盾叶薯蓣总皂苷超声提取及动力学

考察了乙醇体积分数、溶剂用量、超声时间、超声功率和超声频率对盾叶薯蓣总皂苷提取率的影响,研究了以体积分数70%乙醇溶液或水作溶剂从盾叶薯蓣中超声提取总皂苷的动力学模型。结果表明,在扩散过程中超声提取薯蓣总皂苷的动力学模型满足非定常扩散方程,相关系数为r=0.95,最佳超声时间为40min。     

Enhancement of oral bioavailability of pentoxifylline by solid lipid nanoparticles

Pentoxifylline (PTX) is a highly water-soluble, hemorheologic drug that undergoes first-pass effect with 20% bioavailability. The solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) of PTX were prepared to enhance its oral bioavailability by homogenization, followed by the sonification method. Seven different variables, each at two levels, were studied: lipid type, surfactant type and concentration, speed of homogenizer, acetone:dichloromethane (DCM) ratio, lecithin:lipid ratio, and sonication time. The mean particle size and size distribution, drug entrapment efficiency (EE%), zeta potential, and drug release of the SLNs were investigated. A pharmacokinetic study was conducted in male Wistar rats after oral administration of 10?mg kg^?1 PTX in the form of free drug or SLNs. The z-average particle size, zeta potential, and EE% of the SLNs were at least 250?nm, ?30.2 mV, and 70%, respectively. Among the studied factors, the lipid type, surfactant type, and percentage had a significant effect on the particle size. Zeta potential was more affected by lipid type, acetone:DCM ratio, and sonication time. Speed of homogenizer and acetone:DCM ratio had a significant effect on the EE%. The optimized SLN was prepared by 80?mg of cetyl alcohol, 10?mg of lecithin, acetone:DCM ratio (1:2), 30-second sonication, 3% Tween 20, and a mixing rate of 800?rpm. In vitro drug release lasted for about 5 hours. It was found that the relative bioavailability of PTX in SLNs was significantly increased, compared to that of the PTX solution. SLNs offer a promising approach to improve the oral bioavailability of PTX that is affected by a high first-pass effect.     

Macrofaunal recolonization on intertidal mudflats: effect of sediment organic and sand content

Following concerns over how differences in dredged material properties affects recovery following dredged material deposition on mudflats, a field manipulation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of increased sediment organic content (from 0.9% to 2.8%) and sand content (from 12.0% to 47.0%) on macrofaunal recolonization and sediment properties on an intertidal mudflat, Crouch Estuary, Essex, UK. The manipulated sediments were placed in 1-m² plots, 10 cm deep, in a randomised block design and macrofauna and sediments sampled after 1 week, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. The results suggested that while increased sand content had no discernible effect on sediment property changes, increased organic content resulted in marked reductions in redox potential at 1-, 2- and 4-cm sediment depths and increased shear strengths. These sediments exhibited a distinct ‘cracking’ appearance on their surfaces. Similarly, while macrofaunal recovery was only affected by increased sand content in the short-term (1 month), total numbers of individuals, number of species and diversity took longer to recover in sediments with increased organic contents. Recolonization proceeded via a gradual increase in the abundance of those taxa present in ambient sediments rather than via a distinct successional sequence. Recovery was species-specific with two species (Hediste diversicolor (Müller) and Hydrobia ulvae (Pennant)) recovering to ambient levels within the first week of the experiment. Multivariate analyses indicated that the community assemblages of the low-organic content treatments had recovered after 12 months while those of the high-organic content treatments were still significantly different to those of the controls at the end of the experiment. We propose that the relatively rapid recovery and lack of successional sequence generally observed in all sediment types of this study can be explained by the opportunistic nature of the ambient assemblage and by the dispersive nature of the dominant species. Reduced sediments and/or increased shear strengths led to a slow recovery in high-organic content treatments. These results indicate that a careful consideration of the organic content of fine-grained dredged material must be made during the licensing process of beneficial use schemes.     

