Bioleaching of metal from waste stream using a native strain of Acidithiobacillus isolated from a coal mine drainage

In this study, the feasibility of using a biohydrometallurgical technique for selective metals recovery from electronic waste (e‐waste) by bacterial bioleaching was investigated. Acidithiobacillus was identified in coal mining acid mine drainage (AMD). The microorganism was studied using specific sequencing of a 16s rDNA fragment. The potential for the dissolution of copper from waste printed wire boards (PWBs) using the isolated Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A. ferroxidans) was evaluated. The bioleaching experiments were performed in an orbital shaker at 30 °C and 170 rpm, with 10 % (v/v) inoculum and a pulp density of 30 g/L. The copper concentration was determined by energy dispersive x‐ray fluorescence (XRF). The result shows that copper recovery from PWBs using our A. ferrooxidans strain was 95 % after 8 days, which showed the feasibility of this process.     

自然发酵糯玉米中细菌多样性分析及纯菌种对其加工特性的影响

目的:研究自然发酵糯玉米中细菌的菌群组成,以及其中乳酸菌对糯玉米粉加工特性的影响。方法:以地方特色的糯玉米为原料,采用MiSeq技术对自然发酵菌液中细菌16S rDNA的V3~V4区进行测序分析,获得自然发酵液中的细菌多样性。对其中的1株优势菌株进行筛选鉴定,比较纯菌种发酵和自然发酵对糯玉米粉的糊化特性和质构特性的影响。结果:自然发酵液菌中乳杆菌(Lactobacillus)为优势菌,经形态学特征、生理生化特征及16S rDNA基因序列分析鉴定其为发酵乳杆菌(Lactobacillus fermentum)。经过纯种发酵后糯玉米粉的峰值黏度、衰减值和最终黏度显著提高,回生值显著降低;经过蒸制后硬度、黏附性、胶着性和咀嚼性显著增高从而改善糯玉米粉质特性。     

Airborne bacterial assemblage in a zero carbon building: A case study

Currently, there is little information pertaining to the airborne bacterial communities of green buildings. In this case study, the air bacterial community of a zero carbon building (ZCB) in Hong Kong was characterized by targeting the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Bacteria associated with the outdoor environment dominated the indoor airborne bacterial assemblage, with a modest contribution from bacteria associated with human skin. Differences in overall community diversity, membership, and composition associated with short (day‐to‐day) and long‐term temporal properties were detected, which may have been driven by specific environmental genera and taxa. Furthermore, time‐decay relationships in community membership (based on unweighted UniFrac distances) and composition (based on weighted UniFrac distances) differed depending on the season and sampling location. A Bayesian source‐tracking approach further supported the importance of adjacent outdoor air bacterial assemblage in sourcing the ZCB indoor bioaerosol. Despite the unique building attributes, the ZCB microbial assemblage detected and its temporal characteristics were not dissimilar to that of conventional built environments investigated previously. Future controlled experiments and microbial assemblage investigations of other ZCBs will undoubtedly uncover additional knowledge related to how airborne bacteria in green buildings may be influenced by their distinctive architectural attributes.     

Some concerns regarding the CAT16 chromatic adaptation transform

In recent literature, a new chromatic adaptation transform, CAT16, has been published to improve upon the widely used CAT02 model. The CAT16 model is based on the form of the CAT02 transform adopted in CIECAM02, but uses a slightly different sensor space to fix some gamut problems plaguing CIECAM02 and adopts a two-step CAT to ensure symmetry and transitivity. CAT16 is included in CAM16 but is also being promoted as a stand-alone CAT, one that can be used outside of the CAM16 model. However, the use of CAT16 as a stand-alone model can cause inconsistencies in the calculated corresponding colors due to the presence of the relative luminance of the adapting white (Y_w) in the von Kries-Ives gain control factors. Such inconsistencies are not present for the stand-alone version of the CAT02 model, which, unlike the version adopted in CIECAM02, does not include the Y_w factors. CAT16 should therefore be modified by omitting the Y_w factors. In this article, we will briefly discuss these issues in more detail and provide a consistent two-step CAT adopting the CAT16 sensor space.     

