Enantioselective aquatic toxicity of current chiral pesticides

Chiral pesticides are ubiquitous in the aquatic environment, and their enantioselectivities in aquatic toxicity are known to be complicated. The difference in enantioselective effects between enantiomers may sometimes differ by approximately 100-fold or more, which makes it important to incorporate enantioselective effects into the risk assessment of chiral pesticides. In this paper, we reviewed relevant work on the aquatic toxicity of chiral pesticides with an emphasis on the enantioselective aquatic toxicity under both chronic and acute exposure conditions. We provided a personal account of the importance of studies on molecular mechanisms of developmental toxicity and specific endpoints such as vitellogenin, yolk sac edema and pericardial edema in future research. Given the widespread use of chiral pesticides, we suggest that a more comprehensive understanding of the significance of enantioselective aquatic toxicity will be very helpful in improving risk assessment and regulation of chiral pesticides.     

Essential and toxic elements in infant foods from Spain, UK, China and USA

Spanish gluten-free rice, cereals with gluten, and pureed baby foods were analysed for essential macro-elements (Ca and Na), essential trace elements (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Se, Cr, Co and Ni) and non-essential trace elements (As, Pb, Cd and Hg) using ICP-MS and AAS. Baby cereals were an excellent source of most of the essential elements (Ca, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn). Sodium content was high in pureed foods to improve their flavour; fish products were also rich in Se. USA pure baby rice samples had the highest contents of all studied essential elements, showing a different nutrient pattern compared to those of other countries. Mineral fortification was not always properly stated in the labelling of infant foods. Complementary infant foods may also contain significant amounts of contaminants. The contents of Hg and Cd were low enough to guarantee the safety of these infant foods. However, it will be necessary to identify the source and reduce the levels of Pb, Cr and As in Spanish foods. Pure baby rice samples contained too much: Pb in Spain; As in UK; As, Cr and Ni in USA; and Cr and Cd in China.     

Assessment of urban sustainability efficiency based on general data envelopment analysis: a case study of two cities in western and eastern China

Sustainable urban development focuses on enhancing urban well-being, while also balancing the demands of urban social and economic development, natural resource consumption, and environmental pollution. This work used general data envelopment analysis to assess the urban sustainability efficiency (USE) and sustainability potential (SP) in Lanzhou and Xiamen, two cities that are characteristic of urban areas in western and eastern China. The assessment indicator system included important natural and urban welfare factors as input and output indices, respectively. The results showed that overall urban sustainability efficiency increased in Lanzhou and Xiamen from 1985 to 2010, but that the sustainability of natural resources clearly decreased. The urban sustainability efficiency of Xiamen was higher than that of Lanzhou, and the sustainability potential of Xiamen was lower than that of Lanzhou; this indicates that Xiamen performed better in terms of urban sustainable development. The urban sustainability efficiency in Xiamen has increased with increasing urban population, and the rate and scale of economic development have been higher than in Lanzhou. The assessment and analysis performed in this study show that cities with different natural resources and development characteristics have different forms, patterns, and trajectories of sustainable development.     

安全等级特征量及其计算方法

指出了目前用模糊评价法确定系统的安全等级所存在的问题和不足之处。分别运用模糊随机变量理论和模糊集理论而提出了安全等级模糊随机特征量和安全等级模糊特征量的概念及其计算方法。安全等级特征量及安全等级变量,均为安全等级取值论域上的模糊子集,而并非是一个确定的点。还给出了安全等级的绝对可能性和相对可能性的计算方法。实例表明,笔者所提出的安全等级特征量及可能性的计算方法是科学的、合理的     

空域安全风险评估方法的比较分析

为了更有效地开展空域安全风险管理工作,本文总结了目前国内外空域安全风险评估的研究成果,重点概述了空域安全风险因果模型、空域安全风险人因可靠性分析、空域安全风险雷达模拟机验证法和碰撞风险模型四类空域安全风险评估方法,并对这四类方法进行了对比分析,剖析了各模型的应用领域、解决的问题、优缺点、限制条件以及发展方向,以为空域安全风险评估研究与风险管理的深入开展和具体实施提供理论依据.     

“引江济太”过程中塑化剂类污染物的输入特征和环境健康风险评价

为了解"引江济太"过程中塑化剂类污染物对贡湖的输入特征,于2013年8月对14个采样点的7种邻苯二甲酸酯类化合物(PAEs)的浓度进行采样分析,并通过美国环保署(USEPA)推荐的方法,对其环境风险进行评价.结果表明:各采样点邻苯二甲酸二丁酯(DBP)和邻苯二甲酸二环己酯(DCHP)均有检出,除采样点10、11和12外,邻苯二甲酸二乙酯(DEP)也有检出,其余4种均未检出,长江引水经望虞河进入贡湖后,DEP、DBP和DCHP浓度均有不同程度的降低,且其最高浓度均出现在望虞河长江引水处(采样点1),说明在引水过程中长江水对望虞河有明显的PAEs输入,而贡湖锡东水厂DEP浓度高于贡湖其他采样点,南泉水厂DBP和DCHP浓度高于贡湖其他采样点,金墅湾水厂PAEs浓度总体处于较低水平.环境健康风险评价结果显示:DEP的最大非致癌风险值为3.91×10-8a~(-1),未超过国际组织规定范围,而DBP的最大非致癌风险值为1.17×10-5a~(-1),超过英国皇家协会RS规定的1×10-6a~(-1),但均对人体无明显非致癌危害.     