Bioremediation of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Sediments in Aerated Bioslurry Reactors

Treatment of dredged sediments contaminated by polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is a significant problem in the New York/New Jersey (NY/NJ) Harbor. 0.5 m³-scale slurry-phase bioreactors were used to determine whether bioaugmentation with a PAH-degradative bacterial consortium, or with the salt marsh grass S. alterniflora, could enhance the biodegradation of PAHs added to dredged estuarine sediments from the NY/NJ Harbor. The results were compared to biodegradation effected by the indigenous sediment microbial community. Sediments were diluted 1:1 in tap water and spiked to a final concentration of 20 mg/kg dry weight sediment of phenanthrene, anthracene, acenaphthene, fluorene, fluoranthene, and pyrene. The sediment slurry was then continuously sparged with air over 3 months. In all bioreactors a rapid reduction of greater than 95% of the initial phenanthrene, acenaphthene, and fluorene occurred within 14 days. Pyrene and fluoranthene reductions of 70 to 90% were achieved by day 77 of treatment. Anthracene was more recalcitrant and reductions ranged from 30 to 85%. Separate experiments showed that the sediment microbial communities mineralized ¹⁴C-pyrene and ¹⁴C-phenanthrene. PAH degradation, and the number of phenanthrene-degrading bacteria, were not enhanced by microbial or plant bioaugmentation. These data demonstrate that bioaugmentation is not required to effect efficient remediation of PAH-contaminated dredged sediments in slurry-phase bioreactors.     

Evaluation of Sediment Toxicity in Kaohsiung Harbor,Taiwan

The contamination and toxicity levels of sediments in Kaohsiung Harbor, Taiwan, were evaluated using different sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). Twenty dredged sediment samples were collected from various locations in the harbor. Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, nutrients, and total organic carbons in the sediment samples were investigated. Results from the sediment analyses show that the sediments contained significant amounts of organics, nutrients, metals, and PAHs. Based on the analyses using the SQGs, sediments dredged from Kaohsiung Harbor were moderately contaminated and most samples have a low and medium-low probability of toxicity pollution. Results show that industrial activities and urban sewage effluents are the major sources of contamination in the harbor sediments.     

Determination of Trace Phthalic Acid Monoesters in Sediments and Soils by GC-MS

A simple procedure for determining trace phthalic acid monoesters (PAMs) in sediments/soils was developed. The method used ultrasonic extraction, silylation derivatization, and GC-MS. After ultrasonic extraction, the supernatants were reextracted with dichloromethane, silylated, and did not require further clean-up before GC-MS analysis. Effects of parameters, such as extraction solvents, pH of water as extraction solvent and sediment/soil properties, on the recovery of PAMs were studied. Five sediments from Tianjin city and one red soil from Jiangxi province were used. The results showed that organic carbon (OC) content played an important role in the recovery of PAMs. The optimal extraction solvent for sediments/soils with >1% of OC content and high CEC was 0.01 M HCl aqueous solution and pure water was better for sediments/soils with <1% of OC content. In 5 g sediment/soil sample (dry weight), the method detection limit (MDL) was below 0.04 ng/g for mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP) and 0.02 ng/g for mono-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (MEHP). Average recoveries of MBP and MEHP were 81.6%?105.2% and 76.0%?95.6%, respectively, with relative standard deviations ≤ 6.6%. MBP and MEHP in the sediment and soil samples studied were detected at levels of 9.2–57.1 and 13.0–166.7 ng/g, respectively.     

