Symbiotic N2 Fixation and N Uptake of Yellow and White Lupines Influenced by Spontaneous Rhizobia Infection and Substrate

Abstract

By using soil as substrate, white and yellow lupines (Lupinus albus L., Lupinus luteus L.) assimilated higher N amounts than under quartz sand conditions. This was caused by spontaneous infection of lupines with wild Rhizobia strains and also by an additional N uptake from the soil. In yellow lupines without inoculation in non-sterile soil, only the additional N uptake played a role. Differences in P and K supply as the cause of different N acquisition from soil and quartz sand could be excluded. As compared with white lupines, yellow lupines inoculated with Rhizobia had a high N₂ fixation that exceeded the effect of spontaneous infections. This result as well as the positive effect of spontaneous infections with soil-borne Rhizobia on white lupines indicates insufficient effectiveness of the strains used for inoculation on this plant species.     

Using Short Wave Visible–Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy to Predict Soil Properties and Content

In this study, short wave visible–near infrared reflectance spectroscopy was evaluated for prediction of diverse soil properties related to four different soil series of several regions in Jiangxi, China. A total of 240 soil samples were collected for the calibration (n = 168) and prediction (n = 72) sets. The used wavelength range of short wave visible–near infrared reflectance spectroscopy is 325–1075 nm. Partial least squares regression and back propagation neural network were used to develop models for soil properties such as organic matter and extractable forms of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Performance of these models was also compared and analyzed. The input of back propagation neural network was the first six principal components resulted from the principal component analysis and the optimal number of latent variables obtained from partial least squares regression. The overall results showed that the performance of partial least squares regression model was inferior to all back propagation neural network models. The best prediction was obtained with latent variables as input of back propagation neural network model for organic matter (determination coefficient = 0.84 and relative predictive determinant = 2.38), which was classified as very good model predictions. The prediction of calcium, magnesium, and potassium was classified as fair (determination coefficient = 0.56–0.68 and relative predictive determinant = 1.51–1.61), where quantitative predictions were considered possible. It is recommended to adopt latent variables as input for back propagation neural network model predicting soil properties with short wave visible–near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. In conclusion, short wave visible–near infrared reflectance spectroscopy was variably successful in estimating soil properties and showed potential for substituting laboratory analyses.     

氢化物发生—原子荧光法测定不同产地绞股蓝及其根际土壤中As,Hg,Se

通过优化了的氢化物发生—原子荧光法测定了7个省产绞股蓝及其根际土壤中As,Hg,Se三种元素的含量,研究结果表明:7个省产绞股蓝中As,Hg,Se的含量存在较大差异,但As和Hg两种重金属元素含量均低于《药用植物及制剂进出口绿色行业标准》中As和Hg的限量标准。Se元素含量同根际土壤中Se元素含量显示极显著相关性,故湖北恩施富硒区产绞股蓝中Se含量明显高于其他6省产绞股蓝。研究结果可以初步判定,绞股蓝中Se元素主要来源于土壤,而As和Hg元素的积累则不同于Se元素,还可能受到大气气溶胶的干、湿沉降等因素的影响。     

Rheological Behaviors and Properties of Poly (Ether Ether Ketone) In-Situ Blends: Effect of Chemical Structure of Added Thermotropic Liquid Crystalline Polyarylates

Abstract

Two kinds of thermotropic liquid crystalline polyesters (TLCP) with different chemical structures were used as flow modifiers during the melt spinning of poly (ether ether ketone). One of TLCPs, named PAT-S, was a kind of aromatic polyester synthesized from 4-acetoxybenzoicacid and 6-hydroxy-naphthoic acid, and the other one named, PEEKAR, was a block copolymer based on poly (ether ether ketene) (PEEK) oligomers and PAT-S oligomers. The effects of the chemical structures of the prepared TLCPs on the rheological behavior of the TLCP/PEEK blends were measured by rheological measurements, and then the structure and properties of the TLCP/PEEK in-situ blend fibers were studied by a series of methods, including differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WRXD), optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), orientation degree tests, mechanical properties tests, etc. The results showed that the melt viscosity of PEEK could be effectively reduced by nearly 20% by adding a small amount of PEEKAR or PAT-S with the viscosity reducing effect of PEEKAR on PEEK being greater than that of PAT-S; this was mainly caused by the better compatibility between PEEK and PEEKAR because of the similar segment structures. The crystallinity of the PEEK fibers increased by nearly 50% with addition of both TLCPs, indicating that both the PEEKAR and PAT-S could serve as nucleating agent as well. The results from the morphology analysis clearly proved that PEEKAR had a better compatibility with the PEEK resin compared with PAT-S. The tensile strength of the PEEK fibers could be improved to some extent by adding PEEKAR, while it was obviously reduced after adding PAT-S.     

