Trace Metal Contents (Al, Cu and Zn) of Tea: Tea and Soil from Two Tea Plantations, and Tea Products from Different Provinces of China

The present project aims to investigate the possible contamination of teas with the trace metals: Al, Cu and Zn. Tea bushes sampled from two tea plantations in the northern part of Guangdong Province accumulated higher concentrations of Cu and Zn in young leaves, and of Al in old leaves. The analysis of the three metals in tea produced in different provinces indicated higher Al levels in those obtained from Guangdong and Yunnan Provinces, which may be due to the lower soil pH in these areas. Green tea had the lowest Al concentration among the four types of tea studied, as only the bud and two young leaves are used, whereas older leaves are used for other types of tea (black, Oolong and Puerh tea). The transfer of Al, Cu and Zn from soil to different parts of tea bushes was low in general, except for Zn at Lechang tea plantation which next to a Pb/Zn mine, where a higher transfer was observed from young leaves to tea products, indicating possible metal contamination during tea processing. However, low concentrations of Cu and Zn (less than 0.07 mg Cu L^-1 and 0.17 mg Zn L^-1), and moderate amounts of Al (2.1-2.5 mg L^-1) were obtained in the tea liquor (1% hot water extracts).     

Aging and improving reproductive success in horses: declining residual reproductive value or just older and wiser?

In many mammalian species, female success in raising offspring improves as they age. The residual reproductive value hypothesis predicts that each individual offspring will be more valuable to the mother as she ages because there is less conflict between the current and potential future offspring. Therefore, as mothers age, their investment into individual offspring should increase. Empirical evidence for an influence of declining residual reproductive value on maternal investment is unconvincing. Older mothers may not invest more, but may be more successful due to greater experience, allowing them to target their investment more appropriately (targeted reproductive effort hypothesis). Most studies do not preclude either hypothesis. Mare age significantly influenced maternal investment in feral horses living on the North Island of New Zealand. Older mares, that were more successful at raising foals, were more protective for the first 20 days of life, but less diligent thereafter. Total maternal input by older mothers did not seem to be any greater, but was better targeted at the most critical period for foal survival and a similar pattern was observed in mares that had lost a foal in the previous year. In addition, older mothers were more likely to foal in consecutive years, supporting the hypothesis that they are investing less than younger mares in individual offspring. Therefore, older mothers seem to become more successful by targeting their investment better due to experience, not by investing more in their offspring. Received: 22 September 1999 / Received in revised form: 30 October 1999 / Accepted: 6 November 1999     

Comparison of different methods for uranium determination in water

Photometry, laser photometry, liquid scintillation (LSC), gamma spectrometry and alpha spectrometry were used for estimating waterborne uranium concentration. The chemical procedures applied were pre-concentration, liquid extraction, chromatographic resin extraction and precipitation. Our results show that laser photometry is an easy and accurate method capable of estimating low uranium concentrations, parts of micrograms per litre. It is not applicable for higher concentrations, difficult water matrixes and isotope determination. The classical photometry is complementary, resolving the problem related to high concentrations, practically up to 10 mg/l. Alpha and gamma spectrometry resolve the problem of precise isotope determination, but with the disadvantage of hard chemical preparation and long measurement times. An intermediate method is LSC, with the problem of isotope estimation, due to poor energy resolution.     

Selenium geochemistry of paddy soils in Yangtze River Delta

Selenium (Se) content both in total and bioavailable forms were very low (25-35 and 9.5 micrograms/kg, respectively) in waterlogged paddy soils in the central Yangtze River Delta. This was due to changes in geochemistry and the inherent properties of the parent materials of these lowland paddy soils. The very low Se content (23 micrograms/kg) in the parent material resulted in low total Se content in the soil. The main chemical changes under long-term waterlogged conditions are depletion of molecular oxygen, decrease of redox potential, and reduction of Fe (III) to Fe (II) and SeO3(2-) to Se0. This led to low availability of Se in soils, and subsequently low Se content (29 micrograms/kg) in brown rice grain produced in this region. It has been suspected that low Se content in staple food might be one of the major reasons for a high infection rate of the intestine and stomach cancers and the higher death rate caused by these diseases in the region. Foliage spray of Na2SeO3 at early heading stage of rice plant growth improved the Se content of brown rice grain, hull, and straw, and would improve human and animal health.     

Simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal under low dissolved oxygen conditions

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Kinetic adsorption of application of carbon nanotubes for Pb（II） removal from aqueous solution

The capability of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to adsorb lead (Pb) in aqueous solution was investigated. Batch mode adsorption experiment was conducted to determine the effects of pH, agitation speed, CNTs dosage and contact time. The removal of Pb(II) was reach to maximum value 85% or 83% at pH 5 or 40 mg/L of CNTs, respectively. Higher correlation coefficients from Langmuir isotherm model indicates the strong adsorptions of Pb(II) on the surface of CNTs (adsorption capacity Xm = 102.04 mg/g). From this study, the results indicates that the highest percentage removal of Pb (96.03%) can be achieved at pH 5, 40 mg/L of CNTs, contact time 80 min, and agitation speed 50 r/min.     

Isolation of five Rubrobacter strains from biodeteriorated monuments

In the last few years, the microbial colonisation of mural paintings in ancient monuments has been attracting the attention of microbiologists and conservators. The genus Rubrobacter is commonly found in biodeteriorated monuments, where it has been reported to cause rosy discolouration. However, to date, only three species of this genus have been isolated, all from thermophilic environments. In this paper, we studied three monuments: the Servilia and Postumio tombs in the Roman Necropolis of Carmona (Spain), and Vilar de Frades church (Portugal), in search of Rubrobacter strains. In all cases, biodeterioration and the formation of efflorescences were observed, and five Rubrobacter strains were isolated. These isolates showed different physiology and migration in denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, suggesting they might represent new species within this genus. The isolates reproduced some biodeterioration processes in the laboratory and revealed their biomediation in crystal formation.     

Heavy metal concentrations in edible bivalves and gastropods available in major markets of the Pearl River Delta

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＩｔｉｓｉｎｃｒｅａｓｉｎｇｌｙｄｉｆｆｉｃｕｌｔｔｏｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒｍａｒｉｎｅｐｏｌｌｕｔｉｏｎｉｎＨｏｎｇＫｏｎｇｗｉｔｈｏｕｔｒｅｆｅｒｅｎｃｅｔｏＧｕａｎｇｄｏｎｇＰｒｏｖｉｎｃｅｏｒｔｈｅｅｎｔｉｒｅＰｅａｒｌＲｉｖｅｒＤｅｌｔａ.ＴｈｅＰｅａｒｌＲｉｖｅｒＤｅｌｔａｉｓｎｏｔｏｎｌｙａｇｅｏｍｏｒｐｈｉｃａｌｕｎｉｔｂｕｔａｌｓｏａｇｅｏｇｒａｐｈｉｃａｌｕｎｉｔａｎｄｔｈｅｓｃｏｐｅｏｆｔｈｅＰｅａｒｌＲｉｖｅｒＤｅｌｔａｓｈｏｕｌｄｉｎｃｌｕｄｅｍａｊｏ…     

露天煤矿声环境影响后评估——以胜利一号露天矿为例

本文以胜利一号露天矿为例,在主要噪声源强以及厂界和周边敏感目标的噪声级现状监测的基础上,对煤矿开发后声环境影响进行回顾性分析和验证性评价,结果表明：（1）煤矿四厂界环境噪声昼间和夜间均达到了《工业企业厂界环境噪声排放标准》（GB12348-2008）2类标准限值要求。噪声源中采掘场噪声较大,铁路装车站、铁路专用线以及破碎车间、机修车间、变电所、排水泵站、锅炉房等机修设备噪声源产生的噪声值相对较小。（2）随着煤矿开采量和开采面积的增加,露天煤矿采掘场噪声污染、厂界噪声和周边敏感点噪声会不断加大。而且,采掘场最大噪声级出现的方向也会随着开采方向的推进而变化。（3）验证性分析结果表明,胜利一号露天矿原环评结论较可靠,但预测结果相对偏低,偏低幅度昼间在5.2%-10.7%,夜间在2.4%-13.1%。（4）现状监测和回顾性分析表明,胜利一号露天矿噪声污染不太明显,目前采取的噪声防治措施起到了较好的防治效果。     

邻苯二甲酸二丁酯对大型蚤(Daphnia magna)的毒性作用研究

本研究选用大型蚤(Daphnia magna)作为实验生物,研究了邻苯二甲酸二丁酯(DBP)对其急性毒性作用和慢性毒性作用,同时还研究了环境因素(温度、硬度、腐殖酸)对DBP24h-EC(50)的影响.结果表明DBP对大型蚤的24h-EC_(50)为10.35mg·1~(-1),温度、硬度和腐殖酸对DBP24h-EC_(50)均有一定影响.DBP对大型蚤的捕食行为产生抑制,EC_(50)在 6—7mg·1~(-1)之间.慢性毒性实验结果表明DBP对大型蚤的生长繁殖产生一定影响,低浓度DBP对大型蚤生长繁殖有一定的刺激作用,高浓度DBP对大型蚤生长繁殖存在抑制作用,BDP的最大允许安全浓度为1—2mg·1~(-1).