Both ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) can be involved in biotransformation of ammonia to nitrite in soil ecosystems. However, the distribution of AOA and AOB in plateau soils and influential factors remain largely unclear. In the present study, the activity, abundance and structure of ammonia oxidizers in different soils on the Yunnan Plateau were assessed using potential nitrification rates (PNRs), quantitative PCR assay and clone library analysis, respectively. Wide variation was found in both AOA and AOB communities in plateau soils. PNRs showed a significant positive correlation with AOB abundance. Both were determined by the ratio of organic carbon to nitrogen (C/N) and total phosphorous (TP). AOB could play a more important role in ammonia oxidation. AOB community diversity was likely affected by soil total nitrogen (TN) and total organic carbon (TOC) and was usually higher than AOA community diversity. Moreover, Nitrososphaera- and Nitrosospira-like organisms, respectively, were the dominant AOA and AOB in plateau soils. AOA community structure was likely shaped by TP and C/N, while AOB community structure was determined by pH. (c) 2015 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Both aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) and nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-damo) bacteria can play an important role in mitigating the methane emission produced in anoxic sediment layers to the atmosphere. However, the environmental factors regulating the distribution of these methane-oxidizing microorganisms in lacustrine ecosystems remain essentially unclear. The present study investigated the distribution of aerobic MOB and n-damo bacteria in sediments of various freshwater lakes on the Yunnan Plateau (China). Quantitative PCR assay and clone library analysis illustrated the spatial variations in the abundances and structures of aerobic MOB and n-damo bacterial communities. Type I MOB (Methylosoma and Methylobacter) and type II MOB (Methylocystis) were detected, while type I MOB was more abundant than type II MOB. Lake sediments n-damo bacterial communities were composed of novel Methylomirabilis oxyfera-like pmoA genes. Lake sediments in the same geographic region could share a relatively similar aerobic MOB community structure. Moreover, Pearson's correlation analysis indicated that n-damo pmoA gene diversity showed a positive correlation with the ratio of organic matter to total nitrogen in lake sediment.
This study was carried out to characterize three aldehydes of health concern (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein) at a central Beijing site in the summer and early fall of 2008 (from June to October). Aldehydes in polluted atmospheres come from both primary and secondary sources, which limits the control strategies for these reactive compounds. Measurements were made before, during, and after the Beijing Olympics to examine whether the dramatic air pollution control measures implemented during the Olympics had an impact on concentrations of the three aldehydes and their underlying primary and secondary sources. Average concentrations of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein were 29.3+/-15.1 mug/m(3), 27.1+/-15.7 mug/m(3) and 2.3+/-1.0 mug/m(3), respectively, for the entire period of measurements, all being at the high end of concentration ranges measured in cities around the world in photochemical smog seasons. Formaldehyde and acrolein increased during the pollution control period compared to the pre-Olympic Games, followed the changing pattern of temperature, and were significantly correlated with ozone and with a secondary formation factor identified by principal component analysis (PCA). In contrast, acetaldehyde had a reduction in mean concentration during the Olympic air pollution control period compared to the pre-Olympic period and was significantly correlated with several pollutants emitted from local emission sources (e.g., NO2, CO, and PM2.5). Acetaldehyde was also more strongly associated with primary emission sources including vegetative burning and oil combustion factors identified through the PCA. All three aldehydes were lower during the post-Olympic sampling period compared to the before and during Olympic periods, likely due to seasonal and regional effects. Our findings point to the complexity of source control strategies for secondary pollutants.
The hollow core of a carbon nanotube (CNT) provides a unique opportunity to explore the physics, chemistry, biology, and metallurgy of different materials confined in such nanospace. Here, we investigate the nonequilibrium metallurgical processes taking place inside CNTs by in situ transmission electron microscopy using CNTs as nanoscale resistively heated crucibles having encapsulated metal nanowires/crystals in their channels. Because of nanometer size of the system and intimate contact between the CNTs and confined metals, an efficient heat transfer and high cooling rates (similar to 10(13) K/s) were achieved as a result of a flash bias pulse followed by system natural quenching, leading to the formation of disordered amorphous-like structures in iron, cobalt, and gold. An intermediate state between crystalline and amorphous phases was discovered, revealing a memory effect of local short-to-medium range order during these phase transitions. Furthermore, subsequent directional crystallization of an amorphous iron nano wire formed by this method was realized under controlled Joule heating. High-density crystalline defects were generated during crystallization due to a confinement effect from the CNT and severe plastic deformation involved.
