Ecotoxicity of soils contaminated with industrial and domestic wastewater in western shenyang,China

Soil samples were collected from 7 sites in the up-, mid-and down-reach along and nearby the wastewater irrigation channel, western Shenyang of China. The concentrations of selected pollutants (mineral oil, PAHs - polycycle aromatic hydrocarbons and Cd) were determined by UV spectrometer, HPLC and AAS (atomic adsorption spectrometer) spectrometer, respectively. Toxicity effects of soils were evaluated by seedling emergence test with root length of wheat as the end-point and by earthworms test with the mortality rate and inhibition rates of body weight as endpoints. Results showed accumulation of pollutants for most soils with concentration of 200.2 mg.kg⁻¹∼1600 mg.kg⁻¹ for mineral oil, 0.33 mg.kg⁻¹∼1.81 mg.kg⁻¹ for Cd and 900.16 mg.kg⁻¹ ∼ 2737.91 mg.kg⁻¹ for PAHs. The inhibition rates of root elongation were from −20% up to 40 %, and mortality rates of earthworms ranged from 0%∼40% from the exposure period of two weeks to eight weeks by sampling interval of two weeks, the inhibition rates of earthworm growth were from −19.36% to 34.53%, showing effects of stimulation at 2 weeks to an increasing effects of inhibition at 4, 6 and 8 weeks, respectively. Mortality rates correlated with the loss of body weight of earthworms.

This study indicated the potential risk of pollutants of environmental low content in soil by the determination of selected chemicals combined with toxicity indexes.

     

峨嵋山冷杉森林衰退状况研究

报道和分析了峨嵋山冷杉森林的衰退状况。对冷杉种群的受害程度、分布规律、症状特点及其与海拔、特定生境、立木径级和林型的关系进行了研究分析。指出峨嵋山冷杉森林衰退是全球森林衰退的组成部份,而不是个别的或偶然的现象;肯定了当地冷杉林衰退具有某些个性特征。由此认为,导致当地冷杉衰退的主要原因可能是某种或某些作用范围广、持续时间长、发生频率高、对全球森林系统构成威胁的因素所致。     

肠激酶在毕赤酵母中的分泌表达优化

肠激酶 (Enterokinase,EK) 是一类特异性识别切割DDDDK序列的丝氨酸蛋白酶,作为一种工具酶广泛应用于生物医药领域。目前,EK在毕赤酵母Pichia pastoris中的表达水平较低,难以应用。本研究比较了6种不同的信号肽SP1、SP2、SP3、SP4、SP7和SP8对毕赤酵母分泌表达EK的影响。在摇瓶水平上,与α-factor信号肽相比,SP1信号肽显著提高了EK的分泌表达 (从6.8 mg/L提高至14.3 mg/L),酶活从 (2 390±212) U/mL提高至 (4 995±378) U/mL。在此基础上,通过共表达毕赤酵母内源蛋白Kex2,EK酶活提高至 (7 219±489) U/mL。另外,N端融合WLR三个氨基酸进一步提高酶活至 (15 145±920) U/mL,比酶活为 (1 174 600±53 100) U/mg。EK在毕赤酵母中的高效分泌表达为未来应用奠定了基础。     

Quantitative analyses of relationships between ecotoxicological effects and combined pollution

The responses of wheat Triticum aestivum, rice Oryza sativa, earthworms Eisenia foetida, and prawns Penaeus japonicus to combined acetochlor-Cu, Cd-Zn were studied in hydroponic and soil-culturing systems using the methods of ecotoxicology. In particular, systematically quantitative analyses were documented by field experiments. Results showed that ecotoxicological effects under the combined pollution were not only related to chemical properties of pollutants but also dependent on the concentration level of pollutants, in particular on the combination of concentrations of pollutants in ecosystems. Additionally, species of organisms, especially the type of ecosystem, determined the influences. To some extent, biological tissue targets attacked by pollutants were an important factor.     

