Methanogenic granular sludge formation in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactir treating synthetic methanolic waste

A laboratory upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor, seeded with fine, suspended, bacterial floc with 1.76 g volatile suspended solids/l, was used to treat synthetic methanolic waste. After 180 days of continuous peration, granular sludge with discrete granules of 1 to 2 mm diam. was formed, with 52 g volatile suspended solids/l. Granules were brown, relatively soft and had a settling velocity of 1.61 cm/s. Extracellular polymeric matter extracted from the granular sludge had high carbohydrate content but low nucleic acid content. The ash of the granular sludge contained Na⁺, K⁺ and Mg²⁺ up to 15.0, 11.7 and 3.75 mg/g, respectively. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the granular sludge was dominated by methanogens resembling Methanosarcina.The authors are with the Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565, Japan     

The microbiological basis of process control in methanogenic fermentation of soluble wastes

The essential requirement for anaerobic digestion of industrial wastes is that the process should operate reliably at high performance. In the digestion of dilute, soluble wastes it is necessary to retain the active biomass within the digester at short liquid retention times for the process to be economically feasible and this is reflected in digester design. Performance of digesters can only be assessed by interpretation of measurable parameters such as pH₂, E_h, pH, volatile fatty acid concentrations, temperature, gas production, biomass content and feed rate and composition. The effects of changes in these parameters on the microbiology of methanogenic digestion and the application of this knowledge in control of the process is discussed.     

组织型纤溶酶原激活剂的发光分析法及其应用

 本文建立了组织型纤溶酶原激活剂(t-PA)活力的发光固相测定方法。用氨基乙基丁基异鲁米诺(ABEI)标记纤维蛋白原(Fg),在一定条件下,t-PA作用于固相(包被ABEI-Fg),产生纤维蛋白的降解产物。测定可溶性降解产物的发光强度,即能计算t-PA活性。该方法的标准曲线范围对t-PA为0.156IU/mL～40IU/mL。灵敏度可达0.156IU/mL。回收率为98.6％(n=27)。批内批间变异系数分别为6.6％及10.3％。该方法曾用于检测细胞培养液中提取t-PA样品及t-PA基因表达时培养液中t-PA的活性。也曾用于检测从组织中纯化t-PA样品及血浆中t-PA活性的测定。文中讨论了该方法与其它方法优缺点的比较。     

Fruit fate,frugivory, and fruit characteristics: a study of the hawthorn,Crataegus monogyna (Rosaceae)

Summary The fate of fruits from a population of European hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) in western Oregon, USA, was examined over a two-year period. Only one frugivore, the American robin (Turdus migratorius) foraged on the C. monogyna fruits, making this an unusually straightforward fruit-frugivore system. Dispersal efficiency was low, with an average 21% of seeds being dispersed (carried away from parent plants) each year; the most common fate of fruits was to simply fall. Robins dropped 20% of the fruits that they picked, and defecated/regurgitated 40% of the fruits (seeds) that they swallowed, beneath parent plants. One trait, gruit abundance, strongly affected the probability of bush visitation by robins, bushes with larger fruit displays being preferred. Both absolute dispersal success (number of seeds) and dispersal efficiency (proportion of seeds; success per propagule) were also found to be correlated most strongly with initial fruit abundance. Individual plant fecundity and fruit quality were found to vary little between years; as a result, dispersal efficiencies for individual plants were also annully consistent. Larger (older) plants produced more fruits and therefore had higher fitness. These results suggest that the optimal fruiting strategy for C. monogyna is therefore to get as big as possible as quickly as possible by delaying fruiting until later in life.     

Effects of acid wastes from titanium dioxide production on biomass and species richness of benthic algae

Titanium dioxide wastes are suspected to be toxic to rocky shore communities in an estuary in southeast Norway. An experimental project lasting two years examined whether titanium dioxide wastes affected recolonization by rocky shore organisms. The experiments were performed in situ in six tanks (each with 9 m³ brackish water) at two different levels of salinity. Three different concentrations of industrial waste water were used. The growth season in 1986 was dry and sunny compared to 1987, causing reduction of growth on exposed granite chips compared to controls. At the two highest waste concentrations in the tanks, Fucus serratus was observed with necrotic tissue both years, and in 1986 benthic diatoms were scarce.     

