Establishment of human cerebral organoid systems to model early neural development and assess the central neurotoxicity of environmental toxins

Human brain development is a complex process,and animal models often have significant limitations.To address this,researchers have developed pluripotent stem cell-derived three-dimensional structures,known as brain-like organoids,to more accurately model early human brain development and disease.To enable more consistent and intuitive reproduction of early brain development,in this study,we incorporated forebrain organoid culture technology into the traditional unguided method of brain organoid culture.This involved embedding organoids in matrigel for only 7 days during the rapid expansion phase of the neural epithelium and then removing them from the matrigel for further cultivation,resulting in a new type of human brain organoid system.This cerebral organoid system replicated the temporospatial characteristics of early human brain development,including neuroepithelium derivation,neural progenitor cell production and maintenance,neuron differentiation and migration,and cortical layer patterning and formation,providing more consistent and reproducible organoids for developmental modeling and toxicology testing.As a proof of concept,we applied the heavy metal cadmium to this newly improved organoid system to test whether it could be used to evaluate the neurotoxicity of environmental toxins.Brain organoids exposed to cadmium for 7 or 14 days manifested severe damage and abnormalities in their neurodevelopmental patterns,including bursts of cortical cell death and premature differentiation.Cadmium exposure caused progressive depletion of neural progenitor cells and loss of organoid integrity,accompanied by compensatory cell proliferation at ectopic locations.The convenience,flexibility,and controllability of this newly developed organoid platform make it a powerful and affordable alternative to animal models for use in neurodevelopmental,neurological,and neurotoxicological studies.

Angular Distribution of Element Contents in Tree Rings and the Environmental Information

Element contents of tree rings and soils near tree roots collected from Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don) and Masson pine (Picks massoniana lamb.) were determined to study the relationship between the angular distribution of element contents in tree rings and the environmental information. The chemical composition and properties of soils are very much complicated, which leads to the non-uniform distribution of the element contents in tree rings. The statistical multi-variable regression method was used to got the information of the tree-centered distribution of element contents in the environment (soil) (C’), C’(z, θj ), from the distribution of element contents in tree rings (C), C(Z, θi), which depends on the plane azimuth angle (θi), i. e., C=C(Z,θi), where Z is the atomic number of the element, with a satisfactory result,though this study is only a primary one.

Internet based environmental monitoring information system and its application in Yili Prefecture

With the development of Internet technologies, Internet Based Information System (IBIS) arises with more advantages: Firstly, it is convenient for users to use owing to the introduction of Internet technologies. Secondly, it benefits greatly the data dissemination and data sharing based on Internet. The most important but not the last is that we can establish the information service network supported by its technologies and the facilities of information highway. So, it would be significant to design IBIS to realize the data collection, sharing and dissemination on Internet. There are many factors affecting regional environment. So it is not easy to realize the integrated environmental monitoring. Given this, we designed the Internet based environmental monitoring information system. By the virtue of the Internet based environmental monitoring information system, the management and storage of environmental monitoring data would be easier, which lays the foundation to actualize the environmental monitoring efficiently.

A Framework of Environmental Modelling and Information Sharing for Urban Air Pollution Control and Management

More effective environmental pollution control and management are needed due to the increasing environ-mental impacts from a range of human activities and the growing public demands for a better living environment. Urban air pollution is a serious environmental issue that poses adverse impacts on the health of people and the environment in most metropolitan areas. In this paper,we propose a geoinformatics augmented framework of environmental modelling and information sharing for supporting effective urban air pollution control and management. This framework is out-lined in terms of its key components and processes including: 1) an integrated,adaptive network of sensors for envi-ronmental monitoring; 2) a set of distributed,interoperable databases for data management; 3) a set of intelligent,robust algorithms and models for environmental modelling; 4) a set of flexible,efficient user interfaces for data access and in-formation sharing; and 5) a reliable,high capacity,high performance computing and communication infrastructure for integrating and supporting other framework components and processes.

A Review of Development of Environmental Protection Information during the 12^(th) Five-Year Plan Period and Its Outlook

During the 12^(th)Five-Year Plan period,the environmental protection information work made remarkable achievements,and the construction of nationwide air quality monitoring network was completed; the trinitarian monitoring system was established,and environmental emergency command ability enhanced significantly. However,the issues of " information island" and " application silo" are still outstanding,and the application and promotion of new technologies make slow progress; the capacity of information system to support environmental protection business is insufficient,and there is no capacity for decision analysis. In the 13^(th)Five-Year Plan period,it is needed to strengthen the application and promotion of new technologies such as cloud computing,big data,Internet of Things,and spatial information,mainly construct and improve " Cloud Computing Based Environmental Protection( CCBEP) ", " big data platform of ecological environment",and then realize the core objective of improving environmental quality.

