川西平原小流域不同水体N2O排放特征及驱动因素

氧化亚氮（N₂O）是一种潜在的、强大的温室气体,应该根据京都议定书规定开展监测和削减。河流、水库、鱼塘和沟渠等受人类影响的小流域水生生态系统是氮素生物地球化学循环的活跃区域,更是N₂O重要的源和汇。然而,同一流域不同水体N₂O的排放特征差异及其驱动因素尚不清楚。因此,选择川西平原西河流域作为研究区,于2016年6月到2017年5月连续监测不同水体水气界面的N₂O排放强度,并结合聚类分析解析N₂O排放特征的驱动因素。结果显示,不同水体的N₂O年排放通量差异显著,沟渠的N₂O年排放通量最高（（52.68±36.09）μg m^-2 h^-1）,城市段河流和鱼塘次之（（34.16±23.97）μg m^-2 h^-1和（29.03±31.41）μg m^-2 h^-1）,乡镇段和农区段河流再次（（8.32±28.60）μg m^-2 h^-1和（8.52±9.43）μg m^-2 h^-1）,水库最低（（-16.45±29.76）μg m^-2 h^-1）。除水库表现为N₂O的汇,其他水体均表现为N₂O的排放源。另外,不同水体N₂O排放的季节特征差异显著,农区段河流和农业沟渠表现为夏天最高,冬春最低（P<0.05）,而其他水体均表现为冬春显著高于夏秋（P<0.05）。根据N₂O排放季节特征及其驱动因素可将西河流域水体分为四类：第一类农业类水体的N₂O排放季节特征受气象因素和农业活动的联合驱动;第二类城乡类河流和第三类鱼塘分别受控于人类活动和养殖活动,与降雨温度等气象指标关系较弱;第四类水库主要受控于气象因素。并且,第一类农业类水体已成为大气N₂O排放的重要源,农业氮素管控是区域控制N₂O排放的重点。     

城市小型景观水体溶存N2O浓度及排放通量特征

淡水生态系统是大气中N₂O的重要排放源,受到国内外广泛关注。城市小型景观水体作为区域淡水系统的重要组成,具有环境容量小,受人类活动干扰强烈,其N₂O排放特征及影响机制并不清楚。选择重庆大学城8个典型景观水体和2个城市外围的自然水体（对照）作为研究对象,利用顶空法和漂浮箱法对水体溶存N₂O浓度及排放通量进行季节性监测,并通过分析生境特征及水环境特征,探究城市小型景观水体N₂O排放特征及关键影响因素。结果表明：1）小型景观水体TN、NO₃^--N、NH₄⁺-N、NO₂^--N含量总体偏低但变异性极强（变化范围分别为0.31-1.47 mg/L、0.05-0.79 mg/L、0.03-0.14 mg/L、0.00-0.04 mg/L）,硝态氮是主要的氮形态;景观水体氮丰度远高于外围的自然水体;2）10个小型水体N₂O浓度范围为16.51-158.96 nmol/L,平均为（47.60±21.47） nmol/L,均处于过饱和状态;漂浮箱法实测8个景观水体N₂O排放通量均值为（0.13±0.05）mmol m^-2 d^-1,是对照水体的1.3-5.2倍,高于大部分已有研究结果,是大气N₂O的排放热源;3）景观水体N₂O排放通量与水体各形态氮含量呈显著的正相关关系,较高的N负荷和强烈的氮转化过程是导致景观水体成为N₂O排放热源的主要因子,水体N含量可以作为景观水体N₂O排放强度的有效指示因子;同时水生植物分布对水体N₂O排放影响显著,有植物分布的水域比开敞水域高1.4倍;4）漂浮箱法和边界层模型法对小型景观水体N₂O排放通量的监测结果呈较好的线性关系,但不同季节仍存在着一定差异,需要进一步优化模型估算方法;5）水体N₂O排放通量对温度的季节性变化较为敏感,呈夏季最高,春、秋季次之,冬季最低的季节模式。本研究强调,城市小型景观水体具有较高的N₂O排放速率,在区域氮循环及全球淡水系统温室气体排放清单中具有不可忽视的作用,在未来研究中应得到更多关注。     