Impact of dissolved organic matter on the photolysis of the ionizable antibiotic norfloxacin

Norfloxacin (NOR), an ionizable antibiotic frequently used in the aquaculture industry, has aroused public concern due to its persistence, bacterial resistance, and environmental ubiquity. Therefore, we investigated the photolysis of different species of NOR and the impact of a ubiquitous component of natural water — dissolved organic matter (DOM), which has a special photochemical activity and normally acts as a sensitizer or inhibiter in the photolysis of diverse organics; furthermore, scavenging experiments combined with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) were performed to evaluate the transformation of NOR in water. The results demonstated that NOR underwent direct photolysis and self-sensitized photolysis via hydroxyl radical (·OH) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂) based on the scavenging experiments. In addition, DOM was found to influence the photolysis of different NOR species, and its impact was related to the concentration of DOM and type of NOR species. Photolysis of cationic NOR was photosensitized by DOM at low concentration, while zwitterionic and anionic NOR were photoinhibited by DOM, where quenching of UOH predominated according to EPR experiments, accompanied by possible participation of excited triplet-state NOR and ¹O₂. Photo-intermediate identification of different NOR species in solutions with/without DOM indicated that NOR underwent different photodegradation pathways including dechlorination, cleavage of the piperazine side chain and photooxidation, and DOM had little impact on the distribution but influenced the concentration evolution of photolysis intermediates. The results implied that for accurate ecological risk assessment of emerging ionizable pollutants, the impact of DOM on the environmental photochemical behavior of all dissociated species should not be ignored.     

Enhancing anoxic denitrification of low C/N ratio wastewater with novel ZVI composite carriers

External organic carbon sources are needed to provide electron donors for the denitrification of wastewater with a low COD/NO₃^--N（C/N） ratio, increasing the treatment cost. The economic strategy is to enhance the bioactivity and/or biodiversity of denitrifiers to efficiently utilize organic substances in wastewater. In this study, novel zero-valent iron（ZVI） composite carriers were prepared and implemented in a suspended carrier biofilm reactor to enhance the bioactivity an...     

Steady performance of a zero valent iron packed anaerobic reactor for azo dye wastewater treatment under variable influent quality

Zero valent iron (ZVI) is expected to help create an enhanced anaerobic environment that might improve the performance of anaerobic treatment. Based on this idea, a novel ZVI packed upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (ZVI-UASB) reactor was developed to treat azo dye wastewater with variable influent quality. The results showed that the reactor was less influenced by increases of Reactive Brilliant Red X-3B concentration from 50 to 1000 mg/L and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 1000 to 7000 mg/L in the feed than a reference UASB reactor without the ZVI. The ZVI decreased oxidation-reduction potential in the reactor by about 80 mV. Iron ion dissolution from the ZVI could buffer acidity in the reactor, the amount of which was related to the COD concentration. Fluorescence in situ hybridization test showed the abundance of methanogens in the sludge of the ZVI-UASB reactor was significantly greater than that of the reference one. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis showed that the ZVI increased the diversity of microbial strains responsible for high efficiency.     

VOCs气体在活性炭上的二元吸附过程研究

采用穿透曲线法研究了4种VOCs在活性炭上的的二元吸附过程。研究表明:对于甲苯-苯、甲苯-丙酮、甲苯-乙酸乙酯、苯-丙酮、丙酮-乙酸乙酯二元吸附体系,吸附过程存在置换作用,即随着高沸点组分在床层内吸附量的逐渐增加,相对挥发性大的低沸点组分重新汽化而脱附,出现高沸点组分置换低沸点组分的现象,表现为被置换组分的穿透曲线上出现峰值。之后随着高沸点组分吸附趋于饱和,置换作用停止,低沸点组分吸附也趋于平衡。但对于沸点相近的苯-乙酸乙酯二元体系,吸附过程没有明显的置换现象。吸附量的计算结果表明,有机物在二元体系中的吸附量较同等条件时的单组分吸附量均有不同程度的降低,其中被置换组分降低程度较大,但总吸附量可近似按照浓度为二元组分总浓度低沸点组分的平衡吸附量的近似法计算,平均误差为7.9%。