An economic assessment of the health effects and crop yield losses caused by air pollution in mainland China

Air pollution is severe in China, and pollutants such as PM_(2.5) and surface O_3 may cause major damage to human health and crops, respectively. Few studies have considered the health effects of PM_(2.5) or the loss of crop yields due to surface O_3 using model-simulated air pollution data in China. We used gridded outputs from the WRF-Chem model, high resolution population data, and crop yield data to evaluate the effects on human health and crop yield in mainland China. Our results showed that outdoor PM_(2.5) pollution was responsible for 1.70–1.99 million cases of all-cause mortality in 2006. The economic costs of these health effects were estimated to be 151.1–176.9 billion USD, of which 90% were attributed to mortality. The estimated crop yield losses for wheat, rice, maize, and soybean were approximately 9, 4.6, 0.44, and 0.34 million tons, respectively, resulting in economic losses of 3.4 billion USD. The total economic losses due to ambient air pollution were estimated to be 154.5–180.3 billion USD, accounting for approximately 5.7%–6.6% of the total GDP of China in 2006. Our results show that both population health and staple crop yields in China have been significantly affected by exposure to air pollution. Measures should be taken to reduce emissions, improve air quality, and mitigate the economic loss.     

Analysis of air quality characteristics of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei and its surrounding air pollution transport channel cities in China

Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei(BTH) and its surrounding areas are very important to air pollution control in China.To analyze the characteristics of BTH and its surrounding areas of China,we collected 5,641,440 air quality data from 161 air monitoring stations and 37,123,000 continuous monitoring data from air polluting enterprises in BTH and surrounding cities to establish an indicator system for urban air quality portraits.The results showed that particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters of 2.5 μm(PM_(2.5)),particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters of 10 μm(PM_(10)) and SO_2 improved significantly in 31 cities from2015 to 2018,but ozone deteriorated.Air quality in BTH and the surrounding areas showed obvious seasonal characteristics,among which PM_(2.5),PM_(10),SO_2,and NO_2 showed a "U" type distribution from January to December,while O_3 had an "inverted U" distribution.The hourly changes in air quality revealed that peaks of PM_(2.5),PM_(10) and NO_2 appeared from 8:00 to 10:00,while those for O_3 appeared at 15:00–16:00.The exposure characteristics of the 31 cities showed that six districts in Beijing had the highest air quality population exposure,and that exposure levels in Zhengzhou,Puyang,Anyang,Jincheng were higher than the average of the 31 investigated cities.Additionally,multiple linear regression revealed a negative correlation between meteorological factors(especially wind and precipitation) and air quality,while a positive correlation existed between industrial pollution emissions and air quality in most of BTH and its surrounding cities.     

Characterizing ionic species in PM2:5 and PM10 in four Pearl River Delta cities, South China

PM_(2.5)and PM_(10)samples were collected at four major cities in the Pearl River Delta(PRD),South China,during winter and summer in 2002.Six water-soluble ions,Na~ ,NH_4~ ,K~ ,Cl~-,NO_3~- and SO_4~(2-)were measured using ion chromatography.On average,ionic species accounted for 53.3% and 40.5% for PM_(2.5)and PM_(10),respectively in winter and 39.4% and 35.2%,respectively in summer. Secondary ions such as sulfate,nitrate and ammonium accounted for the major part of the total ionic species.Sulfate was the most abundant species followed by nitrate.Overall,a regional pollution tendency was shown that there were higher concentrations of sulfate, nitrate and ammonium in Guangzhou City than those in the other PRD cities.Significant seasonal variations were also observed with higher levels of species in winter but lower in summer.The Asian monsoon system was favorable for removal and diffusion of air pollutants in PRD in summer while highly loading of local industrial emissions tended to deteriorate the air quality as well.NO_3~-/SO_4~(2-) ratio indicated that mobile sources have considerably contribution to the urban aerosol,and stationary sources should not be neglected. Besides the primary emissions,complex atmospheric reactions under favorable weather conditions should be paid more attention for the control of primary emission in the PRD region.     

