Effects of the Interactions Between Selenium and Phosphorus on the Growth and Selenium Accumulation in Rice (Oryza Sativa)

The solution culture, paddy soil culture and the simulation experiments in the laboratory were conducted to clarify the interactions between selenium and phosphorus, and its effects on the growth and selenium accumulation in rice. Results revealed that a suitable supply of selenium could promote rice growth and excessive selenium could injure rice plant, causing lower biomass, especially in the roots. The supply of selenite could enhance the selenium contents of rice shoots and roots in solution culture and in soil culture. The selenium concentrations in roots were much higher than those in shoots supplied with the same rates of selenium and phosphorus. The interaction between selenium and phosphorus was evident. When the phosphorus supply increased to meet the needs of plant growth, phosphorus could promote absorption and accumulation of selenium in the shoots. If the phosphorus supply was excessive, phosphorus could inhibit the accumulation of selenium in the shoots at the lower selenite level (2 mol l^–1), but could not at the higher selenite level (10 mol l^–1). With the supply of phosphate increased, the selenium concentrations in the roots decreased significantly at both selenite levels. The presence of phosphate could decrease Se sorption on the soil surface and increase the selenium concentration in the soil solution. The concentrations of selenium in shoots and roots supplied with 0.08 g kg^–1 phosphorus were lower than those with no phosphorus supplied. With the increase of phosphorus added to 0.4 g kg^–1, the selenium concentration in shoots and roots increased. The effect of phosphorus on the concentration was statistically significant at all three selenium levels.     

Environmental and Biological Monitoring of Organochlorine Residues after the Plague Epidemic in Surat, India - A Preliminary Study

In late August 1994, an outbreak of human pneumonic/bubonic plague was reported in Surat, India. During the epidemic, large amounts of pesticides, such as benzene-hexachloride (BHC) and other organochlorinated compounds were used to control the vector that might have transmitted the plague. In order to evaluate the extent of contamination, both environmental samples (9 water samples and 4 soil samples) and biological samples (5 blood and urine samples) were collected and analyzed for organochlorine residues. Samples were analyzed after hexane extraction by gas chromatography equipped with electron capture detector (GC-ECD), using a PTE-5 capillary column. The results showed that the levels of 1,1-(2,2-dichloroethenylidene)-bis[4-chlorobenzene] (DDE), a major metabolite of DDT, were low in environmental samples (water, soil), while BHC levels were relatively high in one of the water sample as well as two soil samples. The BHC and DDE levels in the biological samples were not higher than those reported earlier from India, except for serum DDE. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of long-term exposure as the present study was based on limited samples.     

Low-temperature conversion of ammonia to nitrogen in water with ozone over composite metal oxide catalyst

As one of the most important water pollutants, ammonia nitrogen emissions have increased year by year, which has attracted people's attention. Catalytic ozonation technology, which involves production of ·OH radical with strong oxidation ability, is widely used in the treatment of organic-containing wastewater. In this work, MgO-Co_3O_4 composite metal oxide catalysts prepared with different fabrication conditions have been systematically evaluated and compared in the catalytic ozonation of ammonia(50 mg/L) in water. In terms of high catalytic activity in ammonia decomposition and high selectivity for gaseous nitrogen, the catalyst with MgO-Co_3O_4 molar ratio 8:2, calcined at 500°C for 3 hr, was the best one among the catalysts we tested, with an ammonia nitrogen removal rate of 85.2% and gaseous nitrogen selectivity of44.8%. In addition, the reaction mechanism of ozonation oxidative decomposition of ammonia nitrogen in water with the metal oxide catalysts was discussed. Moreover, the effect of coexisting anions on the degradation of ammonia was studied, finding that SO_2-4 and HCO-3 could inhibit the catalytic activity while CO_2-3 and Br-could promote it. The presence of coexisting cations had very little effect on the catalytic ozonation of ammonia nitrogen. After five successive reuses, the catalyst remained stable in the catalytic ozonation of ammonia.     

