A dynamic mass balance model for phosphorus fluxes and concentrations in coastal areas

This paper presents a general, process-based mass balance model (CoastMab) for total phosphorus (TP) in defined coastal areas (at the ecosystem scale). The model is based on ordinary differential equations and calculates inflow, outflow and internal fluxes on a monthly basis. It consists of four compartments: surface water, deep water, erosion/transportation areas for fine sediments and accumulation areas for fine sediments. The separation between surface water and deep water is not done based on water temperature, but on sedimentological criteria instead (from the theoretical wave base). There are algorithms for all major internal TP fluxes (sedimentation, resuspension, diffusion, mixing and burial). Validations were performed using data from 21 different Baltic coastal areas. The results show that the model predicts monthly TP in water and chlorophyll a very well (generally within the uncertainty bands of the empirical data). The model has also been put through sensitivity tests, which show that the most important factor regulating the predictions of the model is generally the TP concentration in the sea beyond the coast. The model is simple to apply, since all driving variables may be accessed from maps or monitoring programs. The driving variables include coastal area, section area (between the defined coastal area and the adjacent sea), mean and maximum depths, latitude (used to predict water temperatures, stratification and mixing), salinity and TP concentration in the sea. Many of the model structures are general and could be used for areas other than those included in this study, e.g., for open coasts, estuaries or tidal coasts, as well as for other substances than phosphorus.     

高、低氮浓度对2株真眼点藻的生长和油脂积累的影响

【目的】研究氮浓度对真眼点藻纲(Eustigmatophyceae)的2株高产油微藻大真眼点藻(Eustigmatos magnus,EM)和波氏真眼点藻(Eustigmatos polyphem,EP)的细胞形态、生长、总脂含量、脂质组成和脂肪酸组成与含量的时序变化规律。【方法】利用高氮(18.0 mmol/L NO3?-N)和低氮(3.6 mmol/L NO3?-N)浓度培养微藻。【结果】形态观察结果表明,大真眼点藻(E. magnus)和波氏真眼点藻(E. polyphem)营养细胞具有1个周生的裂叶状叶绿体,细胞质中有液泡,内含能够振动的颗粒物,以及一个较为明显的红色色素体;生殖方式通过形成2个D形或4个四角形的似亲孢子;随着培养周期的延伸和营养盐的消耗,细胞中油体逐步形成,其数量不断增加,体积不断增大。实验结果表明,初始氮浓度对2种微藻的总脂积累及生长均有显著影响(P<0.05),低氮浓度下2种微藻的生物质浓度分别为9.0 g/L和8.5 g/L,均低于高氮浓度下的生物质浓度。而低氮浓度下2种微藻的总脂、中性脂和总脂肪酸的含量以及总脂、中性脂与总脂肪酸的单位体积产率均明显高于高氮浓度组,其最高值分别为：59.10%、51.90%、46.95%和0.28、0.24、0.22 g/(L·d) (EM);64.20%、56.80%、50.01%和0.32、0.28、0.25 g/(L·d) (EP)。脂肪酸分析结果表明,两种微藻的脂肪酸主要成分均为棕榈酸(C16:0)、棕榈油酸(C16:1)、油酸(C18:1)和二十碳五烯酸(C20:5,EPA),四者的总含量(占总脂肪酸)分别达到85.83%和85.48%,其中棕榈油酸的含量最高。【结论】低氮浓度胁迫有利于大真眼点藻和波氏真眼点藻细胞内油脂的积累,两种微藻均为适合于生产生物柴油的油脂生产藻株。     

Effects of residual hydrocarbons on the reed community after 10 years of oil extraction and the effectiveness of different biological indicators for the long-term risk assessments