不同恢复方式下大兴安岭重度火烧迹地林地土壤温室气体通量

为研究大兴安岭重度火烧迹地在不同恢复方式下林地土壤CO₂、CH₄和N₂O排放特征及其影响因素,采用静态箱/气相色谱法,在2017年生长季（6月-9月）对3种恢复方式（人工更新、天然更新和人工促进天然更新）林地土壤温室气体CO₂、CH₄、N₂O通量进行了原位观测。研究结果表明：（1）3种恢复方式林地土壤在生长季均为大气CO₂、N₂O的源,CH₄的汇;生长季林地土壤CO₂排放通量大小关系为人工促进天然更新（（634.40±246.52）mg m^-2 h^-1） > 人工更新（（603.63±213.22）mg m^-2 h^-1） > 天然更新（（575.81±244.12）mg m^-2 h^-1）,3种恢复方式间无显著差异;人工更新林地土壤CH₄吸收通量显著高于人工促进天然更新;天然更新林地土壤N₂O排放通量显著高于其他两种恢复方式。（2）土壤温度是影响3种恢复方式林地土壤温室气体通量的关键因素;土壤水分仅对人工更新林地土壤N₂O通量有极显著影响（P < 0.01）;3种恢复方式林地土壤CO₂通量与大气湿度具有极显著的响应（P < 0.01）;土壤pH仅与天然更新林地土壤CO₂通量显著相关（P < 0.05）;土壤全氮含量仅与人工促进天然更新林地土壤CH₄通量显著相关（P < 0.05）。（3）基于100年尺度,由3种温室气体计算全球增温潜势得出,人工促进天然更新（1.83×10⁴ kg CO₂/hm²） > 人工更新（1.74×10⁴ kg CO₂/hm²） > 天然更新（1.67×10⁴ kg CO₂/hm²）。（4）阿木尔地区林地土壤年生长季CO₂和N₂O排放量为8.85×10⁶ t和1.88×10² t,CH₄吸收量为1.05×10³ t。     

城市小型景观水体CO2与CH4排放特征及影响因素

淡水生态系统被认为是大气温室气体排放的重要来源,尤其在人类活动影响下,其排放强度可能进一步增强。城市小型景观水体是城市生态系统的重要组成,具有面积小、数量大以及人类干扰强的特征,其温室气体排放特征及影响因素尚不清楚。选择重庆市大学城8个景观水体和周边2个自然水体为对象,于2019年1、4、7、10月,利用漂浮箱和顶空法分析了水体CO₂与CH₄的溶存浓度及排放通量,旨在揭示城市小型景观水体CO₂与CH₄排放强度、时空变异特征以及影响因素。结果表明,10个小型水体CO₂、CH₄的溶存浓度范围分别为10.75-116.25 μmol/L和0.09-3.61 μmol/L（均值分别为（47.6±29.3）μmol/L、（1.13±0.56）μmol/L）,均为过饱和状态;漂浮箱法实测的8个景观水体CO₂和CH₄排放通量均值分别为（72.7±65.9）mmol m^-2 d^-1和（2.31±3.48）mmol m^-2 d^-1（顶空法估算值为（69.7±82.0）mmol m^-2 d^-1和（3.69±2.92）mmol m^-2 d^-1）,是2个自然水体的3.5-6.1和2.0-4.5倍,呈较强的CO₂、CH₄排放源;居民区景观水体CO₂和CH₄排放略高于校园区,均显著高于对照的自然水体;CO₂排放夏季最高,秋季次之,冬、春季最低,CH₄呈夏季>秋季≈春季>冬季的季节模式,温度和水体初级生产共同影响CO₂和CH₄排放的季节模式;水生植物分布对景观水体CO₂、CH₄排放有显著影响,有植物分布的水域比无植物水域平均高1.97和2.94倍;漂浮箱法和顶空法测得气体通量线性关系较好,但顶空法测得CO₂通量在春季明显偏低,而CH₄则普遍偏高。相关分析表明,景观水体碳、氮浓度、pH值以及DO等对CO₂排放具有较好的指示性,CH₄排放通量主要与水体中碳、磷浓度有关。城市小型景观水体CO₂、CH₄排放通量远高于大部分已有自然水体的研究结果,呈一种较强的大气温室气体排放源,在区域淡水系统温室气体排放清单中具有重要贡献,未来研究中应给以更多关注。     

