气体分离循环对高温厌氧消化过程的影响

采用厌氧序批式反应器,研究了气体循环(包括气体直接循环和脱除气体中的氢气后循环)对以葡萄糖和乙酸钠配制的模拟废水在高温厌氧消化过程中乙酸代谢速率、出水性质及微生物相的影响,并采用尺寸排除色谱和三维荧光光谱技术,对溶解性微生物产物(SMP)的分子量分布和荧光物质组成进行了分析.结果显示,气体循环使得出水中残余挥发性脂肪酸的浓度由238.2mg/L(未脱氢)和129.6mg/L(脱氢)分别减少至8.5mg/L和8.2mg/L,并最终降低了SMP产量,45d时分别降至气体循环前的36.8%和59.2%.脱氢气体循环促进了乙酸化和乙酸氧化,导致了微生态环境和甲烷化基质浓度的差异,促进了高分子量SMP向低分子量SMP的转化,污泥中的微生物形态亦发生了较大变化.可见气体循环改善了基质与微生物的混合状况,改善了出水水质,而脱氢气体循环加速了乙酸的代谢,有望更快速地解除易降解有机物高温厌氧消化过程中的酸抑制,提高厌氧消化效率.     

基于径向基函数神经网络方法的城市生态压力预测

针对城市生态压力影响因素复杂,难以对城市未来可持续发展状况做出准确判断的问题,提出了城市生态压力的径向基函数神经网络预测模型,分析了影响城市生态系统的主要因素.以抚顺市1995-2009年数据为基础,验证了模型的准确性并预测了该市2010-2015年城市生态系统的压力情况.研究结果表明:能源消耗指标是影响城市生态系统压力的主要因素;运用径向基函数神经网络模型对训练样本的拟合精度以及对测试样本的仿真精度分别达97.91%和94.16%;抚顺市2015年的人均生态足迹、 生态承载力和生态赤字分别达到7.013、 0.523和6.49 hm²/人.     

Evaluation of potential toxic effects of occupational inhalation exposure to licorice root dust

Licorice, a plant indigenous to southern Europe, the Middle East, and northern China, exhibits several pharmacological properties, including estrogenic, anti-tumoral, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, and anti-tussive activities. Prolonged use of licorice is known to produce headaches, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, edema, lethargy, dyspnea, sodium retention and loss of potassium in humans. However, to date, the potential adverse health effects due to occupational inhalation exposure of licorice root dust remains unknown. This study was, therefore, undertaken to address this issue. In this cross-sectional study, individuals (30 workers) occupationally exposed to licorice root dust at a licorice producing plant in Shiraz, Iran were recruited. Similarly, 30 healthy male unexposed employees at a telecommunications industry, with identical demographic and socioeconomic status, without any past or current exposure to licorice dust or habitual ingestion of this compound, served as the referent group. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured. Further, individuals underwent electrocardiography, clinical examination and blood chemistry tests. To assess the extent to which subjects were exposed to licorice root dust, atmospheric concentrations of this compound were also measured in the plant. There were no differences in age, weight, height and duration of exposure to licorice dust or length of employment between exposed and referent groups. Atmospheric measurement of licorice dust showed that concentration exceeded the permissible limit of 5 mg m^?3. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures of exposed subjects were significantly higher than those of the referent group. Similarly, blood analysis revealed that serum concentrations of potassium and platelet counts were significantly lower in exposed subjects than in referent individuals. Questionnaire data demonstrated that symptoms such as headaches, lethargy, and vertigo were more common in exposed subjects. No abnormal changes were noted in the electrocardiographs of exposed or referent subjects. Our findings provide evidence that inhalation exposure to high concentrations of licorice dust is associated with an increased prevalence of headache, lethargy, and vertigo, as well as hypertension and hypokalemia. None of these changes resulted in increased morbidity and mortality in exposed workers.     

Influence of manufacturing process on the residues of certain fungicides used on tea

Green tea shoots which were sprayed with fungicides such as hexaconazole, propiconazole, carbendazim, and tridemorph were collected from tea bushes after 24 h of fungicide application to study the effect of manufacturing process on the residues. Significant loss of residues was noted at each stage of the manufacturing process. The total loss in residues upon manufacturing of these fungicides ranged from 12.20% to 57.14%. Among the various influential factors that determine the loss of residues, vapor pressure of the fungicides was most prominent in the contribution to residue loss. A high vapor pressure of the fungicide tridemorph amounted to a residue loss of 57.14%, while the low vapor pressure of the other three fungicides caused a loss of less than 22.22%.     

