Antifungal and anti-aflatoxigenic activity of Heliopsis longipes roots and affinin/spilanthol against Aspergillus parasiticus by downregulating the expression of alfD and aflR genes of the aflatoxins biosynthetic pathway

Abstract

In the present study, ethanolic extract from Heliopsis longipes roots and affinin/spilanthol against Aspergillus parasiticus growth and aflatoxins production were studied in relation to the expression of aflD and aflR, two key genes of aflatoxins biosynthetic pathway. Phytochemical analysis of the ethanolic extract by GC-EIMS identified affinin/spilanthol (7.84?±?0.27?mg g^?1) as the most abundant compounds in H. longipes roots. The antifungal and anti-aflatoxigenic assays showed that affinin/spilanthol at 300?µg mL^?1 produced the higher inhibition of radial growth (95%), as well as, the higher aflatoxins production inhibition (61%) in comparison to H. longipes roots (87% and 48%, respectively). qRT-PCR revealed that the expression of aflD and aflR genes showed a higher downregulation in affinin/spilanthol at 300?µg mL^?1. The expression ratio of alfD was suppressed by affinin/spilanthol in 79% and aflR in 84%, while, a lower expression ratio suppressed by H. longipes was obtained, alfD (55%) and aflR (59%). Affinin/spilanthol possesses higher antifungal and anti-aflatoxigenic activity against A. parasiticus rather than H. longipes roots, and this anti-aflaxotigenic activity occurring via downregulation of the aflD and aflR genes. Thus, H. longipes roots and affinin/spilanthol can be considered potent antifungal agents against aflatoxigenic fungus, especially, affinin/spilanthol.     

Comprehensive Environmental Investigation at Former Industrial/Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Sites in Long Beach,CA: A Forensic Perspective

Two industrial sites were investigated based on years of available hydrogeologic information and monitoring data for soil and groundwater. Collected data were forensically evaluated using age-dating and fingerprinting methods. The previous business uses of the project sites were as a gas station, laundry/dry-cleaning service, and car wash with petroleum underground storage tanks (USTs). As a result, these sites were exposed to a number of toxic contaminants at relatively high concentrations. Source control was necessary for successful remediation and the ultimate removal of the remaining compounds from these industrial sites. Although contaminated soil around the source was excavated during the remedial action and the high concentrations of contaminants were reduced, typical groundwater contaminants such as petroleum hydrocarbons as gasoline (TPH-G), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes (BTEX), and oxygenates including methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), diisopropyl ether (DIPE), ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), tert-amyl methyl ether (TAME), and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) were persistently found at the studied sites around the source points. The plume and concentration of contaminants had changed their shapes and strength for all monitoring periods. Thus, additional source control seems to be a requirement for the complete removal of source contamination, which must be ascertained with groundwater and soil monitoring on a regular time base. For the study sites, monitored natural attenuation was relatively feasible for the long-term plan; however, it did not offer a perfect remediation solution for an ultimate goal because of residual toxic compounds that might have affected the surrounding residential areas at higher concentrations than their health limits. Therefore, as a remediation strategy, the combination of clean-up technology and natural attenuation with monitoring activities are more highly recommended than either clean-up or natural attenuation used separately.     

海洋平台井喷含硫天然气扩散危险区域研究

针对海洋酸性气田开采过程中含硫天然气井喷失控扩散问题,采用CFD方法建立井喷含硫天然气扩散后果预测与评估模型。综合考虑天然气爆燃与硫化氢毒害风险因素,对不同场景条件下的含硫天然气扩散过程开展数值模拟,研究硫化氢浓度、风向、风速等因素对含硫天然气扩散行为的影响,预测和评估天然气扩散所形成的危险区域和硫化氢气体扩散所形成的毒害范围。研究表明:随着硫化氢浓度的增加,燃爆区域无明显变化,而毒害区域明显增加;船艉来风导致的事故后果最为严重,左、右舷来风有利于危险气体的扩散与消散;风速越大,燃爆区域和毒害区域范围越小,但是在船艏来风且风速较大的工况下,硫化氢气体竖直扩散距离降低且逐渐贴近生活区,容易造成作业人员中毒事故的发生。     

基于情景分析的生产安全事故应急物资的协调储备优化研究

为了研究应急物资的实物储备与协议企业生产能力储备相结合的储备模式协调性,降低企业自身应对突发生产安全事故的物资储备成本,建立多情景生产安全事故下的企业应急物资实物储备场所和协议储备企业选址的协调优化模型,利用Lingo软件进行求解,并以石油储罐火灾的应急物资储备为背景设计算例,验证相关模型及方法的有效性。结果表明:提出的企业应急物资储备体系,能够在降低应急物资储备成本的同时,保持日常应急救灾能力。     

Treatment of wastewater from red and tropical fruit wine production by zeolite anaerobic fluidized bed reactor

