MicroRNA: a novel implication for damage and protection against ionizing radiation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Ionizing radiation (IR) is a form of high energy. It poses a serious threat to organisms, but radiotherapy is a key therapeutic strategy for various...     

Metal distribution characteristic of MSWI bottom ash in view of metal recovery

Bottom ash is the major by-product of municipal solid waste incineration(MSWI), and is often reused as an engineering material, such as road-base aggregate. However, some metals(especially aluminum) in bottom ash can react with water and generate gas that could cause expansion and failure of products containing the ash; these metals must be removed before the ash is utilized. The size distribution and the chemical speciation of metals in the bottom ash from two Chinese MSWI plants were examined in this study, and the recovery potential of metals from the ash was evaluated. The metal concentrations in these bottom ashes were lower than that generated in other developed countries. Specifically, the contents of Al,Fe, Cu and Zn were 18.9–29.2, 25.5–32.3, 0.7–1.0 and 1.6–2.5 g/kg, respectively. Moreover,44.9–57.0 wt.% of Al and 55.6–75.4 wt.% of Fe were distributed in bottom ash particles smaller than 5 mm. Similarly, 46.6–79.7 wt.% of Cu and 42.9–74.2 wt.% of Zn were concentrated in particles smaller than 3 mm. The Fe in the bottom ash mainly existed as hematite, and its chemical speciation was considered to limit the recovery efficiency of magnetic separation.     

Research on the degradation mechanism of pyridine in drinking water by dielectric barrier discharge

Pyridine, an important chemical raw material, is widely used in industry, for example in textiles,leather, printing, dyeing, etc. In this research, a dielectric barrier discharge(DBD) system was developed to remove pyridine, as a representative type of nitrogen heterocyclic compound in drinking water. First, the influence of the active species inhibitors tertiary butanol alcohol(TBA),HCO_3~-, and CO_3~(2-)on the degradation rate of pyridine was investigated to verify the existence of active species produced by the strong ionization discharge in the system. The intermediate and final products generated in the degradation process of pyridine were confirmed and analyzed through a series of analytical techniques, including liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry(LC–MS), high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC), ion chromatography(IC), total organic carbon(TOC) analysis, ultraviolet(UV) spectroscopy, etc. The results showed that the degradation of pyridine was mainly due to the strong oxidizing power of ozone and hydroxyl radical produced by the DBD system. Several intermediate products including 3-hydroxyl pyridine, fumaric acid, 2, 3-dihydroxypyridine, and oxalic acid were detected. Nitrogen was removed from the pyridine molecule to form nitrate. Through analysis of the degradation mechanism of pyridine, the oxidation pathway was deduced. The study provided a theoretical and experimental basis for the application of DBD strong ionization discharge in treatment of nitrogen heterocyclic compounds in drinking water.     

Ambient volatile organic compounds pollution in China

Owing to rapid economic and industrial development, China has been suffering from degraded air quality and visibility. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important precursors to the formation of ground-level ozone and hence photochemical smog. Some VOCs adversely affect human health. Therefore, VOCs have recently elicited public concern and given new impetus to scientific interest. China is now implementing a series of polices to control VOCs pollution. The key to formulating policy is understanding the ambient VOCs pollution status. This paper mainly analyzes the species, levels, sources, and spatial distributions of VOCs in ambient air. The results show that the concentrations of ambient VOCs in China are much higher than those of developed countries such as the United States and Japan, especial benzene, which exceeds available standards. At the same time, the ozone formation potential (OFP) and secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOAFP) of various VOCs are calculated. Aromatics and alkenes have much higher OFPs, while aromatics have higher SOAFP. The OFPs of ambient VOCs in the cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Changchun are very high, and the SOAFP of ambient VOCs in the cities of Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Changchun are higher.     

Mesoporous carbon nanomaterials induced pulmonary surfactant inhibition, cytotoxicity, inflammation and lung fibrosis

Environmental exposure and health risk upon engineered nanomaterials are increasingly concerned. The family of mesoporous carbon nanomaterials(MCNs) is a rising star in nanotechnology for multidisciplinary research with versatile applications in electronics,energy and gas storage, and biomedicine. Meanwhile, there is mounting concern on their environmental health risks due to the growing production and usage of MCNs. The lung is the primary site for particle invasion under environmental exposure to nanomaterials. Here, we studied the comprehensive toxicological profile of MCNs in the lung under the scenario of moderate environmental exposure. It was found that at a low concentration of 10 μg/mL MCNs induced biophysical inhibition of natural pulmonary surfactant. Moreover, MCNs at similar concentrations reduced viability of J774 A.1 macrophages and lung epithelial A549 cells.Incubating with nature pulmonary surfactant effectively reduced the cytotoxicity of MCNs.Regarding the pro-inflammatory responses, MCNs activated macrophages in vitro, and stimulated lung inflammation in mice after inhalation exposure, associated with lung fibrosis.Moreover, we found that the size of MCNs played a significant role in regulating cytotoxicity and pro-inflammatory potential of this nanomaterial. In general, larger MCNs induced more pronounced cytotoxic and pro-inflammatory effects than their smaller counterparts. Our results provided valuable information on the toxicological profile and environmental health risks of MCNs, and suggested that fine-tuning the size of MCNs could be a practical precautionary design strategy to increase safety and biocompatibility of this nanomaterial.     