Enhancement of bioremediation by Ralstonia sp. HM-1 in sediment polluted by Cd and Zn

In this study, the potential for the application of the bioaugmentation to Cd and Zn contaminated sediment was investigated. A batch experiment was performed in the lake sediments augmented with Ralstonia sp. HM-1. The degradation capacity of 18.7 mg-DOC/l/day in the treatment group was bigger than that of the blank group (4.4 mg-DOC/l/day). It can be regarded as the result of the reduction of the metal concentration in the liquid phase due to adsorption into the sediments, with the increased alkalinity resulting from the reduction of sulfate by sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB). The removal efficiency of cadmium and zinc in the treatment group was both 99.7% after 35 days. Restrain of elution to water phase from sediment in the Ralstonia sp. HM-1 added treatment group was also shown. In particular, the observed reduction of the exchangeable fraction and an increase in the bound to organics or sulfide fraction in the treatment group indicate its role in the prevention of metal elution from the sediment. Therefore, for bioremediation and restrain of elution from the sediment polluted by metal, Ralstonia sp. augmentation with indigenous microorganism including SRB, sediment stabilization and restrain of elution to surface water is recommended.     

Multiple response optimization of alkaline pretreatment of sisal fiber (Agave sisalana) assisted by ultrasound

A procedure for the alkaline pretreatment of sisal fiber assisted by ultrasound was optimized to obtain a higher solubilization of hemicellulose and the removal of lignin with cellulose fraction maintenance. A full factorial design 2³ was used for the evaluation of the effects of the variables (sonication time, NaOH concentration, and sonication amplitude) on the pretreatment. The optimal values for the variables using the Doehlert matrix for the sonication time, NaOH concentration, and sonication amplitude were 27 min, 4.1% (m/v), and 50%, respectively. The X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy analyses, after pretreatment, showed changes in chemical structure and morphology due to the removal of 82% of hemicellulose and 86% of lignin from sisal fiber. The soft reaction conditions and relatively short times demonstrated the effectiveness of the combined action of ultrasound with alkaline pretreatment to improve the accessibility to cellulose in this important step of the ethanol production process from biomass.     

A disintegration method for direct counting of bacteria in clay-dominated sediments: dissolving silicates and subsequent fluorescent staining of bacteria

The masking of bacteria by abundant microparticles of the clay and silt fraction and cell losses due to sonication hampered direct enumeration of bacteria in sediments dominated by fine sediments. These problems can be circumvented by dissolving silicate fine particles using hydrofluoric acid and subsequent staining of bacteria by DTAF. The developed disintegration method partly replaces mechanical separation of bacteria from sediment particles by chemical disintegration of the silicates. Recovery efficiency ranged from 90% to 111% for different clays and clay-dominated sediments. Especially for the analysis of fine sediments and clays, this method circumvents both strong dilution of the sediment sample and harsh sonication. The method can also therefore be used in sediments where particle abundance is several orders of magnitude higher than bacterial abundance and simple dilution would not suffice in reliably counting bacteria.     

Enhanced saccharification of wheat straw with the application of ultrasonic-assisted quaternary ammonium hydroxide pretreatment

Lignocelluloses featuring complicated structure and poor degradability usually require pretreatment before its utilization. In this study, an ultrasonic-assisted pretreatment by using quaternary ammonium hydroxide was introduced to enhance biodegradability of lignocellulosic biomass. The synergistic chemical and mechanical pretreatment were supposed to be responsible for both external surface destruction and internal structure disruption of lignocelluloses. High-efficient lignin removal accompanied with obvious structural (crystallinity) transformation was achieved in the pretreated straws. Process analysis indicated that factors of time, temperature, concentration of solvent, and ultrasound power intensity turned out to be significant for pretreatment, and a 4-fold increased saccharification yield of around 92.4% as compared to untreated straw was obtained from the wheat straw pretreated by 15% solvent at 50 °C for 0.5 h in power intensity 344 W/cm². All results suggest that the combined chemical and mechanical treatment can significantly improve the bio-accessibility of lignocelluloses, leading to the enhanced utilization efficiency.     

