Climatological and Geographical Characteristics within Inversion Layers in the Presence of High NO2 Concentration

High concentrations of NO₂ may accumulate in the upper regions of the atmospheric inversion layers. In this study, the climatological and geographical characteristics of two cases where a high nighttime NO₂ concentration appeared in the inversion layer were studied, one on a slope on the Seto Inland Seacoast and in the Saijo Basin. On the Seto Inland Seacoast, the inversion layer appeared at 160 m a.s.l. There were remarkable differences in the concentration of NO₂ and saturation deficit across the boundary of the inversion layer. In Saijo Basin, the inversion layer covered almost the whole basin up to 500 m a.s.l. The cold air lake appearing below 290 m contained an especially high level of humidity and NO₂ concentration. In conclusion, it appears that the inversion layer plays a significant role as a cover preventing atmospheric NO₂ from diffusing outside the layer. In both cases, it seemed that the water vapor pressure almost reached saturation in the high NO₂ concentration zone.     

人和小鼠肥胖基因及其表达产物瘦蛋白的研究进展

研究表明肥胖基因编码和瘦蛋白对小鼠能量平衡和摄食行为具有重要的调节作用,同时表明瘦蛋白可能是联系人和其它运行营养状况与繁殖现象及免疫功能的重要因子。１９９４年由Ｚｈａｎｇ等通过位置克隆的方法克隆了小鼠的肥胖基因及该基因人的同源序列,从而拉开了研究与肥胖基因的序幕。本文从肥胖基因的分子生物学基础、肥胖基因的表达调控、瘦蛋白可能的生物学功能、瘦蛋白的作用位点以及重组瘦蛋白的生产等方面综述了近几年来肥胖     

纳米TiO2对土壤Hg2+吸附解吸性能的影响

为了研究纳米TiO_2对土壤吸附解吸汞性能的影响,以三峡水库消落区土壤为代表,选择2种晶型(锐钛矿和金红石)的纳米TiO_2颗粒,设置3个浓度梯度(2,4,8g/kg),制成含有不同浓度纳米TiO_2颗粒的土样,配制不同浓度的Hg~(2+)溶液,进行吸附解吸试验。结果表明:纳米TiO_2颗粒可提高土壤对Hg~(2+)的吸附量,但受颗粒的晶型和浓度的影响;锐钛矿颗粒对土壤吸附解吸Hg~(2+)的影响更大,其吸附作用力更强,不易解吸,其中4g/kg处理组吸附作用最强,与对照相比,最大吸附量可提高32.65%,且其解吸率低于对照组;金红石颗粒处理组对Hg~(2+)的吸附量随颗粒浓度的升高而增大,但吸附作用力较弱,容易被解吸,8g/kg处理组影响最大,与对照相比,最大吸附量提高18.18%,但其解吸率也最大。因此,纳米TiO_2颗粒增强土壤对汞的吸附作用,从而可能影响汞在环境中的迁移转化过程,特别是锐钛矿型颗粒。     

Emissions of CO2, N2O,and NO in conventional and no-till management practices in Rondônia,Brazil

Efforts to restore productivity of pastures often employ agricultural management regimes involving either tillage or no-tillage options combined with various combinations of fertilizer application, herbicide use and the planting of a cash crop prior to the planting of forage grasses. Here we report on the emissions of CO₂, N₂O and NO from the initial phases (first 6 months) of three treatments in central Rondônia. The treatments were (1) control; (2) conventional tillage followed by planting of forage grass (Brachiaria brizantha) and fertilizer additions; (3) no-tillage/herbicide treatment followed by two plantings, the first being a cash crop of rice followed by forage grass. In treatment 3, the rice was fertilized. Relative to the control, tillage increased CO₂ emission by 37% over the first 2 months, while the no-tillage/herbicide regime decreased CO₂ emissions by 7% over the same period. The cumulative N₂O emissions over the first 2 months from the tillage regime (0.94 kg N ha^–1) were much higher than the N₂O releases from either the no-tillage/herbicide regime (0.64 kg N ha^–1) or the control treatment (0.04 kg N ha^–1). The highest levels of N₂O fluxes from both management regimes were observed following N fertilizations. The cumulative NO releases over the first 2 months were largest in the tillage treatment (0.98 kg N ha^–1), intermediate in the no-tillage treatment (0.72 kg N ha^–1), and smallest in the control treatment (0.12 kg N ha^–1). For the first week following fertilization the percentage of fertilizer N lost as N₂O plus NO was 1.0% for the tillage treatment and 3.0% for the no-tillage treatment.     

