环草隆与重金属复合污染对黄瓜及小麦的毒性效应评估

为探究草坪除草剂与重金属复合污染对高等植物的生态毒性效应,以小麦与黄瓜为敏感受试植物,采用滤纸发芽试验法,研究了典型草坪除草剂环草隆与4种重金属(Cu/Zn/Pb/Cd)单一及复合污染条件下,对2种植物种子萌发与幼苗生长的毒性效应并进行评估。在此基础上采用评估因子法外推环草隆在土壤中的预测无效应浓度(PNECsoil)。结果表明,2种植物的根长及小麦的芽长对环草隆与重金属非常敏感(P<0.01),且存在明显的剂量-效应关系。黄瓜根长对环草隆最敏感,根长半抑制浓度(RI50)为0.281 mg·L-1。小麦根长对Cu、Pb、Cd比黄瓜根长更敏感。环草隆与重金属复合污染时,黄瓜根长表现得最为敏感,可作为敏感生物标记物。环草隆与重金属复合污染对小麦及黄瓜根长抑制具有协同作用,并且随着重金属浓度的增大,黄瓜和小麦根生长对环草隆的敏感性增加。环草隆与重金属复合污染对小麦芽长的联合效应主要与重金属种类及其暴露浓度有关。以黄瓜的根伸长抑制率为急性毒性终点,利用外推法计算得环草隆在土壤中的PNECsoil为1.90μg·kg~(-1),远远低于环草隆田间推荐使用量1.5~9 mg·kg~(-1)。与重金属复合污染时,环草隆的PNECsoil明显降低,导致其生态风险提高。上述研究结果能够为草坪除草剂环草隆与重金属复合污染的生态风险评价提供数据支持。     

开放经济、环保财政支出与污染治理——来自中国省级与行业面板数据的经验证据

首先按照各省环保财政支出占GDP比重与按主成分分析法计算的地方环境污染物排放综合指数的排名情况把中国30个省份分成两个区域,区域1环保财政支出污染治理效应较强,区域2环保财政支出污染治理效应较弱。区域1包括北京、海南等14个省市,区域2包括天津、上海等16个省市。其次基于2007—2014年中国省级和行业面板数据,分析开放经济、环保财政支出对污染治理的影响。最后借鉴门限回归模型检验开放经济是否存在环保财政支出与污染治理的门槛效应。结果显示:(1)环境污染物排放存在区域差异和行业差异,区域1呈现出开放程度和污染物排放双低的特征,而区域2则表现为双高特征。制造业、电力、煤气及水的生产和供应业污染物排放较高,采掘业污染物排放年均增长速度最快。(2)样本期内省级和行业面板数据均表明开放经济与环境污染物排放显著负相关,对外开放不是助推环境污染的原因。(3)中国环保财政支出与环境污染物排放显著负相关,环保财政支出具有显著的污染治理效应。(4)开放经济对环保财政支出的污染治理效应具有门槛效应,当进口和出口贸易总额高于门槛值-1.221、-1.016时环保财政支出的污染治理效应很难发挥。(5)以进、出口贸易总额为门槛变量时,有107个观测值低于门槛值,占总观测值的44.58%,其中有59个位于区域1,占55.14%。鉴于此应继续加大环境保护财政支出,进一步提升环保财政专项支出在GDP中所占比重,保持适度的对外开放,优化能源消费结构和实现产业结构升级,全面改善环境质量,提升开放经济下环保财政支出的污染治理效应。     

有机磷农药二元混合物联合效应评价新方法的研究

以敌敌畏、乐果联合作用于线虫的毒理学实验为基础,基于FH插值法理论,通过较少的实验数据建立有机磷农药二元混合物联合效应模型,求解作用效应表达式并绘制联合效应三维曲面图;基于合并用药分析公式,计算联合作用评价q值并绘制农药浓度与q值的联合作用评价三维曲面图,结果表明敌敌畏与乐果混合物联合作用不仅表现为相加作用,而且还在局部低浓度表现为拮抗作用,与多元统计分析结果一致。上述研究表明FH插值法理论可作为二元有机磷农药联合效应分析及评价的一种新方法。     

