2013年1月北京市一次空气重污染成因分析

采用数值模式与观测资料相结合的方式,对北京市2013年1月9日至15日一次空气重污染过程的大气环境背景、气象条件和形成原因进行了初步分析.结果表明,重污染过程期间10日至14日PM2.5平均值为323μg·m-3;重污染过程与当地气象条件密切相关,稳定的大气环流形势为污染的持续提供了大气环流背景,风速较小、湿度较大、边界层较低、持续逆温是造成重污染的主要原因;重污染过程中区域输送对北京PM2.5贡献率在53%~69%之间且存在明显的二次转化,区域输送起着更为重要的作用;气象条件对持续性重污染的形成和破坏起到了关键性的作用,因此需要加强对重污染预警预报研究,以有效预防和控制空气重污染.     

Scarce water resources and priority irrigation schemes from agronomic crops

Global environmental change places unavoidable pressure on water resources and agronomic crop production systems. Irrigation development is a credible measure to alleviate the challenge of food safety under water shortages, but it needs sufficient basis. The aim of this study is to address the problem of balancing water scarcity with food requirements, which are the key components of water security in regions with population growth. Marginal water productivity (MWP) indices for irrigation water performance and productivity evaluation were established in the current study. Based on the analysis of the regional water-crop relationship and spatial differences of MWP in China, the priorities for developing irrigation areas in different types of regions are discussed in this study. The results show that high MWPs are mainly in semi-arid regions with precipitation (P) between 500 and 1000 mm, while low MWPs mostly occur in areas with P more than 1000 and less than 500 mm. The significance and spatial distribution patterns of MWP are different than those of conventional irrigation water use efficiency evaluation indices, so its role cannot be replaced for the real production capacity of irrigation water evaluation. The strategies for global environmental change adaptation suggested in this study are taking MWP for irrigation water productivity evaluation and the priority irrigation schemes for agronomic crop determination; increasing MWP by means of irrigation efficiency and crop variety improvement worldwide; and raising global food production through the expansion of irrigation area in the regions hold high MWP and abundant water resources.

     

Female sex pheromone of Ostrinia orientalis – throwing a light on the relationship between O. orientalis and the European corn borer, O. nubilalis

Summary. The sex pheromone of Ostrinia orientalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) was analyzed by gas chromatography–electroantennographic detection (GC–EAD), GC–mass spectrometry and a series of bioassays. Three EAD-active compounds were detected in the female sex pheromone gland extract, and identified as tetradecyl acetate (14:OAc), (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z11-14:OAc) and (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (E11-14:OAc). The titers (ratio) of 14:OAc, Z11-14:OAc and E11-14:OAc in 3-day-old virgin females were 0.49 ng (10), 4.86 ng (98) and 0.10 ng (2), respectively. In a wind-tunnel bioassay, the 98:2 blend of Z11- and E11-14:OAc, but not Z11-14:OAc alone, elicited the same male behavioral responses as virgin females and crude gland extracts. 14:OAc was inactive by itself, and did not show any synergistic effect on the binary blend. Field trapping experiments also confirmed the attractiveness of the binary blend to O. orientalis males. Based on these results, we concluded that the sex pheromone of O. orientalis is a 98:2 mixture of Z11-14:OAc and E11-14:OAc. This sex pheromone is very similar to that of the Z-type European corn borer, O. nubilalis. The present finding raises the question of whether O. orientalis , which is indistinguishable from O. nubilalis based on external morphology, is a biologically distinct species independent from O. nubilalis.     

The legal frameworks that govern fetal surgery in the United Kingdom,European Union,and the United States

The specialty of fetal surgery or fetal intervention is one of the most exciting emerging fields of modern medicine. It is made possible by decades of major developments in antenatal imaging, obstetric anaesthesia, fetal medicine, paediatric surgery, and of course by the bold and novel practitioners willing to take new steps to advance the field. Beginning in the 1970s, it has now reached a stage of maturity where there are several established in utero procedures and countless clinical trials and studies to develop more. But what is the legal situation that fetal surgeons find themselves in? What are the rights and legal protections for the fetus and the mother, both of which are arguably the patient? This article will address this question, discussing and summarising the current legal frameworks governing fetal surgery in the jurisdictions of the United Kingdom, European Court of Human Rights, and the United States of America as well as discuss what the future may hold and how researchers and physicians in the specialty can best navigate the legal environment.     

