Effects of di-n-butyl phthalate on the physiology and ultrastructure of cucumber seedling roots

Agricultural pollution caused by the use of plastic sheetings has been documented to be a widespread problem in most of the major crop-planting regions of the world. In order to better understand the phytotoxic mechanisms induced by phthalic acid esters involved with this problem, Cucumber sativus L. cv Jinyan No. 4 were sown in pots to the three-leaf-stage in the presence of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP; 0, 30, 50, 100, and 200 mg L^?1) for 1, 3, 5, or 7 days. Physiology, biochemistry, and ultrastructure of seedling roots were examined. The results indicated that activities of three antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD)) were stimulated at low-DBP treatments and decreased under higher levels (>100 mg L^?1) compared to the controls. On the other hand, SOD and POD provided a better defense against DBP-induced oxidative damage in the roots of cucumber seeding, compared to CAT. The productions of both malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline (Pro) were promoted under DBP stress. Visible impact on the cytoderm, mitochondrion, and vacuole was detected, possibly as a consequence of free radical generation. These results suggested that activation of the antioxidant system by DBP led to the formation of reactive oxygen species that resulted in cellular damage.     

Iron improving bio-char derived from microalgae on removal of tetracycline from aqueous system

Novel magnetic carbonaceous bio-char was hydrothermal prepared from microalgae under different loadings of iron and its structures and surface chemistry were characterized with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm (BET). The morphology of bio-char changed from sheet to particle as iron loading increased and its surface area also increased. When 3.0 g of dried microalgae and 6.0 mmol iron salt ((NH₄)₂SO₄·FeSO₄·6H₂O) were mixed and treated, the obtained bio-char possessing the highest amount of oxygen-containing functional groups resulted in the best adsorption performance on tetracycline (TC). This adsorption process was fitted to Langmuir adsorption isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity was 95.86 mg/g, which is higher than other bio-char reported. The iron loading contributed to the higher adsorption capacity of bio-char, which may be due to three factors, the high surface area, more hydrogen bonding, and bridging effects of the structural Fe for TC. Our data suggest that bio-char may have more important role in stabilization of pollutants in the environment.     

Simultaneous separation of apigenin,luteolin and rosmarinic acid from the aerial parts of the copper-tolerant plant Elsholtzia splendens

Elsholtzia splendens is a copper-tolerant plant species which grows on copper deposits in China. The generation of a valuable E. splendens biomass on specific contaminated sites has become one of the promising phytotechnologies. The simultaneous separations of apigenin, luteolin, and rosmarinic acid yielded in the ethyl acetate extracts of the flowering aerial parts was achieved by the use of a macroporous resin, polyamide, and silicagel columns during chromatography. Chemical identification confirmed the structures based on the spectra of FTIR, NMR, and HPLC/ESI-MS. The isolated compounds of purity above 98.3 % were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activities against human cancer cell lines including A549 (non-small lung), A431 (skin), and Bcap37 (breast). Among these compounds, luteolin and apigenin presented the best cytotoxic activities against A549, A431, and Bcap37 cells and, therefore, both could be the valuable products for the post-harvest processing of E. splendens biomass.     

Co-composting of livestock manure with rice straw: Characterization and establishment of maturity evaluation system

Composting is considered to be a primary treatment method for livestock manure and rice straw, and high degree of maturity is a prerequisite for safe land application of the composting products. In this study pilot-scale experiments were carried out to characterize the co-composting process of livestock manure with rice straw, as well as to establish a maturity evaluation index system for the composts obtained. Two pilot composting piles with different feedstocks were conducted for 3 months: (1) swine manure and rice straw (SM–RS); and (2) dairy manure and rice straw (DM–RS). During the composting process, parameters including temperature, moisture, pH, total organic carbon (TOC), organic matter (OM), different forms of nitrogen (total, ammonia and nitrate), and humification index (humic acid and fulvic acid) were monitored in addition to germination index (GI), plant growth index (PGI) and Solvita maturity index. OM loss followed the first-order kinetic model in both piles, and a slightly faster OM mineralization was achieved in the SM–RS pile. Also, the SM–RS pile exhibited slightly better performance than the DM–RS according to the evolutions of temperature, OM degradation, GI and PGI. The C/N ratio, GI and PGI could be included in the maturity evaluation index system in which GI > 120% and PGI > 1.00 signal mature co-composts.     

Comparison of lignin peroxidase and horseradish peroxidase for catalyzing the removal of nonylphenol from water

Concentrations of aqueous-phase nonylphenol (NP), a well-known endocrine-disrupting chemical, are shown to be reduced effectively via reaction with lignin peroxidase (LiP) or horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen peroxide. We systematically assessed their reaction efficiencies at varying conditions, and the results have confirmed that the catalytic performance of LiP toward NP was more efficient than that of HRP under experimental conditions. Mass spectrum analysis demonstrated that polymerization through radical–radical coupling mechanism was the pathway leading to NP transformation. Our molecular modeling with the assistance of ab initio suggested the coupling of NP likely proceeded via covalent bonding between two NP radicals at their unsubstituted carbons in phenolic rings. Data from acute immobilization tests with Daphnia confirm that NP toxicity is effectively eliminated by LiP/HRP-catalyzed NP removal. The findings in this study provide useful information for understanding LiP/HRP-mediated NP reactions, and comparison of enzymatic performance can present their advantages for up-scale applications in water/wastewater treatment.     

