Formation mechanism and control strategy for particulate nitrate in China

Over the past decade, fine particulate matter (PM) pollution in China has been abated significantly, benefiting from strict emission control measures, but particulate nitrate continues to rise. Here, we review the progress in particulate nitrate (pNO₃⁻) pollution characterization, nitrate formation mechanisms, and the proposed control strategies in China. The spatial and temporal distributions of pNO₃⁻ are summarized. The current status of knowledge on the chemical mechanism is updated, and the significance of its formation pathways is assessed by various approaches such as field observation and modelling of nitrate production rate, as well as isotopic analysis. The factors impacting pNO₃⁻ formation and the corresponding pollution regulation strategies are discussed, in which the importance of atmospheric oxidation capacity and ammonia are addressed. Finally, the challenges and open questions in pNO₃⁻ pollution control in China are outlined.     

A critical review on the application of biochar in environmental pollution remediation: Role of persistent free radicals (PFRs)

Biochar as an emerging carbonaceous material has exhibited a great potential in environmental application for its perfect adsorption ability. However, there are abundant persistent free radicals (PFRs) in biochar, so the direct and indirect PFRs-mediated removal of organic and inorganic contaminants by biochar was widely reported. In order to comprehend deeply the formation of PFRs in biochar and their interactions with contaminants, this paper reviews the formation mechanisms of PFRs in biochar and the PFRs-mediated environmental applications of biochar in recent years. Finally, future challenges in this field are also proposed. This review provides a more comprehensive understanding on the emerging applications of biochar from the viewpoint of the catalytic role of PFRs.     

Selective sorptive removal of Methyl Red from individual and binary component solutions by mesoporous organosilicas of MCM-41 type

Organosilicas with chemically immobilized 3-aminopropyl and Methyl Red-containing surface groups were prepared by sol-gel condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate and (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane in the presence of dye as part of the mixed micelles or dye-containing silane as silica source. The hexagonally arranged mesoporous structure of synthesized materials was confirmed by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption, x-ray diffraction, and TEM studies. Chemical composition of MCM-41-type organosilicas was established by FT-IR spectroscopy and chemical analysis of surface layer. Sorption of Methyl Red by organosilicas was studied from diluted phosphate buffer solutions in dependence of medium pH, duration of contact, and equilibrium concentration of dye. It was found that effective removal of Methyl Red takes place at pH values within a range of 2.5?5. Kinetic curves of Methyl Red sorption on organosilicas were analyzed by the Lagergren, Ho-McKey, and Weber-Morris kinetic models. It was found that the pseudo-second-order model fits the kinetics of Methyl Red sorption on all synthesized materials and the intraparticle diffusion is not the only one mechanism controlling the rate of Methyl Red sorptive removal. The parameters of equilibrium sorption of Methyl Red on organosilicas of MCM-41 type were calculated using Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller models. Sorption of acid dyes with geometry similar or substantially different from Methyl Red on mesoporous silicas was studied from single and binary component mixtures in aqueous solutions with pH 4.8 and 5.5. It was found that selective sorption process is highly dependent on the structural characteristics and protolytic state of silica surface as well as acid dye.     

生态保护红线在实践过程中的问题剖析——以湖北宜昌为例

宜昌市生态保护红线于2015年1月正式颁布实施,文章结合宜昌市生态保护红线的应用情况,剖析了生态功能红线、水环境质量红线及大气环境质量红线在实践过程中存在的主要问题,同时,对生态保护红线管理机制需要解决的重点问题进行了阐述。     

一株染料脱色酵母菌的鉴定及脱色特性

从土壤中分离到一株活性艳红K-2BP脱色酵母菌株Y-63,根据其生理生化特征和26S rRNA基因序列相似性分析,鉴定为Pseudozyma rugulosa.该菌在16 h内对100 mg/L的活性艳红K-2BP脱色率为94%,其机理属于降解脱色.该染料脱色的最佳接种量(φ)应不低于5%,最适pH在4～9之间,(NH4)2SO4浓度(w)不低于0.1%,葡萄糖浓度(w)不低于0.2%.此外,该菌株对其它9种50 mg/L的染料(活性艳蓝X-BR、媒介漂蓝B、活性翠蓝KN-G、酸性媒介黄GG、媒介红S-80、依加仑蓝FBL 200%、弱酸艳红B、活性黑KN-B和活性红M-3BE)的脱色率在10%～96%之间.该研究表明酵母Y-63在染料废水的处理上具有较好的应用潜能.     

