The gill symbiont of the hydrothermal vent mussel Bathymodiolus thermophilus is a psychrophilic,chemoautotrophic, sulfur bacterium

Certain hydrothermal vent invertebrates, e.g. Riftia pachyptila and Calyptogena magnifica, are clearly established as harboring dense populations of chemoautotrophic sulfur bacteria in specialized tissues. By contrast, the physiological characteristics of the abundant intracellular gill symbiont of the vent mussel Bathymodiolus thermophilus have been questioned. The low activities of enzymes diagnostic for CO₂ fixation (Calvin cycle) and for sulfur-driven energy generation, as measured by other investigators, have been attributed to bacterial contamination of the gill surface. Based on research at the Galápagos Rift hydrothermal vents in 1988 and subsequent laboratory experiments, the current study confirms that the B. thermophilus symbiont is a psychrophile for which thiosulfate and sulfide stimulate CO₂ fixation. It strongly indicates that the symbiont is a chemoautotroph by establishing the following: (1) Sulfide and thiosulfate can stimulate CO₂ fixation by partially purified symbionts by up to 43-fold and 120-fold, respectively; (2) the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity of the symbiont is sufficient to account for its sulfide- or thiosulfate-stimulated CO₂ incorporation; (3) the symbiont's molar growth yield on thiosulfate, as judged by CO₂ incorporation, is indistinguishable from that of free-living chemoautotrophs. Due to the high protein-degrading activity of B. thermophilus gill lysate, it is also suggested that host lysis of symbionts plays a more important role in the nutrition of the vent mussel than in R. pachyptila or C. magnifica, for which no comparable protein-degrading activity was found.     

三峡水库忠县至秭归县段消落带植被群落特征研究

为了研究三峡水库周期性的水位调节对消落带植被群落特征的影响，选择重庆忠县至宜昌秭归段的消落带植被群落进行研究，运用重要值和多样性指数分析不同高程的植物种类组成、生活型分布特征及物种多样性。结果表明：（1）研究区域统计植物共32科70属73种，禾本科、菊科和豆科是3个优势科，单种、属现象明显；狗牙根、苍耳、鬼针草、苘麻、鳢肠、酸模叶蓼、莲子草是3个高程的共存种，其中，狗牙根和苍耳在3个高程均为优势物种。（2）研究区域共统计11种植物生活型，在消落带下部和中部，一年生草本植物占绝对优势；在消落带上部，多年生草本植物成为优势生活型，生活型类型多样化，蕨类、藤本、灌木以及乔木植物开始出现。（3）消落带植物群落的丰富度、多样性、均匀度指数均随海拔变化表现出显著差异，并且随海拔升高呈现上升趋势。由此可见，水位变化对植物群落结构和物种多样性产生很大影响，在低海拔区段，消落带物种组成简单化，耐水淹和繁衍能力强的植物成为优势物种；随着海拔上升，水淹胁迫减弱，出现更多适应水位变化的植物种类，使植物群落沿海拔变化形成不同的分布特征。这些研究结果对三峡库区消落带生态修复植物的筛选，以及物种多样性的提高具有参考价值。     

双酚S在两种典型地带性土壤中的吸附/解吸行为研究

采用批平衡实验方法研究了双酚S（BPS）在两种典型地带性土壤中的吸附/解吸行为.结果表明,吸附动力学曲线符合拟二级动力学方程.吸附等温线呈非线性,且同时符合Freundlich和Langmuir方程.相比而言,BPS更易吸附在高有机质含量的黑土中,298 K反应温度下BPS在黑土和红壤上的最大吸附容量分别为497.8和156.6 mg·kg^-1.吸附到两种土壤中的BPS存在解吸滞后现象,这可能是由于BPS以化学吸附和微孔扩散的形式存在于土壤中的缘故.溶液pH与BPS在土壤中的吸附容量呈负相关关系,即中性形态的BPS比阴离子形态的BPS具有更高的吸附容量.与结构类似物双酚A（BPA）的吸附相比,BPS在土壤中的吸附量更低,因此具有更高的迁移能力,可能会引起更高的环境健康风险.本研究结果为了解BPS在土壤中的迁移规律提供了数据支持.     