财政分权对环境污染的空间效应

利用2006—2017年我国30个省级行政单位的面板数据,采用空间计量模型对财政分权与环境污染之间的关系进行实证分析,并通过效应分解分别计算出财政收入分权和财政支出分权对环境污染的直接效应、空间溢出效应和总效应。模型估计的结果表明:①财政收入分权与财政支出分权通过直接效应和空间溢出效应两种途径对环境污染产生显著影响,但收入分权与支出分权对环境污染的空间效应具有异质性。②财政收入分权对环境污染具有显著的负向直接效应和负向空间溢出效应,影响系数分别为-5.429和-17.572。提高财政收入分权度不仅有利于减轻本省份环境污染,也对邻近省份的环境污染起到抑制作用。而财政支出分权对环境污染具有显著的负向直接效应和正向的空间溢出效应,影响程度分别为-3.345和1.173。提高财政支出分权虽然有利于减少本省份污染的排放,但在一定程度上引起省际的污染外溢效应,提高邻近省份的污染程度。③从总效应来看,财政收入分权和财政支出分权对环境污染均呈现出显著的负向相关性,影响程度分别为-23.001和-2.172。提高财政分权可降低环境污染水平,有利于环境质量提升。④通过构建不同空间权重矩阵,检验模型的稳健性,结果表明模型估计是稳健可靠的。根据分析结论,可能的启示与建议有:①合理划分中央政府和地方政府之间的财政事权和支出责任,在提高财政支出分权度的同时提高地方政府财政收入分权度,充分发挥地方政府环境治理的积极性和主动性。②继续加大生态环境保护力度,完善绿色经济考核机制,引导地方政府加大对污染治理和环境改善的支出水平及效率。     

绿色全要素生产率省际空间学习效应实证

当前中国资源环境约束日益凸显,依靠全要素生产率成为解决这些问题的共识。然而仅仅依靠全要素生产率不能转变生产方式,关键在于区分绿色与非绿色偏向。研究使用中国省际面板数据,运用面板与动态空间面板模型方法,对比分析绿色全要素生产率、绿色"软技术"、绿色"硬技术"的影响机制。研究发现:1依靠全要素生产率驱动发展需要区别绿色与非绿色偏向;2必须注重绿色全要素生产率对绿色发展的作用及其运行机制;3不同偏向的绿色全要素生产率的省际空间学习效应不同;4绿色"软技术"对绿色发展贡献不充分。这就意味着,在当前中国资源环境约束日趋收紧的背景下,要区别绿色与非绿色全要素生产率的不同作用,否则将不能促进生产方式转变,实现绿色可持续发展。推动绿色可持续发展,一方面需要重视提升绿色全要素生产率的作用,另一方面需要重视绿色管理技术等绿色"软技术"对绿色发展的贡献。提升绿色全要素生产率,既要重视研发投入、人力资本投入,又要考虑技术市场、劳动智力结构、劳动者年龄结构的影响。提升绿色"软技术"的贡献率,改善绿色技术效率变动的吸纳能力。通过绿色全要素生产率的省际空间学习效应,实现中国省际区域间绿色可持续协同发展。此外,在引进吸收国外先进绿色技术时,既要重视对绿色"硬技术"的吸收,又要重视对绿色"软技术"的再学习。总之,"打铁还需自身硬",中国要继续鼓励支持绿色"硬技术"自主研发,巩固提升绿色"硬技术"对绿色发展的贡献。     

Bacterial toxicity testing and antibacterial activity of parabens

Parabens are used because of their antimicrobial effects, yet they have multiple adverse effects. The aim of this work was to evaluate the bactericidal activity and bacterial toxicity of the most common parabens: methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, isopropylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben and phenylparaben. The bactericidal action was evaluated by means of the dilution-neutralization method against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and the biotest of inhibition of growth of E. coli was applied for the bacterial toxicity assay. Bactericidal concentrations were reached only for propylparaben, butylparaben and isobutylparaben. The toxicity study showed methylparaben to be the least toxic, whereas the most toxic one was phenylparaben. It can be concluded that the disinfectant activity of the parabens studied is insignificant against S. aureus and E. coli. Acute toxicity is very low, and the inhibitory effect is weak. Our results provide information about the risk–benefit balance of parabens use.     

