Emerging contaminants in estuarine sediments, such as bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO2), pose ecotoxicological risks that may be exacerbated by co-contamination. This study investigated the impacts of DEHP, nTiO2, and their combinations at environmentally relevant concentrations (1, 10, and 100 mu g/g) on the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans in estuarine-like sediment (14.25 parts per thousand salinity). Life history traits and bioenergetics endpoints were examined, with a sample size of >= 45 worms or 9 technical repeats per treatment. While individual exposures did not affect growth, the combination of DEHP (1 mu g/g) and nTiO2 (100 mu g/g) significantly reduced body length by 19%. Single exposure reduced total offspring by 18-41%, whereas the combination of DEHP and nTiO2 synergistically worsened reproductive toxicity (52-74% inhibition), as revealed by Loewe's additivity model and Bliss's independence. DEBtox modeling revealed a shift in physiological mode of action from increased reproductive costs in singular exposures to increased growth and reproductive cost in co-exposure. Moreover, co-exposure significantly intensified the impacts on bioenergeticsrelated endpoints, including ATP level (single exposure: 33-34%; co-exposure: 56%), mitochondrial damage (single exposure: 15-17%; co-exposure: 40%), and oxidative stress (single exposure: 5-7%; co-exposure: 13%). Risk quotients based on reproductive toxicity EC10 and DEBtox-derived zb suggested that environmental concentrations of DEHP and nTiO2 pose high risks in global estuarine sediments, with a 2-fold increase during co- exposure. This study demonstrates that co-contamination of DEHP and nTiO2 synergistically aggravates ecotoxicities through disrupted energy allocation, highlighting the importance of assessing mixture toxicity in environmental risk assessment of estuarine sediments.

Most earthen sites are located in open environments eroded by wind and rain, resulting in spalling and cracking caused by shrinkage due to constant water absorption and loss. Together, these issues seriously affect the stability of such sites. Gypsum-lime-modified soil offers relatively strong mechanical properties but poor water resistance. If such soil becomes damp or immersed in water, its strength is significantly reduced, making it unviable for use as a material in the preparation of earthen sites. In this study, we achieved the composite addition of a certain amount of sodium methyl silicate (SMS), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and graphene oxide (GO) into gypsum-lime-modified soil and analyzed the microstructural evolution of the composite-modified soil using characterization methods such as XRD, SEM, and EDS. A comparative study was conducted on changes in the mechanical properties of the composite-modified soil and original soil before and after immersion using water erosion, unconfined compression (UCS), and unconsolidated undrained (UU) triaxial compression tests. These analyses revealed the micro-mechanisms for improving the waterproof performance of the composite-modified soil. The results showed that the addition of SMS, TiO2, and GO did not change the crystal structure or composition of the original soil. In addition, TiO2 and GO were evenly distributed between the modified soil particles, playing a positive role in filling and stabilizing the structure of the modified soil. After being immersed in water for one hour, the original soil experienced structural instability leading to collapse. While the water absorption rate of the composite-modified soil was only 0.84%, its unconfined compressive strength was 4.88 MPa (the strength retention rate before and after immersion was as high as 93.1%), and the shear strength was 614 kPa (the strength retention rate before and after immersion was as high as 96.7%).

The construction of lunar stations for research and habitation requires high-performance building materials that can adapt to the harsh lunar environment. One of the feasible building materials is fiber -reinforced composites, for which the composition of glass fibers can be designed like lunar soils, i.e., terrestrial basalt, and in turn the lunar glass can be drawn into fibers. Because of a wide variation of TiO 2 in lunar soils, our study focused on a series investigation on the effect of TiO 2 (0.55 wt% -6.14 wt%) on fiber spinnability and strength of the simulated lunar glass and glass fibers. The baseline glass composition was derived from a simulated TiO 2 -lean lunar soil and other glasses were made at different TiO 2 doping levels. The addition of TiO 2 was found to reduce the thermal stability of the melt, there appears a TiO 2 threshold (6.14 wt%), at which fibers cannot be drawn without breakage because of melt devitrification. The fiber tensile strength exhibits a nonlinear characteristic with an apparent maximum at 1.52 wt% TiO 2 . FTIR and Raman spectroscopic studies were carried out to investigate the glass network structure responses to TiO 2 modifications and show TiO 2 functions as a network modifier, depolymerizing the silicate network. Statistical structure (FTIR & Raman based)-property modeling was attempted to further elucidate the effect of TiO 2 -induced structure change on T g and fiber tensile strength. Good agreements were found between the model predictions and the measured values.