活性X-3B红染料在水-土壤-作物连续体中的迁移模型研究

进入环境的自学成才性X-3B红染料是一典型的持久性有机污染物（POPs)。它从水分室向土壤分室再到作物分室的迁移,是一连续的生态过程,基于此,从理论上对活性X-3B红染料在水-土壤两相,土壤-作物两相以及水-土壤-作物整个连续体中的迁移进行了定量描述与探讨,并采用棕壤-大豆、褐土-小麦,红壤-萝卜和水稻土-水稻等系统给予了实验论证,表明活性X-3B红染料通过吸附机制从水分室到土壤分室的迁移符合Langmuir模型。通过作物根系吸收机制从土壤分室到作物分室的迁移可以用对数化的作物-土壤积累因子（CSAF）模型予以定量描述。     

城镇化过程生态风险评价案例研究

选择我国小城镇发展较为迅速的浙中地区（主要以巍山镇为例）采用变量相关的生态学方法,对其城镇化过程的生态风险评价作了尝试,结果表明,癌症和高血压等“文明病”的发病率随着城镇化水平的提高而逐年上升,具体表现为与城镇居住人口（包括农业人口和非农业人口）密度,居民人口增加,年龄,性别,乡镇工业和交通发展等有关,是城镇生态系统中有害物浓度和输入通量增加对人类生存与发展作用的结果,反映了城镇化过程中所遭受的生     

Characteristics of cadmium accumulation and tolerance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rorippa globosa</Emphasis> (Turcz.) Thell., a species with some characteristics of cadmium hyperaccumulation

Characteristics of cadmium (Cd) accumulation and tolerance in Rorippa globosa (Turcz.) Thell., a species with some characteristics of cadmium hyperaccumulation were further investigated and compared with a closely related species, Rorippa islandica. The results showed that there was no phytotoxicity for R. globosa leaves or reduction in biomass when treated with 25 μg Cd g⁻¹, although the concentration of Cd accumulated in the leaves was up to 218.9 μg Cd g⁻¹ dry weight (DW). On the contrary, Cd toxicity was observed in R. islandica leaves by way of determining changes in fresh weight (FW), malondialdehyde (MDA) level and chlorophyll content while treated with 25 μg Cd g⁻¹ DW. R. globosa had stronger self-protection ability than R. islandica to adapt to oxidative stress caused by Cd. Application of Cd significantly increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in leaves, the activity of peroxidase (POD) in roots, and the activity of catalase (CAT) in leaves and roots of R. globosa. By contrast, in R. islandica, the activity of antioxidant enzymes was inhibited or unchanged by various Cd treatments. However, R. globosa leaves had higher activity of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD and POD than that of R. islandica. The antioxidative defense systems in R. globosa might play an important role in Cd tolerance. The Cd treatments significantly induced the synthesis of phytochelatins (PCs) in the two species. Leaf PCs and Cd accumulation by R. globosa were much greater than those by R. islandica, but root PCs and Cd accumulation by R. islandica were much greater than those by R. globosa, suggesting that PCs in leaves may be a biomarker of Cd hyperaccumulation, and the synthesis of PCs may be related to an increase in the uptake of Cd ions into the cytoplasm, not the primary mechanism for Cd tolerance.     

Improved composting of Undaria pinnatifida seaweed by inoculation with Halomonas and Gracilibacillus sp. isolated from marine environments

Composting of the Undaria pinnatifida (wakame) seaweed was conducted after inoculation with 6×10(8) CFU g(-1)Halomonas sp. AW4 and the alginate-degrading bacterium Gracilibacillus sp. A7. Inoculation with strains A7 and AW4 resulted in 27.8% and 24.7% degradation of U. pinnatifida dry mass after 168 h, whereas only 17.5% degradation occurred in the uninoculated control. The C/N ratio decreased in the A7 and AW4 inoculated compost by 7.0% and 9.2% after 72 h, but increased by 11.5% in the control. Inoculation with A7 resulted in 2.8 times faster degradation of alginate and 1.2 and 1.6 times higher levels of reducing sugars and unsaturated sugars than inoculation with AW4. The compost produced from the inoculation with A7 had low plant toxicity as measured by germination experiment. The results suggest that inoculation of wakame with alginate-degrading bacteria not only shortened the length of composting but also created seaweed compost with good fertilizer qualities.     

Physicochemical and structural characteristics of chitosan nanopowders prepared by ultrafine milling

Two different molecular weights of chitosan were pulverized to nanopowders by ultrafine milling. The nanopowders were characterized by viscometry small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), FT-IR spectroscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy. Our results showed that ultrafine milling effectively reduced the particle size of chitosan to a nanoscale. The viscosity average molecular weight (Mv) of chitosan was decreased by the milling treatment. The crystalline structure of chitosan was destroyed by the milling since the nanopowder exhibited an amorphous XRD pattern. In addition, thermal stability of the low molecular weight chitosan was decreased after the milling treatment. FT-IR and UV-vis spectra showed that the milling process did not cause significant changes in the chemical structure of chitosan.