Hydrogen isotope fractionation in lipids of the methane-oxidizing bacterium Methylococcus capsulatus     

Alex L Sessions  Linda L JahnkeArndt Schimmelmann  John M Hayes 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2002,66(22):3955-3969

Hydrogen isotopic compositions of individual lipids from Methylococcus capsulatus, an aerobic, methane-oxidizing bacterium, were analyzed by hydrogen isotope-ratio-monitoring gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The purposes of the study were to measure isotopic fractionation factors between methane, water, and lipids and to examine the biochemical processes that determine the hydrogen isotopic composition of lipids. M. capsulatus was grown in six replicate cultures in which the δD values of methane and water were varied independently. Measurement of concomitant changes in δD values of lipids allowed estimation of the proportion of hydrogen derived from each source and the isotopic fractionation associated with the utilization of each source.All lipids examined, including fatty acids, sterols, and hopanols, derived 31.4 ± 1.7% of their hydrogen from methane. This was apparently true whether the cultures were harvested during exponential or stationary phase. Examination of the relevant biochemical pathways indicates that no hydrogen is transferred directly (with C-H bonds intact) from methane to lipids. Accordingly, we hypothesize that all methane H is oxidized to H₂O, which then serves as the H source for all biosynthesis, and that a balance between diffusion of oxygen and water across cell membranes controls the concentration of methane-derived H₂O at 31%. Values for α_l/w, the isotopic fractionation between lipids and water, were 0.95 for fatty acids and 0.85 for isoprenoid lipids. These fractionations are significantly smaller than those measured in higher plants and algae. Values for α_l/m, the isotopic fractionation between lipids and methane, were 0.94 for fatty acids and 0.79 for isoprenoid lipids. Based on these results, we predict that methanotrophs living in seawater and consuming methane with typical δD values will produce fatty acids with δD between −50 and −170‰, and sterols and hopanols with δD between −150 and −270‰.  相似文献   

Vanguard: a new development in experimental astrobiology     

Alex Ellery  David Wynn-Williams 《Astronomy& Geophysics》2002,43(2):2.22-2.24

Alex Ellery and David Wynn-Williams propose a new UK astrobiology project, in which a micro-rover would deploy ground-penetrating moles to burrow into the Martian subsurface.
One of the linchpins of the UK's contribution to the burgeoning field of astrobiology is the Beagle 2 mission, due to fly to Mars in 2003 on the Mars Express bus. Given that NASA has declared its intention to focus on "whole planet" geological investigation in its future Mars missions, beginning with the Mars Exploration Rovers which are due to fly in 2003/2004, the UK is well placed to consider post-Beagle 2 astrobiology-focused Mars missions to ensure its leadership in the future in astrobiology. In this paper we present such a proposal – Vanguard.  相似文献   

Geophysical investigations in the El-Wad Cave,MT. Carmel,Israel     

Mina Weinstein-Evron  Yossi Mart  Alex Beck 《Geoarchaeology》1991,6(4):355-365

Measurements of the thickness of the sediment fill in the el-Wad Cave, Mt. Carmel, Israel were carried out using seismic refraction methods. The cave is one of the famous Mt. Carmel Caves, where finds of Mousterian to Natufian prehistoric cultures had been encountered. The survey discovered a series of karstic pits in several chambers in the cave, with good correlation between the dimension of the chambers and the thickness of the sediment fill. The deepest pit was found in the inner part of the cave, where the oldest archaeological material could be expected.  相似文献   

Illuminating Subsurface Microbial Water Quality Patterns Using Adenosine Triphosphate and Dynamic Time Warping Approaches     

Alex H. S. Chik  Monica B. Emelko  Alfred P. Blaschke  Jack F. Schijven 《Ground Water Monitoring & Remediation》2020,40(3):55-66

