Bioaccumulation and the expression of hepatic cytochrome P450 genes in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) exposed to difenoconazole

This study was conducted to assess the effects of difenoconazole (DFZ), a triazole fungicide, on the hepatic biotransformation system and its bioaccumulation in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma). Fish were exposed to DFZ (1, 10, 100, 1000 ng/L) for 180 days. The results showed that: (1) The mRNA levels of hepatic CYP1A1, CYP1B, CYP1C1, CYP27B and CYP3A40 were up-regulated, but those of CYP3A38 and CYP27A1 were down-regulated. (2) The activity of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) and the content of reduced glutathione (GSH) in the liver were increased in the DFZ-treated groups, and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity was increased in the 100 and 1000 ng/L groups. (3) DFZ was accumulated in the muscle and the biological concentration factors in the 10, 100, and 1000 ng/L groups were respectively 149, 81 and 25. These results suggested that long-term exposure to DFZ at low concentrations would result in a bioaccumulation of this compound and disturb the biotransformation system.     

复合生物阴极型微生物燃料电池处理废水及同步产电性能

为研究生物阴极在MFC（微生物燃料电池）中的应用,分别以粒径为2~4 mm的颗粒活性炭和粒径为2~4、4~8、8~12 mm的颗粒石墨为阴极基质材料,构建升流复合生物阴极型单室MFC,研究阴极基质材料的种类和粒径对MFC的产电性能和净水效能的影响.结果表明:当阳极基质材料为2~4 mm粒径的颗粒活性炭时,燃料电池中利用玻璃纤维取代离子交换膜,阴极基质材料为选用4~8 mm粒径颗粒石墨的反应柱产电量最大,为534 mV（外电阻为1 000 Ω）,最大功率密度达到631.6 mW/m3,库伦效率为3.82%;阴极的pH越低越有利于阴极的产电反应;不同阴极基质材料的MFC对COD_Cr去除率均在80%左右,TN、NH₄+-N及TP的去除率最高可分别达到79%、93%和34%.研究显示,阴极基质材料的种类和粒径对MFC的产电性影响较大,但对其净水效能的影响不大.      

Effects of Cu2+ and humic acids on degradation and fate of TBBPA in pure culture of Pseudomonas sp. strain CDT

Soil contamination with tetrabromobisphenol A(TBBPA) has caused great concerns;however, the presence of heavy metals and soil organic matter on the biodegradation of TBBPA is still unclear. We isolated Pseudomonas sp. strain CDT, a TBBPA-degrading bacterium, from activated sludge and incubated it with ~(14)C-labeled TBBPA for 87 days in the absence and presence of Cu~(2+)and humic acids(HA). TBBPA was degraded to organic-solvent extractable(59.4% ± 2.2%) and non-extractable(25.1% ± 1.3%) metabolites,mineralized to CO_2(4.8% ± 0.8%), and assimilated into cells(10.6% ± 0.9%) at the end of incubation. When Cu~(2+)was present, the transformation of extractable metabolites into non-extractable metabolites and mineralization were inhibited, possibly due to the toxicity of Cu~(2+)to cells. HA significantly inhibited both dissipation and mineralization of TBBPA and altered the fate of TBBPA in the culture by formation of HA-bound residues that amounted to 22.1% ± 3.7% of the transformed TBBPA. The inhibition from HA was attributed to adsorption of TBBPA and formation of bound residues with HA via reaction of reactive metabolites with HA molecules, which decreased bioavailability of TBBPA and metabolites in the culture. When Cu~(2+)and HA were both present, Cu~(2+)significantly promoted the HA inhibition on TBBPA dissipation but not on metabolite degradation. The results provide insights into individual and interactive effects of Cu~(2+)and soil organic matter on the biotransformation of TBBPA and indicate that soil organic matter plays an essential role in determining the fate of organic pollutants in soil and mitigating heavy metal toxicity.     

Ambient volatile organic compounds pollution in China

Owing to rapid economic and industrial development, China has been suffering from degraded air quality and visibility. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important precursors to the formation of ground-level ozone and hence photochemical smog. Some VOCs adversely affect human health. Therefore, VOCs have recently elicited public concern and given new impetus to scientific interest. China is now implementing a series of polices to control VOCs pollution. The key to formulating policy is understanding the ambient VOCs pollution status. This paper mainly analyzes the species, levels, sources, and spatial distributions of VOCs in ambient air. The results show that the concentrations of ambient VOCs in China are much higher than those of developed countries such as the United States and Japan, especial benzene, which exceeds available standards. At the same time, the ozone formation potential (OFP) and secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOAFP) of various VOCs are calculated. Aromatics and alkenes have much higher OFPs, while aromatics have higher SOAFP. The OFPs of ambient VOCs in the cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Changchun are very high, and the SOAFP of ambient VOCs in the cities of Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Changchun are higher.     

