Larval chemical defence and evolution of host shifts in Chrysomela leaf beetles

Summary. Larvae of Chrysomela leaf beetles release for defence volatile compounds belonging to various chemical families. This study focuses on the defensive strategy based on the esterification of isobutyric acid and 2-methylbutyric acid with a wide variety of alcohols taken up from the host plant. To date, only two species are known to produce these repellents C. interrupta, which is associated with Betulaceae and C. lapponica which occurs either on Betulaceae or Salicaceae.? In order to know if other species have developed this chemical defence and how the food plant influences the secretion of these toxins, we targeted by mass spectrometry the presence of iso- and 2-methylbutyric acids and esters of them in the defensive secretions of Chrysomela larvae exclusively associated with Betulaceae or Salicaceae. ?Screening analyses reveal that the synthesis of these compounds is a common character restricted to all the members belonging to the C. interrupta group sensu Brown (1956) regardless of the host-plant family. These results suggest that the biochemical mechanism leading to the synthesis of these compounds could be considered as a synapomorphy meaning that the group is probably monophyletic. ?Defensive secretions of the members of the interrupta group are quantitatively assayed for iso- and 2-methylbutyric acids and their (Z)-3-hexenyl esters. Results reveal a chemical plasticity developed by Chrysomela species associated with Salicaceae. The amounts of iso- and 2-methylbutyric acids derivatives and of salicylaldehyde in their larval secretions depend on the food plant and on its content in phenolglucosides. Received 5 October 1998; accepted 25 November 1998.     

Strategies for improving the photocatalytic performance of metal-organic frameworks for CO2 reduction: A review

Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction is an appealing strategy for mitigating the environmental effects of greenhouse gases while simultaneously producing valuable carbon-neutral fuels. Numerous attempts have been made to produce effective and efficient photocatalysts for CO₂ reduction. In contrast, the selection of competitive catalysts continues to be a substantial hindrance and a considerable difficulty in the development of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. It is vital to emphasize different techniques for building effective photocatalysts to improve CO₂ reduction performance in order to achieve a long-term sustainability. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are recently emerging as a new type of photocatalysts for CO₂ reduction due to their excellent CO₂ adsorption capability and unique structural characteristics. This review examines the most recent breakthroughs in various techniques for modifying MOFs in order to improve their efficiency of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. The advantages of MOFs using as photocatalysts are summarized, followed by different methods for enhancing their effectiveness for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction via partial ion exchange of metal clusters, design of bimetal clusters, the modification of organic linkers, and the embedding of metal complexes. For integrating MOFs with semiconductors, metallic nanoparticles (NPs), and other materials, a number of different approaches have been also reviewed. The final section of this review discusses the existing challenges and future prospects of MOFs as photocatalysts for CO₂ reduction. Hopefully, this review can stimulate intensive research on the rational design and development of more effective MOF-based photocatalysts for visible-light driven CO₂ conversion.     

芳香类有机物氯化生成消毒副产物的特性研究

选择有代表性的芳香类有机物,在含有腐殖酸的水溶液中进行氯化试验.测定三卤甲烷和卤乙酸的生成特性.并分析有机物的化学结构对生成消毒副产物的影响.结果表明.各受试物氯化生成消毒副产物的活性和反应速率排序为间苯二酚>对苯二酚>邻苯二酚>苯酚>苯胺>苯甲酸>硝基苯;芳香类有机物苯环上官能团的性质、数量和位置等影响消毒副产物的生成;间苯二酚的氯化反应可分为快速反应阶段和慢速反应阶段.     

滇西北高原生态恢复过程中土壤侵蚀特征及其影响因子

滇西北高原由于地处生态脆弱的石灰岩区,水土流失严重,探讨该区生态恢复过程中土壤侵蚀的变化规律,为开展人工植被建设提供依据。以时空互代的方法,通过径流小区,对坡面的产沙产流特性及其影响因素进行研究。结果表明:天然次生林和人工混交林均有较好的调节径流和减少泥沙的作用,产沙量分别比坡耕地减少了51.46%、43.18%,产流量也相应降低了39.39%、24.24%。在最大次降雨条件下,荒草丛、坡耕地、次生林和混交林单次降雨的产沙量分别占试验期产沙总量的55.38%、55.58%、58.35%和58.05%,产流量相应占产流总量的64.72%、64.63%、73.85%和55.39%。而且,产流产沙量与土壤有机质质量分数均存在明显正相关,与乔、灌层植物多样性及均匀度指数等呈显著负相关性(P<0.05)。因此,乔灌草结合的群落结构配置模式是滇西北地区水土保持林营造的目标和方向。     

Heavy metal bioaccumulation in selected medicinal plants collected from Khetri copper mines and comparison with those collected from fertile soil in Haridwar,India

