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Monetization of externalities has served to thrive sustainable technology transition towards a low carbon scoiety. However, regional monetization method is lacking in China. Herein, ChinataxRCP was built to enable an environmental-economic (E-E) integration and analysis of environmental externalities in different medium (air-water-soil-human), facilitating decision making after considering tradeoffs among environmental impacts or between environment and economics. As a case study, ChinataxRCP was applied on evaluating technology-transition risks from landfill for rural FW management in Zhejiang who is a pioneer practicing “zero-waste city” in China. E-E integration results using ChinataxRCP indicated that biodrying & maturity, and two biotransformation options were promising. However, after transition from landfill, environmental pollution in air-soil-water and resource-related indicators were mostly relieved but with compromise on human health, which indicates efforts are required to control potential risks. Furthermore, policy scenarios revealed that subsidies are crucial for FW management and extra leverage should be reinforced to decouple them.

The exploitation of ion-absorbed rare earth elements (REEs) has caused serious ecological destruction and environmental pollution. Effects on soil fungal structure and diversity exerted by mining activities are usually ignored, although fungus is one of the most important components in soil ecosystems. In the present research, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and high-throughput Illumina MiSeq sequencing were conducted to characterize fungal community composition and structure in soil of a rare earth mining area after in situ leaching. Statistical analyses, network, and FUNGuild were used to conduct in-depth analyses. Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Glomeromycota were the most abundant phyla in the mining soils. Fungal community structures were stable after leaching practice, but nutrition contents (organic matter, TC, and TN) significantly and positively contributed to fungal abundances and diversities. Saprotrophs in phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the dominant fungal trophic mode, and they played critical roles in nutrient cycling, transformation processes, and reducing REE toxicity. Symbiotrophs of phyla Glomeromycota contributed to soil aggregation and slowing down nutrient losses after in situ leaching practice. In addition, fungi could regulate the interactions between species to resist the harsh environment of REE toxicity or ammonium caused by in situ leaching practice.

YKL-40 mediates vascular inflammation and plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Previous studies have identified YKL-40 as a potential diagnostic biomarker for AIS. However, in patients with AIS, the effects of YKL-40 on long-term clinical outcomes including poor clinical outcome, all-cause mortality, and stroke recurrence remained elusive.The purpose of this study was to explore the association between serum YKL-40 at admission and one-year clinical outcomes in AIS patients. In this prospective cohort study, a total of 1002 participants out of 1361 AIS patients from two centers were included for current analysis. Serum YKL-40 concentrations were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Multivariable logistic or Cox regression were performed to explore the independent association of YKL-40 with one-year clinical outcomes, including poor outcome (modified Rankin Scale of 3-6), all-cause mortality, and recurrent stroke. C-statistic, net reclassification index (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were calculated to evaluate the discriminatoryand predictive power of YKL-40 when added to conventional model. Compared with the first quartile of YKL-40, the adjusted odds ratios or hazard ratios (95% CI) of the fourth quartile was 3.032 (1.627-5.650) for poor outcome, 2.886 (1.320-6.308) for all-cause mortality and 1.694 (0.906-3.169) for recurrent stroke. The addition of serum YKL-40 to conventional model significantly improved reclassification for poor outcome (NRI 0.053, P = 0.031; IDI 0.018, P = 0.001) and all-cause mortality (NRI 0.162, P = 0.036). In conclusion, elevated serum YKL-40 at baseline might be independently associated with one-year poor outcome and all-cause mortality but not stroke recurrence among Chinese AIS patients, suggesting that YKL-40 can potentially serve as a valuable prognosticbiomarker for AIS.

