Vulnerability of Common Urban Forest Species to Projected Climate Change and Practitioners Perceptions and Responses

Environmental Management - While urban forests are often identified as part of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, less attention has been given to vulnerabilities urban trees may...     

Innovation,foreign direct investment (FDI), and the energy–pollution–growth nexus in OECD region: a simultaneous equation modeling approach

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - The paper proposes a new perspective in the environmental and resource economics literature by examining innovation (measured by R&D expenditures),...     

Enhanced uptake of Cd,Cr, and Cu in Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don by Bacillus cereus: application of moss and compost to reduce metal availability

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Heavy metals (HMs) being the notorious and toxic are being introduced into the environment credited to natural and anthropogenic activities. The use...     

基于多元子代理模块系统(MAS)的单司机值乘驾驶安全可靠性研究

介绍并分析影响单司机值乘驾驶安全可靠性的因素,强调单司机值乘人-机-环境系统安全性中人行为的重要性,提出利用MAS模型对单司机值乘的安全可靠性进行分析。介绍该模型的标定过程,给出其驾驶行为的安全可靠度和Agent模型结合在一起来确定司机决策行为的过程和方法。为提高我国单司机值乘驾驶安全性提供了一种研究方法。     

UV–visible light-activated Ag-decorated,monodisperse TiO2 aggregates for treatment of the pharmaceutical oxytetracycline

Noble metal Ag-decorated, monodisperse TiO₂ aggregates were successfully synthesized by an ionic strength-assisted, simple sol–gel method and were used for the photocatalytic degradation of the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) under both UV and visible light (UV–visible light) irradiation. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD); UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy; environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM); transmission electron microscopy (TEM); high-resolution TEM (HR-TEM); micro-Raman, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS); and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results showed that the uniformity of TiO₂ aggregates was finely tuned by the sol–gel method, and Ag was well decorated on the monodisperse TiO₂ aggregates. The absorption of the samples in the visible light region increased with increasing Ag loading that was proportional to the amount of Ag precursor added in the solution over the tested concentration range. The Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (The BET) surface area slightly decreased with increasing Ag loading on the TiO₂ aggregates. Ag-decorated TiO₂ samples demonstrated enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of OTC under UV–visible light illumination compared to that of pure TiO₂. The sample containing 1.9 wt% Ag showed the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of OTC under both UV–visible light and visible light illumination. During the experiments, the detected Ag leaching for the best TiO₂-Ag photocatalyst was much lower than the National Secondary Drinking Water Regulation for Ag limit (0.1 mg L^?1) issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency.     

Human health risk from Heavy metal via food crops consumption with wastewater irrigation practices in Pakistan

The current study was designed to investigate the potential human health risks associated with consumption of food crops contaminated with toxic heavy metals. Cadmium (Cd) concentration in surface soils; Cd, lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) in the irrigation water and food crops were above permissible limits. The accumulation factor (AF) was >1 for manganese (Mn) and Pb in different food crops. The Health Risk Index (HRI) was >1 for Pb in all food crops irrigated with wastewater and tube well water. HRI >1 was also recorded for Cd in all selected vegetables; and for Mn in Spinacia oleracea irrigated with wastewater. All wastewater irrigated samples (soil and food crops) exhibited high relative contamination level as compared to samples irrigated with tube well water. Our results emphasized the need for pretreatment of wastewater and routine monitoring in order to avoid contamination of food crops from the wastewater irrigation system.     

Deterioration of water quality of Surma river

Surma River is polluted day by day by human activities, poor structured sewerage and drainage system, discharging industrial and household wastes. The charas (natural channels) are responsible for surface runoff conveyance from its urban catchments to the receiving Surma River. Water samples have been collected from a part of Surma River along different points and analyzed for various water quality parameters during dry and monsoon periods. Effects of industrial wastes, municipal sewage, and agricultural runoff on river water quality have been investigated. The study was conducted within the Chattak to Sunamganj portion of Surma River, which is significant due to the presence of two major industries – a paper mill and a cement factory. The other significant feature is the conveyors that travel from India to Chattak. The river was found to be highly turbid in the monsoon season. But BOD and fecal coliform concentration was found higher in the dry season. The water was found slightly acidic. The mean values of parameters were Conductivity 84–805 μs; DO: dry-5.52 mg/l, monsoon-5.72 mg/l; BOD: dry-1mg/l, monsoon-0.878 mg/l; Total Solid: dry-149.4 mg/l, monsoon-145.7 mg/l. In this study, an effort has been taken to investigate the status of concentration of phosphate (PO⁻⁴) and ammonia–nitrogen (NH₄–N) at four entrance points of Malnichara to the city, Guali chara, Gaviar khal and Bolramer khal. Data has been collected from March–April and September–October of 2004. Concentrations have been measured using UV Spectrophotometer. Although the phosphate concentration has been found within the limit set by DOE for fishing, irrigation and recreational purposes, however ammonia–nitrogen has been found to exceed the limit.     

