Eco-efficiency of urban material metabolism: a case study in Shenzhen, China

The keys of studying urban sustainable development are material metabolism flux and efficiency. Metabolism flux of urban materials can only reflect the metabolism velocity, while its eco-efficiency can determine the metabolism capacity to support socio-economic development. The general model and the measure model of the eco-efficiency were set up, based on the source recycle (decreasing the consumption of crude resources) and the terminal recycle (decreasing the discharge of pollutants) of production and life. These models were employed to study material metabolism flux and efficiency in Shenzhen, China. Results showed that water, energy and waste metabolism fluxes have increased since 1998 with constant socio-economic development, and their eco-efficiencies have also increased rapidly. When GDP rose by 2.7 times, the metabolism fluxes of urban water and electricity rose by 1.5 and 3.0 times, respectively. When the added value of industry rose by 3.7 times, the metabolism fluxes of industrial water, electricity, energy and waste rose by 1.9, 3.5, 2.7 and 2.0 times, respectively. When population rose by 1.5 times, the metabolism fluxes of residential water and electricity rose by 1.8 and 1.7 times, respectively. During the period, the resource efficiency, environmental efficiency and eco-efficiency rose by 1.8, 3.7 and 2.3 times, respectively. Whereas the efficiency of material metabolism has been improved in Shenzhen, the scarcity of material resources has become more and more serious. Therefore, it is necessary to further improve the efficiency of material metabolism. The keys of improving the eco-efficiency of urban material metabolism are the increasing of resource and environmental efficiencies, and the establishing of the recycling chain of re-utilization of waste resources.     

A hybrid boronate affinity probe for the selective detection of cis-diol containing compounds in tea beverages

UiO-66-NH₂ nanocomposite was post-modified with 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (MPBA) by the method of in situ hybridization reaction. The hybrid boronate affinity material UiO-NH₂@P (TEPIC-co-MPBA) was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The material was applied as fluorescent probe for the detection of cis-diol containing compounds based on the boronate affinity mechanism, and exhibited high specific selectively. The proposed method exhibited good linearity for the detection of catechol in the range of 0.50 to 8.00 μg ml⁻¹. The detection limit was 0.13 μg ml⁻¹. The tactic was successfully applied to analyze the total polyphenols in tea beverages for catechol, and relative recovery was in 98.86–106.00%. Therefore, this work provided a promising strategy for the recognition of cis-diol containing compounds.     

顺磁物质对土壤低场核磁共振信号特征及含水量测定的影响

核磁共振(NMR)技术由于具有高效快速、不破坏土壤结构且对人体无害等优点,逐渐被应用到土壤学相关领域研究中。然而,土壤中顺磁物质的存在对核磁共振信号特征的影响仍不明确。本研究旨在揭示顺磁物质对不同类型土壤低场核磁共振(LF-NMR)信号特征和土壤含水量测定的影响。结果表明:土壤水的LF-NMR信号量最高可达150左右,土壤矿物、有机质和微生物等固相物质的LF-NMR信号量基本不超过0.3,相对可以忽略。质地和顺磁物质对土壤水的LF-NMR信号量测量有更大影响。LF-NMR仪器存在弛豫时间监测盲区,信号量损失主要是由于顺磁物质加速了水中氢质子的弛豫过程,导致小孔隙中水分反馈的极快的LF-NMR信号不能被监测设备捕获。对于顺磁物质含量较少的壤性潮土(1.2%)和黏壤性黑土(1.3%),LF-NMR信号量损失不大,其与土壤含水量呈线性关系;但对于黏粒含量(45.3%)和顺磁物质含量(4.0%)较高的黏性红壤,测定中会损失一部分LF-NMR信号量,监测到的LF-NMR信号量与土壤含水量不再呈线性关系。此外,外源添加顺磁物质(3.0 g·L^-1的MnCl₂溶液)也会降低黑土和红壤中可被监测的LF-NMR信号量,黑土和红壤的信号量最大损失率分别为41.0%和46.7%,极大地改变其与土壤含水量之间的定量关系。因此,在利用LF-NMR测量富含顺磁物质(>1.3%)或有外源顺磁物质进入的黏性土壤的含水量时,应先通过校正降低顺磁物质等对LF-NMR信号量的影响。研究结果对利用低场核磁共振技术准确分析土壤水分分布及土壤孔隙结构具有重要意义。     