Effects of free ammonia on volatile fatty acid accumulation and process performance in the anaerobic digestion of two typical bio-wastes

The effect of free ammonia on volatile fatty acid(VFA)accumulation and process instability was studied using a lab-scale anaerobic digester fed by two typical bio-wastes:fruit and vegetable waste(FVW)and food waste(FW)at 35°C with an organic loading rate(OLR)of 3.0 kg VS/(m~3·day). The inhibitory effects of free ammonia on methanogenesis were observed due to the low C/N ratio of each substrate(15.6 and 17.2,respectively). A high concentration of free ammonia inhibited methanogenesis resulting in the accumulation of VFAs and a low methane yield. In the inhibited state,acetate accumulated more quickly than propionate and was the main type of accumulated VFA. The co-accumulation of ammonia and VFAs led to an "inhibited steady state" and the ammonia was the main inhibitory substance that triggered the process perturbation. By statistical significance test and VFA fluctuation ratio analysis,the free ammonia inhibition threshold was identified as 45 mg/L. Moreover,propionate,iso-butyrate and valerate were determined to be the three most sensitive VFA parameters that were subject to ammonia inhibition.     

A metal-free composite photocatalyst of graphene quantum dots deposited on red phosphorus

A simple approach to enhance the photocatalytic activity of red phosphorus(P) was developed.A mechanical ball milling method was applied to reduce the size of red P and to deposit graphene quantum dots onto red P. The product was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, contact angle measurements, zeta-potential measurements, X-ray diffraction and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. The product exhibited high visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance in the photodegradation of rhodamine B.     

Amoxicillin effects on functional microbial community and spread of antibiotic resistance genes in amoxicillin manufacture wastewater treatment system

This study aimed to reveal how amoxicillin(AMX) affected the microbial community and the spread mechanism of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs) in the AMX manufacture wastewater treatment system. For this purpose, a 1.47 L expanded granular sludge bed(EGSB) reactor was designed and run for 241 days treating artificial AMX manufacture wastewater. 454 pyrosequencing was applied to analyze functional microorganisms in the system. The antibiotic genes OXA_(-1), OXA_(-2), OXA_(-10), TEM_(-1), CTX-M_(-1), class I integrons(intI1) and 16 SrRNA genes were also examined in sludge samples. The results showed that the genera Ignavibacterium, Phocoenobacter,Spirochaeta, Aminobacterium and Cloacibacillus contributed to the degradation of different organic compounds(such as various sugars and amines). And the relative quantification of eachβ-lactam resistance gene in the study was changed with the increasing of AMX concentration.Furthermore the vertical gene transfer was the main driver for the spread of ARGs rather than horizontal transfer pathways in the system.     

Arsenic biotransformation and an arsenite S-adenosylmethionine methyltransferase in plankton

<正>Arsenic(As)is a well-recognized toxicant and carcinogen.Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic causes a range of human cancers(e.g.,skin,bladder,and lung)and increases the risk of developing diabetes,hypertension,and cardiovascular and neurological diseases.The prevalence of arsenic species and the severity of their health effects continue to drive and demand for extensive research(Carlin et al.,2016).     

Determination of 15 phthalate esters in air by gas-phase and particle-phase simultaneous sampling

Based on previous research, the sampling and analysis methods for phthalate esters (PAEs) were improved by increasing the sampling flow of indoor air from 1 to 4 L/min, shortening the sampling duration from 8 to 2 hr. Meanwhile, through the optimization of chromatographic conditions, the concentrations of 9 additional PAE pollutants in indoor air were measured. The optimized chromatographic conditions required a similar amount of time for analysis as before, but gave high responsivity, the capability of simultaneously distinguishing 15 kinds of PAEs, and a high level of discrimination between individual sample peaks, as well as stable peak generation. The recovery rate of all gas-phase and particle-phase samples of the 15 kinds of PAEs ranged from 91.26% to 109.42%, meeting the quantitative analysis requirements for indoor and outdoor air sampling and analysis. For the first time, investigation of the concentration levels as well as characteristics of 15 kinds of PAEs in the indoor air from four different traffic micro-environments (private vehicles, busses, taxis and subways) was carried out, along with validation of the optimized sampling and analytical method. The results show that all the 9 additional PAEs could be detected at relatively high pollution levels in the indoor air from the four traffic micro-environments. As none of the pollution levels of the 15 kinds of PAEs in the indoor air from the 4 traffic micro-environments should be neglected, it is of great significance to increase the types of PAEs able to be detected in indoor air.     

Quantifying public health benefits of environmental strategy of PM2.5 air quality management in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, China

In 2013,China issued "Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan(Action Plan)" to improve air quality.To assess the benefits of this program in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei(BTH)region,where the density of population and emissions vary greatly,we simulated the air quality benefit based on Ben MAP to satisfy the Action Plan.In this study,we estimate PM_(2.5) concentration using Voronoi spatial interpolation method on a grid with a spatial resolution of 1 × 1 km~2.Combined with the exposure-response function between PM_(2.5) concentration and health endpoints,health effects of PM_(2.5) exposure are analyzed.The economic loss is assessed by using the willingness to pay(WTP) method and human capital(HC) method.When the PM_(2.5) concentration falls by 25% in BTH and reached 60 μg/m~3 in Beijing,the avoiding deaths will be in the range of 3175 to 14051 based on different functions each year.Of the estimated mortality attributable to all causes,3117 annual deaths were due to lung cancer,1924 – 6318 annual deaths were due to cardiovascular,and343 – 1697 annual deaths were due to respiratory.Based on WTP,the estimated monetary values for the avoided cases of all cause mortality,cardiovascular mortality,respiratory mortality and lung cancer ranged from 1110 to 29632,673 to 13325,120 to 3579,1091 to 6574 million yuan,respectively.Based on HC,the corresponding values for the avoided cases of these four mortalities were 267 to 1178,161 to 529,29 to 143 and 261 million yuan,respectively.