Accumulation and leaching potential of some pharmaceuticals and potential endocrine disruptors in soils irrigated with wastewater in the Tula Valley, Mexico

The reuse of wastewater for irrigation of agricultural land is a well established practice but introduces many contaminants into the terrestrial environment including pharmaceuticals and personal care products. This study reports the persistence and leaching potential of a group of acidic pharmaceuticals, carbamazepine, and three endocrine disruptors in soils from the Tula Valley in Mexico, one of the largest irrigation districts in the world that uses untreated wastewater. After irrigation of soil columns with fortified wastewater over the equivalent of one crop cycle, between 0% and 7% of the total added amounts of ibuprofen, naproxen, and diclofenac and between 0% and 25% of 4-nonylphenol, triclosan, and bisphenol-A were recovered from the soil profiles. Carbamazepine was more persistent, between 55% and 107% being recovered. Amounts in leachates suggested that movement through the soil was possible for all of the analytes, particularly in profiles of low organic matter and clay content. Analysis of soil samples from the Tula Valley confirmed the general lack of accumulation of the acidic pharmaceuticals (concentrations from below the limit of detection to 0.61 μgkg(-1)) and endocrine disruptors (concentrations from below the limit of detection to 109 μgkg(-1)) despite continual addition through regular irrigation with untreated wastewater; there was little evidence of movement through the soil profiles. In contrast, carbamazepine was present in horizon A of the soil at concentrations equivalent to several years of additions by irrigation (2.6-7.5 μgkg(-1)) and was also present in the deeper horizons. The persistence and mobility of carbamazepine suggested a potential to contaminate groundwater.     

Water Retention Capacity of Polysaccharides from Prickly Pear Nopals of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Opuntia Ficus Indica</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Opuntia Litoralis</Emphasis>: Physical–Chemical Approach

Polysaccharides were isolated from nopals mucilage pulp and peel of Opuntia Ficus Indica (OFI) and Opuntia litoralis (OL) by aqueous extraction and purified by ultrafiltration. Studying the glycosyl residue composition, these polysaccharides were assumed to be rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I). The macromolecular features of these compounds have been characterized by SEC/MALLS and by low shear viscosimetry. In the present work, we have undertaken a comparative study about different polysaccharides resulting from OFI and OL growing in different area. This comparison is to see the influence of the geographical area in which these two plants push on the mechanism of retention of water by the different polysaccharides extract. The polysaccharides resulting from the nopal peels of the two plants are highly methylated (>70%), thus they are much more hydrophobic especially for peels of OFI growing in the desert area than those resulting from pulps. Consequently, they probably prevent the evaporation of water in nopals by increasing their water retention capacity. Prickly pear nopals of OFI and OL contain a significant amount of water (>80%), carbohydrates (75% compared to the soluble matter), proteins (8% compared to the soluble matter) and salt (17% compared to the soluble matter). Thus, they represent an important source of water and alimentation especially in the arid and semi-arid areas.     

火灾数值模拟技术在核电厂防火设计中的应用研究

火灾数值模拟技术作为新兴的火灾分析手段,近年来得到越来越广泛的应用.旨在分析我国主要在役、在建各类型核电厂所使用的火灾分析技术,从技术成熟度、知识产权情况、研发关键技术等角度,全面分析火灾数值模拟技术在我国核电厂推广应用的可行性和亟待解决的问题,并探讨形成自主化的分析评价方法的思路和方向.     

The osphradium in Placopecten magellanicus and Pecten maximus (Bivalvia,Pectinidae): histology,ultrastructure, and implications for spawning synchronisation