The majority of children with Dravet syndrome (DS) are caused by de novo SCN1A mutations. To investigate the origin of the mutations, we developed and applied a new method that combined deep amplicon resequencing with a Bayesian model to detect and quantify allelic fractions with improved sensitivity. Of 174 SCN1A mutations in DS probands which were considered “de novo” by Sanger sequencing, we identified 15 cases (8.6%) of parental mosaicism. We identified another five cases of parental mosaicism that were also detectable by Sanger sequencing. Fraction of mutant alleles in the 20 cases of parental mosaicism ranged from 1.1% to 32.6%. Thirteen (65% of 20) mutations originated paternally and seven (35% of 20) maternally. Twelve (60% of 20) mosaic parents did not have any epileptic symptoms. Their mutant allelic fractions were significantly lower than those in mosaic parents with epileptic symptoms (P = 0.016). We identified mosaicism with varied allelic fractions in blood, saliva, urine, hair follicle, oral epithelium, and semen, demonstrating that postzygotic mutations could affect multiple somatic cells as well as germ cells. Our results suggest that more sensitive tools for detecting low‐level mosaicism in parents of families with seemingly “de novo” mutations will allow for better informed genetic counseling.
The employment quality of college graduates is a recent topic of heated discussion in China. Given the differences in the talent development goals of academic and vocational institutions and in individual job search approaches, this research compares the differences between the job search approaches and actual employment outcomes of graduates of undergraduate and vocational institutions, and analyzes the correspondence of vocational graduates' job search approaches with their job search outcomes to identify the effect of higher vocational education on employment. Using the proposed methods, this study finds a significant gap in job search approaches between the two types of graduates and that higher vocational education significantly affects employment approaches and outcomes. The job search approaches of vocational graduates also influence their employment outcomes. The study concludes that the employment quality of vocational graduates is not necessarily worse than that of
The idea of single particle aerosol mass spectrometry was first proposed in the 1970s and then developed quickly in recent two decades. Because it can simultaneously provide much information including particle size distribution, composition of multiple chemical species and mixing state for each single particle with high-time resolution, single particle aerosol mass spectrometry has been widely applied in the area of environmental monitoring and fine particulate matter research. This review aims to (1) provide an introduction of the development history and progress of single particle aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry, (2) summarize its principle, methods for data analysis, output of results and its applications in environmental measurement and research using two major commercialized instruments (ATOFMS and SPAMS), and (3) provide suggestions for future research.
The debonding of particle/matrix interfaces has an important effect on the behavior of composite materials. During last decades, great efforts have been made to simulate the behavior of the interface. Boundary element method, as an alternative effective numerical method, has great advantages in simu...
The Chinese government has adopted Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) as a main approach for preventing or restoring rangelands perceived as undergoing degradation on a massive scale. Using the PES project, known as the 'retire livestock, restore rangeland' project in Alxa of Inner Mongolia as an example, the long-term ecological consequences of such projects is assessed, and the causes of the associated problems from the perspective of social-ecological system explored. Study findings demonstrate that PES, as used in the case study area, is unlikely to achieve the expected outcome of rangeland restoration in the long term. The root cause of such failure is that the PES approach focuses on end-point ecosystem services (outputs), while at the same time decoupling the feedbacks among social and ecological systems that are the key to generating such services. This drives the overall social-ecological system into an undesirable basin of attraction. It is concluded that a PES program for pastoral systems should aim to improve resilience of such a coupled social-ecological system to external shocks and changes, instead of simply maintaining ecological services without considering the origins of such services in the inter-relationship of humans and environment. It is argued that 'Payment for Ecosystem Services' should be displaced by 'Payment for Social-ecological System Resilience' in future policy discussions.;The Chinese government has adopted Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) as a main approach for preventing or restoring rangelands perceived as undergoing degradation on a massive scale. Using the PES project, known as the 'retire livestock, restore rangeland' project in Alxa of Inner Mongolia as an example, the long-term ecological consequences of such projects is assessed, and the causes of the associated problems from the perspective of social-ecological system explored. Study findings demonstrate that PES, as used in the case study area, is unlikely to achieve the expected outcome of rangeland restoration in the long term. The root cause of such failure is that the PES approach focuses on end-point ecosystem services (outputs), while at the same time decoupling the feedbacks among social and ecological systems that are the key to generating such services. This drives the overall social-ecological system into an undesirable basin of attraction. It is concluded that a PES program for pastoral systems should aim to improve resilience of such a coupled social-ecological system to external shocks and changes, instead of simply maintaining ecological services without considering the origins of such services in the inter-relationship of humans and environment. It is argued that 'Payment for Ecosystem Services' should be displaced by 'Payment for Social-ecological System Resilience' in future policy discussions. Additional keywords: Inner Mongolia, payment for ecosystem services, rangeland conservation, social-ecological system.;