Bioaugmenting anaerobic digestion of biosolids with selected strains of Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Actinomycetes species for increased methanogenesis and odor control

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of bioaugmenting anaerobic biosolids digestion with a commercial product containing selected strains of bacteria from genera Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Actinomycetes, along with ancillary organic compounds containing various micronutrients. Specifically, the effects of the bioaugment in terms of volatile solids destruction and generation and fate of odor-causing compounds during anaerobic digestion and during storage of the digested biosolids were studied. Two bench-scale anaerobic digesters receiving primary and secondary clarifier biosolids from various full-scale biological wastewater treatment plants were operated. One of the digesters received the bioaugment developed by Organica Biotech, while the other was operated as control. The bioaugmented digester generated 29% more net CH₄ during the 8 weeks of operation. In addition, the average residual propionic acid concentration in the bioaugmented digester was 54% of that in the control. The monitoring of two organic sulfide compounds, methyl mercaptan (CH₃SH) and dimethyl sulfide (CH₃SCH₃), clearly demonstrated the beneficial effects of the bioaugmentation in terms of odor control. The biosolids digested in the bioaugmented digester generated a negligible amount of CH₃SH during 10 days of post-digestion storage, while CH₃SH concentration in the control reached nearly 300 ppm_v during the same period. Similarly, peak CH₃SCH₃ generated by stored biosolids from the bioaugmented digester was only 37% of that from the control.     

几种玫瑰油的化学成分及香气比较

用ＧＣ及ＧＣ／ＳＭ方法,定性定量地分析了法国玫瑰油、摩洛哥玫瑰油、我国甘肃苦水玫瑰油及山东平阴玫瑰油及山东阴玫瑰油的化学成分,各鉴定了７９,７４,４５和５４个成分。它们的主要化学成分均为得茅醇（玫瑰醇）、香叶醇、苯乙醇、金合欢醇及其酯类、芳樟醇、玫瑰醚、丁香酚、甲基丁香酚。由于它们含量上的多少及其化学成分上的差异,使这几种一般说来玫瑰油的香气产生了微妙的新鲜的玫瑰花香;而苦水玫瑰油、平阴玫瑰油成分     

Analysis of associative learning in the terrestrial mollusc Limax maximus. II. Appetitive learning

Summary The odor and taste processing systems of the terrestrial mollusc Limax maximus have been shown capable of a number of complex computations. Most of the complex higher-order features of Limax learning have been demonstrated using differential aversive conditioning. The present experiments probe the appetitive learning ability of Limax. In the first experiment a differential appetitive classical conditioning procedure was used. An aversive CS⁺ odor was paired with an attractive taste while a CS^– odor was explicitly unpaired with the attractive taste. This appetitive conditioning procedure dramatically increased the preference for the CS⁺ odor. Further experiments determined the time course of acquisition, the effect of an extinction procedure and long-term retention of the appetitive conditioning. Now that Limax has been shown capable of appetitive conditioning, the neural network simulation of Limax learning, called LIMAX, can be examined for its ability to display appetitive conditioning.Abbreviations AA amyl acetate - CS conditioned stimulus - ISI interstimulus interval - ITI intertrial interval - MCH methylcyclohexanol - US unconditioned stimulus     

异色瓢虫4变种成虫对茶和茶蚜气味行为反应

用Y形嗅觉仪测定了异色瓢虫4个变种成虫对茶蚜利它素的行为反应,结果表明,供给茶蚜、甘蓝蚜和萝卜蚜的两两组合,茶蚜+蚜害茶梢和正常茶梢,蚜害茶梢和正常茶梢,天敌分别选择茶蚜、茶蚜+蚜害茶梢或蚜害茶梢(P<0.05);以8～9种质量梯度的茶蚜+蚜害茶梢、蚜害茶梢和茶蚜做味源,瓢虫对味源趋向率与味源质量呈Logistic曲线关系(P<0.01),其中二斑变型、显现变种和十九斑变种对茶蚜的趋向率与蚜数呈左偏的单峰曲线(P<0.01);茶蚜体表乙醚或正己烷漂洗物也有引诱力,以显明变种最敏感.     

Seasonal sebaceous patch in the nectar-feeding bats Leptonycteris curasoae and L. yerbabuenae (Phyllostomidae: Glossophaginae): phenological, histological, and preliminary chemical characterization

Many species of bats secrete a wide variety of substances, frequently associated with olfactory communication. We characterized a seasonal phenomenon of dorsal sebaceous secretion in the Cura?aoan long-nosed bat, Leptonycteris curasoae, in Venezuela, and the lesser long-nosed bat, Leptonycteris yerbabuenae, in Mexico. The phenology of the sebaceous patch was determined, a histological analysis of the affected area was conducted using specimens of L. curasoae from Venezuela, and finally, a preliminary chemical characterization of the substance secreted was performed combining histochemical techniques with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry analyses. The sebaceous patch was detected exclusively in male adult specimens. Individuals presenting it had a variable area of fur covered with a fatty and odoriferous substance at the level of the interscapular zone. Occurrence of the sebaceous patch was cyclical and coincided with the mating season in Venezuela and Mexico. The following histological changes associated with occurrence of the patch were observed: increase of epidermis thickness and decrease of dermis and hypodermis thicknesses, increase in density of sebaceous glands, increase of percentage of skin covered by sebaceous glands, increase of size of sebaceous glands previous to secretion followed, and increase of the sebum volume within sebaceous glands previous to secretion. Several compounds tentatively identified as fatty acids, cholestanes and cholesterol were present in the sebaceous secretion. Based on the evidence obtained, we hypothesize that the sebaceous patch could be involved in olfactory communication, possibly related to mating behavior in these bats.     