Enumeration of faecal coliforms from recreational coastal sites: evaluation of techniques for the separation of bacteria from sediments

AIMS: To identify the most efficient techniques for the separation of micro-organisms from coastal sediments and, using these techniques, to determine the concentration of faecal indicator organisms in recreational coastal water and sediment. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sediment samples were taken from a range of recreational coastal sites and subjected to various physical techniques to separate micro-organisms from sediment particles. Techniques investigated included manual shaking, treatment by sonication bath for 6 and 10 min, respectively, and by sonication probe for 15 s and 1 min, respectively. The use of the sonication bath for 10 min was the most successful method for removing micro-organisms from sediment particles where sediments consisted mainly of sand. When sediments contained considerable proportions of silt and clay, however, manual shaking was most successful. Faecal coliforms were then enumerated by membrane filtration in both water and sediment from three recreational coastal sites, chosen to represent different physical sediment characteristics, over a 12-month period. Faecal coliform concentrations were generally greater in sediment compared with overlying water for all samples. This was most evident in sediment consisting of greater silt/clay and organic carbon content. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the importance of sediment characteristics in determining the most efficient method for the separation of micro-organisms from coastal sediments. Sediment characteristics were also found to influence the persistence of micro-organisms in coastal areas. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Recreational coastal sediments can act as a reservoir for faecal coliforms; therefore, sampling only overlying water may greatly underestimate the risk of exposure to potentially pathogenic micro-organisms in recreational waters.     

Improved Method of Enumeration of Attached Bacteria for Study of Fluctuation in the Abundance of Attached and Free-Living Bacteria in Response to Diel Variation in Seawater Turbidity

Sample preparation for enumerating attached bacteria in turbid seawater by epifluorescence microscopy was improved by treating samples with a surfactant (Tween 80) followed by sonication. With optimal treatment with Tween 80 (final concentration, 10 ppm [10 μg/ml]) and sonication, as many as 10 times more attached bacteria were enumerated from turbid seawater relative to the number enumerated from an untreated control. Dispersion of bacteria by sonication alone resulted in the enumeration of only 42 to 72% of the attached bacteria. By this technique, fluctuations in the number of attached and free-living bacteria were determined in water from Aransas Pass, Tex., where surface sediments are resuspended on a regular basis by tidal currents. The abundance of attached bacteria increased in proportion to the seawater turbidity that resulted from sediment resuspension. The variation in abundance of free-living bacteria was not directly related to seawater turbidity. However, the magnitude of fluctuation in the abundance of free-living bacteria was related to the extent of turbidity variation during diurnal tides.     

Optimization of Influencing Parameters on Phenanthrene Removal Efficiency in Soil Washing Process by Using Response Surface Methodology

Response surface methodology (RSM) under Box–Behnken design (BBD) was applied to evaluate the effect of the influencing parameters including surfactant concentration, liquid/soil ratio, Humic Acid concentration, and washing time on phenanthrene removal efficiency in soil washing process by using the nonionic surfactant Tween 80 and find an optimal operational conditions to achieve the highest removal efficiency. A polynomial quadratic model was used to correlate phenanthrene removal efficiency and four independent variables (R² = 0.9719). Based on the obtained results the most influential parameter on phenanthrene removal efficiency was surfactant concentration with an impact value of 69.519%. Liquid/soil ratio was also another factor that significantly influenced on removal efficiency with an impact value of 25.014%. The interaction between surfactant concentration and liquid/soil ratio was also shown to have a positive significant effect on removal efficiency (p_value = 0.0027). However, the other independent variables Humic Acid concentration and time were not significant in the ranges selected in this study. Based on the optimization results maximum removal efficiency of 70.692 ± 3.647% was achieved under the conditions of surfactant concentration 5000 mg L^?1, liquid/soil ratio 30 v/w, HA concentration 9.88 mg L^?1, and washing time 2 h, which was in good agreement with predicted value (66.643%).     