Spatial and temporal variation of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants in 26 cities in China

O3and PM2.5were introduced into the newly revised air quality standard system in February 2012, representing a milestone in the history of air pollution control, and China's urban air quality will be evaluated using six factors(SO2, NO2, O3, CO, PM2.5and PM10) from the beginning of 2013. To achieve the new air quality standard, it is extremely important to have a primary understanding of the current pollution status in various cities. The spatial and temporal variations of the air pollutants were investigated in 26 pilot cities in China from August 2011 to February 2012, just before the new standard was executed. Hourly averaged SO2, NO2and PM10were observed in 26 cities, and the pollutants O3, CO and PM2.5were measured in 15 of the 26 cities. The concentrations of SO2and CO were much higher in the cities in north China than those in the south. As for O3and NO2, however, there was no significant diference between northern and southern cities. Fine particles were found to account for a large proportion of airborne particles, with the ratio of PM2.5to PM10ranging from 55% to 77%. The concentrations of PM2.5(57.5 μg/m3) and PM10(91.2 μg/m3) were much higher than the values(PM2.5: 11.2 μg/m3; PM10 : 35.6 μg/m3) recommended by the World Health Organization. The attainment of the new urban air quality standard in the investigated cities is decreased by 20% in comparison with the older standard without considering O3, CO and PM2.5, suggesting a great challenge in urban air quality improvement, and more eforts will to be taken to control air pollution in China.     

Comparisons of two serious air pollution episodes in winter and summer in Beijing

Characteristics of two serious air pollution episodes(9–15 January, as the winter case; and30 June to 1 July, as the summer case), which occurred in Beijing in 2013 were investigated and compared using multi-method observations and numerical simulations. During these two air pollution episodes, PM_(2.5) concentrations varied significantly within Beijing, with PM_(2.5) concentrations in southern parts of Beijing being significantly higher than in northern areas. Typically, heavy air pollution episodes begin in the southern parts and disperse towards the northern parts of Beijing. Clearly, synoptic patterns and the stability of atmospheric circulation patterns were the main factors controlling air pollution in Beijing.During the winter case, a warm center above 900 h Pa occurred over Beijing. Meanwhile, in the summer case, although there was only a weak inversion, the convective inhibition energy was strong(over 200 J/k G). This clearly influenced the duration of the air pollution event. Except for the local accumulation and secondary atmospheric reactions in both cases, regional straw burnings contributed a lot to the PM_(2.5) concentrations in summer case.Using the CAMxmodel, we established that regional transport contributed almost 59% to the PM_(2.5) averaged concentration in Beijing in the winter case, but only 31% in the summer case. Thus, the winter case was a typical regional air pollution episode, while the summer case resulted from local accumulation straw burnings transportation and strong secondary atmospheric reactions. Given that air pollution is a regional problem in China, consistent and simultaneous implementation of regional prevention and control strategies is necessary to improve regional air quality.     

Typical atmospheric haze during crop harvest season in northeastern China: A case in the Changchun region

This study presents the mass concentrations of PM_(2.5),O_3,SO_2 and NOxat one urban,one suburban and two rural locations in the Changchun region from September 25 to October 272013. Major chemical components of PM_(2.5)at the four sites were daily sampled and analyzed. Most of daily concentrations of SO_2(7–82 μg/m~3),O_3(27–171 μg/m~3) and NOx(14–213 μg/m~3) were below the limits of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard(NAAQS)in China. However,PM_(2.5)concentrations(143–168 μg/m~3) were 2-fold higher than NAAQS.Higher PM_(2.5)concentrations(~ 150 μg/m~3) were measured during the pre-harvest and harvest at the urban site,while PM_(2.5)concentrations significantly increased from 250 to400 μg m~(-3) at suburban and rural sites with widespread biomass burning. At all sites,PM_(2.5)components were dominated by organic carbon(OC) and followed by soluble component sulfate(SO_4~(2-)),ammonium(NH_4~+) and nitrate(NO_3~-). Compared with rural sites,urban site had a higher mineral contribution and lower potassium(K~+and K) contribution to PM_(2.5).Severe atmospheric haze events that occurred from October 21 to 23 were attributed to strong source emissions(e.g.,biomass burning) and unfavorable air diffusion conditions.Furthermore,coal burning originating from winter heating supply beginning on October 18 increased the atmospheric pollutant emissions. For entire crop harvest period,the Positive Matrix Factorization(PMF) analysis indicated five important emission contributors in the Changchun region,as follows: secondary aerosol(39%),biomass burning(20%),supply heating(18%),soil/road dust(14%) and traffic(9%).     

