A pressure-calibration method of wavelength modulation spectroscopy in sealed microbial growth environment

A new pressure-calibration method for calibrating the reduction of second harmonic(2f)amplitude caused by pressure broadening effect in sealed microbial growth environment is present.The new method combines with linewidth compensation and modulation depth compensation and makes the 2f amplitude accurately retrieve metabolic CO_(2) in microbial growth.In order to verify the method,a simulation experiment is developed,in which the increasing CO_(2) concentration leads to the increasing pressure.Comparing with the relation between the traditional 2f amplitude and gas concentration,there is a monotonous relation between the calibrated 2f amplitude and CO_(2) concentration,particularly,a linear relation is present when the CO_(2) concentration is replaced with the CO_(2) particle number.In terms of microbial measurement,the growth of Escherichia coli is measured,and the culture bottle is sealed during the microbial growth process.The experimental results show that,comparing to the microbial growth retrieved by traditional 2f amplitude,the calibrated 2f amplitude can accurately retrieve microbial growth in sealed environment.

Effects of Microbial Fertilizer on Growth Characteristics of Facility Tomato and Chemical Properties of Acidic soil

[Objectives] This study was conducted to discuss the possibility of applying microbial fertilizer to production of facility tomato,so as to determine rational application rate for facility tomato. [Methods]A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of the application of microbial fertilizer onto acidic soil on yield,quality and soil chemical properties of facility tomato. [Results] Yield of facility tomato was improved after the application of microbial fertilizer.Treatment ABA-2 showed the highest yield,which was higher than the CK by 7. 98%. On the basis of conventional fertilization,the combined application with microbial fertilizer could promote growth and development of tomato,and could significantly improve fruit weight,and Vc,soluble solid and lycopene contents. Furthermore,the microbial fertilizer could remarkably improve soil p H,alkali-hydrolyzale nitrogen,available phosphorus and rapidly available potassium contents.[Conclusions]The application of microbial fertilizer at 80 kg/667 m;has better effects on tomato growth and development and soil status.

Divergent responses of growth rate and antioxidative system of ten Bacillus strains to acid stresses

Response of growth rate and antioxidative system of ten Bacillus strains to acid stresses was assayed.Strong acid treatment significantly decreased the growth rate of the strains.Acid stresses increased the GPX activity and GSSG content of the tested strains.Divergent changes occurred in ROS and antioxidative system(SOD,CAT,GR,MDA and GSH).Environmental changes including soil acidification exert obvi-ous stresses on soil ecosystems and influence soil microor-ganisms.In this study,ten microbial strains were incubated under different acid treatments to investigate responses of microbial growth and antioxidative system to acid stress.All the strains belong to Bacillus genus,but exhibit distinct ecological functions.We observed that these microbial strains had obviously different pH tolerance threshold,in spite of the close phylogenetic classification among strains.Acid stresses exerted significant effects on microbial antiox-idative system,including superoxide dismutase(SOD),cata-lase(CAT)and glutathione transferring enzymes(GPX and GR)and reactants(GSH and GSSH),but the effects were strain specific.Furthermore,we found acid stress effects on total variances of the investigated microbial antioxidative system along the first two principal components(PCs).Activities of CAT and SOD contributed substantially to PC1 that reflected obvious acid effects on NC7 and ZC4,and closely related to intracellular malondialdehyde content.The GSSG activities and GSH/GSSG contributed greatly to PC2 that unveiled acid stress effects on most of the microbial strains.Our results highlight substantially heterogeneous responses of microbial strains to acid stress and support that phylogenetic closeness does not imply functional similarity of soil microorganisms under environmental changes.

Sludge granulation and efficiency of phase separator in UASB reactor treating combined industrial effluent

Sludge granulation and the effect of gas-liquid-solid separator （GLSS） design on the efficiency of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket （UASB） and upflow anaerobic sludge filter （UASF） reactors, operating at HRTs ranging from 3 to 12 h was investigated. VSS/TS ratio gradually increased in both the reactors with increasing sludge age （from 0.5 to more than 0.7 for UASB reactor and 0.012 to 0.043 for UASF reactor）. X-Ray diffraction analysis of the UASF sludge showed the presence of expanding clays revealing its additional absorption capability. Fuoraphyllite and albite precipitation related to excellular polymers of the microbial shell structure, showed the extended growth of microorganisms during sludge granulation. A gradual decrease （82%-69%） in COD removal with decreasing HRT was apparent in UASF reactor. In case of UASB reactor, this decrease was marginal because addition of GLSS device significantly improved （14%-20%） the overall efficiency of the UASB reactor. GLSS enhanced the efficiency of the UASB reactor by increasing the settleability of suspended particles and accelerating the coagulation of colloidal particles due to the velocity gradient.

Experiments and modelling of phenanthrene biodegradation in the aqueous phase by a mixed culture

Pollution by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons（PAHs） is widespread due to tmsuitable disposal of industrial waste. They are mostly defined as priority pollutants by environmental protection authorities worldwide. Phenanthrene, a typical PAH, was selected as the target in this paper. The PAH-degrading mixed culture, named ZM, was collected from a petroleum contaminated river bed. This culture was injected into phenanthrene solutions at different concentrations to quantify the biodegradation process. Results show near-complete removal of phenanthrene in three days of biodegradation if the initial phenanthrene concentration is low. When the initial concentration is high, the removal rate is increased but 20%-40% of the phenanthrene remains at the end of the experiment. The biomass shows a peak on the third day due to the combined effects of microbial growth and decay. Another peak is evident for cases with a high initial concentration, possibly due to production of an intermediate metabolite. The pH generally decreased during biodegradation because of the production of organic acid. Two phenomenological models were designed to simulate the phenanthrene biodegradation and biomass growth. A relatively simple model that does not consider the intermediate metabolite and its inhibition of phenanthrene biodegradation cannot fit the observed data. A modified Monod model that considered an intermediate metabolite （organic acid） and its inhibiting reversal effect reasonably depicts the experimental results.

Role of temperature fluctuations and shocks during refrigeration on pork and salmon quality

Refrigeration is considered a prime technology for preserving meat products.Temperature alterations are commonly ignored by industry during refrigeration,which have impacts on product quality.Thus,we conducted research on pork loin and salmon fllets that were preserved for o,5,9,12,and 15 d,where different temperature fluctuations and shocks were established on 4℃.Data revealed that several meat parameters such as total volatile basic nitrogen,total viable count,and lipid oxidation were significantly changed in the±2 C fluctuations group compared with the constant temperature group.Additionally,both the temperature fluctuations and shocks groups had accelerated myofibril protein degrad-ation,while desmin expression and species richness/diversity of bacteria were significantly reduced in the±2℃fluctuations group compared with the constant temperature group.Briefly,temperature fluctuations and shocks accelerated the destruction of muscle structural integrity.Furthermore,both conditions accelerated meat spoilage by progressively expanding the water-loss channels,which can reduce meat edibility.This study provides a new theoretical basis for the proper use of refrigerated temperatures for storing meat products.