The bivalve osphradium is a band of putatively sensory tissue located in the gill axis, whose function is uncertain. In the present study, extending from 1987 to 1994, anatomical, histological, and electron microscopical techniques were used to elucidate the structure and ultrastructure of the osphradium in hatchery Pecten maximus L. and Placopecten magellanicus (Gmelin) (collected from Passamaquoddy Bay, New Brunswick, Canada). The osphradium consists of two distinct regions which run longitudinally on both sides of each gill axis: the osphradial ridge, and the dorsal tuft cilia region. The osphradial ridge was largely devoid of cilia other than those of the few free nerve fibres. The dorsal tuft cilia region contained free nerve fibres and ciliary tufts, separated by undifferentiated epithelial cells. No paddle cilia were observed under isosmotic fixation conditions, although under hypotonic conditions such cilia were quite common, suggesting an artefactual nature. Most of the cells of the osphradial ridge were highly secretory, the principal products being large pigment granules (in Pecten maximus) directly secreted by the Golgi bodies, and numerous small, electron-dense vesicles. These vesicles were arranged along extensive microtubule arrays in the basal region, indicative of axonal transport. These data support and extend Haszprunar's hypothesis of the role of the osphradium in the reception of chemical spawning cues and in the synchronization of gamete emission. Together with independent data on nerve pathways, osphradial sensory modalities, and monoamine localisation, an anatomical pathway and neurophysiological mediator are postulated.     

Integration of the recycling processes to the life cycle analysis of construction products

The life cycle analysis of a product enables one to assess its environmental quality. A simple, transparent method taking into account the processes of recycling in the life cycle is developed here. It permits dealing with all types of open loops of all sectors. The principles on which the proposed method is grounded are discussed.     

Behaviour of metals following intensive pig slurry applications to a natural field treatment process in Brittany (France)

It is well-known that heavy metals brought by intensive pig slurry applications accumulate in the soil; because of their potential impact on the environment, studying their behaviour is of utmost interest. The Solepur process has been developed in Brittany (France) where pig farming causes serious environmental problems; it enables the soil to be used as a treatment medium to process pig slurry. Numerous pig slurry applications were performed from 1991 to 1995 on an experimental hydrologically-isolated field specially equipped to recover all the leachate. These applications approximately corresponded to the amount which might have been spread over one century. The Solepur process can be considered as a simulation model for what happens to metals in pig slurry under normal field conditions over a long period of time. This work measured the concentrations of Cu, Zn, Mn, Co, Fe and Cd in pig slurry, in soil and in drainage water, and the results are discussed. Total concentrations and speciation data within the three different compartments were analysed and showed that Cu and Zn accumulate in the surface layer, whereas other metals, such as Mn and Co, dissolve and are washed away in the leachate. The increase in the bioavailability and toxicity of these metals as well as their impact on the environment are discussed.     

Survival of Nucella lapillus in a tributyltin-polluted area in west Brittany: a further example of a male genital defect (Dumpton syndrome) favouring survival

A male genital defect was reported in a Nucella lapillus (L.) population at Dumpton Gap (England). This defect was termed Dumpton syndrome (DS) and appears to be a genetic feature. Its main characteristic is the absence of penis (aphally) in males and in females. In 1992, such a phenomenon was discovered in populations in the vicinity of Brest (Brittany, France). DS-affected females exhibit fewer tributyltin-induced imposex characteristics than expected in normal individuals. The percentage of female sterilization is thus lower, favouring population survival. In consequence, the DS is considered to be a pollution-resistance feature. Comparison with the Dumpton population revealed similarities and differences in the DS characteristics. It is thus hypothesized that the DS observed at the two locations is due to two different biological mechanisms. Indeed, aphallic males with a split prostate were observed but no underdevelopment of their vas deferens and testis was noted in the present study. In this gonochoristic gastropod species, the most DS-affected males in Brest possess an ovotestis and it is thus hypothesized that feminity is remnant in N. lapillus. Incidence of abnormality is ten times higher in females than in males. This suggested that a sex-difference operates in the Brest phenomenon.     

电解强化人工湿地处理低碳氮比污水的效能及机制

针对人工湿地对低碳氮污水处理效果差这一问题,本研究构建了电解强化潮汐流人工湿地系统,通过对比电解强化前后湿地系统脱氮除磷的效果,从微生物群落结构及污染物电化学去除机制等角度揭示电解潮汐流人工湿地强化脱氮脱磷的机制.研究结果表明：电解潮汐流人工湿地对废水中NH₄⁺-N、TN和TP的去除率（分别为88.30%、82.10%和87.74%）均高于未强化的湿地系统.纯电解过程对氨氮的去除没有影响,但是对硝态氮具有还原作用.相比于未强化的湿地系统,电解潮汐流人工湿地阳极附近基质中含有更多的铁氧键、磷氧键、羟基聚合铁等含磷沉淀物,细菌群落结构更为丰富多样,异养反硝化细菌和基于氢气的自养反硝化细菌（Rhodoblastus）丰度都较高,从而实现氮磷的高效同步去除.     

