Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in marine fish from four areas of China

The levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in marine fish from four areas of China (South China Sea, Bohai Sea, East China Sea, and Yellow Sea) using GC/NCI-MS and GC/ITMS, respectively. Total concentrations of eight PBDEs (BDE-28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183 and 209) in all samples ranged from 0.3 ng g⁻¹ ww (wet weight) to 700 ng g⁻¹ ww, with median and mean values of 85 ng g⁻¹ ww and 200 ng g⁻¹ ww, respectively. BDE-209 and BDE-47 were the major congeners in all samples, contributing 54% and 19% to the total concentration, respectively. The sum of seven indicator PCB levels (CB-28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) ranged from 0.3 ng g⁻¹ ww to 3.1 μg g⁻¹ ww, with median and mean values of 6.4 ng g⁻¹ ww and 398 ng g⁻¹ ww, respectively. High contributions of CB-138 (32%) and CB-153 (25%) were found in all samples. In general, pollutants measured in this study were at high levels when compared with previous studies from other regions in the world. The relative abundance of BDE-209 may suggest that deca-BDE sources existed in studied area. And principal component analysis (PCA) showed that there were other PBDE sources in Yellow Sea. The pattern and PCA showed that PCB pollutions came from similar sources in the studied areas. In addition, concentrations of ∑₇PBDEs (u/209) were strongly correlated with those of ∑₇PCBs in all fish (r = 0.907, n = 44).     

Reversed association between levels of prostate specific antigen and levels of blood cadmium and urinary cadmium

Prostate cancer associated with cadmium exposure may indicate a link between prostate specific antigen (PSA) and levels of blood cadmium (BCd) and urinary cadmium (UCd). Thus, these associations were investigated. We recruited 295 men, 50 years of age and above from a health check-up program at a health center as subjects of the study. They completed a self-reported questionnaire and provided fasting samples of blood and urine for cadmium assay. The assay was performed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Blood samples were also collected for the assays of total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein measures. The means of BCd and UCd increased with age and the means of all subjects were 1.19 ± 1.04 μg L⁻¹ and 1.37 ± 1.76 μg g⁻¹ creatinine, respectively. The PSA levels were positively associated with the lipid levels, but reversely associated with BCd and UCd levels. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that men with PSA ? 4.0 ng mL⁻¹ had an odds ratio (OR) of 0.4 (95% CI = 0.1-0.9) to have BCd > 0.49 μg L⁻¹, and an OR of 0.4 (95% CI = 0.2-1.0) to have UCd > 0.45 μg g⁻¹ creatinine. In conclusion, the PSA levels are reversely associated with BCd and UCd levels.     

中国低碳发展的国际比较:世界贸易格局

近年来随着我国经济的持续平稳快速发展,与之相伴随的碳排放总量持续攀升,中国也因此被推上世界碳减排的风口浪尖.为了明确中国碳排放的国际地位,本文从世界贸易格局视角对中国的碳排放现状进行了国际比较研究.首先分析研究了我国2007年面临的碳排放国际形势,继而对我国的出口贸易形势进行了国际比较,最后采用GDP比例法和类推法对我国商品出口隐含的碳排放进行了初步测算,并分析了剔除出口贸易影响后的我国碳排放情况.通过研究认为:①出口贸易对我国的碳排放总量影响巨大,我国的商品出口占GDP比例长期维持在20%以上,近几年高峰值超过36%;②在当前的世界贸易格局、国际分工体系下,采用“生产者责任体系”碳排放测算模式大大高估了中国的碳排放水平,中国的碳排放总量中有34-60%是为他国服务而产生;③中国在当前世界贸易格局和国际分工体系中的地位使得中国在目前的碳排放测算模式下必然“产生较高的碳排放”;④世界各国应该重新审视和正确认识中国的“高”碳排放形势,中国为世界各国提供商品服务而产生的碳排放不应该受到指责.     

香港典型地质遗迹资源与地质公园建设

香港素以金融、商业贸易中心闻名于世界,但香港境内所发育的曲折有致的岩石海岸、幽远宁静的海滩、巍峨多姿的群山、造型奇异的岛礁,弥足珍贵的自然生态和地质遗迹资源却鲜为人知。本文在对香港地质概况进行简单介绍的基础上,对香港地质遗迹资源进行系统分类和对比分析,指出西贡万宜水库至果洲群岛方圆近150 km2范围内发育的十分典型、极具规模的六方柱状节理构造景观是世界上同类岩石中罕见的地质现象,其分布面积大,露头完整,具有稀缺性、独特性和典型性,最后对香港国家地质公园一个公园,两个园区,八个景区的空间结构及每个园区的主要地质遗迹资源进行了系统归纳总结。香港国家地质公园的建立很好的起到了保育地质多样性的首要目标,同时很好地推动了香港的地质教育和科普发展。     

