Bench Scale Studies of the Soil Aeration Process for Bioremediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons

An alternative to traditional hydrocarbon bioremediation is to pump air through unsaturated soils to create aerobic conditions and induce biodegradation. This study examines the effects of moisture and nutrient augmentation on biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in aerated soils. Findings indicate that forced aeration, coupled with additions of nutrients and moisture, stimulate hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms and present a feasible approach to bioremediation management.     

增强实验室X激光的亮度

实验室X激光已经取得重大进展,但均属自发辐射放大,缺乏模式限制的措施,故激光功率分散在多横模中,提高激光亮度的措施之一是模式限制.由于X光多层膜一般为高吸收膜,用以形成谐振腔作模式限制看来是困难的.本文建议采用相距足够远的二段激光等离子体作同步延迟行波放大来进行横模限制.分析表明,达到衍射极限的单横模X激光是可能的,这对X光全息术以及高亮度X激光的实现是十分重要的.本文还建议改变一般采用的产生线状等离子体的光学系统设计,使激光功率密度在长线上达到均匀;认为过去的光学系统不良是长焦线时,X激光增益-长度乘积低的一个可能原因.     

ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY OF ARTIFICIALLY HEATED SPHAGNUM COAL CONSIDERED AS POSSIBLE SOURCE ROCK FOR OIL AND GAS

A preliminary study of simulated thermal maturity has been conducted to evaluate the oil, gas and hydrocarbon generation potential of sphagnum coal in the Jinsuo brown coal basin, Yunnan Province and to understand the characteristics of the element composition and biomarkers in the course of thermal alteration. The experimental result was compared with that of xylitic coal, a kind of lithotype of soft brown coal. It is considered that sphagnum coal possesses the potential of forming economic accumulation of oil and gas. Its highest proportion of oil and hydrocarbon generation is 510 mg/g Corg. and 232.1 mg/g Corg. respectively. At an R_(ran)~° value of 2.51%, the ratio of gas generation from sphagnum coal attains to 620.5 ml/g Corg. In view of sphagnum coal being different from the conventional soft brown coal in various respects such as coal forming raw materials and enviroments as well as physico-chemical properties, it is Suggested as a special kind of source rock for coal-generated oil and gas.     

Influence of media nutrients on synthesis of lignin peroxidase from Aspergillus sp

The effect of carbon and nitrogen sources, lignocellulosic substrates, and metal ions on lignin peroxidase (LiP) activity of Aspergillus sp., which was isolated from a mangrove area, was studied. Glucose (1%) was found to be the best carbon source. Among the various lignocellulosic substrates used, coir pith at 3% concentration increased LiP activity twofold on the second day of incubation. Peptone and KNO₃ completely inhibited the enzyme synthesis while (NH₄)₂SO₄ at 12.5 mM produced maximum activity. Since seawater contained all the requisite metal ions, any added ions had a negative effect on activity. Cu²⁺ had the most inhibiting effect while K⁺ the least. When all the optimized conditions were provided, in nitrogen- and carbon-sufficient medium, a maximum LiP activity of 345 U/mL was obtained on the second day of incubation.     

Detection of NAD+-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase activities in YR-1 strain of Mucor circinelloides, a potential bioremediator of petroleum contaminated soils

Different soluble NAD⁺-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) isozymes were detected in cell-free homogenates from aerobically grown mycelia of YR-1 strain of Mucor circinelloides isolated from petroleumcontaminated soil samples. Depending on the carbon source present in the growth media, multiple NAD⁺-dependent ADHs were detected when hexadecane or decane was used as the sole carbon source in the culture media. ADH activities from aerobically or anaerobically grown mycelium or yeast cells, respectively, were detected when growth medium with glucose added was the sole carbon source; the enzyme activity exhibited optimum pH for the oxidation of different alcohols (methanol, ethanol, and hexadecanol) similar to that of the corresponding aldehyde (≈7.0). Zymogram analysis conducted with partially purified fractions of extracts from aerobic mycelium or anaerobic yeast cells of the YR-1 strain grown in glucose as the sole carbon source indicated the presence of a single NAD⁺-dependent ADH enzyme in each case, and the activity level was higher in the yeast cells. ADH enzyme from mycelium grown in different carbon sources showed high activity using ethanol as substrate, although higher activity was displayed when the cells were grown in hexadecane as the sole carbon source. Zymogram analysis with these extracts showed that this particular strain of M. circinelloides has four different isozymes with ADH activity and, interestingly, one of them, ADH4, was identified also as phenanthrene-diol-dehydrogenase, an enzyme that possibly participates in the aromatic hydrocarbon biodegradation pathway.     

