Biosorption of nickel(II) from aqueous solution by Aspergillus niger: Response surface methodology and isotherm study

In the present study, the effects of biosorbent Aspergillus niger dosage, initial solution pH and initial Ni(II) concentration on the uptake of Ni(II) by NaOH pretreated biomass of A. niger from aqueous solution were investigated. Batch experiments were carried out in order to model and optimize the biosorption process. The influence of three parameters on the uptake of Ni(II) was described using a response surface methodology (RSM) as well as Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Optimum Ni(II) uptake of 4.82 mg Ni(II) g⁻¹ biomass (70.30%) was achieved at pH 6.25, biomass dosage of 2.98 g L⁻¹ and initial Ni(II) concentration of 30.00 mg L⁻¹ Ni(II). Langmuir and Freundlich were able to describe the biosorption isotherm fairly well. However, prediction of Ni(II) biosorption using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms was relatively poor in comparison with RSM approaches. The biosorption mechanism was also investigated by using Fourier transfer infrared (FT-IR) analysis of untreated, NaOH pretreated, and Ni(II) loaded A. niger biomass.     

Degassing of H/He, CFCs and SF6 by denitrification: Measurements and two-phase transport simulations

The production of N₂ gas by denitrification may lead to the appearance of a gas phase below the water table prohibiting the conservative transport of tracer gases required for groundwater dating. We used a two-phase flow and transport model (STOMP) to study the reliability of ³H/³He, CFCs and SF₆ as groundwater age tracers under agricultural land where denitrification causes degassing. We were able to reproduce the amount of degassing (R² = 69%), as well as the ³H (R² = 79%) and ³He (R² = 76%) concentrations observed in a ³H/³He data set using simple 2D models. We found that the TDG correction of the ³H/³He age overestimated the control ³He/³He age by 2.1 years, due to the accumulation of ³He in the gas phase. The total uncertainty of degassed ³H/³He ages of 6 years (± 2 σ) is due to the correction of degassed ³He using the TDG method, but also due to the travel time in the unsaturated zone and the diffusion of bomb peak ³He. CFCs appear to be subject to significant degradation in anoxic groundwater and SF₆ is highly susceptible to degassing. We conclude that ³H/³He is the most reliable method to date degassed groundwater and that two-phase flow models such as STOMP are useful tools to assist in the interpretation of degassed groundwater age tracer data.     

大连市中心区O3污染特征分析

本文采用2007年大连市环境自动监测数据,分析了城市中心区O3的污染特征。结果表明：O3质量浓度的最大值出现在午后15：00—17：00,比太阳辐射强度最大值的出现时间滞后2h左右;O3质量浓度的季节性变化十分显著,春夏季较高,秋季次之,冬季最低;汽车尾气是近地面O3污染的主要原因。     

废聚碳酸酯水解法制双酚A

以1,4-二氧六环为溶剂、NaOH为催化剂,采用废聚碳酸酯(PC)常压水解法制双酚A(BPA).对反应影响因素进行了研究.实验结果表明,在反应温度为100℃、反应时间为8h、m(NaOH):m(水+溶剂)=1:33、m(溶剂):m(PC)=4:1、m(水):m(PC)=1:1的最佳反应条件下,PC水解率大于98%,BPA收率大于95%.     

MSBR法处理焦化废水

焦化废水成分复杂,是一种较难处理的工业废水.试验采用MSBR法对其进行处理,考察了5组水力停留时问(66h,39h,28 h,20 h,17 h)下不同反应阶段(厌氧池、缺氧池、好氧池、SBR出水)对水样的处理效果.结果显示,HRT总为66h条件下.CODCr去除率为82%,效果相对最好,并且每组HRT下焦化废水中的CODCr均是在 MSBR系统前置的厌/缺氧池(A2)已得到大幅度去除.但硝化作用受到抑制,NH3-N的去除效果并不明显.     

双酚A及其类似物对斑马鱼胚胎及幼鱼的毒性效应

为探讨双酚A及其类似物对鱼类早期生长发育的毒性效应,研究了双酚A及其7种类似物对斑马鱼胚胎及仔鱼的毒性效应。通过对胚胎的孵化率、心率、仔鱼体长等指标进行测定分析,结果显示:(1)双酚A及其7种类似物都可使斑马鱼胚胎出现心包水肿、卵黄囊肿、脊柱弯曲和尾部弯曲等症状。(2)综合考虑斑马鱼78 hpf胚胎心率、120 hpf胚胎孵化率及7 dpf仔鱼体长抑制率等指标,8种受试物中双酚P(BPP)的毒性最大,其次是双酚AP(BPAP)、双酚AF(BPAF)、双酚Z(BPZ),然后是双酚A(BPA)、双酚B(BPB)、双酚F(BPF),双酚S(BPS)的毒性最小,每种受试物的浓度与受精卵的孵化率、仔鱼心率呈明显负相关关系,与体长抑制率呈明显正相关关系。8种受试物毒性与辛醇-水分配系数(log K_(OW))呈正相关关系,log K_(OW)越大毒性则越大。     