RPC200人行道板抗弯承载力试验研究

笔者对铁路桥梁用空心无配筋活性粉末混凝土人行道板进行了抗弯试验研究 ,探讨了其受力变形性能。分析表明 :活性粉末混凝土人行道板的安全系数均大于 2 ,满足承载能力要求 ;位移延性系数均大于 3.5 ,具有良好的延性性能 ,破坏形式属于延性破坏。该类人行道板的成果已通过铁道部专家的鉴定 ,拟用于青藏铁路桥梁实际工程中。     

Incorporating Evolutionary Measures into Conservation Prioritization

Abstract:  Conservation prioritization is dominated by the threat status of candidate species. However, species differ markedly in the shared genetic information they embody, and this information is not taken into account if species are prioritized by threat status alone. We developed a system of prioritization that incorporates both threat status and genetic information and applied it to 9546 species of birds worldwide. We devised a simple measure of a species' genetic value that takes into account the shape of the entire taxonomic tree of birds. This measure approximates the evolutionary history that each species embodies and sums to the phylogenetic diversity of the entire taxonomic tree. We then combined this genetic value with each species' probability of extinction to create a species-specific measure of expected loss of genetic information. The application of our methods to the world's avifauna showed that ranking species by expected loss of genetic information may help preserve bird evolutionary history by upgrading those threatened species with fewer close relatives. We recommend developing a mechanism to incorporate a species' genetic value into the prioritization framework.     

三维粒子电极催化氧化活性艳红X-3B实验研究

采用浸渍焙烧法制备了Cu/γ-Al2O3、Cu-Co/γ-Al2O3粒子电极,TiO2/Ti为阳极、石墨为阴极,采用三维电极降解染料模拟废水活性艳红X-3B溶液,考察了粒子电极、槽电压、pH值、电解质浓度等因素对处理效果的影响。实验结果表明:该反应器能够有效的降解X-3B,粒子电极显示了较高的催化活性,双组分粒子电极Cu-Co/γ-Al2O3比单组分粒子电极Cu/γ-Al2O3有着更好的催化效果,降解机制主要是电致·OH的间接氧化和粒子电极表面的直接氧化的协同作用。     

Variation in levels of reactive oxygen species is explained by maternal identity, sex and body-size-corrected clutch size in a lizard

Many organisms show differences between males and females in growth rate and crucial life history parameters, such as longevity. Considering this, we may expect levels of toxic metabolic by-products of the respiratory chain, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), to vary with age and sex. Here, we analyse ROS levels in female Australian painted dragon lizards (Ctenophorus pictus) and their offspring using fluorescent probes and flow cytometry. Basal level of four ROS species (singlet oxygen, peroxynitrite, superoxide and H₂O₂) measured with a combined marker, and superoxide measured specifically, varied significantly among families but not between the sexes. When blood cells from offspring were chemically encouraged to accelerate the electron transport chain by mitochondrial uncoupling, net superoxide levels were three times higher in daughters than sons (resulting in levels outside of the normal ROS range) and varied among mothers depending on offspring sex (significant interaction between maternal identity and offspring sex). In offspring, there were depressive effects on ROS of size-controlled relative clutch size, which relies directly on circulating levels of vitellogenin, a confirmed antioxidant in some species. Thus, levels of reactive oxygen species varies among females, offspring and in relation to reproductive investment in a manner that makes its regulatory processes likely targets of selection.     

Climate change,adaptive capacity and policy direction in the Canadian North: Can we learn anything from the collapse of the east coast cod fishery?

Scientific evidence gathered over the past five years suggests that northern Canada and the Arctic have undergone, and are undergoing, formidable environmental changes linked to global climate change. Environmental change in the north is expected to persist and intensify over the course of the next century. When large-scale environmental changes take place, they inevitably affect people, especially when the cultures and livelihoods of those people depend on their relationship with the environment. Managing the local impacts of these changes is a matter of adaptation. This paper discusses some of the policy implications of adaptation––government interventions aiming to build communities’ and regions’ capacities to adapt to environmental changes. Three arguments for adaptive capacity building interventions in the north are discussed, and these arguments are augmented by a comparative review of government reactions to the collapse of the cod fishery in Atlantic Canada. Reactive and proactive policy approaches are discussed, and it is suggested from the comparison that proactive approaches to intervention are desirable for building adaptive capacity.