Use of total 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol as an independent biomarker to classify smoking status

Biomarkers of exposure to tobacco smoke are needed. The objective of this study was to develop total 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) as a biomarker of tobacco smoke independent of serum cotinine. Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used to estimate cut-off points on NNAL scale to differentiate participants in various classes of smoking status. A cut-off of 13.4 pg/mL for NNAL differentiated smokers from nonsmokers with a specificity and sensitivity of 92%. NNAL can be used as an independent biomarker of exposure to tobacco smoke with high specificity and sensitivity.     

基于非本地物种毒性数据推导出的水质基准可为本地物种提供适当保护吗？

基于非本地物种的毒性数据推导出的水质基准一直存在争议,质疑者提出应有针对不同生物区系的水质基准。而这个问题在中国尤为突出。本文作者搜集了38种污染物对本地物种和非本地物种的毒性数据,比较了这些生物的HC₅和物种敏感度分布,结果显示,基于非本地物种推导的水质基准有74%的确定性可以有效保护中国的水生态系统。如果采用评价因子(AF=5)来校正基准,那么可以获得90%的确定性。
精选自Xiaowei Jin, Zijian Wang, Yeyao Wang, Yibing Lv, Kaifeng Rao, Wei Jin, John P. Giesy and Kenneth M. Y. Leung. Do water quality criteria based on nonnative species provide appropriate protection for native species? Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry: Volume 34, Issue 8, pages 1744–1750, August 2015. DOI: 10.1002/etc.2985
详情请见http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.2985/full     

Number of COVID-19 cases required in a population to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater in the province of Alberta, Canada: Sensitivity assessment

With a unique and large size of testing results of 1,842 samples collected from 12 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) for 14 months through from low to high prevalence of COVID-19, the sensitivity of RT-qPCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater that correspond to the communities was computed by using Probit analysis. This study determined the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population required to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater at defined probabilities and provided an evidence-based framework of wastewater-based epidemiology surveillance (WBE). Input data were positive and negative test results of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater samples and the corresponding new COVID-19 case rates per 100,000 population served by each WWTP. The analyses determined that RT-qPCR-based SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection threshold at 50%, 80% and 99% probability required a median of 8 (range: 4-19), 18 (9-43), and 38 (17-97) of new COVID-19 cases /100,000, respectively. Namely, the positive detection rate at 50%, 80% and 99% probability were 0.01%, 0.02%, and 0.04% averagely for new cases in the population. This study improves understanding of the performance of WBE SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection using the large datasets and prolonged study period. Estimated COVID-19 burden at a community level that would result in a positive detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is critical to support WBE application as a supplementary warning/monitoring system for COVID-19 prevention and control.     

Use of Population Viability Analysis to Evaluate CITES Trade‐Management Options for Threatened Marine Fishes

Abstract: Achieving multiple conservation objectives can be challenging, particularly under high uncertainty. Having agreed to limit seahorse (Hippocampus) exports to sustainable levels, signatories to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) were offered the option of a single 10‐cm minimum size limit (MSL) as an interim management measure for all Hippocampus species (≥34). Although diverse stakeholders supported the recommended MSL, its biological and socioeconomic implications were not assessed quantitatively. We combined population viability analysis, model sensitivity analysis, and economic information to evaluate the trade‐off between conservation threat to and long‐term cumulative income from these exploited marine fishes of high conservation concern. We used the European long‐snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) as a representative species to compare the performance of MSLs set at alternative biological reference points. Our sensitivity analyses showed that in most of our scenarios, setting the MSL just above size at maturity (9.7 cm in H. guttulatus) would not prevent exploited populations from becoming listed as vulnerable. By contrast, the relative risk of decline and extinction were almost halved—at a cost of only a 5.6% reduction in long‐term catches—by increasing the MSL to the size reached after at least one full reproductive season. On the basis of our analysis, a precautionary increase in the MSL could be compatible with sustaining fishers' livelihoods and international trade. Such management tactics that aid species conservation and have minimal effects on long term catch trends may help bolster the case for CITES trade management of other valuable marine fishes.     

Conservation Planning when Costs Are Uncertain

Abstract: Spatially explicit information on the financial costs of conservation actions can improve the ability of conservation planning to achieve ecological and economic objectives, but the magnitude of this improvement may depend on the accuracy of the cost estimates. Data on costs of conservation actions are inherently uncertain. For example, the cost of purchasing a property for addition to a protected‐area network depends on the individual landholder's preferences, values, and aspirations, all of which vary in space and time, and the effect of this uncertainty on the conservation priority of a site is relatively untested. We investigated the sensitivity of the conservation priority of sites to uncertainty in cost estimates. We explored scenarios for expanding (four‐fold) the protected‐area network in Queensland, Australia to represent a range of vegetation types, species, and abiotic environments, while minimizing the cost of purchasing new properties. We estimated property costs for 17, 790 10 × 10 km sites with data on unimproved land values. We systematically changed property costs and noted how these changes affected conservation priority of a site. The sensitivity of the priority of a site to changes in cost data was largely dependent on a site's importance for meeting conservation targets. Sites that were essential or unimportant for meeting targets maintained high or low priorities, respectively, regardless of cost estimates. Sites of intermediate conservation priority were sensitive to property costs and represented the best option for efficiency gains, especially if they could be purchased at a lower price than anticipated. Thus, uncertainty in cost estimates did not impede the use of cost data in conservation planning, and information on the sensitivity of the conservation priority of a site to estimates of the price of land can be used to inform strategic conservation planning before the actual price of the land is known.     