林下植被和凋落物对寒温带森林生长季土壤CH4通量的影响

为进一步探究林下植被和凋落物管理对我国寒温带森林生长季土壤CH₄通量的影响,采用静态箱-气相色谱法对大兴安岭北部4种林型（白桦林、山杨林、樟子松林和兴安落叶松林）4种处理（自然状态、去除凋落物、去除林下植被以及去除林下植被和凋落物）的土壤CH₄通量排放特征进行观测研究。结果表明：该地区森林生长季土壤均表现为CH₄的汇,4种林型不同处理后土壤CH₄通量表现为单峰变化趋势,吸收峰值出现在7月或8月。自然状态4种林型土壤CH₄平均吸收通量表现为白桦林（-79.23±14.92）μg m^-2 h^-1>山杨林（-64.27±9.60）μg m^-2 h^-1>樟子松林（-62.54±15.48）μg m^-2 h^-1>兴安落叶松林（-48.73±12.26）μg m^-2 h^-1,兴安落叶松土壤CH₄平均吸收通量显著小于其他三种林型（P<0.05）。相比于自然状态,4种林型在去除凋落物后土壤CH₄吸收通量提高了2.12%-12.15%,但变化幅度均没有达到显著水平（P>0.05）。去除林下植被后4种林型CH₄吸收通量提高了0.84%-20.55%,且只有山杨林吸收增加达到显著水平（P<0.05）。同时去除林下植被和凋落物后,对白桦林和樟子松土壤CH₄通量影响不显著（P>0.05）,但对山杨林和兴安落叶松林影响显著（P<0.05）。总之,去除凋落物或林下植被均会提高土壤对CH₄吸收,去除林下植被对土壤CH₄通量的影响要大于去除凋落物的影响,但不同林型不同处理之间还存在差异。     

Soil N and C trace gas fluxes and microbial soil N turnover in a sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) forest in Hungary

During two intensive field campaigns in summer and autumn 2004 nitrogen (N₂O, NO/NO₂) and carbon (CO₂, CH₄) trace gas exchange between soil and the atmosphere was measured in a sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) forest in Hungary. The climate can be described as continental temperate. Fluxes were measured with a fully automatic measuring system allowing for high temporal resolution. Mean N₂O emission rates were 1.5 μg N m⁻² h⁻¹ in summer and 3.4 μg N m⁻² h⁻¹ in autumn, respectively. Also mean NO emission rates were higher in autumn (8.4 μg N m⁻² h⁻¹) as compared to summer (6.0 μg N m⁻² h⁻¹). However, as NO₂ deposition rates continuously exceeded NO emission rates (−9.7 μg N m⁻² h⁻¹ in summer and −18.3 μg N m⁻² h⁻¹ in autumn), the forest soil always acted as a net NO _x sink. The mean value of CO₂ fluxes showed only little seasonal differences between summer (81.1 mg C m⁻² h⁻¹) and autumn (74.2 mg C m⁻² h⁻¹) measurements, likewise CH₄uptake (summer: −52.6 μg C m⁻² h⁻¹; autumn: −56.5 μg C m⁻² h⁻¹). In addition, the microbial soil processes net/gross N mineralization, net/gross nitrification and heterotrophic soil respiration as well as inorganic soil nitrogen concentrations and N₂O/CH₄ soil air concentrations in different soil depths were determined. The respiratory quotient (ΔCO_{2 resp} ΔO_{2 resp}⁻¹) for the uppermost mineral soil, which is needed for the calculation of gross nitrification via the Barometric Process Separation (BaPS) technique, was 0.8978 ± 0.008. The mean value of gross nitrification rates showed only little seasonal differences between summer (0.99 μg N kg⁻¹ SDW d⁻¹) and autumn measurements (0.89 μg N kg⁻¹ SDW d⁻¹). Gross rates of N mineralization were highest in the organic layer (20.1–137.9 μg N kg⁻¹ SDW d⁻¹) and significantly lower in the uppermost mineral layer (1.3–2.9 μg N kg⁻¹ SDW d⁻¹). Only for the organic layer seasonality in gross N mineralization rates could be demonstrated, with highest mean values in autumn, most likely caused by fresh litter decomposition. Gross mineralization rates of the organic layer were positively correlated with N₂O emissions and negatively correlated with CH₄ uptake, whereas soil CO₂ emissions were positively correlated with heterotrophic respiration in the uppermost mineral soil layer. The most important abiotic factor influencing C and N trace gas fluxes was soil moisture, while the influence of soil temperature on trace gas exchange rates was high only in autumn.     

