Sedimentary Pigments and Organic Matter in Relation to Benthic Fauna in the Tan-Shui Estuary, Taiwan

The benthic ecological structure of the Tan-Shui estuary, Taiwan is changed due to long term effects of dumping of urban wastewater and of engineering actions. to monitor these changes, we sampled and analyzed benthos and sediment from 12 stations on the estuary.

The composition of the dominant species of benthos varied seasonally, with molluscan and crustacean species having greater numbers and higher frequencies of occurrence than other species. the dominant taxa during winter were Nassarius sp. and Maldanidae at two stations. Analysis using Simpson's index and Shannon's index showed the benthic community varied more in coastal areas than in offshore areas.

Physicochemical analysis showed that most of the Tan-Shui estuary consisted of sandy sediment. the variations in concentrations of organic carbon and total nitrogen at each station were small. Although the concentrations of chlorophyll-a and carotenoid at all stations were generally low, the two stations had the highest concentrations, and we concluded that the concentration of pigments in these sediments was related to the abundance of benthos. the community structure of the benthos reflected the characteristics of the sediments, and benthic species exhibited selection of and adaptation to specific sedimentary environments.     

Fluxes of dissolved organic matter in larch forests in the cryolithozone of central Siberia

Fluxes of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in larch biogeocenoses and its export from the drainage basin have been studied in the zone of continuous permafrost. A comparative assessment of DOM input into the soil has been made on slopes of northern and southern exposures (as variants reflecting the current state and warming). The dynamics of DOM export in a creek depending on the increasing depth of the active soil horizon in the drainage area have been revealed. It is concluded that an increase in the depth of the seasonally thawing layer induced by global warming will not have any significant effect on the amount of annual DOM export. Reduction of DOM export may be expected upon a decrease in litter stocks under the effect of their mineralization and forest fires.     

有机过氧化物在生产、储运过程中的危险与可操作性分析

有机过氧化物的易燃、受热分解等特殊性质和生产、储运过程要求严格的低温条件与操作程序,使得有机过氧化物潜在的危险性很高。通过基于有机过氧化物危险特性及其在生产、储运过程中物质、能量与信息的分析,依据物-能量-信息的安全要素体系,应用危险与可操作分析方法,研究了有机过氧化物的安全理论,在某种程度上是延伸了HAZOP分析的内容。     

磁微球负载硝基锌卟啉光催化剂的制备及催化性能研究

以氯化血红素为原料,制备了磁负载的硝基锌卟啉光催化剂.同时,利用热重分析仪(TG)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和振动磁强计(VSM)对催化剂进行了表征,发现制备的催化剂负载率为32.06%,催化剂为粒径均一的球形壳-核结构,具有良好的磁性.其次,研究了催化剂的催化降解性能.结果表明,磁负载硝基锌卟啉光催化剂在可见光下,对水中的双酚A(BPA)、对硝基苯酚(PNP)等均有90%以上的去除率;对于活性红染料废水的降解也取得了83.67%的降解率.自由基捕获实验证明,电子(e-)、羟基自由基(·OH)、空穴(h+)和氧自由基(O-·2)是降解反应中重要的活性物种.最后通过GC-MS等手段对降解机理进行了研究.     

北京市PM_(2.5)主要化学组分浓度水平研究与特征分析

为研究北京市大气环境PM_(2.5)中主要化学组分特征,于2012年8月—2013年7月期间,在北京市定陵、车公庄、东四、石景山、通州、房山、亦庄和榆垡等8个点位开展为期1年的样品采集,共计采集472组样品,分析每组样品中OC、EC、水溶性离子和18种无机元素等组分.研究结果表明,本次研究的组分重建后和实际PM_(2.5)浓度相关性显著,相关系数为0.94,所测组分平均占PM_(2.5)总量的90%;各点位不同季节PM_(2.5)中主要的组分均为OC、NO_3~-、SO_4~(2-)、NH_4~+,呈南高北低的趋势,冬季OC是夏季的1.7倍,NO_3~-和SO2--4在四季呈交替状态,除榆垡点位的SO_4~(2-)NO_3~-外,其他点位均是NO_3~-SO_4~(2-),4种主要的组分质量浓度分别为(23.1±21.4)、(20.3±23.4)、(19.4±22.2)、(13.6±15.2)μg·m-3,占PM_(2.5)总含量的18.5%、16.3%、15.6%、10.9%;研究水溶性离子发现,8个点位全年SNA/PM_(2.5)比例为42.8%,其中,夏季最高(49.9%),秋季较低(31.1%),NO_3~-/SO_4~(2-)比值平均为1.05,相对往年研究结果 NO_3~-/SO_4~(2-)比值有增加的趋势.     

Impact of dissolved organic matter on the photolysis of the ionizable antibiotic norfloxacin

Norfloxacin (NOR), an ionizable antibiotic frequently used in the aquaculture industry, has aroused public concern due to its persistence, bacterial resistance, and environmental ubiquity. Therefore, we investigated the photolysis of different species of NOR and the impact of a ubiquitous component of natural water — dissolved organic matter (DOM), which has a special photochemical activity and normally acts as a sensitizer or inhibiter in the photolysis of diverse organics; furthermore, scavenging experiments combined with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) were performed to evaluate the transformation of NOR in water. The results demonstated that NOR underwent direct photolysis and self-sensitized photolysis via hydroxyl radical (·OH) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂) based on the scavenging experiments. In addition, DOM was found to influence the photolysis of different NOR species, and its impact was related to the concentration of DOM and type of NOR species. Photolysis of cationic NOR was photosensitized by DOM at low concentration, while zwitterionic and anionic NOR were photoinhibited by DOM, where quenching of UOH predominated according to EPR experiments, accompanied by possible participation of excited triplet-state NOR and ¹O₂. Photo-intermediate identification of different NOR species in solutions with/without DOM indicated that NOR underwent different photodegradation pathways including dechlorination, cleavage of the piperazine side chain and photooxidation, and DOM had little impact on the distribution but influenced the concentration evolution of photolysis intermediates. The results implied that for accurate ecological risk assessment of emerging ionizable pollutants, the impact of DOM on the environmental photochemical behavior of all dissociated species should not be ignored.     