Impact of emission control on regional air quality: An observational study of air pollutants before, during and after the Beijing Olympic Games

An observational study on trace gases and PM2.5 was conducted at three sites in and around Beijing, during the Olympic season from 2007 to 2009. Air quality improved significantly during the Olympic Games due to the special emission control measures. However, concentrations of the primary pollutants and PM were found to have risen significantly after the Games. Although the major O3 precursors （NOx and VOCs） were well controlled during the Olympic season, O3 was still found to be the highest in 2008, based on the data of ground-based observation. All this information suggests that while control of regional emissions for the Beijing Olympic Games did improved the air quality in Beijing, more efforts will be needed for the continuous improvement of regional air quality, especially for significant reductions of O3 and fine particulate pollution, and not only in Beijing, but also in the B eijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.     

Chemical composition and source apportionment of PM10 and PM2.5 in different functional areas of Lanzhou, China

To elucidate the air pollution characteristics of northern China, airborne PM_10(atmospheric dynamic equivalent diameter ≤ 10 μm) and PM_(2.5)(atmospheric dynamic equivalent diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) were sampled in three different functional areas(Yuzhong County,Xigu District and Chengguan District) of Lanzhou, and their chemical composition(elements, ions, carbonaceous species) was analyzed. The results demonstrated that the highest seasonal mean concentrations of PM_10(369.48 μg/m~3) and PM_(2.5)(295.42 μg/m~3) were detected in Xigu District in the winter, the lowest concentration of PM_(2.5)(53.15 μg/m~3) was observed in Yuzhong District in the fall and PM_10(89.60 μg/m~3) in Xigu District in the fall.The overall average OC/EC(organic carbon/elemental carbon) value was close to the representative OC/EC ratio for coal consumption, implying that the pollution of Lanzhou could be attributed to the burning of coal. The content of SNA(the sum of sulfate, nitrate,ammonium, SNA) in PM_(2.5)in Yuzhong County was generally lower than that at other sites in all seasons. The content of SNA in PM_(2.5)and PM_10 in Yuzhong County was generally lower than that at other sites in all seasons(0.24–0.38), indicating that the conversion ratios from precursors to secondary aerosols in the low concentration area was slower than in the area with high and intense pollutants. Six primary particulate matter sources were chosen based on positive matrix factorization(PMF) analysis, and emissions from dust, secondary aerosols, and coal burning were identified to be the primary sources responsible for the particle pollution in Lanzhou.     

Exposure to air pollutants in Vietnam: Assessing potential risk for tourists

Tourism can form an important component of a nation's GDP,and Vietnam is among the most visited countries in Southeast Asia.Most studies on personal exposure focus on the general population,or occupational cohorts with exposure to specific pollutants.However,short-term exposure to air pollutants while visiting regions with high levels of air pollution can lead to acute health effects.A personal exposure study was conducted across three cities in Vietnam to estimate exposure to particulate matter(PM_(2.5)) and black carbon for tourists.Measurements were conducted during the wet season in 2014 in Ho Chi Minh City,Da Lat and Nha Trang using portable instrumentation.Average 24-hr PM_(2.5) and BC exposures were estimated as 18.9 ± 9.24 and 3.41 ± 1.33 μg/m~3 and among the three cities,Ho Chi Minh was found to have the highest PM_(2.5) concentrations.Environmental tobacco smoke,commuting and street food stands were found to contribute to highest levels of exposure to PM_(2.5) and BC across all cities.     

Recent development of a refined multiple air pollutant emission inventory of vehicles in the Central Plains of China