Phytoremediation of Lead in Soil: Recent Applications and Future Prospects

Abstract

Lead is a very serious contaminant in soil because of its widespread previous application in residential, agricultural, and industrial environments combined with its severe impacts upon human health, particularly upon children. Phytoremediation is a nontraditional approach to remediate contaminated soil involving the use of green plants. Phytostabilization involves the use of plants to stabilize contaminants to reduce human exposure. Phytoextraction involves the use of plants to accumulate contaminants in aboveground shoots, which can be harvested to recycle or discard. Recent phytomediation work has indicated the importance of determining the chemical forms of lead present at a site to develop the most appropriate remediation strategy. Lead phytoextraction typically involves the addition of a chelating agent in order to increase the bioavailability of this contaminant. Because concerns have been raised regarding the persistence of chelating agents in the environment, several research teams have investigated the use biodegradable compounds for this application. It is anticipated that phytoremediation will continue to be a low-cost approach for the remediation of lead in soil.     

The numerical analysis of water and solute movement in scale heterogeneous profiles

A computer based numerical method is presented for the analysis of water and solute movement in unsaturated heterogeneous porous materials. Such a method is necessary since, for those field studies where solute movement is of concern, the soil profiles under consideration are invariably heterogeneous. The numerical analysis is based on a general one-dimensional finite difference soil water flow model which includes a numerical technique combining the concepts of scale heterogeneity with an interpolative soil water hysteresis model. An explicit finite difference solute movement subroutine is incorporated into the unsaturated flow model to describe the transport of nonreactive solutes. A velocity dependent longitudinal dispersion coefficient is used in the solution of the hydrodynamic dispersion equation. The resulting hysteretic scale heterogeneous solute movement model permits the study of solute dynamics during infiltrating and redistribution in realistically complex spatially varying soil profiles. Results are presented for the leaching of both coarse grading to fine and fine grading to coarse sand profiles. Both vertical and horizontal profiles are studied using either a constant flux or a constant concentration input boundary condition. The four cases studied demonstrate the versatility of the numerical method and emphasise the substantial differences in transport behavior that can arise between heterogeneous and homogeneous profiles.Now with BHP Petroleum Pty. Ltd., GPO Box 1911R, Melbourne, Vic. 3001, Australia.     

Rheological Properties of Template Polymerization Polyacrylamide Aqueous Solutions

In this work, the aqueous solution rheology properties of both partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) and the template copolymer (TPAM) synthesized from acrylic acid (AA) and acrylamide (AM) were investigated using an advanced rheometer and viscometer. The results were correlated with the corresponding molecular structures of HPAM and TPAM, which were characterized by high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance. It was found that the thickening ability of TPAM is much stronger than that of HPAM due to its unique microblocky structure, while the viscosity of TPAM was more sensitive to shear rate. Furthermore, the effect of polymer concentration was also tested in an oscillation shear mode. It showed that the characteristic relaxation time of TPAM was much higher than that of HPAM at the high concentrations. The research on salt-resistance properties showed that the viscosity retention of TPAM was similar to HPAM at the same NaCl concentration. But, unexpectedly, at the same CaCl₂ concentration the viscosity retention of TPAM was much lower than that of HPAM, indicating a poor divalent salt-resistance property.     

Rheological Behaviors of Polypropylene/Poly(1-butene) Blends

The rheological behaviors of polypropylene (PP)/poly(1-butene) (PB) blends with homo-polypropylene (PP₁) or impact polypropylene (PP₂), a poly(propylene-co-ethylene) as the PP component were studied. With increasing of PB resin content for both PP/PB blends, the blends showed higher G'(ω), G''(ω) and η*(ω) at low frequencies but lower values at high frequencies which implied that the processability was improved. A two-phase morphology was observed through the various rheological responses, including G'(ω)-ω terminal region curves, Cole-Cole plots and the weighted relaxation spectra with the PB contents up to 40?wt%. With the same PB content, the rheological parameters of the PP₂/PB blends were quite different from those of the PP₁/PB, which can be attributed to the stronger interaction between PB chains and the ethylene-co-propylene copolymer in PP₂. The impact strength of the PP₂/PB blends was improved dramatically over that of the PP₁/PB. The more significant toughening effect for the PP₂/PB blends can be attributed to the special responses of its rheological behaviors.     

环境保护中辐射技术的应用研究

介绍了近年来利用稳定同位素C和N以及放射性元素^7Be和^137Cs作为示踪元素应用在土壤侵蚀、水土流失研究中所取得的重要进展,讨论了电子束辐照和γ射线辐照在工业废水和废气处理的机理及其应用,说明了辐射技术在环境保护中具有重要的作用。The important progresses of studies on water loss and soil erosion using stable carbon, nitrogen isotopes and ^7Be, ^137Cs as tracers is introduced. The mechanisms and applications of the electron beam and y rays irradiation in industrial effluent disposal and tail gas treatment are discussed, which indicates the importances of the irradiation technology in environment protection.     

同轴圆筒旋转黏度计测量原理详析

对同轴圆筒旋转黏度计的测量原理作了深入描述,对于理解旋转黏度计的构造原理以及测量条件,规范流体黏度的计量工作提供了帮助．