Aquifer microbial water quality evaluations are often performed by collecting groundwater samples from monitoring wells. While samples collected from continuously pumped sources are seldom disputed as representative of the aquifer, natural biofilm present in the vicinity of well screens may introduce unwanted microbial artefacts in monitoring wells that are only periodically sampled. The need for well water purging to obtain samples void of these artefacts has been widely recognized. However, purging methods are not standardized; many approaches presume that physico-chemical water quality stability achieved through the removal of 3 to 5 well volumes is indicative of the stability of target analytes. Using a data set collected from a shallow unconfined aquifer in Southern Ontario, Canada, the need for using dedicated approaches that account for the time-dependent nature of microbial water quality changes was demonstrated. Specifically, the utility of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as a rapid, field-ready biochemical indicator of microbial water quality stability was investigated. This work shows that ATP concentrations reflect time-limited (bio)colloid transport processes that are consistent with other microbial water quality parameters monitored, but different from commonly measured physical and chemical water quality indicators of well purging adequacy. ATP concentrations occasionally fluctuated even after 3 or 4 h of purging, indicating that microbial artefacts attributable to biofilms in the vicinity of the well screen can still persist. The recurrence of characteristic ATP patterns in each well was systematically examined through the novel application of dynamic time warping (DTW), a nonparametric time series analysis approach. These patterns are believed to be linked with seasonal hydrogeological conditions, which warrant consideration in the design and interpretation of subsurface microbial water quality investigations.  相似文献   

Observing system experiments over the Atlantic Ocean with the REMO ocean data assimilation system (RODAS) into HYCOM     

Tanajura  Clemente A. S.  Mignac  Davi  de Santana  Alex N.  Costa  Filipe B.  Lima  Leonardo N.  Belyaev  Konstantin P.  Zhu  Jiang 《Ocean Dynamics》2020,70(1):115-138

Ocean Dynamics - The Oceanographic Modeling and Observation Network (REMO) focuses on scientific and technological development of operational oceanography in Brazil considering both numerical...  相似文献   

Multiple imputation framework for data assignment in truncated pluri-Gaussian simulation     

Diogo?S.?F.?SilvaEmail authorView author&#;s OrcID profile  Clayton?V.?Deutsch 《Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment (SERRA)》2017,31(9):2251-2263

Truncated pluri-Gaussian simulation (TPGS) is suitable for the simulation of categorical variables that show natural ordering as the TPGS technique can consider transition probabilities. The TPGS assumes that categorical variables are the result of the truncation of underlying latent variables. In practice, only the categorical variables are observed. This translates the practical application of TPGS into a missing data problem in which all latent variables are missing. Latent variables are required at data locations in order to condition categorical realizations to observed categorical data. The imputation of missing latent variables at data locations is often achieved by either assigning constant values or spatially simulating latent variables subject to categorical observations. Realizations of latent variables can be used to condition all model realizations. Using a single realization or a constant value to condition all realizations is the same as assuming that latent variables are known at the data locations and this assumption affects uncertainty near data locations. The techniques for imputation of latent variables in TPGS framework are investigated in this article and their impact on uncertainty of simulated categorical models and possible effects on factors affecting decision making are explored. It is shown that the use of single realization of latent variables leads to underestimation of uncertainty and overestimation of measured resources while the use constant values for latent variables may lead to considerable over or underestimation of measured resources. The results highlight the importance of multiple data imputation in the context of TPGS.  相似文献   

Decadal-scale changes in suspended wood after riparian recruitment in managed stands in headwater streams of coastal British Columbia,Canada     

Felipe Rossetti de Paula  John S. Richardson  Alex C.Y. Yeung  Stephen J. Mitchell  Devesh Bahuguna 《地球表面变化过程与地形》2020,45(9):1974-1989

