Transport,fate, and infectivity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptosporidium parvum</Emphasis> oocysts released from manure and leached through macroporous soil

A major mode of transmission of Cryptosporidium parvum, a widespread waterborne pathogen, is via contaminated drinking and recreational waters. Oocyst transport to surface water can occur by deposition of manure directly in the water or by wash off in surface runoff. Oocyst transport to groundwater is less straightforward and requires that the oocysts move through soil and bedrock to reach the water table. The purpose of this study was to determine the relative concentration and infectivity of C. parvum oocysts released from manure and leached through columns of undisturbed, macroporous karst soil. Modeling the fate of oocysts in this system over time can provide baseline data for evaluating real world events. Substantially more oocysts leached from undisturbed soil columns than disturbed soil columns. Oocyst survival studies using BALB/c neonatal suckling mice showed that about 85% of oocysts were infective at the beginning of leaching experiments. The oocyst infectivity decreased to about 20% after 12 weeks of leaching from soil columns maintained at 10°C. Cool (10°C) temperatures appear to increase survivability and maintain infectivity of many oocysts for 3 months or longer. Cool temperatures also appear to increase rates of release of oocysts from manure and leaching through soil. This study demonstrated that leaching is an important mechanism of oocyst transport in karst soils where infiltration capacities are high and long, continuous macropores exist. Karst groundwater systems might be especially vulnerable to contamination by leached oocysts, because of the prevalence of shallow soils and rapid groundwater movement. Oocysts leaching from soils into the epikarst could accumulate and remain viable for months until hydrological conditions are right for flushing the oocysts into the conduit flow system.     

Isolation,biodegradation ability and molecular detection of hydrocarbon degrading bacteria in petroleum samples from a Brazilian offshore basin

The detection of microorganisms with potential for biodeterioration and biodegradation in petroleum fields is of great relevance, since these organisms may be related to a decrease in petroleum quality in the reservoirs or damage in the production facilities. In this sense, petroleum formation water and oil samples were collected from the Campos Basin, Brazil, with the aim of isolating microorganisms and evaluating their ability to degrade distinct classes of hydrocarbon biomarkers (9,10-dihydrophenanthrene, phytane, nonadecanoic acid and 5α-cholestane). Twenty eight bacterial isolates were recovered and identified by sequencing their 16S rRNA genes. Biodegradation assays revealed that bacterial metabolism of hydrocarbons occurred through reactions based on oxidation, carbon–carbon bond cleavage and generation of new bonds or by the physical incorporation of hydrocarbons into microbial cell walls. Based on the biodegradation results, selective PCR-based systems were developed for direct detection in petroleum samples of bacterial groups of interest, namely Bacillus spp., Micrococcus spp., Achromobacter xylosoxidans, Dietzia spp. and Bacillus pumilus. Primer sets targeting 16S rRNA genes were designed and their specificity was confirmed in silico (i.e. computational analysis) and in PCR reactions using DNA from reference strains as positive and negative controls. Total DNA from oil was purified and the amplification tests revealed the presence of the target bacteria in the samples, unraveling a significant potential for petroleum deterioration in the reservoirs sampled, once proper conditions are present for hydrocarbon degradation. The application of molecular methods for rapid detection of specific microorganisms in environmental samples would be valuable as a supporting tool for the evaluation of oil quality in production reservoirs.     

Enumeration of Cryptosporidium sp. and Giardia sp. (oo)cysts in a tropical eutrophic lake

