Effects of inorganic arsenic on growth and microcystin production of a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Microcystis</Emphasis> strain isolated from an algal bloom in Dianchi Lake,China

Our previous data have shown that inorganic arsenic concentrations were high in Dianchi Lake, China, where Microcystis blooms often occur. To explore the relationship between arsenic and the growth of Microcystis, the effects of arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)] on the growth and toxin production of M. aeruginosa strain FACHB 905 were tested. Results showed that M. aeruginosa FACHB 905 was tolerant to inorganic arsenic and its growth was not inhibited when the concentration of As(III) was below 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ or that of As(V) below 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹. Total microcystin production was stimulated in the presence of 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ As(III) and the response of this M. aeruginosa strain to As(III) seemed to be a typical inverted U-shaped hormesis. The content increase of microcystin-LR per cell indicated that the toxicity was enhanced as M. aeruginosa FACHB 905 was exposed to As(V). Considering the relatively high concentration of inorganic arsenic in Dianchi Lake (139 μg L⁻¹ in epilimnetic water), the origin of the M. aeruginosa strain, inorganic arsenic favors survival of M. aeruginosa FACHB 905 and may stimulate its microcystin production and cellular toxicity.     

Organic media enhanced spectrofluorimetric determination of L-ascorbic acid

A novel spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of L-ascorbic acid is proposed. It is based on the inhibition of L-ascorbic acid on the formation of 2,3-diaminophenazine, which is an oxidation product ofo-phenylenediamine catalyzed by laccase. The fluorescence (at λ_cx/λ_cm=464 nm /530 nnm) was enhanced strongly in the presence of organic media. The mechanism ofo-phenylenediamine oxidation reaction catalyzed by laccase in the presence of L-ascorbic acid is discussed. L-ascorbic acid is determined in the ethanol, 1,4-dioxane and acetone over the linear range of 4.0×10⁻⁷≈1.2×10⁻⁴ mol/L, 4.0×10⁻⁷≈8.0×10⁻⁵ mol/L and 4.0×10⁻⁷≈1.0×10⁻⁴ mol/L with a detection limit of 1.20×10⁻⁵ mol/L, 1.19×10⁻⁵ mol/L and 1.24×10⁻⁸ mol/L, respectively. The method has been successfully applied to the simple and rapid determination of L-ascorbic acid in pharmaceuticals and milk powder. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Special Funds of State Education Committe for Doctorate Research Huang Zuyun: born in Aug. 1963. Ph.D     

Third-order optical nonlinearities for lanthanum (III) complexes with 1, 10-phenanthroline components

The nonlinear refractive indexesn ₂ for the ethanol solutions of 1, 10-phenanthroline (2.0 × 10⁻³ mol · L⁻¹), [bis(l, 10-phenanthroline) lanthanum (III)] nitrate (1.0 × 10⁻³ mol · L⁻¹), and [nitrato-fluoracil-bis (1, 10_{-phenanthroline}) lanthanum (III) ] nitrate (1.0 × 10⁻³ mol · L⁻¹) are first measured, the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibilities χ(³) and 〈γ〉 are calculated, and the mechanisms of the third-order optical nonlinearities enhanced by lanthanum (III) are discussed preliminarily.     

An acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, 3-benzidino-5-methyl-6-phenylpyridazine, blocking outward potassium currents in acutely isolated rat hippocampal pyramidal neurons

3-benzidino-5-methyl-6-phenylpyridazine (BMP) inhibited electric eel acetylcholinesterase (AChE), with IC50 being 0.58 μmol·L-1. As an AChE inhibitor, the effects of BMP on delayed rectifier potassium current (IK(DR)) and transient outward potassium current (IK(A)) in acutely isolated rat hippocampal pyramidal neurons were studied using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. BMP (0.1―50 μmol·L-1) inhibited IK(DR) and IK(A) in a concentration-dependent and voltage-independent manner. The IC50 value for the bl...     

Fluorescence Determination of Artemisinin Using Hemoglobin as Catalyst and Pyronine B as Substrate

0 IntroductionMaalnadria siusb atr ompajicosr .he aAltrthe pmrisoibnlienmi (n qtihneghtraoopsiucs,QHS,Fig.1) is a sesquiterpene endoperoxide isola-ted fromArtemisia annuaL., an ancient Chineseherbal medicine usedfor treatment of fever and ma-laria.Studies of the structure and activity relation-ship have shownthat endoperoxide groupis essentialfor anti malarial activity of QHS and absence of thismoiety lead to completely loss in activity of thedrug. Many techniques have been developed to de…     

Coral reef ecosystems in the South China Sea as a source of atmospheric CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in summer