Toxicological data suggest a significant developmental toxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs); however, evidence in humans remains inconclusive. Furthermore, the effects of prenatal exposure to PFASs on hormones in the growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis of newborns remain largely unclear. We aimed to investigate the associations of prenatal exposure to PFASs with the neonatal birth size, GH, IGF-1, and IGF-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3). The concentrations of 22 PFASs were measured in the plasma of 224 pregnant women collected within 3 days before delivery (39.3 weeks) in Guangzhou, China, and the anthropometric data were gathered from medical records. Paired cord blood was collected at delivery to determine GH, IGF-1, and IGFBP-3 levels. Multivariable linear regression models revealed the inverse associations of several long-chain PFASs with birth weight and ponderal index as well as the significant associations of perfluorobutanoic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) with IGFBP-3 levels. The Bayesian kernel machine regression confirmed the association of perfluorooctane sulfonate with birth weight and ponderal index and of PFOA with IGFBP-3 and identified an inverse joint effect of exposure to a mixture of multiple PFASs on birth weight. The findings provide the first comprehensive evidence on the individual and joint effects of multiple PFASs on the neonatal birth size and hormones in the GH/IGF axis, which requires further confirmation.

Biochar has been reported to mitigate short-term methane (CH4) emissions from paddy soil. Currently, CH4 mitigation by biochar has primarily focused on the abundance and variations of methanogens and methanotrophs, and changes in their activities during methane production and consumption. However, long-term effects of biochar on methane mitigation from paddy soil remain controversial. This review overviewed the existing mechanisms for CH4 mitigation as a result of biochar application. In addition, the two existing opinions on the long-term CH4 mitigation effect upon biochar application were highlighted. Combining the already explored mechanisms of fresh biochar on CH4 mitigation from paddy soil and a novel discovery, the potential mechanisms of biochar on long-term methane emission response were proposed. This review also revealed the uncertain responses of biochar on long-term CH4 mitigation. Therefore, to achieve carbon neutral goal, it is important to further explore the mechanisms of long-term CH4 mitigation under biochar application.

This study investigated the performance of anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) of pig manure and food waste on the reduction of antibiotic resistomes under wet and dry AcoD conditions. High-throughput quantitative PCR technology was utilized for a comprehensive assessment of the performances of the two processes. The results show that dry AcoD with a total solids (TS) content of 20% effectively reduced total antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) by 1.24 log copies/g wet sample, while only 0.54 log copies/g wet sample was reduced in wet AcoD with a TS content of 5%. Dry AcoD was more efficient in reduction of aminoglycosides, multidrug and sulfonamide resistance genes compared with the reduction of other classes of ARGs. Dry AcoD caused a significant reduction of ARGs with resistance mechanisms of efflux pump and antibiotic deactivation. In contrast, there was no obvious difference in reductions of ARGs with different resistance mechanisms in wet AcoD. Network analysis showed that ARGs were significantly correlated with mobile genetic elements (MGEs) (Spearman's r 0.8, P 0.05), as well as microbial communities. Enrichment of ARGs and MGEs was found at the early period of AcoD processes, indicating some ARGs and MGEs increased during the hydrolysis and acidogenesis stages. But after a long retention time, their abundances were effectively reduced by dry AcoD in the subsequent stages.

Evidence suggests a potential relationship between gestational weight gain (GWG) and adverse birth outcomes. However, the role of maternal genetic polymorphisms remains unclear. This study was conducted to investigate whether the relationship of GWG with risk of adverse birth outcomes was modified by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (

Biodrying and maturity (B&M) is a promising method of processing food waste (FW) into reusable products by rapidly removing water and accelerating material maturation. However, the potential mechan...

The mechanism by which O

Biochar application into paddy is an improved strategy for addressing methane (CH

The exploitation of ion absorbed rare earth elements (REEs) has caused serious ecological destruction and environmental pollution. Effect on soil fungal structure and diversity caused by mining activities are usually ignored, although fungi are one of the most important components in soil ecosystems. In the present research, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and high-throughput Illumina MiSeq sequencing were conducted to characterize fungal community composition and structure in soil of a rare earth mining area after in-situ leaching. Statistical analyses, Network and FUNGuild were used to conduct in-depth analysis. Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Glomeromycota and unclassified fungi were the most abundant phyla in the mining soils. Organic matter, TC and TN contents, but not pH or REEs contents, were the vital factors to determine soil fungal abundances and diversities. Fungal community structures were stable after leaching practice, but nutrition contents significantly and positively contributed to fungal abundances and diversities. Fungi could mediate the interaction between species to enhance their ability to resist the harsh environment of REEs toxicity or ammonium caused by in-situ leaching practice. Saprotroph in phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the dominant fungal trophic mode in the mining soils, and they played a critical role in nutrient cycling, transformation processes and reducing metal toxicity. Symbiotrophs of phyla Glomeromycota contributed to soil aggregation and slowing down nutrient losses after in-situ leaching practice.

