Growth responses of the newly-discovered Cd-hyperaccumulator Rorippa globosa and its accumulation characteristics of Cd and As under joint stress of Cd and As

Rorippa globosa has been identified as a newly-found Cd-hyperaccumulating species. In the present study, growth responses of Rorippa globosa and its accumulation characteristics of Cd and As were examined under joint stress of Cd and As. The results showed that Cd and As had an antagonistic effect on enhancing the growth of Rorippa globosa plants and Cd uptake and accumulation under the low concentration Cd and As treatments. When the concentration of Cd in the soil was 10 mg/kg and the concentration of As was 50 mg/kg, the highest growing height of the plant was up to 35.9 cm and the dry weight of the shoots was up to 2.2 g/pot, respectively. Meanwhile, the accumulation of Cd in the leaves under the joint stress was higher than that at the same level under single Cd pollution. However, there were synergic adverse effects on plant growth and Cd uptake under the combined pollution from a high concentration of Cd and As. Meanwhile, the accumulation of As in the roots was greater than that in the shoots, the translocation factor (TF) was ?0.3 and the bioaccumulation factor (BF) was ?0.6, thus showing that Rorippa globosa had an excluding effect on As uptake. These results confirmed that Rorippa globosa had a strong tolerant ability to the joint stress of Cd and As, and the potential for phytoremediation of soils contaminated by Cd and As.     

Predicting black smoke levels from deposit gauge and SO2 data to estimate long-term exposure in the United Kingdom, 1956–1961

BackgroundIn the UK air quality has been monitored systematically since 1914, providing valuable data for studies of the long-term trends in air pollution and potentially for studies of health effects of air pollutants. There are, however, challenges in interpreting these data due to changes over time in the number and location of monitored sites, and in monitoring techniques. Particulate matter was measured as deposited matter (DM) using deposit gauge monitors until the 1950s when black smoke (BS) filters were introduced. Estimating long-term exposure to particulates using data from both deposit gauge and BS monitors requires an understanding of the relationships between DM, SO₂ and BS.AimsTo explore whether DM and/or SO₂, along with seasonal and location specific variables can be used to predict BS levels.MethodsAir quality data were abstracted from hard copies of the monthly Atmospheric Pollution Bulletins for the period April 1956–March 1961 for any sites with co-located DM, SO₂ and BS data for three or more consecutive years. The relationships between DM, SO₂, and BS were assessed using mixed models.ResultsThere were 34 eligible sites giving 1521 triplets of data. There was a consistent correlation between SO₂ and BS at all sites, but the association between DM and BS was less clear and varied by location. Mixed modelling allowing for repeat measurements at each site revealed that SO₂, year, rainfall and season of measurement explained 72% of the variability in BS levels.ConclusionsSO₂ can be used as a surrogate measure for BS in all monitoring locations. This surrogate can be improved upon by consideration of site specific characteristics, seasonal effects, rainfall and year of measurement. These findings will help in estimating historic, long-term exposure to particulates where BS or other measures are not available.     

企业参与对CDM环境效力影响研究

扩大企业对CDM的参与是提高清洁发展机制减排效果的关键因素，但是随着参与的不断扩大，可能产生价格因素、小项目开发障碍、“普遍性”等阻碍因素，将影响企业对CDM参与性的继续扩大，对减排效果的提高造成负面影响。在对企业参与和CDM环境效力相互关系探讨的基础上，本文对如何继续扩大参与、加大减排提出了发展建议。     

Noninvasive screening by cell-free DNA for 22q11.2 deletion: Benefits,limitations, and challenges

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing for fetal aneuploidy is one of the most important technical advances in prenatal care. Additional chromosome targets beyond common aneuploidies, including the 22q11.2 microdeletion, are now available because of this clinical testing technology. While there are numerous potential benefits, 22q11.2 microdeletion screening using cfDNA testing also presents significant limitations and pitfalls. Practitioners who are offering this test should provide comprehensive pretest and posttest prenatal counselling. The discussion should include the possibility of an absence of a result, as well as the risk of possible discordance between cfDNA screening results and the actual fetal genetic chromosomal constitution. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of the cfDNA testing technologies for 22q11.2 microdeletions screening, describe the current state of test validation and clinical experience, review “no results” and discordant findings based on differing technologies, and discuss management options.     

Conserving water by optimizing production schedules in the dyeing industry

Industrial dyeing processes generate a huge amount of wastewater, because the production lines have to be washed out each time when the dye changes. We propose an algorithm for the optimization of production schedule. It aims to reduce the production time and the amount of freshwater consumption by optimization the groups orders according to color. Furthermore, we develop software based on the genetic algorithm and implement it in a Chinese company. We optimize the schedules in three months of the case company and compare its output to actual data. The results show that compared to the original manual schedules, the optimized schedules cut production time by 10–15%, reduce freshwater consumption by 20–30%, and reduce wastewater generation by about 20%.