苏丹红I对小鼠卵巢的损伤作用及对Caspase-3和Ki-67表达的影响

苏丹红是一种人工合成偶氮染料,可引起肝脏及泌尿系统等多个脏器的肿瘤,但苏丹红对生殖系统的毒性研究较少。本研究以昆明小鼠为受试对象,探讨苏丹红I对小鼠卵巢组织Caspase-3和Ki-67表达的影响。将24只昆明小鼠随机分为:对照组、低剂量(60 mg·kg~(-1))、中剂量(120 mg·kg~(-1))、高剂量(240 mg·kg~(-1))4组,6只/组。胃灌4周,4周末处死。HE染色观察各组卵巢组织病理变化,免疫组化法检测卵巢组织Caspase-3和Ki-67表达,Real time PCR检测卵巢组织Caspase-3和Ki-67 m RNA表达,Western blotting检测卵巢组织中Ki-67及Caspase-3蛋白表达。与对照组比较,实验组卵巢中Caspase-3阳性细胞率显著升高(P0.05),而Ki-67阳性细胞率显著降低(P0.05),Real time PCR及Western blotting结果与免疫组化法结果一致。本实验发现苏丹红染毒后颗粒细胞的Caspase-3表达增加,且Caspase-3表达呈剂量依赖性,但Ki-67表达受到抑制。     

Performance of IUCN proxies for generation length

One of the criteria used by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to assess threat status is the rate of decline in abundance over 3 generations or 10 years, whichever is longer. The traditional method for calculating generation length (T) uses age‐specific survival and fecundity, but these data are rarely available. Consequently, proxies that require less information are often used, which introduces potential biases. The IUCN recommends 2 proxies based on adult mortality rate, = α + 1/d, and reproductive life span, = α + z^*RL, where α is age at first reproduction, d is adult mortality rate, RL is reproductive life span, and z is a coefficient derived from data for comparable species. We used published life tables for 78 animal and plant populations to evaluate precision and bias of these proxies by comparing and with true generation length. Mean error rates in estimating T were 31% for and 20% for , but error rates for were 16% when we subtracted 1 year ( ), as suggested by theory; also provided largely unbiased estimates regardless of the true generation length. Performance of depends on compilation of detailed data for comparable species, but our results suggest taxonomy is not a reliable indicator of comparability. All 3 proxies depend heavily on a reliable estimate of age at first reproduction, as we illustrated with 2 test species. The relatively large mean errors for all proxies emphasized the importance of collecting the detailed life‐history information necessary to calculate true generation length. Unfortunately, publication of such data is less common than it was decades ago. We identified generic patterns of age‐specific change in vital rates that can be used to predict expected patterns of bias from applying .     

Effectiveness of Africa's tropical protected areas for maintaining forest cover

The effectiveness of parks for forest conservation is widely debated in Africa, where increasing human pressure, insufficient funding, and lack of management capacity frequently place significant demands on forests. Tropical forests house a substantial portion of the world's remaining biodiversity and are heavily affected by anthropogenic activity. We analyzed park effectiveness at the individual (224 parks) and national (23 countries) level across Africa by comparing the extent of forest loss (as a proxy for deforestation) inside parks to matched unprotected control sites. Although significant geographical variation existed among parks, the majority of African parks had significantly less forest loss within their boundaries (e.g., Mahale Park had 34 times less forest loss within its boundary) than control sites. Accessibility was a significant driver of forest loss. Relatively inaccessible areas had a higher probability (odds ratio >1, p < 0.001) of forest loss but only in ineffective parks, and relatively accessible areas had a higher probability of forest loss but only in effective parks. Smaller parks less effectively prevented forest loss inside park boundaries than larger parks (T = ?2.32, p < 0.05), and older parks less effectively prevented forest loss inside park boundaries than younger parks (F_2,154 = ?4.11, p < 0.001). Our analyses, the first individual and national assessment of park effectiveness across Africa, demonstrated the complexity of factors (such as geographical variation, accessibility, and park size and age) influencing the ability of a park to curb forest loss within its boundaries.     

Why social values cannot be changed for the sake of conservation

The hope for creating widespread change in social values has endured among conservation professionals since early calls by Aldo Leopold for a “land ethic.” However, there has been little serious attention in conservation to the fields of investigation that address values, how they are formed, and how they change. We introduce a social–ecological systems conceptual approach in which values are seen not only as motivational goals people hold but also as ideas that are deeply embedded in society's material culture, collective behaviors, traditions, and institutions. Values define and bind groups, organizations, and societies; serve an adaptive role; and are typically stable across generations. When abrupt value changes occur, they are in response to substantial alterations in the social–ecological context. Such changes build on prior value structures and do not result in complete replacement. Given this understanding of values, we conclude that deliberate efforts to orchestrate value shifts for conservation are unlikely to be effective. Instead, there is an urgent need for research on values with a multilevel and dynamic view that can inform innovative conservation strategies for working within existing value structures. New directions facilitated by a systems approach will enhance understanding of the role values play in shaping conservation challenges and improve management of the human component of conservation.