The selection of certain indicators is critical to undertake ecological risk assessments of long-term oil pollution and other environmental changes. The indicators should be easily and routinely monitored, be sensitive to pollution, respond to pollution in a predictable manner, and match the spatial and temporal scales of investigations. To compare the effectiveness of indicators for the long-term risk assessments, this study investigated the multiple ecological effects of chronic oil pollution on the plant community dominated by reed (Phragmites australis). The physiology, growth and reproduction of reed, together with the composition and productivity of the reed community, were measured around oil wells that have operated for approximately 10 years in the Yellow River Delta, eastern China. The predictive power of each indicator was evaluated using the coefficients of determination (R²) of linear regression models established for each indicator and soil Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) concentration. The sensitivities of indicators were evaluated by comparing slopes of new established regression lines using standardized data. The top three indicators in terms of predictive power were leaf length, width and number, followed by the Shannon–Wiener index, Pielou evenness index and Simpson's diversity index. Community aboveground biomass, foliar projective coverage and species richness showed predictive power lower than those of the three diversity indexes, but higher than those of leaf net photosynthetic rate, reed height, aboveground biomass and vertical projective coverage of reed plants. Leaf transpiration, chlorophyll concentration and reed stem density showed no significant linear response to elevated soil TPH concentration. In terms of sensitivity, the top three biological indicators were Pielou evenness index, Simpson's diversity index and Shannon–Wiener index, followed by community vertical projective coverage, community aboveground biomass, and species richness. Leaf number, length and width were moderately sensitive, followed by reed coverage, aboveground biomass and height. The sensitivity of net photosynthetic rate was the lowest. The predictive power and sensitivities of indicators were compared in terms of their spatial and temporal scales. In conclusion, scale can be used to facilitate the selection of indicators, and the combination of different indicators may yield improved understanding of the various effects of elevated soil TPH concentration at the different biological levels.     

Response of nitrifying bacterial communities to the increased thiocyanate concentration in pre-denitrification process

Changes in process performance and the nitrifying bacterial community associated with an increase of thiocyanate (SCN⁻) loading were investigated in a pre-denitrification process treating industrial wastewater. The increased SCN⁻ loading led to the concentration of total nitrogen (TN) in the final effluent, but increasing the internal recycling ratio as an operation parameter from 2 to 5 resulted in a 21% increase in TN removal efficiency. In the aerobic reactor, we found that the Nitrosomonas europaea lineage was the predominant ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and the percentages of the AOB population within the total bacteria increased from about 4.0% to 17% with increased SCN⁻ concentration. The increase of nitrite loading seemed to change the balance between Nitrospira and Nitrobacter, resulting in the high dominance of Nitrospira over Nitrobacter. Meanwhile, a Thiobacillus thioparus was suggested to be the main microorganism responsible for the SCN⁻ biodegradation observed in the system.     

Biodelignification of wheat straw and its effect on in vitro digestibility and antioxidant properties

A variety of methods for feed development have been introduced during last few years. Bioprocessed agricultural residues may prove a better alternative to provide animal feed. For the purpose, some white rot fungi were allowed to degrade wheat straw up to 30 days under solid state conditions. Several parameters including loss in total organic matter, ligninolysis, in vitro digestibility of wheat straw and estimation of different antioxidant activities were studied. All the fungi were able to degrade lignin and enhance the in vitro digestibility. Among all the tested fungi, Phlebia brevispora degraded maximum lignin (30.6%) and enhanced the digestibility from 172 to 287 g/kg. Different antioxidant properties of fungal degraded wheat straw were higher as compared to the uninoculated control straw. Phlebia floridensis found to be more efficient organism in terms of higher antioxidant activity (70.8%) and total phenolic content (9.8 mg/ml). Thus, bioprocessing of the wheat straw with the help of these organisms seems to be a better approach for providing the animal feed in terms of enhanced digestibility, higher protein content, higher antioxidant activity and availability of biomass.     

Isolation of microbial pathogens of subclinical mastitis from raw sheep's milk of Epirus (Greece) and their role in its hygiene

The natural raw milk microflora is a factor that expresses its sensorial characteristics. The microbial charge into the mammary gland of healthy animal is low and the application of right and healthy conditions during milking and cheese making procedure, prevents from contaminating as well as maintains the natural microflora in order to lend the particular characteristics of milk.The purpose of the present project was the study of the Total Viable Count (T.V.C.) and the count of total psychrotropic bacteria of raw sheep milk from Boutsiko and Karamaniko breeds, collected from healthy animals, as well as the isolation, identification and enumeration of pathogenic bacteria related with the hygiene and the quality of raw sheep milk (with a particular interest in bacteria that may cause human infection).During the experiment we examined two hundred forty (240) samples of raw sheep milk. In these samples a) Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens (vegetative cells and spores) and Bacillus sp. were isolated and identified b) the Total Viable Count and the total number of psychrotropic bacteria were also specified. The sampling, the preparation of samples and decimal dilutions were based on international methods. The Total viable count was determined using the standard methods of the American Public Health Association, 2002. The total number of psychrotropic bacteria was determined using APHA 1976, 1978 rules. The identification of the bacteria was carried out according to the Bergey’s manual. Microscopic examination of Gram stained cells, catalase, oxidase and biochemical tests were performed when necessary to further identify.From the 240 milk samples tested, only 5% were E. coli positive, with mean counts ranged from 2 × 10³ to 2.4 × 10⁴ cfu/ml. S. aureus was isolated from 24% of the samples and the mean count per ml was ranged from <10 to 3.4 × 10². Meanwhile, Bacillus spp. was also detected in 29% samples. Vegetative forms and spores of C. perfringens were detected in 13% and 63% of the samples respectively. However, microbiological analyses revealed the presence of a small number of selected pathogens in milk samples such as Salmonella, which was only detected in 5% of the samples. Listeria sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Vibrio cholerae were never found.From the experimental results, the Total Viable Count from raw sheep milk samples, fulfils the microbiological criteria of EU Legislation in a percentage of approximately 97%.     

