Temporal trends in agricultural water use and the relationships to hydroclimatic factors in the High Plains aquifer region

The High Plains aquifer (HPA) is the primary water source for agricultural irrigation in the US Great Plains. The water levels in many locations of the aquifer have declined steadily over the past several decades because the rate of water withdrawals exceeds recharge, which has been a serious concern to the water resources management in the region. We evaluated temporal trends and variations in agricultural water use and hydroclimatic variables including precipitation, air temperature, reference evapotranspiration, runoff, groundwater level, and terrestrial water storage across the HPA region for different periods from 1985 to 2020 at the grid, county, or region scale. The results showed that water withdrawals decreased from 21.3 km³/year in 1985 to 18.2 km³/year in 2015, while irrigated croplands increased from 71,928 km² in 1985 to 78,464 km² in 2015 in the entire HPA. The hydroclimatic time-series showed wetting trends in most of the northern HPA, but drying and warming trends in the southern region from 1985 to 2020. The groundwater level time-series indicated flat trends in the north, but significant declining in the central and southern HPA. Trends in irrigation water withdrawals and irrigation area across the HPA were controlled by the advancement of irrigation systems and technologies and the management of sustainable water use, but also were affected by dynamical changes in the hydroclimatic conditions.     

低中放废物处置FEPs清单的构建——以飞凤山处置场为例

识别所有影响其长期安全的有关因素,即特征(Features)、事件(Events)和过程(Processes)(FEPs),是放射性废物处置场安全全过程系统分析的关键过程之一。我国目前低中放固体废物处置环境影响评价中未开展FEPs识别和景象开发。拟以飞凤山处置场为例,选择自下而上方法的构建方法,对如何建立我国的低中放废物处置FEPs清单进行了探讨。并以最新发布的NEA国际FEPs清单(3.0版)中提出的基于外部因素和处置组成(废物包、处置场、岩石圈和生物圈)的分类方案为基础,结合飞凤山处置场的近地表处置及其环境特征,建立了该处置场的FEPs清单。     

浅谈县级环境监测质量管理工作现状及对策

当前环保系统垂直改革稳步推进,县级环境监测质量管理工作也迎来新的机遇与挑战。从县级环境监测站质量管理工作现状着手,分析新形势下存在质量管理体系有效性缺乏、现场监测过程质量管理薄弱、质量管理意识尚待提高等问题。提出,应从加强体系建设、提高现场监测水平、强化考核培训力度等方面改进县级环境监测质量管理工作水平。     

Dissolution of zinc oxide nanoparticles in exposure media of algae,daphnia, and fish embryos for nanotoxicological testing

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are being widely investigated in a bioassay due to potential negative effects to biological receptor. The dissolution of metal nanoparticles such as ZnO NPs is crucial to interpret nanotoxicity results because ZnO NPs can release toxic-free ions in exposure media. In the present study, dissolution of ZnO NPs was evaluated in three selected synthetic media for aquatic toxicological testing: Elendt M4 daphnia medium, OECD algal medium, and fish embryo rearing solution. Both media are currently recommended for OECD testing for daphnia and algae. Time-dependent dissolution of ZnO NPs has been investigated in terms of sonication time to be used for the preparation of aqueous NPs suspension, and dissolution time corresponding to exposure period in toxicity testing. Since sonication is widely applied for NPs dispersion in the most of nanotoxicological testing, the emphasis of this study was on the dissolution of NPs as a function of sonication time. We also investigated the concentration-dependent dissolution of ZnO NPs. Our results demonstrated that dissolution of ZnO NPs was significantly affected by sonication and dissolution time, as well as NPs concentration. This study showed that parameters affecting dissolution of ZnO NPs should be considered in nanotoxicological testing.     

低剂量丙烯酰胺多世代持续暴露对秀丽隐杆线虫的损伤作用

论文研究了丙烯酰胺(acrylamide,AA)低剂量多代持续暴露对模式生物秀丽隐杆线虫(Caenorhabditis elegans,C.elegans)的发育、生殖、寿命和捕食行为能力的影响。将线虫暴露于不同剂量水平的AA中,检测对当代线虫的发育周期、后代数量、寿命和捕食行为的影响,结果显示,1.0 mmol·L~(-1)AA水平可诱发当代线虫发育周期延长和后代数量减少(P 0.05),0.05mmol·L~(-1)和0.001 mmol·L~(-1)水平可分别诱发捕食行为能力下降和寿命缩短(P0.05)。进一步选取对当代线虫不产生明显损伤效应的AA剂量,将线虫进行多代持续暴露处理,结果显示,0.01 mmol·L~(-1)AA分别可在第2代g1和第3代g2诱发发育周期延长和后代数量减少(P0.05),0.005 mmol·L~(-1)AA可在第2代g1引起摄食行为能力下降,0.0001 mmol·L~(-1)(约7μg·L~(-1),低于推测人的平均AA暴露水平)的AA在第2代g1即可诱发寿命缩短(P0.05)。以上结果表明AA生物学毒性可以在后代间积累,极低剂量AA多代持续暴露仍可诱发生物学损伤。     

