Advances in Application of Biological Nitrification Inhibitors

Based on current research, the characteristics and action mechanism of biological nitrification inhibitors at home and abroad were reviewed by combining with the latest research progress. The application effects of biological nitrification inhibitors on agricultural production were summarized. Research hotspot and achievements of biological nitrification inhibitors at home and abroad were summarized. The research direction in future was forecasted.

Peashrub Community May Accelerate the Successional Process in a Meadowland-Peashrub-Birch Sere

Net N mineralization and nitrification were determined using the closed_top PVC tube in situ incubation method in a subalpine meadow (Saussurea iodostegia Hance + Carex capillaris L.)→shagspine peashrub (Caragana jubata (Pall.) Poir) shrubland→ribbed birch (Betula costata Trautv.) successional sere. The ability of the three communities to supply available N was comparatively studied. The results showed that there were apparent seasonal changes in the inorganic N pools (including NH + 4_N and NO - 3_N) and net N mineralization and nitrification rates in the three sites. There were generally no significant differences in the inorganic N pools among sampling events. But the NH + 4_N concentration in both birch (P<0.01) and meadow (P<0.01) sites was significantly higher than that in peashrub site in June 1996, and the NO - 3_N concentration in peashrub site was significantly higher than that of meadow site (P<0.05) in August 1996. The annual net N mineralization and nitrification rates in peashrub site (16.01 kg·hm -2 ) were higher than in birch (12.05 kg·hm -2 ) and meadow sites (1.64 kg·hm -2 ). The annual net nitrification rate in peashrub site (11.37 kg·hm -2 ) was higher than in meadow site (10.90 kg·hm -2 ) and much lower than in birch site (14.36 kg·hm -2 ). We conclude that the ability of peashrub shrubland soil to supply available N for plant uptake and the ability to prevent available N from denitrification and leaching were higher than that of the other two sites. The leguminous peashrub might play a potential role in supplying more N, which in turn facilitate the invasion of birch saplings during the successional processes.

Effect of Lime Nitrogen on the Transformation of Ureain Soils

Laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to study the effect of lime nitrogen(LN) on transfor-mation of iirea-N in three paddy soils. The results showed that LN had an inhibitory effect on urease activityin these soils especially in the first 5 days, and that in the first 20 days of incubation, the amount of NH-Nderived from urea was lower in the soil with LN than in the soil without LN. While after 30 days the ainountof NH-N was higher in the mature haplic paddy soil developed on Quaternary red clay(MHPS) with LNthan that in the soil without LN. The amonnt of NH_3-N volatilized was decreased in the earlier stage andincreased in the later stage of incubation in the MHPS by the addition of LN.

DYNAMIC CHANGES OF INORGANIC NITROGEN AND ASTAXANTHIN ACCUMULATION IN HAEMATOCOCCUS PLUVIALIS

This study on dynamic changes of culture color, astaxanthin and chlorophylls, inorganic N including N NO - 3, N NO - 2 and N NH + 4 in batch culture of Haematococcus pluvialis exposed to different additive nitrate concentration showed (1) ast/chl ratio was over 0.8 for brown and red algae, but was usually less than 0.5 for green and yellow algae; (2) N NO - 3, in general, was unstable and decreased, except for a small unexpected increase in nitrate enriched treatment groups; (3) measurable amounts of N NO - 2 and N NH + 4 were observed respectively with three change modes although no external nitrite and ammonia were added into the culture; (4) a non linear correlation between ast/chl ratio (or color) changes and the levels of N NO - 3 , N NO - 2 , N NH + 4 in H. pluvialis culture; (5) up and down variation of the ast/chl ratio occurred simultaneously with a perceptible color change from yellow to brown (or red) when N NO - 3, N NO - 2 and N NH + 4 fluctuated around 30, 5, 5 μmol/L respectively; (6) existence of three dynamic modes of N NO - 3, N NO - 2 and N NH + 4 changes, obviously associated with initial external nitrate; (7) the key level of total inorganic N concentration regulating the above physiological changes during indoor cultivation was about 50 μmol/L; and (8) 0.5-10 mmol/L of nitrate was theoretically conducive to cell growth in batch culture.

