Recent patterns of production for the main cereal grains: implications for food security in China

China’s large population and deteriorating environment have created great concern related to the sustainability of food production, especially since details related to this topic remain poorly studied. Thus, an integrated analysis of both crop yield and cultivated area is essential for gaining a better understanding of cereal grain production in China and for making corresponding policies designed to achieve food security. In this study, we adopt trend analysis of both provincial yield and cultivated area to assess the subsequent provincial-level cereal production sustainability between 1980 and 2011 with the goal of providing a better understanding of regional agricultural development. The results indicate that while maize shows the most promise for yield improvement, rice and wheat production is experiencing substantial yield stagnation among most provinces across mainland China. In addition, the trends in spatial patterns are prominently different from those of yields. The sizes of the main rice- and wheat-growing areas in China have declined greatly, suggesting that the related production of these cereals should attract more attention from land management planners and farmers. Specifically, the south-eastern coastal provinces have largely failed to sustain both crop yield and area, while the north-eastern provinces have witnessed thriving agricultural production during the last three decades. Moreover, we find that cereal production in China is significantly affected by governmental policies related to the agricultural sector. Thus, this analysis of food production in China will help policymakers to better understand how the potential implications of food security in China may be applicable to countries worldwide.     

Catalytic activities and mechanism of formaldehyde oxidation over gold supported on MnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> microsphere catalysts at room temperature

MnO₂ microspheres with various surface structures were prepared using the hydrothermal method, and Au/MnO₂ catalysts were synthesized using the sol-gel method. We obtained three MnO₂ microspheres and Au/MnO₂ samples: coherent solid spheres covered with wire-like nanostructures, solid spheres with nanosheets, and hierarchical hollow microspheres with nanoplatelets and nanorods. We investigated the properties and catalytic activities of formaldehyde oxidation at room temperature. Crystalline structures of MnO₂ are the main factor affecting the catalytic activities of these samples, and γ-MnO₂ shows high catalytic performance. The excellent redox properties are responsible for the catalytic ability of γ-MnO₂. The gold-supported interaction can change the redox properties of catalysts and accelerate surface oxygen species transition, which can account for the catalytic activity enhancement of Au/MnO₂. We also studied intermediate species. The dioxymethylene (DOM) and formate species formed on the catalyst surface were considered intermediates, and were ultimately transformed into hydrocarbonate and carbonate and then decomposed into CO₂. A proposed mechanism of formaldehyde oxidation over Au/MnO₂ catalysts was also obtained.     

Source-to-sink process and risk assessment of heavy metals for the surface sediment in the northern South China Sea

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Heavy metal input from the coastal urbanization and industrialization and their potential ecological risks have been a great concern in the northern...     

石油降解菌的分离鉴定及4株芽胞杆菌种间效应

通过富集培养和分离纯化的方法,从天津大港油田石油污染土壤和渤海海上钻井平台洗油污水中分离出6株石油降解细菌,生理生化试验及16S r DNA序列分析鉴定表明,它们分别属于Bacillus芽胞杆菌属(S1、S2、S3、S4)、Pseudomonas假单胞菌属(W1)和Ochrobactrum苍白杆菌属(W2),其中,S3具有最高的烷烃(41.3%)和芳烃(30.9%)降解率,从石油污染场地中筛选出的内源微生物对本油田石油的降解效果优于外源物种.对4株芽胞杆菌属菌株构建微生物组进行石油降解实验,结果表明,由S1和S4构成的微生物组F3具有最高的烷烃(50.5%)和芳烃(54.0%)降解率,比单菌降解率分别提高了69.9%和156.1%,同时比最优降解单菌S3的降解率分别高出22.1%和74.6%,而由S2和S3构成的微生物组F4对烷烃和芳烃的降解率最低,分别为18.5%和18.9%,比单菌降解率降低了55.3%和39.0%,实验表明同菌属微生物种间对石油的降解同时存在协同促进和拮抗抑制作用,芽胞杆菌属内亲缘性近的菌株之间对石油降解主要表现为促进作用.     

Insight into metal binding properties of biochar-derived DOM using EEM-PARAFAC and differential absorption spectra combined with two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A large amount of biochar-derived dissolved organic matter (BDOM) will be released into the environment with biochars application into repairing...     

Impact of land use on shallow groundwater quality characteristics associated with human health risks in a typical agricultural area in Central China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Groundwater pollution seriously threatens water resource safety due to high-intensity land use throughout the world. However, the relationship between...     

The effects of autophagy in rat tracheal epithelial cells induced by silver nanoparticles

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The massive use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is potentially harmful to exposed humans. Although previous studies have found that AgNPs can induce...     

Utilization of coal fly ash in China: a mini-review on challenges and future directions

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The rapid economic development in China places a large demand for energy, and as a result, thermal power plants in China are producing an enormous...     

Effects of UV-modified biochar derived from phytoremediation residue on Cd bioavailability and uptake in Coriandrum sativum L. in a Cd-contaminated soil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Biochar has been applied widely as an amendment in the remediation of contaminated soil to immobilize the heavy metals. However, the role of...     

Establishment of a comprehensive analysis method for the microfaunal movement in activated sludge

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Microfaunal identification and analysis are very complex; thus, an image analysis method was utilized in this paper to overcome the shortcomings of...