Comparative study of the phenolics,antioxidant and metagenomic composition of novel soy whey-based beverages produced using three different water kefir microbiota

Water kefir microbiota was used to develop novel soy whey-based beverages that have antioxidant activity. In the present study, comparative phenolics, antioxidant and metagenomic composition of the soy whey beverages fermented using three different water kefir microbiota, named WKFS-A, WKFS-B and WKFS-C were investigated. WKFS-B beverage had the highest concentrations of isoflavone aglycones (208.73 ± 2.78 mg L⁻¹) and phenolic acids (132.33 ± 3.41 mg L⁻¹) compared with WKFS-A (193.88 ± 1.15 mg L⁻¹) and (91.73 ± 2.34 mg L⁻¹) and WKFS-C (160.63 ± 1.76 mg L⁻¹) and (97.13 ± 2.63 mg L⁻¹), respectively. The WKFS-B also showed higher DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power compared with WKFS-A and WKFS-C beverages. Microbial species diversity index analysis showed that a higher concentration of isoflavone aglycones, phenolic acids and increased antioxidant activity in the WKFS-B beverage correlates with the higher relative abundance of Lactobacillus genus. This study thus revealed that Lactobacillus dominated water kefir microbiota produces soy whey beverages with high phenolic acids, isoflavone aglycones and antioxidant activity.     

气调醇化过程中片烟细菌群落结构的变化

气调醇化是片烟醇化的一种方法。微生物尤其是细菌在片烟醇化过程中对烟叶的吸食品质起着至关重要的作用。为研究气调醇化过程中片烟细菌群落结构变化规律，利用Illumina MiSeq测序平台比较气调防霉杀虫阶段（S1）、气调醇化阶段（S2）及气调保质阶段（S3）共36份样品的细菌16S rDNA序列的多样性。结果表明，从S1到S3的过程中，片烟中细菌的物种丰富度和多样性水平呈增加趋势。S1阶段片烟的优势种群为鞘氨醇单胞菌属、假单胞菌属和甲基杆菌属，其占比在整个气调醇化过程中呈逐渐下降趋势；S2阶段的优势种群为芽孢杆菌属、鞘氨醇单胞菌属和伯克霍尔德菌属，其中芽孢杆菌属和伯克霍尔德菌属在整个气调醇化过程中占比呈先上升后下降的趋势；S3阶段细菌种群分布较为均匀。非度量多维尺度分析结果表明，3个醇化阶段的样品可以较明显地区分开来。可见，气调醇化过程中片烟的细菌种群组成非常丰富，不同醇化阶段活跃的微生物类群有所不同，鞘氨醇单胞菌属、假单胞菌属和甲基杆菌属主要在醇化前期参与了烟叶醇化过程，而芽孢杆菌属和伯克霍尔德菌属则主要在醇化后期发挥着微生物醇化的作用。     

北部湾茅尾海副溶血性弧菌的分离鉴定与致病性分析

为解析北部湾海域及水产品中副溶血性弧菌的多样性特征与安全风险,本研究采集了北部湾茅尾海养殖区域海水和水产经济动物样品,利用硫代硫酸盐柠檬酸盐胆盐蔗糖琼脂培养基(TCBS)对所采样品进行海洋弧菌的分离和纯化,共分离获得109株疑似弧菌菌株。通过16S rDNA和特异功能基因toxR的PCR扩增并测序鉴定,共检出副溶血性弧菌20株,检出率为18.3%。此外,通过系统发育分析还发现副溶血性弧菌的toxR和tdh基因序列都存在水平基因转移现象,呈现出较大的多样性。对20个副溶血性弧菌菌株的毒力基因tdh进行分析,结果表明有4株携带了tdh毒力基因,检出率为20%,易引起食物中毒,对公共卫生造成的威胁较大。因此,本研究建议采用PCR技术开展副溶血性弧菌特异种属基因和毒力基因检测,准确评估北部湾区域海水及其水产品的卫生安全性,降低爆发水产养殖业病害和食源性疾病的风险。     

Do Intermittent Renewables Threaten the Electricity Supply Security?

Around the globe, intermittent renewable energies in the form of wind and solar power are on the rise. Their subsidization can be seen as a market intervention, which may deter optimal investment. Thus, this study tests the effect of renewable energies on investment in conventional electricity generation technologies. We estimate a dynamic investment model for 14 European economies for the period 2004–2016 and find a non-negligible negative impact of intermittent renewables on investment in peak-load capacity (mainly gas), while base-load (particularly coal) plants are unaffected. However, the production flexibility of gas-fired plants represents a particularly vital function to balance the supply intermittency of wind and solar. Thus, dispatchable conventional power plants are still necessary to back the system under scarcity events, such as unfavorable weather conditions during high electricity demand. Policymakers should be aware of the adverse effects of RES on investment in peak-load plants and may consider a redesign of the current system, for example by introducing capacity markets.