枯落物输入变化对云南松林地CO2释放的影响

为研究枯落物输入变化对云南松（Pinus yunnanensis）林地CO₂释放的影响。本研究于2018年3月至2020年2月,应用枯落物添加和去除实验（DIRT）,设置对照（CK）、双倍枯落物（DL）、去除枯落物（NL）、去除有机层和A层（O/A-Less）、去除根系（NR）和无输入（NI）6个处理水平,采用Li-6400便携式光合作用测量仪及TRIME-PICO 64/32土壤温度水分测定仪对不同处理样地每月的CO₂通量（R_s）、土壤温度和土壤水分（15cm）进行了测定。结果表明：（1）不同处理样地CO₂通量均呈现出明显的月变化,7至8月最高,1至4月最低,平均值表现为R_{s （DL）}=8.10 μmol m^-2 s^-1 > R_{s （CK）}=6.27 μmol m^-2 s^-1 > R_{s （NL）}=5.44 μmol m^-2 s^-1 > R_{s （NR）}=4.46 μmol m^-2 s^-1 > R_{s （O/A-Less）}=3.86 μmol m^-2 s^-1 > R_{s （NI）}=2.94 μmol m^-2 s^-1。（2）与CK相比,DL样地CO₂通量升高了29.12%,而去除地上枯落物和地下根系样地CO₂通量显著降低,CO₂通量平均变幅分别为α（NR）=-28.85%,α（NI）=-53.14%,α（O/A-Less）=-38.46%,α（NL）=-13.29%。（3）不同处理土壤水分和土壤温度均存在显著的月变化（P<0.01）,NL和O/A-Less的土壤水分显著低于CK,而其余处理与CK间无显著差异（P>0.05）;不同处理间土壤温度表现为NR和NI均显著高于CK,其余处理与CK间无显著差异（P>0.05）。（4）不同处理样地CO₂通量与土壤温度呈显著指数相关（P<0.01）,与土壤水分在NI和O/A-Less处理中无显著相关（P>0.05）;与CK相比,NI、O/A-Less和NL处理的Q₁₀增加,而NR和DL处理的Q₁₀则降低;不同处理林地CO₂通量与土壤水热因子双因素模型能更好的解释林地CO₂通量的变化。本研究表明枯落物不同处理通过改变土壤碳输入和土壤环境因子从而影响生态系统碳排放,研究结果可为未来气候变化和人为干扰下云南松林的碳循环提供基础数据。     

若尔盖高原沼泽湿地CO2排放时空变化特征

为了更好理解若尔盖高原不同微生境下沼泽湿地生态系统CO₂排放通量的变化特征,以若尔盖高原湿地自然保护区为研究对象,2013和2014年生长季期间,采用了静态箱和快速温室气体法原位观测了3种湿地5种微生境下沼泽湿地CO₂排放通量时空变化规律。结果表明：长期淹水微地貌草丘区湿地（PHK）和洼地区湿地（PHW） CO₂排放通量变化范围分别为38.99-1731.74 mg m^-2 h^-1和46.69-335.22 mg m^-2 h^-1,季节性淹水区微地貌草丘区湿地（SHK）和洼地区湿地（SHW） CO₂排放通量变化范围分别为193.90-2575.60 mg m^-2 h^-1和49.93-1467.45 mg m^-2 h^-1,而两者过渡区的无淹水区沼泽湿地（Lawn） CO₂排放通量变化范围194.20-898.75 mg m^-2 h^-1。相关性分析表明5种微地貌区沼泽湿地CO₂排放通量季节性变化与不同深度土壤温度均存在显著正相关,与水位存在显著负相关（PHW、SHW、SHK、Lawn）或不相关（PHK）,并且水位和温度（5 cm）共同解释了CO₂排放通量季节性变化的87%。3种湿地5种微生境下沼泽湿地CO₂排放通量存在空间变化规律,主要受水位影响,但植物也影响沼泽湿地CO₂排放通量空间变化规律,并且表明沼泽湿地CO₂排放通量与水位平均值存在显著负相关。     

