Linkages in Ghana's gold mining industry: Challenging the enclave thesis

By 2009, Ghana was the second-ranked African producer after South Africa, and had become the world's ninth largest producer of gold, at some 3.8% of global production, up from 2.6% five years earlier. Gold production volumes and revenues rose significantly over the decade from 2000. Yet gold mining tends to be perceived negatively in Ghana, and is seen as providing far less than it should in terms of public revenue, employment, skills development and spillovers, and localised economic development. Gold mining is often depicted as having an enclave status, disconnected and isolated from the rest of the economy. In contrast, the research findings here demonstrate that after a period of strong investment and growth, gold mining can no longer be viewed as an enclave activity: it is in fact more deeply linked into the Ghanaian economy than hitherto understood, through a set of as yet under-researched but promising economic linkages, notably backward linkages, which can potentially be strengthened by policy and support measures.     

Prenatal diagnosis of de novo (7;19)(q11.2;q13.3) translocation associated with a thick corpus callosum and Wilms tumor of the kidneys

We present a case of prenatal diagnosis of a de novo (7;19)(q11.2;q13.3) translocation associated with ultrasound features, including enlarged cisterna magna, normal vermis, thick corpus callosum, micrognathia, small and low-set ears and right hyperechogenic kidney. Karyotyping was performed at 24 weeks of gestation. Termination of pregnancy was accepted at the parents' request. Postmortem examination confirmed the prenatal findings, but revealed bilateral Wilms tumors of the kidneys. Parental karyotype was normal. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

长株潭城市环境空气中PM2.5和O3质量浓度的相关性研究

PM2.5与O3均为导致城市环境空气质量恶化的主要污染物,采用自动设备监测湖南省长沙、株洲、湘潭3市商业区和郊区空气中的PM2.5和O3质量浓度,并对数据进行相关性分析.结果表明:PM2.5和O3质量浓度的季节性变化大,其中O3质量浓度夏、秋2季高,春、冬2季低;PM2.5则秋、冬2季高,春、夏2季低;O3质量浓度峰值一般出现在当天午后,PM2.5质量浓度峰值一般出现在上午;空间分布上,O3质量浓度在郊区站点相对较高,而PM2.5质量浓度在商业区站点较高.PM2.5与O3质量浓度变化以负相关为主,即PM2.5质量浓度高时,O3质量浓度则低,反之亦然,二者一般不产生叠加污染.总体上,夏、秋季节应主要防O3污染,春、冬季节则主要防PM25污染.     

3种增塑剂单独和联合暴露对MCF-7细胞增殖的影响

为了探究结构差异较大、应用较为广泛的几类增塑剂雌激素活性的联合效应,选择邻苯二甲酸二丁酯(DBP)、双酚A(BPA)和壬基酚(NP)作为邻苯二甲酸酯、双酚A类和烷基酚类增塑剂的代表物进行试验.用DBP、BPA和NP单独及两两混合处理MCF-7细胞.采用MTT法检测培养24h、48 h、72 h和96h时的细胞增殖情况.采用流式细胞术检测药物培养48h后的细胞生长周期分布,并计算细胞增殖指数(PI).运用效应叠加模型(ES)判定联合效应类型.结果表明,在单独暴露试验中,DBP、BPA和NP组PI均大于1,且均能提高S期(DNA合成期)细胞比例.因此,DBP、BPA和NP均能显著促进MCF-7细胞增殖.混合暴露试验中,1)DBP和BPA在MTT试验中24h、48h、72 h和96h时的效应叠加指数(ESI)分别为1.013 9、1.023 8、0.9999、1.010 8,在流式细胞仪试验中ESI为1.014 1.因此,DBP和BPA的雌激素活性联合效应为加和作用.2)DBP和NP在MTT试验中24 h、48 h、72 h和96 h时的ESI分别为1.004 0、1.008 6、1.011 5、1.010 3,流式细胞仪试验中ESI为0.997 0.因此,DBP和NP的雌激素活性联合效应为加和作用.3)BAP和NP在MTT试验中24h、48 h、72 h和96h时的ESI分别为0.980 6、0.981 8、0.977 7、0.973 3,流式细胞仪试验的ESI为0.912 8.由此可知,BPA和NP的雌激素活性联合效应为拮抗作用.因此,可以采用MCF-7细胞增殖试验研究环境污染物雌激素活性联合效应.     