The biodynamic of Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts and Giadia sp. cysts have been assessed in the municipal lake of Yaounde, which is an artificial eutrophic lake that has been constructed on the Mingoa stream of the Mfoundi River Basin of Cameroon. The oocysts were identified by the Ziehl-Neelsen method while the cysts were identified by the Lugol iodine coloration. The values obtained suggest an increase in (oo)cysts density from the surface to the bottom of the lentic ecosystem. The oocysts varied from 56 oocysts/L in the upper layer to 2640 oocysts/L of water in the lowest layer, while the cysts population dynamics ranged from 24 cysts/L at the surface layer of the lake to 1713 cysts/L at the lowest layers of the lake. There was a considerable reduction in the resistant forms of these emerging pathogenic protozoa between the surface water of the Mingoa stream entering the Lake and that coming out from the Lake. The highest value of Cyptosporidium oocysts determined at the entrance of the lake is 1480 oocysts/L while at the outlet the highest value of oocysts identified is 620 oocysts/L. The highest value of Giardia cysts determined at the entrance of the lake is 352 cysts/L while at the outlet the highest value recorded is 294 cysts/L.     

减小水样浊度对废水中六价铬测定结果影响的方法探讨

建立了二苯碳酰二肼分光光度法测定废水中Cr(Ⅵ)的三波长法,减小了水样浊度的影响,但不能减小除浊度之外的其他干扰对Cr(Ⅵ)测定结果的影响。三波长法的测定波长为540 nm,460 nm和660 nm为参比波长,方法检出限为0.3μg/L(3.143s),拟合方程的线性关系为0.9998,8.0μg/L标准点水样测定结果的相对标准偏差(RSD,n=7)为1.44%,实际样品加标回收率均值为84.8%～93.8%。与单波长法相比,三波长法提高了二苯碳酰二肼分光光度法测定水中Cr(Ⅵ)的精密度和准确度,与浊度补偿法相比具有较好的精密度,可减轻分析人员的工作量。三波长法适用于较低浊度废水(显色后样品本底在540 nm处的吸光度小于0.1000)中Cr(Ⅵ)的直接比色分析,浊度较高的样品应适当稀释后显色测定。     

River bank filtration in Haridwar, India: removal of turbidity, organics and bacteria

Improvement in the quality of river water filtered through a 17-m thick sand-gravel unconfined aquifer at a production well surrounded by surface-water bodies, in Haridwar (India), was studied. Distances between surface water sources and the production well are more than 115 m, and the shortest travel times are 77 and 84 days for monsoon and non-monsoon periods, respectively. During the monsoon period, surface water exhibited increased turbidity by 50–100 times, bacterial count of around 10 times and decreased electrical conductivity of around 0.6 times compared to non-monsoon samples. The quality of abstracted bank filtrate, however, was found not to significantly vary. In non-monsoon months, riverbank filtration resulted in a reduction of turbidity and coliforms by 1 and 3 logs, respectively. For monsoonal months, this increased to more than 2 and 4 logs in turbidity and coliforms reduction, respectively. UV absorbance was also found to be reduced to about 1 log during monsoon season. Results from column studies confirmed that a retention time of around 5 days is adequate to achieve more than 99.9% removal of coliforms.     

寒区环境中的古DNA分子

寒区埋藏环境常年处于负温条件下,土壤冻结或冰的形成过程产生封闭作用,可以隔离造成埋藏生物遗体同DNA氧化分解的氧气之间的接触.由于液态水含量极大地减少和冰胶结作用,使得主要依赖于液态水而发生的生物大分子的化学分解以及生物降解反应作用减慢,有机体没有成岩过程中降解以及水解作用,从而使古DNA分子可以得到较好的保存.目前绝大多数关于古DNA研究的重要成果所使用生物材料均来自寒区环境,最为引人注目的有关猛犸象、棕熊和企鹅化石古DNA的研究.这些研究分别从个体、种群和同一种群在不同时间尺度上描绘了它们与现代生物种之间的亲缘关系、过去发生的生物迁移和空间隔离以及特定生物分子水平上的时间演化.从目前来看,大量的生物标本很好地保存在那里,以至于单一考贝基因都可以获得,因此是获取古DNA并获得相应遗传信息的理想地区.     