Geochemistry and bioavailability of metals in sediments from northern San Francisco Bay

In this study, metals (Be, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, Cd, Pb and Hg) in the fine-grained fraction (<63 microm) from 12 sites at different locations in northern San Francisco Bay over a year period from March 2000 to March 2001 were analyzed after acid extraction. The results showed that metal concentrations in the sediments varied from site to site, whereas some of them were found elevated with respect to the sediment of Tomales Bay, CA, which has little contamination history, indicating an enrichment of the metals in the sediment samples analyzed. Sediment toxicity and bioaccumulation evaluation by a clam species, Macoma nasuta, exposed to the sediment samples collected from the six sampling sites was carried out. The results showed that the sediment samples tested significantly reduced clam survival. Toxicity of the sediments to the clam was, in part, related to elevated metal concentrations in the sediments. In order to examine geochemistry of the metals and to understand potential correlations between metal concentrations and geochemical matrix elements of the sediments, bioavailability and toxicity of the metals, detailed analysis of metal concentrations associated with total organic carbon and the Fe-oxy-hydroxides in the sediment samples was performed. The analysis showed that sediment geochemistry appeared to influence metal bioavailability and may have important impacts on the toxicity of these metals to the clam.     

Yield and arsenate uptake of arbuscular mycorrhizal tomato colonized by Glomus mosseae BEG167 in As spiked soil under glasshouse conditions

A glasshouse pot experiment was conducted to study the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization by Glomus mosseae BEG167 on the yield and arsenate uptake of tomato plants in soil experimentally contaminated with five As levels (0, 25, 50, 75 and 150 mg kg(-1)). Mycorrhizal colonization (50-70% of root length) was little affected by As application and declined only in soil amended with 150 mg As kg(-1). Mycorrhizal colonization increased plant biomass at As application rates of 25, 50 and 75 mg kg(-1). Shoot As concentration increased with increasing As addition up to 50 mg kg(-1) but decreased with mycorrhizal colonization at As addition rates of 75 and 150 mg kg(-1). Shoot As uptake increased with mycorrhizal colonization at most As addition levels studied, but tended to decrease with addition of 150 mg As kg(-1). Total P uptake by mycorrhizal plants was elevated at As rates of 25, 50 and 75 mg kg(-1), and more P was allocated to the roots of mycorrhizal plants. Mycorrhizal plants had higher shoot and root P/As ratios at higher As application rates than did non-mycorrhizal controls. The soil of inoculated treatments had higher available As than uninoculated controls, and higher pH values at As addition levels of 25, 50 and 75 mg kg(-1). Mycorrhizal colonization may have increased plant resistance to potential As toxicity at the highest level of As contamination studied. Mycorrhizal tomato plants may have potential for phytoextraction of As from moderately contaminated soils or phytostabilization of more highly polluted sites.     

Irrigation model of bleached Kraft mill wastewater through volcanic soil as a pollutants attenuation process

