Metagenomic and functional analysis of hindgut microbiota of a wood-feeding higher termite

From the standpoints of both basic research and biotechnology, there is considerable interest in reaching a clearer understanding of the diversity of biological mechanisms employed during lignocellulose degradation. Globally, termites are an extremely successful group of wood-degrading organisms and are therefore important both for their roles in carbon turnover in the environment and as potential sources of biochemical catalysts for efforts aimed at converting wood into biofuels. Only recently have data supported any direct role for the symbiotic bacteria in the gut of the termite in cellulose and xylan hydrolysis. Here we use a metagenomic analysis of the bacterial community resident in the hindgut paunch of a wood-feeding 'higher' Nasutitermes species (which do not contain cellulose-fermenting protozoa) to show the presence of a large, diverse set of bacterial genes for cellulose and xylan hydrolysis. Many of these genes were expressed in vivo or had cellulase activity in vitro, and further analyses implicate spirochete and fibrobacter species in gut lignocellulose degradation. New insights into other important symbiotic functions including H2 metabolism, CO2-reductive acetogenesis and N2 fixation are also provided by this first system-wide gene analysis of a microbial community specialized towards plant lignocellulose degradation. Our results underscore how complex even a 1-microl environment can be.     

水钢高炉最佳炉料结构的试验

采用正交试验方法研究了现有原燃料及设备条件下水钢高炉的最佳炉料结构;在此基础上进一步优化炉料结构,并对它们的冶金性能进行了试验.结果表明:目前水钢高炉最佳炉料结构为86%的烧结矿(二元碱度为1.8)配加14%的印度块矿与越南块矿的混合矿(混合比例为1:1);此种炉料结构的软熔性能好,还原性能达到优良水平,炉渣碱度合适,但低温还原粉化性能不佳;若采用二元碱度为1.7的烧结矿,使炉渣的碱度低于1.2,则熟料率达到90%的炉料结构是完全可行的.     

面向对象技术在构建数据仓库中的应用研究

为了利用数据仓库技术实现对经济指标数据的有效管理,提出了基于面向对象技术构建数据仓库的一种解决方案。在构建过程中,根据经济指标数据管理需求和数据仓库特点,确定了系统所面对的各种对象以及它们之间的关系,设计了数据仓库结构模型,应用Visual C .NET实现了数据仓库管理系统,并通过ADO(Active Data Object)和OLE(Object Link Embedded)等面向对象技术完成了数据仓库访问和异构系统数据集成,从而使经济指标数据仓库(EIDW:Economic Indicators Data Warehouse)可作为后台数据环境应用于经济动态分析、预测和监测的决策支持系统中。     

车用发动机磁流变悬置的刚度优化

由于传统的悬置优化设计一般不考虑发动机载荷以及系统阻尼,不能反映磁流变悬置的半自动控制特性。因此,选取具有代表性的车用直列式4缸4冲程发动机悬置系统的振动力学模型,利用遗传优化算法建立一种磁流变液阻尼器初始刚度优化的新方法。该方法使磁流变液悬置在发动机多种转速下有更优秀的传递率,在冲击载荷下满足安全要求的发动机振动烈度。     

几种基因工程宿主菌异丁醇耐受能力的比较

对多种实验室常用的基因工程宿主菌(大肠杆菌、酵母菌、农杆菌、枯草芽孢杆菌等)在不同质量浓度丁醇培养基中比生长速率进行比较,发现原核微生物耐受丁醇的极限质量浓度为16 g/L,其中革兰氏阳性细菌枯草芽孢杆菌的生长特性优于常见的革兰氏阴性细菌大肠杆菌和农杆菌;而真核微生物啤酒酵母在丁醇质量浓度为16 g/L时表现突出,相对比生长速率接近不加丁醇时的50%.鉴于枯草芽孢杆菌和啤酒酵母具有良好的丁醇耐受特性,在利用基因工程生产丁醇时,可以将它们作为基因工程的宿主菌,以解决一般宿主菌耐受丁醇质量浓度低的问题.     

