The Dual Model for Tourism Resource Productivity Improvement

For natural resource science, resource productivity studying is an important subject. But researches on tourism resource productivity are limited. The most significant influencing factor on tourism resource productivity is the potential market scale of tourist locations, and second most important influencing factor is the resource endowment. Regional urban population is significantly correlated with region tourist numbers, being the decisive factor of region potential tour market scale. In tourism development, the dual model should be adopted: on one hand to enhance tour spot attractiveness, on the other hand to cultivate the potential market by improving urbanization level and other means. In the situation of tourism development fever spreading, the dual model for improving tourism productivity helps to avoid the "Great Leap Forward" which means that too rapid tourism construction divorces from actual market demand.     

A statistic comparison of multi-element analysis of low atmospheric fine particles (PM2.5) using different spectroscopy techniques

Over the past few decades, the metal elements(MEs) in atmospheric particles have aroused great attention. Some well-established techniques have been used to measure particlebound MEs. However, each method has its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of complexity, accuracy, and specific elements of interest. In this study, the performances of inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry(ICP-OES) and total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy(TXRF) were evaluated for qualit...     

大宝山矿区水体中重金属的行为研究

广东大宝山矿区矿山废水的排放使周边生态环境遭受了严重的破坏。水体中重金属Cu、Zn、Cd和Pb的溶解态浓度分别达到13.82、50.83、0.103和2.91 mg.L-1。Cu、Zn、Cd和Pb的溶解态和悬浮态含量沿河流主干道断面呈相似的空间分布规律,上游都是沿水流方向降低,下游因吸附于悬浮物中的重金属重新释放略有增加。悬浮物中重金属元素的化学形态提取和扫描电镜能谱分析(SEM/EDAX)表明:4种重金属元素都以残渣态为主要存在形态,其次为可还原态,个别断面的Cd可还原态甚至超过了残渣态的含量,说明该水体这4种元素对环境都有一定的潜在威胁性。     

Role of cosubstrate and bioaccessibility played in the enhanced anaerobic biodegradation of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in a paddy soil by nitrate and methyl-β-cyclodextrin amendments

The present study was conducted to investigate the anaerobic biodegradation potential of biostimulation by nitrate (KNO₃) and methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MCD) addition on an aged organochlorine pesticide (OCP)-contaminated paddy soil. After 180 days of incubation, total OCP biodegradation was highest in soil receiving the addition of nitrate and MCD simultaneously and then followed by nitrate addition, MCD addition, and control. The highest biodegradation of chlordanes, hexachlorocyclohexanes, endosulfans, and total OCPs was 74.3, 63.5, 51.2, and 65.1 %, respectively. Meanwhile, MCD addition significantly increased OCP bioaccessibility (p?<?0.05) evaluated by Tenax TA extraction and a three-compartment model method. Moreover, the addition of nitrate and MCD also obtained the highest values of soil microbial activities, including soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, ATP production, denitrifying bacteria count, and nitrate reductase activity. Such similar trend between OCP biodegradation and soil-denitrifying activities suggests a close relationship between OCP biodegradation and N cycling and the indirect/direct involvement of soil microorganisms, especially denitrifying microorganisms in the anaerobic biodegradation of OCPs.     

Geochemistry of tin (Sn) in Chinese coals

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Based on 1625 data collected from the published literature, the geochemistry of tin (Sn) in Chinese coals, including the abundance, distribution, modes of...     

Shaping effects of rice,wheat, maize,and soybean seedlings on their rhizosphere microbial community

The rhizosphere microbiome plays critical roles in plant growth and is an important interface for resource exchange between plants and the soil environment. Crops at various growing stages, especially the seedling stage, have strong shaping effects on the rhizosphere microbial community, and such community reconstruction will positively feed back to the plant growth. In the present study, we analyzed the variations of bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere of four crop species: rice, soybean, maize, and wheat during successive cultivations (three repeats for the seedling stages) using 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) high-throughput sequencing. We found that the relative abundances of specific microorganisms decreased after different cultivation times, e.g., Sphingomonas, Pseudomonas, Rhodanobacter, and Caulobacter, which have been reported as plant-growth beneficial bacteria. The relative abundances of potential plant pathogenic fungi Myrothecium and Ascochyta increased with the successive cultivation times. The co-occurrence network analysis showed that the bacterial and fungal communities under maize were much more stable than those under rice, soybean, and wheat. The present study explored the characteristics of bacteria and fungi in crop seedling rhizosphere and indicated that the characteristics of indigenous soil flora might determine the plant growth status. Further study will focus on the use of the critical microorganisms to control the growth and yield of specific crops.

     

Biodiversity of brackish water amphipods (crustacean) in two estuaries, southeast coast of India

The present study about the gammarid amphipods of Vellar and Uppanar estuaries was performed during two seasons (pre-monsoon and post-monsoon, 2005–2006), respectively, in nine habitats: five in the Vellar estuary and four in the Uppanar estuary. Amphipod samples were collected from sediments, oyster beds, seaweeds, sea grass, and mangroves. A total of 29 species of gammarid amphipods were collected in each area. The surface water temperature ranged from 16°C to 26°C, the salinity from 20 to 32 psu, and the pH between 7.5 and 8.3. Dissolved oxygen ranged from 5.3 to 7.8 ml/l. The maximum abundance of amphipods was observed during the pre-monsoon (July to September) in Vellar mangrove, and it was minimum during the pre-monsoon in Uppanar sea grass. It was found that several physicochemical factors, such as salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and the substrate have a marked effect on the distribution and the relative abundance of amphipods. The ranges of species diversity, richness, dominance, and evenness in the Vellar and Uppanar estuaries were 1.58–4.15, 1.82–5.29, 0–0.11, and 0.96–1, respectively. Using multivariate analyses, in each estuary, it was possible to identify different communities of amphipod species according to their habitats.     

A comparative study on milk packaging using life cycle assessment: from PA-PE-Al laminate and polyethylene in China

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach was used to compare the environmental impacts in the life cycle of two milk packaging systems, PA-PE-Al laminate—a laminated foil made from paper, polyethylene and aluminum foil—and polyethylene. The data for the mass, energy fluxes and environmental emissions were obtained from published literature and from site investigations, for the two systems being analyzed for environmental impacts. The application of LCA using Eco-Indicator 99 has made the comparison of the environmental impacts of the two milk packages possible. The results of this LCA study are discussed and the results reveal that the composite packaging has a slightly higher environmental impact than the plastic one. In addition, the environmental impact of raw material extraction is the highest in all of the life cycle stages except for disposal. The environmental impact of composite packaging mainly comes from the fossil fuels, land use and respiratory inorganics categories, while the plastic packaging mainly comes from the fossil fuels category. However, the composite packaging has a greater environmental impact because it has not been well recycled and reused. This environmental impact could be decreased by developing the technology to separate out polyethylene and aluminum from the packaging.     

Aquatic photolysis of hydroxylated polybromodiphenyl ethers under direct UV irradiation: a case study of 2′-HO-BDE-68

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Hydroxylated polyhalodiphenyl ethers (HO-PXDEs) have attracted considerable scientific interest as examples of emerging aquatic pollutants. However, a...