双季稻田种植不同冬季作物对甲烷和氧化亚氮排放的影响

研究双季稻收获后填闲种植不同冬季作物在其生长季节内CH₄和N₂O的排放特征,对合理利用冬闲稻田,发展冬季作物生产及合理评价不同种植模式具有重要意义。采用静态箱-气相色谱法对冬季免耕直播黑麦草、紫云英、油菜以及翻耕移栽油菜和冬闲的双季稻田中甲烷(CH₄)和氧化亚氮(N₂O)排放进行了分析。结果表明:在冬季作物生长期,CH₄、N₂O平均排放通量和总排放量均表现为翻耕移栽油菜＞免耕直播黑麦草＞免耕直播油菜＞免耕直播紫云英＞冬闲。不同冬季作物稻田CH₄和N₂O总排放量与对照(冬闲)的差异均达到极显著水平(P<0.01);翻耕移栽油菜的双季稻田中CH₄和N₂O排放量最高,分别达2.989 g/m²和0.719 g/m²。翻耕移栽油菜稻田的CH₄和N₂O温室效应总和也最大,为2893.92 kg CO₂/hm²;免耕直播黑麦草和免耕直播油菜处理次之,而免耕直播紫云英处理最低。种植不同冬季作物促进了稻田生态系统CH₄和N₂O的排放。     

太湖流域农田稻季CH4通量特征及影响因子

开展太湖流域农田稻季CH₄排放研究,深入了解稻田CH₄排放规律,为稻田CH₄减排、制定合理稻田管理措施提供科学依据。以太湖流域稻麦轮作农田为研究区域,运用涡度相关法观测其稻季CH₄通量变化,分析其通量变化特征及影响因子。结果表明：太湖流域典型稻麦轮作区稻季为CH₄的源,CH₄排放总量为28.95 g/m²,稻季CH₄通量日变化表现为无规则型与单峰型两种模式;稻季CH₄排放整体集中在水稻生长前期（81.61%）及中期（16.16%）、后期排放相对较弱（2.23%）,返青期排放量较低（日均0.102 μmol m^-2 s^-1）,分蘖期较强（日均0.451 μmol m^-2 s^-1）,成熟期最低（日均0.006 μmol m^-2 s^-1）;模型所模拟的累计CH₄排放通量比累计测量CH₄通量低6.69%,较好地模拟了太湖流域稻田CH₄的排放,土壤温度、土壤水分、土壤电导率、摩擦风速可确认为太湖流域农田稻季CH₄排放的主要驱动因子。     

Unambiguous through-bond sugar-to-base correlations for purines in 13C, 15N-labeled nucleic acids: The HsCsNb,HsCs(N)bCb,and HbNbCb experiments

Summary A set of three 3D (¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁵N) triple-resonance correlation experiments has been designed to provide H1-H8 intraresidue sugar-to-base correlations in purines in an unambiguous and efficient manner. Together, the H_sC_sN_b, H_sC_s(N)_bC_b, and H_bN_bC_b experiments correlate the H1 sugar proton to the H8 proton of the attached base by means of the {H1, C1, N9, C8, H8} heteronuclear scalar coupling network. The assignment strategy presented here allows for unambiguous H1-H8 intraresidue correlations, provided that no two purines have both the same H1 and C1 chemical shifts and the same C8 and N9 chemical shifts. These experiments have yielded H1-H8 intraresidue sugar-to-base correlations for all five guanosines in the [¹³C, ¹⁵N] isotopically labeled RNA duplex r(GGCGCUUGCGUC)₂.     

