Azo Dye Schwarz GRS Bioconversion Under Various Conditions

The transformation of the azo dye Schwarz GRS under anoxic and anaerobic conditions in batch reactor was investigated. The initial dye concentrations varied from 10 to 100 mg/L and the tests were carried either in the presence or absence of a carbon source (glucose). It was found that dye bioconversion was closely related to the glucose consumption. The degradation rates under anaerobic conditions were much higher than the rates under anoxic conditions and they increased with increasing the initial dye concentration. This suggests that the process of transformation of Schwarz GRS is a first order reaction. The highest biotransformation rate obtained was 542 μmol/g d under anaerobic conditions in the presence of glucose.     

Monitoring the formation of structures and patterns during initial development of an artificial catchment

The objective of this paper is to present observations, results from monitoring measurements, and preliminary conclusions about the development of patterns and structures during the first 5 years of development of an artificial catchment starting from point zero. We discuss the high relevance of initial system traits and external events for the system development and draw conclusions for further research. These investigations as part of a Collaborative Research Center, aim to disentangle and understand the feedback mechanisms and interrelationships of processes and their co-development with spatial and temporal structures and patterns by studying an initial, probably less complex ecosystem. Therefore, intensive measurements were carried out in the catchment with regard to the development of surface structures, hydrological patterns, vegetation dynamics, water chemistry, and element budgets. During the first 5 years, considerable changes within the catchment were observed. Both internal and external factors could be identified as driving forces for the formation of structures and patterns in the artificial catchment. Initial structures formed by the construction process and initial substrate characteristics were decisive for the distribution and flow of water. External factors like episodic events triggered erosion and dissection during this initial phase, promoted by the low vegetation cover, and the unconsolidated sandy substrate. The transformation of the initial geosystem into areas with evolving terrestrial or aquatic characteristics and from a very episodic to a more permanent stream network and discharge, together with the observed vegetation dynamics increased site diversity and heterogeneity with respect to water and nutrient availability and transformation processes compared with the more homogenous conditions at point zero. The processes and feedback mechanisms in the initial development of a new landscape may deviate in rates, intensity, and dominance from those known from mature ecosystems. It is therefore crucial to understand these early phases of ecosystem development and to disentangle the increasingly complex interactions between the evolving terrestrial and aquatic, biotic, and abiotic compartments of the system. Long-term monitoring of initial ecosystems may provide important data and parameters on processes and the crucial role of spatial and temporal structures and patterns to solve these problems. Artificially created catchments could be a suitable tool to study these initial developments at the landscape scale under known, designed, and defined boundary conditions.     

Phylogenetic relationships of the intercellular fish pathogenIchthyophonus hoferi and fungi,choanoflagellates and the rosette agent

Ichthyophonus hoferi Plehn and Mulsow, 1911 is thought to be one of the few pathogenic fungal infections of marine fish. The result of an attack is severe epizootics in herring stocks with drastic reduction in the population as a consequence. The exact phylogenetic position of the genusIchthyophonus is not known. In the present study, a combination of molecular data, ultrastructure and biochemical characters were utilized to investigate the phylogeny ofI.hoferi. The genomic DNA encoding the small subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) was amplified and sequenced. Comparisons with other eukaryotic 18S rRNA sequences indicate thatI. hoferi is not a member of the Fungi. In both the parsimony and the neighborjoining trees,I. hoferi is the sister taxon to the rosette agent. The clade encompassingI.hoferi and the rosette organism is the sister group to the chanoflagellate clade in the neighbor-joining tree, while in the parsimony tree theI. hoferi/rosette clade is equally distant to both the choanoflagellate and animal clades. Transmission electron microscopy showed thatI. hoferi has a defined cell wall, an endoplasm that consists of a fine granulated matrix with numerous ribosomes, several nuclei, vacuoles of varying density distributed throughout the cell, and mitochondria with tubular cristae. The cell wall ofI. hoferi contains chitin.     

As(III) removal from aqueous solutions using non-stoichiometric coprecipitation with iron(III) sulphate and filtration or flotation

A study of As(III) removal from aqueous solutions was carried out, using iron (III) sulphate as a coprecipitation agent. When the initial As(III) concentration was 3775 mg l(-1), maximum As(III) removal was achieved at pH 9 and with a molar ratio of Fe(III)/As(III) equal to 11. Under these conditions the formed precipitates showed highest stability, relative to the fixation of As(III). Flotation, which can be applied as a subsequent solid/liquid separation method, was found to be particularly effective for solutions containing low As(III) concentrations (相似文献