Responses to ozone pollution of alfalfa exposed to increasing salinity levels

Stomatal closure and biosynthesis of antioxidant molecules are two fundamental components of the physiological machinery that lead to stress adaptation during plant's exposure to salinity. Since high stomatal resistance may also contribute in counteracting O₃ damages, we hypothesized that soil salinization may increase O₃ tolerance of crops. An experiment was performed with alfalfa grown in filtered (AOT40 = 0 in both years) and non-filtered (AOT40 = 9.7 in 2005 and 6.9 ppm h in 2006) open-top chambers. Alfalfa yield was reduced by O₃ (−33%) only in plants irrigated with salt-free water, while the increasing levels of soil salinity until 1.06 dS m⁻¹ reduced both stomatal conductance and plant O₃ uptake, thus linearly reducing O₃ effects on yield. Therefore a reliable flux-based model for assessing the effects of O₃ on crop yield should take into account soil salinity.     

Influence of Chironomus riparius (Diptera, Chironomidae) and Tubifex tubifex (Annelida, Oligochaeta) on oxygen uptake by sediments. Consequences of uranium contamination

The diffusive oxygen uptake (DOU) of sediments inhabited by Chironomus riparius and Tubifex tubifex was investigated using a planar oxygen optode device, and complemented by measurements of bioturbation activity. Additional experiments were performed within contaminated sediments to assess the impact of uranium on these processes. After 72 h, the two invertebrate species significantly increased the DOU of sediments (13-14%), and no temporal variation occurred afterwards. Within contaminated sediments, it was already 24% higher before the introduction of the organisms, suggesting that uranium modified the sediment biogeochemistry. Although the two species firstly reacted by avoidance of contaminated sediment, they finally colonized it. Their bioturbation activity was reduced but, for T. tubifex, it remained sufficient to induce a release of uranium to the water column and an increase of the DOU (53%). These results highlight the necessity of further investigations to take into account the interactions between bioturbation, microbial metabolism and pollutants.     

Modeling uptake kinetics of cadmium by field-grown lettuce

Cadmium uptake by field grown Romaine lettuce treated with P-fertilizers of different Cd levels was investigated over an entire growing season. Results indicated that the rate of Cd uptake at a given time of the season can be satisfactorily described by the Michaelis-Menten kinetics, that is, plant uptake increases as the Cd concentration in soil solution increases, and it gradually approaches a saturation level. However, the rate constant of the Michaelis-Menten kinetics changes over the growing season. Under a given soil Cd level, the cadmium content in plant tissue decreases exponentially with time. To account for the dynamic nature of Cd uptake, a kinetic model integrating the time factor was developed to simulate Cd plant uptake over the growing season: C Plant=C Solution.PUF max.exp[-b.t], where C Plant and C Solution refer to the Cd content in plant tissue and soil solution, respectively, PUF max and b are kinetic constants.     

Radiocaesium accumulation in stemwood: integrated approach at the scale of forest stands for contaminated Scots pine in Belarus

Twenty years after the Chernobyl accident, root uptake from the surface layers of contaminated forest soils plays a major role in radiocaesium ((137)Cs) transfer to the trees and accumulation in perennial compartments, including stemwood. Trustworthy long-term predictions (modelling) of stemwood contamination with (137)Cs should accordingly be based on a reliable picture of this source-sink relationship. Considering the complexity of the processes involved in (137)Cs cycling in forest stands, elementary ratios like transfer factors (TF) were shown to be not very relevant for that purpose. At the tree level, alternatives like the wood immobilisation potential (WIP) have therefore been proposed in order to quantify the current net (137)Cs accumulation in stemwood. Our objective was here to compare WIP values determined for a series of contaminated forest stands in Belarus with the corresponding pools of (137)Cs available in the soil for root uptake. The comparison reveals that both indices are quite proportional, whatever the forest ecosystem features. This corroborates the relevancy of WIP as an indicator of the current (137)Cs root uptake by the trees, which could accordingly help to improve the existing models of (137)Cs cycling and the long-term management of contaminated forest ecosystems.     

