Toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles in the earthworm, Eisenia fetida and subcellular fractionation of Zn

The extensive use of nanoparticles (NPs) in a variety of applications has raised great concerns about their environmental fate and biological effects. This study examined the impact of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and salts on ZnO NP dispersion/solubility and toxicity to the earthworm Eisenia fetida. To be able to better evaluate the toxicity of NPs, exposure in agar and on filter paper was proposed for enabling a comparison of the importance of different uptake routes. A dose-related increase in mortality was observed in earthworms exposed in agar with almost 100% mortality after 96 h exposure to the highest concentration (1000 mg ZnO/kg agar). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the addition of salts enhanced the aggregation of ZnO NPs in agar and consequently affected the dissolution behavior and biological availability of the particles. On filter paper, mortality was the highest at the lowest exposure concentration (50 mg ZnO/L) and seemed to decrease with increasing exposure levels. TEM images of ZnO showed that the solubility and morphology of NPs were changed dramatically upon the addition of humic acids (HA). The subcellular distribution pattern of Zn in earthworms after 96 h exposure in agar and on filter paper showed that the Zn taken up via dietary ZnO particles (from agar) was mainly found in organelles and the cytosol while the Zn accumulated as soluble Zn from filter paper was mainly distributed in cell membranes and tissues. Antioxidant enzymatic activities (SOD, CAT, and GSH-px) were investigated in the worms surviving the toxicity tests. A slight increase of SOD activities was observed at the lowest exposure dose of ZnO (50mg/kg), followed by a decrease at 100mg/kg in the agar cubes. Activities of both CAT and GSH-Px enzymes were not significantly influenced in the worms exposed to agar, although a slight decrease at 500 and 1000 mg ZnO/kg agar was observed. A similar change trend of SOD activities was observed for the earthworms on filter paper, but a significant decrease began at a higher ZnO NP concentration of 500 mg ZnO/L. The use of soil extracts instead of deionized water (DW) to simulate a realistic exposure system significantly reduced the toxicity of the ZnO NPs on filter paper, which increases the predictive power of filter paper toxicity tests for the environmental risk assessment of NPs.     

人口长期均衡发展及其评价监测模型的构建与应用

在借鉴已有理论的基础上,界定了人口长期均衡发展的内涵,提出人口长期均衡包含人口内部均衡和人口外部均衡两个方面,人口内部均衡包括人口数量、人口质量和人口结构三个维度,人口外部均衡包括人口与经济、人口与社会、人口与资源、人口与环境四个维度;在此基础上构建了人口长期均衡发展的指标体系和评价模型,指标体系设定为三级,第一级包括人口内部均衡和人口外部均衡两个方面,第二级由人口数量、人口质量、人口结构等七个部分构成;第三级指标包括反映内部均衡的7个指标以及反映外部均衡的13个指标.并使用层次分析法确定了指标的权重;采用2000-2007年31个省级单位的数据对人口长期均衡发展评价模型进行了验证,并对人口总体均衡水平以及影响人口均衡发展的关键要素进行了实证分析.结果表明.北京、上海和浙江分列前三,人口均衡发展程度最高.从影响均衡程度的关键因素看.人口质量和人口结构是制约人口自身均衡的主要因素,人口与社会的均衡状况对人口与外部系统均衡制约最大,其次是人口与经济的均衡状况.     

铜陵市资源利用与经济增长关系分析

资源利用与经济增长之间的关系是资源与环境经济学研究的重要领域。以安徽省铜陵市为例,尝试运用物质流分析方法以及最新发展的自回归分布滞后模型（ARDL）对铜陵市1990~2008年资源利用和实际GDP二者关系进行检验和分析。采用了物质流分析指标中直接物质投入来表征区域资源利用量。ARDL边界检验结果表明了资源利用和经济增长间存在稳定的长期均衡关系。进一步通过ARDL-ECM模型分析了区域经济增长对资源利用长期弹性系数和短期弹性系数,并揭示出资源利用对经济增长的短期和长期因果关系。研究结果表明当前资源投入在一定程度上拉动了铜陵经济增长。同时还对铜陵经济增长和资源保护战略提出了政策建议     

南水北调工程实施后汉江水华发生可能性研究

南水北调中线工程对汉江中下游的生态与环境影响已有大量的研究成果,特别是对水华问题进行了更为深入的研究,但是其研究主要集中于仙桃至河口段,而沙洋以上河段还未进行过水华方面的研究工作。鉴于1998年及2003年两次发生的水华事件影响范围都达沙洋以上河段(已达湖北钟祥河段),以及南水北调中线工程实施后汉江河道流量减小,流速降低,水环境容量降低,特别是兴隆枢纽回水区的壅水作用使其水体流速大幅下降(经计算小于0.3 m/s),再加上汉江中下游水体中总氮、总磷含量普遍偏高,对兴隆枢纽回水区及襄樊市区段水华发生可能性分别应用加权灰关联度以及模糊数学中的隶属度概念进行了计算评价,得出结论为：在维持污染现状情况下兴隆枢纽回水区在枯水期(505.7 m\+3/s流量)具备水华事件发生的水文及营养物质条件;到2020年襄樊市区段也将具备水华事件发生的水文及营养物质条件。     