A study of the anaerobic treatment of wastewaters derived from red (RWWW) and tropical fruit wine (TFWWW) production was carried out in four laboratory-scale fluidized bed reactors with natural zeolite as bacterial support. These reactors operated at mesophilic temperature (35°C). Reactors R1 and R2 contained Chilean natural zeolite, while reactors R3 and R4 used Cuban natural zeolite as microorganism support. In addition, reactors R1 and R3 processed RWWW, while reactors R2 and R4 used TFWWW as substrate. The biomass concentration attached to zeolites in the four reactors studied was found to be in the range of 44–46 g volatile solids (VS)/L after 90 days of operation time. Both types of zeolites can be used indistinctly in the fluidized bed reactors achieving more than 80%–86% chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals for organic loading rates (OLR) of up to at least 20 g COD/L d. pH values remained within the optimal range for anaerobic microorganisms for OLR values of up to 20 and 22 g COD/L d for RWWW and TFWWW, respectively. Toxicity and inhibition levels were observed at an OLR of 20 g COD/L d in reactors R1 and R3 while processing RWWW, whereas the aforementioned inhibitory phenomena were not observed at an OLR of 24 g COD/L d in R2 and R4, treating TFWWW as a consequence of the lower phenolic compound content present in this substrate. The volatile fatty acid (VFA) levels were always lower in reactors processing TFWWW (R2 and R4) and these values (< 400 mg/L, as acetic acid) were lower than the suggested limits for digester failure. The specific methanogenic activity (SMA) was twice as high in reactors R2 and R4 than in R1 and R3 after 120 days of operation when all reactors operated at an OLR of 20 g COD/L d.     

一起氨制冷系统管道断裂事故的原因分析

制冷系统的库房回气管道发生了断裂失效,断裂位置在环焊缝中心且断口平整,焊缝存在未焊透缺陷。管道采用管束整体发泡保温,增加了管道的刚性,不利于管道的位移补偿。通过对管道材质进行分析,化学成分和力学性能符合设计要求。对管道受力状态进行分析并进行应力计算,结果表明,管道焊接接头未焊透,削弱了焊接接头的承载能力。管道在"冷缩"时不能补偿而产生较大的拉应力,导致在管道强度薄弱的焊接接头处发生断裂失效。     

天然气管道失效个人生命风险评价技术研究

为研究天然气长输管道失效个人生命风险,提出一种以人员伤亡概率为指标的天然气管道失效后果风险评价方法。基于天然气管道的失效概率和失效致死长度参数,建立天然气长输管道生命风险评价模型。用该模型,对国内某城市住宅小区内带腐蚀缺陷的天然气管线进行定量风险分析。借鉴英国天然气输送公司数据,确定天然气管线个人生命风险值。案例证明,用所建立的天然气管道失效个人生命风险评价模型能够有效地分析带缺陷天然气管道失效后果,实现天然气管道的个人安全生命风险全定量评价。     

基于变权综合理论的天然气管道动态风险评价

为对天然气管道进行有效的风险评估,提出基于变权综合理论的天然气管道动态风险评价法。利用故障树分析法(FTA)确定天然气管道不同时间空间下的主要风险因素,实时更新风险指标体系;同时引入变权综合原理,建立权重跟随指标值动态变化的变权赋值模型;然后对天然气管道进行综合评定,确定管道当前状态的风险程度。以陕京3线中某管段为例进行分析,得出该管段当前风险等级为中等,在后期运行中应被重点监控。变权赋值与动态指标体系的结合使该方法能实时反映管道风险状况,并适用于天然气管线各段。     

5种天然矿物修复铅污染沉积物的实验研究

以重金属离子Pb2+为研究对象,通过吸附解吸实验,研究了沸石、方解石、钾长石、钙基和钠基膨润土等5种天然矿物材料对水体中Pb2+的吸附固定效果,它们的吸附等温线都符合Langmuir等温吸附模型。结果表明试验所用方解石对Pb2+的饱和吸附量约为185mg/g,是其他几种材料的2～3倍,而且方解石对Pb2+具有明显的不可逆吸附现象,使得吸附后的Pb很难解析下来,说明方解石对水溶液中Pb2+的固定能力非常强。利用模拟自然水体性质的电解液对方解石吸附后Pb的生物有效性进行评价,结果表明被方解石固定后Pb的生物有效性非常低。最后结合方解石作为原位活性覆盖材料的经济可行性和生态风险性分析,说明方解石作为重金属污染沉积物修复的原位活性覆盖材料具有较强的实际可操作性,为后继的重金属污染沉积物的原位活性覆盖技术提供理论支持。     

天然沸石吸附低浓度氨氮废水的研究

采用浙江某地天然沸石吸附废水中低浓度氨氮,研究了pH、天然沸石投加量对吸附的影响,分析了吸附等温线和吸附动力学,并进行了动态吸附和脱附研究。结果表明,pH对天然沸石吸附有较大影响,吸附的最佳pH为8.0;随着天然沸石投加量的增加,氨氮的去除率逐渐增大,但吸附量随之减小。Freundlich方程比Langmuir方程更好地描述氨氮在天然沸石上的吸附行为,且此吸附是优惠吸附。假二级方程很好地拟合吸附动力学实验数据,吸附速率常数k2随着天然沸石投加量的增大而增大。装填105g天然沸石吸附柱处理含氨氮20mg/L废水的水量为15L,出水氨氮浓度小于5mg/L。用含氯化钠和氢氧化钠的溶液作为脱附剂,脱附率为95.5%。