Can new passenger cars reduce pedestrian lower extremity injury? A review of geometrical changes of front-end design before and after regulatory efforts

Objective: Pedestrian lower extremity represents the most frequently injured body region in car-to-pedestrian accidents. The European Directive concerning pedestrian safety was established in 2003 for evaluating pedestrian protection performance of car models. However, design changes have not been quantified since then. The goal of this study was to investigate front-end profiles of representative passenger car models and the potential influence on pedestrian lower extremity injury risk.

Methods: The front-end styling of sedans and sport utility vehicles (SUV) released from 2008 to 2011 was characterized by the geometrical parameters related to pedestrian safety and compared to representative car models before 2003. The influence of geometrical design change on the resultant risk of injury to pedestrian lower extremity—that is, knee ligament rupture and long bone fracture—was estimated by a previously developed assessment tool assuming identical structural stiffness. Based on response surface generated from simulation results of a human body model (HBM), the tool provided kinematic and kinetic responses of pedestrian lower extremity resulted from a given car's front-end design.

Results: Newer passenger cars exhibited a “flatter” front-end design. The median value of the sedan models provided 87.5 mm less bottom depth, and the SUV models exhibited 94.7 mm less bottom depth. In the lateral impact configuration similar to that in the regulatory test methods, these geometrical changes tend to reduce the injury risk of human knee ligament rupture by 36.6 and 39.6% based on computational approximation. The geometrical changes did not significantly influence the long bone fracture risk.

Conclusions: The present study reviewed the geometrical changes in car front-ends along with regulatory concerns regarding pedestrian safety. A preliminary quantitative benefit of the lower extremity injury reduction was estimated based on these geometrical features. Further investigation is recommended on the structural changes and inclusion of more accident scenarios.     

Rapid growth of environmental research in China

正Environmental research in China has grown tremendously over the last thirty years.This rapid and sustained growth has been supported by the remarkable increases in research funding,the number of graduate students,the degree-offering programs in environmental sciences and engineering,the state-of-the-art facilities,and international collaboration.In 1986 when the National Natural Science Foundation of     

Professor William R. Cullen and arsenic chemistry

正This special issue of the Journal of Environmental Sciences honors Professor William R.Cullen for his outstanding contributions to synthetic chemistry,environmental chemistry,microbiology,and toxicology of arsenic and its compounds.It is very fitting that the papers in this issue cover a diverse range of topics of arsenic     

Wet Strength and Water Resistance of Modified Soy Protein Adhesives and Effects of Drying Treatment

Soy protein isolate (SPI) was modified using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl). Adhesion performance of the modified SPI on fiberboard was studied. The Water-soluble mass of the modified SPI adhesives was examined following modified ASTM D5570. The SDS-modified SPI containing 91% protein had a water-soluble mass of 1.7%. To be considered a water-resistant adhesive, the water-soluble mass of adhesive should be less than 2%. The wet shear strength test showed 100% cohesive failure within fiberboard, indicating that the modified SPI has good water resistance. The effect of drying treatment on adhesion performance of the SDS-modified SPI on fiberboard was then investigated. Drying treatment significantly affected the final adhesion performance. Shear strength did not change much, but the percentage of cohesive failure within fiberboard increased markedly as drying temperature increased. All the unsoaked, soaked, and wet specimens glued by the adhesives treated at 70° or 90°C had 100% cohesive failure within fiberboard. Viscosity also increased greatly with an increase in drying temperature. This information will be useful in developing low-cost adhesive processing system in the future.     

Diffusion of ISO 14001 environmental management systems in China: rethinking on stakeholders’ roles

Since the release of ISO 14001 in 1996, China has witnessed a surge in the number of ISO 14001 certification. As an international environmental standard, ISO 14001 has two basic functions: one is playing as an environmental management instrument, while the other as a signal of firms’ better environmental performance to stakeholders. Based on the stakeholder theory, we have examined the effects of community, regulatory and some organizational stakeholders on the diffusion of ISO 14001 certification at Chinese provincial levels. Using a panel data of ISO 14001 certification from each province for the period of 2004-2008 in China, empirical evidence of such relations is found. The finding reveals that signaling to foreign customers and community stakeholders plays a dominant role in encouraging diffusion of ISO 14001 certification. However, as an important organizational stakeholder, foreign investors have shown no significant effect on the diffusion of ISO 14001 in China.