亚微米颗粒物和微米颗粒物中的铅在水稻叶片中的富集比较

叶片对大气颗粒物中铅的吸收富集会对水稻本身产生毒性效应,然而目前关于叶片对不同粒径颗粒物中铅富集能力的研究较少.因此,本研究采用叶片喷施等铅浓度飞灰颗粒物的方法,探讨水稻生长后期剑叶对亚微米颗粒物和微米颗粒物中铅的吸收作用,讨论不同粒径颗粒物中铅向叶片迁移的可能机制.结果表明,向水稻剑叶分别喷施等铅浓度的亚微米飞灰颗粒物和微米颗粒物后,亚微米颗粒物处理组的剑叶和稻米的铅含量均显著高于微米颗粒物处理组.亚微米颗粒物中的铅从叶片反面表皮向内扩散,富集在维管束中,并引起叶肉中铅含量的 显著升高.相比之下,微米颗粒物处理组的铅向植物叶片内迁移扩散趋势较弱.基于铅同位素分析,亚微米颗粒物组飞灰源对叶肉中铅含量的贡献为80%,而微米颗粒物组飞灰源的贡献仅为31%~42%.亚微米颗粒物组铅在细胞质中的含量比例升高,由此产生的毒性作用会更大. 因此,关注大气亚微米颗粒物中铅在水稻叶片的迁移富集具有一定的必要性.     

三七及种植土壤重金属污染特征与风险评价

以主产地云南省文山州三七及其种植土壤为研究对象,测定土壤和三七地上和地下部重金属镉（Cd）、砷（As）、铅（Pb）含量,揭示三七对重金属的吸收转运特征,通过分析重金属日摄入量（ADI）和靶标危害商数（THQ）,评估三七中Cd、As、Pb的食品安全风险和人体健康风险.结果表明：种植土壤Cd、As含量为0.07~4.1和13.9~310mg/kg,超标率为63.2%和79%,Pb未超标;综合污染指数P>3,均值3.52,表明达重度污染等级;Cd、As单因子污染指数P_Cd/As>1的土壤样品占比为63.2%和84.2%,表明土壤Cd、As达轻度污染等级.三七地上和地下部Cd、As、Pb含量分别为0.05~0.69、0.07~0.73,0.25~1.06、0.09~1.73和0.12~1.13、0.07~0.66mg/kgdw,Cd超标率为26.3%~36.8%,As、Pb无超标,表明三七易吸收Cd且存在超标现象,需重点关注.三七Cd含量与土壤Cd含量呈极显著正相关（p<0.01）,As、Pb表现为负相关,生物浓缩因子BCF_Cd=0.03~3.5,BCF_As和BCF_Pb均<1,进一步表明三七对Cd具有较强的富集能力;转运系数表现为：TF_Pb（3.53）>TF_As（2.32）>TF_Cd（0.59）,表明三七易将吸收的Cd储存于主要食用部位地下部（主根）,其食品安全风险和人体健康风险值得关注.三七Cd、As、Pb每日摄入量均值分别为0.0026~0.0035、0.0043~0.0066和0.0026~0.0059mg/d,每日摄入量占每日允许摄入量ADI标准限值的百分比为3.3%~4.7%、4.3%~5.8%和1.2%~2.7%,表明三七中Cd、As具有较高的食品安全风险（ADI>1%）.三七Cd、As、Pb靶标危害商数THQ>1的占比分别为42.1%~68.4%、84.2%~100%和0~31.6%,表明长期食用三七摄入Cd、As具有潜在人体健康风险.     

Variation in uptake of serum screening: the role of service delivery

The present study aimed to determine the extent to which variation in the uptake of serum screening for Down syndrome reflects variation in the way the test is offered. A higher uptake of serum screening was seen at hospitals that offered the blood test as part of a routine visit than at those where screening required a separate visit. The type of screening test offered and whether a reminder was sent were not associated with uptake. Given the consensus that undergoing screening should be the result of an informed choice, further research is needed to determine which methods of offering serum screening facilitate and which impede informed choice. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

实际污水与模拟污水活性污泥系统的特性差异

实验中经常采用人工配置的模拟生活污水,为了研究其与实际生活污水活性污泥系统的特性差异,采用2个序批式间歇反应器(SBR)进行平行实验(厌氧、好氧方式运行),系统地考察了在进水主要组分和运行参数相同的情况下,不同原水对活性污泥系统脱氮、除磷、比好氧速率、污泥絮体形态和出水水质等方面的影响。结果表明,模拟污水系统的硝化活性强于实际污水系统,两者的平均硝化速率分别为7.43 mg NH4+-N/(L.h)和5.55 mg NH4+-N/(L.h)。在前置厌氧段,模拟污水系统的释磷量比实际污水系统高出36.45%。两者在后续好氧阶段都能够充分吸磷。模拟污水系统的平均比好氧速率(SOUR)高达64.54 mg O2/(g MLSS.h),而实际污水系统的则只有32.81 mg O2/(g MLSS.h)。模拟污水系统的污泥絮体疏松,粒径小,形状不规则,沉降性差,沉后出水平均悬浮物浓度(SS)为20 mg/L;而实际污水系统的污泥絮体则密实、粒径大,沉降性好,沉后水十分清澈,SS几乎检测不出。