Environmental and energy-related challenges to sustainable tourism in the United States and China

This article examines the relationship between tourism, energy, and environment. This article approaches tourism as a complex adaptive system composed of consumers, transportation providers, travel intermediaries, and destinations composed of multiple tourism-related companies and other stakeholder groups. Environmental and energy-related challenges of components to the system are examined as well as various units – the system as a whole, enterprises and individuals – within the system. A total of 92 peer-reviewed articles were studied that address ‘energy’ and ‘tourism’ published between 1974 and 2011. Also addressed are the impacts of social and cultural differences between the United States and China concerning responses to environmental and energy-related challenges. This article concludes with recommendations for addressing the challenges associated with such challenges, including building system capacity, technology development and adoption, support of individual behavior change, increasing understanding of the trade-offs and interactions within the system, and adoption of multidisciplinary approaches to these challenges within the tourism system.     

孕哺期全氟辛烷磺酸暴露对子代大鼠糖代谢的影响

探讨孕哺期全氟辛烷磺酸(PFOS)暴露对子代大鼠成年后糖代谢稳态的影响。Wistar孕鼠随机分组,自孕0天(GD0)起分别以0 mg·kg^-1(对照组)、4 mg·kg^-1(低剂量组)和8 mg·kg^-1 (高剂量组) PFOS(以饲料中PFOS计)经口染毒至仔鼠出生后21天(PND21)断乳为止。高效液相/质谱法检测PND1、PND21和PND42时仔鼠血清PFOS含量。检测仔鼠断乳后第8周和第18周时空腹血糖和胰岛素水平计算胰岛素抵抗指数(HOMA-IR);比较仔鼠口服糖耐量及肝脏糖代谢关键酶表达水平改变。结果显示：发育期PFOS暴露导致仔鼠出现血清中PFOS蓄积,以PND21时浓度最高,在低剂量组和高剂量组中分别为(7.77±1.45) μg·mL^-1和(5.09±0.57) μg·mL^-1。与对照组相比,不同剂量组仔鼠在断乳前后均出现明显体重降低,并在成年后出现高胰岛素血症,但PFOS仅在雄性仔鼠中引起了血糖升高。18周龄时口服糖耐量结果显示,PFOS暴露使雄性仔鼠在该阶段出现糖耐量受损,同时造成过氧化物酶体增殖物活化受体γ协同刺激因子(PGC-1)、磷酸烯醇丙酮酸羧激酶(PEPCK)表达水平的显著增高以及葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶(G6P)表达水平的显著降低。以上结果说明PFOS孕哺期暴露可引起子代成年后糖代谢失调,有增加糖尿病患病风险可能。     

利用SOS/umu测试方法鉴定沙颍河河水中的遗传毒性物质

采用HPLC分割导向的SOS/umu测试方法鉴定了沙颍河河水中的遗传毒性物质。当采用TA1535/pSK1002菌株测定HPLC分割的各馏分时,如果不经大鼠肝微粒体酶(S9)代谢活化,只有馏分F10显示遗传毒性,加入大鼠肝微粒体酶代谢活化后,馏分F10和馏分F15都显示有遗传毒性,说明河水中存在某些需经过大鼠肝微粒体酶代谢活化才能显示出遗传毒性的物质。当采用过量表达O-乙酰转移酶(O-AT),对芳香胺类物质和硝基芳烃化合物有特殊响应的NM2009菌株测定时,馏分F8、F9和F10均呈现遗传毒性;特别是对于馏分F10,用NM2009菌株测定的遗传毒性远高于原始菌,说明这3个馏分中都含有芳香胺类或硝基芳烃类物质。     

利用改进的SOS/umu方法检测水处理过程中污染物的遗传毒性效应

SOS/umu遗传毒性测试方法被广泛应用于化合物和复杂混合物遗传毒性的评价,但是目前已报道方法的实验周期长达17 h,给实验操作带来了不便,因此亟需对常规方法进行改进。建立了测试周期可小于8 h(2 h预培养,4.5 h暴露培养) 的SOS/umu快速测定方法之后,应用改进后的方法对5种典型遗传毒性物质, 4-硝基喹啉1-氧化物(4-NQO)、丝裂霉素C(MMC)、甲磺酸甲酯(MMS)、2-氨基蒽(2-AA)和苯并芘(BaP)进行测定,结果表明,改进后的SOS/umu方法对4-NQO、MMC、MMS、2-AA和BaP的检测限分别为0.013±0.0031、0.031±0.0028、229.18±60.51、2.29±1.22和1.28±0.0698 μmol·L^-1,优于或者相当于报道方法。采用经典方法和改进后的方法对全国两个地区6个环境水样的遗传毒性进行测定,结果表明,两种方法检测出的6个环境水样的遗传毒性强度无显著性差异。另外,将研究方法应用于北方某市甲乙两个水厂原水、出厂水和管网水的遗传毒性评价,结果表明,两个水厂的原水、出厂水和管网水均表现出一定的直接遗传毒性,对应的4-NQO当量浓度(TEQ4-NQO)在0.0012 μg·L^-1至0.0129 μg·L^-1之间;加入鼠肝微粒体酶系统(S9)后,仅有乙水厂的管网水检测出极其微弱的遗传毒性效应。以上研究结果表明,改进后的SOS/umu快速测定方法能够实现在短时间（8h）内完成环境化合物及环境样品的遗传毒性检测,为筛选和评价化合物和复杂环境样品的遗传毒性提供了更为快捷的手段。     

Crystalline mesoporous transition metal oxides: hard-templating synthesis and application in environmental catalysis

Mesoporous silicas such as MCM-41 and SBA-15 possess high surface areas, ordered nanopores, and excellent thermal stability, and have been often used as catalyst supports. Although mesoporous metal oxides have lower surface areas compared to mesoporous silicas, they generally have more diversified functionalities. Mesoporous metal oxides can be synthesized via a soft-templating or hard-templating approach, and these materials have recently found some applications in environmental catalysis, such as CO oxidation, N₂O decomposition, and elimination of organic pollutants. In this review, we summarize the synthesis of mesoporous transition metal oxides using mesoporous silicas as hard templates, highlight the application of these materials in environmental catalysis, and furnish some prospects for future development.     