Cold-induced phase separation for the simple and reliable extraction of sex hormones for subsequent LC-MS/MS analysis

Sex hormones, including androgens, estrogens, and progestogens, are important biomarkers for various diseases. Quantification of sex hormones is typically conducted by LC-MS/MS. At present, most methods require liquid-liquid extraction or solid phase extraction for sample preparation. However, these pretreatments are prone to compromise LC-MS/MS throughput. To improve on the current standard practices, we investigated cold-induced phase separation for sex hormone extraction. After protein precipitation with acetonitrile and adjusting the solution constitution with water, samples were stored at ?30°C for 10 min to generate two distinct phases: an acetonitrile-rich layer on top of a water-rich layer. During this process, the hydrophobic sex hormones spontaneously separate into the upper layer. This simple and reliable cold-induced phase separation-based LC-MS/MS methodology was used here to simultaneously detect estrone, estradiol, estriol, testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, progesterone, and 17-hydroxyprogesterone in serum. Validation of this method indicated satisfactory performance, including acceptable linearity, accuracy, precision, and tractability. Compared with the mainstream liquid-liquid extraction-based method, this new method exhibits significant progress in throughput, which shortens the time cost of sample preparation from 90 to 40 min. We propose that this method can be an excellent alternative for sex hormone analysis in routine clinical laboratories.     

固体药物多晶型的研究进展

多晶型现象在固体药物中普遍存在,多晶型是影响固体药物质量和疗效的重要因素之一。在固体药物早期研究与开发阶段进行多晶型研究具有十分重要的意义。本文归纳总结了有关药物晶型研究进展,讨论了固体药物晶型的研究意义、主要的技术手段、晶型药物对生物利用度的影响、晶型的工艺控制以及预测等。     

黑曲霉固态发酵苹果渣产β-甘露聚糖酶的工艺优化

目的:对黑曲霉SL-08固态发酵苹果渣生产β-甘露聚糖酶的生产工艺进行优化,旨在探寻苹果渣的综合利用方式,降低β-甘露聚糖酶的生产成本。方法:采用Plackett-Burman试验设计和响应面法进行优化。结果:最佳培养基组成为苹果渣与棉粕1∶1(w/w)、尿素2%(w/w)、KH2PO40.1%(w/w)、初始含水率59%(w/w)、CaCl20.2%(w/w)、MgCl20.1%(w/w),30℃恒温培养48h,β-甘露聚糖酶酶活力可达539U/g干曲,比基础培养基提高了28.3%,达到了以豆粕与麸皮为生产原料时的产酶水平。结论:采用黑曲霉SL-08对苹果渣进行固态发酵是一种有效的生物转化方式,既可用于β-甘露聚糖酶的生产,取代豆粕与麸皮等常规原料,降低生产成本;也可以对苹果渣进行综合利用。     

Magnetotactic bacteria: nanodrivers of the future

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) represent a heterogeneous group of Gram-negative aquatic prokaryotes with a broad range of morphological types, including vibrioid, coccoid, rod and spirillum. MTBs possess the virtuosity to passively align and actively swim along the magnetic field. Magnetosomes are the trademark nano-ranged intracellular structures of MTB, which comprise magnetic iron-bearing inorganic crystals enveloped by an organic membrane, and are dedicated organelles for their magnetotactic lifestyle. Magnetosomes endue high and even dispersion in aqueous solutions compared with artificial magnetites, claiming them as paragon nanomaterials. MTB and magnetosomes offer high technological potential in modern science, technology and medicines. This review focuses on the applicability of MTB and magnetosomes in various areas of modern benefits.     

Microbial characterization during composting of municipal solid waste

This study investigates the prevailing physico-chemical conditions and microbial community; mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi, bacterial spores, Salmonella and Shigella as well as faecal indicator bacteria: total coliforms, faecal coliforms and faecal Streptococci, present in a compost of municipal solid waste. Investigations were conducted in a semi-industrial pilot plant using a moderate aeration during the composting process. Our results showed that: (i) auto-sterilization induced by relatively high temperatures (60–55°C) caused a significant change in bacterial communities. For instance, Escherichia coli and faecal Streptococci populations decreased, respectively, from 2×10⁷ to 3.1×10³ and 10⁷ to 1.5×10³ cells/g waste dry weight (WDW); yeasts and filamentous fungi decreased from 4.5×10⁶ to 2.6×10³ cells/g WDW and mesophilic bacteria were reduced from 5.8×10⁹ to 1.8×10⁷ bacteria/g WDW. On the other hand, the number of bacterial spores increased at the beginning of the composting process, but after the third week their number decreased notably; (ii) Salmonella disappeared completely from compost by the 25th day as soon as the temperature reached 60°C; and (iii) the bacterial population increased gradually during the cooling phase. While Staphylococci seemed to be the dominant bacteria during the mesophilic phase and at the beginning of the thermophilic phase, bacilli predominated during the remainder of the composting cycle. The appearance of gram-negative rods (opportunistic pathogens) during the cooling phase may represent a serious risk for the sanitary quality of the finished product intended for agronomic reuse. Compost sonication for about 3 min induced the inactivation of delicate bacteria, in particular gram-negatives. By contrast, gram-positive bacteria, especially micrococcus, spores of bacilli, and fungal propagules survived, and reached high concentrations in the compost.