In vivo and in vitro metabolism of tobacco-specific nitrosamine, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), by the freshwater planarian, Dugesia japonica

Cigarette smoke is a risk factor for human health, and many studies were conducted to investigate its adverse effects on humans and other mammals. However, since large amounts of cigarette products are produced and consumed, it is possible that tobacco chemicals can end up in aquatic environments through several routes, thus influencing aquatic organisms. In this study, the presence of tobacco-specific nitrosamine (TSNA), 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), in aquatic environment was demonstrated. Since toxic effects on and distribution patterns of tobacco chemicals in aquatic organisms were rarely studied, after results of an acute toxicity pretest were obtained, experiment was conducted to investigate the bioaccumulation pattern of NNK and distribution patterns of its metabolites, mainly 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), in NNK-treated freshwater planarians, Dugesia japonica. Results from in vivo and in vitro studies showed that NNK was readily converted to NNAL through the carbonyl reduction in bodies of NNK-treated planarians. Tissue concentrations of both chemicals increased in time- and dose-dependent manners. Furthermore, we examined the end products of NNK/NNAL α-hydroxylation in NNK-treated planarians, but only 1-(3-pyridyl)-1,4-butanediol was detected, suggesting that NNK metabolism in planarians partially differs from that in mammalian systems. This is the first report on NNK metabolism in an aquatic organism and can be used as a foundation for developing freshwater planarians as a new in vivo model for the study of NNK toxicology in the future.     

我国“十一五”火力发电企业关停容量及节能分析与建议

从我国节能减排的政策出发,分析了“十一五”期间我国已关停的小火电机组容量、机组装机范围、企业分布等特征,以及其节能降耗与环保效果。预测了“十一五”关停小火电机组容量,并提出了相关建议。     

Sensitivity of Stream flow and Water Table Depth to Potential Climatic Variability in a Coastal Forested Watershed1

Dai, Zhaohua, Carl C. Trettin, Changsheng Li, Devendra M. Amatya, Ge Sun, and Harbin Li, 2010. Sensitivity of Streamflow and Water Table Depth to Potential Climatic Variability in a Coastal Forested Watershed. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 1–13. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00474.x Abstract: A physically based distributed hydrological model, MIKE SHE, was used to evaluate the effects of altered temperature and precipitation regimes on the streamflow and water table in a forested watershed on the southeastern Atlantic coastal plain. The model calibration and validation against both streamflow and water table depth showed that the MIKE SHE was applicable for predicting the streamflow and water table dynamics for this watershed with an acceptable model efficiency (E > 0.5 for daily streamflow and >0.75 for monthly streamflow). The simulation results from changing temperature and precipitation scenarios indicate that climate change influences both streamflow and water table in the forested watershed. Compared to current climate conditions, the annual average streamflow increased or decreased by 2.4% with one percentage increase or decrease in precipitation; a quadratic polynomial relationship between changes in water table depth (cm) and precipitation (%) was found. The annual average water table depth and annual average streamflow linearly decreased with an increase in temperature within the range of temperature change scenarios (0-6°C). The simulation results from the potential climate change scenarios indicate that future climate change will substantially impact the hydrological regime of upland and wetland forests on the coastal plain with corresponding implications to altered ecosystem functions that are dependent on water.     

Private capital: What impedes its entry into China's minerals industry

The paper commences with an analysis of the nature and status of private capital investment in the minerals industry in China. Based on the analysis, the authors examine the main barriers in terms of the mineral rights market, industry access and investment security that impede the participation of private capital into exploration and development of China's mineral resources. The discussion addresses how to encourage the participation of private capital into mining investment and it concludes that it is of significant importance to ensure the soundness of mineral rights market, impartiality of industry access, and security of mineral rights.     

Evaluation of the MIKE SHE Model for Application in the Loess Plateau,China1

Abstract: Quantifying the hydrologic responses to land use/land cover change and climate variability is essential for integrated sustainable watershed management in water limited regions such as the Loess Plateau in Northwestern China where an adaptive watershed management approach is being implemented. Traditional empirical modeling approach to quantifying the accumulated hydrologic effects of watershed management is limited due to its complex nature of soil and water conservation practices (e.g., biological, structural, and agricultural measures) in the region. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of the distributed hydrologic model, MIKE SHE to simulate basin runoff. Streamflow data measured from an overland flow‐dominant watershed (12 km²) in northwestern China were used for model evaluation. Model calibration and validation suggested that the model could capture the dominant runoff process of the small watershed. We found that the physically based model required calibration at appropriate scales and estimated model parameters were influenced by both temporal and spatial scales of input data. We concluded that the model was useful for understanding the rainfall‐runoff mechanisms. However, more measured data with higher temporal resolution are needed to further test the model for regional applications.     