Central Plains region of China,represented by Henan Province,is facing serious air pollution problems.Vehicular exhaust emissions had adverse impacts on the atmospheric environment.The first comprehensive and novel vehicle emission inventory for Henan Province using vehicle kilometers traveled,localized emission factors,and activity data at city-level was developed.Furthermore,3 km×3 km gridded emission and temporal variations were determined by using localized information.Results show that the total emissions of sulfur dioxide(SO_2),nitrogen oxides(NOx),carbon monoxide(CO),particular matter with aerodynamic diameter10μm(PM_(10)),aerodynamic diameter2.5μm(PM_(2.5)),volatile organic compounds(VOCs),VOCs-evaporation and ammonia in 2015 were 9.1,533.4,1190.7,23.7,21.6,150.8,31.5 and 10.4 Gg,respectively,and the emission intensities of the above pollutants were 0.05,2.7,6.0,0.1,0.1,0.8,0.2 and 0.05 g/km,respectively.Vehicles meeting the Primary China 1,China 3 and China 4 contributed 89.1%,82.7%,75.3%,75.5%,75.5%,68.2%,68.4%and 82.3%for SO_2,NO_x,CO,PM_(10),PM_(2.5),VOCs,VOCs-evaporation and ammonia emissions,respectively.Zhengzhou,Zhoukou,Nanyang,Luoyang,Shangqiu and Xinyang showed relatively higher emissions and contributed more than 50%of each pollutant.The spatial distribution indicated obvious characteristics of the road network,and high-level emission was concentrated in the downtown areas.Additionally,the ozone formation potential(OFP)based on the estimated speciated VOC emissions was 569.6 Gg in Henan Province.Aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons were the main species of VOCs,whereas olefins contributed the largest proportion of OFP,with 42.2%.     

森林与径流关系——一致性和复杂性

@论文综述国外近一个世纪以来在配对集水区研究方面所取得的结论,从水的自然属性出发,从森林变化对径流(年径流量、洪峰与枯水径流)的影响,径流响应的干扰临界值及水文恢复各方面探讨森林变化与径流关系的一致性与复杂性。森林变化与径流关系的一致性主要表现在由较长时间尺度表达的年径流量上。绝大多数的配对集水区的试验研究表明,采伐森林就会增加年径流量,而在荒地上造林就会减少年径流量。而由较短时间尺度表达的洪峰径流与枯水流量则呈现较大的复杂性和难预估性。综述表明,对径流特别是洪峰与枯水径流的定义及分析方法的不同也是造成森林与径流关系复杂性的重要原因。森林与径流关系的复杂性要求人们在研究及应用其关系时就必须有系统观,必须考虑植被、径流与其它过程(土壤变化、气候变化等)的相互作用。论文还认为尽管配对集水区试验作为一种研究方法为研究者提供了许多可靠的结论,但由于许多研究者只把集水区看作是“黑箱”Q从而对认识森林与径流关系的复杂性有一定的局限性。未来的研究应把配对集水区的试验与其它对过程的研究技术(同位素、GIS等技术)结合起来。     

科技与可持续发展

科学技术对生产力发展的巨大作用。不仅表现在它对生产力3个要素的渗透性影响。而且表现在它促进生产力结构的优化和系统功能的发挥，但经济发展会带来资源破坏和环境污染等负面影响。应在发挥科技作为第一生产力作用的同时，遏制其带来的负面影响，以促进可持续发展。     

Homology and phylogeny and their automated inference

The analysis of the ever-increasing amount of biological and biomedical data can be pushed forward by comparing the data within and among species. For example, an integrative analysis of data from the genome sequencing projects for various species traces the evolution of the genomes and identifies conserved and innovative parts. Here, I review the foundations and advantages of this "historical" approach and evaluate recent attempts at automating such analyses. Biological data is comparable if a common origin exists (homology), as is the case for members of a gene family originating via duplication of an ancestral gene. If the family has relatives in other species, we can assume that the ancestral gene was present in the ancestral species from which all the other species evolved. In particular, describing the relationships among the duplicated biological sequences found in the various species is often possible by a phylogeny, which is more informative than homology statements. Detecting and elaborating on common origins may answer how certain biological sequences developed, and predict what sequences are in a particular species and what their function is. Such knowledge transfer from sequences in one species to the homologous sequences of the other is based on the principle of 'my closest relative looks and behaves like I do', often referred to as 'guilt by association'. To enable knowledge transfer on a large scale, several automated 'phylogenomics pipelines' have been developed in recent years, and seven of these will be described and compared. Overall, the examples in this review demonstrate that homology and phylogeny analyses, done on a large (and automated) scale, can give insights into function in biology and biomedicine.     