Kitchen waste might be a potential source of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes. Composting is recognized as an effective way for kitchen waste disposal. However, the effects of different kitchen waste composting types on the removal of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes haven’t been systematically studied. In this study, the dynamics of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes from kitchen waste of four composting processes were compared. Results showed that although kitchen waste was composted, it remained an underestimated source of antibiotics (25.9–207.3 μg/kg dry weight) and antibiotic resistance genes (1012–1017 copies/kg dry weight). Dynamic composting processes (i.e., dynamic pile composting and mechanical composting) decreased the antibiotic removal efficiency and increased the abundance of some antibiotic resistance genes (5.35%–8534.7% enrichment). Partial least-squares path model analysis showed that mobile genetic elements played a dominant role in driving antibiotic resistance genes dynamics. Furthermore, redundancy analysis revealed that temperature, pH, and water content considerably affected the removal of antibiotics and mobile genetic elements. This study provides further insights into exploring the effective strategies in minimizing the risk of antibiotics resistance from kitchen waste via composting process.

Amendment of biochar into mineral soils has been reported a promising strategy for carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas mitigation due to its high stability. Currently, most studies on the stability of biochar are mainly focused on the assessment methods and influencing factors. The assessment methods include qualitative evaluation of physical and chemical properties, and utilization of kinetic mineralization models on the basis of laboratory incubation. As a result, these assessment methods are difficult to accurately reflect the real impact of the interaction between biochar and environmental factors. This article reviews the existing assessment methods, influencing factors, and the impact of environmental aging on the stability of biochar. It is found that under the influence of environmental factors, existing assessment methods are likely to overestimate the stability of biochar in mineral soils. Therefore, more emphases should be laid on the analyses of the deficiencies in the existing assessment methods on the stability of biochar in the consideration of practical applications. Long-term field experiment is strongly recommended to establish a more accurate assessment model on biochar stability for the evaluation of its carbon sequestration potential in mineral soils.

Fresh biochar application has been recommended as an effective strategy to mitigate methane emissions from paddy soil due to its role in promoting potential methane oxidation (PMO). However, little is known about the effect of biochar on PMO after long-term aging. Here, a laboratory incubation experiment was performed to gain insight into the combined effects of biochar characteristics on soil PMO during the biochar aging process. Biochar samples aged with an HNO3/H2SO4 mixture (1:3) were prepared and added at 22.5 and 2.8 t ha-1 to paddy soil. Mixed acid with a dilution of 10– 40% indicated the aging process in paddy field properly. Smaller biochar particles, smoother surface, higher surface area and porosity were observed with the increase of mixed acid ratio. Carboxylic functional groups (COOR) on biochar surface increased accompanied with biochar aging process. Aged biochar application at 22.5 t ha-1 inhibited paddy soil PMO, which mainly caused from the increased COOR groups induced NH4+-N inhibition for PMO. Increased soil NH4+-N inhibited PMO by limiting the growth of methanotrophs and nitrifiers due to decreased soil pH. In contrast, 2.8 t aged biochar ha-1 application showed no significant difference on PMO compared with control. Our results indicated that aged biochar exerted in paddy soil have limited effect on mitigating methane emissions from paddy soil in the long term.

As a carbon sequestration material, biochar has attracted much attention due to its potential to enhance rice productivity and nitrogen retention in paddy fields. However, little information is available about the impacts of rice straw-derived biochar on coating materials of slow-release fertilizers especially with bentonite, starch, and humic acid. In this study, a biochar-based slow-release fertilizer was developed and evaluated at field scale. An orthogonal experimental design was applied to investigate the blending ratios of biochar, humic acid, and bentonite with three adhesives, and how these influenced N release. The optimum coating combination was 25% biochar, 4% bentonite, and 10% humic acid with modified cornstarch as the adhesive (herein referred to as CF10). The product not only decreased N leaching and runoff losses at the seeding and tillering stages but also supplied more nutrients to the rice at the heading and maturing stages. The SEM and FT-IR observations revealed that an effective dense layer was formed that slowed N release from the granule. Laboratory- and field-scale studies showed that biochar has played a crucial role in developing a slow-release coating for the compound fertilizer based on its structural properties, porosity, and chemical interaction with other coating ingredients. We conclude that biochar-based slow-release fertilizer is a promising alternative N fertilizer for rice production.

