This research addressed the issue of low-carbon development in hydropower, provided a review of the key factors influencing the carbon footprint of hydropower and the regional variations in these footprints. The findings of this research indicated an increasing global focus on research into the carbon footprint of hydropower. Case studies revealed that the primary contributors to the hydropower carbon footprint were the manufacture of construction materials and engineering activities during the construction phase, as well as energy consumption by equipment during the operation and maintenance phase. This research identified key factors affecting hydropower carbon emissions, including the type of hydropower, installed capacity, water storage volume, reservoir area, and life cycle stages. Furthermore, from a geographical perspective, it explored the regional variation in hydropower carbon emissions, highlighting the impact of differences in climate, precipitation, and ecological environment due to geographical location on the hydropower carbon footprint.

To investigate the impact of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) exposure during pregnancy on neonatal sex hormone levels and birth physique, this study recruited 271 mother-infant pairs from Guangzhou and collected meconium samples within 24hours postpartum. The levels of ten OCPs and seven sex hormones in meconium were analyzed. The generalized linear model (GLM) was employed to explore the association between OCP exposure and birth physique scores. Additionally, the mediation effect model was utilized to assess the mediating role of sex hormones in the relationship between OCP exposure and birth physique scores. The results indicated that the predominant OCPs in neonatal meconium was p,p'-DDE, with concentration range of not detected (nd) to 0.25nmol/g (median 0.05nmol/g). The median levels of progesterone (P4), androstenedione (AED), testosterone (T), estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3) in meconium were 1.80, 0.24, 0.13, 0.15, 0.38, and 8.24nmol/g respectively. For each unit increase in p,p'-DDE exposure level, AED, T, and E3 in meconium increased by 1.82 (95% CI: 0.34, 3.29), 1.31 (95% CI: 0.03, 2.60), and 211(95% CI: 120, 302), respectively. In male newborns, for each unit increase in p,p'-DDE concentration was associated with an increase of 9.12 (95% CI: 3.11, 14.9) in E3leevels. Conversely, in female newborns, for each unit increase in Σ₁₀OCPs concentration resulted in a decrease of 11.8 (95% CI: - 22.8, - 0.84) in the E2/T ratio. Exposure to p,p' - DDE may influence the birth length-Zscore (BLZ) in male neonates through the regulation of E3, with an indirect effect of 0.73 and a mediation effect percentage of 25.3%. Exposure to Σ₁₀OCPs may impact head circumference-Zscore (HCZ) in female neonates via regulating E2/T ratio, with an indirect effect of - 0.18 and a mediation effect percentage of 19.4%. Exposure to OCPs during pregnancy may affect the changes in birth physique scores of neonates by regulating their sex hormone levels.

A systematic study on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and resistant pathogenic bacteria in the air and corresponding sewage of the sewage treatment plant was conducted. Their enrichment rate in the air and influencing factors were analyzed, and daily respiratory exposure was assessed. A divergence in the distribution of predominant ARGs in ambient air and sewage was revealed, with Sul1 and tetW being identified as the most abundantly detected genetic markers. The taxonomic composition of the dominant pathogenic bacteria was found to be similar across both matrices, with Bacteroides, Klebsiella, and Enterococcus genera being identified as the most prevalent in sequential order. Enrichment of certain ARGs and pathogenic bacteria was observed in the air of wastewater treatment plants, with the highest enrichment rates being attributed to the tetW gene and Megamonas genus, respectively. The transfer process of ARGs and pathogenic bacteria from wastewater to air was influenced by factors such as water quality and aeration processes. Tracing analysis indicated that approximately 73.59%±3.61% of the bacteria in the air of wastewater treatment plants originated from the sewage. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was successfully isolated from both air and sewage samples, with MRSA in the air being observed to exhibit an antibiotic resistance index (0.24) that was significantly higher than that in sewage (0.077±0.045). Furthermore, MRSA's resistance to vancomycin in the air was also found to be greater than that of the corresponding isolates from sewage. The daily inhalation exposure to bacteria for workers at the wastewater treatment plant was estimated to be (1.9±1.5)×10⁵ copies/d, with average exposure to ARGs and mobile genetic elements(MGEs) being calculated as (7.4±7.5)×10⁴ copies/d and (0.8±1.0)×10⁴ copies/d, respectively. The findings of this study were expected to provide scientific data for a comprehensive assessment of health risks associated with air quality in wastewater treatment plants and for the development of corresponding control strategies.