A hybrid decision-making approach based on FCM and MOORA for occupational health and safety risk analysis

IntroductionWith the development of industries and increased diversity of their associated hazards, the importance of identifying these hazards and controlling the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) risks has also dramatically augmented. Currently, there is a serious need for a risk management system to identify and prioritize risks with the aim of providing corrective/preventive measures to minimize the negative consequences of OHS risks. In fact, this system can help the protection of employees’ health and reduction of organizational costs. Method: The present study proposes a hybrid decision-making approach based on the Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM), and Multi-Objective Optimization on the basis of Ratio Analysis (MOORA) for assessing and prioritizing OHS risks. After identifying the risks and determining the values of the risk assessment criteria via the FMEA technique, the attempt is made to determine the weights of criteria based on their causal relationships through FCM and the hybrid learning algorithm. Then, the risk prioritization is carried out using the MOORA method based on the decision matrix (the output of the FMEA) and the weights of the criteria (the output of the FCM). Results: The results from the implementation of the proposed approach in a manufacturing company reveal that the score at issue can overcome some of the drawbacks of the traditional Risk Priority Number (RPN) in the conventional FMEA, including lack of assignment the different relative importance to the assessment criteria, inability to take into account other important management criteria, lack of consideration of causal relationships among criteria, and high dependence of the prioritization on the experts’ opinions, which finally provides a full and distinct risk prioritization.     

环境规制、省际产业转移对污染迁移的空间溢出效应

目前我国正在积极地探寻经济增长高质量发展,生态环境与经济持续、稳定的和谐发展至关重要。虽然政府制定了相关的环境治理政策,但我国环境治理整体效果仍然欠佳。自从分税制改革以来,地方政府为了获得较高经济效益,会放松对环境管理,导致环境治理高投入低成效。同时,由于区域经济发展不平衡导致政府在制定相关环境治理政策时带有区域性特点,迫使高污染高能耗企业迁移至环境规制相对薄弱的地区,由此产生污染迁移的现象。基于此,对2003—2017年30个省区市(港澳台和西藏除外)环境污染总指数的空间溢出效应进行探讨,构建动态空间杜宾模型研究环境规制、省际产业转移对污染迁移的影响。研究结果表明:①环境规制总体上对环境污染具有显著直接效应且存在正向空间溢出效应,当某省环境规制强度增加,环境污染总指数会降低,从而引起污染向相邻省份转移,造成相邻省份的环境污染总指数上升。②省际产业转移整体上对环境污染具有显著直接效应且存在负向空间溢出效应,当某省的产业转移到相邻省份时,会缓解本省环境污染,却加重相邻省份的环境污染程度。这就需要中央政府加强对于各省区市的环境管控,统筹各区域的联防联治机制。产业转移承接省份在招商引资的过程中不仅要考虑本省环境承载能力和环境治理能力,还要考虑入驻企业自身污染排放处理能力,并将污染排放指数纳入筛选条件。同时,产业转移承接省份要引入企业的生产工艺、技术、研发团队等,运用技术溢出效应提升区域环境治理水平。     

An LC-MS/MS method for creatine and creatinine analysis in paraquat-intoxicated patients

Abstract

A sudden increase in serum creatinine after paraquat intoxication has been reported in several clinical studies. However, this dramatic change of creatinine may be possibly due to an interconversion of creatine-creatinine in relation to paraquat toxicity. In order to investigate the creatine-creatinine relationship, a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in combination with electrospray ionization was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of creatine and creatinine in the serum. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a Gemini® C₆-Phenyl column with a gradient elution consisting of 0.1% formic acid in ultrapure water and methanol as the mobile phase. The method yielded suitable levels of specificity and selectivity, and calibration curves of creatine and creatinine in serum were linear over the concentration range of 0.5–200?µg mL^?1. The limit of quantification of both compounds was 0.5?µg mL^?1, and the method was accurate within the recovery range of 96.23–102.75%, indicating the robustness of the method. The method was successfully applied to toxicological samples from paraquat-intoxicated patients, and the concentrations of creatine and creatinine were quantified. High creatine concentrations in serum samples were observed which may lead to high serum creatinine despite normal kidney function as creatine is converted to creatinine in proportion to its concentration.     

Income and distance-decay effects on willingness to pay estimated by the contingent valuation method

This study suggests a methodology for enhancing accuracy in evaluating amenity by the contingent valuation method when household's willingness to pay (WTP) is dependent to its income and the distance between a respondent's residence and the location of a target facility. Using a linear city model, this study demonstrates the influences of income and distance-decay effects on WTP. Simulations are performed to check the validity of the model, as well as to predict consequences when income and distance-decay effects are not properly treated. Finally, the suggested methodology is applied to two real cases. The estimation results from a structural model show that the calculated total benefit varies largely when income and distance-decay effects exist and are ignored. Also, an ad hoc model generates significantly different estimates from the utility difference model this study adopted. The difference in estimates suggests that the total benefit has to be estimated by a structural model.