Ammonia (NH3) volatilization is a major loss of nitrogen fertilizer in paddy fields. The incorporation of straw or biochar has been considered to be the alternative options for soil improvement and agriculture sustainability. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential role of rice straw and rice straw derived biochar in controlling NH3 volatilization according to the conventional nitrogen fertilizer level (urea, 270 kg N ha−1) during one rice (Oryza sativa L., cv. Xiushui134) growing season. Four treatments comprised rice straw at the rate of 8 t ha−1 (RS); rice straw derived biochar at the rate of 2.8 t ha−1 (RSBL); rice straw derived biochar at the rate of 22.5 t ha−1 (RSBH) and a control (CK). Compared to straw application, biochar incorporation reduced the cumulative NH3 volatilization (about 20%) from paddy fields significantly (p

Background: Cadmium exposure has been inconsistently related with hypertension. However, epidemiologic data on the genetic susceptibility to the hypertensive effect of cadmium exposure are limited. Objectives: We investigated whether the associations between cadmium exposure and hypertension risk differed by genetic polymorphisms in MMPs genes. Methods: The present study of 497 hypertension cases and 497 healthy controls was conducted in a Chinese population. Urinary cadmium levels were measured with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Multivariable logistic regression models were analyzed after controlling major confounders. Results: Within the multivariable logistic regression models, compared with the lowest tertile, the highest tertile of urinary cadmium had a 1.33-fold (95% CI: 1.01, 1.93) increased risk of hypertension. Carriers of rs243865 T allele and rs243866 A allele in MMP-2 were suggested to have increased risks of hypertension. The associations of urinary cadmium with hypertension risk were modified by rs14070 (P-value for interaction = 0.022) and rs7201 (P-value for interaction = 0.009) in gene MMP-2. Positively significant trends for increasing odds of hypertension with cadmium levels were observed among the wild types of rs14070 and rs7201, respectively. Conclusions: Increasing urinary cadmium concentrations were positively associated with hypertension risk in a Chinese population, and the associations were modified by polymorphism of rs14070 and rs7201 in gene MMP-2. Keywords: Cadmium, Hypertension, Matrix metalloproteinases, Genetic polymorphism

Biochar application into paddy is an improved strategy for addressing methane (CH4) stimulation of straw biomass incorporation. Whereas, the differentiative patterns and mechanisms on CH4 emission of straw biomass and biochar after long years are still blur. Considering economic feasibility, a seven-year of field experiment was conducted to explore the long-term CH4 mitigation effect of annual low-rate biochar incorporation (RSC, 2.8 t ha-1), with annual rice straw incorporation (RS, 8 t ha-1) and control (CK, with no biochar or rice straw amendment incorporation) as a comparation. Results showed that RSC mitigated CH4 emission while RS stimulated CH4 significantly (p < 0.05) and stably over 7 experimental years compared with CK. RSC mitigated 14.8 ~ 46.7% of CH4 emission compared with CK. In comparison to RSC, RS increased 111 ~ 950.5% of CH4 emission during 7 field experimental years. On the 7th field experimental year, pH was significantly increased both in RS and RSC treatment (p < 0.05). RSC significantly (p < 0.05) increased soil nitrate (NO3--N) while RS significantly (p < 0.05) increased dissolved carbon (DOC) when compared to each other. Soil NO3--N inhibitory on methanogens and promotion on methanotrophs was verified by laboratory experiment, while soil pH and DOC mainly promoted methanogens abundance. Significantly (p < 0.05) increased DOC and soil pH enhanced methanogens growth and stimulated CH4 emission in RS treatment. Higher soil NO3--N in RSC than CK and RS contributed to CH4 mitigation. Soil NO3--N and DOC were identified as the key factors differentiating CH4 emission patterns of RS and RSC in 2019. Collectively, soil NO3--N impacts on CH4 flux provide new ideas for prolonged effect of biochar on CH4 mitigation after years.