Turbidity as a proxy for total suspended solids (TSS) and particle facilitated pollutant transport in catchments

Transport of hydrophobic organic pollutants in rivers is mainly coupled to transport of suspended particles. Turbidity measurements are often used to assess the amount of suspended solids in water. In this study, a monitoring campaign is presented where the total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the amount of total suspended solids (TSS), and turbidity was measured in water samples from five neighboring catchments in southwest Germany. Linear correlations of turbidity and TSS were obtained which were in close agreement to the literature data. From linear regressions of turbidity versus total PAH concentrations in water, mean concentrations of PAH on suspended particles could be calculated and these varied by catchment. These values furthermore comprise a robust measure of the average sediment quality in a given catchment. Since in the catchments investigated in this study, PAH concentrations on suspended particles were stable over a large turbidity range (1–114 Nephelometric Turbidity Units), turbidity could be used as a proxy for total PAHs and likely other highly hydrophobic organic pollutants in river water if the associated correlations are established. Based on that, online monitoring of turbidity (e.g., by optical backscattering sensors) seems very promising to determine annual pollutant fluxes.     

Particle suspensions and their regions of effect in the Neuse River Estuary: Implications for water quality monitoring

Monitoring of estuarine condition depends on water quality parameters that have significant and interpretable ecological effects and can be assessed either in situ or via rapid laboratory techniques. Two commonly measured parameters are water column turbidity (NTU) and total suspended solids (TSS). Under certain conditions, either of these measures could represent a proxy for runoff and provide rapid, in situ measures to improve protection of the public by decreasing the time required to detect and monitor associated effects (e.g., reduced water clarity and eutrophication). The Neuse River Estuary (NRE) has experienced a decline in water quality due to anthropogenic inputs, including stormwater containing nutrient and particle loads. Water samples were collected from the NRE during both dry weather and storm events over 16 mo across the entire estuarine gradient. Particle size distributions, ratio of particulate organic carbon to nitrogen, chlorophylla (chla), TSS, and NTU were measured in each of these samples, with the data separated into regions based on salinity and depth of sample collection. Particle analyses were directed at identifying suspensions dominated by phytoplankton, runoff particles, or resuspended sediments. Particle size distributions for suspensions in Region I (all samples with salinity less than 2) varied little during sampling, resulting in a robust NTU-TSS relationship. This relationship confirmed the usefulness of turbidity as a measure of runoff and resuspension of recently deposited runoff in the upper NRE. Phytoplankton cells represented a majority of the particles in Region II (surface samples with salinity greater than 2), based on the close relationship between chla and total particle volume in these samples. Suspensions of large, nearly uniform diameter particles, which are likely aggregates and resuspended sediment, were observed in Region III (bottom samples with salinity greater than 2). Using these techniques as part of routine monitoring, particle suspension measures in different hydrographic regions of an estuary provide evidence useful for identifying the source and water quality consequences of particle suspensions (e.g., microbial contamination and algal blooms).     

Application of kinetic bioluminescence inhibition assay using live cultures of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aliivibrio fischeri</Emphasis> for determination of zinc toxicity

Variation in zinc toxicity with variation in environmental conditions was studied using the kinetic bioluminescence inhibition assay conducted with live cultures of Aliivibrio fischeri. A good correlation was observed between the static assay and flash assay for colorless non-turbid samples. Color and turbidity had negligible impact on the flash assay results while the static assay caused artifacts. Naturally occurring water samples showed wide variation in the toxicity profiles. Change in zinc toxicity was determined in response to variation in hardness, alkalinity and other coexisting cations/anions in model lake water and in the presence of a solid matrix. The presence of other anions and cations in model lake water reduced and enhanced zinc toxicity, respectively, due to changes in zinc speciation, and bioluminescence inhibition was well correlated with free zinc ion concentration. Increase in alkalinity and sulfate in model lake water lowered zinc toxicity, whereas increase in ammonium ions enhanced the toxicity. Variation in toxicity with hardness was dependent on the Ca: Mg hardness ratio in the samples. The presence of solid matrix decreased toxicity of the aqueous extracts, and toxicity of the matrix was found to increase with decreasing grain size. Speciation pattern of zinc in the respective fractions, however, revealed no direct relationship between zinc associated with fraction that are considered bioavailable to higher organism and the observed toxicity. This assay may be recommended for toxicity analysis of environmental samples since most of the results obtained correlate well with observations reported in toxicity studies with higher organisms.     