基于环境自净能力的龙凤湿地水质改善优化调控模型

为解决城市湿地生态系统存在的严重污染问题,找到合理的排污削减方案,选择大庆市龙凤湿地作为研究对象,以主要的污染物NH_3-N、TP、COD_(Cr)和石油类污染物为指标,应用MIKE21建立试验湿地二维水动力和水质耦合模型,采用数值模拟的方法,研究提出湿地水质改善的优化调控模型.进而,采用模拟试验研究了清淤、曝气、补水及上述措施两两组合下的调控方案对改善龙凤湿地水质效果的影响.结果表明:单一工程措施下无法使染物削减到控制目标浓度,各类措施的削减效果为补水清淤曝气;在各组合情况下,补水+清淤方案的削减作用更佳;在工程措施相同情况下,提高排污标准也能起到削减作用.最后,在考虑不同排污方式下既能使污染物排放达标、又能充分利用湿地纳污能力的前提下,优选出了最佳方案.     

广州市主要污染物总量减排环境绩效评价

＂十一五＂期间,广州市主要污染物COD和SO2排放总量持续下降,经初步核算,2010年COD和SO2排放量分别比2005年下降2.7万吨和6.5万吨,减排比例分别达到19.7%和43%,总量减排工作顺利完成.减排对环境改善明显,珠江广州河段主要污染指标浓度值均有所下降,COD年均浓度从2005的20.7毫克/升下降至2010年的13.6毫克/升,下降幅度〈34.3%,整体水环境质量得到根本好转;空气环境质量优良率逐年上升,大气主要污染指标年均浓度值基本呈现逐年下降的态势,SO2从2005年年平均浓度为0.053毫克/立方米下降至2010年的0.033毫克/立方米,下降幅度达37.7%,空气质量持续得到好转.     

考虑水温变化的变降解系数在北京市北运河水质模拟中的应用

综合降解系数是水质模拟预测、水环境容量计算中的关键参数之一,并且受温度影响较大。首先基于北京市北运河代表站2010年逐日水温资料,根据描述氨氮降解系数与温度之间数量关系的经验公式,得到随水温变化的动态降解系数以及年均水温对应的恒定降解系数,并采用模型试错法进行修正。然后基于MIKE11模型,模拟了采用变降解系数和恒定降解系数2种情景下北运河榆林庄断面氨氮浓度的变化。结果表明:2种情景均能较好地模拟氨氮浓度的年变化趋势,但采用变降解系数下大多月份模拟得到的月均质量浓度相对实测值误差较小,尤其是4—12月各月平均质量浓度模拟误差控制在15%以内,全年日均质量浓度模拟误差不足4%,模型表现更为稳定。     

Bolder science needed now for protected areas

Recognizing that protected areas (PAs) are essential for effective biodiversity conservation action, the Convention on Biological Diversity established ambitious PA targets as part of the 2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity. Under the strategic goal to “improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity,” Target 11 aims to put 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine regions under PA status by 2020. Additionally and crucially, these areas are required to be of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative, and well‐connected and to include “other effective area‐based conservation measures” (OECMs). Whereas the area‐based targets are explicit and measurable, the lack of guidance for what constitutes important and representative; effective; and OECMs is affecting how nations are implementing the target. There is a real risk that Target 11 may be achieved in terms of area while failing the overall strategic goal for which it is established because the areas are poorly located, inadequately managed, or based on unjustifiable inclusion of OECMs. We argue that the conservation science community can help establish ecologically sensible PA targets to help prioritize important biodiversity areas and achieve ecological representation; identify clear, comparable performance metrics of ecological effectiveness so progress toward these targets can be assessed; and identify metrics and report on the contribution OECMs make toward the target. By providing ecologically sensible targets and new performance metrics for measuring the effectiveness of both PAs and OECMs, the science community can actively ensure that the achievement of the required area in Target 11 is not simply an end in itself but generates genuine benefits for biodiversity.     

Measurement of market power for the environmentally regulated Korean iron and steel manufacturing industry

For industries in which where market prices of certain inputs are not available, measuring the degree of market power by using the markup over the marginal market cost may be inappropriate. With regard to the Korean iron and steel manufacturing industry, which is subject to environmental regulations, the calculation of the price of abatement capital is hindered by a lack of relevant data. To increase the reliability of market power markups, this paper estimates the restricted cost function in which abatement capital is assumed to be quasi-fixed at an optimal level and the supply relation. The degree of market power for the industry, measured as the ratio of the estimated market power markup to the supply price, was estimated to be 0.54 on average between 1982 and 2001. The results indicate that ignoring environmental regulations can overstate the degree of market power by approximately 12%.