The pollution of the surface water in the Xiangjiang watershed in China has received much attention, whereas the groundwater conditions in the area have long been ignored. This study investigates the occurrence of Fe and Mn in the groundwater of Chengxi Town located at the terminal of the Xiangjiang River. The study area was monitored for an entire year. Thereafter, the associated health risks were identified. Results showed that approximately 81 and 73 % of the measured samples exceeded the limits for Fe and Mn in Chinese drinking water, respectively. pH level was found to be negatively correlated with the concentrations of Fe and Mn in the groundwater in the study area. The occurrence of Fe in the groundwater showed significant seasonal fluctuations and was possibly affected by the change in environment conditions within the aquifer. By contrast, Mn remained relatively stable in most of the area during the whole year. Overall, no health threats for adults and children in the study area were determined according to the low health index values. Nevertheless, research attention and the implementation of relevant measures are needed for certain villages with exceptionally high Mn concentrations in the groundwater.

Warning and monitoring projects of harmful algal blooms require simple and rapid methods for simultaneous and accurate detection and identification of causative algae present in the environmental samples. Here, reverse dot blot hybridization (RDBH) was employed to simultaneously detect several harmful algae by using five representative bloom-forming microalgae along the Chinese coast. A set of specific probes for RDBH were developed by PCR, cloning, and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), alignment analysis, and probe design. Each probe was oligo (dT)-tailed and spotted onto positively charged nylon membrane to make up a low-density oligonucleotide array. Universal primers designed within the conserved regions were used to amplify the ITS sequences by using genomic DNA of target as templates. The digoxigenin (Dig)-labeled PCR products were denatured and then hybridized to the oligonucleotide array. The array produced a unique hybridization pattern for each target species differentiating them from each other. The preparations of oligonucleotide array and hybridization conditions were optimized. The developed RDBH demonstrated a detection limit up to 10 cells. The detection performance of RDBH was relatively stable and not affected by non-target species and the fixation time of target species over at least 30 days. The RDBH could recover all the target species from the simulated field samples and target species confirmed by the subsequent microscopy examination in the environmental samples. These results indicate that RDBH can be a new technical platform for parallel discrimination of harmful algae and is promising for environmental monitoring of these microorganisms.

To better understand the potential impacts of metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) on Gram(+) Bacillus subtilis and Gram(−) Escherichia coli (K12) bacteria, eight different nanosized titanium dioxide (TiO₂) suspensions with five different concentrations were used. Water quality parameters (pH, temperature, and ionic strength), light sources, and light intensities were also changed to achieve different environmental conditions. The photosensitive TiO₂ NPs were found to be harmful to varying degrees under ambient conditions, with antibacterial activity increasing with primary particle sizes from 16 to 20 nm. The presence of light was a significant factor under most conditions tested, presumably due to its role in promoting generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, bacterial growth inhibition was also observed under dark conditions and different water quality parameters, indicating that undetermined mechanisms additional to photocatalytic ROS production were responsible for toxicity. The results also indicated that nano-TiO₂ particles in the absence and the presence of photoactivation induced lipid peroxidation and cellular respiration disruption.

Aerobic denitrification is the main process for high N₂O production in acid tea field soil. However, the biological mechanisms for the high emission are not fully understood. In this study, we examined N₂O emission and denitrifier communities in 100-year-old tea soils with four pH levels (3.71, 5.11, 6.19, and 7.41) and four nitrate concentration (0, 50, 200, and 1000 mg kg⁻¹of NO₃⁻-N) addition. Results showed the highest N₂O emission (10.1 mg kg⁻¹over 21 days) from the soil at pH 3.71 with 1000 mg kg⁻¹NO₃⁻addition. The N₂O reduction and denitrification enzyme activity in the acid soils (pH <7.0) were significantly higher than that of soils at pH 7.41. Moreover, TRF 78 of nirS and TRF 187 of nosZ dominated in soils of pH 3.71, suggesting an important role of acidophilic denitrifiers in N₂O production and reduction. CCA analysis also showed a negative correlation between the dominant denitrifier ecotypes (nirS TRF 78, nosZ TRF 187) and soil pH. The representative sequences were identical to those of cultivated denitrifiers from acidic soils via phylogenetic tree analysis. Our results showed that the acidophilic denitrifier adaptation to the acid environment results in high N₂O emission in this highly acidic tea soil.

Ecophysiological and antioxidant traits were evaluated in sage (Salvia officinalis) plants exposed to 120 ppb of ozone for 90 consecutive days (5 h day⁻¹). At the end of fumigation, plants showed slight leaf yellowing that could be considered the first visual symptom of leaf senescence. Ozone-stressed leaves showed (1) reduced photosynthetic activity (−70 % at the end of exposure), (2) chlorophyll loss (−59 and −56 % of chlorophyll a and b concentrations, starting from 30 days from the beginning of exposure), and (3) cellular water deficit (−12 % of the relative water content at the end of the fumigation). These phenomena are indicative of oxidative stress in the chloroplasts (as confirmed by the strong degradation of β-carotene) despite the photoprotection conferred by xanthophyll cycle [as demonstrated by the significant rise of de-epoxidation index, reaching the maximum value at the end of the treatment (+69 %)], antioxidant compounds [as confirmed by the increase of phenols (in particular caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid)], and water-soluble carbohydrates (especially monosaccharides). By means of combined ecophysiological and biochemical approaches, this study demonstrates that S. officinalis is able to activate an adaptive survival mechanism allowing the plant to complete its life cycle even under oxidative stressful conditions.

