Freight handling in EU ports fell by more than 12 % during the global economic crisis in 2008–2009 after almost a decade of continuous growth. The decrease of freight handling in the Klaipeda seaport, the only port in Lithuania, was 6.7 % and happened due to the dominant outward movement of goods (mainly oil products). The Klaipeda seaport, due to its peculiarity, is the only ice-free port in the northern part of Baltic Sea. The present study explores the environmental impact of Klaipeda seaport activities from 2001 to 2011. Moreover, it compares the environmental effectiveness of environmental protection strategies used in the four biggest companies that, in fact, cover about 88 % of total activities (except general cargo) of the seaport. The first group of targeted companies used an environmental protection strategy to implement an ISO 14001-based environmental management system, and the second group selected to follow environmental management practices without certification. The paper analyses the development of the companies’ activities in regard to the change of environmental effectiveness. The paper evaluates the pressure of the economic crisis on the companies’ activities and its influence on environmental decisions, with particular interest in the ability of different environmental protection systems to resist and handle the expected performance. The study identified a significant decrease in companies’ activities during the crisis period. However, the economic activities and environmental effectiveness demonstrated similar short-term tendencies in regard to the environmental strategy selection but differed in long-term perspective.

This paper focuses on the synthesis of carbon nanospheres (CNSs) using fallen willow leaves as a low-cost precursor. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image demonstrated that the structure of synthesized CNSs was spherical, with a diameter of 100 nm. The crystal structure and chemical information were characterized by Raman spectrum and energy-dispersive spectrum (EDS), respectively. BET results showed that the CNSs had a larger specific surface area of 294.32 m² g⁻¹, which makes it a potentially superior adsorbent. Rh-B and heavy metal ions such as Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Cr⁶⁺were used as targets to investigate the adsorption capacity of the CNSs. The effects of adsorption parameters such as adsorption equilibrium time, dose of CNSs, adsorption kinetics, and effect factors were also studied. These findings not only established a cost-effective method of synthesizing CNSs using fallen willow leaves but also broadened the potential application range of these CNSs.

The aim of this study is to elucidate the influence of the exogenous application of gallic acid (GLA) in alleviating the detrimental effects of salinity (NaCl), osmotic stress (polyethylene glycol; PEG), and their combination in Oryza sativa L. roots. To produce same osmotic potential (−0.5 MPa), 3-week-old rice seedlings were treated with 120 mM NaCl and/or 20 % PEG6000 with/without GLA (0.75 and 1.5 mM) treatments for 72 h. Both alone and combination of stresses decreased growth (RGR) and osmotic potential (ΨΠ). Moreover, stress caused a significant increase in proline (Pro) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) contents. Also, Pokkali and IR-28 had higher H₂O₂-scavenging enzyme activities including catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione reductase (GR) activities in NaCl-treated roots. Only CAT activity was induced in both cultivars with PEG. Therefore, the enhanced levels of lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)) were more pronounced under PEG than NaCl. However, GLA significantly mitigated NaCl and/or PEG-induced stress injury. Under salinity, TBARS was lesser in GLA-applied rice that was associated with greater activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), and APX. GLA in the presence of PEG improved the activities of CAT and POX. According to these findings, GLA alleviated the damaging effects of NaCl and/or PEG (especially under NaCl) by improving the antioxidative system in rice. This is the first study elucidating the effects of GLA on tolerance to salinity, osmotic stress, and their combination in plants.

With the increasing number of outbreaks of food-borne diseases caused by okadaic acid (OA) and its analogue dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX-1), two key diarrhetic shellfish poison (DSP) toxins, OA and DTX-1, have become a serious threat to public health and have attracted significant public attention in China. The aim of our study was to monitor OA and DTX-1 contamination in commercially available seafood and to provide references for tracking these toxins and preventing disease outbreaks. From 2010 to 2012, 40 species were collected from six coastal cities of four inland seas in China. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a lateral flow immunochromatographic (LFIC) test strip were used to analyse the samples, and the results were further confirmed using a commercially available ELISA kit. The monitoring results indicated that 23 of 40 species were positive for contamination. In addition, 14 of the positive species were determined to be inedible because the content of OA and DTX-1 was above the regulatory limit. Simultaneously, we verified that the digestive glands of shellfish tended to accumulate toxin, in contrast to the flesh. The highest concentrations of OA and DTX-1 were recorded in Scapharca broughtonii, which was collected from Qing Dao, in relation to the other analysed species. Moreover, the Arca family as well as Mytilus galloprovincialis were severely contaminated by OA and its analogue. The above results indicate that some of the commercially available seafood from the coastal cities in China may be inedible due to serious marine toxin contamination. The results of this study might play an important role in protecting consumer health and safety screening of marine products.

The moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) were used to remove the residual NO₃ ⁻-N of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, and the MBBR carriers for denitrification were compared. The results showed that high denitrification efficiency can be achieved with polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane foam, and haydite carriers under following conditions: 7.2 to 8.0 pH, 24 to 26 °C temperature, 12 h hydraulic retention time (HRT), and 25.5 mg L⁻¹ external methanol dosage, while the WWTP effluent total nitrogen (TN) was between 2.6 and 15.4 mg L⁻¹ and NO₃ ⁻-N was between 0.2 and 12.6 mg L⁻¹. The MBBR filled with polyethylene carriers had higher TN and NO₃ ⁻-N removal rate (44.9 ± 19.1 and 83.4 ± 13.0 %, respectively) than those with other carriers. The minimum effluent TN and NO₃ ⁻-N of polyethylene MBBR were 1.6 and 0.1 mg L⁻¹, respectively, and the maximum denitrification rate reached 23.0 g m⁻² day⁻¹. When chemical oxygen demand (COD)/TN ratio dropped from 6 to 4, the NO₃ ⁻- N and TN removal efficiency decreased significantly in all reactors except for that filled with polyethylene, which indicated that the polyethylene MBBR can resist influent fluctuation much better. The three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix analysis showed that all the influent and effluent of MBBRs contain soluble microbial products (SMPs)-like organics and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), which can be removed better by MBBRs filled with haydite and polyethylene carriers. The nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ)-based terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis suggested that the dominant bacteria in polyethylene MBBR are the key denitrificans.

Urea being a fertilizer is expected to be less toxic to plants. However, it was found that urea at 100 mg L⁻¹ caused the oxidative stress in Elodea leaves due to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation that are known to stimulate antioxidant pathway. Urea at a concentration of 500 and 1000 mg L⁻¹ decreased low-molecular-weight antioxidants. In this case, the antioxidant status of plants was supported by the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and guaiacol peroxidase. A significant increase in the soluble proteins and –SH groups was observed with high concentrations of urea (30–60 % of control). Thus, the increased activity of antioxidant enzymes, low-molecular-weight antioxidants, and induced soluble protein thiols are implicated in plant resistance to oxidative stress imposed by urea. We found that guaiacol peroxidase plays an important role in the removal of the peroxide in Elodea leaves exposed to 1000 mg L⁻¹of urea.

Long-term heavy organic fertilizer application has linked greenhouse vegetable production (GVP) with trace metal contamination in north China. Given that trace metals release from fertilizers and their availability may be affected by discrepant environmental conditions, especially temperature under different greenhouses, this study investigated Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn accumulation and contamination extent in soil as well as their phytoavailability under two major greenhouses in Tongshan, north China, namely solar greenhouse (SG) and round-arched plastic greenhouse (RAPG), to evaluate their presumed difference. The results showed significant Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn accumulation in GVP soil by comparing with those in open-field soil, but their accumulation extent and rates were generally greater in SG than those in RAPG. This may be related to more release of trace metals to soil due to the acceleration of decomposition and humification process of organic fertilizers under higher soil temperature in SG relative to that in RAPG. Overall, soil in both greenhouses was generally less polluted or moderately polluted by the study metals. Similarly, decreased soil pH and elevated soil available metals in SG caused higher trace metals in leaf vegetables in SG than those in RAPG, although there was no obvious risk via vegetable consumption under both greenhouses. Lower soil pH may be predominantly ascribed to more intensive farming practices in SG while elevated soil available metals may be attributed to more release of dissolved organic matter-metal complexes from soil under higher temperature in SG. The data provided in this study may assist in developing reasonable and sustainable fertilization strategies to abate trace metal contamination in both greenhouses.

