One of the most important strategies for protecting the environment is regulation, yet our present regulatory system is often not up to the task. An excessive reliance on "single instrument" approaches is misguided, because all instruments have strengths and weaknesses, and because none are sufficiently flexible and resilient to be able to successfully address all environmental problems in all contexts. Accordingly, a better strategy will seek to harness the strengths of individual mechanisms while compensating for their weaknesses by the use of additional instruments. That is, in the large majority of circumstances, a mix of regulatory instruments is required, tailored to specific policy goals. We cannot assume, however, that all combinations of instruments will be better than a single instrument approach. On the contrary, different combinations of instruments, or the introduction of a new instrument to an existing policy mix, could have a variety of effects, not all of which are positive. This article examines the interactions of different categories of regulatory instruments to determine which combinations are productive, counterproductive or context-specific. The aim is to develop a prescriptive categorisation of instrument mixes which will aid policymakers in policy design.
BackgroundHigh-altitude hypoxia disrupts intestinal homeostasis by impairing the epithelial barrier, triggering inflammation, and promoting microbial translocation. Berberine (BER), a natural isoquinoline alkaloid with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, has shown potential in protecting intestinal integrity; however, its efficacy under hypoxic conditions and its interaction with the gut microbiota remain unclear.MethodsA chronic hypoxia mouse model was used to investigate the protective effects of BER against intestinal injury. Microbiota dependency was assessed through antibiotic-mediated depletion and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), combined with 16S rRNA gene sequencing, metabolomics, and immune profiling. The functional role of a BER-responsive bacterium was validated by oral administration in antibiotic-treated mice.ResultsBER supplementation restored epithelial barrier integrity, including tight junctions, antimicrobial peptide expression, and goblet cell function, while reducing inflammation and epithelial apoptosis under hypoxic conditions. BER also reshaped gut microbial composition and network structure, accompanied by coordinated alterations in cecal metabolites, particularly purine metabolites and bile acids. Microbiota depletion abolished the protective effects of BER, whereas FMT from BER-treated donors recapitulated these effects, confirming a microbiota-dependent mechanism. Among BER-responsive taxa, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (B. thetaiotaomicron) emerged as a key effector, correlating with metabolite profiles and barrier integrity. Oral administration of B. thetaiotaomicron alone protected against hypoxia-induced intestinal injury, restoring mucin production and antimicrobial peptide expression, and attenuating inflammation and apoptosis. Mechanistically, both BER and B. thetaiotaomicron reactivated bile acid–FXR signaling and normalized intestinal immune homeostasis, including T-cell subset distribution.ConclusionThese findings demonstrate that BER protects against hypoxia-induced intestinal injury through microbiota-dependent metabolic and immune regulation. B. thetaiotaomicron acts as a central mediator of this protective effect, highlighting microbiota-targeted strategies as potential interventions for maintaining intestinal homeostasis under hypoxic stress.
Quantitative in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (QIVIVE) utilizes in vitro data to predict in vivo toxicity. However, there may be differences between reported nominal concentrations and the biologically effective free concentrations in media or cells. This study evaluated the performance of four in vitro mass balance models for predicting free media or cellular concentrations. Comparing model predictions to experimentally measured values for a wide range of chemicals and test systems, we found that predictions of media concentrations were more accurate than those for cells, and that the Armitage model had slightly better performance overall. Through sensitivity analyses, we found that chemical property-related parameters were most influential for media predictions, while cell-related parameters were also important for cellular predictions. Assessing the impact of these models on QIVIVE accuracy for a small dataset of 15 chemicals with both in vitro and regulatory in vivo points-of-departure, we found that incorporating in vitro and in vivo bioavailability resulted in at best modest improvements to in vitro–in vivo concordance. Based on these results, we conclude that a reasonable first-line approach for incorporating in vitro bioavailability into QIVIVE would be to use the Armitage model to predict media concentrations, while prioritizing accurate chemical property data as input parameters.
Karine Sartelet, Jules Kerckhoffs, Eleni Athanasopoulou
et al.
