Antioxidative response to Cd in a newly discovered cadmium hyperaccumulator, Arabis paniculata F

A hydroponic experiment was carried out to study the effect of cadmium (Cd) on growth, Cd accumulation, lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) content and antioxidative enzymes in leaves and roots of Arabis paniculata F., a new Cd hyperaccumuator found in China. The results showed that 22-89 microM Cd in solution enhanced the growth of A. paniculata after three weeks, with 21-27% biomass increase compared to the control. Cd concentrations in shoots and roots increased with increasing Cd supply levels, and reached a maximum of 1662 and 8670 mg kg(-1) Cd dry weight at 178 microM Cd treatment, respectively. In roots, 22-89 microM Cd reduced the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide (O(2)(-1)) and H(2)O(2) as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR). In leaves, the contents of MDA, O(2)(-1) and H(2)O(2) remained unaffected by 22-89 microM Cd, while 178 microM Cd treatment significantly increased the MDA content, 69.5% higher than that of the control; generally, the activities of SOD, catalase (CAT), GPX and APX showed an increasing pattern with increasing Cd supply levels. Our present work concluded that A. paniculata has a great capability of Cd tolerance and accumulation. Moderate Cd treatment (22-89 microM Cd) alleviated the oxidative stress in roots, while higher level of Cd addition (178 microM) could cause an increasing generation of ROS, which was effectively scavenged by the antioxidative system.     

The impact of motorcycle traffic on soil and vegetation of stabilized coastal dunes, Israel

This study aimed to assess the response of soil and annual plant vegetation of stabilized coastal dunes in Israel, to varying intensities of off-road motorcycle (ORM) traffic, and to assess their resistance and resilience to such a disturbance. A standard experimental procedure that included 0, 20, 50, 100 and 200 ORM straight passes and 150 ORM turn passes was used. Plant ground cover, mean plant height, species richness, species diversity, soil penetrable depth, organic matter and moisture contents were measured on several dates within a period of 372 days after the experiment. Results have shown that: (1) ORM passes had a significant immediate impact on annual plants that increased with traffic intensity. The impact on the soil was detected only as an increase of penetrable depth. (2) The maximum impact on annual plants was observed in the wheel ruts and turn areas. The impact on the area between the wheel ruts and on the margins outside the wheel ruts was indirect and smaller. (3) Annual plant ground cover and mean plant height were less sensitive parameters than species richness and species diversity for determining the impact of ORM traffic on the area. (4) One year after the experiment, soil and annual plant vegetation in all passes were very similar to their pre-experimental condition. This indicates high resilience and recovery potential of the Mediterranean stabilized coastal dune ecosystem to ORM disturbance.     

不同天气型下武汉城市圈PM2.5污染及大气层结特征分析

利用2015—2019年PM_2.5和气象要素观测资料、NCEP和ERA5再分析资料,分析不同天气型下武汉城市圈PM_2.5区域污染时空分布、天气尺度环流和大气层结特征.结果表明,城市圈污染以武汉为中心,多为轻度-中度污染,西部重于东部.造成武汉城市圈区域污染增长的天气形势包括4类,分别为冷高压底前部型、高压后部型、均压场型和低压倒槽型.4类污染天气型均有较低的混合层高度和地表通风系数,且边界层存在弱下沉运动和逆温,抑制污染垂直扩散.但气象要素影响PM_2.5污染的机理各异：冷高压底前部型主要为大气压梯度引导偏北大风带来污染物远程输送,边界层冷平流导致低温、锋面逆温和浅薄高湿层(65%～80%),强输入性污染配合吸湿性累积增长造成严重污染,逆温厚度对PM_2.5增幅作用明显;低压倒槽型东南风输入污染弱,但高温、低压引起气流辐合导致本地污染汇积,边界层暖平流带来平流逆温和深厚湿层(1000～750 hPa),逆温层底高偏低、厚度偏厚,促进污染物在近地面吸湿增长;高压后部和均压场型均为浅薄湿层(1000～975...     

Quality assessment of groundwater from the south-eastern Arabian Peninsula

Assessment of groundwater quality plays a significant role in the utilization of the scarce water resources globally and especially in arid regions. The increasing abstraction together with man-made contamination and seawater intrusion have strongly affected groundwater quality in the Arabia Peninsula, exemplified by the investigation given here from the United Arab Emirates, where the groundwater is seldom reviewed and assessed. In the aim of assessing current groundwater quality, we here present a comparison of chemical data linked to aquifers types. The results reveal that most of the investigated groundwater is not suitable for drinking, household, and agricultural purposes following the WHO permissible limits. Aquifer composition and climate have vital control on the water quality, with the carbonate aquifers contain the least potable water compared to the ophiolites and Quaternary clastics. Seawater intrusion along coastal regions has deteriorated the water quality and the phenomenon may become more intensive with future warming climate and rising sea level.     