A controlled experiment was conducted to investigate temperature-induced alterations in serum biochemical indices and gut microbiota of endemic fish (Procypris rabaudi) in Jinsha River, a cascade hydropower development river in southwest China. Three temperature treatments (16℃, 20℃, 24℃) were established with exposure durations of 24h and 10d. Results showed that compared to the ambient temperature group, the serum antioxidant enzyme activity was promoted in the low temperature group after 24h but inhibited after 10d. The decrease in lysozyme (LZM) activity in the low temperature group of 10d (67.12%) was more significant than that of 24h group (52.04%) relative to the ambient temperature group. And the concentrations of glucose (GLU) and CORTISOL were increased significantly in the low temperature groups both 24h and 10d compared with those in the ambient temperature groups. The Chao1index of the low temperature group at 24h were 23.22% and 26.36% lower than those of the ambient temperature and high temperature groups, respectively. The alpha diversity was found to stabilize in the low temperature group after 10d. Compared to 24h, the difference in gut microbiota community structure under different temperature conditions after 10d was smaller, and the low temperatures significantly affected the community composition of the gut microbiota. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that microbial interactions were simplified and weakened in the low temperature group (24h), whereas prolonged thermal adaptation (10d) was associated with network stabilization. Significant correlations were established between Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes with antioxidant enzymes and LZM activity.

The catalytic degradation mechanism of petroleum hydrocarbons by Ferripyochelin (FerriPCH), formed by the combination of pyochelin (PCH) from the extracellular fluid of P. aeruginosa NY3 and Ferri, was investigated. The results showed that two chiral PCHs were produced by strain NY3. The purified PCH could degrade both alkanes and polycyclic aromatic compounds of petroleum hydrocarbon after combining with Ferri. A certain ratio of hexadecane, anthracene, as well as phenanthrene could be degraded by FerriPCH which formed by PCH and Ferri in the ratio from 2:1 to 1:1. In addition, degradation efficiency of aromatic hydrocarbons with low bio-availability was significantly higher than that of alkanes. Further studies showed that strongly oxidizing free radicals of •OH and •O₂^- produced after the binding of Ferri and PCH degraded petroleum hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water step by step.

N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) was selected as the sole carbon and nitrogen source, and a strain NCSL-HH10 that could efficiently degrade NMP was isolated from the cleaning wastewater of lithium-ion battery cathode slurry mixer. 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic affiliation analysis showed that this strain belonged to Burkholderia contaminans. The results showed that 100% NMP removal and 94.3% TOC removal could be obtained in 1500mg/L NMP wastewater within 48h using this strain. Such a high mineralization degree indicated that the strain possessed a relatively complete NMP degradation pathway. In addition, the strain could completely degrade NMP with a concentration as high as 15000mg/L, which displayed the highest NMP degradation concentration with a high mineralization degree (63.2%) compared to the publicly available literatures. Finally, 10000mg/L NMP wastewater was treated by Burkholderia contaminans NCSL-HH10 and activated sludge under open environment, respectively. It was found that 95.7% NMP and 76.5% TOC were removed within 60h by NCSL-HH10, which was significantly higher than activated sludge (only 39.0% NMP and 30.2% TOC were removed within 84h).

Based on the ISfinder database and reference meta-analysis, this study conducted a systematic study of the diversity of 5812 insertion sequences (ISs) and their co-occurrence with functional genes. The study found significant differences in the distribution of different IS families among hosts, as well as in their co-occurrence with functional genes. DDE-type ISs are predominant, with the IS5 and IS3 families containing the most ISs, while the ISH6 family contains the fewest. ISs are widely found in bacteria and archaea, and several IS families show host specificity, being found only in either bacteria or archaea. The study demonstrated that IS co-occur with various functional genes, such as antibiotic resistance, heavy metal resistance, and stress resistance, indicating their significant role in environmental adaptation and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes among pathogens. Some IS exhibited co-occurrence with multiple functional genes, suggesting broader ecological adaptability, while others showed functional specificity. Future research should focus on experimentally validating the mechanisms through which IS mediate gene transfer and host adaptation, to reveal the mechanism of microbial evolution and ecological adaptation.

