Identifying the land use and land cover change drivers: methods and case studies of two forest reserves in Northern Benin

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Land use and land cover change (LULCC) is one of the problems that the world has been facing for the last few decades despite political attention....     

Measuring water resource use efficiency of the Dong Nai River Basin (Vietnam): an application of the two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA)

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The recent growth of agriculture, industry and urban areas in Vietnam requires a large amount of water consumption as a production factor. This paper...     

Application of SWAT model to assess land use change and climate variability impacts on hydrology of Nam Rom Catchment in Northwestern Vietnam

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Land use and land cover (LULC) changes, climate variability and climate change (CC) contribute hydrological response in tropical catchments, but their...     

内质网应激在氟暴露致小鼠睾丸损伤中的作用

探讨了内质网应激在亚慢性氟暴露致小鼠睾丸损伤中的作用及分子机制.选用健康初断乳ICR雄性小鼠30只,随机分为对照组（C）、低氟组（LF）和高氟组（HF）,分别饮用自来水、5、30 mg·L^-1氟化钠水溶液90 d.亚慢性氟暴露结束后,以睾丸脏器系数、睾丸组织氧化/抗氧化酶和形态结构、精子质量、睾丸细胞凋亡、葡萄糖调节蛋白78（GRP78）、CCAAT/增强子结合蛋白同源蛋白（CHOP）、半胱氨酸天冬氨酸蛋白酶12（CASPASE-12）、半胱氨酸天冬氨酸蛋白酶3（CASPASE-3）为观测点.结果表明,与对照组比,LF组和HF组LDH、SOD、T-AOC活性下降,MDA含量上升,HF组GSH-PX活性下降,差异有统计学意义（p<0.05或p<0.01）;LF组可见细胞层次减少、间隙变大,成熟精子数量减少,HF组细胞溶解、层次紊乱,空泡化严重,少见成熟精子;LF组和HF组小鼠的精子活力降低,HF组小鼠精子数量下降,畸形率上升,差异有统计学意义（p<0.05或p<0.01）;LF组和HF组睾丸细胞凋亡指数上升,差异有统计学意义（p<0.01）;LF组和HF组Grp78、Caspase-12、Caspase-3基因表达水平上升,差异有统计学意义（p<0.05或p<0.01）.结果提示,除氧化应激以外,Caspase-12和Caspase-3基因表达异常可能是氟暴露致小鼠睾丸细胞凋亡异常的分子机制之一.     

Fas/FasL途径在氟暴露致PC12细胞凋亡中的作用

为了探讨Fas/FasL途径在氟暴露致PC12细胞凋亡中的作用及其机制,采用含20、40、80、160mg/L NaF培养液处理PC12细胞.结果表明,所有剂量NaF处理12、24、36、48h,PC12细胞活性升高;上述不同剂量NaF处理24h后,与对照组比,PC12细胞的活性氧水平、细胞凋亡率、细胞内Fas/FasL信号转导通路Fas和FasL、Caspase8、FADD、Caspase3基因和蛋白表达水平均呈显著上升（P < 0.05）,而Bid基因和蛋白表达水平显著下降（P < 0.05）,且呈氟暴露剂量依赖性.结果提示Fas/FasL途径在氟暴露致PC12细胞凋亡中起重要作用,其中FADD可能是Fas/FasL凋亡途径中的重要靶分子.     

Simulation of a 100-MW solar-powered thermo-chemical air separation system combined with an oxy-fuel power plant for bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)

The combination of concentrated solar power–chemical looping air separation (CSP-CLAS) with an oxy-fuel combustion process for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture is a novel system to generate electricity from solar power and biomass while being able to store solar power efficiently. In this study, the computer program Advanced System for Process Engineering Plus (ASPEN Plus) was used to develop models to assess the process performance of such a process with manganese (Mn)-based oxygen carriers on alumina (Al₂O₃) support for a location in the region of Seville in Spain, using real solar beam irradiance and electricity demand data. It was shown that the utilisation of olive tree prunings (Olea europaea) as the fuel—an agricultural residue produced locally—results in negative CO₂ emissions (a net removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere). Furthermore, it was found that the process with an annual average electricity output of 18 MW would utilise 2.43% of Andalusia’s olive tree prunings, thereby capturing 260.5 k-tonnes of CO₂, annually. Drawbacks of the system are its relatively high complexity, a significant energy penalty in the CLAS process associated with the steam requirements for the loop-seal fluidisation, and the gas storage requirements. Nevertheless, the utilisation of agricultural residues is highly promising, and given the large quantities produced globally (~?4 billion tonnes/year), it is suggested that other novel processes tailored to these fuels should be investigated, under consideration of a future price on CO₂ emissions, integration potential with a likely electricity grid system, and based on the local conditions and real data.