Molecular characterization and developmental expression patterns of thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) and their responsiveness to TR agonist and antagonist in Rana nigromaculata

Considering some advantages of Rana nigromaculata as an experimental species, we propose that this species, like Xenopus laevis, could be used to assay thyroid hormone（TH） signaling disrupting actions. To validate the utilizability of R. nigromaculata, we investigated the responsiveness of R. nigromaculata to a TH receptor（TR） agonist（T3） and antagonist（amiodarone） by analyzing expression, based on characterizing TR cDNA and developmental expression patterns. With high levels of identity with the corresponding genes in X. laevis, both TRα and TRβ in R. nigromaculata exhibited roughly similar developmental expression patterns to those of X. laevis, in spite of some species-specific differences. Both TRα and TRβ expression had greater changes in the liver and intestine than in the tail and brain during metamorphosis. T3 exposure for 2 days induced more dramatic increases of TRβ expression in stage 27 than in stage34 tadpoles but not in stage 42 tadpoles, showing that the responsiveness of R. nigromaculata to TH decreased with development and disappeared at the onset of metamorphic climax.Corresponding to greater changes of TRβ expression in the liver and intestine than in the tail and brain during metamorphosis, the liver and intestine had higher responsiveness to exogenous T3 than the tail and brain. Amiodarone inhibited T3-induced TRβ expression. Our results show that R. nigromaculata can be used as a model species for assaying TH signaling disrupting actions by analyzing TRβ expression, and intestine tissues at stage 27 are ideal test materials due to high responsiveness and easy accessibility.     

清河流域水环境质量监测与评价研究

近年来,随着全球各地城市化和工业化进程的不断加快,以及人类对河流水生态系统资源的不合理、掠夺式利用,河流水生态系统遭到严重破坏,各地河流相继出现水质恶化、水文条件改变、物种多样性退化、生境条件恶劣等诸多问题。文章对辽河主要支流清河水生态系统的水质状况进行了研究,并于2012年6月,对清河流域22个监测断面水质状况进行了实地调查,对其水质状况进行了评价,结果表明:22个监测断面中,达到Ⅲ类水质断面的有8个,Ⅳ类7个,Ⅴ类1个,劣Ⅴ类6个。其中6个劣Ⅴ类断面分别因氟化物、氨氮、总磷浓度超标而为劣Ⅴ类。     

TiO2/硅藻土光催化氧化降解甲基橙的研究

使用经过预处理的硅藻土做载体,采用溶胶-凝胶法制备硅藻土负载二氧化钛光催化剂,利用XRD和EDS对其进行表征.通过分析光催化反应的主要影响因素,研究了硅藻土负载二氧化钛光催化剂对甲基橙的催化降解效果.结果表明：负载3次,在550℃焙烧2h,制备出的负载型催化剂催化活性较高,催化剂上的TiO2为锐钛矿结构.当催化剂投加量为lg/L,溶液初始浓度为15 mg/L,pH为3,H2O2为2 mmol/L时,对甲基橙的降解效果达到最佳.     

基于综合水质标识指数法的四川西充河水质评价

四川省西充河为严重污染河流,选取溶解氧(DO)、氨氮(NH+4-N)、五日生化需氧量(BOD5)、总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)5项指标年平均值,采用综合水质标识指数法,研究了西充河近10年水质状况随时间变化趋势及水污染特征。2003年至2010年水质级别为劣V类,2011年和2012年水质级别为Ⅳ类,水质标识指数Iwq从2003年的12.459逐渐降低到2012年的4.431。西充河近10年水质状况整体呈好转趋势,但未达到国家规定的Ⅲ级水质标准,水质标识指数Iwq结果表明该好转的速度较慢,西充河水质状况有较大的上升潜力和空间。总氮(TN)和氨氮(NH+4-N)为河流主要污染物,为了达到国家Ⅲ级水质标准,西充河的治理已刻不容缓。     