红树林土壤解磷菌的分离鉴定及解磷特性

从罗源湾红树林根际土壤中分离解磷菌,筛选出洋葱伯克霍尔德菌（Burkholderia cepacia, NR 113645.1）和短小芽孢杆菌（Bacillus pumilus, NR 043242.1）,研究它们的解磷特性和动态解磷过程. HPLC结果表明, B. cepacia菌液上清中含葡萄糖酸、丙酮酸、乳酸、乙酸、丁二酸, 这些有机酸的产生导致磷酸盐溶解. B.pumilus菌液上清中仅检测到少量的葡萄糖酸, 因此该菌溶磷效果不佳. 在细菌动态溶磷过程中发现, 经B. cepacia菌处理的磷酸钙, 其X射线衍射（XRD）特征峰强度随时间的增长降低, 显微镜图像显示磷酸钙颗粒随时间增长变小, 甚至消失. 而经B.pumilus菌处理的结果表明, 在试验期间内磷酸钙峰强度和颗粒大小没有明显变化. 细菌产生有机酸是溶解磷酸盐的重要前提, 这是解决板结土壤中难溶性磷源转化为生物可利用磷源问题的关键.     

不同预处理方法对污泥厌氧发酵产酸效果的影响

预处理污泥厌氧发酵不仅可有效处理污泥,而且可产生挥发性脂肪酸（VFAs）,实现污泥资源化利用。通过批式试验,探究酸（pH为3、4）、碱（pH为10、11）和低温（70,90 ℃）预处理条件下污泥厌氧发酵产酸效能。研究发现,在不同预处理污泥厌氧发酵过程中,VFAs的积累主要发生在发酵前24h,产酸效果表现为pH=11 > 90 ℃ > pH=10 > 70 ℃ > pH=3 > pH=4 > 控制组,碱处理产酸有较明显优势,酸处理效果最差。乙酸为VFAs的主要成分,pH=11组的乙酸浓度最高达到1232.31 mg/L,为控制组的5.2倍。甲烷产量在厌氧发酵后期逐步上升。考虑到嗜酸产甲烷菌对VFAs的消耗以及经济性,选取24 h为最佳发酵时间。     

污泥与不同pH值渗滤液联合厌氧发酵产氢分析

以污泥与垃圾焚烧厂渗滤液为原料,通过小瓶批式试验,考察了垃圾渗滤液的添加量以及渗滤液初始pH对联合厌氧消化产氢的影响。结果表明:未添加污泥的渗滤液本身也可以在厌氧发酵过程中产氢。而污泥与垃圾渗滤液联合厌氧发酵,当渗滤液初始pH为5.20时,添加90%的渗滤液体系产氢量最大,为201.58 mL,最大产氢速率也最高,为9.56 mL/h;当初始渗滤液pH为4.47时,最大产氢量出现在渗滤液添加剂量为60%的样品,为57.73 mL,随后减小,但最大产氢速率在添加40%的渗滤液达到峰值,为5.11 mL/h。     

Pitfalls in the prenatal diagnosis of peroxisomal β-oxidation defects by chorionic villus sampling

Variability in the level of expression of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) is documented in cultured chorionic villus (CV) cells derived from two fetuses, one at risk for an unusual peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation defect, and the other at risk for the X-linked form of adrenoleucodystrophy (ALD). Cells from early subcultures of chorionic cells from both cases gave normal values for VLCFA ratios. The results for the fetus at risk for the β-oxidation defect were interpreted to indicate that the fetus was not affected; however, at birth, the infant was clinically and biochemically affected. In the case of the fetus at risk for X-linked ALD, although VLCFAs were normal in subculture 1, the levels of these fatty acids increased dramatically in subculture 3, suggesting an abnormal fetus. Termination of the pregnancy and subsequent biochemical and morphological follow-up confirmed that the fetus was indeed affected by ALD.     

In-situ sparging: Mass transfer mechanisms

In-situ sparging has been accepted as a method to rapidly remediate groundwater at considerably lower costs compared to remedies based on groundwater recovery alone. The success of in-situ sparging depends on effective mass transfer between air and contaminated media in the subsurface. Factors affecting mass transfer include advective airflow, diffusive transport, interphase chemical partitioning, and chemical and biological reaction rates between sparged gases and subsurface contaminants, minerals, and naturally occurring organic compounds. Understanding these factors can increase the design efficiency of in-situ sparging and assist in developing sparging systems that use gases other than air (i.e., oxygen, ozone, and methane).