An irrigation process through volcanic soil columns was evaluated for bleached Kraft mill effluent pollutants retention. The system was designed to remove color and phenolic compounds and a simple kinetic model for determining the global mass transfer coefficient and the adsorption rate constant was used. The results clearly indicate that the global mass transfer coefficient values (K(c)a) and the adsorption rate constants are higher for the irrigation processes onto acidified soil. This means that the pretreatment of washing the volcanic soil with an acid solution has a positive effect on the adsorption rate for both pollutant groups. The enhanced adsorption capacity is partially explained by the activation of the metal oxides present in the soil matrix during the acid washing process. Increasing the flow rate from 1.5 to 2.5 ml/min yielded higher (K(c)a) values and adsorption rate constants for both pollutant groups. For instance, regarding color adsorption onto acidified soil, there is an increment of 43% in the (K(c)a) value for the experiment with a flow rate of 2.5 ml/min. Increasing the porosity of the column from 0.55 to 0.59, yielded a decrease in the (K(c)a) values for color and phenolic compounds adsorption processes. Onto natural soil for example, these decreases reached 21% and 24%, respectively. Therefore, the (K(c)a) value is dependent on both the liquid-phase velocity (external resistance) and the soil fraction in the column (internal resistance); making forced convection and diffusion to be the main transport mechanisms involved in the adsorption process. Analyzing the adsorption rate constants (K(c)a)/m, phenolic compounds and color adsorption rates onto acidified soil of 2.25 x 10(-6) and 2.62 x 10(-6) l/mg min were achieved for experiment 1. These adsorption rates are comparable with other adsorption systems and adsorbent materials.     

PCDDs, PCDFs, and coplanar PCBs in wild terrestrial mammals from Japan: congener specific accumulation and hepatic sequestration

The present study determined the contamination levels and congener-specific accumulation features of dioxins and related compounds (DRCs) in wild terrestrial mammals such as large Japanese field mice (LJFM), lesser Japanese moles (LJMs), and raccoon dogs (RDs) collected from Kanto region in Japan during 2001. The toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) levels in the carcasses or adipose tissues were in the order of RDs > or = LJMs > LJFM. Comparison of DRC congener profiles in the three species and principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated a higher contribution of OCDD, T4CB77, and P5CB118 in LJMs. Analysis of liver-adipose distribution of DRC congeners in RDs showed that livers contained significantly higher TEQs than adipose tissues, indicating that liver is a depository organ and critical for determining the toxicokinetics of DRCs. As for most T4, P5, H6CDD/DFs and for P5CB126, H6CB169 and mono-ortho PCB congeners, their liver/adipose concentration ratios in RDs revealed a tendency to increase with hepatic TEQ levels, suggesting TEQ-dependent hepatic sequestration.     

Factors influencing arsenic accumulation by Pteris vittata: a comparative field study at two sites

This study compared the factors influencing arsenic (As) accumulation by Pteris vittata at two sites, one containing As along with Au mineralization and the other containing Hg/Tl mineralization. The soils above these two sites contained high As concentrations (26.8-2955 mg kg(-1)). Although the As concentration, pH, soil cation exchange capacity and plant biomass differed significantly between the two sites, no differences were observed in the As concentrations in the fronds and roots, or the translocation factors, of P. vittata, suggesting that this species has consistent As hyperaccumulation properties in the field. The As concentration in the fronds was positively related to phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), but negatively related to calcium (Ca), at one site. This suggested that P, K and Ca influenced As accumulation by P. vittata in the field.     

Nitrogen balance and groundwater nitrate contamination: comparison among three intensive cropping systems on the North China Plain

The annual nitrogen (N) budget and groundwater nitrate-N concentrations were studied in the field in three major intensive cropping systems in Shandong province, north China. In the greenhouse vegetable systems the annual N inputs from fertilizers, manures and irrigation water were 1358, 1881 and 402 kg N ha(-1) on average, representing 2.5, 37.5 and 83.8 times the corresponding values in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-maize (Zea mays L.) rotations and 2.1, 10.4 and 68.2 times the values in apple (Malus pumila Mill.) orchards. The N surplus values were 349, 3327 and 746 kg N ha(-1), with residual soil nitrate-N after harvest amounting to 221-275, 1173 and 613 kg N ha(-1) in the top 90 cm of the soil profile and 213-242, 1032 and 976 kg N ha(-1) at 90-180 cm depth in wheat-maize, greenhouse vegetable and orchard systems, respectively. Nitrate leaching was evident in all three cropping systems and the groundwater in shallow wells (<15 m depth) was heavily contaminated in the greenhouse vegetable production area, where total N inputs were much higher than crop requirements and the excessive fertilizer N inputs were only about 40% of total N inputs.