Acetamiprid (ACT) has been detected in several water sources in Latin America. The presence of its degradation products in the environment is not negligible and transformation products (TPs) significantly contribute to environmental health risks. Although advanced oxidative processes are promising for the treatment of this neocotinoid, effects of these are still unknown. In this context, the effects of a mixture of photocatalytic degradation products resulting from an ACT treatment for 90 min employing TiO2/UV on cytotoxicity and oxidative stress parameters in Eisenia andrei earthworms in acute and chronic experiments using typical Latin American soil were assessed. Acute contact tests were performed (72 h) using a filter paper moistened with an ACT solution and a chronic test was performed using Oxisoil (200 g) moistened with an ACT solution for 45 days. Catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities, reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and cytotoxicity (cellular eleocyte and amoebocyte assessments) were investigated. Over 75 % of ACT was degraded within the first 15 min of treatment, with levels below the limit of detection after 60 min. The acute test revealed greater cytotoxic effects associated with the effluents treated for T0 and T15 min, with decreased cell density noted after 48 h of exposure, in addition to CAT induction (in all treatments) and GST induction following T0, T15 and T90 min exposures. Concerning the chronic assay, decreases in cell density (T0, T15, T60 and T90 min) and viability (T0, T60 and T90 min) were observed after 45 days, in addition to induced CAT activity following T0, T15 and T60 exposures and GST induction following the T60 min exposure. Reduced glutathione levels were unaltered, comprising the least sensitive biomarker among the investigated parameters to the treated effluent exposures. The mixture of ACT degradation products can cause toxic effects to non-target organisms, despite parent compound degradation, alerting for the need for ecotoxicological tests to prove decreased effluent toxicity, in addition to the improvement of degradation techniques.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the most studied oxides in photocatalysis, due to its electronic structure and its wide variety of applications, such as gas sensors and biomaterials, and especially in methane-reforming catalysis. Titanium dioxide and olivine have been detected both on Mars and our Moon. It has been postulated that on Mars photocatalytic processes may be relevant for atmospheric methane fluctuation, radicals and perchlorate pro-ductions etc. However, to date no investigation has been devoted to modelling the properties of TiO2 adsorbed on olivine surface. The goal of this study is to investigate at atomic level with electronic structure calculations based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT), the atomic interactions that take place during the adsorption processes for formation of a TiO regolith. These models are formed with different titanium oxide films adsorbed on olivine (forsterite) surface, one of the most common minerals in Universe, Earth, Mars, cometary and interstellar dust. We propose three regolith models to simulate the principal phases of titanium oxide (TiO, Ti2O3 and TiO2). The models show different adsorption processes Le. physisorption and chemisorption. Our results suggest that the TiO is the most reactive phase and produces a strong exothermic effect. Besides, we have detailed, from a theoretical point of view, the effect that has the adsorption process in the electronic properties such as electronic density of states (DOS) and oxide reduction process (redox). This theoretical study can be important to understand the formation of new materials that can be used as support in the catalytic processes that occur in the Earth, Mars and Moon. Also, it may be important to interpret the present day photochemistry and interaction of regolith and airborne aerosols in the atmosphere on Mars or to define possible catalytic reactions of the volatiles captured on the Moon regolith.

太阳风注入月球表面月壤层的3He是一种可供人类使用的潜在月球资源.月壤中3He含量主要与太阳风通量、月壤成熟度以及月壤中TiO2含量等主要因素有关.根据受地球磁尾影响的太阳风通量模型,给出了月球表面太阳风通量随经纬度的分布.根据Clementine(克莱门汀)的紫外-可见光光学数据,计算了整个月球表面月壤光学成熟度(OMAT,Optical Maturity)以及月壤中TiO2含量的分布.在此基础之上,根据Apollo(阿波罗)月壤样品的测量结果,给出月壤表层3He含量与月表归一化太阳风通量、月壤光学成熟度以及TiO2含量之间的关系,并由此计算了整个月球表面月壤表层3He含量的分布.根据Apollo测量数据,以月球表面数字高程经验性构造的月壤厚度为例,给出了月球表面整个月壤层单位面积内3He含量分布,并估算了整个月球表面月壤层所蕴含的3He的总量.