Owing to high-cost concerns, contractors dispose the construction spoils predominantly through landfilling or dumping at present. How to motivate them to adopt recycling is a challenge. A novel contingent valuation method named HCVM was proposed in this study. Taking the survey data of 585 construction employees in Changsha City, Hunan Province as a sample, the contractors’willingness to pay (WTP) and their influencing factors were analyzed. The unclear pricing principle of non-recycling disposal charge was clarified, and the incentive mechanism for contractor's construction spoils recycling was proposed accordingly. The results show that: 1) the average WTP of contractors is 73.69 yuan/t, which is higher than the current landfilling charge of 20 yuan/t, and the expected penalty cost for dumping of 16.70~25 yuan/t. It is suggested that the government should increase the landfilling cost over 73.69 yuan/t by pricing or tax, and raising the penalty for dumping from 5000 to 15000 yuan per truck. 2) The average disposal cost for construction spoils recycling is 137 yuan/t, and the average price of recycling products selling is 40 yuan/t. Even if including contractors' WTP, it remains lower than the total recycling cost. The government can address this discrepancy with direct monetary subsidies, rewards developing new technologies to reduce the recycling costs or issuing policies to promote the market demand and selling price of recycling products.3) 74.35% of the respondents were willing to pay for the construction spoils recycling. Factors such as the ownership attribute of contractors, pressure from the public, awareness of environmental protection, and satisfaction with current disposal method positively influence their WTP. However, the respondents' construction project experience negatively affected their WTP. The government's guidance, the higher subsidies, rewards of construction spoils recycling and stricter penalties for dumping can also effectively motivate contractors to adopt recycling behaviour.

Against the backdrop of China entering a new stage of development, implementing new development concepts, and building a new development pattern, how to pursue healthy industrial development while controlling water energy consumption and reducing carbon emissions has become an important and urgent practical task. On the base of exploring deep level industrial economic connections, the theoretical framework of the three-dimensional full footprint stereoscopic correlation of industry water energy carbon was constructed. Then the article designed an input-output calculation model for industrial factor footprints and created a function correction input-output table to solidify the data foundation. Selecting Chinese industries from 2002 to 2022 as the research object, the three-dimensional full footprint of industrial water, energy, and carbon were calculated. Based on the three dimensional full footprint stereoscopic correlation network of water energy carbon in Chinese industries, the evolution characteristics of network attributes and relationship structures have been compared and analyzed by combining dynamic and static methods. The results showed that:(1) During the research period, the average annual growth rate of China's industrial water, energy, and carbon total carbon footprint had decreased, but the total amount had increased significantly. The increase in water footprint was mainly due to the increase in industrial direct footprint, while the increase in energy footprint and carbon footprint were due to the increase in industrial indirect footprint. (2) There were significant differences in the three-dimensional footprint of water energy carbon and dual factor among various industries, and it was necessary to integrate the characteristics of industries and footprint characteristics to improve the efficiency of factor utilization. (3) During the research period, various indicators and coupled performance of the industrial water energy carbon network had improved, but the circular sustainability, symbiosis and mutual benefit, and correlation had not reached the ideal state.

Lrovincial panel data from 2011 to 2021 were leveraged in this study to examine the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of digitalization in promoting the coordinated development of mineral resources and ecological conservation from the perspective of regional development disparities. It was indicated by the findings that, overall, a moderate upward trajectory had been shown in the level of coordinated development of mineral resources and the environment in China. However, significant geographical heterogeneity persisted, with the southeastern coastal regions being outperformed by the central and western areas. This coordinated development was significantly promoted by digitalization, a conclusion that was remained robust even after addressing endogeneity and conducting sensitivity analyses. Furthermore, industrial structure upgrading and improvements in green innovation capabilities were identified as key mediating factors through which coordinated development was facilitated by digitalization. It was also revealed by this study that the impact of digitalization varied across different regions, with China’s southeastern regions being benefited more substantially. Based on this analysis, several recommendations were proposed, including investments in digital infrastructure and technologies being enhanced; the pivotal role of digitalization being reinforced; the green transformation of the industrial structure being advanced; and targeted regional development strategies being developed.