Mapping urban pollution is essential for assessing population exposure and addressing associated health impacts. High urban concentrations are due to the proximity of sources such as traffic or residential heating, and to urban density with the presence of buildings that reduce street ventilation. This urban complexity makes fine-scale mapping challenging, even for regulated pollutants such as NO2 and PM2.5. In this study we apply state-of-the-art empirical and deterministic modeling approaches to produce high-resolution (<100 m) pollution maps across five European cities (Paris, Athens, Birmingham, Rotterdam, Bucharest). These methodologies enable full-city mapping capturing intra-urban gradients of concentrations. Depending on the methodology, regulated pollutants (NO2, PM2.5) and/or emerging pollutants (black carbon (BC) and ultrafine particles (UFP characterized here by particulate number concentration PNC)) are considered. For deterministic modelling, different approaches are presented: a multi-scale Eulerian modelling chain down to the street scale with chemistry/aerosol dynamics at all scales, multi-scale hybrid models with Eulerian regional dispersion and Gaussian subgrid dispersion, and a Gaussian-based model. Empirical land use regression models were developed based upon mobile monitoring.To compare the relative performance of the methodologies and to evaluate their performance and limitations, the modelling results are compared to fixed measurement stations. We introduce a standardized metric to quantify spatial and seasonal variability and assess each method’s capacity to reproduce fine-scale urban heterogeneity. We also evaluate how data assimilation affects both concentration accuracy and variability representation—particularly relevant for emerging pollutants where measurement data are sparse. We confirm established seasonal and spatial patterns: spatial variability is more pronounced for PNC, NO2 and BC than PM2.5, and concentrations are higher during the winter periods. We also observe reduced spatial variability in winter for PM2. 5 (linked to residential heating) and for BC in cities with significant wood burning emissions. This study adds unique value by evaluating these patterns using fixed measurement stations, and quantifying them across entire urban areas at very fine spatial resolution (<100 m). Furthermore, important methodological strengths and limitations are pointed out, providing practical guidance for the selection and improvement of urban exposure mapping methods, supporting the implementation of the new EU Air Quality Directive.
YANG Hongwei, WANG Haifeng, YANG Jun, PU Renbin, YANG Can, JIN Chen
In order to enhance the long-term protective performance of water-based epoxy coatings，benzotriazole (BTAH) corrosion inhibitor was incorporated into hollow cerium oxide (CeO2) nanocontainers，resulting in the preparation of BTAH＠CeO2-doped epoxy coatings.The surface morphology，chemical composition and corrosion resistance of the epoxy/BTAH＠CeO2 composite coating were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)，X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).The results showed that the loading amount of BTAH inhibitor in the CeO2 nanocontainers was 24.7%.The BTAH inhibitor was able to be rapidly released from the CeO2 nanocontainers，with a release amount reaching 92.6%after 8 h.The BTAH＠CeO2 particles were uniformly dispersed in the water-based epoxy resin and effectively filled the microscopic voids inside the coating.Electrochemical impedance testing results after corrosion in a 3.5%NaCl solution for 1 h indicated that the coating resistance of the epoxy/BTAH＠CeO2 composite coating was 16.7 times higher than that of pure epoxy coatings.After immersion in a 3.5%(mass fraction) NaCl solution for 30 d，the polarization resistance loss rate of the epoxy/BTAH＠CeO2 composite coating was only 10.6%compared to 1 h of immersion，demonstrating excellent long-term protective performance.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Technology
Plant-based waste biomass with lignocellulose as an important component is produced in large quantities worldwide every year. The components of lignocellulose that typically exhibit high utilization value include cellulose and hemicellulose, as well as pentoses and hexoses derived from their hydrolysis. As a pretreatment for the hydrolysis process, delignification is a pivotal step to enhance cellulose/hemicellulose accessibility and achieve high yields of fermentable sugars. Additionally, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are the most widely used solvents for delignification during biomass fractionation due to their clean and environmentally friendly attributes. DESs dissolve lignin by inducing a large amount of β-O-4 bond cleavage and partial carbon–carbon bond cleavage, retaining cellulose in the solid residue, while most of the hemicellulose is hydrolyzed in DES pretreatment. This article provides a comprehensive review of the influence of DESs in the lignocellulose separation process. Key factors such as lignin removal rate, sugar conversion rate, and product chemical structure are critically reviewed to assess the feasibility of employing DESs for lignocellulose separation.
Along with the 40 years of reform and opening-up, China’s ecological and environmental management system has been evolving continuously. Since the start of the ecological and environmental protection in 1972, China has witnessed “great leaps” of reform on environmental management system about once every 10 years, in order to address the prominent environmental issues at different development stages, and continuously reform, innovate and develop the ecological and environmental governance systems and modes with Chinese characteristics. China adheres to solve environmental problems in the process of development, takes the improvement of the ecological and environmental quality as the core task, and gradually builds its ecological and environmental management systems conforming to the characteristics of different development stages, including a sound ecological and environmental planning & policy system, an improved ecological and environmental governance system and a complete ecological and environmental legal system. During the process of building the socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, we should aim at the strategic goal of building a Beautiful China, keep focused on China while stay connected with the world, adhere to green development, accomplish top-level design, build a new pattern of ecological and environmental management system, and co-construct a clean and beautiful world.