Abiotic stress can influence the interactions between a pathogen and its host. In this paper, we analyzed the effects of salicylic acid (SA) and pH on the morphological development and pathogenicity of Magnaporthe oryzae, the pathogen that causes rice (Oryza sativa) blast. A strain of rice blast that overexpresses biotrophy-associated secreted protein 1 (BAS1) and a wild-type (WT) strain were pretreated with different levels of pH and different concentrations of SA to analyze M. oryzae colony growth, sporulation, spore germination, dry weight of hypha, and appressorium formation. Disease incidence and the expression of defense-related genes in infected rice were analyzed after pretreatment with pH 5.00 or pH 8.00 and 200 μM SA. The results showed that both SA and pH had some influence on morphological development, including sporulation and appressorium formation of the BAS1-overexpression strain. In the 200 μM SA pretreatment, there was a lower incidence of disease and higher expression levels of the rice defense-related genes PR1a, PAL, HSP90, and PR5 on leaves inoculated with the BAS1-overexpession strain compared with the WT strain, whereas, LOX2 appeared to be downregulated in the BAS1-overexpession strain compared with the WT. In both pH treatments, disease incidence and expression of HSP90 were higher and the expression of PR1a and PR10a and LOX2 and PAL was lower in leaves inoculated with the BAS1-overexpression strain compared with leaves inoculated with the WT strain. We conclude that SA and pH affect morphological development of the BAS1-overexpression blast strain, but that these factors have little influence on the pathogenicity of the strain, indicating that BAS1-overexpression may have enhanced the tolerance of this rice blast strain to abiotic stressors. This work suggests new molecular mechanisms that exogenous SA and pH affect the interactions between M. oryzae and rice.

The effects of ambient fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) on the incidence of myocardial infarction have been reported, but little is known about this association in China. We conducted a time-series study of ambient PM₂.₅ concentrations and inpatient visits for myocardial infarction in Beijing. A generalized additive model with a Poisson link was applied to estimate the percentage change in inpatient visits for myocardial infarction following a 10-μg/m³ increase in PM₂.₅ concentrations. A total of 15,432 inpatient visits for myocardial infarction were identified between January 1, 2010, and June 30, 2012. A 10-μg/m³ increase in PM₂.₅ concentrations was associated with a 0.46% (P ≤ 0.001) increase in daily inpatient visits for myocardial infarction. Males were more sensitive to the adverse effects, and the association was more significant during the warm season (May through October). Short-term exposure to PM₂.₅ was associated with increased risk of inpatient visits for myocardial infarction in Beijing. The findings may be useful in developing more accurate targeted interventions.

This research reviews and analyses the environmental catastrophes in China with regard to its adherence of global environmental policies and practices. The research makes available evidence of the present policy regime and institutions, strategies for curbing emission, environmental legislations and regulations and measures to provide a sustainable environment for the present and future generations. This paper reviewed how the environment is affected by the emissions. The findings revealed that China adheres to global policies and practices. China also receives local and international support in terms of assistance in dealing with environmental challenges. It was also revealed that carbon dioxide was not included in the list of pollutants to be taxed by the environmental protection tax law. Furthermore, the government needs to be strict at the local and district levels in enforcing the law to ensure professionalism and attainment of set standards.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation coupled to ferric iron reduction (Feammox) has been assumed to play an important role in nitrogen removal from ecosystems. This study assessed the potential role of Feammox in nitrogen transformation in eutrophic lake sediment using an isotope tracing technique in sediment slurry incubation experiments. Feammox was discovered in eutrophic lake sediment. A significant correlation was found between Feammox rates and iron-reducing rates. Furthermore, the positive correlations between the abundance of iron-reducing bacteria (FeRB), such as Geobacteraceae spp. and Shewanella spp., and Feammox rates indicate that Feammox was mediated by FeRB. The potential rate of Feammox in the isotopic tracer incubation treatment was 0.23–0.43 mg N kg⁻¹ day⁻¹. The estimated nitrogen loss caused by Feammox accounts for 5.0–9.2% of the human-induced N input annually into the eutrophic lake. Feammox alone or coupled with anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) and/or denitrification may have an essential role in the nitrogen cycle within eutrophic lake sediment.

Exposure to ambient air pollutants during pregnancy may be associated with numerous side health effects and adverse birth outcomes. Growing numbers of studies have explored a possible linkage between prenatal exposure to PM₂.₅ (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) and impacts on fetal development. We aimed to conduct a systematic review based on published cohort studies to summarize evidence regarding the association between maternal PM₂.₅ exposure and birth outcomes, including birth weight, low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), and small for gestational age (SGA). Eligible studies meeting the following criterion were selected: PM₂.₅ exposure during pregnancy and live birth singletons, certain presentation of sample sizes, and quantitative evaluation of the associations between exposure and outcomes. Among the 42 selected studies, 23 evaluated the impact of prenatal PM₂.₅ exposure on birth weight of infants while 12 of them provided a significantly negative association for exposure and birth weight. Twenty-one studies aimed to identify the possible relationship between maternal exposure and LBW and 8 studies proved significant associations. Among 18 studies that explored the correlation between prenatal exposure and PTB, 9 reached a consistent conclusion that gestational exposure would add to the risk of PTB. Nine studies assessed the impact of PM₂.₅ on SGA and 5 of them demonstrated a significant effect. So far, linkages between maternal PM₂.₅ exposure during varied gestational stages and multiple adverse birth outcomes have been observed in many studies. A summary of them will be meaningful for further research on maternal exposure and adverse birth outcomes.

Polycaprolactone nanocapsules (PCL) containing pretilachlor were prepared, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used for their structural and morphological investigations. The results revealed that the nanocapsules had irregular shape and their particles size was in the range of 70–200 nm. The encapsulation efficiency of pretilachlor was measured as 99.5 ± 1.3% using high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The physicochemical stability studies over 60 days showed that the nanocapsules were stable in the suspension without any aggregation. The herbicide activity was examined in a pre-emergence manner using barnyard grass as a target plant and rice as a non-target plant. The nanoformulation had no negative effect on rice plant. However, its effect on barnyard grass was significant. The cytotoxicity analysis indicated that the nanocapsulated herbicide is less toxic rather than the commercial formulation. Therefore, encapsulation of pretilachlor in PCL nanocapsules can be used effectively to construct environmentally friendly PCL-herbicide systems in agriculture.

A photosynthetic algal (Chlorella vulgaris) microbial fuel cell (PAMFC) with double chambers was adopted for power production and removal of carbon and nitrogen in swine sewerage that could provide nutrients for the growth of C. vulgaris. C. vulgaris was expected to utilize carbon dioxide (CO₂) delivered from the anode chamber and generate oxygen as an electron acceptor by photosynthesis. PAMFC presented a maximum voltage output of 0.747 V and a maximum power density of 3720 mW/m³ at 240 h, much higher than that of the standalone MFC. 85.6%, 70.2%, and 93.9% removal of ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen (TN), and total organic carbon (TOC), respectively, were obtained in the anode chamber of the PAMFC system, while the corresponding removal in MFC was 83.1%, 56.0%, and 87.2%, respectively. PAMFC also presented a much higher removal of ammonia nitrogen (68.7%) in the cathode chamber than MFC (47.5%). The results indicated the superiority of the PAMFC device for carbon and nitrogen removal.

Chenopodium album and C. murale are cosmopolitan, annual weed species of notable economic importance. Their unique biological features, including high reproductive capacity, seed dormancy, high persistence in the soil seed bank, the ability to germinate and grow under a wide range of environmental conditions and abiotic stress tolerance, help these species to infest diverse cropping systems. C. album and C. murale grow tall and absorb nutrients very efficiently. Both these species are allelopathic in nature and, thus, suppress the germination and growth of native vegetation and/or crop plants. These weed species infest many agronomic and horticultural crops and may cause > 90% loss in crop yields. C. album is more problematic than C. murale as the former is more widespread and infests more number of crops, and it also acts as an alternate host of several crop pests. Different cultural and mechanical methods have been used to control these weed species with varying degrees of success depending upon the cropping systems and weed infestation levels. Similarly, allelopathy and biological control have also shown some potential, especially in controlling C. album. Several herbicides have been successfully used to control these species, but the evolution of wide-scale herbicide resistance in C. album has limited the efficacy of chemical control. However, the use of alternative herbicides in rotation and the integration of chemicals and biologically based control methods may provide a sustainable control of C. album and C. murale.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants which exert detrimental effects on living beings. Considering the health risk associated with exposure to these pollutants, their presence in food increases efforts to establish early-warning indicators of pollution. We aimed to examine the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of fluoranthene (0.2 ng and 18 ng/g dry weight of diet) on the activities of midgut antioxidant and detoxification enzymes in Blaptica dubia. Significant changes of superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, recorded at the higher fluoranthene concentration regardless of the exposure time, suggest that they may be used as biomarkers of PAH pollution. Increased GST activity and decreased total GSH content, detected upon acute exposure to the lower concentration, indicate processes of detoxification. Reorganization of B. dubia mechanisms of defense in response to oxidative stress caused by exposure to dietary PAH point to the necessity for further examination of fluoranthene actions.

In this study, we assess the validity of an African-scale groundwater pollution model for nitrates. In a previous study, we identified a statistical continental-scale groundwater pollution model for nitrate. The model was identified using a pan-African meta-analysis of available nitrate groundwater pollution studies. The model was implemented in both Random Forest (RF) and multiple regression formats. For both approaches, we collected as predictors a comprehensive GIS database of 13 spatial attributes, related to land use, soil type, hydrogeology, topography, climatology, region typology, nitrogen fertiliser application rate, and population density. In this paper, we validate the continental-scale model of groundwater contamination by using a nitrate measurement dataset from three African countries. We discuss the issue of data availability, and quality and scale issues, as challenges in validation. Notwithstanding that the modelling procedure exhibited very good success using a continental-scale dataset (e.g. R² = 0.97 in the RF format using a cross-validation approach), the continental-scale model could not be used without recalibration to predict nitrate pollution at the country scale using regional data. In addition, when recalibrating the model using country-scale datasets, the order of model exploratory factors changes. This suggests that the structure and the parameters of a statistical spatially distributed groundwater degradation model for the African continent are strongly scale dependent.