Instrument tuning for trace analysis of dioxins and furans for the vg 70s/se gas chromatography/mass spectrometry system using electron impact mode

We present the salient characteristics of tuning procedures that have evolved from our 3 years of experience while producing large amounts of data of the highest quality. Our laboratory routinely analyzes 2,3,7,8‐substituted dioxins and furans at parts per quadrillion levels in 50–100 g of human serum samples using the VG 70S/SE stand‐alone gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) system at 10000 resolution (defined by 5% overlap) in the selected ion recording mode. Trace measurement of dioxins and furans in human biological matrices—for example, whole blood, serum, or adipose tissue‐requires reproducible instrument tuning within day as well as among days for quality results. Additionally, instument‐tuning procedures among operators must be reproducible to minimize operator bias because periodically different operators are used. Instrument tuning is highly subjective and argumentive; therefore, to minimize the ambiguity within our laboratory, we have standardized our technique to reproducibly tune the GC/MS system.     

Use of dimethyl sulfoxide as solubilization agent in the detection of 2,3,7,8-TCDD by radioimmunoassay

Immunoassays are potentially valuable tools for use in screening environmental samples for a broad range of contaminants, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs). The performance of the radioimmunoassay (RIA) for PCDDs was characterized using 4 solubilization systems: Cutscum, Triton, horse serum, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The DMSO based assay appeared to perform best at low 2,3,7,8-TCDD levels. The effects of assay incubation time and hapten storage conditions on the DMSO based assay were assessed. The separation of bound from unbound radioactivity was accelerated without adversely affecting assay performance. Further assay development through the use of an alternative labelled hapten is considered.     

多介质环境循环模型的研究进展

多介质环境模型是８０年代发展起来的新型环境数学模型，它将各种不同环境介质单元同导致污染物跨过介质间交界面的各种过程相连接，对污染物的过程，迁移和归趋进行模拟，对环境影响的早期评价、化学品的环境暴露和安全管理具有重要的意义。本文就多介质环境数学模型的基本理论、研究现状、应用前景和发展趋势作了综述和展望，并提出了值得开展研究的若干前沿课题。文章还给出５幅图解和约１００篇参考文献。     

长江中游地区生态系统服务价值空间分异及敏感性分析

生态系统功能的不断退化是人类当前面临的一个共同挑战,是全球可持续发展研究的焦点问题。长江中游地区生态环境保护对于构建中国生态安全格局具有重要作用,为了深入分析长江中游地区土地利用活动对生态系统功能的干扰程度,基于长江中游地区生态系统服务价值评价结果,采用土地利用变化生态贡献度和生态系统服务价值敏感性方法进行测度。研究结果表明：（1）研究期间长江中游地区地均生态系统服务价值经历了“先增加后降低”的变化过程,山区地均生态系统服务价值高于平原地区、城市群地区、大城市周边县区以及主要交通道路沿线地区,长江中游地区生态系统服务价值总体变化呈现“两纵三横”的空间分布格局;（2）1995-2015年间退耕还林、还水、还湿是长江中游地区生态系统改善的主要原因,毁林开荒、围湖造田以及建设用地对林地和耕地的占用是长江中游地区生态系统恶化的主要原因;（3）食物生产、原材料生产、气体调节、土壤保持和维持生物多样性等五种类型生态系统功能敏感性有所增加,其他类型生态系统功能敏感性逐渐减弱。研究结果可为长江中游地区生态环境保护,保障生态系统服务各项子功能的持续供给提供科学指导。     

卡尔曼滤波方法在地下水污染源反演中的应用

采用卡尔曼滤波方法反演识别地下水污染源的个数和大概位置.借助一个假想算例,建立地下水系统水流和溶质运移模拟模型,利用灵敏度分析方法筛选出对模拟结果影响最大的参数作为随机变量,对该参数进行抽样,运用蒙特卡罗方法将抽样结果输入模拟模型,生成污染质浓度场.采用卡尔曼滤波方法构造迭代过程,逐个利用采样点处浓度的实测值不断更新综合浓度场.引入模糊集理论表示污染羽,对比综合污染羽和单个污染羽的模糊集来更新各潜在污染源的权重,根据潜在污染源权重大小和综合污染羽收敛形状判断真实污染源的个数和大概位置.算例结果表明：采用卡尔曼滤波方法可以成功反演识别出地下水污染中真实污染源的准确个数和大概位置;引入模糊集理论表示污染羽,通过对比综合污染羽和单个污染羽的模糊集,可以确定各潜在污染源的权重.