Effects of DDT and piperonyl butoxide on the metabolic alterations in pigeon (columba livia)

Abstract

Effect of acute doses of technical grade of dichloro diphenyl trichloro ethane (DDT) and piperonyl butoxide (PB) on hepatic micro‐somal cytochrome P₄₅₀ (Cyt. P450) and cytosolic glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST) activity in pigeon were studied after 24 hours of treatment. A completely reverse trend of changes in Cyt. P450 and GST activity were found as increase in Cyt. ?450 paralleled with decrease in GST activity following exposure to DDT. However, intensity of changes in Cyt. P450 was greater than that of GST. A dose dependent decrease in Cyt. ?450 and GST activity was observed after PB treatment. The study may, therefore, throw some light on metabolic alterations in wild birds resulting from environmental pollution by DDT and allied chemicals.     

Is gold a hedge or safe haven against oil price movements?

This paper assesses the role of gold as a hedge or safe haven against oil price movements. We use an approach based on copulas to analyse the dependence structure between these two markets. Empirical evidence for weekly data from January 2000 to September 2011 revealed the following: (a) there is positive and significant average dependence between gold and oil, which would indicate that gold cannot hedge against oil price movements; and (b) there is tail independence between the two markets, indicating that gold can act as an effective safe haven against extreme oil price movements. These results are useful for both portfolio risk managers and designers of policies aimed at using gold to preserve or stabilise oil exporter purchasing power.     

顾及空间自相关性的高分遥感影像中建设用地的变化检测

在中国城市化的进程中,建设用地常常连片分布,其开发在空间上具有明显的聚集性,表现出较强的空间自相关性,这在高空间分辨率的遥感图像中更加明显。基于2016年、2017年两期南京市域内的北京2号3.2 m多光谱遥感图像,对比分析了引入变化向量的空间自相关指数作为图像特征后建设用地遥感变化检测的性能。首先提取遥感图像光谱变化向量的局部G指数、Moran's I和Geary's C三个典型空间自相关指数,然后确定适用于变化检测的最优空间间隔（Lag）范围和最优自相关指数。结果表明：（1）光谱变化向量在空间上具有显著的正相关性。（2）全局Moran's I和半方差函数相结合可以确定最优的Lag范围。（3）在光谱变化向量的基础上加入局部G指数和局部Moran's I能够提高检测精度,F1分数表明前者优于后者。（4）在光谱变化向量的基础上加入最优Lag范围内的局部G指数作为附加图像特征,F1分数比只使用光谱变化向量提高了20%以上。融合空间自相关信息,特别是多尺度局部G指数作为遥感图像特征可有效地提高连片区域建设用地的变化检测精度。     

Absch?tzung der Reduzierung der Luftschadstoffkonzentrationen

Zusammenfassung  Im G?teborger Protokoll der UN ECE zur Bek?mpfung von Versauerung, Eutrophierung und bodennahem Ozon vom 1. Dezember 1999 werden Vorgaben zur Reduktion von Luftschadstoffkomponenten von 1990 bis 2010 festgelegt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden Absch?tzungen, ob diese Werte für die Bundesl?nder NRW und Hessen erreichbar sind, gemacht. Um absch?tzen zu k?nnen, wie die Konzentrationen einzelner Luftschadstoffe im Jahre 2010 sein werden, wurden aus den Daten der Jahre 1990-1999 die best-angepassten Funktionen graphisch dargestellt und bis zum Jahr 2010 extrapoliert. Unter der Absch?tzung, dass die Luftschadstoffemission sich weiterhin wie in den letzten 10 Jahren reduziert oder noch darüber hinaus verringert, wurden die bis zum Jahre 2010 zu erwartenden prozentualen Reduktionen berechnet. Die im G?teborger Protokoll festgelegten Prozents?tze zur Reduzierung von NO_x, SO₂ und NM-VOC sind nach den hier vorgelegten Absch?tzungen im Zeitraum von 1990-2010 erreichbar. Für CO, O₃ und CO₂ werden nur deutliche Abnahmen verlangt. Nach den vorliegenden Absch?tzungen werden CO um ca. 70% und O₃ nur über verkehrsarmen, waldreichen Gebieten abnehmen. Für das globale Gas CO₂ kann nur eine konstante Zunahme abgesch?tzt werden. Online-First: 19. May 2000     

Characteristics and source attribution of PM2.5 during 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou: Efficacy of radical measures to reduce source emissions

A field campaign was conducted to study the PM_2.5 and atmospheric gases and aerosol's components to evaluate the efficacy of radical measures implemented by the Chinese government to improve air quality during the 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou China. The lower level of PM_2.5 (32.48 ± 11.03 µg/m³) observed during the control period compared to pre-control and post-control periods showed that PM_2.5 was alleviated by control policies. Based on the mass concentrations of particulate components, the emissions of PM_2.5 from local sources including fossil fuel, coal combustion, industry and construction were effectively reduced, but non-exhaust emission was not reduced as effectively as expected. The accumulation of SNA (SO₄^2?, NO₃^?, NH₄⁺) was observed during the control period, due to the favourable synoptic weather conditions for photochemical reactions and heterogeneous hydrolysis. Because of transboundary transport during the control period, air masses from remote areas contributed significantly to local PM_2.5. Although, secondary organic carbon (OC_sec) exhibited more sensitivity than primary organic carbon (OC_pri) to control measures, and the increased nitrogen oxidation ratio (NOR) implied the regional transport of aged secondary aerosols to the study area. Overall, the results from various approaches revealed that local pollution sources were kept under control, indicating that the implementation of mitigation measures were helpful in improving the air quality of Hangzhou during G20 summit. To reduce ambient levels of PM_2.5 further in Hangzhou, regional control policies may have to be taken so as to reduce the impact of long-range transport of air masses from inland China.     

The real effect of legal institutions: Environmental courts and firm environmental protection expenditure

This paper evaluates the real effects of environmental justice reform on environmental governance at the firm level. Using the establishment of environmental courts in China as a quasi-natural experiment, our difference-in-differences estimation shows that: (1) environmental courts significantly enhance environmental investment by firms, and this relationship is robust to different specifications and alternative measures; (2) three possible channels are the improved levels of justice and enforcement of environmental protection, and the mitigation of local government intervention; (3) our findings are particularly pronounced in subsamples with severe local protectionism, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and non-SOEs with political connections; (4) at the city-level, environmental courts significantly increase air quality and promote cities to cross the inflection point of the environmental Kuznets curve earlier. Overall, this paper reveals the micro-mechanisms behind the real effects of environmental justice on firm environmental investment, thus providing timely implications for regulators concerned with environmental protection.     

Valuation of natural capital under uncertain substitutability

Natural capital is complex to value notably because of the high uncertainties surrounding the substitutability of its future ecosystem services. We examine a Lucas economy in which a consumption good is produced by combining different inputs, one of them being an ecosystem service that is partially substitutable with other inputs. The growth rate of these inputs and the elasticity of substitution evolve in a stochastic way. We characterize the socially efficient ecological discount rates that should be used to value future ecosystem services at different time horizons. We show that the inverse of the elasticity of substitution can be interpreted as the CCAPM beta of natural capital. We also show that any increase in risk of this beta reduces the ecological discount rate. If our collective beliefs about the elasticity of substitution of ecosystem services are Gaussian, the ecological discount rates go to minus infinity for finite maturities. In that case, a marginal increase in natural capital has an infinite value. We provide a realistic calibration of the model that is coherent with observed asset prices by using the model of extreme events of Barro (2006). The bliss maturity for infinite discount factors is less than 100 years in this calibration.     

The usability of oxidative stress and detoxification biomarkers in Gammarus pulex for ecological risk assessment of textile dye methyl orange

The present study was undertaken to determine the toxicity of the methyl orange by using the changes of some antioxidant and detoxification enzyme activities in Gammarus pulex. Lethal Concentration (LC) value of Methyl Orange (MO) was determined. Three sublethal doses of MO (1/4; 1/8 and 1/16 of LC value) were exposed to G. pulex for 24 and 96?h. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-P_X), Cytochrome p450 (CYP1A1), Glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities as well as Glutathione (GSH) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined by using The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The CAT and CYP1A1 activities were decreased in all the groups exposed to different doses of MO. GST activity and GSH, MDA levels were increased all the groups exposed to different doses of MO. The GSH-P_X activities were changed in all the groups. MO affected SOD activity at different levels and in different concentrations. In our study, it has been found that exposure duration didn’t significantly affect the biochemical biomarkers except for GST and GSH. In conclusion, alterations in antioxidant and detoxification enzymes and lipid peroxidation may potentially be used as sensitive biomarkers for risk assessment of dyes in the environment and may contribute to the establishment of discharge regulations.     

环境污染应急处置技术的CBR-MADM两步筛选法模型

突发环境污染事件进行应急处置时,需要在历史案例库和处置技术库的基础上通过筛选模型筛选出最适宜的应急处置技术.其中筛选的效率和准确性是构建技术筛选模型的首要因素,目前尚无较为满意的解决方案.本文结合案例推理技术(CBR)和模糊多属性群决策模型(MADM)的优势,建立了环境污染应急处置技术的CBR-MADM两步筛选法模型:第1步,先利用基于熵权G1法的CBR推理从案例库中匹配案例,再从相似度最高的几个案例中提取应急处置技术作为备选技术;第2步,利用MADM对备选技术进行筛选和决策.CBR-MADM两步筛选法既充分利用了历史处置经验,又极大地提高了应急处置技术的筛选速度和效率.将该方法应用于2012年底山西长治浊漳河苯胺泄漏污染事件中,成功筛选出“投加混凝剂-活性炭坝拦截”技术,同实际情况吻合,验证了其适用性和可行性.     

Investigation of the blood biochemical status of gas station workers

The aim of this study was to examine occupation-associated effects on blood cytokine and immunoglobulin g (IgG) levels, antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, GSHPx, and catalase), nitrite and nitrate levels, and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations in gas station workers (GSWs). Trace elements (Cu, Zn, and Pb) in serum, and the amount of hemoglobin in erythrocytes were also determined. Forty male GSWs and 30 male controls were included in the study. No significant difference was observed between the hemoglobin levels of GSWs and those in controls. Proinflammatory cytokine levels, such as tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-8 were significantly increased in GSWs’ sera. Interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 were below the detection limit of the assay in both the groups. Cytokine receptor interleukin 2R concentration and IgG levels were also significantly increased. Approximately, two-fold increase in nitrite and nitrate concentrations was found in GSWs’ sera. Erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme levels were significantly lower in GSWs’ blood. MDA concentration, a measure of lipid peroxidation, was found to be significantly elevated. Zn levels were significantly decreased, whereas Cu and Pb levels were increased in GSWs’ sera. Smoking was not found to be a major confounder for the association between exposure and blood parameters.