油品荧光特性的Logistic回归分析鉴别海上溢油的研究

用恒波长同步荧光法检测了280±2 nm、300±2 nm、332±2 nm 3个特征波长下的22种原油和12种燃料油的荧光强度,并以此作为变量,建立了快速定量鉴别海上溢油的原油和燃料油的Logistic回归模型。Hosmer-Lemeshow拟合优度检测值2.43小于15.51、其对应P值0.97大于0.05,说明建模数据的信息被充分提取和利用。风化前后油样的受试者工作特征曲线（ROC曲线）分析显示该鉴别方法准确性较高,曲线下边面积（AUC）大于0.9,灵敏度和特异性大于0.85。用15种非建模油样对所建立的模型进行验证,计算结果与实际情况吻合度较高,鉴别正确率达93%。此外,该模型也适用于油种风化后的鉴别。     

数显型电热板加热法在河流高锰酸盐指数应急监测中的应用研究

高锰酸盐指数常被作为地表水体受有机污染物和还原性无机物质污染程度的综合指标.采用数显型电热板加热法测定水中高锰酸盐指数,通过实验确定了加热时间和加热温度.并分别采用水浴法和电热板加热法对应急样品进行了高锰酸盐指数的测定,两种测定方法的比对研究结果表明,应急监测时采用数显型电热板加热法测定耗时更短,检测结果与国标法测定没有显著差异,是可行且有效的应急监测替代方法.     

某环氧乙烷精制塔爆炸事故HAZOP分析

针对某烯烃厂乙二醇装置环氧乙烷精制塔的爆炸事故,采用HAZOP分析方法对该乙二醇装置进行定性工艺危害分析,辨识该装置存在的安全隐患。针对爆炸的环氧乙烷精制塔,结合事故爆炸后果,利用HAZOP分析理念,分析环氧乙烷精制塔爆炸原因,最终提出相应的整改建议。     

大气中重金属污染现状及来源研究

总结了近年来的研究成果,通过文献调研对中国大气中重金属污染现状、大气中重金属来源和重金属在环境中的迁移转化途径进行综述,提出为缓解重金属污染的高发态势,保护人群健康,应建立完善的环境污染防治体系,强化大气污染源颗粒物控制来减少重金属在大气环境中的暴露浓度,切断重金属在环境中的污染途径以减少大气传输和沉降,降低由大气-土壤-动植物-人体的重金属暴露健康风险.     

NO参与铝诱导蚕豆保卫细胞死亡的调控

铝(Al)是地壳中含量最丰富的金属元素,是酸性土壤中导致植物生长抑制和作物产量下降的一个主要因素,但铝毒性作用机制尚不清楚.本文以蚕豆叶表皮为材料,研究铝胁迫对气孔保卫细胞活性的影响,探讨NO在铝诱导细胞死亡中的作用.结果表明,一定浓度的A1Cl3可诱导气孔保卫细胞活性降低,部分细胞死亡,且随着铝浓度的增高细胞死亡率增高.死细胞呈现核固缩、核崩解、凋亡小体等典型凋亡特征,且凋亡抑制剂Z-Asp-CH2-DCB能阻止AlCl3诱发的细胞死亡.用NO清除剂c-PTIO、NO合酶抑制剂L-NAME或硝酸还原酶抑制剂NaN3降低铝处理组胞内NO后,细胞死亡率显著降低,胞内ROS、Ca2+水平同期降低;NaN3还能降低铝处理组中具有程序性死亡特征的细胞比率.用ROS清除剂AsA清除铝处理组胞内ROS后,细胞死亡率显著降低,胞内Ca2+和NO水平亦显著降低;铝处理液中加入Ca2+通道抑制剂LaCl3后,细胞死亡率低于铝单独处理组,胞内ROS和NO水平无明显改变.研究结果表明,铝胁迫引起的胞内NO合成增加通过Ca2+信号途径介导了保卫细胞的程序性死亡.