Planting woody crops on dredged contaminated sediment provides both positive and negative effects in terms of remediation

There is currently a requirement for studies focusing on the long-term sustainability of phytoremediation technologies. Trace element uptake by Salix, Populus and Alnus species planted in dredged contaminated canal sediment and concentrations in sediment and pore waters were investigated, eight years after a phytoremediation trial was initiated in NW England. Soil biological activity was also measured using invertebrate and microbial assays to determine soil quality improvements. Zinc was the dominant trace metal in foliage and woody stems, and the most mobile trace element in sediment pore water (∼14 mg l⁻¹). Biological activity had improved; earthworm numbers had increased from 5 to 24, and the QBS index (an index of microarthropod groups in soil) had increased from 70 to 88. It is concluded that biological conditions had improved and natural processes appear to be enhancing soil quality, but there remains a potential risk of trace element transfer to the wider environment.     

微乳液法合成掺硫纳米TiO2及其光催化性能研究

以钛酸四丁酯为钛源,硫脲为掺硫前驱物,采用聚乙二醇辛基苯基醚(Triton X-100)/正己醇/环己烷/氨水的微乳液体系合成了掺硫的纳米TiO2粉体;对其结构进行了表征,以甲基橙为目标降解物考察了其光催化性能.烧结温度通过影响TiO2的晶型转变和颗粒尺寸来影响其光催化性能,随着烧结温度的升高,TiO2的光催化性能先是...     

用Fe3+掺杂锐钛矿型TiO2光催化剂降解孔雀石绿

以硫酸钛为原料,用水热法制备了Fe3+掺杂锐钛矿型TiO2(Fe3+ - TiO2)粉末,用扫描电子显微镜测定了试样的形貌.研究了自制的Fe3+ - TiO,光催化剂对孔雀石绿的光催化降解作用.实验结果表明,在孔雀石绿溶液质量浓度为2 mg/L、Fe3+ - TiO2加入量为1.616 g/L、Fe3+-TiO2中Fe...     

波长与辐射强度对活性艳蓝KN -R光催化降解的影响

以TiO2为光催化剂,分别测定了365 nm和254 nm两种紫外光源波长及辐射强度对活性艳蓝KN-R模拟废水处理效果的影响.实验结果表明:在波长365 nm紫外光源照射2h后,活性艳蓝KN-R降解率达69.1％,活性艳蓝KN-R的降解可用二级反应速率方程拟合;在波长254nm紫外光源照射1h后,活性艳蓝KN-R降解率...     

Insights into the structure of urea-like compounds as inhibitors of the juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase (JHEH) of the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta: analysis of the binding modes and structure-activity relationships of the inhibitors by docking and CoMFA calculations

Substituted urea compounds are well-known as potent inhibitors of juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase (JHEH) of the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta. Docking simulations of 47 derivatives inside JHEH were performed to gain insight into the structural characteristics of these complexes. The obtained orientations show a strong similitude with the observed in the known X-ray crystal structures of human soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) complexed with dialkylurea inhibitors. In addition, the predicted inhibitor concentration (IC₅₀) of the above-mentioned compounds as JHEH inhibitors were obtained by a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) method by using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) applied to aligned dataset. The best models included steric and electrostatic fields and had adequate predictive abilities. In addition, these models were used to predict the activity of an external test set of compounds that was not used for building the model. Furthermore, plots of the CoMFA fields allowed conclusions to be drawn for the choice of suitable inhibitors.     

