Source Apportionment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediment by the Application of Non-Negative Factor Analysis: A Case Study of Dalian Bay.

An improved method, factor analysis with non-negative constraints (FA-NNC) was adopted to apportion the sources of sediment polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Dalian Bay, China. Cosine similarity and Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis were used to assist the FA-NNC source resolution. The results identified three sources for PAHs, which were overall traffic, diesel engine emissions and residential coal combustion. The contributions of these sources were quantified as 78 ± 4.6% from overall traffic, 12 ± 3.2% from diesel engine emissions, and 10 ± 1.9% from residential coal combustion. The results from the Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis indicated that the model was robust and convergent.

Preparation of biochar by simultaneous carbonization, magnetization and activation for norfloxacin removal in water.

Activated magnetic biochar (AMB) was prepared with corn stalks, reed stalks, and willow branches by simultaneous carbonization, magnetization, and activation, and used for norfloxacin removal in water. The exploration results showed that the zeta potential was positively charged at pH 2-10. These prepared activated magnetic biochars have a large specific surface area (>700m2·g-1) and pore volume (>0.3cm3·g-1). The quasi-second-order kinetic adsorption equation could better describe the adsorption of NOR on AMB. The Langmuir isotherm showed the better fitting results on AMB. The AMB showed the strong adsorption of NOR, and the saturated adsorption capacity of corn activated magnetic biochar was the highest, 7.6249mg·g-1. The adsorption of NOR on AMB was a spontaneous endothermic process. The effect of pH on the adsorption behaviors of NOR on AMB was not obvious, and AMB had a good adsorption effect on NOR in a wide pH range.

[Calculation model of urban water resources ecological footprint and its application: a case study in Shenyang City of Northeast China].

Water resources ecological footprint can directly reflect the pressure of human social and economic activities to water resources, and provide important reference for the rational utilization of water resources. Based on the existing ecological footprint models and giving full consideration of the water resources need of urban ecological system, this paper established a new calculation model of urban water resources ecological footprint, including domestic water account, process water account, public service water account, and ecological water requirement account. According to the actual situation of Shenyang City, the key parameters of the model were determined, and the water resources ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity of the City were calculated and analyzed. From 2000 to 2009, the water resources ecological footprint per capita of the City presented an overall decreasing trend, but still had an annual ecological deficit. As compared to that in 2000, the water resources ecological footprint per capita was decreased to 0.31 hm2 in 2005, increased slightly in 2006 and 2007, and remained stable in 2008 and 2009, which suggested that the sustainable utilization of water resources in Shenyang City had definite improvement, but was still in an unsustainable development situation.

[Health assessment on aquatic ecosystem in Liaohe River of Liaoning Province].

Based on the investigation of the hydrology, water quality, periphytic algae, and habitat conditions of 20 hydrologic sections in the Tieling, Shenyang, and Panjin reaches of Liaohe River from June to August 2009, the indicators and their weights for the health assessment of aquatic ecosystem in the River were screened and determined by the method of principal component analysis, and the River's health assessment indicator system and health assessment standard system were constructed. The modified gray correlative degree method was also used to evaluate the aquatic ecosystem health condition at six sections of the River. Among the sections evaluated, three of them had a fair health level, two were worse or worst, and only one reached sub-health degree, suggesting that the aquatic ecosystem in the River was seriously degraded. Special attention should be paid to the ecological recovery of the river system, and comprehensive measures should be taken to control the River' s water pollution.

[Simulation and prediction of water environmental carrying capacity in Liaoning Province based on system dynamics model].

By the methods of system dynamics, a water environmental carrying capacity (WECC) model was constructed, and the dynamic trend of the WECC in Liaoning Province was simulated by using this model, in combining with analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the vector norm method. It was predicted that under the conditions of maintaining present development schemes, the WECC in this province in 2000-2050 would be decreased year after year. Only increasing water resources supply while not implementing scientific and rational management of water environment could not improve the regional WECC, and the integration of searching for new and saving present water resources with controlling wastewater pollution and reducing sewage discharge would be the only effective way to improve the WECC and the coordinated development of economy, society, and environment in Liaoning.

[Free radicals in Carassius auratus liver: their generation and oxidative stress induced by 2,4,6-trichlorophenol].

With electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique, this paper studied the free radicals generation and oxidative stress in Carassius auratus liver after 4, 8, 12, 24 and 72 hours of 2, 4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) intraperitoneal injection. The results showed that 2,4,6-TCP significantly promoted the generation of free radicals in C. auratus liver. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were induced significantly, while catalase (CAT) activity was inhibited, and glutathione (GSH) content had little difference with the control. A significant increase was observed in the contents of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and malondialdehyde (MDA).

Leaf litter ecological fate in the Schelde Estuary in Belgium.

Two dominant species of Willow(Salix triandra) and Reed (Phragmites australis) along the Schelde Estuary(in Belgium) were selected in this research. The pigments of higher plant was used as biomarkers, the decomposition process of the two species were studied after they fall into the Schelde Estuary. After statistical analysis (Spearman rank order correlation, P < 0.05), the results has shown the decomposition dynamics pattern of the pigments, and the willow showed different pattern in comparing with the reed, e.g. Chlorophyll-a decomposition dynamics for willow is: y1 = 12196x2 - 175895x + 1E + 06 + k, R2 = 0.5706 while for reed is: y2 = -37878x2 + 229782x + 734282 + k, R2 = 0.9065. The precise time of the leaf litter spent in the water was also calculated as were less than 24 days, 24-37 days, longer than 37 days(willow) and less than 24 days, longer than 24 days(reed), the leaf litter fate of the two dominant species in the Schelde Estuary was also compared.