Pyrosequencing-based assessment of bacterial community structure in mine soils affected by mining subsidence

Based on the 454 pyrosequencing approach, this research evaluated the influence of coal mining subsi- dence on soil bacterial diversity and community structure in Chinese mining area. In order to characterize the bacterial community comparatively, this study selected a field experiment site with coal-excavated subsidence soils and an adjacent site with non-disturbed agricultural soils, respectively. The dataset com- prises 24512 sequences that are affiliated to the 7 phylogenetic groups： proteobacteria, actinobacteria, bacteroidetes, gemmatimonadetes, chlorofiexi, nitrospirae and unclassified phylum. Proteobacteria is the largest bacterial phylum in all samples, with a marked shift of the proportions of alpha-, beta-, and gammaproteobacteria. The results show that undisturbed soils are relatively more diverse and rich than subsided soils, and differences in abundances of dominant taxonomic groups between the two soil groups are visible. Compared with the control, soil nutrient contents decline achieves significant level in subsided soils. Correlational analysis showed bacterial diversity indices have significantly positive corre- lation with soil organic matter, total N, total P, and available K. but in negative relation with soil salinity. Ground subsidence noticeably affects the diversity and composition of soil microbial community. Degen- eration of soil fertility and soil salinization inhibits the sole-carbon-source metabolic ability of microbial community, leading to the simplification of advantage species and uneven distribution of microbial spe- cies. This work demonstrates the great potential of pyrosequencing technique in revealing microbial diversity and presents background information of microbial communities of mine subsidence land.

ZnS/Bacterial Cellulose/Epoxy Resin(ZnS/BC/E56) Nanocomposites with Good Transparency and Flexibility

ZnS/bacterial cellulose/epoxy resin （ZnS/BC/E56） nanocomposites with good transparency and flexibil-ity were prepared and characterized. When the precursor Zn^2＋ concentrations were not more than I wt%, the size of the introduced ZnS nanoparticles was smaller than 50 nm and the distribution was homo-geneous within the composites. Under the condition, outstanding transmittance more than 70g in the visible light was obtained. By incorporation of ZnS nanoparticles with excellent thermo-optic stability to the composites, the thermo-optic coefficient was obviously increased from -361 × 10^-6 to -310 × 10^-6K^-1. The good flexibility, optical and mechanical properties endow the nanocomposites potential applica- tions in the flexible optoelectronic materials.

Characteristics of novel Ti-10Mo-xCu alloy by powder metallurgy for potential biomedical implant applications

When biomaterials are implanted in the human body,the surfaces of the implants become favorable sites for microbial adhesion and biofilm formation,causing peri-implant infection which frequently results in the failure of prosthetics and revision surgery.Ti-Mo alloy is one of the commonly used implant materials for load-bearing bone replacement,and the prevention of infection of Ti-Mo implants is therefore crucial.In this study,bacterial inhibitory copper(Cu)was added to Ti-Mo matrix to develop a novel Ti-Mo-Cu alloy with bacterial inhibitory property.The effects of Cu content on microstructure,tensile properties,cytocompatibility,and bacterial inhibitory ability of Ti-Mo-Cu alloy were systematically investigated.Results revealed that Ti-10Mo-1Cu alloy consisted ofαandβphases,while there were a few Ti2Cu intermetallic compounds existed for Ti-10Mo-3Cu and Ti-10Mo-5Cu alloys,in addition toαandβphases.The tensile strength of Ti-10Mo-xCu alloy increased with Cu content while elongation decreased.Ti-10Mo-3Cu alloy exhibited an optimal tensile strength of 1098.1 MPa and elongation of 5.2%.Cytocompatibility study indicated that none of the Ti-10Mo-xCu alloys had a negative effect on MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation.Bacterial inhibitory rates against S.aureus and E.coli increased with the increase in Cu content of Ti-10Mo-xCu alloy,within the ranges of 20-60%and 15-50%,respectively.Taken together,this study suggests that Ti-10Mo-3Cu alloy with high strength,acceptable elongation,excellent cytocompatibility,and the bacterial inhibitory property is a promising candidate for biomedical implant applications.