Spatial Distribution and Environmental Determinants of Denitrification Enzyme Activity in Reed-Dominated Raised Fields

Denitrification is an important process of nitrogen removal in lake ecosystems.However,the importance of denitrification across the entire soil-depth gradients including subsurface layers remains poorly understood.This study aims to determine the spatial pattern of soil denitrification enzyme activity(DEA) and its environmental determinants across the entire soil depth gradients in the raised fields in Baiyang Lake,North China.In two different zones of the raised fields(i.e.,water boundary vs.main body of the raised fields),the soil samples from 1.0 m to 1.1 m depth were collected,and the DEA and following environmental determinants were quantified:soil moisture,p H,total nitrogen(TN),ammonia nitrogen(NH4+-N),nitrate nitrogen(NO3–-N),total organic carbon(TOC),and rhizome biomass of Phragmites australis.The results showed that the soil DEA and environmental factors had a striking zonal distribution across the entire soil depth gradients.The soil DEA reached two peak values in the upper and middle soil layers,indicating that denitrification are important in both topsoil and subsurface of the raised fields.The correlation analysis showed that the DEA is negatively correlated with the soil depth(p < 0.05).However,this phenomenon did not occur in the distance to the water edge,except in the upper layers(from 0.2 m to 0.7 m) of the boundary zone of the raised fields.In the main body of the raised fields,the DEA level remained high;however,it showed no significant relationship with the distance to the water edge.The linear regression analysis showed significant positive correlation of the DEA with the soil TN,NO3–-N,NH4+-N,and TOC;whereas it showed negative correlation with soil p H.No significant correlations with soil moisture and temperature were observed.A positive correlation was also found between the DEA and rhizome biomass of P.australis.

Transformation of Fertilizer-N in Rhizosphere Soils of Wheat

INTRODUCTION There is a close relationship between the transformation of fertilizer-N and the statusof nitrogen nutrition in rhizosphere soils.Previously,Harmsen and Jager(1962)made ananalysis of N and C contents in the rhizosphere soils of upland crops and found thatclose to the root zone there was an enrichment of these substances.Recently,Qin and Liu(1984;1989)investigated the distribution of nitrogen in the rhizosphere of crops after ap-

Characterization of the start-up period of single-step autotrophic nitrogen removal in a sequencing batch reactor

The characteristics of the start-up period of single-step autotrophic nitrogen removal process were investigated. The autotrophic nitrogen removal process used a sequencing batch reactor to treat wastewater of medium to low ammonia-nitrogen concentration, with dissolved oxygen （DO）, hydraulic retention time （HRT） and temperature controlled. The experimental conditions were temperature at （30±2） ℃, ammonia concentration of （60 to 120） mg/L, DO of （0.8 to 1.0） mg/L, pH from 7.8 to 8.5 and HRT of 24 h. The rates of nitrification and nitrogen removal turn out to be 77% and 40%, respectively, after a start up period going through three stages divided according to nitrite accumulation： sludge domestication, nitrifying bacteria selection and sludge adaptation, It is demonstrated that dissolved oxygen is critical to nitrite accumulation and elastic YJZH soft compound packing is superior to polyhedral hollow balls in helping the bacteria adhere to the membrane.