Field measurements of air-sea CO2 exchange in three coral reef areas of the South China Sea (i.e. the Yongshu Reef atoll of the Nansha Islands, southern South China Sea (SCS); Yongxing Island of Xisha Islands, north-central SCS; and Luhuitou Fringing Reef in Sanya of Hainan Island, northern SCS) during the summers of 2008 and 2009 revealed that both air and surface seawater partial pressures of CO2 (pCO2) showed regular diurnal cycles. Minimum values occurred in the evening and maximum values in the morning. Air pCO2 in each of the three study areas showed small diurnal variations, while large diurnal variations were ob-served in seawater pCO2. The diurnal variation amplitude of seawater pCO2 was ~70 μmol mol–1 at the Yongshu Reef lagoon, 420–619 μmol mol–1 on the Yongxing Island reef flat, and 264–579 μmol mol–1 on the reef flat of the Luhuitou Fringing Reef, and 324–492 μmol mol–1 in an adjacent area just outside of this fringing reef. With respect to spatial relations, there were large differences in air-sea CO2 flux across the South China Sea (e.g. ~0.4 mmol CO2 m–2 d–1 at Yongshu Reef, ~4.7 mmol CO2 m–2 d–1 at Yongxing Island, and ~9.8 mmol CO2 m–2 d–1 at Luhuitou Fringing Reef). However, these positive values suggest that coral reef ecosystems of the SCS may be a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere. Additional analyses indicated that diurnal variations of surface seawater pCO2 in the shallow water reef flat are controlled mainly by biological metabolic processes, while those of deeper water lagoons and outer reef areas are regulated by both biological metabolism and hydrodynamic factors. Unlike the open ocean, inorganic metabolism plays a significant role in influencing seawater pCO2 variations in coral reef ecosystems.     

Photodegradation of bisphenol a induced by metal ions in aqueous solution in the presence of ascorbic acid

The photodegradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution containing metal ions and ascorbic acid (AsA) was investigated. After strong irradiation, the aqueous solution containing AsA and Cu²⁺ could produce hydroxyl radicals that induced the photodegradation of BPA. The photodegradation efficiency of BPA in the solution containing 70 μmol·L⁻¹ Cu²⁺ and 15 mg·L⁻¹ AsA reached 59% at pH 6.0 after 4 hours irradiation with high pressure mercury lamp. The photodegradation efficiency of BPA reached 10% after 4 hours irradiation with daylight lamp in the presence of 70 μmol·L⁻¹ Cu²⁺ and 15 mg·L⁻¹ ascorbic acid. BPA was not degraded in the aqueous solution only containing AsA or Cu²⁺. The BPA photodegradation in aqueous solution containing AsA and Fe³⁺ was weaker than in aqueous solution that containing AsA and Cu²⁺ at the same concentration. This work showed a new route of the BPA photodegradation in aqueous environment. Biography: PENG Zhang’e (1970–), female, Ph. D. candidate, research direction: aquatic environmental chemistry.     

Determination of trace heavy metals in milk using an ionic liquid and bismuth oxide nanoparticles modified carbon paste electrode

A novel carbon composite electrode modified with bismuth oxide nanoparticles and the ionic liquid n-octylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate was fabricated and used to simultaneously determine cadmium and lead levels using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry.This electrode combines the unique advantages of nanomaterials and ionic liquid with the low cost and easy fabrication of the carbon composite electrode.Compared with the traditional binder based composite electrode,our electrode exhibited well-defined and separate stripping voltammetric peaks for cadmium and lead.Furthermore,the antifouling capacity of the bismuth film electrode was significantly improved by the ionic liquid.Under optimized conditions,the linear range of the composite electrode was from 3.0 to 30.0 μg L-1 for both metal ions with a detection limit of 0.15 μg L-1 for cadmium and 0.21 μg L-1 for lead.Trial milk sample analyses showed that the modified electrode was sensitive,reliable and effective for the determination of trace heavy metals,holding great promise for routine analysis applications.     

Effect of Cl- on photosynthetic bicarbonate uptake in two cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa and Synechocystis PCC6803

Photosynthetic inorganic carbon utilization was investigated in two cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa and Synechocystis PCC6803 grown in standing culture. Photosynthetic rates for the two algae reached about 10 times the theoretical CO₂ supply rate at low dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of 100 μmol/L, and the rates were unaffected by the addition of 20 mmol/L Na⁺, indicating that the two algae possessed Na+-independent HCO^-₃ utilization for photosynthesis under low DIC. Their photo- synthetic rates at low DIC were inhibited by higher Cl^- and the degrees of inhibition were increased with the rise of CI^- concentration, and in the presence of Diphenylamine-2-carboxylate (DPC), a reported Cl^- channel inhibitor, the rates decreased by 74%－82%, implying that putative DPC-sensitive Cl^- channels participate in Na+-independent HCO₃^- uptake for photosynthesis. The experiment of intracellular 14C-DIC accumulation for photosynthesis showed that internal DIC pools decreased by about 80% with 200 μmol/L DPC and by 64%－70% with 100 mmol/L Cl^-. The experiment of chlorophyll a fluorescence quenching showed that initial rates and extents of fluorescence quenching obviously decreased with 200 μmol/L DPC or 100 mmol/L Cl^-. The two experiments gave further evidence that putative DPC-sen- sitive Cl^- channels participate in Na+-independent HCO^-₃ uptake for photosynthesis in the two algae grown in standing culture.     

Direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of horseradish peroxidase in MnO2 nanosheet film

A novel material MnO2 nanosheet has been used as the support matrix for the immobilization of horseradish peroxidase （HRP）. HRP entrapped in MnO2 nanosheet film exhibits facile direct electron transfer with the electron transfer rate constant of 6.86 s^-1. The HRP/MnO2 nanosheet film gives a reversible redox couple with the apparent formal peak potential （E^0＇） of -0.315 V （vs. Ag/AgCl） in pH 6.5 phosphate buffer solution （PBS）. The formal potential E^0＇ of HRP shifts linearly with pH with a slope of -53.75 mV.pH^-1, denoting that an electron transfer accompanies single-proton transportation. The immobilized HRP shows an electrocatslytic activity to the reduction of H2O2. The response time of the biosensor for H2O2 is less than 3 s, and the detection limit is 0.21 μmol · L^-1 based on signal/noise = 3.     

Determination of some carbonyl carboxylic acids using chemiluminescent reaction of Ru(bipy)3 2+−Ce(IV)

A coupled chemiluminescence method for the determination of some carboxylic acids was developed, based on their enhancement the chemiluminescence light emission of the reaction of tirs (2,2′-bipyridine) ruthenium(II) and Ce(IV) in sulfuric acid medium. The conditions for their determination were optimized. The following detection limits were obtained: oxalic acid, 2.67×10⁻⁸ mol/L; propandioic acid, 1.20×10⁻⁶ mol/L; pyruvic acid, 1.35×10⁻⁸ mol/L; citric acid, 5.10×10⁻⁸ mol/L; barbituric acid, 2.48×10⁻⁷ mol/L. The proposed method was successfully applied to determination of oxalic acid. The coupled chemiluminescent reaction mechanism and rate equation are proposed. Foundation item: Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province Biography: HAN He-you (1962-), male, Associate professor, phD, graduate candidate     

Application of Nanometer-Size Titanium Dioxide in Extreme-Trace V（Ⅴ） Analysis

0Introduction Vanadiumplaysanimportantroleinmodernindustry,es peciallyinsteelandchemicalindustry.Forinstance,itscompoundsarewidelyappliedintheproceduresofvitrioland petroleumchemicalmanufactureascatalyzers[14].Vanadium hasseveralvalences,butgenerallyitslowvalencesturnintohighoneseasilyinenvironment[5].BecauseV(Ⅴ)isthemost stableandpoisonousone,weoftenlayemphasisonitinenvi ronmentalpollutioncontrol.Vanadiumexistsinenvironmentalwaterwithextremelylowconcentration.Inseawateritscontentislessthan…     

Effect of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> concentrations on the activity of photosynthetic CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> fixation and extracelluar carbonic anhydrase in the marine diatom <Emphasis Type="Italic">Skeletonema costatum</Emphasis>

The growth and activity of photosynthetic CO2 uptake and extracellular carbonic anhydrase (CAext) of the marine diatom Skeletonema costatum were investigated while cultured at different levels of CO2 in order to see its physio-logical response to different CO2 concentrations under either a low (30 靘ol·m-2·s-1) or high (210 靘ol·m-2·s-1) irradiance. The changes in CO2 concentrations (4—31 靘ol/L) affected the growth and net photosynthesis to a greater extent under the low than under the high light re-gime. CAext was detected in the cells grown at 4 mol/L CO2 but not at 31 and 12 靘ol/L CO2, with its activity being about 2.5-fold higher at the high than at the low irradiance. Photo- synthetic CO2 affinity (1/ K1/2(CO2)) of the cells de-creased with increased CO2 concentrations in culture. The cells cultured under the high-light show significantly higher photosynthetic CO2 affinity than those grown at the low-light level. It is concluded that the regulations of CAext activity and photosynthetic CO2 affinity are dependent not only on CO2 concentration but also on light availability, and that the de-velopment of higher CAext activity and CO2 affinity under higher light level could sufficiently support the photosyn-thetic demand for CO2 even at low level of CO2.     