基于ACF-AMDF的气井环空液面回波特征提取方法

为了精确有效地提取声波法检测气井环空液位的回波周期，在分析环空中测试波的传播特征及基音周期检测的基础上，提出1种基于检测信号短时自相关函数(ACF)及平均幅度差函数(AMDF)的液面回波周期提取方法；利用自主搭建的室内模拟实验系统开展了不同初始环空压力下环空液位检测实验；对检测信号进行中心削波处理并计算ACF/AMDF，提取出液面回波周期并与理论计算值对比分析；同时分析了现场环空液位检测信号，提取其回波周期。研究结果表明:提出的新方法能有效地用于提取环空液面回波周期；室内实验中，该方法最大误差绝对值为1.54%；该方法能够有效抑制液面回波信号中的随机噪声及接箍反射波等，处理后的信号曲线在回波周期处峰值更加突出、集中，而在其他位置更加平滑，提高了对液面回波周期特征的辨识能力。     

On the search for mimetic patterns in environmental disclosure: an international perspective

In this paper, we assert and test the proposition that environmental disclosure (ED) is structured by institutionalised myths and that is why ED is decoupled from environmental performance and media pressures. Focusing on firms from Canada, France and Germany, findings show that ED mimetic isomorphism for different topics varies among countries and by industry sensitiveness to the environment. The results corroborate the institutional presumption that institutionalised myths vary among different contexts. Our findings also suggest that institutionalised ED structures may not reflect environmental performance, mimetic patterns being affected by environmental performance. However, the decoupling between ED mimetic isomorphism and environmental performance decrease when firms’ ED credibility is questioned by the media.     

Factors affecting the quantitative uncertainty of the estimated short-term intake. Part I—Calculation methods

ABSTRACT

The calculation of the combined uncertainty of the international estimated short-term intake (IESTI) of ethephon residues in apples is shown as an example. The ethephon residues in apples were reported by the Joint FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)/WHO (World Health Organization) Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR). The apple consumption data were taken from the IESTI (international short-term intake) calculation template used by the JMPR. The IESTI was calculated with the currently used method (case 2a) and a proposed one recommended by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)/RIVM (Dutch National Institute for Public Health) Scientific Workshop co-sponsored by FAO and WHO. In this example, the ratio of IESTI_proposed/IESTI_current and their combined relative uncertainty are about 2.8, and 1.7, respectively. The larger IESTI and uncertainty obtained with the proposed equation are the consequence of calculation only with the large portion (LP) instead of its combination with unit mass, and the MRL instead of the highest residue (HR). The LP is the major contributor to the combined uncertainty. Both the calculated IESTI and its combined uncertainty depend on the actual food – pesticide residue combination, and should be calculated for each case.     

Exploring the administrative mechanism of China's Paired Assistance to Disaster Affected Areas programme

The Paired Assistance to Disaster Affected Areas (PADAA) programme is a mutual aid initiative with Chinese characteristics, which speeded up the process of restoring and reconstructing regions affected by the Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008. 1 The PADAA is an efficient instrument for catastrophe recovery, yet it remains a mysterious mechanism to many members of disaster management communities. This paper aims to lift the veil on it by assessing its origins and evolution. It draws on the multi‐level moderated competition model to explain how the PADAA functions within the Chinese administrative system. The country's top‐down political system allows the central authority to mandate provincial and local governments from more economically developed regions to assist devastated areas with post‐disaster reconstruction. The practices of local accountability complement vertical control by giving leaders from donor regions strong incentives to accomplish assigned reconstruction tasks, resulting in intense competition between them.     

北京不同污染天气PM_(2.5)和PM_(10)染毒对大鼠生理病理参数的影响

为探讨北京不同污染天气大气可吸入颗粒物PM_(10)和细颗粒物PM_(2.5)污染对雄性大鼠血常规、氧化损伤、炎症反应和肺组织的影响,将64只雄性8周龄Wistar大鼠随机分为8组,分别为2个对照组(空白组和生理盐水组)和6个染毒组(清洁、雾霾及沙尘暴3种不同天气的PM_(10)染毒组和PM_(2.5)染毒组),每组8只。用2015年3月—5月在北京南海子麋鹿苑采集的清洁、雾霾和沙尘暴3种不同天气的PM_(10)和PM_(2.5)制备悬液,分别采用气管滴入PM_(10)和PM_(2.5)悬液作为染毒组,空白对照组不做任何处理,生理盐水对照组采用气管滴注生理盐水。急性染毒24 h后处死大鼠。采集血液测定18个血常规指标,分析肺泡灌洗液(BALF)中转化生长因子-β1(TGF-β1)、乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)、总抗氧化能力(T-AOC)、白介素-6(IL-6)及肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)的含量,并在高倍显微镜下观察肺组织和气管病理形态变化。同时,对PM_(10)和PM_(2.5)中的水溶性离子、有机碳/元素碳、16种多环芳烃和7种重金属等元素进行了测定,并分析了各组分与大鼠生理病理指标的相关性。结果表明:清洁、沙尘暴天气的PM_(10)和雾霾天气的PM_(2.5)急性染毒导致大鼠白细胞系参数即免疫力显著下降。污染天气颗粒物染毒后大鼠BALF氧化炎症因子的改变表明呼吸系统受到感染:沙尘暴和清洁天的PM_(10)染毒均显著提高了TGF-β1,雾霾PM_(10)染毒后IL-6和LDH有一定程度升高。3种天气颗粒物染毒对肺和气管造成的组织病理伤害各有特点,但PM_(2.5)伤害程度普遍大于PM_(10)。染毒颗粒物粒径大小,其化学成分类别、浓度是造成大鼠血常规指标变化、氧化炎症反应和组织学病变的可能原因。