Effect of dietary supplementation of vitamin C on growth, reactive oxygen species, and antioxidant enzyme activity of Apostichopus japonicus(Selenka) juveniles exposed to nitrite

Different amounts of vitamin C were added to diets fed to juveniles （2.5＋0.15 g） of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus （Selenka） in an attempt to reduce the stress response of specimens exposed to nitrite stress. A commercial feed was used as the control diet and three experimental diets were made by supplementing 1 000, 1 500, or 2 000 mg vitamin C/kg diet to control diet separately in a 45-day experiment. Sea cucumbers were exposed to three different levels （0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg/L） of nitrite stress for 4, 8, and 12 h at four time intervals （0, 15, 30, and 45 d）. Growth of the animals was recorded during the experiment. Reactive oxygen species （ROS） （i.e. hydroxyl free radical （-OH）, malondialdehyde （MDA） and total antioxidant capacity （T-AOC）） and antioxidant enzyme activities （i.e., superoxide dismutase （SOD） and eatalase （CAT）） were measured. Response surface methodology （RSM） was used to analyze the effect of multiple factors on ROS indices and enzyme activities. Weight gain （WG） and special growth rate （SGR） of vitamin C supplementation groups were significantly higher than those of control group （P〈0.05）. The levels of-OH and MDA increased under exposure time extending and nitrite concentration increasing, whereas T-AOC level decreased. SOD and CAT activities increased at 4 h and 8 h and decreased at 12 h. During the days in which the animal consumed experimental diets, the levels of-OH and MDA decreased and that of T-AOC increased. This result suggests that diets containing vitamin C could reduce the nitrite stress response in the animals and increase their antioxidant capacity. The multifactor regression equation of growth performance, ROS indices, and duration of feeding results suggest that vitamin C supplementation of 1 400-2 000 mg/kg diet for 29-35 days could reduce effectively the effects of nitrite exposure.

Antibiotic resistance and cagA gene correlation:A looming crisis of Helicobacter pylori

AIM:To determine antibiotic resistance of Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori) in Pakistan and its correlation with host and pathogen associated factors.METHODS:A total of 178 strains of H.pylori were isolated from gastric biopsies of dyspeptic patients.Susceptibility patterns against first and second-line antibiotics were determined and trends of resistance were analyzed in relation to the sampling period,gastric conditions and cagA gene carriage.The effect of cagA gene on the acquisition of resistance was investigated by mutant selection assay.RESULTS:The observations showed that monoresistant strains were prevalent with rates of 89% for metronidazole,36% for clarithromycin,37% for amoxicillin,18.5% for ofloxacin and 12% for tetracycline.Furthermore,clarithromycin resistance was on the rise from 2005 to 2008(32% vs 38%,P = 0.004) and it is significantly observed in non ulcerative dyspeptic patients compared to gastritis,gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer cases(53% vs 20%,18% and 19%,P = 0.000).On the contrary,metronidazole and ofloxacin resistance were more common in gastritis and gastric ulcer cases.Distribution analysis and frequencies of resistant mutants in vitro correlated with the absence of cagA gene with metronidazole and ofloxacin resistance.CONCLUSION:The study confirms the alarming levels of antibiotic resistance associated with the degree of gastric inflammation and cagA gene carriage in H.pylori strains.

EFFECT OF ANGIOTENSIN II RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST AND ENDOTHELIN RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST ON NITROGLYCERIN TOLERANCE IN RATS

Objective. To investigate whether angiotensin II receptor antagonist and endothelin receptor antagonist can improve the nitroglycerin (Nit) tolerance in vivo. Methods. Twenty- four rats were divided into 4 groups (n=6,each): Control group, Nitroglycerin (Nit) group, Nit＋ bosentan group and Nit＋ losartan group. Nitroglycerin tolerance was induced by 2- day treatment of nitroglycerin patch (0.05 mg/h). AngiotensinⅡ receptor antagonist losartan ( 10 mg· kg－ 1· d－ 1 ) and endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan ( 100 mg· kg－ 1· d－ 1 ) were given by gavage for 2 days respectively. Results. The least hypotensive response to sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was observed in Nit group . The effective percentages of hypotensive response to SNP were increased in both Nit＋ losartan group and Nit＋ bosentan group compared with Nit group [(31.95± 4.45 )％ vs (21.00± 3.69 )％ , P< 0.01 and (33.18± 6.16 )％ vs (21.00± 3.69 )％ , P< 0.01 ,respectively]. The maximal vessel relaxation induced by SNP was the same in 4 different groups but the highest EC50 (concentration which produces 50％ of the maximal response to SNP) was found in tolerant group[(34± 10) nmol/ L,P < 0.01 .The ET- 1 amounts in plasma and vascular tissue were markedly increased by 54％ and 60％ in Nit group compared with those in control group(P< 0.01).The ET- 1 amounts in plasma and vascular tissue were decreased by 30％ and 37％ in Nit＋ losartan group compared with those in Nit group (P< 0.01). Conclusion. Endothelin receptor antagonist and angiotensinⅡ receptor antagonist could prevent against the Nit tolerance .