湖泊沉积物中DNA提取与PCR扩增

对湖泊沉积物中保存的生物大分子—DNA进行研究分析,以探讨湖泊生态系统随环境改变而演变的过程。根据前人对土壤和海洋沉积物DNA的提取方法,针对湖泊沉积物的特点进行改进,在此基础上对太湖梅梁湾湖泊沉积岩芯进行DNA提取和扩增。结果表明：不同深度湖泊沉积物均能获得DNA,且纯度较高,OD²⁶⁰/ OD²⁸⁰均大于1.4、OD²⁶⁰/ OD²³⁰大于1.1,可直接用于PCR（polymerase chain reaction ）扩增。对微囊藻的16S rRNA基因进行PCR扩增,结果发现在前5个沉积物样品中,均得到了200 bp左右的微囊藻16S rRNA基因片段,表明微囊藻或已降解的微囊藻基因片段存在于这5个层位的湖泊沉积物中。这为利用湖泊沉积物中的生物分子来推断历史湖泊生物群落结构,判断湖泊生态演变的历史提供了新的研究思路。     

天然河床渗滤取水工艺的原理与特点研究——以浠水南城水厂为例

渗滤取水净水机理主要是利用砂砾石层表面的泥膜及砂砾石层本身过滤作用、吸附作用,微生物的降解作用达到去除水中的悬浮物质、降低水的浊度、除菌的效果。以湖北浠水南城水厂渗滤取水工程为例,通过对渗滤工程特点和水质监测数据的研究,分析天然河床渗滤水水质及水源水水质的差异,以及渗滤水水质的可靠度。     

Turbidity development and dissipation in paleoplacer gold deposits, southern New Zealand

Placer gold mining inevitably produces highly turbid processing waters. Five historic paleoplacer mining sites in Central Otago, New Zealand, provided 24 samples which were used in laboratory-based settling experiments. Turbidity was examined in the context of stratigraphy of paleoplacer deposits, their environments of formation, and the groundwater processes that affected the deposits as well as the underlying bedrock. Settling rates were characterised by measuring turbidity levels over time (up to 40 days) using turbidimeter and Coulter counter methods. High clay mineral (mostly kaolinite) contents of the materials were confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Grain size distributions of suspended materials were very comparable across all samples with majority of particles falling between <1.2 and 2.5 μm. The levels of turbidity produced by the auriferous sediments were partly controlled by the level of sorting and winnowing that the sediments were subjected to during transport and deposition. Debris flow material generated high turbidity [initial levels of 120–420 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU)] which settled slowly, as did eolian siltstone (1,600 NTU). Fluvial sediments generally generated lower turbidity which settled more rapidly, on the scale of hours to days. It was found that cementation of the sediment can reduce turbidity generation by limiting disaggregation of the clay minerals. On the other hand, the presence of altered lithic clasts within the sediments contributes to higher turbidity production. There was poor correlation between the level of bedrock alteration, as indicated by Chemical Index of Alteration, and the resulting turbidity. Settling rates were more rapid in experiments conducted in saline solution, as opposed to stream water, due to floc formation.     

安徽淮北平原浅层地下水水质特征分析

以安徽淮北平原浅层地下水中的水质状况为研究对象,有针对性地采集了浅层地下水水样151个,应用多种方法测试了26种水样指标。综合分析结果表明:安徽淮北平原浅层地下水色度、浊度超标率小于10%;pH均值为7.6,为中性偏碱性水;HCO3—Na.Ca、HCO3—Na、SO4—Na、HCO3.SO4—Na.Mg等4种水化学类型占62.9%;硬度和TDS均值分别为481mg/L,641mg/L;Fe、Mn超标率分别为50.8%,46.9%;F-均值为1.4mg/L,低洼地势含氟矿物的溶解是导致F-局部偏高的主要原因,最高可达4.1mg/L;CODMn变化范围为1.0～3.5mg/L,有机污染程度低;三氮浓度随深度的增加而减少,农药化肥的过量使用是导致NO3--N和NH4+-N超标的主要原因,NO2--N超标19.1%,且与Fe2+浓度呈正相关关系(相关系数为0.933)。主成分分析发现,地下水的交换吸附作用、溶滤作用,原始沉积环境以及农业生产活动是影响其水质的主要因素。     

