Radioactivity measurements in moss (Hypnum cupressiforme) and lichen (Cladonia rangiformis) samples collected from Marmara region of Turkey

The present study was conducted to compare the ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th, and ²³⁸U activity concentrations in epigeic moss (Hypnum cupressiforme) and lichen (Cladonia rangiformis). The activity levels in 37 moss and 38 lichen samples collected from the Marmara region of Turkey were measured using a gamma spectrometer equipped with a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The activity concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th, and ²³⁸U in the moss samples were found to be in the range of 0.36-8.13, 17.1-181.1, 1.51-6.17, and 0.87-6.70 Bq kg⁻¹ respectively, while these values were below detection limit (BDL)-4.32, 16.6-240.0, 1.32-6.47, and BDL-3.57 Bq kg⁻¹ respectively in lichen. The average moss/lichen activity ratios of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th, and ²³⁸U were found to be 1.32 ± 0.57, 2.79 ± 1.67, 2.11 ± 0.82, and 2.19 ± 1.02, respectively. Very low ¹³⁷Cs concentrations were observed in moss and lichen samples compared to soil samples collected from the same locations in a previous study. Seasonal variations of the measured radionuclide activities were also examined in the three sampling stations.     

我国资源再生产业集群辨识研究

资源再生产业是解决资源危机、能源短缺和环境污染等问题的有效途径.近年来,我国资源再生产业发展迅速,在一些区域产业集群特征凸显.因此,本文采用产业集中度和区位商法,对我国资源再生产业在省域层面的集群情况进行定量分析.结果表明:我国资源再生产业集群特征非常明显,2007年产业集中度CR_4达到71.15%,广东、浙江和湖南三省已形成资源再生产业集群,2007年三省的区位商分别达到1.781、1.987、8.491;同时还发现重庆、湖北、天津、江苏、上海也初具集群雏形,为从产业集群角度探索我国资源再生产业发展模式提供依据.此外,在对广东、浙江和湖南三省产业集群进行深入分析和验证时还发现:广东、浙江模式与湖南模式具有明显不同,前者是再生资源禀赋和地方需求主导模式.而后者则是交易成本、区位交通优势和政府扶持共同作用的结果.     

Influence of Operating Conditions on the Removal Cd Ions from Aqueous Media by Adsorption Using Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii(C.reinhardtii)was used to study adsorption of cadmium(Cd)from aqueous media within various experimental conditions.Results showed that the adsorption process was very fast,with most of the adsorption occurring within30 min of contact time and the equilibrium state was reached in about 60 min.The adsorption ability of the algae increases with the increasing adsorptions sites on cells.Maximum adsorption was observed at the initial Cd concentration of 100 mg/L and pH 6.0.The adsorption was markedly inhibited in the presence of calcium and magnesium ions at 10 mM and the Cd removal efficiency was reduced by 16.54% and 14.99% respectively.This study would be a finding of note with regard to practical wastewater treatment.     

Nitrogen mediates above-ground effects of ozone but not below-ground effects in a rhizomatous sedge

Ozone and atmospheric nitrogen are co-occurring pollutants with adverse effects on natural grassland vegetation. Plants of the rhizomatous sedge Carex arenaria were exposed to four ozone regimes representing increasing background concentrations (background-peak): 10-30, 35-55, 60-80 and 85-105 ppb ozone at two nitrogen levels: 12 and 100 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Ozone increased the number and proportion of senesced leaves, but not overall leaf number. There was a clear nitrogen × ozone interaction with high nitrogen reducing proportional senescence in each treatment and increasing the ozone dose (AOT40) at which enhanced senescence occurred. Ozone reduced total biomass due to significant effects on root biomass. There were no interactive effects on shoot:root ratio. Rhizome tissue N content was increased by both nitrogen and ozone. Results suggest that nitrogen mediates above-ground impacts of ozone but not impacts on below-ground resource translocation. This may lead to complex interactive effects between the two pollutants on natural vegetation.     

Stable isotope signatures reflect competitiveness between trees under changed CO2/O3 regimes

Here we synthesize key findings from a series of experiments to gain new insight on inter-plant competition between juvenile beech (Fagus sylvatica) and spruce (Picea abies) under the influence of increased O₃ and CO₂ concentrations. Competitiveness of plants was quantified and mechanistically interpreted as space-related resource investments and gains. Stable isotopes were addressed as temporal integrators of plant performance, such as photosynthesis and its relation to water use and nitrogen uptake. In the weaker competitor, beech, efficiency in space-related aboveground resource investment was decreased in competition with spruce and positively related to Δ¹³C, as well as stomatal conductance, but negatively related to δ¹⁸O. Likewise, our synthesis revealed that strong belowground competition for water in spruce was paralleled in this species by high N assimilation capacity. We suggest combining the time-integrative potential of stable isotopes with space-related investigations of competitiveness to accomplish mechanistic understanding of plant competition for resources.     

