Parental phenols exposure and spontaneous abortion in Chinese population residing in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River

Widespread use of phenols has led to ubiquitous exposure to phenols. In experimental animals, phenols increased resorptions, reduced live litter size and fetal body weights. However, there are limited epidemiological evidences of the relationships between exposure to phenols and pregnancy outcomes. We evaluated the associations between parental urinary levels of various phenols and spontaneous abortion in a Chinese population residing in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. A case-control study was conducted that included 70 case couples with medically unexplained spontaneous abortion and 180 control couples who did not have a history of spontaneous abortion and had at least one living child. Both parental urinary phenols were measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry including bisphenol A (BPA), benzophenone-3 (BP-3), 2,3,4-trichlorophenol (2,3,4-TCP), pentachlorophenol (PCP), 4-n-octylphenol (4-n-OP) and 4-n-nonylphenol (4-n-NP). Compared with the low exposure group, there was an increased risk of spontaneous abortion with high paternal urinary PCP concentration [odds ratio (OR) = 2.09, 95% Confidence Interval (CI), 1.05–4.14], and maternal exposure to 4-n-OP and alkylphenol(s) also significantly increased the risk of spontaneous abortion (OR = 2.21, 95% CI, 1.02–4.80; OR = 2.81, 95% CI, 1.39–5.65, respectively). Our study firstly provides the evidence that paternal PCP exposure, maternal 4-n-OP and alkylphenol(s) exposure are associated with spontaneous abortion in humans.     

Toxicological characterization of the landfill leachate prior/after chemical and electrochemical treatment: A study on human and plant cells

In this research, toxicological safety of two newly developed methods for the treatment of landfill leachate from the Piškornica (Croatia) sanitary landfill was investigated. Chemical treatment procedure combined chemical precipitation with CaO followed by coagulation with ferric chloride and final adsorption by clinoptilolite. Electrochemical treatment approach included pretreatment with ozone followed by electrooxidation/electrocoagulation and final polishing by microwave irradiation. Cell viability of untreated/treated landfill leachate was examined using fluorescence microscopy. Cytotoxic effect of the original leachate was obtained for both exposure periods (4 and 24 h) while treated samples showed no cytotoxic effect even after prolonged exposure time. The potential DNA damage of the untreated/treated landfill leachate was evaluated by the comet assay and cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay using either human or plant cells. The original leachate exhibited significantly higher comet assay parameters compared to negative control after 24 h exposure. On the contrary, there was no significant difference between negative control and chemically/electrochemically treated leachate for any of the parameters tested. There was also no significant increase in either CBMN assay parameter compared to the negative control following the exposure of the lymphocytes to the chemically or electrochemically treated landfill leachate for both exposure periods while the original sample showed significantly higher number of micronuclei, nucleoplasmic bridges and nuclear buds for both exposure times. Results suggest that both methods are suitable for the treatment of such complex waste effluent due to high removal efficiency of all measured parameters and toxicological safety of the treated effluent.     

Matrix effect on the performance of headspace solid phase microextraction method for the analysis of target volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in environmental samples

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) is a fast, cheap and solvent free methodology widely used for environmental analysis. A SPME methodology has been optimized for the analysis of VOCs in a range of matrices covering different soils of varying textures, organic matrices from manures and composts from different origins, and biochars. The performance of the technique was compared for the different matrices spiked with a multicomponent VOC mixture, selected to cover different VOC groups of environmental relevance (ketone, terpene, alcohol, aliphatic hydrocarbons and alkylbenzenes). VOC recovery was dependent on the nature itself of the VOC and the matrix characteristics. The SPME analysis of non-polar compounds, such as alkylbenzenes, terpenes and aliphatic hydrocarbons, was markedly affected by the type of matrix as a consequence of the competition for the adsorption sites in the SPME fiber. These non-polar compounds were strongly retained in the biochar surfaces limiting the use of SPME for this type of matrices. However, this adsorption capacity was not evident when biochar had undergone a weathering/aging process through composting. Polar compounds (alcohol and ketone) showed a similar behavior in all matrices, as a consequence of the hydrophilic characteristics, affected by water content in the matrix. SPME showed a good performance for soils and organic matrices especially for non-polar compounds, achieving a limit of detection (LD) and limit of quantification (LQ) of 0.02 and 0.03 ng g⁻¹ for non-polar compounds and poor extraction for more hydrophilic and polar compounds (LD and LQ higher 310 and 490 ng g⁻¹). The characteristics of the matrix, especially pH and organic matter, had a marked impact on SPME, due to the competition of the analytes for active sites in the fiber, but VOC biodegradation should not be discarded in matrices with active microbial biomass.     

