laying and incubation, as well as an overall population value. These were compared to random skew generated by simulations. Varying degrees of skew were found for different groups, and also across sequential nesting bouts of the same groups. Overall, however, skew did not deviate from random within the population. Nests that reached incubation tended to have lower skew values during the laying phase than nests terminated due to ejection of all eggs followed by desertion. Groups had higher reproductive skew indices in their first nesting bout of the season, and these nests frequently failed. These results illustrate the importance of social organization in determining not only individual, but group success in reproduction, and highlight the flexibility of vertebrate social behavior.Communicated by J. Dickinson     

用改良彗星试验检测工业废水的DNA损伤作用

采用改良彗星试验直接检测了多种工业废水不所引起的Ｖ７９细胞ＤＮＡ损伤。结果表明,所测的种各工业废话水均含有ＤＮＡ损伤剂,能够诱发培养的Ｖ７９细胞ＤＮＡ链断裂,其中以制革厂不的ＤＮＡ损伤作用最强。本研究显示出改良彗星试验在综合评价各种废水遗传毒性方面具有广阔的应用前景。     

职业接触苯乙烯工人静脉血中蛋白质环氧苯乙烯加合物的分析测定

静脉血中蛋白质－环氧苯乙烯（ＳＯ）加合物的分析测定是将蛋白质中半胱氨酸残留经分解后，用Ｒａｎｅｙ Ｎｉ催化反应生成两种加合物：α－苯己醇，β－苯已醇，再用五氟苯氯衍生，ＧＣ／ＭＳ测定，用同样的方法测ＳＤ大鼠血的蛋白质加合物，结果表明动物血中蛋白质加的与实验的苯乙烯或ＳＯ剂量有较好的相关性；而且ＳＯ与半胱氨酸的反应α位强于β位，在人群实验中，对一个石棉厂职业接触苯乙烯工人静脉血中的蛋白质加合物进行测     

利用味精废水生产饲料蛋白的研究

以溜曲霉为出发菌株 ,通过筛选 7种生物质添加剂对利用味精废水液体发酵生产饲料蛋白进行了可行性研究。优化后的发酵配方组成为 :孢子接种量 1.8× 10 8、苹果渣 4%、Na2 HPO4 0 .1g/L、KH2 PO4 0 .0 5 g/L ,其余是味精废水 ,产物的粗蛋白含量达 33%。实验结果表明 ,利用味精厂高浓度有机废水发酵溜曲霉生产饲料蛋白 ,在有效处理废水的同时亦可生产有经济价值的产品。     

固定化微生物脱氮技术

在废水生物脱氮中 ,利用载体固定、形成颗粒污泥等固定化微生物技术可在增加生物脱氮速度、节省碳源、减少后曝气等方面提供有效的方法 ,并实现单级生物脱氮     

Cytoprotective and anti-apoptotic action of HSP70 stress protein in Oreochromis niloticus exposed to residual dilutions of insecticides with fipronil and ethiprole

Abstract

The objective of this research was to investigate the potential damage caused by the residual concentrations of the insecticides Regent^® WS 800 and Curbix^® SC 200, containing fipronil and ethiprole, respectively as active ingredients, on the liver of Oreochromis niloticus. The analyses of HSP70 shock protein labelling and cell death process by TUNEL method were performed in order to measure the effects of the exposure of cell repair system of fish to both insecticides. Statistical analyses showed no significant molecular damage to the hepatic tissue of animals. Nevertheless, variations in HSP70 and DNA fragmentation levels, endpoint of cell repair system response and cellular death, respectively, were observed in several groups. These results indicate that the cell repair machinery was efficient when in contact with residual concentrations of insecticides. However, the DNA fragmentation detected by the TUNEL method suggests that even in face of the cytoprotective action of the HSP70 protein, there are damages that become irreparable. To finish, it is worth mentioning that given the results obtained from residual concentrations, use in the field should be with caution.     

Increasing the microbial activity in activated sludge by the phenomenon of 'biological resonance

Mechanical oscillations as well as electrical oscillations (e.g. in an electrical oscillatory circuit) can lead to resonance conditions by external agitation with the natural frequency of the system. During the microbial protein synthesis, the induction and repression mechanisms also cause oscillations in the form of varying protein concentrations. The aim of this work concentrates on an induced resonance case of the biological system, comparable with physical resonance phenomena, by external periodic stimulations. For this, system theoretical computer simulations with a structured genetic model were carried out, which built the theoretical fundament for describing the effect of 'Biological Resonance'. Based on that, lab-scale experiments using a mixed microbial culture (activated sludge) and skimmed milk as an inducing substrate revealed an enhanced microbial productivity of around 60%-75% compared to values of the productivity under steady-state conditions in a narrow range of process parameters. The optimum (resonance case) was confirmed by a repetition of the variation experiments and is characterised by a substrate supply period of approx. 18 min and a following starvation period of about 9 min. Long-term investigations under optimised process conditions indicate adaptation mechanisms of the microorganisms to evade the imposed stress conditions. The productivity will not remain constant without additional stimulation and declines to its original level. However, temporal modulation of the starvation period permanently increases the productivity (elevated catabolism) to about 60%, which was observed over a period of several weeks.     

Biodegradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in the presence of primary substrate by immobilized pure culture bacteria

In this study, pure strains that are capable of utilizing 2,4,6-trichlorophenol have been isolated from the mixed culture grown on substrates containing chlorophenolic compounds. Studies have been carried out on the capability of these isolated pure strains in suspended and immobilized forms to decompose 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. Additionally, the influence of primary substrates (e.g., phenol, 2-chlorophenol, 3-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol) on the decomposition of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol by the isolated pure strains grown in immobilized form is also investigated. The results are: Through bacterial isolation and identification, three pure strains have been obtained: Pseudomonas spp. strain 01, Pseudomonas spp. strain 02 and Agrobacterium spp. Whether in suspended or immobilized forms, all strains have poor removal efficiencies of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. However, addition of 200 mg/l phenol will enable the immobilized Pseudomonas spp. strain 01, and Pseudomonas spp. strain 02 to achieve 65% and 48% removal of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, respectively. Addition of phenol will assist the immobilized Pseudomonas spp. strain 02 in achieving removal of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol but the removal efficiency is not good if the phenol concentration is too low. The optimum phenol concentration should be between 200 and 400 mg/l.     

微生物光电化学池去除硝酸盐氮:以PANI/TiO2-NTs为光阳极

利用微生物光电化学池(MPEC)去除污染物是一种经济高效环保的方法.本实验在制备获得聚苯胺/二氧化钛纳米管阵列(PANI/TiO_2-NTs)复合光电极的基础上,构建了由PANI/TiO_2-NTs光阳极和生物阴极组成的MPEC系统,并对其去除硝酸盐氮(NO~-_3-N)的性能进行研究.结果表明,PANI负载时间为80 s时,PANI/TiO_2-NTs电极光电性能最佳,相比于TiO_2-NTs电极光电流密度增大约一倍,PANI的修饰有效提高了光能利用率.构建的MPEC系统能在无外加电压的条件下利用光能驱动实现自养反硝化脱氮,NO~-_3-N的生物降解符合准一级反应动力学方程.光响应电流密度越大,系统反硝化脱氮性能越好,NO~-_3-N初始浓度为25 mg·L~(-1)时,当光响应电流密度从0.17 mA·cm~(-2)增加至0.67 mA·cm~(-2),平均反硝化速率从0.83 mg·(L·h)~(-1)增大到2.83 mg·(L·h)~(-1).对生物阴极微生物膜进行了高通量测序,发现Pseudomonas所占比例最大(27.37%)为优势菌属.分析认为PANI/TiO_2-NTs光阳极产生的光生电子通过外电路传递到阴极,Pseudomonas、Alishewanella和Flavobacterium等具有自养反硝化能力和电化学活性的微生物可直接利用电极上的电子作为唯一的电子供体进行自养反硝化脱氮.     

低浓度甲醛促进K562细胞增殖的分子机制探究

低浓度甲醛(Formaldehyde,FA)可以促进细胞增殖.本实验选用K562细胞为实验对象,用不同浓度的甲醛溶液处理细胞,探究其中可能存在的分子机制.测定细胞活力及胞内氧化损伤程度后,发现当甲醛浓度为75μmol·L~(-1)时,细胞增殖率上升(p0.05或p0.01),Warburg效应中的丙酮酸激酶M2型同工酶(PKM2)、葡萄糖转运蛋白1(GLUT1)、乳酸脱氢酶A(LDHA)、葡萄糖和乳酸含量上升(p0.05);此外,细胞周期调控因子Cyclin D-cdk4与转录因子E2F1含量也上升(p0.05).同时,细胞内氧化损伤加强,其中活性氧簇(reactive oxygen species,ROS)含量上升(p0.01),还原型谷胱甘肽(glutathione,GSH)下降(p0.05).然而,在加入抗氧化剂VE后,氧化损伤程度减弱,细胞增殖率降低,PKM2、GLUT1、LDHA、葡萄糖、乳酸,Cyclin D-cdk4、E2F1含量均下降.结果表明低浓度甲醛可能通过氧化应激诱导Warburg效应和影响细胞周期调控因子两条途径促进细胞的增殖.