Anthropogenic NOx emissions alter the intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi) for Quercus cerris stands under Mediterranean climate conditions

We investigated the effect of N deposition (Ndep) on intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUE_i), the ratio of photosynthesis (A) to stomatal conductance (g_s), for two Quercus cerris stands at different distances to an oil refinery in Southern Italy. We used δ¹³C in tree rings for assessing changes in WUE_i; while the influence of climate and NO_x emission was explored through δ¹⁸O and δ¹⁵N, respectively. Differences in WUE_i between the two sites were significant, with trees exposed to different degrees of NO_x emissions showing an abrupt increase with the onset of pollution. Assuming similar g_s at the two sites, as inferred through δ¹⁸O, the higher N availability at the polluted site caused the shift of the A/g_s ratio in favour of A. Overall, our result suggests that an increase of Ndep may enhance tree WUE under a scenario of reduction of precipitation predicted for Mediterranean area.     

A GIS-based technique for linking landscape characteristics to non-point source nitrogen export potential: implications for contributing areas management

A Nitrate-N Leaching Index (NLI) is calculated and the results indicate that nitrogen loss in the study area occurs through both leaching and surface runoff. A non-linear regression model of trapping efficiency was combined with a first order decay model to examine the impact of soil characteristics, slope, vegetative cover, land use and distance to streams on the spatial pattern of non-point source nitrogen inputs to streams. The model evaluates the statistical significance of each landscape factor and provides an easy interpretation of the landscape delivery ratio of nitrogen based on a pixel-based characterisation of the watershed. The model was validated by comparing the distributions of the observed and estimated monthly nitrogen concentrations. The exploratory GIS-based method presented here can improve the understanding of the impact of landscape characteristics on nitrate-nitrogen contributing areas and therefore assist watershed management efforts.     

人工快速渗滤系统的运行方式对复氧效果的影响

本文通过在CRI系统现场系统中湿干比,水力负荷周期和增加通气管对复氧效果的研究,发现在湿干比1∶6时,CRI系统对与复氧有关的指标CODCr、NH3-N的去除率较高,系统复氧效果较好;通过缩短系统水力负荷周期,加大系统淹水、落干频率,可以加大系统的复氧量,提高系统的复氧效率,CODCr和NH3-N的去除效果均有所提高;增加通气管对CRI系统复氧效果不明显。     

不同混合比牛粪玉米秸中温干发酵产沼性能

设置5组牛粪和玉米秸的混合物(干物质比为0∶1、1∶0、1∶1、1∶2、2∶1),研究其在中温35℃下干发酵产沼性能,以产沼性能最好实验组的实验数据为基础,对比研究了两类产气模型。研究结果显示:玉米秸与牛粪的混合干发酵运行效果较好;其中,牛粪和玉米秸干物质比为2∶1时产沼效果最好,产气量最高为81 209 mL,干物质产气率为0.312 m3/kg,整个发酵过程中产气量和甲烷的含量比较稳定,CH4含量最高达56.59%,总固体、挥发性固体的去除率相对较高,分别为26.11%和34.27%。一级动力学模型与多项式函数方程2个产气模型拟合检验结果显示,应用简单的多项式函数即可对产气情况进行相对准确的预测。     

Assessment of aquatic experimental versus predicted and extrapolated chronic toxicity data of four structural analogues

The present study was developed to assess the chronic toxicity predictions and extrapolations for a set of chlorinated anilines (aniline (AN), 4-chloroaniline (CA), 3,5-dichloroaniline (DCA) and 2,3,4-trichloroaniline (TCA)). Daphnia magna 21 d chronic experimental data was compared to the chronic toxicity predictions made by the US EPA ECOSAR QSAR tools and to acute-to-chronic extrapolations. Additionally, Species Sensitivity Distributions (SSDs) were constructed to assess the chronic toxicity variability among different species and to investigate the acute versus chronic toxicity in a multi-species context.Since chlorinated anilines are structural analogues with a designated polar narcotic mode of action, similar toxicity responses were assumed. However, rather large interchemical and interspecies differences in toxicity were observed. Compared to the other three test compounds, TCA exposure had a significantly larger impact on growth and reproduction of D. magna. Furthermore, this study illustrated that QSARs or a fixed ACR are not able to account for these interchemical and interspecies differences. Consequently, ECOSAR was found to be inadequate to predict the chronic toxicity of the anilines and the use of a fixed ACR (of 10) led to under of certain species. The experimental ACRs determined in D. magna were substantially different among the four aromatic amines (ACR of 32 for AN, 16.9 for CA, 5.7 for DCA and 60.8 for TCA). Furthermore, the SSDs illustrated that Danio rerio was rather insensitive to AN in comparison to another fish species, Phimphales promelas. It was therefore suggested that available toxicity data should be used in an integrative multi-species way, rather than using individual-based toxicity extrapolations. In this way, a relevant overview of the differences in species sensitivity is given, which in turn can serve as the basis for acute to chronic extrapolations.