噻吩磺隆降解菌Staphylococcus sp.的分离及其降解特性与途径

采用富集培养技术从磺酰脲类除草剂污染土壤中筛选得到1株降解噻吩磺隆的细菌,命名为ZWS13.经形态特征和16S rRNA基因序列分析,初步鉴定为葡萄球菌属(Staphylococcus sp.).采用HPLC研究了初始底物浓度、温度、接种量、pH等因素对菌株ZWS13降解噻吩磺隆的影响.结果表明,菌株ZWS13对噻吩磺隆的降解具有较广的底物浓度范围,在7 d内对初始浓度5.0~100.0 mg·L~(-1)噻吩磺隆的降解率达到60%以上;菌株ZWS13降解噻吩磺隆的较适pH为8.0,较适温度为40℃,较适接种量为1%;其中,菌株培养温度为40℃时,菌株在10 d内对50.0mg·L~(-1)噻吩磺隆的降解率达到99%以上.降解谱测定结果表明,菌株对烟嘧磺隆、吡嘧磺隆和甲磺隆亦具有良好的降解效果.采用HPLC-MS分析确定了菌株对噻吩磺隆的5个降解产物,推测菌株对噻吩磺隆的降解途径主要为磺酰脲桥C—N键的断裂、脱甲基作用或脱酯作用的甲基丢失及三嗪环的开裂.研究表明,菌株ZWS13能够有效地降解噻吩磺隆,具有生物修复噻吩磺隆污染的潜力.     

Variation of MCPA, metribuzine, methyltriazine-amine and glyphosate degradation, sorption, mineralization and leaching in different soil horizons

Pesticide mineralization and sorption were determined in 75 soil samples from 15 individually drilled holes through the vadose zone along a 28 km long transect of the Danish outwash plain. Mineralization of the phenoxyacetic acid herbicide MCPA was high both in topsoils and in most subsoils, while metribuzine and methyltriazine-amine was always low. Organic matter and soil pH was shown to be responsible for sorption of MCPA and metribuzine in the topsoils. The sorption of methyltriazine-amine in topsoil was positively correlated with clay and negatively correlated with the pH of the soil. Sorption of glyphosate was tested also high in the subsoils. One-dimensional MACRO modeling of the concentration of MCPA, metribuzine and methyltriazine-amine at 2 m depth calculated that the average concentration of MCPA and methyltriazine-amine in the groundwater was below the administrative limit of 0.1 μg/l in all tested profiles while metribuzine always exceeded the 0.1 μg/l threshold value.     

Diffusion pollution from livestock and poultry rearing in the Yangtze Delta,China

BACKGROUND: The Yangtze Delta is one of the most developed regions in China and includes Shanghai, eight cities in Jiangsu province and eight cities in Zhejiang province. Meat consumption in this region has increased with economic growth, and most of the consumed meat is produced locally. The water quality of surface waters has deteriorated in recent years. An example was the huge blue-green algae bloom in Tai Lake in late May 2007, which affected millions of people's daily drinking water. However, animal husbandry is considered to be one of the main pollution sources. METHODS: Pollutants (NH3-N, total phosphorus (TP), and total nitrogen (TN)) excreted by livestock and poultry, and the resultant COD (chemical oxygen demand) and BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), were estimated using two different methods based on different data sets. RESULTS: The number of livestock and poultry has remained stable in the Yangtze Delta over the four years from 1999 to 2002, with the average number of pigs, cattle, sheep and poultry being 21.1 M, 0.4 M, 7.7 M and 597.6 M, respectively. Pollutants in livestock and poultry excreta estimated by Method I were: 0.12 Mt NH3-N, 0.11 Mt TP and 0.29 Mt TN, resulting in COD and BOD of 1.34 Mt and 1.30 Mt, respectively, while the estimations based on Method II were: 0.18 Mt NH3-N, 0.15 Mt TP and 0.40 Mt TN, resulting in COD and BOD of 1.95 Mt and 1.80 Mt, respectively. DISCUSSION: Pollutants excreted annually by livestock and poultry in the Yangtze Delta are estimated to be: 0.17 Mt NH3-N, 0.16 Mt TP and 0.42 Mt TN, giving rise to a COD of 1.86 Mt and a BOD of 1.72 Mt. Approximately 25% of this pollution was estimated to enter water bodies, which means that the annual pollutant load is 43,700 t NH3-N, 39,400 tTP, 104,600t TN with a COD of 465,000 tand a BOD of 430,100 t. Pollutants from animal husbandry were similar in magnitude to those from industrial wastewater. Pigs produced the most pollution, followed by poultry, cattle and sheep. The pollution load from animal husbandry in the Yangtze Delta is about twice the average level of the whole of China. CONCLUSIONS: Domestic wastewater was the main pollution source in the Yangtze Delta, followed by pollution from raising livestock and poultry and from industrial wastewater. The pollution load in Shanghai and Jiaxing were the greatest, followed by 7 cities of Jiangsu province (except Suzhou) and other cities of Zhejiang province and Suzhou. Pigs and poultry produced about 90% of the total pollutants from animal husbandry. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: The local governments, especially in Shanghai and Jiaxing, should focus their attention on the pollution produced by livestock and poulrry. Controlling pollution from pigs and poultry will have the greatest impact in this region. Control of pollution will be facilitated by the development of large-scale livestock and poultry farming units and a shift away from small scale husbandry.     