Vertical Migration and Mortality of Marine Benthos in Dredged Material: A Synthesis

This account describes the comparative response of four species of benthic invertebrates to burial in terms of vertical migration and mortality, and provides a synthesis of studies and recommendations upon which to assess future impacts. The species featured were the bivalve Mercenaries mercenaria, the amphipod crustacean Parahaustorius longimerus, and the polychaetes Scoloplos fragilis and Nereis succinea. There was evidence of synergistic effects on burrowing activity and mortality with changes in time of burial, sediment depth, sediment type and temperature. In sediment with silt-clay, N. succinea was the most resistant species followed by M. mercenaria, S. fragilis and P. longimerus. In sediment without silt-clay the order of percent mortality was reversed. Studies of surface water chemistry and sediment geochemistry showed that dissolved oxygen decreased significantly and ammonia and sulfide increased significantly between the surface and below 2.0 cm within a 15-day period. Based on these results and physiological tolerances from the literature it was concluded that M. mercenaria and N. succinea would be relatively resistant to chemical effects of spoil disposal, whereas S. fragilis and P. longimerus would be less resistant to such effects. Vertical migration of benthic invertebrates through dredge disposal can be a viable mechanism of recolonization under certain conditions. Some effects of burial of benthos can be predicted based on morphology, behavior and physiology. These biological features were discussed with examples dealing with molluscs, crustaceans, and polychaetes. Finally, recommendations were made concerning the type of studies to provide additional data to aid management agencies in decision making about future dredging and disposal practices.     

Control and interaction of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems in anuran amphibians

In anuran amphibians, respiratory rhythm is generated within the central nervous system (CNS) and is modulated by chemo- and mechanoreceptors located in the vascular system and within the CNS. The site for central respiratory rhythmogenesis and the role of various neurotransmitters and neuromodulators is described. Ventilatory air flow is generated by a positive pressure, buccal force pump driven by efferent motor output from cranial nerves. The vagus (cranial nerve X) also controls heart rate and pulmocutaneous arterial resistance that, in turn, affect cardiac shunts within the undivided anuran ventricle; however, little is known about the control of central vagal motor outflow to the heart and pulmocutaneous artery. Anatomical evidence indicates a close proximity of the centers responsible for respiratory rhythmogenesis and the vagal motoneurons involved in cardiovascular regulation. Furthermore, anurans in which phasic feedback from chemo- and mechanoreceptors is prevented by artificial ventilation exhibit cardiorespiratory interactions that appear similar to those of conscious animals. These observations indicate interactions between respiratory and cardiovascular centers within the CNS. Thus, like mammals and other air-breathing vertebrates, the cardio-respiratory interactions in anurans result from both feedback and feed-forward mechanisms.     

Preparation of a beef-extract as a laboratory reference material for the determination of heterocyclic amines

The present paper describes the preparation of a suitable laboratory reference material (LRM) to validate analytical methods for the determination of heterocyclic amines (HAs) in foods. Three different lots of reference material were prepared using a beef extract which was contaminated with a well-known quantity of amines at different levels ranging from 10 to 75 ng/g. These materials were then lyophilised under determined conditions and, after grinding and sieving, homogenised and, finally, bottled and labelled. Homogeneity and stability studies were performed and no statistical differences were observed in the analysis of variances for within- and between-bottle results, thus demonstrating the homogeneity of the material. Stability at different storage temperatures (-18, +4, +25 and +40 degrees C) and times (1, 2, 3 and 6 months) was also tested. Therefore, the material can be considered homogeneous and stable and can be proposed for use in inter-comparison exercises for the determination of HAs.     