两种不同术式对老年股骨颈骨折治疗对比

目的：探讨全髋关节置换术与股骨头置换术治疗对比。方法：回顾性的分析对2007年1月-2008年12月年我院接收的70例60岁以上的老年股骨颈骨折的进行股骨头置换和全髋关节置换两组不同手术方式的临床资料。结果：两组股骨颈骨折治疗的手术时间、住院时间及术后并发症及治疗效果无明显统计学差异,两组术后半年到一年半的Harris评分较术前评分有显著的统计学意义。结论：人工股骨头置换术和髋关节置换是治疗老年股骨颈骨折的有效方法,可根据患者的自身情况、疾病特点等选择不同术式。     

Genetic diversity of UPASI tea clones (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) on the basis of total catechins and their fractions

Tea leaf catechins and the ratio of dihydroxylated to trihydroxylated catechin fractions were analysed to identify the genetic diversity of 26 UPASI released tea clones. Principal component analysis (PCA) based on regression factor separated tea clones into five groups according to their jats (Jats are region based rays for e.g., Assam, China and Cambod origin) as well as their quality constituents (such as total polyphenols, total catechins, amino acids in the green leaves and liquor characteristics of black tea), particularly the catechins. Group 1 represented medium quality (quality of the final produce) clones, such as UPASI-10, UPASI-12 and UPASI-15 and drought tolerant clones like UPASI-1, UPASI-2, UPASI-9 and UPASI-10. Group 2 contained purely "China" cultivars while group 3 possessed high quality tea cultivars. "Assam" (group 5) teas had the lowest ratio of dihydroxylated to trihydroxylated catechin fractions (1:4) than the "Chinery" (group 2) teas (1:5). This biochemical differentiation indicated that there is a vast genetic diversity in UPASI released tea clones in terms of catechin fractions, even though the majority of them were selected from one tea estate located in the Nilgiris.     

一种快速提取肠道微生物总DNA的方法

采集的兔肠道内容物及其粪便样品,通过分散浸泡、震荡洗涤、分级离心、滤器过滤、DNA提取试剂盒提取纯化,可以获得纯度很高的DNA样品。经0.8%琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测和紫外分光光度计测定,样品A260/A280的比值为1.72±0.02。分别以提取的DNA样品为模板,通过设计的细菌特异引物,对其16S rDNA基因进行PCR扩增,获得了1.6 kb大小特异性很好的预期条带。这为肠道微生物群落的分子生态学研究提供了一种简便、可靠的DNA提取方法。     

氮、磷对缺刻缘绿藻生长、总脂及花生四烯酸积累的影响

本文以缺刻缘绿藻(Parietochloris incisa)为实验材料,研究了其在四种不同氮、磷浓度下的生长、总脂(TL)及花生四烯酸(AA)含量的变化,分析测定了低氮和低磷浓度下脂肪酸的组成。结果表明:在BG-11培养基基础上,氮浓度的改变对缺刻缘绿藻的生物量影响不明显,不同氮浓度下的最终生物量均在2.1 g.L-1左右。在低氮浓度下TL和AA达到最大,分别为33.37%(%干重)和36.63%(%总脂肪酸,TFA),其中AA占藻体干重的11.56%。不同磷浓度对缺刻缘绿藻的生长有显著影响,最终生物量在0.90～2.07 g.L-1之间。TL在8～20 mg.L-1的磷浓度范围内没有明显变化,为28%左右。TL与氮、磷浓度呈显著负相关关系,且低氮有利于AA的积累。