Visual MODFLOW在露天矿地下水模拟中的应用

用Visual MODFLOW建立了某露天矿地下水数值模型,运用其跟踪模拟(MODPATH)子模块及溶质运移模拟(MT3D)子模块对该露天矿地下水的水质点示踪和三维污染羽进行了模拟,模拟结果有助于识别该矿露天开采对地下水污染的污染源及污染途径,为预测露天矿开采期间地下水位及水质的变化,采用的监测与预保护措施提供了决策依据。     

Fenton试剂氧化降解紫丁香醇的研究

在自制的圆柱型双层玻璃反应器中,以木素类模型物紫丁香醇(SL)为目标化合物,考察Fenton试剂对紫丁香醇的降解效果,研究溶液的pH值、H2O2的用量、Fe2+的用量、紫丁香醇溶液初始浓度、反应时间、紫外光照射等因素对紫丁香醇降解的影响。实验结果表明:在室温条件下,当体系pH值为3.0时,加入两倍理论用量的H2O2,Fe2+与H2 O2的物质的量之比为1︰50,反应60 min后,50 mg/L的紫丁香醇的去除率可达87.5%;当体系中引入紫外光后,Fenton试剂的氧化性明显增加,反应速度显著加快,30 min后紫丁香醇可完全矿化。     

氯丹和灭蚁灵污染场地土壤对陆生生物的毒性效应

为向污染土壤的监测、生态毒理诊断及修复提供方法和数据,以氯丹、灭蚁灵污染场地土壤为供试土壤,测定了氯丹、灭蚁灵复合污染对蚯蚓的急性毒性效应以及对小麦、小白菜、玉米和水稻4种植物种子发芽率和根伸长抑制率的影响.结果表明,蚯蚓对本场地污染响应十分敏感,处理d 3高浓度组开始出现死亡,此后死亡率随污染物浓度增大而上升,d 14部分高浓度组死亡率达到100%;同一浓度下,氯丹和灭蚁灵对4种植物种子根伸长抑制率均显著大于对种子发芽的抑制率,植物的根生长比种子发芽对有机污染物的毒性更为敏感.4种植物种子对污染场地土壤的敏感性为小麦>小白菜>水稻>玉米.氯丹和灭蚁灵对蚯蚓的毒性要大于对这几种植物的毒性,蚯蚓对氯丹和灭蚁灵的响应更加敏感.因此,蚯蚓作为指示生物,其急性毒性试验可作为氯丹和灭蚁灵污染场地的诊断指标,诊断周期以14 d为宜.     

Urea formation from carbon dioxide and ammonia at atmospheric pressure

Urea synthesis, currently the largest use of carbon dioxide in organic synthesis, is conventionally operated at high pressure and high temperature. Here, we report for the first time that urea forms at atmosphere and ambient temperatures by negative corona discharge in gas phase. The conversion of CO₂ and yields of a solid mixture of urea and ammonium carbamate, which was identified by the ¹³C NMR spectrum, rise with reducing temperatures and increasing molar ratios of NH₃/CO₂ and discharge frequencies. The conversion of carbon dioxide was found to be 82.16?% at 20?°C and 1?atm with a molar flow ratio of n(NH₃)/n(CO₂) of 2.5. High pressure and high temperature as energy inputs are not necessary.     

Urban fractionation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from Dalian soils

This report evidences the fractionation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from urban to rural areas, and a higher contribution of coal and wood combustion in rural areas. PAHs are persistent semi-volatile organic pollutants in the environment. PAHs originate from the incompleted combustion of fossil fuel and biomass. Cities are usually considered as primary sources of PAHs. Due to different types and loads of fuel consumption in various functional areas of a city, the levels and composition profiles of PAHs are expected to be different. We, therefore, studied the mechanisms ruling PAH distributions in soils from a major Chinese city. Seventeen soil samples were collected in urban traffic areas, residential and park areas, suburban areas and rural areas of Dalian, northeastern China. PAHs were analyzed using a high-performance liquid chromatography. The composition profiles and seasonal variation of PAHs were investigated. Results show that the proportions of low-weight molecular PAHs to total PAHs increased with urban-suburban-rural gradient. This trend is explained by the “urban fractionation” of PAHs. Furthermore, the spring/autumn ratios of PAH concentrations were higher than 1. Specifically, the spring/autumn ratio was 1.79 for two ring PAHs, 1.42 for three ring PAHs, and lower than 1.20 for five and six ring PAHs. The spring/autumn ratios of phenanthrene were higher than 1 and increased with increasing distance from the urban areas. The results imply that the contribution of coal and wood combustion PAHs increases with the urban-suburban-rural gradient.