Session 2B Smart Cities Council: Creating an Impact Through SDG 11

Full text available. This presentation was created as a group project for my Biology of Global Change course at Boston University, where we were tasked with finding an organization that exemplified the SDG that we were assigned to. My group focused on the Smart Cities Council, a non-governmental organization that coincides with SDG 11, sustainable cities and communities

Methylparaben induces hepatic glycolipid metabolism disorder by activating the IRE1α-XBP1 signaling pathway in male mice

Methylparaben (MP), a preservative widely used in daily supplies, exists in both the environment and the human body. However, the potential health risks posed by MP remain unclear. This study aimed to unravel the mechanisms by which MP disrupts glucose and lipid homeostasis. For this, we administered MP to mice and observed changes in glucose and lipid metabolism. MP exposure led to hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, visceral organ injury, and hepatic lipid accumulation. RNA sequencing results from mice livers indicated a close association between MP exposure and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, inflammatory response, and glucose and lipid homeostasis. Western blotting and quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction revealed that MP activated ER stress, particularly the inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1)/X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) pathway, which further promoted the activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. The activation of these pathways phosphorylated insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS1) (ser 307), resulting in decreased phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt) (ser 473), leading to insulin resistance. Additionally, MP exposure promoted lipogenesis through ER stress. To explore potential remedies, we administered the ER stress inhibitor 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA) and the IRE1α-XBP1 pathway inhibitor toyocamycin to mice, both of which protected against metabolic disorders and organ injury caused by MP. These findings suggest that MP induces disruptions in glucose and lipid metabolism through ER stress, primarily through the IRE1α-XBP1 pathway

Occurrence of organic pollutants in plastics on beach: Stranded foams can be sources of pollutants in islands

Increasing amount of plastic debris stranded on beach can introduce many foreign substances, including organic pollutants into island ecosystems. In the present study, stranded foams were collected from an island located in South China Sea, to investigate the levels and profiles of several flame retardants (FRs) and plasticizers, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organophosphate esters (OPEs), emerging brominated FRs, and dechlorane plus (DP). The concentrations of PBDEs and OPEs in plastic debris ranged from not detected (ND, <0.60 ng/g) to 0.46 mg/g and from ND (<0.70 ng/g) to 17.3 mg/g, respectively. The high levels of PBDEs and OPEs were expected as the fact that PBDEs and OPEs were incorporated additives in plastics. OPEs were the main chemicals in most of foams. Brominated FRs dominated in some samples. Core and surface parts in foams had similar composition profiles of pollutants. Significantly higher concentrations of tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) were observed in surface samples than core samples (p < .05). TCEP and TPHP in foam surface seem to be from both incorporated additives and adsorbed chemicals from environmental matrices. The density of pollutants introduced by stranded foams in sampling area was estimated in comparison with air deposition of pollutants. The high loading of pollutants in stranded foams indicates that foams can be potential sources for organic pollutants, especially incorporated plastic additives, in islands. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Pollutant Exposure for Chinese Wetland Birds: Ecotoxicological Endpoints and Biovectors

Levels of heavy metals and organic contaminants in main waters from China were reviewed from literature data to assess the ecological risks of pollutants for wetland birds and the biotransport of pollutants mediated by migratory wetland birds. Cr, Cu, and Pb and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) dominated in sediments, with higher concentrations in rivers and estuaries than in lakes and seas. Plants are the main dietary sources of less hydrophobic organic pollutants, while sediment is the primary source of more hydrophobic PAHs in birds. The hazard index (HI) for birds was mainly contributed by mercury (Hg) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and ranked as piscivore > omnivore > herbivore. Pollutant exposure risks to birds depend on the biomagnification potential of pollutants, food items of birds, and pollution levels in habitats. Migratory birds are important biovectors of persistent and bioaccumulative pollutants that may serve as a vital geochemical cycling process in addition to atmospheric deposition. This study provided a comprehensive overview of water environment pollution in China and the potential risks for high trophic level wetland birds in aquatic ecosystems. The results also identified the pollution hotspots of wetland birds and habitats, which provide new insights into bird conservation and biodiversity protection

The underappreciated role of agricultural soil nitrogen oxide emissions in ozone pollution regulation in North China

International audienceIntensive agricultural activities in the North China Plain (NCP) lead to substantial emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from soil, while the role of this source on local severe ozone pollution is unknown. Here we use a mechanistic parameterization of soil NOx emissions combined with two atmospheric chemistry models to investigate the issue. We find that the presence of soil NOx emissions in the NCP significantly reduces the sensitivity of ozone to anthropogenic emissions. The maximum ozone air quality improvements in July 2017, as can be achieved by controlling all domestic anthropogenic emissions of air pollutants, decrease by 30% due to the presence of soil NOx. This effect causes an emission control penalty such that large additional emission reductions are required to achieve ozone regulation targets. As NOx emissions from fuel combustion are being controlled, the soil emission penalty would become increasingly prominent and shall be considered in emission control strategies

Shaking Up and Making Up China: How the Party-State Compromises and Creates Ontological Security for its Subjects

A growing chorus of observers has warned of threats to regime stability in China in recent years. In spite of these concerns, the party-state’s grip on power in many respects appears as strong today as at any time since 1989, making it a remarkable outlier in a shrinking pool of long-surviving authoritarian regimes. This article addresses the debate over the resilience of the Chinese party-state by suggesting that one source of this resilience lies in the regime’s distinct functions in citizens’ experience of ontological security. Ontological security refers to a basic need of individuals for a sense of continuity and order in events. The main argument is that China’s party-state has developed a mode of rule that both compromises and creates ontological security for its citizens. On one level, the party-state undermines individuals’ ontological security. The regime has engineered profound transformations of Chinese society, producing conditions that compromise its subjects’ ontological security. At the same time, the party-state provides individuals with resources to buttress their ontological security. Official discourses function as anchors that assist individuals in this pursuit. A survey of research on Chinese politics supports these conclusions