Sb release characteristics of the solid waste produced in antimony mining smelting process

Sb release characteristics of blast furnace slag, mining waste rock and tailing sand were investigated in static immersion and dynamic leaching test. These three kinds of waste samples were collected from the antimony mine in Lengshuijiang, China, produced in mining smelting process. Effects of solid/liquid ratio, sample size and pH of leaching solution on Sb release characteristics were inspected based on the analysis of scanning electron microscope, pH and EC of leachate. The optimal parameters for Sb leaching of each sample were analyzed. For blast furnace slag and mining waste rock, Sb release contents increased along with the decline of solid/liquid ratio. The maximum accumulative release contents were 42.13, 34.26 mg/kg at the solid/liquid ratio of 1:20. While Sb release content for tailing sand decreased first and then increased with the reduction of solid/liquid ratio. When the solid/liquid ratio was 1:5, the accumulative Sb release content reached the most (24.30 mg/kg). Sb release content of mining waste rock increased with the drop of leaching solution pH, with the highest accumulative release content of 26.01 mg/kg at pH 2.0. Sb release contents of blast furnace slag and tailing sand showed positive correlation with the variation of leaching solution pH. The maximum accumulative release contents of these two samples were 215.91 and 147.83 mg/kg, respectively, when leaching solution pH was 7.0. In summary, Sb release capacity of the three samples in descending order was tailing sand, blast furnace slag and mining waste rock. pH and EC of the leachate in dynamic test varied independently with the initial pH of leaching solution while showing close relationship with mineral hydrolysis in the waste.     

Automated data analysis to rapidly derive and communicate ecological insights from satellite-tag data: A case study of reintroduced red kites

Analysis of satellite-telemetry data mostly occurs long after it has been collected, due to the time and effort needed to collate and interpret such material. Delayed reporting reduces the usefulness of such data for nature conservation where timely information about animal movements is required. To counter this problem, we present a novel approach which combines automated analysis of satellite-telemetry data with rapid communication of insights derived from such data. A relatively simple algorithm (based on radial and angular velocity calculated from fixes) allowed instantaneous detection of excursions away from settlement areas and automated calculation of home ranges on the remaining data. Automating the detection of both excursions and home-range calculations enabled us to disseminate ecological insights from satellite-tag data instantaneously through a dedicated web portal. The automated analysis, interpretation, and communication of satellite-tag and other ecological data offer clear benefits to nature conservation research and practice.     

Limitations of recreational camera traps for wildlife management and conservation research: A practitioner’s perspective

The availability of affordable ‘recreational’ camera traps has dramatically increased over the last decade. We present survey results which show that many conservation practitioners use cheaper ‘recreational’ units for research rather than more expensive ‘professional’ equipment. We present our perspective of using two popular models of ‘recreational’ camera trap for ecological field-based studies. The models used (for >2 years) presented us with a range of practical problems at all stages of their use including deployment, operation, and data management, which collectively crippled data collection and limited opportunities for quantification of key issues arising. Our experiences demonstrate that prospective users need to have a sufficient understanding of the limitations camera trap technology poses, dimensions we communicate here. While the merits of different camera traps will be study specific, the performance of more expensive ‘professional’ models may prove more cost-effective in the long-term when using camera traps for research.