The Potted-Plant Microcosm Substantially Reduces Indoor Air VOC Pollution: I. Office Field-Study

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major contaminants of indoor air, with concentrations often several times higher than outdoors. They are recognized as causative agents of “building-related illness” or “sick-building syndrome”. Our previous laboratory test-chamber studies have shown that the potted-plant/root-zone microorganism microcosm can eliminate high concentrations of air-borne VOCs within 24 hours, once the removal response has been induced by an initial dose. However, the effectiveness of the potted-plant microcosm in ‘real-world’ indoor spaces has never previously been tested experimentally. This paper reports the results of a field-study on the effects of potted-plant presence on total VOC (TVOC) levels, measured in 60 offices (12 per treatment), over two 5–9 week periods, using three planting regimes, with two ‘international indoor-plant’ species. Fourteen VOCs were identified in the office air. When TVOC loads in reference offices rose above 100 ppb, large reductions, of from 50 to 75% (to <100 ppb), were found in planted offices, under all planting regimes The results indicate that air-borne TVOC levels above a threshold of about 100 ppb stimulate the graded induction of an efficient metabolic VOC-removal mechanism in the microcosm. Follow-up laboratory dose-response experiments, reported in the following paper, confirm the graded induction response, over a wide range of VOC concentrations. The findings together demonstrate that potted-plants can provide an efficient, self-regulating, low-cost, sustainable, bioremediation system for indoor air pollution, which can effectively complement engineering measures to reduce indoor air pollution, and hence improve human wellbeing and productivity.     

Pollination of the invasive exotic shrub Lupinus arboreus (Fabaceae) by introduced bees in Tasmania

Exotic plant invasions threaten ecological communities world-wide. Some species are limited by a lack of suitable pollinators, but the introduction of exotic pollinators can facilitate rapid spread. In Tasmania, where many non-native plants are naturalised, exotic honeybees (Apis mellifera) and bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) have become established. We determined how these species affect the pollination of Lupinus arboreus, an invasive, nitrogen-fixing shrub, which is rarely visited by native pollinators. The proportion of flowers setting seed and the number of ovules fertilised per flower were positively related to the visitation rates of both exotic bee species. There was no effect of bee visitation rates on the proportion of seeds aborted prior to maturity, possibly due to post-fertilisation environmental constraints. We conclude that the spread of B. terrestris may not alter the fecundity of L. arboreus because of the pollination service provided by A. mellifera, and discuss potential interactions between these two bee species.     

Characterization of flavonols in cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) powder

Flavonoids were extracted from cranberry powder with acetone and ethyl acetate and subsequently fractionated with Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. The fraction eluted with a 60% methanol solution was composed primarily of phenolic constituents with maximum absorbance at 340 nm. A high-performance liquid chromatography procedure was developed, which resolved 22 distinct peaks with UV/vis and mass spectra corresponding to flavonol glycoside conjugates. Six new constituents not previously reported in cranberry or in cranberry products were determined through NMR spectroscopy to be myricetin-3-beta-xylopyranoside, quercetin-3-beta-glucoside, quercetin-3-alpha-arabinopyranoside, 3'-methoxyquercetin-3-alpha-xylopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-(6' '-p-coumaroyl)-beta-galactoside, and quercetin-3-O-(6' '-benzoyl)-beta-galactoside. Quercetin-3-O-(6' '-p-coumaroyl)-beta-galactoside and quercetin-3-O-(6' '-benzoyl)-beta-galactoside represent a new class of cranberry flavonol compounds with three conjugated components consisting of a flavonol, sugar, and carboxylic acid (benzoic or hydroxycinnamic acids). This is also the first report identifying quercetin-3-arabinoside in both furanose and pyranose forms in cranberry. Elucidation of specific flavonol glycosides in cranberry is significant since the specificity of the sugar moiety may play a role in the bioavailability of the flavonol glycosides in vivo.     

The Eocene/Oligocene boundary event in the deep sea

Analysis of middle Eocene to early, Oligocene calcareous and siliceous microfossils shows gradual biotic changes with no massive extinction event across the Eocene/Oligocene boundary. Biotic changes in the late Paleogene appear to reflect changing paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic conditions and do not support suggestions of a catastrophic biotic event caused by a bolide impact at the Eocenel Oligocene boundary.     

Spread of HTLV-I between lymphocytes by virus-induced polarization of the cytoskeleton

Cell contact is required for efficient transmission of human T cell leukemia virus- type 1 (HTLV-I) between cells and between individuals, because naturally infected lymphocytes produce virtually no cell-free infectious HTLV-I particles. However, the mechanism of cell-to-cell spread of HTLV-I is not understood. We show here that cell contact rapidly induces polarization of the cytoskeleton of the infected cell to the cell-cell junction. HTLV-I core (Gag protein) complexes and the HTLV-I genome accumulate at the cell-cell junction and are then transferred to the uninfected cell. Other lymphotropic viruses, such as HIV-1, may similarly subvert normal T cell physiology to allow efficient propagation between cells.     

Identification of active edge sites for electrochemical H2 evolution from MoS2 nanocatalysts

The identification of the active sites in heterogeneous catalysis requires a combination of surface sensitive methods and reactivity studies. We determined the active site for hydrogen evolution, a reaction catalyzed by precious metals, on nanoparticulate molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) by atomically resolving the surface of this catalyst before measuring electrochemical activity in solution. By preparing MoS2 nanoparticles of different sizes, we systematically varied the distribution of surface sites on MoS2 nanoparticles on Au(111), which we quantified with scanning tunneling microscopy. Electrocatalytic activity measurements for hydrogen evolution correlate linearly with the number of edge sites on the MoS2 catalyst.     

Submarine thermal sprirngs on the galapagos rift

The submarine hydrothermal activity on and near the Galápagos Rift has been explored with the aid of the deep submersible Alvin. Analyses of water samples from hydrothermal vents reveal that hydrothermal activity provides significant or dominant sources and sinks for several components of seawater; studies of conductive and convective heat transfer suggest that two-thirds of the heat lost from new oceanic lithosphere at the Galápagos Rift in the first million years may be vented from thermal springs, predominantly along the axial ridge within the rift valley. The vent areas are populated by animal communities. They appear to utilize chemosynthesis by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria to derive their entire energy supply from reactions between the seawater and the rocks at high temperatures, rather than photosynthesis.