Indoor exposure to respirable particulate matter and particulate-phase PAHs in rural homes in North India

In order to evaluate the exposure of the northern India rural population to polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) inhalation, indoor pollution was assessed by collecting and analyzing the respirable particulate matter PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ in several homes of the village Bhithauli near Lucknow, UP. The home selection was determined by a survey. Given the nature of biomass used for cooking, homes were divided into two groups, one using all kinds of biomass and the second type using plant materials only. Indoor mean concentrations of PM_2.5 and associated PAHs during cooking ranged from 1.19 ± 0.29 to 2.38 ± 0.35 and 6.21 ± 1.54 to 12.43 ± 1.15 μg/m³, respectively. Similarly, PM₁₀ and total PAHs were in the range of 3.95 ± 1.21 to 8.81 ± 0.78 and 7.75 ± 1.42 to 15.77 ± 1.05 μg/m³, respectively. The pollutant levels during cooking were significantly higher compared to the noncooking period. The study confirmed that indoor pollution depends on the kind of biomass fuel used for cooking.     

Assessment of the sources of suspended particulate matter aerosol using US EPA PMF 3.0

The main purpose of this paper was to carry out a source apportionment of suspended particulate matter (SPM) samples using positive matrix factorization procedure. The central and local Government of Japan introduced strict emission regulations in 2002/10 and 2003/10, respectively, in curbing SPM pollution from major metropolitans. This paper also highlighted the impact of the measures taken by the central and local Government of Japan on the reduction of SPM and the contributions of sources. SPM samples were collected for 6 years starting from 1999 to 2005 at two sites, i.e., site A (urban) and site B (suburban) of Yokohama, Japan. Microwave digestion and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) were employed to measure Mg, Al, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Ag, Cd, Cs, Ba, Pb and Bi, while water soluble ions (Na⁺, NH₄  ⁺_{4}^{\ \,+}, K⁺, Ca^2 +, Mg^2 +, Cl⁻, NO₃  ^-_{3}^{\ \,-} and SO₄  ^2-)_{4}^{\ \,2-}) as well as carbonaceous mass (EC and OC) were analyzed using ion chromatograph and CHN analyzer, respectively. The sources identified at two sites were automobile, soil dust, marine aerosol, mixed sources, and secondarily formed aerosol. Also, source quantification was performed. Automobile and soil dust were striking contributors at site A. Automobile and soil dust of SPM aerosol might be produced from local origin at current study areas. Besides, Asian dust had an impact on high concentrations of SPM aerosol in some certain period of the year due to the outflows of East Asian emission. In contrast, secondary aerosol in the form of sulfate and ammonium as well as mixed sources (coal, long-transported Cs, and other unknown sources) were remarkable at site B. Stationary/industrial combustion has apparently more impact on the release of SPM components at site B than A. Automobile regulations in 2002 and 2003, respectively, resulted in reduction of SPM by 28% for site A and 16% for site B. There was also net reduction of automobile contribution at both sites due to the above measures being implemented.     

Induction of sperm impairments in mice as a sensitive biomarker of arsenic toxicity

The ubiquitous presence of arsenic (a toxic metalloid) in our environment, particularly in our drinking water, is a serious health hazard of global concern. The present work deals with the assessment of arsenic toxicity through the analysis of induced sperm impairments in sperm head morphology and sperm count in mice at low exposures compared to the magnitude of response at high exposure levels. The animals were exposed to four doses of arsenic, ranging from lowest dose of 0.3 μg kg^?1 day^?1 (the human reference dose) to higher dose of 30 μg kg^?1 day^?1 for 15 consecutive days. The epididymal sperms were harvested after one spermatogenic cycle on the 36th day and were scored for the presence of any abnormality in their head morphology as well as changes in their count. Exposure to arsenic significantly induced, in a dose-dependent manner, increases in the frequency of sperms with abnormal head morphology from 5.12 % in control to 9.23 % in lowest dose group and 23.02 % in highest dose group. In contrast, the mean sperm counts in the epididymal wash were decreased from 6.05 million per milliliter in the control to 4.95 million per milliliter in the lowest dose group and 3.07 million in the highest dose group. The analysis of sperm impairments in mice was, therefore, found to be a highly sensitive assay to assess arsenic toxicity, exhibiting a marked male reprotoxic effect of arsenic even at its low exposure levels including the human reference dose.