Reactions of allyl isothiocyanate with alanine, glycine, and several peptides in model systems

The nucleophilic addition reactions of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) with alanine, glycine, and five alanine and/or glycine containing di- and tripeptides were investigated in model aqueous solutions of pH 6, 8, and 10 at 25 degrees C for 2-4 weeks. The formation of primary adducts, i.e., N-allylthiocarbamoyl amino acids (ATC-amino acids) or ATC-peptides, their transformation products, i.e., 3-allyl-2-thiohydantoins originating by cyclization of ATC-amino acids or by cleavage of ATC-peptides, and several other minor components were observed. The results revealed that both addition and cleavage rates rise proportionally to pH, whereas the formation of 2-thiohydantoins from ATC-amino acids is controlled by H(3)O(+) concentration. Depending on pH, differences in reaction rates of the additions are determined by either pK(a)(NH(2)) of amino compounds or electrical effects and steric hindrance of the molecules. The latter factors are crucial also for differences in cleavage rates of ATC-peptides. With regard to the pK(a) values and simultaneous AITC decomposition by aqueous nucleophiles, the reactions with amino acids and oligopeptides are predominant reaction pathways of AITC in solutions of pH 10 and 8, respectively. Reaction mechanism of the cleavage of 2-thiohydantoins from ATC-peptides in alkaline and mild acidic solutions is different from the conventional Edman scheme used for anhydrous acid medium.     

Mechanisms of N2O and NO production in the soil profile of a drained and forested peatland, as studied with acetylene, nitrapyrin and dimethyl ether

 Acetylene, dimethyl ether (DME) and 2-chloro-6-trichloromethyl pyridine (nitrapyrin) were used as inhibitors to study the contributions of nitrification and denitrification to the production of N₂O and nitric oxide (NO) in samples taken from the soil profile of a peatland drained for forestry. Acetylene and DME inhibited 60–100% of the nitrification activity in field-moist samples from the 0–5 cm and 5–10 cm peat layers, whereas nitrapyrin had no inhibitory effect. In the 0–5 cm peat layer the N₂O production could be reduced by up to 90% with inhibitors of nitrification, but in the 5–10 cm peat layer this proportion was 20–30%. All the inhibitors removed 96–100% of the nitrification potential in peat-water slurries from the 0–5 cm peat layer, but the 5–10 cm layer had a much lower nitrification activity, and here the efficiency of the inhibitors was more variable. Litter was the main net source of NO in the peat profile. NO₃ ^– production was lower in the litter layer than in the peat, whereas N₂O production was much higher in the litter than in the peat. Denitrification was the most probable source of N₂O and NO in the litter, which had a high availability of organic substrates. Received: 14 July 1997     

Simultaneous Absorption of SO2 and NO in a Stirred Tank Reactor with NACLO2/NAOH Solutions

The wet scrubbing combined SO_x/NO removal system is one ofthe advanced air pollution control devices. This study tries tounderstand the kinetics of the absorption in the system. The absorption of SO₂ and simultaneous absorption of SO₂ and NO, whose concentrations are typical for flue gases emittedfrom coal-fired power plants, in a stirred tank reactor with NaClO₂/NaOH solutions were carried out at 50 °C.The liquid-side and gas-side mass transfer coefficients of the system were determined. The results indicate that the absorptionof SO₂ is completely gas-film controlled if the NaOH concentration is greater than 0.1 M or the NaClO₂ concentration is greater than 0.2 M. Adding SO₂ would decrease the absorption rate of NO; however, the addition of NO has no effect on the absorption rate of SO₂. The existence of O₂ has no significant effect on the absorption rate of SO₂ and NO in the combined SO_x/NO removal tests.     

Spatial and Temporal Heavy Metal Concentration (Cu,Pb, Zn,Hg, Fe,Mn, Hg) in Sediments of the Mar Piccolo in Taranto (Ionian Sea,Italy)

The Mar Piccolo (surface area of 20.72 km²) is located in the Northern area of the Taranto town (Ionian Sea, Italy). It is an inner, semi-enclosed basin with lagoon features connected with the Mar Grande through two channels which are very important for water exchange. Mar Piccolo basin is subjected to urbanization, industry, agriculture, aquaculture and commercial fishing. Hence, it is important to have a temporal picture both of heavy metal content and of organic carbon and their distribution (hydrophobic fraction, hydrophilic fraction, humic compounds) to check the progress of pollution in time. Three sediment cores collected on the basis of the pollution sources have been analyzed. Both heavy metal and organic carbon concentrations underline the fact that the anthropogenic input is different in the three sites, and that in time the amount of pollutants coming into the Mar Piccolo have changed in different ways. The high amount of organic hydrophilic compounds present in sediments, both due to the small water depth and to the high accumulation rate, make the sediment site high in oxygen consumption due to a considerable chemical and biochemical transformations of organic matter.     