The effectiveness of ferrihydrite as amendment to restore the soil habitat functioning of a soil polluted with As by mining activities was evaluated. Its influence on As mobility and phytoavailability was also assessed. Soil treated with increasing amendment doses (0, 1, 2, and 5 %) were analyzed for soil microbiological parameters such as basal soil respiration and dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, urease, acid and alkaline phosphatase, and arylsulfatase activities. Batch leaching tests and plant growth experiments using ryegrass and alfalfa plants were performed. The treatment with ferrihydrite was effective to reduce As mobility and plant As uptake, translocation, and accumulation. Likewise, the soil microbiological status was generally improved as derived from basal soil respiration and dehydrogenase and acid and alkaline phosphatase activities, which showed increases up to 85, 45, 11, and 47 %, respectively, at a ferrihydrite addition rate of 5 %.

Links between environmental chemicals and human health have emerged but the effects from perchlorate, nitrate and thiocyanate were unclear. Therefore, it was aimed to study the relationships of urinary perchlorate, nitrate and thiocyanate concentrations and adult health conditions in a national and population-based study. Data was retrieved from US National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 2009–2012, including demographics, blood pressure readings, self-reported health conditions and urinary perchlorate, nitrate and thiocyanate concentrations. Analyses included chi-square test, t test survey-weighted logistic regression models and population attributable risk estimation. There were no clear associations between urinary perchlorate concentrations and adult health conditions, although people with hearing loss and diabetes could be at the borderline risk. Urinary thiocyanate concentrations were significantly associated with emphysema (odds ratio (OR) 2.70 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.91–3.82, P < 0.001), cancer (OR 1.21 95%CI 1.06–1.39, P = 0.008), chronic bronchitis (OR 1.23 95%CI 1.10–1.52, P = 0.003), wheezing (OR 1.24 95%CI 1.05–1.46, P = 0.011), coughing (OR 1.19 95%CI 1.03–1.37, P = 0.018) and sleep complaints (OR 1.14 95%CI 1.02–1.26, P = 0.019). The population attributable risks accounted for 3.3 % (1.8–5.3 %), 1.9 % (0.6–3.5 %), 1.2 % (0.5–2.6 %), 2.2 % (0.5–4.1 %), 1.8 % (0.3–6.2 %) and 1.3 % (0.2–2.4 %) for emphysema, cancer, chronic bronchitis, wheezing, coughing and sleep complaints, respectively. In addition, there was an inverse association observed between urinary nitrate level and heart failure. This is for the first time observing significant risk effects of urinary thiocyanate concentrations on adult cancer and lung problems, although the causality cannot be established. Elimination of such environmental chemical in humans should be included in future health policy and intervention programs.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a group of potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have been shown to disrupt retinoid homeostasis in different species in both laboratory and field studies. However, the molecular mechanisms of interactions with the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) are not fully understood. Zebrafish have proven useful for investigating mechanisms of chemical toxicity. In the present study, a reporter gene assay was used to investigate the activities of 11 PBDEs and six OH-PBDEs with different degrees of bromination on zebrafish RAR. All tested OH-PBDEs induced RAR transcriptional activity; however, of the 11 PBDEs examined, only BDE28 and BDE154 affected the RAR transcriptional activity. Homology modeling and molecular docking were employed to simulate the interactions of PBDEs/OH-PBDEs with zebrafish RARs and to identify binding affinities to analyze the specialization of the interaction between RARs and PBDEs/OH-PBDEs. The results showed that although these compounds could bind with RARs, the effects of PBDEs/OH-PBDEs on RAR transcriptional activity did not depend on their RAR-binding abilities. The present study is the first attempt to demonstrate that OH-PBDEs could induce RAR transcriptional activity by binding directly with RAR; these effects are possibly related to the structure of the compounds, especially their hydroxylation and bromination. Most of the PBDEs could not directly interact with the RAR.