In recent years, many industrial enterprises located in the urban centers of China have been relocated owing to the rapid increase in urban development. At the sites abandoned by these enterprises, volatile organic compounds have frequently been detected, sometimes at high concentrations, particularly at sites abandoned by chemical manufacturing enterprises. With the redevelopment of sites and changes in land-use type associated with these sites, substantial amounts of contaminated soils now require remediation. Since China is a developing country, soil remediation warrants the usage of techniques that are suitable for addressing the unique challenges faced in this country. Land shortage is a common problem in China; the large numbers of contaminated sites, tight development schedules, and limited financial resources necessitate the development of cost-effective methods for land reclamation. Mechanical soil aeration is a simple, effective, and low-cost soil remediation technique that is particularly suitable for the remediation of large volatile organic compound-contaminated sites. Its effectiveness has been confirmed by conducting laboratory studies, pilot tests, and full-scale projects. This study reviews current engineering practice and developmental trends of mechanical soil aeration and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of this technology for application in China as an emerging soil remediation market. The findings of this study might aid technology development in China, as well as assist other developing countries in the assessment and implementation of costeffective hazardous waste site soil remediation programs.
Many studies have focused on environmental estrogen-related diseases. However, no consistent gene markers or signatures for estrogenicity have been discovered in mammals. This study investigated the estrogenic effects of 17β-estradiol on the prostate in immature male mice. Consistent U-shaped responses were seen in bodyweight, ventral prostate epithelial morphology, and miRNA expression levels. Specifically, most estradiol regulated miRNAs were downregulated at low doses of estradiol (0.2 and 2 mg·kg–1), and whose expression returned to the control level at a larger dose (200 mg·kg–1). The function of these regulated miRNAs is related to the prostate cancer and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways, which is consistent with the function of estradiol. Furthermore, the miRNA-processing machinery, Drosha, in the prostate was also regulated in a similar pattern, which could be a part of the U-shaped miRNA expression mechanism. All of these data indicate that the prostate is a reliable organ for evaluating estrogenic activity and that the typical nonmonotonic dose-response relationship could be used as a novel biomarker for estrogenicity.
The study of community composition of algae is essential for understanding the structure and dynamics of the aquatic ecosystem and for evaluating the eutrophic level of the water body. A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method based on a reverse-phase C18 nonpolar column was developed for the main algal taxa, which includes cyanophytes, bacillariophytes, euglenophytes, dinophytes, and chlorophytes. Based on the elution order using HPLC, 19 pigments were identified, and they were chlorophyllide a, 19′-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin, chlorophyll c1 + c2, phephorbides a, peridinin, methyl-chlorophyllide a, fucoxanthin, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, myxoxanthophyll, diadinoxanthin, diatoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, chlorophyll b allomer, chlorophyll b, chlorophyll a allomer, chlorophyll a, and β,β-carotene. A comparison study of cell microscopic counts and accessory pigment analysis indicated that HPLC analysis could be a useful tool for monitoring phytoplankton communities and their abundance. 相似文献