Heavy metal distribution in medicinal plants is gaining importance not only as an alternative medicine, but also for possible concern due to effects of metal toxicity. The present study has been focused on emphasizing the heavy metal status and bioaccumulation factors of V, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se (essential metals) and Cr, Ni, Cd, As and Pb (potentially toxic metals) in medicinal plants grown under two different environmental conditions e.g., near to Khetri copper mine and those in fertile soils of Haridwar, both in India, using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (relative method) and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. The copper levels in the medicinal plants from Khetri were found to be 3-4 folds higher (31.6–76.5 mg kg^?1) than those from Haridwar samples (7.40–15.3 mg kg^?1), which is correlated with very high copper levels (763 mg kg^?1) in Khetri soil. Among various heavy metals, Cr (2.60–5.92 mg kg^?1), Cd (1.47–2.97 mg kg^?1) and Pb (3.97–6.63 mg kg^?1) are also higher in concentration in the medicinal plants from Khetri. The essential metals like Mn (36.4–69.3 mg kg^?1), Fe (192–601 mg kg^?1), Zn (24.9–49.9 mg kg^?1) and Se (0.13–0.91 mg kg^?1) and potentially toxic metals like Ni (3.09–9.01 mg kg^?1) and As (0.41–2.09 mg kg^?1) did not show much variations in concentration in the medicinal plants from both Khetri and Haridwar. The medicinal plants from Khetri, e.g., Ocimum sanctum, Cassia fistula, Withania somnifera and Azadirachta Indica were found rich in Ca and Mg contents while Aloe barbadensis showed moderately high Ca and Mg. Higher levels of Ca-Mg were found to correlate with Zn (except Azadirachta Indica). The bioaccumulation factors (BAFS) of the heavy metals were estimated to understand the soil-to-plant transfer pattern of the heavy metals. Significantly lower BAF values of Cu and Cr were found in the medicinal plants from Khetri, indicating majority fraction of these metals are precipitated and were immobilized species unsuitable for plant uptake. Overall, Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) showed very high metal bioaccumulation.     

一步法制备乙酸酐新工艺

本文提供了一步法制备乙酸酐的新工艺。它具有工艺简单、反应快、转化率高等优点,是小批量生产乙酸酐的最佳方法。     

Bacterial colonization of the phyllosphere of nineteen plant species and antimicrobial activity of their leaf secondary metabolites against leaf associated bacteria

Summary. The scope of this work was to examine whether leaf constitutive secondary metabolites play a role in determining bacterial colonization of the phyllosphere. To this aim, we surveyed nineteen native or cultivated plant species that share a common bacterial pool in a North Mediterranean area, and estimated the size of total and ice nucleation active (INA) bacterial populations on their leaves. Large differences in the colonization of their phyllosphere were found; the population size of epiphytic bacteria ranged from 7.5 × 10² to 1 × 10⁶ CFU/g fresh weight, in eucalypt and celery, respectively. Species native in Mediterranean-type climate areas, particularly those belonging to the group of aromatic plants, are characterized by scarce presence of INA bacteria. The antibacterial activity of essential oils, surface phenolics and leaf tissue extracts was also estimated against the INA strains P. syringae and E. herbicola, isolated from two of these plant species. E. herbicola proved more sensitive than P. syringae. Of the species examined, oregano [Origanum vulgare L. subsp. hirtum (Link.) Ietswaart], an aromatic plant, had the highest antimicrobial activity, whereas six species showed no activity at all. Further experiments were performed with oregano and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) that represent two extremes in their secondary metabolite content. Both plants were inoculated with P. syringae. By the end of incubation, the bacterial population on bean plants was about 100 times higher than that on oregano leaves. Scanning electron micrographs showed that bacterial growth on oregano leaves was confined to sites away from glandular hairs. Results from the bacterial colonization survey together with those from the toxicity tests showed that all species rich in antibacterial secondary metabolites harbored low leaf bacterial populations. These results provide substantial evidence that leaf secondary metabolites function as constitutive defense chemicals against microbial invasions. However, the fact that species with non- or moderately active leaf secondary metabolites are not always highly colonized suggests mediation of other unknown factors, the contribution of which requires further investigation.     

Validation of a Lagrangian dispersion model implementing different kernel methods for density reconstruction

In this paper the inert version of a Lagrangian particle model named photochemical Lagrangian particle model (PLPM) is described and validated. PLPM implements four density reconstruction algorithms based on the kernel density estimator. All these methods are fully grid-free but they differ each other in considering local or global features of the particles distribution, in treating the Cartesian directions separately or together and in being based on receptors or particles positions in space. Each kernel has been shown to have both advantages and disadvantages, but the overall good performances of the model when compared with the well known Copenhagen and Kincaid data sets are very encouraging in view of its extension to fully chemically active simulations, currently under development.     

Absorption characteristics of new solvent based on a blend of AMP and 1,8-diamino-p-menthane for CO2 absorption

Aqueous 1,8-diamino-p-menthane (KIER-C3) and commercially available amine solutions were tested for CO₂ absorption. A 2-amino- 2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) solution with an addition of KIER-C3 showed 9.3% and 31.6% higher absorption rate for CO₂ than the AMP solution with an addition of monoethanolamine (MEA) and ammonia (NH₃), respectively. The reaction rate constant for CO₂ absorption by the AMP/KIER-C3 solution was determined by the following equation: k_2,AMP/C3 = 7.702×10⁶ exp (-2248.03/T). A CO₂ loading ratio of the AMP/KIER-C3 solution was also 2 and 3.4-times higher than that of the AMP/NH3 solution and the AMP/MEA solution, respectively. Based on the experimental results, KIER-C3 may be used as an excellent additive to increase CO₂ absorption capability of AMP.     

道南膜技术测定Ca(NO3)2溶液体系中汞的化学形态

虽然道南膜技术(DMT)已经成功用于土壤/溶液中多种重金属自由态离子浓度的测定,但DMT技术测定Hg的形态尚未解决.采用DMT测定Ca(NO3)2溶液体系中Hg化学形态.实验结果表明,Hg在阳离子交换膜内的吸附除静电吸附外还存在结合力更强的化学吸附,Hg在阳离子交换膜内扩散成为Hg跨膜传输受阻的主要因素,限制道南膜技术用于Hg形态测定.Hg2+和Hg(OH)2都表现出在阳离子交换膜上的强烈吸附,供端(Donor)Hg损失达50%以上.缩短试验时间至8h以内,可在一定程度上降低Hg吸附.计算结果表明,由于大量的Hg滞留在阳离子交换膜内,在计算受端(Acceptor)Hg浓度时引入滞留系数补偿供端Hg的损失,较好地预测了Ca(NO3)2溶液体系中Hg的化学形态.