Chemical Recognition and Nematocyte Excitation in a Sea Anemone

1979 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 283-292
Author(s):  
ROGER LUBBOCK

The response of nematocytes in the anemone Stichodactyla haddoni to contact with complex organic compounds varies according to the 9ubstance concerned and in most cases according to the level of accompanying mechanical stimulation. Compounds with a proteinaceous moiety differ in their capacity to excite nematocytes, but usually tend to induce a stronger response than polysaccharides or lipids. Nematocyst discharge against foreign animals appears to be the result of a sophisticated cellular recognition process in which the nematocytes, and/or cells closely associated with them, respond to physical contact with a surface of appropriate chemical composition.

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Roš ◽  
J. Vrtovšek

A combined anaerobic anoxic aerobic reactor for the treatment of the industrial wastewater that contains nitrogen and complex organic compounds as well as its design procedure is presented. The purpose of our experiments was to find a simple methodology that would provide combined reactor design. The reactor is based on the combination of anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic process in one unit only. It was found that the HRT even under 1 hour in the anaerobic zone is long enough for the efficient transformation of complex organic compounds into readily biodegradable COD which is then used in dentrification process. In the N-NO3 concentration range 1.5-50 mg/l the denitrification rate could be expressed as half-order reaction when the CODrb was in excess. N-NO3 removal efficiency is controlled by the recycle flow from the aerobic to the anoxic zone. Nitrification rate can be expressed as first, half or zero-order reaction with respect to effluent N-NH4 concentration. Nitrification rate depends on the dissolved oxygen concentration and hydrodynamic conditions in the reactor. Case study for design of a pilot plant of the combined reactor for treatment of pre-treated pharmaceutical wastewater is shown. Characteristics of pre-treated wastewater were: COD=200 mg/l, BOD5=20 mg/l, N-Kjeldahl=80 mg/l, N-NH4=70 mg/l, N-NOx<1 mg/l, P-PO4=5 mg/l. Legal requirements for treated wastewater were: COD=<100 mg/l, BOD5<5 mg/l, N-NH4=<1 mg/l, N-NOx=<10 mg/l.


1971 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 611-640
Author(s):  
ELAINE A. ROBSON

1. In Gonactinia well-developed ectodermal muscle and nerve-net extend over the column and crown and play an important part in the anemone's behaviour. 2. Common sequences of behaviour are described. Feeding is a series of reflex contractions of different muscles by means of which plankton is caught and swallowed. Walking, in the form of brief looping steps, differs markedly in that it continues after interruptions. Anemones also swim with rapid tentacle strokes after contact with certain nudibranch molluscs, strong mechanical disturbance or electrical stimulation. 3. Swimming is attributed to temporary excitation of a diffuse ectodermal pacemaker possibly situated in the upper column. 4. From the results of electrical and mechanical stimulation it is concluded that the endodermal neuromuscular system resembles that of other anemones but that the properties of the ectodermal neuromuscular system require a new explanation. The size and spread of responses to electric shocks vary with intensity, latency is variable and there is a tendency to after-discharge. There is precise radial localization, for example touching a tentacle or the column causes it to bend towards or away from the stimulus. 5. A model to explain these and other features includes multipolar nerve cells closely linked to the nerve-net which would act as intermediate motor units, causing local contraction of the ectodermal muscle. This scheme can be applied to other swimming anemones but there is no evidence that it holds for sea anemones generally.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 6331-6351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wing-Sy Wong DeRieux ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
Peng Lin ◽  
Julia Laskin ◽  
Alexander Laskin ◽  
...  

Abstract. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) accounts for a large fraction of submicron particles in the atmosphere. SOA can occur in amorphous solid or semi-solid phase states depending on chemical composition, relative humidity (RH), and temperature. The phase transition between amorphous solid and semi-solid states occurs at the glass transition temperature (Tg). We have recently developed a method to estimate Tg of pure compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms (CHO compounds) with molar mass less than 450 g mol−1 based on their molar mass and atomic O : C ratio. In this study, we refine and extend this method for CH and CHO compounds with molar mass up to ∼ 1100 g mol−1 using the number of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. We predict viscosity from the Tg-scaled Arrhenius plot of fragility (viscosity vs. Tg∕T) as a function of the fragility parameter D. We compiled D values of organic compounds from the literature and found that D approaches a lower limit of ∼ 10 (±1.7) as the molar mass increases. We estimated the viscosity of α-pinene and isoprene SOA as a function of RH by accounting for the hygroscopic growth of SOA and applying the Gordon–Taylor mixing rule, reproducing previously published experimental measurements very well. Sensitivity studies were conducted to evaluate impacts of Tg, D, the hygroscopicity parameter (κ), and the Gordon–Taylor constant on viscosity predictions. The viscosity of toluene SOA was predicted using the elemental composition obtained by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), resulting in a good agreement with the measured viscosity. We also estimated the viscosity of biomass burning particles using the chemical composition measured by HRMS with two different ionization techniques: electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI). Due to differences in detected organic compounds and signal intensity, predicted viscosities at low RH based on ESI and APPI measurements differ by 2–5 orders of magnitude. Complementary measurements of viscosity and chemical composition are desired to further constrain RH-dependent viscosity in future studies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis M. F. Barreira ◽  
Arttu Ylisirniö ◽  
Iida Pullinen ◽  
Angela Buchholz ◽  
Zijun Li ◽  
...  