Metabolic behavior of immobilized Candida guilliermondii cells during batch xylitol production from sugarcane bagasse acid hydrolyzate

Candida guilliermondii cells, immobilized in Ca-alginate beads, were used for batch xylitol production from concentrated sugarcane bagasse hydrolyzate. Maximum xylitol concentration (20.6 g/L), volumetric productivity (0.43 g/L. h), and yield (0.47 g/g) obtained after 48 h of fermentation were higher than similar immobilized-cell systems but lower than free-cell cultivation systems. Substrates, products, and biomass concentrations were used in material balances to study the ways in which the different carbon sources were utilized by the yeast cells under microaerobic conditions. The fraction of xylose consumed to produce xylitol reached a maximum value (0.70) after glucose and oxygen depletion while alternative metabolic routes were favored by sub-optimal conditions.     

A bimetallic oxide hybrid material constructed from a coordination complex polymer and molybdenum oxide subunits, [Ni(3,4′-bipyridine)2MoO4]·3H2O

The hydrothermal reaction of NiCl₂·6H₂O, MoO₃, 3,4′-bipyridine (3,4′-bpy) and H₂O in the mole ratio 1.0:1.0:2.1:1500 yields [Ni(3,4′-bpy)₂MoO₄]·3H₂O (1·3H₂O) in 80% yield. The structure of 1·3H₂O consists of a three-dimensional coordination polymer {Ni(3,4′-bpy)₂}_n²ⁿ⁺ with entrained {MoO₄}²⁻ tetrahedra and with water molecules of crystallization occupying channels within the bimetallic oxide-ligand framework. Crystal data: C₂₀H₁₆N₄O₄NiMo·3H₂O (1·3H₂O), tetragonal P4₁2₁2, a=13.1866(5) Å, c=29.458(2) Å, V=5122.3(4) ų, Z=8, D_calc=1.532 g cm⁻³.     

Brachiola algerae spore membrane systems,their activity during extrusion,and a new structural entity,the multilayered interlaced network,associated with the polar tube and the sporoplasm

The microsporidial genus, Brachiola, contains three species: the type species Brachiola vesicularum (identified from an AIDS patient) and two species transferred from the genus Nosema, becoming Brachiola connori and Brachiola algerae. A developmental feature of the genus Brachiola is the "thickened" plasmalemma from sporoplasm through sporoblast stage. The sporoplasm has been reported to have a thick plasmalemma at 1-h postextrusion. The purpose of this investigation was to observe B. algerae spores before, during and after germination to determine if the plasmalemma is thick at the point of extrusion and if not, when and how it forms. New understandings regarding the polar filament position inside the spore, places it outside the sporoplasm proper with the sporoplasm limiting membrane invaginations surrounding it. These invaginations, present a possible location for aquaporins. The multilayered interlaced network (MIN), a new organelle (possibly of Golgi origin from the sporoblast), was observed inside the spore and sporoplasm; it formed an attachment to the end of the extruded polar tube and contributed to the thickening of the sporoplasm plasmalemma. A thin "unit limiting membrane", present on the sporoplasm at the time of extrusion, is connected to the MIN by many cross-connections forming the "thick blistered" surface by 30 min-postextrusion.     

Residence time distribution in the chromatographic column: Applications in the separation engineering of DNA

Experimental and theoretical works were performed for the separation of large polyelectrolyte, such as DNA, in a column packed with gel particles under the influence of an electric field. Since DNA quickly orient in the field direction through the pores, this paper presents how intraparticle convection affects the residence time distribution of DNAs in the column. The concept is further illustrated with examples from solid-liquid systems, for example, from chromatography showing how the column efficiency is improved by the use of an electric field. Dimensionless transient mass balance equations were derived, taking into consideration both diffusion and electrophoretic convection. The separation criteria are theoretically studied using two different Peclet numbers in the fluid and solid phases. These criteria were experimentally verified using two different DNAs via electrophoretic mobility measurements, which showed how the separation position of the DNAs varies in the column in relation to the Peg/Pef values of an individual DNA. The residence time distribution was solved by an operator theory and the characteristic method to yield the column response.