Background Essential metals play critical roles in fetal growth and development, but results from human studies are inconsistent. Additionally, whether maternal thyroid hormone (TH) levels mediate the associations between essential metals and fetal growth remains unknown. Methods Data for analysis were extracted from the Information System of Guangdong Women and Children Hospital between January 2017 and December 2019. Maternal levels of essential metals [copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe)] and THs were measured at the second trimester. Multivariate linear models were introduced to evaluate the potential associations between maternal essential metals, thyroid functions, and fetal growth, and the possible mediation effects of thyroid functions were explored in the median analyses. Results A total of 4186 mother-infant pairs were included in the present study. Maternal Fe levels were found to significantly increase birth weight in 272.91 g (95 % CI: 15.59, 530.22) among anemia group. Maternal Cu levels were positively associated with increased free triiodothyronine/free thyroxine ratio (FT3/FT4). Negative associations of Fe and Mg levels with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations were observed, accompanied with the positive associations in relation to FT3, FT4 and FT3/FT4 ratio. Mediation analyses suggested that 72.01 % of the associations between Fe levels and birth length might be mediated by FT3 levels. Additionally, 25.85 % of the Cu-birth length association and 44.53 % of the Fe-birth length association could be explained by FT3/FT4 ratio. Conclusion Our findings suggest that maternal Cu, Mg, and Fe levels can alter TH concentrations, and maternal FT3 and FT3/FT4 ratio might be potential mediators on the developmental effects of Cu and Fe levels.

Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are substantially applied as flame retardants and plasticizers in consumer products. Although the embryonic developmental toxicity of OPFRs has been reported, human data are limited and the critical windows of susceptibility to OPFRs exposure urgently need to be identified. Here, we investigated the trimester-specific associations between prenatal OPFR exposure and birth size for the first time. The concentrations of 15 OPFR metabolites and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate were repeatedly determined in urine samples of 213 pregnant women collected in the first, second, and third trimesters in Wuhan, China, and anthropometric data were retrieved from medical records. In multiple informant models, urinary concentrations of bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP) and bis(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (BBOEP) in the third trimester, 4-hydroxyphenyl-diphenyl phosphate (4-HO-DPHP) in the second trimester, and diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) in the first trimester were negatively associated with birth weight, among which a significant difference in exposure-effect relationships across the three trimesters was observed for BDCIPP. BBOEP concentrations in the third trimester were negatively correlated to birth length with significant varying exposure effects. Our results suggest that prenatal exposure to certain OPFRs may impair fetal growth, and the fetus is vulnerable to the developmental toxicity of BDCIPP and BBOEP in the third trimester.

A sustainable biochar strategies on increasing crop yield and mitigating CH4 emissions over successive years is unknown. Thus, on-site equivalent rice straw biochar-returning (ERSC, biochar at 2.8 t ha−1 annual) were compared with on-site equivalent rice straw- returning (RS, rice straw at 8 t ha−1 annual) and high application rate biochar-returning (RSCH, biochar at 22.5 t ha−1 only in the first year). The RS and RSCH treatments increased rice production by 10.1% and 11.8% on average, respectively. The ERSC treatment continually increased rice production by 8.0%, 1.6% and 7.3% in three successive years. The ERSC treatment had a cumulative effect on the soil nutrients phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and magnesium (Mg), as well as increasing total carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) and continuously reducing the effect of soil available aluminum (Al). The RS treatment significantly promoted CH4 emissions while the ERSC treatment reduced methane emissions by 43%, 31% and 30% and the RSCH treatment reduced methane emissions by 52%, 22% and14% in three successive years. Compared with RSCH, ERSC showed the best long-term stable effect on methane emission mitigation in three successive years. This might result from the fact that fresh biochar promoted anaerobic oxidation of methane. This research gives us scientific evidence that an on-site equivalent rice straw biochar-returning strategy may be a promising method for sustaining rice production and mitigating methane emissions.