Toxicokinetics/toxicodynamics of arsenic for farmed juvenile milkfish Chanos chanos and human consumption risk in BFD-endemic area of Taiwan

This paper presents a toxicokinetic/toxicodynamic analysis to appraise arsenic (As) bioaccumulation in farmed juvenile milkfish Chanos chanos at blackfoot disease (BFD)-endemic area in Taiwan, whereas probabilistic incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) and hazard quotient (HQ) models are also employed to assess the range of exposures for the fishers and non-fishers who eat the contaminated fish. We conducted a 7-day exposure experiment to obtain toxicokinetic parameters, whereas a simple critical body burden toxicity model was verified with LC50(t) data obtained from a 7-day acute toxicity bioassay. Acute toxicity bioassay indicates that 96-h LC50 for juvenile milkfish exposed to As is 7.29 (95% CI: 3.10-10.47) mg l(-1). Our risk analysis for milkfish reared in BFD-endemic area indicates a low likelihood that survival is being affected by waterborne As. Human risk analysis demonstrates that 90%-tile probability exposure ILCRs for fishers in BFD-endemic area have orders of magnitude of 10(-3), indicating a high potential carcinogenic risk, whereas there is no significant cancer risk for non-fishers (ILCRs around 10(-5)). All predicted 90%-tiles of HQ are less than 1 for non-fishers, yet larger than 10 for fishers which indicate larger contributions from farmed milkfish consumptions. Sensitivity analysis indicates that to increase the accuracy of the results, efforts should focus on a better definition of probability distributions for milkfish daily consumption rate and As level in milkfish. Here we show that theoretical human health risks for consuming As-contaminated milkfish in the BFD-endemic area are alarming under a conservative condition based on a probabilistic risk assessment model.     

山梨醇型凝油剂的制备与性能

介绍了山梨醇型凝油剂的制备方法，以及其胶凝轻质渍及类油物质的性质。结果表明，此类凝油剂对汽油，柴油，机油以及基苯及苯系有机溶剂等的去除率达９０％以上。经生物毒性试验表明，不会对水中鱼类产生毒性效应，凝油后油凝体硬度可达３．９×１０＾４－９．８×１０＾４Ｐａ。可用于各种轻质油及类油物质泄漏等突发性事故的应急处理。     

Biofiltration of odorous fume emitted from recycled nylon melting operations

This study aimed to develop a biofilter packed only with fern chips for the removal of odorous compounds from recycled nylon melting operations. The fern chip biofilters could avoid the shortcomings of traditional media, such as compaction, drying, and breakdown, which lead to the performance failure of the biofilters. A pilot-scale biofilter consisting of an acrylic column (14 cm²?×?120 cm height) packed with fern chips to a volume of around 19.6 L was used for the test. Experimental results indicate that oxygen- and nitrogen-containing hydrocarbons as well as paraffins were major volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from thermal smelting of recycled nylon at 250 °C. With operation conditions of medium pH of 5.5–7.0, empty bed retention time (EBRT) of 6–12 sec, influent total hydrocarbon (THC) concentrations of 0.65–2.61 mg m^?3, and volumetric organic loading of 0.05–0.85 g m^?3 hr^?1, the fern-chip-packed biofilter with nutrients of milk, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, and glucose could achieve an overall THC removal efficiency of around 80%. Burnt odor emitted from the smelting of the recycled nylon could be eliminated by the biofilter.

Implications: Biotreatment of contaminants in air streams offers an inexpensive and efficient alternative to conventional technologies. Biofiltration have a great potential for the degradation of gas-borne odorous compounds. THC removal efficiency of around 80% can be achieved. Burnt odor emitted from the smelting of the recycled nylon could be eliminated by the biofilter. This study provides an experimentally verified model for the design and operation of such biotreatment systems.     

A study of the heavy metal concentrations of the Singapore River

The concentrations of lead, cadmium, copper, zinc, iron, and mercury in the water, sediment and biota of the Singapore River were determined. The concentration of the various metals in water showed significant variation at different sampling times and there was enrichment of lead content. The spatial patterns of metal distribution in the sediment could be due to the different pollution sources such as exhaust emission from boats and other environmental variables such as clay content of sediment or tide level. In the biota, higher amounts of metals were found in species inhabiting the river bed while organisms of higher trophic level such as free-swimming fishes and crabs accumulated lower amounts. In general, the flesh of fishes and crabs had the least content of metals compared to other tissues. The Concentration of various metals in bivalve, Mytilopsis sallei, which were found extensively in the river did not reflect the pollution distribution.     

