Phenanthrene exposure produces cardiac defects during embryo development of zebrafish (Danio rerio) through activation of MMP-9

Phenanthrene (Phe) is one of the most abundant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the aquatic environment as a result of human activities. It is widely accepted that Phe has cardiotoxic effects. Even so, knowledge concerning the mechanism(s) of cardiac development toxicity is still limited. In this study, we exposed zebrafish embryos to environmentally relevant concentrations of Phe and then investigated its cardiotoxic effects and the mechanism(s) involved. Some cardiac morphogenetic defects, which was characterized by an abnormally looped and enlarged heart, dilated and thinner ventricular wall, and increased interstitial fibrosis, were observed in the Phe treated groups. The mRNA and protein expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), as well as the MMP-9 activity, were induced. Moreover, during co-treatment of the zebrafish embryos with MMP-9 inhibitor, the cardiac defects caused by Phe were attenuated. In addition, Phe exposure led to an up-regulation of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), which plays a crucial role in mediating cardiac fibrosis. Taken together, our data indicated that the exposure to Phe of zebrafish embryos disrupted normal cardiac development, and that the cardiac defects induced by Phe were mediated by the MMP-9, while TGF-β was also involved in these cardiac defects.     

柳江国家地质公园的科学价值与地质环境保护

秦皇岛柳江国家地质公园以地质遗迹资源丰富、地貌景观多样而闻名,具有重要的科学研究价值和旅游价值。然而地方政府为满足短期经济发展的需要,过度开发园区内的煤炭、水泥灰岩等矿产资源,致使一些珍贵的地质遗迹被破坏。为此,从政策、法规以及宣传教育层面对地质遗迹的保护提出一些建议。     

Benzo[a]pyrene exposure influences the cardiac development and the expression of cardiovascular relative genes in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos

It is reported that the most abundant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in weathered crude oils are cardiotoxic. However, the action mechanism of PAHs on vertebrate cardiovascular development and disease is unclear. In the present study, the cardiac morphology and functioning of zebrafish embryos exposed to benzo[a]pyrene [B(a)P], as a high-ring PAHs, for 72 h were observed and determined. The results showed that B(a)P exposure resulted in cardiac developmental defects in zebrafish embryos. Significant changes in expression level of multiple genes potentially critical for regulating the B(a)P-induced cardiovascular developmental defects were also found. A gene network regulating cardiac development perturbed by B(a)P exposure was identified and established by computational analysis and employment of some databases. The information from the network could provide a clue for further mechanistic studies explaining molecular events regulating B(a)P-mediated cardiovascular defects and consequences.     

Did the ecological engineering have a great impact on the land use change?

Overuse of land resources has increasingly contributed to environmental crises in China. To mitigate widespread land degradation, actions have been taken to maintain and restore the ecological environment through efforts such as ecological engineering. By analyzing trends in land use, the impact and effectiveness of ecological engineering can be determined. In this study, such changes in Huanjiang County in China were considered. In the early 1990s, an eco-immigration policy and “returning farmland to forest program” were implemented in the county, drastically impacting land use. Land use/land cover changes were detected and analyzed using remote sensing data recorded over 4 years (1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010). Land transfer flow and the rate of land use change elucidated the extent of changes, while nuclear density analysis indicated spatial agglomeration. The results indicate that, over a period of 15 years, farmland area increased, while forest area decreased initially before subsequently increasing. From 1995 to 2000, the highest transfer flow was observed in the grassland to farmland conversion (79.34%). From 2000 to 2005, the transfer flow of conversions was the highest for forest to farmland (56.79%). Land use changes were not prominent from 2005 to 2010. Direct drivers of land use change exert obvious impacts on land use, and indirect drivers impact direct drivers that are then channeled through direct anthropogenic drivers (e.g., land use policies). We found that ecological engineering has a very significant impact on land use change, and that impact varies from region to region.     

基于MOD16的安徽省地表蒸散量时空变化特征

安徽省是我国的农业大省,其水资源的管理和利用直接影响到农业的可持续发展,分析安徽省的蒸散量变化,对水资源的科学配置和合理利用有着重要的意义。基于MOD16蒸散量产品,利用均值、标准差、偏差法、趋势分析法以及空间变异等方法,分析安徽省近15 a地表蒸散量年际、年内时空变化特征,和不同土地利用类型下蒸散量的差异性变化特征。研究表明：（1）2000~2014年间安徽省多年平均蒸散量为694.9 mm,波动范围为647.5~730.5 mm,年际变化呈现下降趋势;并具有较强的空间分异性规律,整体上呈现南高北低趋势,各市多年蒸散量均值差异显著,其中黄山的蒸散量最高（844.1 mm）,宿州最低（603.7 mm）。（2）安徽省年内各月间的蒸散量呈现先增加后减少的“单峰型”趋势,具有明显的季节差异,表现为夏季(304.17 mm)＞春季(167.56 mm)＞秋季(150.41 mm)＞冬季(73.92 mm);但各市的年内蒸散量变化趋势表现不同,淮河以南整体呈现“单峰型”趋势,淮河以北则呈现典型的“双峰型”趋势。（3）安徽省不同土地利用类型的蒸散量差异明显,其年均蒸散量按照“林地＞草地＞未利用地>耕地＞城镇用地”的顺序递减。 关键词： MOD16; 安徽省; 蒸散量; 时空分布; 土地利用     

新型高效分散阻垢剂XH-929的性能及应用

分散阻垢剂ＸＨ－９２９对循环冷却水中ＣａＣＯ３、Ｆｅ２Ｏ３、ＭｇＳｉＯ３、Ｃａ３（ＰＯ４）２的沉积结垢有很好的抑制作用,且能在碱性条件下稳定Ｚｎ２＋。动态模拟试验和工业应用实例表明,ＸＨ－９２９分散阻垢剂与适量缓蚀剂复配后,可起到较好的阻垢、缓蚀作用。     

An observational study of the carrying capacity of suspended sediment during a storm event

We measured the in situ suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and hydrodynamics (waves, currents, and sea level) concurrently during a storm event using self-recording instruments at offshore of the Shandong Peninsula in the Yellow Sea. We analyzed the temporal variation in suspended sediment carrying capacity and its correlation with wave, current, and water-level conditions. There was about 40% increase in SSC during the storm event. A 3-4-h lag was observed between the peak of wave height and SSC. The SSC increased in a fluctuating pattern up to the peak then decreased rapidly. This process was positively correlated with wave height and duration. The maximum SSC was 524.3 mg/l, which is about 10 times of that under normal weather conditions. This peak was observed after of a series of 1.8 m waves. The increased suspended sediments were the fine particles resuspended by the storm waves from seabed near the observation spot and transported by northward ebb currents from Shidao Bay.     

Assessment of ecosystem health based on fish assemblages in the Wei River basin,China

In the Wei River basin, the ecosystem is gradually deteriorating due to the rapid growth of the population and the development of economies. It is thus important to assess the ecosystem health and take measures to restore the damaged ecosystem. In this study, an index of biotic integrity (IBI) for fish was developed to aid the conservation of the ecosystem based on a calibration data set. An index of water and habitat quality (IWHQ) was calculated based on environmental variables and habitat quality (QHEI) to identify the environmental degradation in the studied sites. The least degraded sites (IWHQ?≤?2; W1, W5, W10, W12, W13, W14, and W16) were chosen as the reference sites. Six metrics that are sensitive to environmental degradation were utilized to differentiate the reference and the impaired sites using statistical methods. These metrics included the number of species (P1), the total biomass (P2), the number of Cobitidae species (P8), the proportion of species in the middle and low tiers (P10), the proportion of individuals that were classified as sensitive species (P25), and number of individuals in the sample (P39). A continuous scoring method was used to score the six metrics, and four classes were defined to characterize the ecosystem health of the Wei River basin. The fact that the overall IBI scores were negatively correlated with the index of environmental quality (IWHQ) based on the validation data set indicated that the index should be useful for biomonitoring and the conservation of biodiversity. According to the results, more than half of the sites were classified as poor or very poor. The ecosystem health in the Wei River was better than that in the Jing River and the Beiluo River, and this study will be a great reference for water resources management and ecosystem restoration in the Wei River basin.     

模拟油田采出水中H2S的脱除

采出水经处理后通常需作为地层回注水使用,由于油气生产的特殊性,常用的H2S脱除方法在使用中受到限制,探索适合于油气田生产的水处理方法十分必要。文章探讨了通常可用于油田采出水中H2S脱除的各种方法,对比了各类方法的优缺点,提出以NaClO为主要脱硫剂的水处理方法,通过对模拟采出水的室内实验,证明次氯酸法可以快速有效地去除采出水中的H2S,使H2S残留量低于1 mg/L。实验表明:经处理后的水质可以达到SY/T 5329-2012《碎屑岩油藏注水水质指标及分析方法》要求,处理成本较低。     

铬(Ⅵ)-碘化钾-甲基紫-聚乙烯醇体系分光光度法测定废水中痕量铬

研究了铬(Ⅵ)-碘化钾-甲基紫-聚乙烯醇高灵敏显色体系测定铬(Ⅵ)的新方法。实验结果表明:在最大吸收波长540 nm处,铬(Ⅵ)质量浓度在0～0.8 mg/L范围内符合朗伯-比耳定律,表观摩尔吸光系数为6.59×10~4L/(mol·cm);采用该法测定铬(Ⅵ)标准试样与镀铬废水,测定结果与国家标准分析方法的结果相吻合,加标回收率为94.0%～103.0%;测定11次0.4 mg/L铬(Ⅵ),相对标准偏差为2.1%。