Preconcentration of vanadium(V) on crosslinked chitosan and determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A new method is proposed for the preconcentration of vanadium(V) with crosslinked chitosan (CCTS) and determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The adsorption rate of vanadium(V) by CCTS was 97% at pH 4.0, and vanadium(V) was eluted from crosslinked chitosan with 2 mL 2.0 mol·L⁻¹ chlorhydric acid and determined by GFAAS. The detection limit (3σ,n=7) for vanadium (V) was 4.8×10⁻¹²g and the relative standard deviation (R.S.D) at concentration level of 2.6 μg·L⁻¹ is less than 3.6%. The method shows a good selectivity and high sensity, and it was applied to determination of vanadium(V) in oyster and water samples. The analytic recoveries are (97±5)%. Biography: Wu Wei (1975-), female, Master candidate, research direction: environmental & analytical chemistry.     

The synthesis and characterisation of polyaniline catalysed and doped by squaric acid

Aniline was polymerized in dilute aqueous squaric acid and the polyaniline (PAn) was doped with 10⁻¹–10⁻³ mol/L of squaric acid. The corresponding electrical conductivity of the PAn is 10⁻¹–10⁻² S ⊙ cm⁻¹. The solubility of the doped PAn has been improved in common polar organic solvents. The FTIR and UV—Vis spectra show that the PAn has the structure of both quinone and imine. Supported by the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China Zhan Caimao: born in 1948, Associate professor     

The contribution of root respiration to soil CO2 efflux in Puccinellia tenuiflora dominated community in a semi-arid meadow steppe

Rising atmospheric CO2 and temperature are altering ecosystem carbon cycling. Grasslands play an important role in regional climate change and global carbon cycle. Below-ground processes play a key role in the grassland carbon cycle because they regulate …     

Flow-injection microcolumn on-line preconcentration for the determination of chromium (VI)

A rapid and sensitive on-line preconcentration method for spectrophotometric determination of chromium (VI) in nature water is described. Preconcentration and determination are based on (i) the quantitative and fast adsorption of chromium (VI) on the high surface area nanometer-size TiO₂ (anatase) powders, which prepared by a sol-gel method from hydrolysis of TiCl₄ and (ii) the quantitative and reproducible elution of Cr (VI) by 2.0 mol·L⁻¹ HCl. A mini-column system for preconcentration is developed, Cr(VI) on the mini-column is eluted and merged with a stream water and DPCB (1,5-diphenylcarbazide) as the chromogenic reagent. The proposed system permits throughputs of 6 sample h⁻¹ (0.001 μg·mL⁻¹ Cr(VI)) or 20 sample h⁻¹ (0.1 μg·mL⁻¹ Cr(VI)). The preconcentration factor is 55. The detection limit is 0.8 ng · mL⁻¹ Cr(VI). The reproducibility is satisfactory with a relative standard deviation of less than 3.35% (0.01 μg·mL⁻¹ Cr(VI),n=5). Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Ma Wanhong: born in 1961, Ph. D. Graduate student, Associate professor     

HPLC determination of ascorbic acid using luminol-Cu (II) chemiluminescence-application to the analysis of Juice beverage

The chemiluminescence (CL) of luminol-Cu (II) was applied to HPLC determination of ascorbic acid, which was separated by a C₁₈ reverse-phase column with a mobile phase of 0.25 mol/L HAc. The eluted ascorbic acid was mixed with 0.3 mmol/L luminol and 0.05 mol/L CuSO₄. The light emission from the reaction of Cu(II) oxidized ascorbic acid and luminol was detected by a modified luminometer. The detection limit was 3.6×10⁻⁶ mol/L for ascorbic acid at aS/N ratio of 3, and the linear calibration range was 2×10⁻⁴–2×10⁻³ mol/L. The relative standard deviation for 5 replicate injections of 1×10⁻³ mol/L ascorbic acid was calculated as 4.3%. The method was successfully applied to determination of ascorbic acid in juice beverage. Foundation item: National Natural Science Foundation of China (29605001) Biography: Wu Feng-wu(1963-), male, research direction: analytical chemistry.     

The presence of phosphorylation form of D1 protein in its cross-linked aggregates in high light treated spinach leaves in vivo

Photosystem Ⅱ (PS Ⅱ ) is a pigment-protein com-plex that catalyses the primary photochemistry leading to oxygen evolution and electron flow in oxygenic phototrophs. The reaction center of PSⅡ is composed of the D1 and D2 proteins to which all the redox…     

Nonlinear version of Holub’s theorem and its application

Holub proved that any bounded linear operator T or -T defined on Banach space L 1(μ) satisfies Daugavet equation1+‖T‖=Max{‖I+T‖, ‖I-T‖}.Holub's theorem is generalized to the nonlinear case: any nonlinear Lipschitz operator f defined on Banach space l 1 satisfies1+L(f)=Max{L(I+f), L(I-f)},where L(f) is the Lipschitz constant of f. The generalized Holub theorem has important applications in characterizing the invertibility of nonlinear operator.