Biodegradability of four phthalic acid esters under anaerobic condition assessed using natural sediment

Biodegradability of di-n-butyl phthalate （DBP）, butylbenzyl phthalate （BBP）, di-ethylhexyl phthalate （DEHP）, and di-isononyl phthalate （DINP） under an anaerobic condition was evaluated using three natural sediment microcosms obtained from ponds in Osaka, which had not been significantly polluted by the chemicals. The degradabilities of the four phthalic acid esters（PAEs） were analyzed by a first-order kinetic model with a lag phase and ranked as DBP〉BBP〉〉DEHP〉DINP. The PAEs with shorter alkyl-chains, DBP and BBP, were degraded with quite short lag phases near to zero and short half-lives of a few days. The PAEs with longer alkyl-chains, DEHP and DINP, were degraded with lag phases of 5-30 d and the quite long half-lives of a couple of hundred days. Although no data was available on the anaerobic biodegradability of D1NP before this study, it was clarified that DINP can be degraded with slow degradation rates. The fact that all the three intact sediments were capable of biodegradation of the PAEs suggests that potential of anaerobic biodegradation of PAEs is widespread in the aquatic environment.     

日本企业安全培训现状及对中国的启示

依据中日合作项目<加强中国国家安全生产科学技术能力计划>成果,系统介绍了日本企业安全培训相关法规要求、班组长培训讲师培养、安全培训指导方案编制等.同时,分析了中国安全培训现状,提出了开展企业内安全培训讲师培养,加强中国企业安全培训能力的建议,并对堵训目的、培训对象、培训讲师主要工作、培训主要内容等要点进行了阐述.本文对完善和提高中国企业安全培训具有重要的指导和参考意义.     

我国安全生产法制对策研究

分析了国内外安全生产法制现状，总结提出了我国存在的职业安全与健康分离、没有系统和规划、适用和衔接性差等特点和问题。阐述了安全生产法规体系建设的指导思想、基本原则以及基本框架，并提出了定期制定安全生产法规规划、梳理与评估法规体系实施效果、制定统一的劳动安全与健康法、编制安全生产计划、健全职业健康配套规定、保险与安全生产互动、以明确综合监管和专项监管以及安全生产规划、完善隐患治理、安全使用机械、健全企业自主管理体制等为重点对《安全生产法》进行修订的对策。     

Effects of red-yellow soil acidification on seed germination of Chinese pine

Acid treatments significantly change the physical and chemical properties of red-yellos soil by lowering its pH value and leaching out aluminum(Al) ions that are harmful to the growth of plants.The structure of soil will be damaged,resulting in higher viscosity,higher water retention rate and lower air permeability of the soil.The germination rate of Chinese pine(Pinus tabulacformic Carr.)seeds sowed in soil treated with sulphuric acid(H2SO4) decreased compared to that for untreated soil.The direct cause was the large amount of Al ions leached out because of low pH values(≥3.5).The added acid decreased the soil aggregation and increased the number of micro-aggregates(under 250 μmin diameter).Such changes increased the soil‘s viscosity,which tied the pine needles to the soil after the seeds had germinated and prevented the seedlings from fully developing.     

Biodegradation of synthetic surfactants by river microorganisms

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Accumulation and excretion of chloroanilines by carp

Accumulation and excretion of chloroanilines were studied for carp ( L.). The average bioconcentration factors (BCF) in the whole body of the fish after 24 – 336 hr exposure were 2.0 and 3.7 for o-chloroaniline. 0.8 and 2.2 for m-chloroaniline and 0.8 and 1.7 for p-chloroaniline at high and low concentrations of the chemicals, respectively. The excretion rate constants (k) from the whole body of the fish were 0.19 hr⁻¹ for o-chloroaniline, 0.21 hr⁻¹ for m-chloroaniline and 0.16 hr⁻¹ for p-chloroaniline. The experimental data on the accumulation and excretion of the chloroanilines were consistent with the field data.     

A method for diagnosis of plant environmental stresses by gene expression profiling using a cDNA macroarray

Plants in the field are subjected to numerous environmental stresses. Lengthy continuation of such environmental stresses or a rapid increase in their intensity is harmful to vegetation. Assessments of the phytotoxicity of various stresses have been performed in many countries, although they have largely been based on estimates of leaf injury. We developed a novel method of detecting plant stresses that is more sensitive and specific than those previously available. This method is based on the detection of mRNA expression changes in 205 ozone-responsive Arabidopsis expressed sequence tags (ESTs) by cDNA macroarray analysis. By using this method, we illustrated shifts in gene expression in response to stressors such as drought, salinity, UV-B, low temperature, high temperature, and acid rain, as distinct from those in response to ozone. We also made a mini-scale macroarray with 12 ESTs for diagnosis of the above environmental stresses in plants. These results illustrate the potential of our cDNA macroarray for diagnosis of various stresses in plants.