Imaging Magnetic Domain Structures with Soft X-Ray Microscopy

The current achievements in magnetic transmission soft X-ray microscopy will be reviewed. The magnetic contrast is given by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (X-MCD), i.e., the dependence of the absorption coefficient of circularly polarized X rays on the projection of the magnetization in a ferromagnetic system onto the photon propagation direction. X-MCD contrast can reach, e.g., at L_2,3 edges in transition metals, large values up to 50%. Combined with a soft X-ray microscope where Fresnel zone plates acting as optical elements provide a lateral resolution down at 25 nm, it allows for imaging magnetic microstructures. Specific features of this photon-based technique are the recording of images in varying external magnetic fields, an inherent chemical specificity, a high sensitivity to thin magnetic layers, due to the large contrast, and the possibility to distinguish between in-plane and out-of plane contributions. In this report, recent results obtained with the XM-1 microscope at the ALS (Berkeley/CA) demonstrate the broad applicability of this novel experimental technique to both fundamental and technological relevant issues in nanomagnetism. The future potential will be briefly outlined.     

红树林湿地土壤矿物的分析

以湛江湾南海堤典型红树林湿地土壤为研究对象,采用X射线衍射(XRD)和傅立叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)快速批量鉴定土壤中矿物成分,利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察土壤颗粒形貌特征并获得化学成分组成信息;同时采集附近光滩土壤样品进行对比研究,以揭示红树林湿地土壤特殊的生态环境特征。结果表明,红树林湿地土壤矿物主要由高岭石、石英、白云母、埃洛石、地开石和蛇纹石等组成;与光滩土壤相比,红树林湿地土壤矿物类型多样,而光滩土壤矿物相对单一,主要为石英和高岭石;红树林湿地土壤颗粒以片状聚合体为主,主要元素组成为C、O、S、Al、Si、Mg、Fe等,常见含有Cu、Zn、Mo等重金属元素。同时发现红树林湿地土壤颗粒含有较丰富的硫化物;而光滩土壤未发现上述特征,表明红树林湿地处于一个特殊的生态环境,土壤沉积物中富含有机质、Fe、S等,比一般潮滩更易于富集硫化物或重金属。     

First principles study of the structure,electronic state,and stability of CmN2 clusters

Geometric and electronic properties of C_mN₂ (m = 1–14) clusters have been investigated by density functional theory using the hybrid B3LYP functional and the 6‐311G(d) basis set. Harmonic frequencies for these clusters are given to aid in the characterization of the ground states. These results show that C_mN₂ (m = 1–14) clusters form linear structures with D_∞h symmetry. Two N atoms favor to bond at ends in linear isomers. The chains with odd m have triplet ground states whereas the ones with even m have singlet ground states. The calculated HOMO–LUMO gaps and ionization potentials all show that the C_mN₂ (m = 1–14) clusters with even m are more stable than those with odd m, which is consistent with the observed even–odd alternation of the time‐of‐flight signal intensities. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004     

New lipids from the soft corals of the Andaman Islands

Sphingolipids and glycolipids including previously unknown (2S,3S,4R)-1,3,4-trihydroxy-2-(2-(R)-hydroxyoctadecanoylamino)octadec-8E-ene, (2S,3R)-1,3-dihydroxy-2-octadecanoylamino-4E,8E-hexadecadiene, and (2-hydroxy-3-hexadecyloxypropyl)--L-fucopyranoside were isolated from soft corals collected on the shelf near the Andaman Islands (Indian Ocean). The structures of all compounds were established by spectroscopic methods and chemical analyses. The lipids possessed antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus oryzae, and Candida albicans.     

A Sensitive Spectrophotometric Determination of Nitrite in Water and Soil

A highly sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of nitrite in water and soil has been developed. The reaction of nitrite with acidified potassium iodide to liberate iodine which oxidizes leuco‐crystal violet (LCV) to form crystal violet having absorption maxima at 590 nm forms the bases of this method. In aqueous medium the system obeys Beer's law in the range of 0.1 to 1.0 μg per 25 mL (0.004–0.04 ppm), while in an extractive system the range is 0.025–0.25 μg in 100 mL (0.00025–0.0025 ppm). The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity were found to be 1.54 × 10⁶ 1 mol^?1 cm^?1 and 44 pg cm^?2, respectively.