真菌和细菌对染料的吸附脱色及再生能力的研究

进行了真菌和细菌共培养对染料的吸附脱色和吸附脱色能力再生的研究。结果表明，青霉菌G－1首先对偶氮染料S－119、蒽醌染料艳紫KN－B（C．I．Reactive violet 22）水溶液中染料进行快速吸附去除，菌丝对同种染料的吸附速度随菌丝培养液中葡萄糖浓度的增加而加快，吸附染料的G－1菌丝在与细菌的共培养中完成对染料的脱色降解，脱色速度受培养液中葡萄和氮源浓度影响较大，从吸附速率和完全脱色时间综合评价，以葡萄糖浓度为5g/L、酒石酸铵为20mmol/L的培养基中培养的菌丝对染料的吸附脱色效果最好，吸附在菌丝上的艳紫KN－B脱色后菌丝吸附脱色能力得到再生，菌丝对100mg/L的艳紫KN－B染料水溶液可重复处理4次。青霉菌G－1对酸性染料废水处理3h，色度去除率为75．9％，吸附染料的菌丝在与细菌共培养中完成对染料的脱色，对试验所用染料废水，菌丝的处理能力获得1次再生。     

油气集输联合站火灾爆炸危险分析与事故后果模拟

以某联合站为例,根据油气集输联合站站场功能,将联合站划分为油气处理、储运及污水处理3个单元,对各单元发生火灾爆炸事故的可能条件进行分析,并利用DNV公司的SAFETI软件对事故后果进行模拟计算,根据事故影响范围数据,提出相应的安全措施。     

Pesticides and trace elements in cannabis: Analytical and environmental challenges and opportunities

Cannabis is increasingly used for both medicinal and recreational purposes with an estimate of over 180 million users annually. Canada has recently legalized cannabis use in October 2018, joining several states in the United States of America (e.g., Colorado, California, and Oregon) and a few other countries. A variety of cannabis products including dry flowers, edibles, and oil products are widely consumed. With high demand for cannabis products worldwide, the quality of cannabis and its related products has become a major concern for consumer safety. Various guidelines have been set by different countries to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of cannabis products. In general, these guidelines require control of contaminants including pesticides, toxic elements, mycotoxins, and pathogens, as well as residual solvents in regard to cannabis oil. Accordingly, appropriate analytical methods are required to determine these contaminants in cannabis products for quality control. In this review, we focus on the current analytical challenges and method development for detection of pesticides and toxic elements in cannabis to meet various guidelines.     

砷的污染、检测与防治

在环境化学污染物中,砷是最常见、最严重的污染物之一.随着现代工农业生产的发展,砷对环境的污染日趋严重.为了更好地评价砷污染对环境和人体的影响,介绍了砷污染的来源、对人体的危害、标准的检测方法和目前砷污染治理的现状.     

土壤及果树中HCH和DDT残留及分布规律研究

采用索氏提取、弗罗里土固相微萃取小柱净化结合GC-ECD测定了苹果园土壤和果树样品中4种六六六(HCH)和4种滴滴涕(DDT)的残留量,并对果树的根、枝、叶中HCH和DDT的分布规律进行了研究。实验结果表明,土壤和果树样品中均有HCH和DDT检出。土壤样品中两类农药的含量分别在0.51～3.97ng/g和1.46～15.55ng/g之间,其中β-HCH是六六六残留的主体,滴滴涕类的含量以p,p'-DDT为最高,并且(DDE+DDD)/DDT<1表明近期果园中有新的DDT输入。果树样品中,HCH和DDT的残留量分别在0.22～2.01ng/g和0.38～6.08ng/g之间,都要低于相应土壤中有机氯农药的浓度。果树中总OCPs的含量在4.88～17.94ng/g之间,是土壤和大气中OCPs污染共同作用的结果。根部的OCPs的含量明显高于枝和叶,其分布规律为根>叶>枝,这主要取决于根、枝、叶各组织的结构以及农药的理化性质。     

Comparison of transabdominal and transcervical CVS and amniocentesis: Sampling success and risk

A total of 2931 women randomized to either transabdominal CVS, transceirvical CVS, or amniocentesis were studied. Unless intended or unintended abortion had occurred, they had completed up to 28 weeks of pregnancy. No significant difference was seen between total fetal loss in the transabdominal CVS group and the amniocentesis group (6.5 and 6.8 per cent, respectively, SE difference = 0.92 per cent, p = 0.01). The total fetal loss in the transcervical CVS group was 10.1 per cent. After pooling our data with data from the Canadian randomized study and the American non-randomized study, the difference in risk between trans-cervical CVS and amniocentesis was 1.8 per cent (SE difference = 0.64 per cent, p = 0.8). When the number of failed procedures and those cases evaluated as infeasible for the assigned method-for anatomical reasons-are compared, the overall sampling efficacy is poorer transcervically than transabdominally.