地下水硝酸盐氮同位素分析最新方法——细菌反硝化法

细菌反硝化法是目前地下水中硝酸盐氮同位素分析的最新方法，包括反硝化菌的选取与培养、反硝化菌将硝酸盐完全转化成N2O气体、N2O气体的提取与纯化、N2O气体氮同位素测定。与传统方法相比，细菌反硝化法可分析低浓度微量水中硝酸盐氮同位素，且更为快捷可靠。     

Low incidence and limited effect of the oyster pathogen dermo (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Perkinsus marinus</Emphasis>) on an artificial reef in Delaware's Inland Bays

Delaware's Inland Bays comprise a large estuarine system with a restricted access to the Atlantic Ocean (Indian River Inlet). As part of a local oyster stock enhancement and restoration effort, we conducted a survey for the protozoan pathogenPerkinsus marinus (Dermo) in oysters from a newly established reef. Using standardized methods for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the non-transcribed spacer (NTS) region, we were surprised to find no detectable titers of this pathogen in the 30 oysters sampled in the first year of the project. The detection threshold of the PCR coupled with chemiluminescent detection was 30 fgP. marinus NTS DNA. We were able to detect a trace presence of this pathogen in a few hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) from the same locale, indicating that aPerkinsus sp. was present in the Inland Bay system. Subsequent monitoring of the reef system using a fluid thioglycollate assay over 3 yr revealed no epizootic outbreaks of this pathogen within the planted oyster population. Two large mortality episodes that did appear in the oyster population were attributable to abiotic conditions and not pathogen exposure. This study emphasizes that all potential sources of mortality in the environment are important to consider when designing oyster seeding projects. In the Delaware Inland Bays,P. marinus does not appear to have a large enough oyster host population to become a significant disease threat at present. Because of the low parasite incidence levels in the Inland Bay system in 2000, the James Farm oyster reef restoration project presents an ideal model system to follow the population dynamics between an oyster-host population and a latent or reservoir pathogen population.     

Rapid development of gravelly high-density turbidity currents in marine Gilbert-type fan deltas, Loreto Basin, Baja California Sur, Mexico

The Pliocene Loreto basin is an asymmetrical half graben located on the eastern margin of Baja California Sur, Mexico, which formed by rapid subsidence along the dextral-normal Loreto fault. The southern Loreto basin contains numerous, well exposed coarse-grained Gilbert-type fan deltas that were derived from the footwall of the Loreto fault. Detailed sedimentological study of individual foreset beds provides information about down-slope flow transformations of cohesionless sediment gravity flows in shallow water. Deposits of Gilbert-delta foresets consist of ungraded, normal-graded, inverse- to normal-graded, and bipartite conglomerate and sandstone. Lateral transitions in sorting, grading style and internal structure are commonly observed within individual beds, both across and down slope, suggesting heterogeneity within flows and a close relationship between high-density turbidity currents and gravel traction carpets. A conceptual model for flow transformation and deposition of high-density turbidity currents on Gilbert-delta foreset slopes is developed for Pliocene strata in the Loreto basin. In this model, ungraded cohesionless debris flows evolved rapidly down-slope into normal-graded gravelly turbidity currents. With continued down-slope transport, the gravel fraction collapses and becomes concentrated into a basal traction carpet undergoing laminar shear, and is over-ridden by a sandy turbulent suspension. The short distances (10–20 m) over which lateral transitions within single beds are observed indicate very rapid flow transformations (10–20 s) and rapid deposition of gravel traction carpets by frictional freezing on and near the base of the foreset slope.     