Development and application of LC–APCI–MS method for biomonitoring of animal and human exposure to imidacloprid

Imidacloprid (IMI) is a relatively new neuro-active neonicotinoid insecticide and nowadays one of the largest selling insecticides worldwide. In the present study a LC–APCI–MS based method was developed and validated for the quantification of imidacloprid and its main metabolite 6-chloronicotinic acid (6-CINA) in urine and hair specimens. The method was tested in biomonitoring of intentionally exposed animals and subsequently applied for biomonitoring of Cretan urban and rural population.     

碱式硫酸铝溶液中SO42-的测定

建立了以铬黑T为指示剂,乙二胺四乙酸二钠反滴定过量BaCl₂的碱式硫酸铝溶液中SO₄^2-的测定方法。实验确定的操作条件为：待测试样稀释后ρ（SO_4^2-）为0.025 ~0.100 g/L,BaCl₂过量率为25%~100%,并且在加入BaCl₂前将试样煮沸,三乙醇胺加入量为0.10 L/L。该法回收率在98.90%~100.72%,相对标准偏差小于1%。测定方法准确,可靠,且操作简便、快速。     

Dietary patterns and blood levels of PCDDs, PCDFs, and dioxin-like PCBs in 1656 Japanese individuals

The association between dietary patterns and blood dioxin levels has not been fully investigated. The present study population consisted of 755 men and 901 women (aged 15-73 years) living in 90 different areas of 30 prefectures of Japan. Dietary habits were assessed by inquiring about the consumption frequency of 28 foods, food groups and beverages. In addition, the blood levels of 29 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzo-furans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (DL-PCBs) congeners were determined by high-resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The median total toxicity equivalent (TEQ) in the blood, which was calculated on the basis of the toxicity equivalency factors of WHO (2005), was 16 pg TEQ g⁻¹ lipid. Principal component analysis identified five dietary patterns: Healthy diet (high intake of vegetables and fruits); Meat/High fat intake (high intake of meat, meat products, and eggs); Seafood and Alcohol (high intake of fish, shellfish, and alcoholic beverages); Miscellaneous; and Milk products and Alcohol intake (high intake of milk, Milk products, and alcoholic beverages). After adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, and smoking habits, the Seafood and Alcohol pattern scores were significantly related to higher blood levels of total TEQ and PCDDs/PCDFs/DL-PCBs, and the Milk products and Alcohol pattern scores were correlated with higher blood levels of DL-PCBs. More detailed analysis showed that the intake frequencies for alcoholic beverages and seafood were independently and positively associated with total TEQ and the TEQ of PCDFs and DL-PCBs. The association between alcoholic beverage intake and PCDDs was also significant. Analysis of dietary patterns may be useful for identifying the dietary characteristics of individuals with a high dioxin body burden.     

