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.     

Effects of sludge retention time, carbon and initial biomass concentrations on selection process: From activated sludge to polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulating cultures

Four sequence batch reactors (SBRs) fed by fermented sugar cane wastewater were continuously operated under the aerobic dynamic feeding (ADF) mode with different configurations of sludge retention time (SRT), carbon and initial biomass concentrations to enrich polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) accumulating mixed microbial cultures (MMCs) from municipal activated sludge. The stability of SBRs was investigated besides the enrichment performance. The microbial community structures of the enriched MMCs were analyzed using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). The optimum operating conditions for the enrichment process were: SRT of 5 days, carbon concentration of 2.52 g COD/L and initial biomass concentration of 3.65 g/L. The best enrichment performance in terms of both operating stability and PHA storage ability of enriched cultures (with the maximum PHA content and PHA storage yield (Y_PHA/S) of 61.26% and 0.68 mg COD/mg COD, respectively) was achieved under this condition. Effects of the SRT, carbon concentration and initial biomass concentration on the PHA accumulating MMCs selection process were discussed respectively. A new model including the segmentation of the enrichment process and the effects of SRT on each phase was proposed.     

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.     

Mesoporous carbon nanomaterials induced pulmonary surfactant inhibition, cytotoxicity, inflammation and lung fibrosis

Environmental exposure and health risk upon engineered nanomaterials are increasingly concerned. The family of mesoporous carbon nanomaterials(MCNs) is a rising star in nanotechnology for multidisciplinary research with versatile applications in electronics,energy and gas storage, and biomedicine. Meanwhile, there is mounting concern on their environmental health risks due to the growing production and usage of MCNs. The lung is the primary site for particle invasion under environmental exposure to nanomaterials. Here, we studied the comprehensive toxicological profile of MCNs in the lung under the scenario of moderate environmental exposure. It was found that at a low concentration of 10 μg/mL MCNs induced biophysical inhibition of natural pulmonary surfactant. Moreover, MCNs at similar concentrations reduced viability of J774 A.1 macrophages and lung epithelial A549 cells.Incubating with nature pulmonary surfactant effectively reduced the cytotoxicity of MCNs.Regarding the pro-inflammatory responses, MCNs activated macrophages in vitro, and stimulated lung inflammation in mice after inhalation exposure, associated with lung fibrosis.Moreover, we found that the size of MCNs played a significant role in regulating cytotoxicity and pro-inflammatory potential of this nanomaterial. In general, larger MCNs induced more pronounced cytotoxic and pro-inflammatory effects than their smaller counterparts. Our results provided valuable information on the toxicological profile and environmental health risks of MCNs, and suggested that fine-tuning the size of MCNs could be a practical precautionary design strategy to increase safety and biocompatibility of this nanomaterial.     

深部储层中CO2沿断层泄漏量的影响因素

CGS（CO₂地质储存）是CO₂减排的重要手段之一,天然裂隙的存在则是CGS的潜在风险.CO₂地质储存过程中储层上覆盖层及其浅部含水层是防止CO₂泄漏的天然屏障,为了探究深部咸水层中CO₂沿断层的泄漏过程并获得断层渗透率及储层中超临界CO₂流体初始条件（初始饱和度、初始泄漏压力）对CO₂沿断层泄漏速率和泄漏量的影响程度,依据鄂尔多斯CO₂灌注工程示范区资料,使用多相、多组分溶质运移数值模拟软件TOUGH2建立了2D概念模型.结果表明,深部咸水层中的CO₂在压力差和浓度差的作用下沿断层发生泄漏,到达浅部含水层后开始发生侧向运移,100 a内运移了约200 m的水平距离;由于浮力的作用,CO₂集中在含水层顶板处,有效地防止了CO₂向外泄漏.影响因素分析表明,100 a内断层渗透性能为低渗、中渗和高渗条件时,CO₂累积泄漏量分别为0、1 050和3 000 t;CO₂初始饱和度分别为0.20、0.50和0.99时,CO₂累积泄漏量分别为550、1 050和1 650 t;初始泄漏压力分别为17.3、17.6和18.1 MPa时,CO₂累积泄漏量则分别为900、1 050和1 400 t.除此之外,断层渗透性、CO₂初始气体饱和度和初始泄漏压力对CO₂泄漏的影响还体现在泄漏发生时间和平均泄漏速率上.研究显示,各因素对CO₂沿断层泄漏过程的影响程度表现为断层渗透性能> CO₂初始饱和度> CO₂初始泄漏压力.      