Crystal structure of the ternary FimC-FimF(t)-FimD(N) complex indicates conserved pilus chaperone-subunit complex recognition by the usher FimD

Type 1 pili, anchored to the outer membrane protein FimD, enable uropathogenic Escherichia coli to attach to host cells. During pilus biogenesis, the N-terminal periplasmic domain of FimD (FimD(N)) binds complexes between the chaperone FimC and pilus subunits via its partly disordered N-terminal segment, as recently shown for the FimC-FimH(P)-FimD(N) ternary complex. We report the structure of a new ternary complex (FimC-FimF(t)-FimD(N)) with the subunit FimF(t) instead of FimH(p). FimD(N) recognizes FimC-FimF(t) and FimC-FimH(P) very similarly, predominantly through hydrophobic interactions. The conserved binding mode at a "hot spot" on the chaperone surface could guide the design of pilus assembly inhibitors.     

μ- and μ4-η coordination of A2H2 (A = C, Si, Ge, Sn and Pb) ligands with transition metals

The heavier analogs of C₂H₂ have been studied at the B3LYP level for their μ and μ₄-η² coordination properties with the transition metals. Based on known alkyne compounds, transition metal fragments [W₂(μ-NH)(Cp)₂(Cl)₂] and [Fe₄(CO)₁₂] have been chosen. The SBKJC relativistic effective core potentials and their associated basis sets were used on W, Fe, Sn and Pb, and the 6-31G(d) basis set was used on all other elements. All the complexes of Si₂H₂, Ge₂H₂, Sn₂H₂ and Pb₂H₂ are found to be local minima. The trans-twist nature of the ligand A₂H₂ (A = Si-Pb) is large in μ-coordinated complexes of W, and it is very small in μ₄-η² coordinated complexes of Fe. The electronic structure of these complexes was investigated using fragment molecular orbital method (FMO).     

Acetylcholinesterase/Butyrylcholinesterase inhibition activity of some new carbacylamidophosphate deriviatives

Eight newly synthesized carbacylamidophosphates with the general formula RC(O)NHP(O)Cl₂ with R = pCl–C₆H₄ 1a, pBr–C₆H₄ 2a, C₆H₅ 3a, and pMe–C₆H₄ 4a and RC(O)NHP(O)(NC₄H₈O)₂ R = pCl–C₆H₄ 1b, pBr–C₆H₄ 2b, C₆H₅ 3b, pMe–C₆H₄ 4b, were selected to compare the inhibition kinetic parameters, IC₅₀, K_i, k_p and K_D, on human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (hAChE) and bovine serum butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), Also, the in vivo inhibition potency of compound 2a, 2b and 3a, were studied. The data demonstrates that compound 2a and compound 2b are the potent sensitive as AChE and BuChE inhibitors respectively, and the inhibition of hAChE is about 10-fold greater than that of BuChE.     

Antibacterial properties of recombinant human non-pancreatic secretory phospholipase A2

Human non-pancreatic secretory phospholipase A₂ (hnpsPLA₂) is a group IIA phospholipase A₂ which plays an important role in the innate immune response. This enzyme was found to exhibit bactericidal activity toward Gram-positive bacteria, but not Gram-negative ones. Though native hnpsPLA₂ is active over a broad pH range, it is only highly active at alkaline conditions with the optimum activity pH of about 8.5. In order to make it highly active at neutral pH, we have obtained two hnpsPLA₂ mutants, Glu89Lys and Arg100Glu that work better at neutral pH in a previous study. In the present study, we tested the bactericidal effects of the native hnpsPLA₂ and the two mutants. Both native hnpsPLA₂ and the two mutants exhibit bactericidal activity toward Gram-positive bacteria. Furthermore, they can also kill Escherichia coli, a Gram-negative bacterium. The two mutants showed better bactericidal activity for E. coli at neutral pH than the native enzyme, which is consistent with the enzyme activities. As hnpsPLA₂ is highly stable and biocompatible, it may provide a promising therapy for bacteria infection treatment or other bactericidal applications.     