Climatic significance of δD time series in tree rings from Tianmu Mountain

Based on cross-dating tree ring age from Tianmu Mountain, Zhejiang Province, theδD of each tree ring nitrocellulose was measured and then theδ D annual time series was established. Using meteorological data from Tianmu Mountain Observatory, the responds ofδ D of tree ring to climatic factors were analyzed. The results suggest that theδ D time series of the tree ring correlates well with climatic conditions, primarily with precipitation of the second half of each year, average annual air temperature and average annual maximum air temperature. The reconstructed maximum winter air temperature by theδ D of tree ring is in good correlation with local instrumental data. The low-frequency variations of reconstructed mean maximum air temperature of the winter in Tianmu Mountain corroborate with the temperature change in a large special scale. Tianmu Mountain is located in winter monsoon sensitive zone, thus the influence of winter temperature on tree growth is quite obvious. The results in this paper suggest thatδ D of tree ring is an effective proxy for winter temperature in non-limited regions.

Fabrication and thermal decomposition of glycidyl azide polymer modified nitrocellulose double base propellants

Glycidyl azide polymer （GAP） with the advantages of non-volatility and excellent thermal stability is a candidate as a re- placement for nitroglycerine （NG） in a double base propellant. The GAP-NC double base propellants were formulated with GAP and nitrocellulose （NC） fibers. Tensile test and SEM characterization indicated that GAP-NC propellants had a homoge- neous structure. Thermogravimetric analysis of GAP-NC propellants revealed that the onset decomposition temperature reached a high level ranging from 192.9 to 194.6 ℃, which indicated that the substitution of NG with GAP contributed to the safe storage and process operations for double base propellant. The result analysis of decomposition products of GAP-NC propellants showed that the main gas decomposition products of the propellants were NO, NO〉 CO, CO2, NH3, CH4, HCN, N2 CH20 and C2H40. The thermal decomposition process of the specimens was proposed.

Nitrogen Isotopic Fractionation Related to Nitrification Capacity in Agricultural Soils

A laboratory-based aerobic incubation was conducted to investigate nitrogen （N） isotopic fractionation related to nitrification in five agricultural soils after application of ammonium sulfate （（NH4）2804）. The soil samples were collected from a subtropical barren land soil derived from granite （RGB）, three subtropical upland soils derived from granite （RQU）, Quaternary red earth （RGU）, Quaternary Xiashu loess （YQU） and a temperate upland soil generated from alluvial deposit （FAU）. The five soils varied in nitrification potential, being in the order of FAU 〉 YQU 〉 RGU 〉 RQU 〉 RGB. Significant N isotopic fractionation accompanied nitrification of NH4＋. 615N values of NH4＋ increased with enhanced nitrification over time in the four upland soils with NH4＋ addition, while those of NO3 decreased consistently to the minimum and thereafter increased. 515N values of NH4＋ showed a significantly negative linear relationship with NH4＋-N concentration, but a positive linear relationship with NO3-N concentration. The apparent isotopic fractionation factor calculated based on the loss of NH4＋ was 1.036 for RQU, 1.022 for RGU, 1.016 for YQU, and 1.020 for FAU, respectively. Zero- and first-order reaction kinetics seemed to have their limitations in describing the nitrification process affected by NH4＋ input in the studied soils. In contrast, N kinetic isotope fractionation was closely related to the nitrifying activity, and might serve as an alternative tool for estimating the nitrification capacity of agricultural soils.