猪场恶臭的生物技术综合处理

集约化猪场恶臭的生物处理可以在饲养的营养技术、饲养过程和粪便处理阶段分别处理,试验表明使用含有微生物制剂等成分的除臭剂为饲料添加剂,可使猪舍氨气和硫化氧分别降低38．6％和20．6％,调节池中氨气和硫化氧分别降低14．7％和20．4％,臭气浓度降低43.8％。而在猪舍和饲养过程中使用恶臭吸附剂直接放置于猪场环境中,可降低猪舍中的氨气和硫化氢浓度29．5％和30．4％,降低调节池中的氨气和硫化氢30．2％和0％,降低臭气浓度31．9％。在猪场污水处胛阶段使用雾化除臭处理设备,可以降低调节池、贮粪池和水力筛池的氨气浓度14．7％、24．6％和48.2％,分别降低硫化氢浓度18．1％、25．8％和13．0％,同时降低猪场臭气浓度82．6％。     

Instrumental and sensory approaches for the characterization of compounds responsible for wine aroma

More than 800 aromatic compounds have been identified in wine, some of them at the ng/l level. Wine, therefore, constitutes a very complex matrix, from which it is difficult to isolate a specific aroma character. Gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) applied to wine extracts is used to characterize odor-active zones that are often treated in a hierarchical way by Aroma Extract Dilution Analysis (AEDA). The aromatic impact of the volatiles is evaluated, generally by determining perception thresholds. This methodology has provided convincing results concerning wine flavors, but it does have its limitations. For instance, data on beta-damascenone have demonstrated that these methods could reach their limits for this volatile, in particular, because of the non-quantitative representation of aroma extracts of wines, and because of the difficulty to accurately determine the perception threshold in wines for a compound already present. For beta-damascenone, we have shown that its very low detection threshold with GC-O, its wide range, and its dependence on the composition of the medium resulted in overestimating its direct impact on the aroma of wine. Another way to facilitate the characterization of aromatic compounds was, therefore, investigated. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) methods were developed for the analysis of wine extracts. From an aromatic extract, 25 fractions with various flavors were thus obtained, and reverse-phase methodology was used for the selection and characterization of red- and black-fruit aromas in red wines.     

大仓鼠在繁殖期的行为关系及交配行为

在Ｙ型迷宫中进行气味选择测定时,被试大仓鼠偏好异性的气味,证明身体气味有性吸引和性识别作用。在Ｙ型迷宫进行性别选择测定时,在雌雄靶鼠个体之间,被试大仓鼠不表现出性别偏好,这是攻击行为和交配行为共同影响的结果;与空白相比较,被试鼠都选择靶鼠,说明独居大仓鼠之间存在频繁的探究行为。通过观察箱内对两鼠间的行为关系的观察发现,异性之间主要有攻击行为和交配行为;同性之间主要发生攻击行为,同时胜鼠或优势鼠的胁腺标记行为显著多于从属鼠,说明胁腺标记可以表明优势地位;雄鼠与非性接受状态的雌鼠相遇时,攻击行为很少,但无友好行为,只有简单的雄鼠爬跨雌鼠的行为;任何陌生的雄鼠与性接受状态的雌鼠相遇发生交配行为,交配结束又相互攻击;交配行为表现为多次爬跨多次射精;雄鼠有库利奇（Ｃｏｏｌｉｄｇｅ）效应,雌鼠可以连续接受几只雄鼠的交配,表明大仓鼠为多配制的婚配制度。从行为关系和交配行为看大仓鼠在繁殖期独居,无固定的配偶     

Discrimination of bovine estrus-related odors by mice

The present investigation was carried out (1) to evaluate whether the mouse is able to discriminate vaginal and other bovine body fluids and (2) to determine which bodily fluid will most efficiently be used to detect estrus. The time spent by the male mice in investigating the different bovine odorant samples clearly demonstrated the mouses ability to discriminate between estrus and non-estrus fluid samples. Estrus vaginal fluid was found to be the most attractive followed by saliva, feces and milk. Thus estrus vaginal fluid may act as an additional/secondary factor along with urine in eliciting copulatory behavior in bulls. The results of this study revealed that bodily fluids such as saliva, feces and milk also have estrus-related odors and that these may be involved in bovine biocommunication.This revised version was published online in March 2005 with corrections to the contact informations of the corresponding author.     

Chemical Composition and Aroma Evaluation of Essential Oils from Evolvulus alsinoides L.

The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and the odor‐active compounds of the essential oils from Evolvulus alsinoides, which is a well‐known edible and medicinal plant. The volatile compounds in the oils were identified by hydrodistillation (HD) and solvent‐assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) in combination with GC, GC/MS, GC/O (=olfactometry), aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), and relative flavor activities (RFA values). The most abundant compound in the HD oil was cis‐α‐necrodol (12.62%), an irregular monoterpene with a cyclopentane skeleton, which is very unusual in the plant kingdom. In the SAFE oil, the main components included 2‐butoxyethanol (9.01%), benzyl alcohol (8.01%), and γ‐butyrolactone (7.37%). Through sensory analysis, 21 aroma‐active compounds were identified by GC/O. The most intense aroma‐active compounds in the HD oil were hexan‐1‐ol and γ‐nonalactone, both of which showed high RFA values. α‐Methyl‐γ‐butyrolactone and dimethyl sulfone contributed more strongly to the aroma of the SAFE oil. These results imply that the essential oils of E. alsinoides deserve further investigation in the food industry.