Introduction: A Close Look at the Vacuolar ATPase

The vacuolar ATPases (V-type ATPases) are a family of ATP-dependent ion pumps and found in two principal locations, in endomembranes and in plasma membranes. This family of ATPases is responsible for acidification of intracellulare compartments and, in certain cases, ion transport across the plasma membrane of eucaryotic cells. V-ATPases are composed of two distinct domains: a catalytic V₁ sector, in which ATP hydrolysis takes place, and the membrane-embedded sector, V₀, which functions in ion conduction. In the past decade impressive progress has been made in elucidating the properties structure, function and moleculare biology. These knowledge sheds light also on the evolution of V-ATPases and their related families of A-(A₁A₀-ATPase) and F-type (F₁F₀-ATPases)ATPases.     

Earthworm effects on gaseous emissions during vermifiltration of pig fresh slurry

Treatment of liquid manure can result in the production of ammonia, nitrous oxide and methane. Earthworms mix and transform nitrogen and carbon without consuming additional energy. The objective of this paper is to analyse whether earthworms modify the emissions of NH₃, N₂O, CH₄ and CO₂ during vermifiltration of pig slurry.The experiment used mesocosms of around 50 L, made from a vermifilter treating the diluted manure of a swine house. Three levels of slurry were added to the mesocosms, with or without earthworms, during one month, in triplicate. Earthworm abundance and gas emissions were measured three and five times, respectively.There was a decrease in emissions of ammonia and nitrous oxide and a sink of methane in treatments with earthworms. We suggest that earthworm abundance can be used as a bioindicator of low energy input, and low greenhouse gas and ammonia output in systems using fresh slurry with water recycling.     

Assessing the Impact of Advected African Dust on Air Quality and Health in the Eastern United States

Large quantities of African dust are carried into the southeastern United States each summer with concentrations typically in the range of 10 to 100?µg m^?3. Because approximately one-third to one-half of the dust mass is in the size range under 2.5?µm diameter, the advection of African dust has implications for the EPA's newly implemented standard for PM_2.5 particulate matter and for the assessment of human health effects. It will be difficult to assess the impact of African dust events on air quality because they occur during the summer (maximum in July) when photochemical pollution events are frequent and intense in the eastern United States. Indeed, the presence of dust could affect the evolution of photochemical dust events. In order to assess the role of African dust in air quality in the United States, it will be necessary to develop a set of diagnostic indicators; it appears that dust mineralogy and elemental composition might be useful for this purpose. Various satellite products can be used to characterize the spatial coverage of dust events and, when coupled with meteorological tools, to predict impact regions.     

Crystal structure of the archaeal A1Ao ATP synthase subunit B from Methanosarcina mazei Gö1: Implications of nucleotide-binding differences in the major A1Ao subunits A and B

The A1Ao ATP synthase from archaea represents a class of chimeric ATPases/synthases, whose function and general structural design share characteristics both with vacuolar V1Vo ATPases and with F1Fo ATP synthases. The primary sequences of the two large polypeptides A and B, from the catalytic part, are closely related to the eukaryotic V1Vo ATPases. The chimeric nature of the A1Ao ATP synthase from the archaeon Methanosarcina mazei G?1 was investigated in terms of nucleotide interaction. Here, we demonstrate the ability of the overexpressed A and B subunits to bind ADP and ATP by photoaffinity labeling. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to map the peptide of subunit B involved in nucleotide interaction. Nucleotide affinities in both subunits were determined by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, indicating a weaker binding of nucleotide analogues to subunit B than to A. In addition, the nucleotide-free crystal structure of subunit B is presented at 1.5 A resolution, providing the first view of the so-called non-catalytic subunit of the A1Ao ATP synthase. Superposition of the A-ATP synthase non-catalytic B subunit and the F-ATP synthase non-catalytic alpha subunit provides new insights into the similarities and differences of these nucleotide-binding ATPase subunits in particular, and into nucleotide binding in general. The arrangement of subunit B within the intact A1Ao ATP synthase is presented.