Distribution characteristics and source of BTEX in groundwater in Guangzhou,Guangdong Province,P. R. China

In order to find out the distribution characteristics of BTEX in groundwater, which include Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, p-Xylene, m-Xylene, and o-Xylene, 82 groups of groundwater samples and 10 surface water samples collected from Guangzhou in Guangdong during 2005 to 2008 were tested by gas chromatography and mass spectrum(GC/MS). The result showed that the BTEX concentration in groundwater does not exceed the standard. The detection rate of BTEX is 14.63% in groundwater, and the total BTEX concentration is lower than 9.5 μg/L. Of 6 kinds of BTEX, toluene had the highest detection rate(12.20%) and detection value(9.5 μg/L), which was followed by Benzene, with the detection rate of 3.65%, and detection value of 4.9 μg/L respectively; most of samples with BTEX are distributed in Huangpu district, Baiyun district, Huadu district and other industrialized areas; this spatial distribution and urban distribution have obvious consistency. With economic development, plant expansion and population growth led to a large amount of waste water discharge, and infrastructure construction is lagging behind, indicating that rapid urbanization is a major driving force of BTEX in groundwater, and through the analysis of a typical area, it is found that benzene system surface water infiltration was an important source of BTEX in groundwater of Guangzhou.     

涌流型浊流形成及发展的实验模拟

对涌流型浊流及底流型浊流的动量方程进行了比较,结果表明涌流型浊流不仅从其前部卷吸水体,同时从其顶面卷吸水体。在 0°、5°、10°底坡上开展的涌流型浊流的模拟实验发现 :涌流型浊流的悬浮云是悬伸而向前凸出的,在横向上形成近乎周期性出现的船艄形的凸起和凹陷;涌流型浊流的主体比头部运动速度快,运动过程表现为波浪式前进、后波超前波的特征;涌流型浊流的流体厚度及速度与搬运距离和底坡成正比;流体密度在其底部较大,顶部较小,而底流型浊流不具上述特征。     

锍镍试金-等离子体质谱法测定地球化学勘探样品中的铂族元素和金Ⅱ．分析流程空白的降低

对锍镍试金富集－等离子体质谱法测定贵金属流程中的试剂空白进行了检查，并对空白主要来源－捕集剂镍的各种纯化方法作了对比，提出了回收试金流程中溶扣后滤液中的镍循环使用。在有效降低空白的基础上，满足了化探样品所要求的0.0x ng/g级检出限，对超痕量贵金属标样分析结果与标准值符合。     

Using palaeoenvironmental DNA to reconstruct past environments: progress and prospects

Palaeoenvironmental DNA (PalEnDNA) is defined as ancient DNA (aDNA) originating from disseminated genetic material within palaeoenvironmental samples. Sources of PalEnDNA include marine and lake sediments, peat, loess, till, ice, permafrost, palaeosols, coprolites, preserved gut contents, dental calculus, tephras, and soils as well as deposits in caves/rockshelters and at archaeological sites. PalEnDNA analysis provides a relatively new tool for Quaternary and archaeological sciences and its applications have included palaeoenvironmental and palaeodietary reconstructions, testing hypotheses regarding megafaunal extinctions, human–environment interactions, taxonomic studies, and studies of DNA damage. Because PalEnDNA samples comprise markedly different materials, and represent wide‐ranging depositional and taphonomic contexts, various issues must be addressed to achieve robust, reproducible findings. Such issues include climatic and temporal limitations, the biological origin and state (free versus bound) of PalEnDNA, stratigraphic reliability, sterile sampling, ability to distinguish modern from aDNA signals, DNA damage and PCR amplification, DNA extraction methods, and taxonomic resolution. In this review, we provide a non‐specialist introduction to the use of PalEnDNA for Quaternary and archaeological researchers, assess attributes and limitations of this palaeoenvironmental tool, and discuss future prospects of using PalEnDNA to reconstruct past environments.