The Management of Contaminated Sediment in Hong Kong

Many years of uncontrolled discharge of sewage and industrial effluent have resulted in serious contamination of much of the sediments underlying inland and nearshore coastal waters in Hong Kong by potentially toxic heavy metal and trace organic pollutants. Much has been achieved to improve control of this pollution at the source and prevent further deterioration. Nevertheless, comprehensive environmental assessment and management measures are required to ensure that any unacceptably contaminated sediment that must be dredged to facilitate infrastructural development is safely handled and disposed of. It is estimated that some 50?Mm³ of sediment classified as unacceptably contaminated may require dredging and special management elsewhere over the coming 10-year period. To facilitate improved decision making about the most appropriate disposal options for dredged sediment Hong Kong has recently implemented a new sediment quality assessment framework under which information on the biological activity of contaminated material is considered in addition to data on chemical composition. Dredged sediment classified as unacceptably contaminated has been disposed of at a contained disposal facility at East Sha Chau since 1992. To date over 20?Mm³ of sediment has been placed into seabed pits that are subsequently capped with clay. The site is subject to a rigorous monitoring programme that has clearly demonstrated its environmental acceptability.     

疏浚泥用于滨海湿地生态工程现状及在我国应用潜力

疏浚泥传统的海上倾倒方式现已成为海洋的主要污染来源,而将疏浚泥应用到滨海湿地生态工程具有重要的价值和意义。疏浚泥应用于滨海湿地生态工程在国外的系统研究超过40a,工程运用已有上百年的历史。综述了海洋疏浚泥运用于滨海湿地生态工程的研究前沿和工程运用现状,同时分析其典型的生态工程案例,以期为我国的技术推广提供参考。疏浚泥用于生态工程用途主要有:(1)生态保育下沉和侵蚀性海岸湿地:人为补给疏浚泥可以补偿因高程降低或者海岸侵蚀带来的负面影响,国际上通常采用疏浚泥薄层覆盖法。(2)生态修复受损的滨海湿地:疏浚泥作为基质恢复和重建其潮间带生境,修复因围垦等人类活动严重受损的湿地,从而恢复湿地植被群落;(3)建造人工生态岛:将疏浚泥堆置于便利处,形成自然疏浚泥岛,按照不同的设计高程创造出不同的生境,随着自然的演替,岛屿演替成为生物多样性高和生境丰富的岛屿。以国际上的疏浚泥生态工程运用为借鉴,结合目前我国海洋经济发展的现状和滨海湿地面临的一系列挑战,分析疏浚泥在我国滨海湿地生态重建和生态修复等工程方面的应用前景,为缓解我国海洋产业经济发展和滨海湿地生态环境保护之间的矛盾提供技术借鉴。     

Different methods for extracting bacteria from freshwater sediment and a simple method to measure bacterial production in sediment samples

The efficiency of different treatments was tested to extract bacterial cells from freshwater sediment samples. The influence of sonication, density gradient centrifugation, fixation by formalin and centrifugation speed on bacterial recovery was investigated. The method developed by Smith and Azam [Mar. Microb. Food Webs 6 (1992) 107] to measure microbial activity on bacterioplankton (3H-leucine incorporation), was also evaluated in sediment samples. After 1 min of sonication bacterial abundance was reduced by about 47% in diluted sediments with tetrasodium pyrophosphate. With the addition of Percoll after sonication, bacterial counts were not significantly different (P<0.05). Fixation by formalin increased bacterial counts using sonication. However, higher bacterial abundance was estimated in non-sonicated samples. Bacterial abundance in samples centrifuged at 7000xg with and without Percoll was not significantly different (P<0.05). Highest bacterial abundance was obtained after centrifugation at low speed (750xg). Bacterial abundance decreased with higher centrifugation speed (750, 1500 and 3000xg), the difference, however, was not significant. Bacterial production ranged from 0.10 microg C cm(-3) d(-1) in autoclaved sediment to 0. 27 microg C cm(-3) d(-1) in untreated sediment. The radioactivity measured in controls of both untreated and autoclaved sediment was high (70 and 91%, respectively), indicating a high level of leucine adsorption in sediment particles. In contrast, radioactivity in control samples previously centrifuged was markedly lower (6%). Despite the high values of radioactivity in the controls, bacterial production in untreated sediment was significantly higher than in centrifuged sediment (P<0.05).     