湖北“人口-经济-空间”城市化及其层级结构

城市化的内在协调性是城市（区域乃至国家）综合竞争力、国民生计及可持续发展能力的综合体现。基于对城市化概念与内涵的认知--城市化是一个“人口 经济 空间”三维一体的过程,其中人是行为主体,经济是驱动力,空间是载体,构建了城市化综合测度指标,并运用时序全局主成分分析法,对2000年以来湖北省12个地级市的城市化层级结构演变过程及趋势进行了分析。结果表明湖北省城市化具有如下特征：① 城市化总量时序演变上呈现出明显的上升趋势,且存在经济城市化>空间城市化>综合城市化>人口城市化的变化趋势,但也表现出一定程度的粗放增长的内在特征;② 整个城市化过程是一个由人口城市化导向型向经济城市化导向型转变的过程;③ 城市化相关系数的时序演变与人口城市化集聚程度>空间城市化集聚程度>经济城市化集聚程度的演变趋势密切相关,表明综合城市化与人口城市化的地域协调性最高,而与经济的最低;④ 城市化等级体系空间结构及其时序演变具有首位度城市层级结构、城市层级结构动态演变,以及城市化地域协调性不强等特征;最后就城市化的协调发展提出对策和建议。为我国城市化可持续发展研究以及湖北省今后的城市化发展战略提供了理论借鉴和实践指导     

Tracing the sources of refractory dissolved organic matter in a large artificial lake using multiple analytical tools

Structural and chemical characteristics of refractory dissolved organic matter (RDOM) from seven different sources (algae, leaf litter, reed, compost, field soil, paddy water, treated sewage) were examined using multiple analytical tools, and they were compared with those of RDOM in a large artificial lake (Lake Paldang, Korea). Treated sewage, paddy water, and field soil were distinguished from the other sources investigated by their relatively low specific UV absorbance (SUVA) values and more pronounced fulvic-like versus humic-like fluorescence of the RDOM samples. Microbial derived RDOM from algae and treated sewage showed relatively low apparent molecular weight and a higher fraction of hydrophilic bases relative to the total hydrophilic fraction. For the biopolymer types, the presence of polyhydroxy aromatics with the high abundance of proteins was observed only for vascular plant-based RDOM (i.e., leaf litter and reed). Molecular weight values exhibited positive correlations with the SUVA and the hydrophobic content among the different RDOM, suggesting that hydrophobic and condensed aromatic structures may be the main components of high molecular weight RDOM. Principal component analysis revealed that approximately 77% of the variance in the RDOM characteristics might be explained by the source difference (i.e., terrestrial and microbial derived) and a tendency of further microbial transformation. Combined results demonstrated that the properties of the lake RDOM were largely affected by the upstream sources of field soil, paddy water, and treated sewage, which are characterized by low molecular weight UV-absorbing and non-aromatic structures with relatively high resistance to further degradation.     

三江源区气候及水文变化特征研究

以1961~2007年三江源区的气象及径流资料为基础,采用M K法和R/S分析法分析三江源区气候及水文要素变化趋势及进行未来变化趋势预测,并采用主成分分析法判定径流过程的主要驱动要素。研究表明:三江源区气温普遍显著升高,水面蒸发和地温随着气温的升高也不断增加,降水的增加并不显著,而年径流尤其是夏秋季节径流存在明显减小的趋势。R/S分析结果表明气候和水文要素未来总体的变化趋势与过去一致。三江源区径流过程是由气温起主导作用,径流对气温变化较降水变化更为敏感。本研究将为三江源区水资源开发利用及优化配置提供科学借鉴,同时为三江源区的生态建设和保护提供参考依据     

基于地貌指数的汶川地震灾区单沟泥石流总量计算方法

现行的泥石流总量计算方法普遍存在计算参数较难获取或难以精确获取的问题,加上汶川地震灾区沟谷内分布大量的由崩塌、滑坡体等形成的固体松散物质;所以多数泥石流总量计算公式在汶川震区存在局限性.参考适用于以崩塌、滑坡体为主要物源的泥石流总量计算公式;分析研究区范围内地形地貌发育状态与降雨因素及其地质条件之间的影响关系;将地貌指数(Strahler积分)应用于泥石流总量计算,尝试解决缺乏降雨数据情况下泥石流总量计算问题.根据“8.13”四川清平群发性泥石流数据初步回归分析得到适合于汶川震区的泥石流总量计算模型.