Comparison of the effects of variable site temperatures and constant incubation temperatures on the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in pilot-scale experiments with field-aged contaminated soils from a cold regions site

Temporal atmospheric temperature changes during summers at sub-Arctic sites often cause periodic fluctuations in shallow landfarm and surface soil temperatures. However, little information is available on the effect of site-relevant variations on biodegradation performance in cold climates. This study compares the rate and extents of biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons at variable site temperatures (1-10 °C) representative of summers at a sub-Arctic site reported previously with those obtained under a constant average temperature of 6 °C. The biodegradation was evaluated in pilot-scale landfarming experiments with field-aged petroleum-contaminated soils shipped from Resolution Island (61°30′N, 65°00′W), Nunavut, Canada. Under the variable site temperature conditions biodegradation rate constants of semi- (F2) and non-volatile (F3) hydrocarbon fractions were enhanced by over a factor of two during the 60-d experiment, compared to the constant temperature mode. The decrease in total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) under the variable site temperature mode was 55% compared to only 19% under the constant average temperature mode. The enhanced biodegradation is attributable to the non-linear acceleration of microbial activity between 4.7 and 10 °C and faster growth of indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading microbial populations. The first-order biodegradation rate constants of 0.018, 0.024 and 0.016 d⁻¹ for TPH, F2 and F3 fractions at the variable site temperature were in agreement with those determined by an on-site experiment at the same site.     

Assessment of thyroid hormone activity of halogenated bisphenol A using a yeast two-hybrid assay

The thyroid hormone agonist/antagonist activities of halogenated derivatives of bisphenol A (BPA) were assessed using a yeast two-hybrid assay incorporating the human thyroid hormone α (TRα), both with and without possible metabolic activation by rat liver S9 preparation. In the absence of the rat liver S9 preparation, 3,3′,5,5′-tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), 3,3′,5,5′-tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA), and 3,3′,5-trichlorobisphenol A (3,3′,5-triClBPA) exhibited agonist activity, whereas 3-chlorobisphenol A (3-ClBPA), 3,5-dichlorobisphenol A (3,5-diClBPA), 3,3′-dichlorobisphenol A (3,3′-diClBPA), and BPA did not. The activities of TBBPA and TCBPA increased markedly (7.6-fold and 3.1-fold, respectively) after their metabolic activation with the rat liver S9 preparation. TBBPA, TCBPA, and 3,3′,5-triClBPA inhibited the binding of triiodothyronine (T3) to TRα at 2 × 10⁻⁵ M without rat liver S9 treatment and 4 × 10⁻⁶ M with rat liver S9 treatment, demonstrating their T3 antagonist activity. These results revealed that metabolic activation by rat liver S9 significantly increased the agonist/antagonist potential of some halogenated BPAs.     

Oxidative stress, cytoxicity, and cell mortality induced by nano-sized lead in aqueous suspensions

This paper reports on the effect of aqueous and nano-particulated Pb on oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation), cytoxicity, and cell mortality. As determined by the Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) method, only 6 h after incubation aqueous suspensions bearing nano-sized PbO₂, soluble Pb(II), and brain-homogenate only suspensions, were determined to contain as much as ca. 7, 5, and 1 nmol TBARS mg protein⁻¹, respectively. Exposure of human cells (central nervous system, prostate, leukemia, colon, breast, lung cells) to nano-PbO₂ led to cell-growth inhibition values (%) ca. ≤18.7%. Finally, as estimated by the Artemia salina test, cell mortality values were found to show high-survival larvae rates. Microscopic observations revealed that Pb particles were swallowed, but caused no mortality, however.     

Village pubs as a social propellant in rural areas: an econometric study

There is no place like England to witness the role of pubs as a social networking hotspot. Social networks lie at the foundations of most of the social and economic interactions of individuals. The aim of this paper is to assess the importance of pubs as natural locations for the development of social networks and how their presence affects the socio-economic activity of a given area or region. The econometric analysis conducted on rural parishes in Cumbria, a peripheral county in Northern England, reveals that village pubs have a positive influence on the socio-economic activity of local communities.     

土壤质量微生物学指标研究概述

土壤微生物是表征土壤质量最有潜力的敏感性指标,高质量的土壤应具有稳定的微生物群落组成和结构、高微生物生物量及良好的微生物活性。本文从微生物的群落组成与多样性、微生物生物量和微生物活性3个方面进行了综述。微生物指标研究目前任务是确定一套评价土壤质量的微生物学指标最小参数集。建议今后加强土壤样品收集、储存、预处理及分析方法规范化,深层土壤微生物对土壤质量的作用及建立本底土壤微生物属性数据库等方面的研究。