慢性氟暴露致小鼠海马损伤及L-型钙拮抗剂的干预作用

探讨了慢性氟暴露致小鼠海马损伤及L-型钙通道拮抗剂的干预作用.将140只初断乳ICR雄性小鼠随机分为7组：对照组（C组）、高氟组（HF组,饮用30 mg·L^-1 NaF溶液）、低氟组（LF组,饮用5 mg·L^-1 NaF溶液）、高/低氟+L-型钙通道激动剂组（FPL64176）（HF/LF+FPL）、高/低氟+L-型钙通道拮抗剂组（Nifedipine）（HF/LF+NIF）.染氟6个月,染氟结束前1周,HF/LF+FPL和HF/LF+NIF组分别每天腹腔注射激动剂或拮抗剂（5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）.用TUNEL法检测小鼠海马CA₁区细胞凋亡水平,用Western Blot法检测细胞膜L-型钙通道Cav1.2、Ca²⁺信号通路分子和下游凋亡调节相关分子蛋白表达水平等.结果表明,与对照组比,HF/LF组小鼠海马组织抗氧化能力显著降低（p<0.05或p<0.01）,细胞凋亡水平极显著上升（p<0.01）,Cav1.2与Bcl-2蛋白表达水平显著下降（p<0.05或p<0.01）,Ca²⁺信号转导通路CaM、CaMKII和促凋亡Bax、Bax/Bcl-2蛋白表达水平显著上升（p<0.05或p<0.01）.注射FPL64176的小鼠海马细胞和上述分子指标的损伤加剧,而注射NIF对海马细胞和上述分子蛋白表达有一定的逆转作用.提示L-型钙离子通道介导了氟暴露致小鼠海马损伤,氟暴露致海马细胞膜L-型钙离子通道Cav1.2蛋白、细胞内Ca²⁺信号转导通路分子和下游凋亡调节相关蛋白表达异常是其分子机制之一,而L-型钙通道拮抗剂NIF可能是一种新型有效的抗氟药物.     

长江经济带生态环境保护的若干战略问题

长江经济带发展是国家区域协调发展的重大战略之一,要保护长江生态环境,走生态优先、绿色发展之路.当前,长江经济带经济增速放缓,产业结构持续优化,城镇化处于快速发展阶段后期;主要污染物排放强度下降,水环境质量改善,但水生态状况堪忧,生态环境质量持续稳定改善进入攻坚期.通过对社会经济和生态环境形势的研判,阐述了长江经济带生态环境保护的战略需求和目标,并提出了四项战略.结果表明:①长江经济带生态环境保护的战略需求从单一要素、单一指标、部分区域转向水生态环境的系统保护和综合修复.②生态环境保护的战略目标由水环境质量改善转向水生态环境安全提升,未来将逐步转向生态环境健康改善.③空间管控战略需要整合多项区域规划,研究构建流域与区域协同、水陆统筹、山海一体的统一的长江经济带生态环境空间单元划分体系.④产业绿色发展战略的核心是在影响水生态环境安全的相关产业领域加强防控.⑤科技创新战略要突出科技平台的作用,推进数据、人才、技术、成果的汇集和创新,实现生态环境保护由投资驱动向科技创新驱动转型.⑥现代治理能力提升战略要求长江经济带建成生态文明先行示范带,率先完善生态文明制度体系,构建生态环境治理体系和提升生态环境治理能力.研究显示,把握长江经济带生态环境保护的战略需求和目标,推行空间管控、产业绿色发展、科技创新和现代治理能力提升战略,能更加有效地支撑长江经济带和长江三角洲一体化的发展.