Research on cloud computing and services framework of marine environmental information management

Based on the features of marine environmental data and processing requirements, a cloud computing archi- tecture of marine environment information is proposed, which provides a new cloud technology framework for the integration and sharing of marine environmental information resources. A physical layer, software platform layer and an application layer are illustrated systematically, at the same time, a corresponding solu- tions for many difficult technical problems such as parallel query processing of multi-dimensional, spatio- temporal information, data slice storage, software service flow customization, analysis, reorganization and so on. A prototype system is developed and many different data-size experiments and a comparative analy- sis are done based on it. The experiment results show that the cloud platform based on this framework can achieve high performance and scalability when dealing with large-scale marine data.

Eco－environmental information system of Tianjin City─Design，implementation and applications

This paper describes the design, implementation and applications of theeco-environmental information system in Tianjin City, which is the kernel of the decision support sys-tem for urban eco-environmental regulation (DSSUER) The design of this information system isbased on the analysis of the requirements of users. The system features that it has expendability,maintainability and universality, makes data be shared between different components of DSSUERand provides help facilities and protection. The system is built by using database and graphic basetechnologies it consists of the main control module, data-management module and data-proassingniodule. The applications of this system is demonstrated by an example which is the case ofsuitability analysis of land use for residential areas in Tianjin.

Comprehensive assessment method for environmental impact of railway based on geographic information system

By integrating the merits of the map overlay method and the geographic information system (GIS), a GIS based map overlay method was developed to analyze comprehensively the environmental vulnerability around railway and its impact on the environment, which is adapted for the comprehensive assessment of railway environmental impact and the optimization of railway alignments. The assessment process of the GIS based map overlay method was presented, which includes deciding the system structure and weights of assessment factors, making environmental vulnerability grade maps, and evaluating the alternative alignments comprehensively to obtain the best one. With the GIS functions of spatial analysis, such as overlay analysis and buffer analysis, and functions of handling attribute data, the GIS based map overlay method overcomes the shortcomings of the existing map overlay method and the conclusion is more reasonable. In the end, a detailed case study was illustrated to verify the efficiency of the method.

Study on the environmental information disclosure of Chinese forestry enterprises

Environmental accounting is a kind of accounting which focuses on the compensation for the resources spending. It combines the theories of environmental economics and traditional accounting and uses scientific as well as systematic ways to coordinate the development of economics and the protection of environment. It is just in the primary process for forestry enterprises in China to introduce the research and practice of environmental accounting. Based on discussion about the principle of environmental information disclosure and analysis on the current situation of the environmental information disclosure of the forestry enterprises, this paper attempted to propose that the supplementary report mode of information disclosure should be appropriate for the forestry enterprises, which provide the balance sheet of environment, the income statement of environment besides the original three financial report to reflect the general environmental information of the enterprise.

Empirical Research on Factors Influencing Level of Environmental Protection Information Disclosure in Annual Reportsby Listed Companies

Taking 248 A-share manufacturing listed companies in 2006 Shanghai Stock Exchange as example, using "index method" to measure level of environmental protection infor-mation disclosure, this paper examines the factors influencing level of environmental protection information disclosure. The findings show that the disclosure level has improved, but the overall level is still low and unable to satisfy information users; there is positive correlation between corporate size, industry type, accounting firm's type and corporate environmental dis-closure index. The companies of large scale and heavy pollu-tion and those audited by international "Big 4" and domestic "Big 10" accounting firms have a high level of environmental disclosure, while the profitability and financial leverage has no impact on the disclosure level. Finally some suggestions are put forward to establish environmental information disclosure sys-tem in China.

Spatial/temporal indexing and information visualization genre for environmental digital libraries

Protecting and preserving our environmental systems require the ability to understand the spatio-temporal distri- bution of soils, parent material, topography, and land cover as well as the effects of human activities on ecosystems. Space-time modelling of ecosystems in an environmental digital library is essential for visualizing past, present, and future impacts of changes occurring within such landscapes (e.g., shift in land use practices). In this paper, we describe three novel features, spa- tio-temporal indexing, visualization, and geostatistical genre, for the environmental digital library, Environmental Visualization and Geographic Enterprise System (ENVISAGE), currently in progress at the University of Florida.

Environmental Information Statement for Home Appliances at Online Stores in Japan

This study aims to identify the current situation and problems of environmental information statement for major four home appliances （refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and television receivers） sold at online stores in Japan, and then to suggest how to improve the situation, through a questionnaire survey conducted among businesses that operate online stores and online malls with multiple online stores. The findings of this study are summarized into the following two points： （l） It is found out that environmental information statement for the home appliances at online stores has four problems： （i） less information on ＂three Rs （reduce, reuse and recycle）＂ and ＂chemical substances＂ than the one on ＂energy conservation＂; （ii） cost for providing environmental information statement; （iii） issues associated with a label and mark placement; （iv） issues associated with energy conservation statement. （2） Improvements are suggested for each of the four problems listed above, and shown are （i） the effectiveness of, and need to promote, a label and mark placement; （ii） cost burden on buyers; （iii） need of active efforts made by businesses and of dissemination of legal regulations to businesses.