安庆天柱山机场鸟类群落季节性变化与鸟击防范

在2008年2月至2009年2月间,对安庆天柱山机场及其周边地区的鸟类种类、种群数量进行了为期一年的调查.调查共记录到鸟类102种,隶属于12个目29个科,其中留鸟38种,占总数37.25%;夏候鸟28种,占总数27.45%;冬候鸟25种,占总数24.51%;旅鸟11种,占总数14.39%.在地理类型上,机场地区鸟类呈现古北界与东洋界过渡地带的特点,其中广布种37种,占总数36.27%;东洋界种类有34种,占总数33.33%;古北界种类31种,占总数30.39%.在机场及周边地区,春季观察到鸟类物种数要明显多于秋季及冬季,春季鸟类多样性也要高于秋季与冬季.在机场地区,每年5~6月份与10~11月份鸟类活动比较频繁.机场鸟击防范工作,应该根据鸟类活动特点,通过对重点区域栖息地的改造,降低生物多样性,从而减少鸟类在机场地区的活动,避免鸟击事件的发生.     

Mitochondrial DNA variation analysis suggests extreme low genetic diversity in Guizhou snub-nosed monkeys （Rhinopithecus brelichi）

Guizhou snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus brelichi) is a unique, endangered primate in China, mainly distributed in Fanjing Mountain National Natural Reserve, Guizhou Province, in an area of 275 km2. Recently, habitat loss and fragmentation have caused population isolation. To assess genetic diversity within this species and its population structure, we sequenced 400 bp of the hypervariable I segment from the mitochondrial DNA control region for 128 individuals. Only one haplotype was identified from these individuals. Compared with other primate species, R. brelichi can be regarded as a species with very low genetic diversity, which further adds to the conservation concern.     

Response of the northwestern Pacific upper water δ~(13)C to the last deglacial ventilation of the deep Southern Ocean

The deglacial δ~13C minimum events that originated from the ventilation of the deep Southern Ocean around Antarctica, have been recorded in a range of marine sediments from the southern to tropical oceans in late Pleistocene. However, the broad δ~13C minimum event was also reported as far as to the northern middle latitudes, in northwestern Pacific marginal sea areas, during the last deglaciation. In the northwestern Pacific, forcing from the northern high latitudes is strongly expressed, while the records of in- fluence from the southern high latitudes are few. The Kuroshio Source Region (KSR) forms a boundary between the northwestern Pacific and the southern, tropical Pacific. So, high-resolution planktonic foraminiferal records in core MD06-3054 from the KSR are well positioned to identify signals from the southern hemisphere in the northwestern Pacific. Planktonic foraminiferal tests from the upper 1030 cm of the core were subject to AMS14C, carbon and oxygen isotopic measurements. A negative excursion was found to occur from about 20.0-6.0 ka BP in δ~13C records of both surface (Globigerinoides ruber) and subsurface (Pulleni- atina obliquiloculata) dwellers, but the overall trends of the two curves have reversed since 26.5 ka BP. Moreover, the δ~13C rec- ord of G. ruber (the surface dweller) shows a robust link to the record of atmospheric CO2, and its changes precede the records of P. obliquiloculata (the subsurface dweller). According to the hydrologic conditions, the broad δ~13C minimum event recorded in the KSR is also a response to the increasing ventilation of the deep Southern Ocean around Antarctica during the last deglaciation. The inconsistency between the records of the surface and subsurface dwellers was possibly caused by the ways that the low δ~13C signal was transmitted. Subsurface water primarily received the low δ~13C signal from the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW), whereas the surface water was probably mainly impacted by atmospheric CO2 in the KSR. The records from the KSR confirm the deduction that the broad δ~13C minimum event in the Okinawa Trough was due to the impact of tropical Pacific surface water dur- ing the last deglaciation, and suggest that signals from the southern high latitudes also can be delivered to the northern middle latitudes.     

Tert-butylhydroquinone-decorated graphene nanosheets and their enhanced capacitive behaviors

In the present work,tert-butylhydroquinone(TBHQ) was used to decorate graphene nanosheets to obtain a novel and environmentally friendly electrode material for supercapacitors.The fast redox reactions between hydroquinone and quinone generate pseudocapacitance.Graphene layers which have adsorbed TBHQ interact with each other to construct a three-dimensional network.Through this network,electrolyte ions can easily access the surface of graphene to generate electric double-layer capacitance.Electrochemical measurements have shown that using TBHQ as a redox modifier of graphene can obtain a maximum value of 302 F g-1 and provide a 51% enhancement in specific capacitance.Furthermore,excellent rate capability and cycling ability are achieved using the TBHQ-decorated graphene nanosheet electrode.