A Laboratory Study of the Interaction of NH3 and NO2 with Sea Salt Particles

It is known from the literature that the reaction 2 NO₂(aq) + Cl-(aq) → NO₃-(aq) + ClNO(g) takes place in the presence of NO₂ and sea salt aerosol. This work indicates that the reaction is first order in Cl- and second order in NO₂(aq) and the rate coefficient was determined to be 8.9 ± 2.1) × 10¹⁰ M-² s-¹ at 293 K. The study shows that the formation rate of nitrate in liquid sea salt aerosol is not influenced by pH in the range between 5.1 and 7.5. The uptake of ammonia in liquid sea salt particles in the present experimental system is governed by the rate of the reaction CO₂(aq) + H₂O → H₂CO₃. The addition of NH₃ to NO₂ and dry sea salt particles does not change the extent of nitrate formation in the particles. The dry aerosol shows an unexpected content of ammonium which increases with decreasing relative humidity. The nitrate formation in frozen sea salt particles at 266 K exposed to only NO₂, is about 5 times lower than for the corresponding droplets at 293 K.     

Uptake Kinetics of As, Hg, Sb, and Se in the Aquatic Moss Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw

Laboratory experiments were carried out to study the uptake kinetics of selected metals and metalloids in the aquatic moss Fontinalis antipyretica. For this purpose, moss specimens from a clean site were exposed to concentrations of As, Hg, Sb, and Se ranging from 0.1 to 10,000???g?l^?1, for incubation times of between 1 and 22?days, and the tissue concentrations of the metals in the moss specimens were then measured. Uptake kinetics followed different patterns in relation to exposure time, although the most common was Michaelis?CMenten kinetics. On the contrary, the contamination factors followed very similar patterns in relation to the exposure concentrations in all cases, with a good fit to logarithmic equations. The bioconcentration factors tended to decrease as exposure concentration increased. The bioconcentration factors for Hg were extremely high, even at the lowest concentration in water and for the shortest incubation time, which implies that F. antipyretica has a high capacity to magnify Hg levels in water, which is an important characteristic in a good biomonitor. According to the time to reach equilibrium, the minimum exposure time recommended for use in active biomonitoring by means of transplants is very variable, although high levels of the elements, except Sb, were found in the moss tissues within a few days. We do not recommend the use of this moss species to biomonitor low concentrations of Sb in water. The differences in maximum contamination factors and lowest bioconcentration factors suggest that As and Se were the most toxic of the elements under study.     

Characteristics of SO2, NO2, Soot and Benzo(a)Pyrene Concentration Variation on the Eastern Coast of the Baltic Sea

The investigation of SO₂, NO₂, soot and benzo(a)pyrene (BP) has been performed at the background station on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea since 1980. A significant decreasing trend has been observed for SO₂ and NO₂, while soot and BP concentrations were changing insignificantly. The decreasing SO₂ and NO₂ high concentrations (>10µg·m^?3) have been determined in the air masses coming from the Western and Central Europe to Lithuania since 1900. The concentration of SO₂ in a range of 0–5µg·m^?3 and the concentration of NO₂ in a range of 0–10µg·m^?3 are characteric of the background atmospheric air.     

3-Day-Ahead Forecasting of Regional Pollution Index for the Pollutants NO2, CO, SO2, and O3 Using Artificial Neural Networks in Athens, Greece

The difficulty in forecasting concentration trends with a reasonable error is still an open problem. In this paper, an effort has been made to this purpose. Artificial Neural Networks are used in order to forecast the maximum daily value of the European Regional Pollution Index as well as the number of consecutive hours, during the day, with at least one of the pollutants above a threshold concentration, 24 to 72 h ahead. The prediction concerns seven different places within the Greater Athens Area, Greece. The meteorological and air pollution data used in this study have been recorded by the network of the Greek Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning, and Public Works over a 5-year period, 2001–2005. The hourly values of air pressure and global solar irradiance for the same period have been recorded by the National Observatory of Athens. The results are in a very good agreement with the real-monitored data at a statistical significance level of p?<?0.01.     