Environmental Accounting in the Context of Environmental Information： Case Study of a Reforestation Company in Campo Belo do Sul City, Santa Catarina State, Brazil

In Brazil, environmental accounting is inserted in a set of emerging matters, which are arousing great interest among researchers. One of the important points regarding the environmental issue is how to develop tools in order to analyze and manage the natural resources in a balanced way. However, in the literature there are no studies that made use of a knowledge-based approach to implement environmental accounting in organizations. This work aims to examine how environmental accounting can contribute to the knowledge creation in organizations. It held an exploratory, descriptive study and a research-action. The methodological procedures held were： literature review and development of a research-action in a forest enterprise between October 2008 and January 2011. During the interviews, the creation and change of routines and activities was pointed out, such as classification of expenditures schedules, creation of new accounts and new knowledge which help the planning and decision-making process in the organization. This work has an original character due to the practical application within an organization, in which there is a longitudinal follow up for a period of two years and three months, showing the results obtained through interviews with people involved in this process of implementing environmental accounting.

A regional environmental management information system for Chinese EPA—the system analysis and design

REMIS is one of key research projects sponsored by the central government. It is recommended to regional EPAs as a main tool of the environmental management. REMIS simulates the functions of the regional EPAs and aimed to improve their management level. The national environmental management information system will base on REMIS.Functional analysis is the kernel of the REMIS system analysis. Data and data flow analysis are used to support the functional analysis.Investigations on the functions of the local EPAs of eight provinces and 12 cities have been taken. The functions were carefully sorted. Modular design method was used in system analysis and system design.The system analysis included functional analysis, data analysis and data flow analysis. The system design is based on the system analysis. HIPO diagram of each modular, data base structure, menu design, selection of hardware and software environment were the main items of the system design.

Evolution of corporate environmental information disclosure framework of “knowledge and action”: Based on big data background

Cloud accounting is based on the traditional financial work process, the context of big data, and the necessary trend of future corporate accounting development. Its emergence and rapid development will have a fundamental impact on corporate environmental information disclosure. In the big data era of information sharing, companies will have a new understanding of the emergence, balance, and final consideration of social responsibility, and will have new changes in their overall decision-making and information disclosure methods. "Knowing" and "behavior" will be combined on the basis of rational judgment, so that corporate environmental information disclosure is more in line with the overall social development requirements. Based on the background of big data, this article starts with the disclosure of impact factors, footholds, and path choices. It describes the evolution of corporate environmental information disclosure and provides reference suggestions for enterprises to disclose environmental information truthfully and perform social responsibilities.

Environmental Information Governance Reform in the Era of Big Data--From Information Disclosure to Public Service

The development of environmental information governance includes three phases: providing for oneself,information disclosure,and public service. And then China is in the transition and transformation of environmental information disclosure to the environmental information public service. The core of the transformation is public participation,in the whole procedure of environmental information supply decision making,production,and quality supervision and evaluation,etc. The target path of the environmental information governance reform includes five parts: improvement of public satisfaction,optimizing information disclosure,information quality control,integration of information resources,and multiple supply.

Biomedical and Environmental Sciences INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS

Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, an international journal with emphasis on scientific findings in China, publishes articles dealing with biologic and toxic effects of environmental pollutants on man and other forms of life. The effects may be measured with pharmacological, biochemical, pathological, and immunological techniques. The journal also publishes reports dealing ~ith the entry, transport, and fate of natural and anthropogenic chemicals in the biosphere, and their impact on human health and well-being. Papers describing biochemical, pharmacological, pathological, toxicological and immunological studies of pharmaceuticals （biotechnological products） are also welcome.

Biomedical and Environmental Sciences INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS

Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, an intemational journal with emphasis on scientific findings in China, publishes articles dealing with biologic and toxic effects of environmental pollutants on man and other forms of life. The effects may be measured with pharmacological, biochemical, pathological, and immunological techniques. The journal also publishes reports dealing with the entry, transport, and fate of natural and anthropogenic chemicals in the biosphere, and their impact on human health and well-being. Papers describing biochemical, pharmacological, pathological, toxicological and immunological studies of pharmaceuticals （biotechnological products） are also welcome.

Biomedical and Environmental Sciences INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS

Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, an intemational journal with emphasis on scientific findings in China, publishes articles dealing with biologic and toxic effects of environmental pollutants on man and other forms of life. The effects may be measured with pharmacological, biochemical, pathological, and immunological techniques. The journal also publishes reports dealing with the entry, transport, and fate of natural and anthropogenic chemicals in the biosphere, and their impact on human health and well-being. Papers describing biochemical, pharmacological, pathological, toxicological and immunological studies of pharmaceuticals （biotechnological products） are also welcome.