Occupational Exposure to Indium of Indium Smelter Workers.

Case reports of indium-related lung disease in workers have raised public concern to the human toxicity of indium (In) and its compounds. However, studies evaluating the exposure or health of workers in In smelting plants are rare. Therefore, in this study, we focused on four In smelting plants, with the main objective of characterizing In in smelter plants in China and discussing the potential exposure biomarkers of In exposure. We recruited 494 subjectsat four In smelting plants in China. Personal air samples, first morning urine and spot blood samples were collected. In concentrations in samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. In concentrations in air samples did not exceed the permissible concentration-time weighed average, but the smelter workers had a higher internal exposure to In. Positive correlations were observed between the air In and urine In concentrations, and between the air In and blood In concentrations. This study provides basic data for the following In exposure and health risk assessment.

[Development of the certified reference material of mercury in lyophilized human urine].

OBJECTIVE: To develop the certified reference material of mercury in lyophilized human urine. METHODS: Human urine samples from normal level mercury districts were filtered, homogenized, dispensed, lyophilized and radio-sterilized. Homogeneity test, stability inspection and certification were conducted using a atom fluorescence spectrophotometric method. The physical and chemical stability of the certified reference material were assessed for 18 months. The certified values are based on analysis made by three independent laboratories. RESULTS: The certified values are as follows: low level was (35.6 ± 2.1) µg/L, high level was (50.5 ± 3.0) µg/L. CONCLUSION: The certified reference material of mercury in lyophilized human urine in this research reached the national certified reference material requirements and could be used for the quality control.

[Conception and framework of land ecological restoration for a new stage in China.] / 新时期我国国土空间生态修复理念与模式探讨.

Based on the theories of geography and landscape ecology, land ecological restoration is an important strategy to promote ecological civilization and build a beautiful China. Land ecological restoration in China has the characteristics of multi-disciplinary theoretical system, diverse work mode, integration of technology and methods, and diversified practice and exploration. The overall effectiveness of the work coexists with arduous tasks. Based on the new challenges in land ecological restoration, we summarized the overall framework and technical path of land ecological restoration, the working mechanism and mode of regional land ecological restoration, the content system and technical standards of land ecological restoration. In the new stage, the top-level design of land ecological restoration in China should focus on the work system, business boundary and institutional system, identify the responsibility boundary of different business processes, and realize the closed management of the whole work chain from the perspective of theory, system, engineering and technology. Rural settlement area, urban built-up area, industrial and mining gathering area, ecological function area and blue ocean area are the five major elements of regional scale land space, which correspond to five different ecological restoration modes, namely, comprehensive land improvement, urban renewal and double repair, mine geological environment restoration, mountain-river-forest-farmland-lake-grassland restoration, and blue bay restoration. It is necessary to comprehensively use the thinking of "Three Integrations" (information, technology, and process) to build a set of regional land ecological restoration work mode covering the integration of investigation, monitoring and evaluation, land space planning, project implementation, project acceptance and ecosystem monitoring and evaluation.

Entanglement distribution in multi-particle systems in terms of unified entropy.

We investigate the entanglement distribution in multi-particle systems in terms of unified (q, s)-entropy. We find that for any tripartite mixed state, the unified (q, s)-entropy entanglement of assistance follows a polygamy relation. This polygamy relation also holds in multi-particle systems. Furthermore, a generalized monogamy relation is provided for unified (q, s)-entropy entanglement in the multi-qubit system.