Early murine immune responses from endotracheal exposures to biotechnology-related Bacillus strains

An immunology-based in vivo screening regime was used to assess the potential pathogenicity of biotechnology-related microbes. Strains of Bacillus cereus (Bc), Bacillus subtilis (Bs), Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), and Bt commercial products (CPs) were tested. Balb/c mice were endotracheally instilled with purified spores, diluted CP, or vegetative cells (VC) (live or dead). Exposed mice were evaluated for changes in behavioral and physical symptoms, bacterial clearance, pulmonary granulocytes, and pulmonary and circulatory pyrogenic cytokines (interleukins (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α), as well as acute phase biomarkers (fibrinogen and serum amyloid A). Except for some differences in clearance rates, no marked effects were observed in mice exposed to any spore at 10⁶ or 10⁷ colony forming units (cfu). In contrast, live Bc or Bt VCs (10⁵ or 10⁶?cfu) produced shock-like symptoms (lethargy, hunched appearance, ruffled fur, and respiratory distress), and 11–200-fold elevations in pyrogenic cytokines at 2-h post-exposure. In the study, 4-h effects included increased lethargy, ocular discharge, and 1.5–4-fold rise in circulatory acute phase markers, but no indications of recovery. Bs VC did not produce any changes in symptoms or biomarkers. After 2 or 4?h of exposure to dead VC, increases of only plasma IL-1β and TNF-α (4.6- and 12.4-fold, respectively) were observed. These findings demonstrate that purified spores produced no marked effects in mice compared to that of metabolically active bacteria. This early screening regime was successful in distinguishing the pathogenicity of the different Bacillus species, and might be useful for assessing the relative hazard potential of other biotechnology-related candidate strains.     

Oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes modified with 2-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)-4,5-diphenyl imidazole for solid phase extraction and preconcentration of some metal ions

In this work, a new procedure for the enrichment of the trace amount of Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Pb²⁺, Fe²⁺, and Zn²⁺ ions based on the utilization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) modified with 2-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)-4,5-diphenyl imidazole as chelating agent prior to their determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry has been described. The influence of effective parameters including pH, amount of ligand and MWCNT, composition of eluent, and coexisting ions on recoveries of understudy metal ions was examined. At the optimum pH of 5.0, all metal ions were quantitatively sorbed onto the proposed solid phase and completely desorbed with 8?mL of 5.0?mol?L^?1 HNO₃. The detection limit of Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺, Fe²⁺, and Zn²⁺ ions was 1.7, 2.4, 2.3, 2.9, 2.8, and 1.4?µg?L^?1, while the preconcentration factor was 63 for Cu²⁺ and 94 for the other metal ions and relative standard deviations between 1.8 less than 3.0%. The proposed procedure was applied for the analysis of various samples.     

Determination of cadmium in water and herbal medicine by Penicillium chrysogenum immobilized on silica gel for flame atomic absorption spectroscopy

Penicillium chrysogenum was immobilized on silica to develop a simple and cost effective method for solid phase extraction of Cd(II) and determination using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The sorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and packed into a column. The conditions for quantitative sorption and desorption of Cd(II) were optimized. The preconcentration factor was 100 while detection limit was 0.61 µg L^?1 with a relative standard deviation of 1.0%. The method was applied for determination of Cd in herbal medicine and tap water.     

Effects of the level of dietary protein on the toxicity of hexachlorocyclohexane in rats

Male albino rats were fed for 28 days from weaning on diets containing 5% (group 1), 10% (group 2) and 21% (group 3, normal protein) protein as casein. At the end of dietary period, HCH was administered daily for 30 days to investigate the interaction between protein deficiency and pesticide toxicity. The results indicated that rats fed a lower protein diet and HCH had a higher mortality, lower rate of growth, increased liver weight and deposition of the pesticide in blood and tissues in larger amounts. Blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) was significantly increased and the heart rate showed tachycardia in low protein exposed animals. A significant increase of total lipids, cholesterol, triglycirides, free fatty acids in serum and tissues of animals exposed to low protein was observed. A close correlation existed between lipid accumulation and storage of HCH in tissues and dietary protein seemed to play an important role in detoxification.     

Pah characteristics in ambient air within a steel industrial complex

Ambient air samples at ten sites in an iron and steel industrial complex were collected from June to December for analyzing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Sixteen species of PAH components in air samples were identified. The results indicate that both gaseous phase and particle‐bound PAHs at the top of the cokemaking plants are unusually high. The profiles of particle‐bound PAHs indicate that the predominant species at the top of, the coke oven batteries are those of high molecular weight components. The major components of particle‐bound PAHs at sampling sites near the fenceline, however, include the medium molecular weight components. The PAH profiles of air samples within the industrial complex show a strong similarity to those of cokemaking plant samples. The concentrations and the specific content of benzo(a)pyrene in the iron and steel industrial complex are higher than those values measured in urban area, petrochemical industry park, and open‐air burning area.     

Cleanup by solid‐phase extraction and HPLC of organochlorine insecticides and PCBS in various nonfatty and fatty samples

An accurate, simple and cheap extraction and cleanup procedure for capillary GC analysis of organo‐chlorine insecticides (OCs) in vegetables (cabbage and carrots) at the ng/g level, and for soil at the μg/g level is presented. The cleanup is carried out on solid‐phase extraction (SPE) cartridges, filled with 500 mg silica, 1 g of deactivated Florisil (10% w/w water), and 100 mg of anhydrous sodium sulphate. Recoveries >90% are obtained. The cleanup of OCs in fatty samples on an HPLC LiChrosorb Si 100 column is evaluated for subsequent capillary GC analysis. Fractionation of OCs and Aroclor 1254 and 1260 on an HPLC Nucleosil 100 column appears to be satisfactory.