N2O,NO, and NH3 Emissions from Soil after the Application of Organic Fertilizers,Urea and Water

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution - Agricultural soil is a major source of nitrous oxide (N2O), nitric oxide (NO) and ammonia (NH3). Little information is available on emissions of these gases from...     

N2O, NO, and NH3 Emissions from Soil after the Application of Organic Fertilizers, Urea and Water

Agricultural soil is a major source of nitrous oxide (N₂O), nitric oxide (NO) and ammonia (NH₃). Little information is available on emissions of these gases from soils amended with organic fertilizers at different soil water contents. N₂O, NO and NH₃ emissions were measured in large-scale incubations of a fresh sandy loam soil and amended with four organic fertilizers, [poultry litter (PL), composted plant residues (CP), sewage sludge pellets (SP) and cattle farm yard manure (CM)], urea fertilizer (UA) or a zero-N control (ZR) for 38 days. Fertilizers were added to soil at 40, 60 or 80% water-filled pore space (WFPS). The results showed that urea and organic fertilizer were important sources of N₂O and NO. Total N₂O and NO emissions from UA ranged from 0.04 to 0.62%, and 0.23 to 1.55% of applied N, respectively. Total N₂O and NO emissions from organic fertilizer treatments ranged from 0.01 to 1.65%, and <0.01 to=" 0.55%=" of=" applied=" n,=" respectively.=" the=" lower=">₂O and NO emissions from CP and CM suggested that applying N is these forms could be a useful mitigation option. Comparison of the NO-N/N₂O-N ratio suggested that nitrification was more dominant in UA whereas denitrification was more dominant in the organic fertilizer treatments. Most N was lost from PL and UA as NH₃, and this was not influenced significantly by WFPS. Emissions of NH₃ from UA and PL ranged from 62.4 to 69.6%, and 3.17 to 6.11% of applied N, respectively.     

Repeated drying–rewetting cycles and their effects on the emission of CO2, N2O,NO, and CH4 in a forest soil

Prolonged summer droughts due to climate change are expected for this century, but little is known about the effects of drying and wetting on biogenic trace‐gas fluxes of forest soils. Here, the response of CO₂, N₂O, NO, and CH₄ fluxes from temperate forest soils towards drying–wetting events has been investigated, using undisturbed soil columns from a Norway spruce forest in the “Fichtelgebirge”, Germany. Two different types of soil columns have been used for this study to quantify the contribution of organic and mineral horizons to the total fluxes: (1) organic horizons (O) and (2) organic and mineral soil horizons (O+M). Three drying–wetting treatments with different rewetting intensities (8, 20, and 50 mm of irrigation d^–1) have been compared to a constantly moist control to estimate the influence of rainfall intensity under identical drying conditions and constant temperature (+15°C). Drought significantly reduced CO₂, N₂O, and NO fluxes in most cycles. Following rewetting, CO₂ fluxes quickly recovered back to control level in the O columns but remained significantly reduced in the O+M columns with total CO₂ fluxes from the drying–wetting treatment ranging approx. 80% of control fluxes. Fluxes of N₂O and NO remained significantly reduced in both O and O+M columns even after rewetting, with cumulative fluxes from drying–wetting treatments ranging between 20% and 90% of the control fluxes, depending on gas and cycle. Fluxes of CH₄ were small in all treatments and seem to play no significant role in this soil. No evidence for the release of additional gas fluxes due to drying–wetting was found. The intensity of rewetting had no significant effect on the CO₂, N₂O, NO, and CH₄ fluxes, suggesting that the length of the drought period is more important for the emission of these gases. We can therefore not confirm earlier findings that fluxes of CO₂, N₂O, and NO during wetting of dry soil exceed the fluxes of constantly moist soil.     