北京夏季典型PM2.5与O3相继重污染事件分析

根据北京市环境保护监测中心发布的PM2.5和O3小时质量浓度及气象、卫星遥感数据,分析了2013年7月2日至10日北京典型PM2.5及O3重污染过程的质量浓度特征及在大气边界层过程各个阶段的质量浓度演变.结果表明,北京夏季O3质量浓度先于PM2.5达到峰值,而天气型演变是导致这一现象的主要原因.具体过程为:1)重污染初始阶段,高压天气型利于前体物积累,PM2.5及O3质量浓度升高;2)在反气旋中部,由于各种污染物质量浓度较低,对大气紫外波段辐射的吸收较弱,导致该阶段紫外辐射强,因而加快了O3生成的光化学反应,O3质量浓度最先达到峰值;3)在反气旋后部,随PM2.5质量浓度增加,辐射变弱,因此O3质量浓度增加速度下降,而受高压后部影响,区域内PM2.5经东南风输送通道进入北京,导致北京PM2.5质量浓度相继达到峰值;4)在重污染清除阶段,在北方反气旋前部的冷锋清除作用下,PM2.5及O3质量浓度同时降低至谷值.     

三江平原泥炭沼泽孔隙水甲烷浓度变化动态及其影响因子

湿地土壤孔隙水甲烷浓度变化动态对于揭示湿地碳循环过程具有重要作用.于2012年和2013年对三江平原毛苔草泥炭沼泽不同土壤深度孔隙水甲烷浓度的季节变化动态进行监测,并分析了其关键影响因子.结果表明:植物生长季孔隙水甲烷浓度呈单峰变化趋势,不同土层甲烷浓度峰值(80.45~490.95μmol·L-1)主要集中在湿润的生长季末,但年际间存在显著差异;从土壤剖面来看,土壤融通之后,孔隙水中甲烷浓度随着土壤深度的增加而增加;土壤表层(5 cm和10 cm)甲烷浓度主要受到株高(R2=0.6,p=0.005)和土壤充水孔隙率(R2=0.36,p=0.01)的影响,而深层(20~40 cm)甲烷浓度主要受到土壤温度等因素的综合影响.研究还表明,表层土壤孔隙水甲烷浓度能够解释生长季甲烷排放通量变化的26%~60%,而且短期的极端降雨事件可能不会对甲烷浓度以及甲烷排放产生即时影响,而是出现大约一周的延迟(time lag)现象,这主要取决于实际土壤湿度.     

甲烷氧化菌在填埋场覆盖层中的工程应用(Ⅱ):基质选择性及长效性

针对已筛选获得的甲烷氧化混合菌,选取填埋场覆盖土(LCS)、矿化垃圾(AR)和塘渣(TZ)3种填埋场周边易得的材料为供试生存基质,从基质选择性及长效性角度进行了甲烷减排应用条件的探究及使用效能评估.结果表明,在TZ、LCS、AR、TZ-AR和LCS-AR这5种生存基质中,TZ-AR最适合甲烷氧化混合菌的生长,且TZ与AR的复配比例以5∶5为最佳.甲烷氧化混合菌在TZ-AR的粒径≤4 mm和含水率为20%时具有最高甲烷氧化能力.一次性接种甲烷氧化混合菌在静态体系中的最佳使用有效期为31 d.其在接种量为0.08、0.16、0.20 m L·g-1和0.25m L·g-1时甲烷氧化速率无明显差异,从工程应用角度而言,8%的接种量为最佳.     