Intermittent cyclic process for enhanced biological nutrient removal treating combined chemical laboratory wastewater

The aim of this work was to assess the efficacy for simultaneous enhanced removal of nitrogen and phosphorus including organics treating combined wastewater generated from a chemical laboratory using a bench-scale Intermittent Cyclic Process Bio-reactor (ICPBR). The performance efficacy indicated that the ICPBR system with solid retention time of 15 days achieved optimum efficiency with an overall removal of ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N), phosphorus (PO4-P), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the range, 83-92%, 74-93%, and 90-96%, respectively.     

硝化细菌对加州鲈池塘水质影响及底质净化作用

为研究有益菌硝化细菌(Nitrifying bacteria)对加州鲈(Micropterus salmoides)高密度养殖池塘水质及底质的影响,在模拟加州鲈高密度养殖池塘单独施用硝化细菌,通过检测养殖水体pH、氨氮(NH4+-N)、亚硝酸盐氮、总氮(TN)及总磷(TP)等水质指标,底质沉积物中有机物、全氮及全磷等指标以及池塘浮游动植物量,以评价硝化细菌处理对加州鲈高密度养殖水体水质影响及底质净化作用。结果表明,硝化细菌能够稳定养殖水体pH,降低水体亚硝酸盐氮浓度,减缓养殖水体TN浓度上升,去除底质沉积物中有机物及全磷含量,有机物去除率达54.17%,全磷去除率达43.34%。硝化细菌处理前期浮游动植物总量高于对照池塘,后期逐渐减少并趋于稳定。     

Assessing the health of sediment ecosystems: use of chemical measurements

1. This paper outlines the use of chemical measurements as surrogate indicators of the health of sediment ecosystems. 2. For chemical measurements to be used for this purpose, links must be able to be made between adverse biological effects and the chemical composition of sediments. 3. Benchmark sediment quality guidelines allow decisions to be made about whether or not a sediment ecosystem is likely to be impacted. These guidelines are established using an effects database and a weight-of-evidence approach that gives ranges of chemical concentrations associated with known adverse biological effects. 4. If guidelines are exceeded the measured values are compared to concentrations of that contaminant in a comparable background or reference sediment. Exceedance of these concentrations leads to site-specific estimates of contaminant bioavailability. If a potential problem is indicated, laboratory sediment bioassays are used to assess the likelihood that the sediment will harm biota. 5. Trace metals are used as an example of a sediment contaminant.     

Vertical distribution and abundance of gymnamoebae (Rhizopoda) in bottom sediments of the brackish water Nivå Bay (Baltic Sea,The Sound)

The sandy sediments of Niv? Bay (Baltic Sea, The Sound, Denmark) are often covered with the mats of sulphur bacteria and are temporarily anoxic. The vertical distribution and abundance of naked amoebae species in three sediment cores from this bay were studied. Amoebae were most abundant and diverse in the upper 1 cm of sediment, and their number and diversity decreased with increasing depth into the sediment. Amoebae were recovered from both upper oxygenated and deep anoxic layers of sediments. The species composition and abundance of amoebae was very heterogeneous, even at spatial scales of several centimeters, suggesting the existence of microhabitats selectively occupied by particular species. All species found were recorded from aerobic cultures and some of these amoebae occur in both the aerobic and anaerobic layers of the sediment. Minimal possible number of amoebae in the sediments, estimated for the first time as areal abundance integrated for depth was: core 1 -597 cm(-2); core 2 -1,110 cm(-2); core 3 -1,430 cm(-2). These abundances are probably best regarded as "potential" abundances of amoebae hidden in the sediments, as the question of the ratio between active and resting amoebae remains open.