Large wood (LW) affects several ecological and hydrogeomorphic processes in streams. The main source of LW is riparian trees falling inside channels. However, in confined valley floors, falling trees are more likely to be suspended above the channel. Eventually, these suspended trees will decompose and break to finally fall into the channel to better provide functions for streams. We evaluated changes in wood decay, length, diameter, and suspended status (suspended or non-suspended) 17 years post-harvest and nine years after the first sampling occurred in 2006 in 12 headwater streams of coastal British Columbia, Canada. We also evaluated whether changes differed among riparian management treatments (no-harvest buffers of 10 and 30 m in width, thinning, and unharvested reference sites), and identified the factors affecting wood changes and suspended status. Wood pieces advanced in decay, became shorter, and 34% of them (n = 108) changed status from suspended to non-suspended. Non-suspended wood pieces were more decayed and shorter than suspended wood. Suspended wood was longer, thicker, less decayed, and represented 46.5% (n = 147) of the wood sampled in 2006. Our findings revealed limited influences of riparian management on many aspects of wood changes considered in this study. Changes in wood characteristics were more likely for pieces that were smaller in diameter, longer, and suspended closer to the water. The transition from suspended to non-suspended LW can be a long-term process that can increase wood residence time and reduce LW in-stream functions particularly in confined stream valleys. The suspended stage is also an important mechanism underlying time lags in stream ecosystem responses to riparian tree fall. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Victor Lyudvigovich Masaitis (July 21, 1927–July 21, 2019)     

Mikhail Naumov  Boris Ivanov  Alexander Deutsch  Falko Langenhorst 《Meteoritics & planetary science》2019,54(11):2879-2883

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The reaction of carbonates in contact with laser-generated,superheated silicate melts: Constraining impact metamorphism of carbonate-bearing target rocks     

Christopher Hamann  Saskia Bläsing  Lutz Hecht  Sebastian Schäffer  Alex Deutsch  Jens Osterholz  Bernd Lexow 《Meteoritics & planetary science》2018,53(8):1644-1686

We simulated entrainment of carbonates (calcite, dolomite) in silicate impact melts by 1-bar laser melting of silicate–carbonate composite targets, using sandstone, basalt, calcite marble, limestone, dolomite marble, and iron meteorite as starting materials. We demonstrate that carbonate assimilation by silicate melts of variable composition is extremely fast (seconds to minutes), resulting in contamination of silicate melts with carbonate-derived CaO and MgO and release of CO₂ at the silicate melt–carbonate interface. We identify several processes, i.e., (1) decomposition of carbonates releases CO₂ and produces residual oxides (CaO, MgO); (2) incorporation of residual oxides from proximally dissociating carbonates into silicate melts; (3) rapid back-reactions between residual CaO and CO₂ produce idiomorphic calcite crystallites and porous carbonate quench products; (4) high-temperature reactions between Ca-contaminated silicate melts and carbonates yield typical skarn minerals and residual oxide melts; (5) mixing and mingling between Ca- or Ca,Mg-contaminated and Ca- or Ca,Mg-normal silicate melts; (6) precipitation of Ca- or Ca,Mg-rich silicates from contaminated silicate melts upon quenching. Our experiments reproduce many textural and compositional features of typical impact melts originating from silicate–carbonate targets. They reinforce hypotheses that thermal decomposition of carbonates, rapid back-reactions between decomposition products, and incorporation of residual oxides into silicate impact melts are prevailing processes during impact melting of mixed silicate–carbonate targets. However, by comparing our results with previous studies and thermodynamic considerations on the phase diagrams of calcite and quartz, we envisage that carbonate impact melts are readily produced during adiabatic decompression from high shock pressure, but subsequently decompose due to heat influx from coexisting silicate impact melts or hot breccia components. Under certain circumstances, postshock conditions may favor production and conservation of carbonate impact melts. We conclude that the response of mixed carbonate–silicate targets to impact might involve melting and decomposition of carbonates, the dominant response being governed by a complex variety of factors.  相似文献   

Eco-Ethnography and Citizen Science: Lessons from Within     

Cynthia A. Grace-McCaskey  Briana Iatarola  Alex K. Manda  J. Randall Etheridge 《社会与自然资源》2019,32(10):1123-1138

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