Removal of Trichloroethylene by Activated Carbon in the Presence and Absence of TiO2 Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles (NPs) are emerging as a new type of contaminant in water and wastewater. The fate of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) in a granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorber and their impact on the removal of trichloroethylene (TCE) was investigated. Key parameters governing the TiO₂NP?CGAC interaction such as specific surface area (SSA), zeta potential, and the TiO₂NP particle size distribution (PSD) were determined. The impact of TiO₂NPs on TCE adsorption on GAC was tested by conducting TCE adsorption isotherm, kinetic, and column breakthrough studies in the presence and absence of TiO₂NPs. SSA and pore size distribution of the virgin and spent GAC were obtained. The fate and transport of the TiO₂NPs in the GAC fixed bed and their impact on TCE adsorption were found to be a function of their zeta potential, concentration, PSD, and the nature of their aggregation. The TiO₂NPs under investigation are not stable in water and rapidly form larger aggregates. Due to the fast adsorption kinetics of TCE, the isotherm and kinetic studies found no effect from TiO₂NPs. However, TiO₂NPs attached to GAC and led to a reduction in the amount of TCE adsorbed during the breakthrough experiments suggesting a preloading pore blockage phenomenon. The analysis of the used GAC confirmed the pore blockage and SSA reduction.     

Effects of organic material amendment and water content on NO, N2O, and N2 emissions in a nitrate-rich vegetable soil

Amending vegetable soils with organic materials is increasingly recommended as an agroecosystems management option to improve soil quality. However, the amounts of NO, N₂O, and N₂ emissions from vegetable soils treated with organic materials and frequent irrigation are not known. In laboratory-based experiments, soil from a NO ₃ ^? -rich (340 mg N?kg^?1) vegetable field was incubated at 30°C for 30 days, with and without 10 % C₂H₂, at 50, 70, or 90 % water-holding capacity (WHC) and was amended at 1.19 g?C kg^?1 (equivalent to 2.5 t?C ha^?1) as Chinese milk vetch (CMV), ryegrass (RG), or wheat straw (WS); a soil not amended with organic material was used as a control (CK). At 50 % WHC, cumulative N₂ production (398–524 μg N?kg^?1) was significantly higher than N₂O (84.6–190 μg N?kg^?1) and NO (196–224 μg N?kg^?1) production, suggesting the occurrence of denitrification under unsaturated conditions. Organic materials and soil water content significantly influenced NO emissions, but the effect was relatively weak since the cumulative NO production ranged from 124 to 261 μg N?kg^?1. At 50–90 % WHC, the added organic materials did not affect the accumulated NO ₃ ^? in vegetable soil but enhanced N₂O emissions, and the effect was greater by increasing soil water content. At 90 % WHC, N₂O production reached 13,645–45,224 μg N?kg^?1 from soil and could be ranked as RG?>?CMV?>?WS?>?CK. These results suggest the importance of preventing excess water in soil while simultaneously taking into account the quality of organic materials applied to vegetable soils.     

Radiosensitivity Studies and Radiostability of Ribulose-1,5 Bis-Carboxylase and Gas Exchange Characteristics in Wheat, Garden Pea, Field Pea, Spinach, and Okra

Implication of ureolytic biocalcification process as an efficient carbon dioxide sequestration technology was evaluated with Bacillus megaterium culture growing in a closed environment system. In three experimental sets containing either 35 % v/v CO₂ in headspace (set 1) or 50 mM urea in solution (set 3) or both (set 2), change in headspace CO₂, soluble calcium, and pH were monitored during 8 days of incubation. In absence of urea, headspace CO₂ content continued to increase in set 1 (up to 48 % v/v) without any carbonate precipitation. However, carbonate precipitation were obvious in urea containing sets (sets 2 and 3) utilizing all the added calcium (25 mM) in just 2 and 6 days, respectively. No headspace CO₂ could be detected in set 2 at the end of experimental period, and analysis suggested that this was majorly (>53 %) attributed to the solubility trapping phenomenon. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the precipitates were made up of calcite and major fraction of vaterite polymorph of CaCO₃.     

Studies on Selective Uptake Behavior of Hg(II) and Pb(II) by Functionalized Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Fiber with 4-Vinyl Pyridine/2-Hydroxyethylmethacrylate

The adsorption behavior of 4-vinyl pyridine and 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate grafted poly(ethylene terephthalate) fiber toward the Hg(II) and Pb(II) ions in aqueous solutions was studied by a batch equilibration technique. The influence of the treatment time was considered as well as the pH of the solution, the initial metal ions concentration, the graft yield, and the temperature. Such parameters as the adsorption kinetics, the adsorption isotherm, and the desorption time were further studied. Maximum adsorption occurred at pH 3 and pH 6 for Hg(II) and Pb(II), respectively. The adsorption kinetics followed the mechanism of the pseudo-second-order equation for heavy metal ions. The adsorption data is a good fit with Freundlich isotherm. Desorption studies indicated that the maximum percent recovery of Hg(II) and Pb(II) was 93.4% and 76.3%, respectively with 1 M HNO₃.