季节性干旱下喀斯特次生林不同树种水分利用效率变化

植物叶片水分利用效率(WUE)对环境变化的响应特征和机制是理解生态系统碳循环和水循环及其耦合关系的基础。为探讨季节性干旱下喀斯特次生林中不同植物的WUE变化,以普定次生林通量观测站内的喀斯特次生林为例,在连续干旱背景下分别对8种常见植物的叶片WUE进行了测定分析。结果表明:(1)研究区常见植物的叶片WUE日间主要在0.65～7.73μmol/mmol之间变化。8种植物的叶片WUE均以上午9点最大,厚果崖豆藤(Millettia pachycarpa)、朴树(Celtis sinensis)和马桑(Coriaria nepalensis)的WUE均在下午3点就降到最低,而铁线莲(Clematis florida)、木通(Akebia quinata)、石岩枫(Mallotus repandus)、梓树(Catalpa ovata)和构树(Broussonetia papyrifera)的WUE则在下午5点才降到最低。厚果崖豆藤、铁线莲、石岩枫、朴树、构树的WUE日间变化均较显著。(2)研究区植物叶片的WUE以藤本植物最高。上午9点、11点和下午3点,植物叶片WUE的种间差异均不显著,而在下午1点、5点,植物叶片WUE在种间均存在显著差异。(3)石岩枫和木通的叶片WUE与环境光照强度均呈显著正相关关系。朴树和铁线莲的叶片WUE与环境相对湿度均呈极显著正相关关系。厚果崖豆藤的叶片WUE与环境空气温度间也呈现出极显著的正相关关系。朴树、构树、马桑、石岩枫、铁线莲、厚果崖豆藤的叶片WUE与净光合速率均显著正相关,木通的叶片WUE与蒸腾速率显著负相关。研究区8种植物叶片WUE与叶面水汽压亏缺间的相关性均不显著。(4)植物种和外部环境对研究区植物叶片的WUE均有显著影响,木通、厚果崖豆藤、铁线莲在遭遇连续干旱后叶片WUE均较高,对生境恶劣的喀斯特环境具有较强的适应能力。     

平衡汽球探测研究山区流场特征和大气扩散参数

本文介绍了用平衡汽球探测法在山区工业基地研究大气边界层流场特征和大气扩散规律的结果.分析发现明显的山谷风环流、河谷渠道效应以及漫烟现象和局地工业热源影响等流场特征,实测得到三维大气扩散参数.文章还讨论了用有限数列的滑动平均计算大气扩散参数遇到的问题.用数学模拟方法分析了滑动平均时间间隔与采样时间的关系.     

Elevation of intracellular free calcium levels in sperm in response to long-term feeding of fungicides to mice.

To assess the impact of long-term feeding of fungicides on sperm quality, mice were fed a daily diet containing a mixture of maneb and zineb, at concentrations of 30, 300, and 3000 ppm, respectively. Employing epididymal sperm suspended in a medium permitting in vitro capacitation, the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration, [Ca2+]i, was determined with a fluorescent Ca2+ indicator, Fura-2. Regardless of the fungicide dosages applied, [Ca2+]i was about 50 percent higher in treated animals relative to a value of 123 nM [Ca2+]i in the control group. Fungicide-treated mice were mated to mature, non-treated females; as in the control, the litter sizes were the same. In conclusion, the observed elevation in [Ca2+]i seems to reflect cellular adaptation responses to toxic stress at moderate fungicide doses.     

Dynamical coupling of PBPK/PD and AUC-based toxicity models for arsenic in tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus from blackfoot disease area in Taiwan

A physiologically based pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PBPK/PD) models were developed for arsenic (As) in tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus from blackfoot disease area in Taiwan. The PBPK/PD model structure consisted of muscle, gill, gut wall, alimentary canal, and liver, which were interconnected by blood circulation. We integrate the target organ concentrations and dynamic response describing uptake, metabolism, and disposition of As and the associated area-under-curve (AUC)-based toxicological dynamics following an acute exposure. The model validations were compared against the field observations from real tilapia farms and previously published uptake/depuration experimental data, indicating that predicted and measured As concentrations in major organs of tilapia were in good agreement. The model was utilized to reasonably simulate and construct a dose-dependent dynamic response between mortality effect and equilibrium target organ concentrations. Model simulations suggest that tilapia gills may serve as a surrogate sensitive biomarker of short-term exposure to As. This integrated As PBPK/PD/AUC model quantitatively estimates target organ concentration and dynamic response in tilapia and is a strong framework for future waterborne metal model development and for refining a biologically-based risk assessment for exposure of aquatic species to waterborne metals under a variety of scenarios.     

Screening plant species native to Taiwan for remediation of 137Cs-contaminated soil and the effects of K addition and soil amendment on the transfer of 137Cs from soil to plants

This study aims to screen plant species native to Taiwan that could be used to eliminate (137)Cs radionuclides from contaminated soil. Four kinds of vegetables and two kinds of plants known as green manures were used for the screening. The test plants were cultivated in (137)Cs-contaminated soil and amended soil which is a mixture of the contaminated one with a horticultural soil. The plant with the highest (137)Cs transfer factor was used for further examination on the effects of K addition on the transfer of (137)Cs from the soils to the plant. Experimental results revealed that plants cultivated in the amended soil produced more biomass than those in the contaminated soil. Rape exhibited the highest production of aboveground parts, and had the highest (137)Cs transfer factor among all the tested plants. The transfer of (137)Cs to the rape grown in the soil to which 100 ppm KCl commonly used in local fertilizers had been added, were restrained. Results of this study indicated that rape, a popular green manure in Taiwan, could remedy (137)Cs-contaminated soil.     

Flesh or bone? Quantifying small-scale coral morphology using with-tissue and without-tissue techniques

The quantification of small-scale coral morphology using tissue-free skeletons often requires colonies, or colony sections, to be removed from the reef. This undesirable destruction can be reduced by using a with-tissue technique based on photographic images of living corals. The results of this study indicate that with-tissue multivariate morphometric data contain similar information to skeleton-derived data and can help identify phenotypic plasticity in the massive coral Favia speciosa. With-tissue data can also be used to discern changes with time in individual polyps exposed to new environments.Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe