专注的力量

老王和老李是好朋友,退休后,他们常在一起聊天,一起钓鱼。择一周末,他们俩又坐在河边钓鱼。但是一个上午过去了,只见老王有鱼儿上钩,篓里已装有十多条活蹦乱跳的鱼,而老李一点收获都没有。     

数字

2亿元 2011年5月18日,宁夏回族自治区环保厅、财政厅就宁夏农村环境连片整治示范的65个项目区,联合下发了《关于报送2011年农村环境连片整治示范项目实施方案的通知》,要求各地严格按照农村环境连片整治示范项目有关要求,委托有资质的设计单位编制达到初步设计水平和概算深度的《实施方案》,     

联合国环境大会首届会议在肯尼亚闭幕

正共通过23项决议/决定2014年6月27日,为期5天的联合国环境大会首届会议在肯尼亚内罗毕闭幕.肯尼亚总统肯雅塔、联合国秘书长潘基文出席闭幕式并致辞.中国环境保护部部长周生贤率领中国政府代表团出席本次大会,并在会议间举办了一     

Primary neuronal-astrocytic co-culture platform for neurotoxicity assessment of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate

Plastics such as polyvinyl chlorides （PVC） are widely used in many indoor constructed environments; however, their unbound chemicals, such as di-（2-ethylhexyl） phthalates （DEHP）, can leach into the surrounding environment. This study focused on DEHP＇s effect on the central nervous system by determining the precise DEHP content in mice brain tissue after exposure to the chemical, to evaluate the specific exposure range. Primary neuronal-astrocyte co-culture systems were used as in vitro models for chemical hazard identification of DEHP. Oxidative stress was hypothesized as a probable mechanism involved, and therefore the total reactive oxygen species （ROS） concentration was determined as a biomarker of oxidative stress. In addition, NeuriteTracer, a neurite tracing plugin with ImageJ, was used to develop an assay for neurotoxicity to provide quantitative measurements of neurological parameters, such as neuronal number, neuron count and neurite length, all of which could indicate neurotoxic effects. The results showed that with 1 nmol/L DEHP exposure, there was a significant increase in ROS concentrations, indicating that the neuronal-astrocyte cultures were injured due to exposure to DEHP. In response, astrocyte proliferation （gliosis） was initiated, serving as a mechanism to maintain a homeostatic environment for neurons and protect neurons from toxic chemicals. There is a need to assess the cumulative effects of DEHP in animals to evaluate the possible uotake and effects on the human neuronal system from exoosure to DEHP in the indoor environment.     

Mutagenic and cytotoxic potential of Endosulfan and Lambda-cyhalothrin - In vitro study describing individual and combined effects of pesticides

Excessive use of pesticides poses increased risks to non target species including humans. In the developing countries, lack of proper awareness about the toxic potential of pesticides makes the farmer more vulnerable to pesticide linked toxicities, which could lead to diverse pathological conditions. The toxic potential of a pesticide could be determined by their ability to induce genetic mutations and cytotoxicity. Hence, determination of genetic mutation and cytotoxicity of each pesticide is unavoidable to legislate health and safety appraisal about pesticides. The objective of current investigation was to determine the genotoxic and cytotoxic potential of Endosulfan（EN） and Lambda-cyhalothrin（LC）; individually and in combination. 3-（4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl）-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide（MTT） assay was utilized to determine cytotoxicity, while two mutant histidine dependent Salmonella strains（TA98, TA100） were used to determine the mutagenicity of EN and LC.Moreover, mutagenicity assay was conducted with and without S9 to evaluate the effects of metabolic activation on mutagenicity. Even though a dose dependent increase in the number of revertant colonies was detected with EN against both bacterial strains, a highly significant（p 〈 0.05） increase in the mutagenicity was detected in TA98 with S9. In comparison, data obtained from LC revealed less mutagenic potential than EN. Surprisingly,the non-mutagenic individual-concentrations of EN and LC showed dose dependent mutagenicity when combined. Combination of EN and LC synergistically induced mutagenicity both in TA98 and TA100. MTT assay spotlighted comparable dose dependent cytotoxicity effects of both pesticides. Interestingly, the combination of EN and LC produced increased reversion and cytotoxicity at lower doses as compared to each pesticide, concluding that pesticide exposure even at sub-lethal doses can produce cytotoxicity and genetic mutations, which could lead to carcinogenicity.     

Characterization of extracellular polymeric substances in the biofilms of typical bacteria by the sulfur K-edge XANES spectroscopy

A combined approach of physicochemical extraction and sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure（XANES） spectroscopy was applied to characterize the extracellular polymeric substances（EPS） of typical bacterial biofilms in this study. Physicochemical analysis showed variation of the contents of DNA,polysaccharide and protein in different fractions of EPS in different mediums. The sulfur K-edge XANES analysis yielded a variety of spectra.Spectral fitting of the XANES spectra utilizing a large set of model compounds showed that there was more reduced sulfur in both LB-EPS（loosely bound EPS） and TB-EPS（tightly bound EPS） of all the biofilms in LB medium than in R2 A medium. More oxidized sulfur was identified in LB-EPS than that in TB-EPS,suggesting different niches and physiological heterogeneity in the biofilms. Our results suggested that the sulfur K-edge XANES can be a useful tool to analyze the sulfur speciation in EPS of biofilms.     

“非法排放、倾倒、处置危险废物3吨以上的”规定不乏模糊争议之处

去年6月,最高人民法院、最高人民检察院联合发布《关于办理环境污染刑事案件适用法律若干问题的解释》（以下简称《解释》）,对污染环境罪相关构成要件做出解释,统一法律适用,同时进一步降低环境污染犯罪的入罪门槛,加大了对环境污染犯罪的打击。《解释》的出台严密了刑法保护网,弥补了立法的不足与欠缺,为刑事司法提供了具体指导。但是如同立法一样,司法解释在解决现有法律的漏洞和矛盾的同时,必然会形成新的漏洞、新的矛盾。本文将对《解释》第1条第2项“非法排放、倾倒、处置危险废物3吨以上的”规定中诸多不明晰之处加以梳理,进而提出自己的一点思考。     

《自然》杂志公布今年值得期待的科技突破

2014年已经到来,在新年最新一期（1月2日出版）《自然》杂志上,公布了这一年值得期待的研究成果。其中包括转基因猴、干细胞临床实验等。     

未来10大高风险高回报的新技术

世界经济论坛全球事务理事会发布了一份关于信息技术的新报告,其中提到了10项有可能对全社会造成重大影响的新技术。这10项新技术涵盖了科学、医学、能源、制造、交通和电子等众多领域,理事会的报告简要说明了那些新技术将如何影响和改变我们的生活。     

循环经济发展理论下的固体废物立法

目前,固体废物污染问题已成为世界各国关注的焦点之一。在新时期的生态文明观的指导下,将固体废物立法与循环经济发展结合具有实践和理论意义。通过分析我国固体废物立法现状以及存在的不足,提出构建系统的固体废物法律规范体系、完善生产者责任延伸制度、提高公众环保意识、促进公众参与等建议。