Using mRNA to investigate the effect of low-pressure ultraviolet disinfection on the viability of E. coli

UV can induce damages on mRNA consistently among different genes. SOS response was more active after UV treatment. Programmed cell death was not found to be more active after UV treatment. The efficacy of ultraviolet (UV) disinfection has been analyzed and validated by numerous studies using culture-based methods, yet the discovery of the viable but nonculturable state necessitates the investigation of UV disinfection based on viability parameters. Paired regulators of the SOS response system, recA-lexA, and the programmed cell death system, mazEF, in Escherichia coli were chosen as the target genes, and the effect of UV irradiation on the mRNAs of the four genes was studied. This research showed that, after UV irradiation, the responses of the mRNAs were highly consistent, with reduction percentages of approximately 60% at 20 mJ/cm², 70% at 40 mJ/cm², and 90% at 80 mJ/cm², and these reductions were believed to be the result of direct UV damage to nucleic acids. After 24 h of dark incubation, recA and lexA were both upregulated but to a lesser extent for repressor lexA; and mazE and mazF were both downregulated. This result implies that UV irradiation induces the dark repair system more actively, and the cells will proceed to death at a rate similar to that associated with natural decay.     

Do trace metal(loid)s in road soils pose health risks to tourists? A case of a highly-visited national park in China

Nowadays, more people tend to spend their recreational time in large national parks, and trace metal(loid)s in soils have attracted long-term attention due to their possible harm to human health. To investigate the pollution levels, potential sources and health risks of trace metal(loid)s in road soils, a total of eight trace metal(loid)s (including As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and Hg) from 47 soil samples along roads were studied in the Huangshan National Park in Southeast China. The results showed that the concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Zn and Hg appeared different degrees of pollution compared with their corresponding background values. According to the pollution indices, Hg and Cd were recognized as significant pollutants presenting moderate to high ecological risk. Combining principal component analysis and positive matrix factorization model, the results showed that traffic, industrial, agricultural and natural sources were the potential origins of trace metal(loid)s in this area, with contribution rates of 39.93%, 25.92%, 10.53% and 23.62%, respectively. Non-carcinogenic risks were all negligible, while the carcinogenic risk of As was higher than the limit (1 $\times$ 10⁻⁶). Moreover, children were more susceptible to trace metal(loid)s by ingestion which appeared to be a more important exposure pathway than dermal contact and inhalation. The contribution rates of different sources to non-carcinogenic risks and carcinogenic risks were similar among children and adults, while traffic and industrial sources have a significant impact on health risks. This study will give more insights to control the environmental risks of trace metal(loid)s in national parks.     

Contamination characteristics of trace metals in dust from different levels of roads of a heavily air-polluted city in north China

Concentrations of eight trace metals (TMs) in road dust (RD) (particles?<?25 μm) from urban areas of Xinxiang, China, were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The geometric mean concentrations of Zn, Mn, Pb, As, Cu, Cr, Ni and Cd were 489, 350, 114, 101, 60.0, 39.7, 31.6, and 5.1 mg kg^?1, respectively. When compared with TM levels in background soil, the samples generally display elevated TM concentrations, except for Cr and Mn, and for Cd the enrichment value was 69.6. Spatial variations indicated TMs in RD from park path would have similar sources with main roads, collector streets and bypasses. Average daily exposure doses of the studied TMs were about three orders of magnitude higher for hand-to-mouth ingestion than dermal contact, and the exposure doses for children were 9.33 times higher than that for adults. The decreasing trend of calculated hazard indexes (HI) for the eight elements was As?>?Pb?>?Cr?>?Mn?>?Cd?>?Zn?>?Ni?>?Cu for both children and adults.     

Effects of intercropping with floricultural accumulator plants on cadmium accumulation in grapevine

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) intercropping with floricultural cadmium (Cd) accumulator plants (Helianthus annuus L., Cosmos sulphureus Cav., Cosmos...     

Simultaneous adsorption and immobilization of As and Cd by birnessite-loaded biochar in water and soil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A novel biochar was prepared by loading birnessite to improve its capability to simultaneously adsorb As(III), As(V), and Cd(II) in water and soil....     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of ciprofloxacin by Co-Ce-Zr/γ-Al2O3 three-dimensional particle electrode

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this work, Co-Ce-Zr/γ-Al2O33 particle electrodes were prepared for the efficient degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP). Co-Ce-Zr/γ-Al2O3...     

Are servant leaders appreciated? An investigation of how relational attributions influence employee feelings of gratitude and prosocial behaviors

Multisource data collected at three time phases were used in investigating when servant leadership elicits gratitude and then promotes prosocial behaviors. We tested a moderated mediation model, contending that relational attributions moderate the relationship between servant leadership and gratitude, and then gratitude sequentially predicts interpersonal citizenship behaviors and upward voice. As hypothesized, when employees do not highly rely on relational attributions for servant leadership, they feel more gratitude and subsequently engage in more interpersonal citizenship behaviors and upward voice than the employees who rely on relational attributions to explain their interactions with the leader. The sequential indirect effect from servant leadership to upward voice via gratitude and then interpersonal citizenship behaviors was significant when relational attributions are low rather than high.     

黄土区陡坡侵蚀过程试验研究

通过室内放水冲刷试验,结果表明,陡坡单宽径流能耗与单宽径流产沙率之间存在以下线性关系:Dr=18.672(ΔE - 0.751),说明土壤的可蚀性参数为18.672 g/J,发生坡面细沟侵蚀的临界径流能耗为0.751 J/(ms)。坡面单宽径流能耗随流量增大而增加,随坡度变化呈抛物线趋势,临界坡度出现在21和24之间。坡面上各段面单宽径流能耗均随流量的增大而增加,随着坡度逐渐增加,坡面上部段面能耗渐增,中部段面渐减,下部较稳定。坡面各段面侵蚀产沙也有类似特征。此研究对于深入了解黄土高原陡坡土壤侵蚀过程和机理具有重要意义。     

大气CO_2体积分数升高对油松叶片光合生理特性的影响

近年来大气CO2体积分数不断升高,虽然CO2体积分数升高对植物影响的研究已取得一定进展,但目前针对城市森林树种的相关研究甚少。利用开顶式气室研究了大气CO2体积分数升高对沈阳市城市森林主要树种油松(PinustabulaefomisCarr.)光合生理特性的影响。结果表明,整个生长季内,与对照相比,在大气CO2体积分数为700×10-6条件下,油松叶片的Chla、Chlb及Chl(a b)质量分数提高,Chla/Chlb值降低,而类胡萝卜素质量分数则呈现出降低—升高—降低的趋势;整个处理期间,净光合速率显著提高,提高幅度为23.68%～133.18%(P<0.05或P<0.01);可溶性蛋白质量分数增加,并随着处理时间延长增加幅度增大,在通气40d时就达到差异极显著水平(P<0.01);大气CO2体积分数升高促进了油松叶片中可溶性糖、淀粉的积累;实验中并未观察到光合下调现象。