Growth and alkaline phosphatase activity of Chattonella marina and Heterosigma akashiwo in response to phosphorus limitation

The growth and alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) of two raphidophyceae species Chattonella marina and Heterosigma akashiwo were investigated in response to P-limitation and subsequent addition of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP, NaH₂PO₄) and two dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) compounds: guanosine 5-monophosphate (GMP) and triethyl phosphate (TEP). APAlevels increased greatly after P-starvation as the decrease of the cellular phosphorus quotes (Q_p). C. marina responded to P-limitation quickly and strongly, with 10-fold increase in APA within 24 hr after P-starvation. The larger difference between maximal and minimal Q_p values in C. marina indicated its high capacity in P storage. APA of H. akashiwo wasmaximally enlarged about 2.5 times at 48 hr of P-starvation. After the addition of nutrients, cell numbers of C. marina increased in all treatments including the P-free culture, demonstrating the higher endurance of C. marina to P-limitation. However, those of H. akashiwo increased only in DIP and GMP cultures. APA increased only after the addition of the monophosphate ester GMP. The results suggest that quick responses of C. marina to P-limitation, high capacity in P storage as well as endurance for P-depletion provide this species an ecological advantage in phytoplankton community competition under DIP-limited conditions.     

Cu–Mn–Ce ternary mixed-oxide catalysts for catalytic combustion of toluene

Cu–Mn, Cu–Mn–Ce, and Cu–Ce mixed-oxide catalysts were prepared by a citric acid sol–gel method and then characterized by XRD, BET, H₂-TPR and XPS analyses. Their catalytic properties were investigated in the toluene combustion reaction. Results showed that the Cu–Mn–Ce ternary mixed-oxide catalyst with 1:2:4 mole ratios had the highest catalytic activity, and 99% toluene conversion was achieved at temperatures below 220°C. In the Cu–Mn–Ce catalyst, a portion of Cu and Mn species entered into the CeO₂ fluorite lattice, which led to the formation of a ceria-based solid solution. Excess Cu and Mn oxides existed on the surface of the ceria-based solid solution. The coexistence of Cu–Mn mixed oxides and the ceria-based solid solution resulted in a better synergetic interaction than the Cu–Mn and Cu–Ce catalysts, which promoted catalyst reducibility, increased oxygen mobility, and enhanced the formation of abundant active oxygen species.     

Biogenic volatile organic compound analyses by PTR-TOF-MS: Calibration, humidity effect and reduced electric field dependency

Green leaf volatiles(GLVs) emitted by plants after stress or damage induction are a major part of biogenic volatile organic compounds(BVOCs). Proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry(PTR-TOF-MS) is a high-resolution and sensitive technique for in situ GLV analyses, while its performance is dramatically influenced by humidity, electric field,etc. In this study the influence of gas humidity and the effect of reduced field(E/N) were examined in addition to measuring calibration curves for the GLVs. Calibration curves measured for seven of the GLVs in dry air were linear, with sensitivities ranging from 5 to10 ncps/ppbv(normalized counts per second/parts per billion by volume). The sensitivities for most GLV analyses were found to increase by between 20% and 35% when the humidity of the sample gas was raised from 0% to 70% relative humidity(RH) at 21°C, with the exception of(E)-2-hexenol. Product ion branching ratios were also affected by humidity,with the relative abundance of the protonated molecular ions and higher mass fragment ions increasing with humidity. The effect of reduced field(E/N) on the fragmentation of GLVs was examined in the drift tube of the PTR-TOF-MS. The structurally similar GLVs are acutely susceptible to fragmentation following ionization and the fragmentation patterns are highly dependent on E/N. Overall the measured fragmentation patterns contain sufficient information to permit at least partial separation and identification of the isomeric GLVs by looking at differences in their fragmentation patterns at high and low E/N.     

New insights into disruption of iron homeostasis by environmental pollutants

Among the numerous health conditions environmental pollutants can cause, chronic exposure to pollutants including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals has been shown to disturb a specific biological homeostatic process, the iron metabolism in human body. Disorders of iron metabolism are among the common diseases of humans and encompass a broad spectrum of diseases with different clinical manifestations, ranging from anemia to iron overload, and possibly to neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Hepcidin–ferroportin (FPN) signaling is one of the key mechanisms responsible for iron supply, utilization, recycling, and storage, and recent studies demonstrated that exposure to environmental pollutants including POPs and heavy metals could lead to disruption of the hepcidin–FPN axis along with disordered systemic iron homeostasis and diseases. This article introduces and highlights the accompanying review article by Drs. Xu and Liu in this journal, which elaborates in detail the adverse effects of environmental pollutants on iron metabolism, and the mechanisms responsible for these toxicological outcomes. It also points out the knowledge gaps still existing in this subject matter. Research that will fill these gaps will improve our understanding of the issue and provide useful information to prevent or treat diseases induced by environmental pollutants.