固相萃取-高效液相色谱法测地表水中11种酚类化合物

建立了固相萃取-高效液相色谱法同时测定地表水中11种酚类化合物的方法。水样经过全自动固相萃取仪富集,以HLB柱为萃取柱,乙腈(含1%乙酸)为洗脱剂,用高效液相色谱仪分析定量。该方法在0.5~5.0 mg/L范围内线性良好,相关系数为0.999 6~0.999 9,11种酚类化合物的纯水加标回收率为82.0%~111%,地表水加标回收率为98.5%~116%,精密度为3.58%~4.67%,检出限为1×10-4~5×10-4mg/L,该方法简单实用、准确可靠,可用于地表水中酚类化合物的同时测定。     

Geochemical assessment of metal concentrations in sediment core of Korangi Creek along Karachi Coast, Pakistan

Sediment core from Korangi Creek, one of the polluted coastal locations along the Karachi Coast Pakistan, was collected to trace the history of marine pollution and to determine the impact of industrial activity in the area. Down core variation of metals such as Ca, K, Mg, Al, S, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn was studied in the 72.0 cm core. Nuclear analytical techniques, proton induced X-rays emission (PIXE), was employed to ascertain the chemical composition in sediment core. Grain size analysis and sediment composition of cored samples indicated that Korangi creek sediments are clayey in nature. Correlation matrix revealed a strong association of Ni, Cu, Cr and Zn with Fe and Mn. To infer anthropogenic input, enrichment factor (EF), degree of contamination and pollution load index were calculated. EF showed severe enrichment in surface sediment for Ni, Cu, Cr and Zn, indicating increased industrial effluents discharge in recent years. The study suggests that heavy metal discharge in the area should be regulated. If the present trend of enrichment is allowed to continue unabated, it is most likely that the local food web complexes in the creek might be at highest risk.     

Vegetation NDVI Linked to Temperature and Precipitation in the Upper Catchments of Yellow River

Vegetation in the upper catchment of Yellow River is critical for the ecological stability of the whole watershed. The dominant vegetation cover types in this region are grassland and forest, which can strongly influence the eco-environmental status of the whole watershed. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for grassland and forest has been calculated and its daily correlation models were deduced by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer products on 12 dates in 2000, 2003, and 2006. The responses of the NDVI values with the inter-annual grassland and forest to three climatic indices (i.e., yearly precipitation and highest and lowest temperature) were analyzed showing that, except for the lowest temperature, the yearly precipitation and highest temperature had close correlations with the NDVI values of the two vegetation communities. The value of correlation coefficients ranged from 0.815 to 0.951 (p?<?0.01). Furthermore, the interactions of NDVI values of vegetation with the climatic indicators at monthly interval were analyzed. The NDVI of vegetation and three climatic indices had strong positive correlations (larger than 0.733, p?<?0.01). The monthly correlations also provided the threshold values for the three climatic indictors, to be used for simulating vegetation growth grassland under different climate features, which is essential for the assessment of the vegetation growth and for regional environmental management.     

Quantification of nitrogen in the liquid fraction and in vitro assessment of lysine bioavailability in the solid fraction of soybean meal hydrolysates

Soybean meal (SBM) is a product generated from the manufacture of soybean oil and has the potential for use as a source of fermentable sugars for ethanol production or as a protein source for animal feeds. Knowing the levels of nitrogen available from ammonium is a necessary element of the ethanolic fermentation process while identifying the levels of essential amino acids such as lysine is important in determining usage as a feed source. As such the purpose of this study was to quantify total nitrogen and ammonium in the liquid fraction of hydrolyzed SBM and to evaluate total and bioavailable lysine in the solid fraction of the hydrolyzed SBM. The effects of acid concentration, cellulase and β-glucosidase on total and ammonium nitrogen were studied with analysis indicating that higher acid concentrations increased nitrogen compounds with ammonium concentrations ranging from 0.20 to 1.24 g L^?1 while enzymatic treatments did not significantly increase nitrogen levels. Total and bioavailable lysine was quantified by use of an auxotrophic gfpmut3 E.coli whole-cell bioassay organism incapable of lysine biosynthesis. Acid and enzymatic treatments were applied with lysine bioavailability increasing from a base of 82% for untreated SBM to up to 97%. Our results demonstrated that SBM has the potential to serve in ethanolic fermentation and as an optimal source essential amino acid lysine.