Effects of dioxin exposure in Eisenia andrei: integration of biomarker data by an Expert System to rank the development of pollutant-induced stress syndrome in earthworms

A battery of biomarkers has recently been developed in the earthworm Eisenia andrei. In this study, different biomarkers (i.e. Ca²⁺-ATPase activity, lysosomal membrane stability-LMS, lysosomal lipofuscin and neutral lipid content) were utilized to evaluate the alterations in the physiological status of animals, induced by exposure for 3 d to different sublethal concentrations of TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) (1.5 × 10⁻³, 1.5 × 10⁻², 1.5 × 10⁻¹ ng mL⁻¹) utilizing the paper contact toxicity test. Lysosome/cytoplasm volume ratio and DNA damage were also evaluated as a biomarker at the tissue level and as a biomarker of genotoxicity, respectively. Moreover, the NR retention time assay conditions were optimized for the determination of in vivo LMS in earthworm coelomocytes. The results demonstrate that LMS and Ca²⁺-ATPase activity were early warning biomarkers able to detect the effects of minimal amounts of TCDD and that biomarkers evaluated at the tissue level are important for following the evolution of the stress syndrome in earthworms. To evaluate the health status of the animals, an Earthworm Expert System (EES) for biomarker data integration and interpretation was developed. The EES proved to be a suitable tool able to rank, objectively, the different levels of the stress syndrome in E. andrei induced by the different concentrations of TCDD.     

Individual differences in reactions towards color in simulated healthcare environments: The role of stimulus screening ability

The notion that the physical healthcare environment can affect our mood and behavior is well established. Despite this, individual differences in sensitivity to environmental stimuli have not received much attention. With the current research showing the importance of individual differences in sensitivity towards color, these may explain the contradictory effects found in color research. Two experiments focused on differences in environmental sensitivity, measured with stimulus screening ability. In both experiments, participants were presented with a scenario describing hospitalization with appendicitis and were exposed to a photo of a hospital room. The experiments tested the effects of environmental coloring of the hospital room (green and orange, both contrasted with white as a control condition), and the moderating role of stimulus screening ability (high-screeners vs. low-screeners) on stress (study 1) and arousal (study 2), and cognitive appraisals of the room (study 2). Stress-reducing effects of green and arousal-inducing effects of orange were both more pronounced for people scoring low on stimulus screening ability than for those who are able to effectively screen out complexity in the environment (high-screeners).     

Stress-70 as indicator of heavy metals accumulation in blue mussel Mytilus edulis

The induction of stress-70 (Hsp70) in the blue mussels Mytilus edulis from southern Baltic after exposure to cadmium, lead and copper, administrated individually and/or as a mixture, was investigated by means of standard Western blotting using a clone 3A3 monoclonal antibody. The general course of the stress-70 induction was found to be similar for all tested metals. It could be characterised by three main features: (1) The induction of stress-70 proteins was only slightly increased at low metal concentration. (2) Strong induction of stress-70 occurred at high concentration of metals. Combination of metals (Cd+Cu) was found to increase the stress-70 level more intensely than related concentrations of singularly applied metals. (3) Five weeks of long depuration had no effect on stress-70 levels. Experiments revealed different induction of stress-70 as a response to cadmium, lead and copper exposure and confirm that the applied technique might serve as a versatile tool to assess invertebrate stress reaction to environmentally relevant heavy metals.     

酵母提取物对葡萄糖发酵生产生物破乳菌Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1的影响

以从石油污染的土壤中筛选出1株生物破乳菌Alcaligenes sp.S-XJ-1为对象,考察了以葡萄糖为碳源时添加酵母提取物对生物破乳菌菌体性质、破乳性能以及菌体元素组成的影响.结果表明,酵母提取物的投加能够有效提高生物破乳菌产量,在酵母提取物浓度为5 g.L-1时,生物破乳菌产量达到3.0 g.L-1,此时葡萄糖利用率亦达到最大的58%.随着酵母提取物的投加浓度的增大,培养得到的菌体破乳性能提高,在投加浓度为10 g.L-1时,破乳率达到76%;而培养得到的菌体C/N有所降低,对其菌体表面蛋白进行提取测定发现菌体总蛋白含量升高,这与FTIR分析破乳菌菌体表面蛋白质类物质提高的结论一致.推测该生物破乳菌菌体蛋白含量的提高增强了菌体的破乳性能,菌体蛋白类物质是影响其破乳性能的关键组分之一.     

不锈钢波纹管应力腐蚀防护方法研究

不锈钢波纹管是现代工业广泛使用的金属弹性元件,长期应用实践表明,在特殊环境条件下,波纹管常常发生因应力腐蚀引发的爆炸失效事故,对环境、安全构成极大威胁。本文详细阐述了固溶处理不锈钢波纹管组形变马氏体含量分布、残余应力分布。不锈钢波纹管在加工、成型过程中,波峰波谷会发生塑性变形,一部分奥氏体组织转变为马氏体组织。试验研究结果表明,固溶处理后残余应力变为压应力,残余应力比未固溶处理波纹管的大大减小;固溶处理后形变马氏体含量较少,且分布均匀,约占0.25%;残余应力越大,马氏体含量越高,不锈钢SCC敏感性大。对固溶处理前后波纹管应力腐蚀开裂进行实验研究,研究表明,固溶处理可提高波纹管抗SCC性能;喷丸强化可提高波纹管抗SCC能力,表面硬度、强度增大,也可延长疲劳寿命。     

甘肃党参中蛋白质的提取分析

实验采用盐溶法提取甘肃党参中蛋白质,用饱和(NH4) 2SO4溶液进行分级盐析、透析、浓缩后用SDS- PAGE分析,测定不同提取液中主要蛋白质的分子量.结果表明,用pH为6.0的PB缓冲液提取并用饱和度在60％以上的(NH4)2SO4溶液盐析时蛋白提取效果最好;经SDS- PAGE电泳后,初步鉴定出所提取党参蛋白质亚基中最大分子量为68885Da,最小分子量为15570Da.     

再沸器管箱封头环焊缝裂纹形成机理研究

某化工厂的一分塔再沸器在定期检验过程中,发现材质为奥氏体不锈钢的管箱封头环焊缝存在穿透性纵向裂纹缺陷。为了进一步了解裂纹形成的原因,避免类似缺陷再次产生。本文通过对案例背景介绍,在定期检验结果的基础上,通过对缺陷部位进行取样,在实验室采用理化检验方法,结合设计和使用参数,对裂纹的形成机理进行分析并得出结论。     

污泥中蛋白质和多糖的分布对脱水性能的影响

为研究污泥中蛋白质和多糖的组成及空间分布对污泥可脱水性的影响,采用高温（55℃）及pH 10.0和pH 5.5控制条件,进行污泥水解酸化试验;通过离心和超声波法,对污泥中蛋白质和多糖在污泥粘液层、松散附着胞外聚合物层、紧密粘附胞外聚合物层及细胞相层的分布,并对污泥脱水性能（以毛细吸水时间表征）作了跟踪监测.结果表明,污泥中蛋白质和多糖主要分布在细胞相层.在酸性条件下（pH 5.5）,污泥高温水解酸化（第0～15 d）使其毛细吸水时间比原污泥稍大,而最终（第20 d）稍低;在碱性条件下（pH 10.0）的污泥水解酸化,则使污泥毛细吸水时间远大于原污泥.统计分析结果表明,污泥脱水性能主要受粘液层的可溶性蛋白质和蛋白质/多糖影响,几乎不受污泥中的蛋白质、多糖和蛋白质/多糖及其它EPS层中的化学组分的影响.