江苏阳澄湖螺类群落的空间分布格局

2008年1月～2009年10月对江苏阳澄湖螺类群落结构进行了季节调查研究。共采集到螺类4科5属6种,优势种为铜锈环棱螺,次优种为长角涵螺。阳澄湖螺类平均密度为220±47 ind./m2,平均生物量为2331±469 g/m2,螺类密度和生物量在年际和季节间均无明显差异,但群落结构存在显著的空间变化,密度在东湖区和中华绒螯蟹围网养殖区较大、西湖区最小,生物量围网养殖区最高、西湖区最低;铜锈环棱螺密度围网养殖区最高、西湖区最低,长角涵螺密度东湖区最高、围网养殖区次之、入湖河流及其它湖区极低。中华绒螯蟹养殖未导致围网养殖区螺类数量下降,螺类（主要是铜锈环棱螺）的投放可能是该区螺类密度、生物量及铜锈环棱螺所占比例较高的主要原因之一。逐步回归分析表明,水深是影响螺类群落整体密度和生物量空间分布差异的主要因子;典型对应分析（CCA）表明,铜锈环棱螺主要分布在叶绿素a较高的水域,而长角涵螺和纹沼螺则主要分布在透明度较大的地方     

Long-term effects of clear-cutting and selective cutting on soil methane fluxes in a temperate spruce forest in southern Germany

Based on multi-year measurements of CH₄ exchange in sub-daily resolution we show that clear-cutting of a forest in Southern Germany increased soil temperature and moisture and decreased CH₄ uptake. CH₄ uptake in the first year after clear-cutting (−4.5 ± 0.2 μg C m⁻² h⁻¹) was three times lower than during the pre-harvest period (−14.2 ± 1.3 μg C m⁻² h⁻¹). In contrast, selective cutting did not significantly reduce CH₄ uptake. Annual mean uptake rates were −1.18 kg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ (spruce control), −1.16 kg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ (selective cut site) and −0.44 kg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ (clear-cut site), respectively. Substantial seasonal and inter-annual variations in CH₄ fluxes were observed as a result of significant variability of weather conditions, demonstrating the need for long-term measurements. Our findings imply that a stepwise selective cutting instead of clear-cutting may contribute to mitigating global warming by maintaining a high CH₄ uptake capacity of the soil.     

Can arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improve grain yield, As uptake and tolerance of rice grown under aerobic conditions?

The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) - Glomus intraradices and G. geosporum on arsenic (As) and phosphorus (P) uptake by lowland (Guangyinzhan) and upland rice (Handao 502) were investigated in soil, spiked with and without 60 mg As kg⁻¹. In As-contaminated soil, Guangyinzhan inoculated with G. intraradices or Handao 502 inoculated with G. geosporum enhanced As tolerance, grain P content, grain yield. However, Guangyinzhan inoculated with G. geosporum or Handao 502 inoculated with G. intraradices decreased grain P content, grain yield and the molar ratio of grain P/As content, and increased the As concentration and the ratio of grain/straw As concentration. These results show that rice/AMF combinations had significant (p < 0.05) effects on grain As concentration, grain yield and grain P uptake. The variation in the transfer and uptake of As and P reflected strong functional diversity in AM (arbuscular mycorrhizal) symbioses.     

Tissue distribution of Dechlorane Plus and its dechlorinated analogs in contaminated fish: high affinity to the brain for anti-DP

Information on tissue distribution of Dechlorane Plus (DP) and its dechlorinated analogs in wildlife is scarce. DP isomers and two dechlorinated compounds, anti-Cl₁₁-DP and anti-Cl₁₀-DP, were examined in the muscle, liver, and brain tissues of two bottom fish species collected from an electronic waste recycling site, South China. The median levels of syn-, anti-, and anti-Cl₁₁-DP isomers in the tissues ranged 0.18-39.1, 0.22-52.9, and 0.01-5.63 ng/g wet wt, respectively. Anti-Cl₁₀-DP was only detected in one muscle sample of mud carp (0.01 ng/g wet wt), although it was consistently detected in the sediments (0.42-0.83 ng/g dry wt). Preferential distribution in liver relative to muscle was observed for syn-DP and anti-Cl₁₁-DP. However, a high persistent retention in the brain compared to the liver was observed for anti-DP, suggesting that this isomer can across the blood-brain barrier of fish, and may cause adverse effects to the nervous system in the exposed biota.     

Biodegradation of nicotine by a novel Strain Shinella sp. HZN1 isolated from activated sludge

The nicotine-degrading bacterium HZN1 was isolated from activated sludge and identified as Shinella sp. based on its physiological characteristics and analysis of 16S rDNA gene. Strain HZN1 is capable of using nicotine as the sole carbon source in the mineral salts medium. The optimum temperature and pH for strain HZN1 growth and nicotine degradation were 30°C and 7.0, respectively. It could degrade approximately 100 % of 0.5 g L(-1) of nicotine within 9 h. Three intermediate metabolites were produced by the strain HZN1 and identified as cotinine, myosmine and nicotyrine using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This is the first report of nicotine-degrading strain from the genus of Shinella. The results showed that strain HZN1 could be potentially employed in bioremediation of nicotine. Our findings would provide a new insight into the biodegradation of nicotine.     

Influence of soluble microbial products (SMP) on wastewater disinfection byproducts: trihalomethanes and haloacetic acid species from the chlorination of SMP

Introduction  

Effluent organic matter from biological wastewater treatment plants is composed of degradation products and soluble microbial products (SMP). Protein, polysaccharide, humic acid, and DNA were major biomolecules of SMP. Little is known about the effects of SMP as microbially derived precursors on disinfection byproduct formation and speciation in biologically treated wastewater. In addition, there has never been any attempt to directly chlorinate the major biomolecules of SMP.