Enhanced bio-decolorization of 1-amino-4-bromoanthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid by Sphingomonas xenophaga with nutrient amendment

Bacterial decolorization of anthraquinone dye intermediates is a slow process under aerobic conditions. To speed up the process, in the present study, effects of various nutrients on 1-amino-4-bromoanthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid (ABAS) decolorization by Sphingomonas xenophaga QYY were investigated. The results showed that peptone, yeast extract and casamino acid amendments promoted ABAS bio-decolorization. In particular, the addition of peptone and casamino acids could improve the decolorization activity of strain QYY. Further experiments showed that L-proline had a more significant accelerating effect on ABAS decolorization compared with other amino acids. L-Proline not only supported cell growth, but also significantly increased the decolorization activity of strain QYY. Membrane proteins of strain QYY exhibited ABAS decolorization activities in the presence of L-proline or reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, while this behavior was not observed in the presence of other amino acids. Moreover, the positive correlation between L-proline concentration and the decolorization activity of membrane proteins was observed, indicating that L-proline plays an important role in ABAS decolorization. The above findings provide us not only a novel insight into bacterial ABAS decolorization, but also an L-proline-supplemented bioaugmentation strategy for enhancing ABAS bio-decolorization.     

Synthesis, crystal structure, photodegradation kinetics and photocatalytic activity of novel photocatalyst ZnBiYO4

ZnBiYO₄ was synthesized by a solid-state reaction method for the first time. The structural and photocatalytic properties of ZnBiYO₄ were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance. ZnBiYO₄ crystallized with a tetragonal spinel structure with space group I41/A. The lattice parameters for ZnBiYO₄ were a = b = 11.176479 Å and c= 10.014323 Å. The band gap of ZnBiYO₄ was estimated to be 1.58 eV. The photocatalytic activity of ZnBiYO₄ was assessed by photodegradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation. The results showed that ZnBiYO₄ had higher catalytic activity compared with N-doped TiO₂ under the same experimental conditions using visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange with ZnBiYO₄ or N-doped TiO₂ as catalyst followed first-order reaction kinetics, and the first-order rate constant was 0.01575 and 0.00416 min^-1 for ZnBiYO₄ and N-doped TiO₂, respectively. After visible light irradiation for 220 min with ZnBiYO₄ as catalyst, complete removal and mineralization of methyl orange were observed. The reduction of total organic carbon, formation of inorganic products, SO₄^2- and NO₃^-, and evolution of CO₂ revealed the continuous mineralization of methyl orange during the photocatalytic process. The intermediate products were identified using liquid chromatography- mass spectrometry. The ZnBiYO₄/(visible light) photocatalysis system was found to be suitable for textile industry wastewater treatment and could be used to solve other environmental chemical pollution problems.     

植被收割对滨海湿地沉积物中CO_2和N_2O释放的影响

为了揭示冬季滨海湿地植被收割对其沉积物中温室气体释放的影响,以长江入海口典型滨海湿地——崇明东滩为研究对象,观测季节性(冬季)植被收割(分别于收割后第0天、第10天、第30天、第60天采样)与不收割条件下芦苇(Phragmites australis)、米草(Spartina alterniflora)、芦苇-米草交互带和光滩沉积物中CO2与N2O的释放特征.结果表明:1米草和芦苇-米草交互带植被收割并未增加沉积物中CO2的释放(P0.05),但芦苇收割可能会增加N2O的释放(P0.05),说明植被收割对湿地沉积物中CO2和N2O释放的影响与植被类型密切相关.2与芦苇带相比,米草和芦苇-米草交互带沉积物中CO2累积释放量分别高出12%~57%和17%~43%,但芦苇植被覆盖下沉积物中N2O累积释放量分别比二者高出11%~81%和8%~95%.可见,米草和芦苇-米草交互带沉积物碳的呼吸损失明显高于芦苇带,但芦苇植被覆盖下沉积物中N2O逸失量相对较高.34种植被类型下,沉积物中N2O累积释放量为0.1~0.4 mg/kg,CO2累积释放量则高达1 024~2 645 mg/kg.因此,冬季滨海湿地植被收割不会显著增加N2O的温室效应,但选择性收割米草有望减少沉积物碳的呼吸损失.