In this study, partial nitrification coupled with denitrification is modeled in a hybrid biofilm reactor with different hydraulic saturation conditions. The activated sludge model with two-step nitrification is implemented in GPS-X software. Hydrodynamic modeling by retention time distribution analysis and biokinetic measurement by respirometric tests are two significant parts of model calibration. By combining these two parts, partial nitrification in the aerobic part of the column is well simulated with a good agreement between experimental and modeled effluent concentrations of NH₄ ⁺ and NO₂ ⁻. Particularly, fully hydraulic saturation condition contributes to the large hydraulic volume of 1.9 L and high produced NO₂ ⁻ concentration around 40 mg L⁻¹. However, modeling denitrification still needs to be improved with more calibrated parameters. Furthermore, three alternatives are proposed for the optimization of reactor design and operation.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are widely used perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). Previous studies detected PFOA and PFOS in human tissues including the thyroid gland. There are no studies on the in vitro effects of PFOA and PFOS on thyroid cells. Our study was aimed at evaluating the effect of the in vitro exposure to PFOA and PFOS on thyroid cell proliferation and viability. These objectives were investigated using Fisher rat thyroid line-5 (FRTL-5) cells. FRTL-5 cells cultured in the presence of PFOA and PFOS at concentrations up to 10⁴ nM do not display changes in their viability and proliferation rate, while at a concentration of 10⁵ nM of either PFCs, a significant inhibition of cell proliferation, mainly due to increased cell death, was found. PFOA and PFOS were detected in FRTL-5 cell pellets after 72 h of incubation with PFCs but not in control cultures. When FRTL-5 were incubated with PFCs then washed in PBS and re-cultured for 72 h without PFCs in the medium, no detectable concentrations of PFOA and PFOS were measured in the cell pellet. This indicates that PFOA and PFOS enter thyroid cells by a gradient-based passive diffusion mechanism. Future studies are required to evaluate the potential toxic effect resulting from prolonged in vivo exposure to even lower concentrations of PFCs.

Increased cadmium (Cd) accumulation in soils has led to tremendous environmental problems, with pronounced effects on agricultural productivity. Present study investigated the effects of Cd stress imposed at various concentrations (0, 75, 150, 225, 300, 375 μM) on antioxidant activities, reactive oxygen species (ROS), Cd accumulation, and productivity of two maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars viz., Run Nong 35 and Wan Dan 13. Considerable variations in Cd accumulation and in behavior of antioxidants and ROS were observed under Cd stress in both maize cultivars, and such variations governed by Cd were concentration dependent. Exposure of plant to Cd stress considerably increased Cd concentration in all plant parts particularly in roots. Wan Dan 13 accumulated relatively higher Cd in root, stem, and leaves than Run Nong 35; however, in seeds, Run Nong 35 recorded higher Cd accumulation. All the Cd toxicity levels starting from 75 μM enhanced H₂O₂ and MDA concentrations and triggered electrolyte leakage in leaves of both cultivars, and such an increment was more in Run Nong 35. The ROS were scavenged by the enhanced activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione peroxidase in response to Cd stress, and these antioxidant activities were higher in Wan Dan 13 compared with Run Nong 35 at all Cd toxicity levels. The grain yield of maize was considerably reduced particularly for Run Nong 35 under different Cd toxicity levels as compared with control. The Wan Dan 13 was better able to alleviate Cd-induced oxidative damage which was attributed to more Cd accumulation in roots and higher antioxidant activities in this cultivar, suggesting that manipulation of these antioxidants and enhancing Cd accumulation in roots may lead to improvement in Cd stress tolerance.

Ag-modified helical chiral TiO₂ NFs (Ag@chiral TiO₂ NFs) were fabricated and characterized by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This novel material exhibited efficient photocatalytic activity for the degradation of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in water under visible light irradiation with an optimum size of deposited silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in the range of 12 ∼ 14 nm. The pseudo-first-order rate constant (k ₒbₛ) for EE2 photodegradation by Ag@chiral TiO₂ NFs increased by up to a factor of 20.1 when compared with that of pure chiral TiO₂ NFs. The high photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the interactions between helical chiral TiO₂ NFs and surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag NPs. The new catalyst retains its photocatalytic activity at least up to five consecutive cycles. The results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of using Ag@chiral TiO₂ NFs for the photocatalytic removal of EE2 and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals from water.

Limited data on the spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Tibetan soils have been reported. This study measured the concentrations of PAHs in background soils across Tibet including 44 surface soils (0–10 cm) and 14 subsurface soils (10–20 cm) and assessed the effect of input pathways and altitudes on spatial distribution of PAHs. The concentrations of 15 US EPA priority PAHs (∑15-PAHs, naphthalene excluded) in all surface soils ranged from 1.50 to 29.88 ng/g dry weight with a mean concentration of 6.09 ng/g. The levels of PAHs in soils from southeast of Tibet were higher than those from northwest, which might be attributed to both more local emission as a result of relative higher population density and contributions of long-range atmosphere transport (LRAT) processes from Indian subcontinent in the south and Sichuan in the east. For the northwest Tibet, the westerly wind originated from the western boundaries between India and Nepal but not local emission might play an important role in input of PAHs, since there were slight anthropogenic activities. A general decrease of ∑15-PAHs with depth suggested their atmospheric input, while surface runoff might also play an important role in input of PAHs to soils from canyon and valley. The abundances of more volatile three-ring PAHs positively correlated with altitudes while less volatile ones unrelated (four rings) or inversely correlated (five and six rings) with altitudes, indicating cold condensation effect. The results of PAH isomer ratios suggested mixed sources of petroleum evaporation and combustion of petroleum and biomass.