闲置厌氧氨氧化微生物的启动及微生物分析

文章以闲置12个月的厌氧氨氧化生物膜填料重新启动厌氧氨氧化反应器,并对反应器的活性恢复情况、脱氮效果和微生物菌群结构开展研究。实验结果表明:在启动的200 d逐渐将进水氨氮、亚硝态氮浓度从50 mg/L提高到70 mg/L,水力停留时间从12 h缩短到4 h,后期氨氮去除率达80%以上,亚硝酸盐去除率达95%。170~200 d的稳定期中,平均去除负荷0.71±0.15 kg/(m~3·d)。另外,通过高通量测序技术对反应器中微生物群落变化情况进行了系统分析。启动过程中填料中污泥微生物浮霉菌门Planctomyctes的相对丰度从13.7%增长到了36.0%,成为优势菌群。     

我国海水养殖业氮、磷产出量的初步评估

为了解我国海水养殖业的自身污染状况,本文利用2014年全国海水养殖产量及主要养殖生物产污系数等数据对我国海水养殖活动氮、磷的产出量进行了初步评估。结果显示,全国海水增养殖区氮、磷年产出量分别达到29.3万t和9.7万t。其中,投饵性养殖生物（鱼类、甲壳类等）总氮、总磷产出量分别达到3.9万t和0.6万t,非投饵性养殖生物（滤食性贝类）总氮、总磷产出量分别达到25.4万t和9.1万t。与全国陆源污染物排海量相比,海水养殖总氮、总磷产出量分别约占江河总氮、总磷排海量的10.0%和36.1%;同时,海水养殖总氮、总磷产出量已分别超过排污口氨氮、总磷的排海量,分别约为二者的5.6倍和7.2倍。因此,海水养殖自身污染已成为我国近岸海域重要污染源之一,应引起相关部门的足够重视。     

基于光学视频的冰区核电海面浮冰监测与分析系统设计

随着能源需求的不断扩大,大型核电工程已逐渐向有冰海域分布。海冰是有冰海域海洋活动的首要灾害性环境要素,冰区核电站正常运行的首要问题是如何保障冷源取水不受海冰灾害影响而失效。本文根据冰区海水直接利用工程的监测需求,分析了光学视频在特定小区域海面浮冰监测中的优势,并基于海冰灾害风险评估的理论框架和信息处理流程,初步设计了冰区核电海面浮冰监测与分析系统。系统建成后,结合实时监测数据和风险评估数据库,可以快速提供冷源取水堵塞风险和预警信息,为企业和有关部门及时有效的采取防灾措施提供依据。     

Increasing the application of gas engines to decrease China’s GHG emissions

This paper employs a review of the technical literature to estimate the potential decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that could be achieved by increasing the application of gas engines in China in three sectors: urban public transport vehicle; shipping; and thermal power plants. China’s gas engine development strategies and three types of gas resource are discussed in the study, which indicates that gas engines could decrease GHG emissions by 520 megatonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO_2e) by 2020. This would account for 9.7 % of the government’s target for decreasing GHG emissions and is dominated by methane recovery from the use of coal mine gas (CMG) and landfill gas (LFG) for power generation. In the public urban transport vehicle and shipping sectors the low price of natural gas and the increasing demand for the control of harmful emissions could spur the rapid uptake of gas engine vehicles. However, the development of CMG- and LFG-fuelled power plants has been limited by the unwillingness of local enterprises to invest in high-performance gas engine generators and the associated infrastructure. Therefore, further compulsory policies that promote CMG use and LFG recovery should be implemented. Moreover, strict regulations on limiting methane leakage during the production and distribution of gas fuels are urgently needed in China to prevent leakage causing GHG emissions and largely negating the climate benefits of fuel substitution. Strategies for increasing the application of gas engines, promoting gas resources and recovering methane in China are instrumental in global GHG mitigation strategies.