Abstract. Secondary organic aerosols (SOA) formed from biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) constitute a significant fraction of atmospheric particulate matter and have been recognized to affect significantly the climate and air quality. Many laboratory and field experiments have studied SOA particle formation and growth in the recent years. Most of them have focused on a few monoterpenes and isoprene. However, atmospheric SOA particulate mass yields and chemical composition result from a much more complex mixture of oxidation products originating from many BVOCs, including terpenes other than isoprene and monoterpenes. Thus, a large uncertainty still remains regarding the contribution of BVOCs to SOA. In particular, organic compounds formed from sesquiterpenes have not been thoroughly investigated, and their contribution to SOA remains poorly characterized. In this study, a Filter Inlet for Gases and Aerosols (FIGAERO) combined with a high-resolution time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS), with iodide ionization, was used for the simultaneous measurement of gas and particle phase atmospheric SOA. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relative contribution of sesquiterpene oxidation products to SOA in a spring-time hemi-boreal forest environment. Our results revealed that monoterpene and sesquiterpene oxidation products were the main contributors to SOA particles. The chemical composition of SOA particles was compared for times when either monoterpene or sesquiterpene oxidation products were dominant and possible key oxidation products for SOA particle formation were identified. Surprisingly, sesquiterpene oxidation products were the predominant fraction in the particle phase at some periods, while their gas phase concentrations remained much lower than those of monoterpene products. This can be explained by quick and effective partitioning of sesquiterpene products into the particle phase or their efficient removal by dry deposition. The SOA particle volatility determined from measured thermograms increased when the concentration of sesquiterpene oxidation products in SOA particles was higher than that of monoterpenes. Overall, this study demonstrates the important role of sesquiterpenes in atmospheric chemistry and suggests that the contribution of their products to SOA particles is being underestimated in comparison to the most studied terpenes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (1) ◽  
pp. 1188-1200
Author(s):  
Killian Leroux ◽  
Lahouari Krim

ABSTRACT Methanol, which is one of the most abundant organic molecules in the interstellar medium, plays an important role in the complex grain surface chemistry that is believed to be a source of many organic compounds. Under energetic processing such as ultraviolet (UV) photons or cosmic rays, methanol may decompose into CH4, CO2, CO, HCO, H2CO, CH3O and CH2OH, which in turn lead to complex organic molecules such as CH3OCHO, CHOCH2OH and HOCH2CH2OH through radical recombination reactions. However, although molecular oxygen and its detection, abundance and role in the interstellar medium have been the subject of many debates, few experiments on the oxidation of organic compounds have been carried out under interstellar conditions. The present study shows the behaviour of solid methanol when treated by UV light and thermal processing in oxygen-rich environments. Methanol has been irradiated in the absence and presence of O2 at different concentrations in order to study how oxidized complex organic molecules may form and also to investigate the O-insertion reaction in the C–H bound to form methanediol HOCH2OH through a CH3OH + O(1D) solid-state reaction. The adding of O2 in the thermal and photochemical reaction of solid methanol leads to the formation of O3, H2O and HO2, in addition to three main organics, HCOOH, CHOCHO and HOCH2OH. We show that in an O2-rich environment, species such as CO, CH4, HCO, CH3OH and CHOCH2OH are oxidized into CO2, CH3OH, HC(O)OO, HOCH2OH and CHOCHO, respectively, while HCOOH might be formed through the H2CO + O(3P) → (OH + HCO)cage → HCOOH hydrogen-abstraction reaction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 721
Author(s):  
Lucas Ladeira Cardoso ◽  
Karina Guimarães Ribeiro ◽  
Marcos Inácio Marcondes ◽  
Odilon Gomes Pereira ◽  
Kirsten Weiß

Sugarcane silage can be used in animal production systems; however, it is important to apply additives to improve its chemical composition and fermentative quality. We evaluated the effect of chemical (urea and calcium oxide (CaO)) and microbial (Lactobacillus buchneri (LB), Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus, and Propionibacterium acidipropionici) additives on chemical composition, fermentation profile, microorganism population, and production of ethanol and other volatile organic compounds in sugarcane silage. Treatments studied were silage without inoculant (SS), SS with LB, SS with Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus, SS with Lactobacillus plantarum and Propionibacterium acidipropionici, SS with 5 g CaO/kg fresh material (FM) (5CaO), SS with 10 g CaO/kg FM (10CaO), SS with 5 g urea/kg FM (5urea), and SS with 10 g urea/kg FM (10urea). The highest crude protein content (P = 0.001) and the lowest N-linked to fibre content (P = 0.001) occurred when applying urea. None of the treatments reduced the presence of yeast (P = 0.054), but a trend was detected of treatments based on CaO as promising in this Control. The silages treated with CaO had lower ethyl ester and ethanol (average for CaO-based treatments of 0.012 g/kg dry matter and 0.695 g/kg dry matter, respectively), and silages treated with 10urea had less acetone (P = 0.001) and methanol (P = 0.001). The sugarcane silages treated with chemical additive CaO reduced ethanol production and ester formation. There was a high correlation (r = 0.984) between ethyl acetate + ethyl lactate and ethanol contents.


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