城市化进程中失地农民的贫困问题及其治理

运用文献研究法和定性分析方法,借鉴社会学与人类学相关理论,探讨失地农民的贫困问题,总结失地农民贫困的类型,分析失地农民的贫困原因,并提出治理对策。结果发现:部分失地农民在城市中面临着贫困问题,经济贫困、文化贫困、能力贫困和权利贫困是主要贫困类型。导致失地农民贫困的因素主要有体制与制度设置不合理、城市社会的剥夺与排斥、城乡文化的冲突与非物质文化变迁滞后以及失地农民个人能力缺失等。治理失地农民贫困问题必须从宏观层面强化制度与政策的保障作用,从微观层面加强失地农民的自身能力建设。     

Can the African food supply model learn from the Asian food supply model? Quantification with statistical methods

This study seeks to verify the relationship or correlation between food supply and four variables that are fertilizers, machinery, permanent cropland and permanent pasture land in Africa and Asia. The data were obtained from FAOSTATS and the World Resource Institute. The data were analyzed using the SPSS version 19. Pearson’s correlation statistical tool and the multiple linear regression methods were then used within the SPSS interface to analyze the data. The results show that the levels of fertilizer application and machinery use are more significant in affecting food supply in Asia than in Africa with respect to the four variables. In Africa, permanent cropland is of greater significance when food supply is concerned with respect to these four variables. The likely trend is for Africa to enact policies that will encourage investments in machines and organic fertilizers to be able to improve its food production and supply rather than merely increasing farm sizes.     

乡村旅游的本质回归:乡村性的认知与保护

乡村旅游已成为国内旅游的一种重要模式。通过文献分析,从理论认知与游客感知两个层面认为乡村性与其所决定的乡村意象共同构成了乡村旅游的核心吸引力。而乡村性在快速的城市化、工业化进程中已经受损,过度强化经济功能的乡村旅游则可能加剧这一趋势。基于对"农家乐"及"景区化"两种不同乡村旅游开发模式的评价,认为不同开发模式中都存在着过度强化短期旅游经济利益,忽视乡村旅游核心吸引力的认知与保护,导致乡村性退化的共同特征,使得快速发展的乡村旅游在不断侵蚀着自我发展的根基,并逐渐背离了自身发展的宗旨,呈现出不可持续性。因而提出乡村旅游的可持续发展必须关注乡村性的保护,明确城乡规划中资源特色型乡村旅游地的功能地位及其未来用地发展方向,保护乡村居民参与旅游与分享旅游的权益,转变政府角色,注重乡村现代化发展中新的乡村意象的塑造,以使乡村旅游与乡村建设得以真正的可持续发展。     

机械排烟作用下无机防烟卷帘防烟特性的实验研究

采用全尺寸模拟实验,通过测量机械排烟作用下无机防烟卷帘背火面壁面的平均温升、卷帘缝隙处的烟气流动等,对无机防烟卷帘在机械排烟作用下的防烟特性展开研究。结果表明:无机防烟卷帘在发生火灾时自动下降至地面,在机械排烟作用下,在20 m in的实验时间内,基本上能将烟气阻挡在模拟着火房间内,只有极少量烟气进入模拟中庭,卷帘背火面壁面温度接近环境温度;该无机防烟卷帘具有良好的挡烟耐热性能,火灾时可以保证非着火区域人员的安全疏散。本文研究可为该种新型无机防烟卷帘在复杂中庭防火设计中的应用提供实验支持。     

Controlled Exposures of Volunteers to Respirable Carbon and Sulf uric Acid Aerosols

Respirable carbon or fly ash particles are suspected to increase the respiratory toxicity of coexisting acidic air pollutants, by concentrating acid on their surfaces and so delivering it efficiently to the lower respiratory tract. To investigate this issue, we exposed 15 healthy and 15 asthmatic volunteers in a controlled- environment chamber (21°C, 50 percent relative humidity) to four test atmospheres: (i) clean air; (ii) 0.5-μm H2SO4 aerosol at =100 μg/m³, generated from water solution; (iii) 0,5-μm carbon aerosol at =250 μg/m³, generated from highly pure carbon black with specific surface area comparable to ambient pollution particles; and (iv) carbon as in (iii) plus =100 μg/m³ of ultrafine H2SO4 aerosol generated from fuming sulfuric acid. Electron microscopy showed that nearly all acid in (iv) became attached to carbon particle surfaces, and that most particles remained in the sub-μm size range. Exposures were performed double-blind, 1 week apart. They lasted 1 hr each, with alternate 10-min periods of heavy exercise (ventilation =50 L/min) and rest. Subjects gargled citrus juice before exposure to suppress airway ammonia. Lung function and symptoms were measured pre-exposure, after initial exercise, and at endexposure. Bronchial reactivity to methacholine was measured after exposure. Statistical analyses tested for effects of H₂SO₄ or carbon, separate or interactive, on health measures. Group data showed no more than small equivocal effects of any exposure on any health measure. One individual's responses were consistent with a clinically significant excess airway constriction from H₂SO₄ plus carbon, and 2-3 others showed slight excess responses to the combined pollutants, but all these observations might have reflected chance variations. We conclude that coexisting carbon aerosol did not increase respiratory irritancy of H₂SO₄, in most healthy and asthmatic subjects exposed for 1 hr under simulated "worst-case" ambient conditions.