Radium isotopes in the Ulsan Bay

In order to estimate the fluxes of Ra isotopes, we measured 224Ra, 226Ra, and 228Ra activities in the Ulsan Bay mixing zone. The convex upwards curvature of the plot of Ra isotope activities versus salinity for the mixing zone suggests that Ra isotopes are supplied from particles entering the mixing zone from both the river and bottom sediments. This addition increases the estuarine flux of 226Ra and 228Ra to the outer sea by factors of 15 and 95 over the flux attributable to Ra dissolved in the riverine water alone. In order to estimate the residence time of the water in Ulsan Bay, we applied a mass balance model to the distribution of 224Ra and 226Ra activities in the Ulsan Bay mixing zone with the inflow from the Taehwa River. The obtained residence times of the waters in the Ulsan Bay were estimated to be 6.8-11.4 d. The waters in the upper part of the estuary have long residence times whereas those in the lower part, in contact with the open sea, have shorter residence times. The mean residence time of the water in the Ulsan Bay was estimated to be 9.1 d.     

Overall Planning of Development of Urban-Rural Areas:A Policy Mechanism for Urban-Rural Coordinated Growth

While analyzing overall planning and coordinated development of urban-rural areas, this paper shows that overall planning for the development of urban-rural areas is a requirement for the best use of productive forces. It means the setting up of a policy mechanism for coordinated growth. Recognizing this, the government should set up a way to lead and manage a unified program to increase service and decrease controlling administration power, while safeguarding and fulfilling the farmers' ownership to the means of production.     

森林火险的序贯分析初探

本文利用森林着火危险度指标属于正态分布的特点,根据正态型序贯分析的原理,提出了确定林火危险性的序贯分析方法;建立了长白山林区5个站点森林火险的“安全域”与“危险域”的模型;并以东岗(长白山西坡)为例,作了正态型序贯分析全过程的应用示例。结果证明,利用正态型序贯分析来确定林火的等级是可行的、可靠的,具有实用价值。     

The Conservation Status and Conservation Strategy of Picea neoveitchii

Picea neoveitchii is an endemic species in China. It had been listed as an endangered species in red data books. It scatters in several locations of south slope of the Qinling Mountain of China. Upon reviewing the related literature, discussing with leading scholars on gymnosperm, ecology and plant conservation, the field survey was carried out in four locations. There are eleven mature individuals and two seedlings surviving in its natural habitats. With the survey of quadrat method in four locations, related community index were calculated such as relative important value （RIV）, species richness, similarity index, diversity index and evenness index etc. The community could be sorted and characterized as three groups based on the community parameters. The analysis of vegetation table elucidates that Picea neoveitchii is a dominant species with low grouping rate in most surveyed sites. The RAPD analysis shows target species has intraspecific genetic variability. The estimation of Shannon＇s phenotypic diversity index （Ho） also explains the difference of genetic variations of different locations. Due to the lack of enough knowledge and professional guide of conservation biological perspective, Picea neoveitchii had been clear-cut for timber production. The extent of occurrence and area of occupancy declined rapidly from 1950s to 1990s. According to the Conservation Category guideline proposed by the World Conservation Union, the conservation status of Picea neoveitchii was reevaluated as Critically Endangered （CR） B2b C2a D. Upon research in areas of ecology, molecular biology, cluster analysis of environmental parameters, a practical conservation strategy is recommended in this research.     

The environmental impact of industrialization in East Asia and strategies toward sustainable development

The East Asian economy has been growing fast in recent years, and environmental stresses are building up rapidly. Transboundary air pollution, water shortages, drinking water contamination, freshwater and marine pollution, deforestation, climatic disasters, and other environmental problems are becoming serious threats to the well-being of people in this densely populated region. The ESI (environmental sustainability index) reported by the World Economic Forum in 2005 is a good indicator of the environmental status of the region; most East Asian countries ranked at the bottom. East Asia is not moving toward a sustainable society, and the environment will not sustain the current rate of economic development for long. The traditional culture of East Asia used to be sustainable, so we can learn much from our traditions. Land use should be planned from an ecological point of view so as to best preserve the land’s productivity and stability. There should be definite goals as to where and how much to preserve the three important ecological bases: forests, coastal wetlands and agricultural farms. The forest is the base for the terrestrial ecosystem, including flood control, water resources, and climate; the coastal wetland is the base for the marine ecosystem; farmland is the base for producing food. Within these defined goals, limits should be set on how much land can be utilized for activities like urban development, manufacturing, and recreation. Limits on the pollution load resulting from such activities should be set so as not to irreversibly damage the environment. Economic development should be planned to allow the use of energy and resources only after satisfying these constraints.

拟除虫菊酯杀虫剂对水生态系统的毒性作用

拟除虫菊酯杀虫剂主要用于防治棉田、菜地、果树和茶叶上的农业害虫以及卫生害虫,也用于渔业生产上杀灭寄生虫。近几年来其使用量越来越大,是传统有机磷农药的替代品。它具有高效广谱、低残留的特点,对光稳定,在哺乳动物体内代谢、排泄迅速,但是对水生态系统危害较大。报道了拟除虫菊酯杀虫剂对水生生物的急、慢性毒性和中毒机理的研究进展,阐述了有待研究的方向。