Investigation of the characteristics of the reflectivity of clouds

This paper investigates some of the reflectivity characteristics that clouds (when modelled as solid bodies) must exhibit to be compatible with observations that the reflecting surface of a cloud (i) appears almost equally bright across its face, (ii) is brightest when the cloud is opposite to the Sun but decreases in brightness as the cloud moves to other positions and (iii) increases in brightness with increasing optical thickness of the cloud in the observer's line of sight. These observations, respectively, are shown to imply that the peak value of the bidirectional total reflectivity from a cloud surface (i) increases in inverse proportion to the cosine of the angle between the Sun and the normal to the cloud surface, as the incident angle increases, (ii) appears to be directed back in the direction of the incident radiation, and (iii) increases as optical thickness of the cloud in the observer's line of sight increases. The results could have application in many fields (e.g. modelling diffuse radiance distributions for cloudy skies).     

次氯酸钠发生器的研制

介绍了电解法生产次氯酸钠的原理 ,并在原有生产工艺的基础上进行了重新设计和对设备的重新选择、改造 ,得出了各个工艺参数的最佳值 ,生产出高品质的次氯酸钠     

Estimation of uncertainty of sampling for analysis of pesticide residues

Abstract

A computer model was used to take random samples from primary sample populations obtained from field trials to simulate the uncertainty of sampling for residue analysis of plant commodities and soil. The results indicate about 40%, 30% and 20% relative uncertainty when random samples of size 5, 10 and 25 are taken respectively, from a single lot. Therefore the sample size should be the same for establishing and enforcing legal limits.     

Impact of overexploitation of shellfish: northeastern coast of India

India has a very extensive coastline of about 7515 km, rich in diverse living resources. These resources continue to deteriorate with rampant harvesting or are altered for other uses such as aquaculture and fisheries. The present paper deals with degrading coastal habitats in northeastern India, and projects the intensity of the stress arising from the collection of tiger prawn seeds (Penaeus monodon) for aquacultural farms and molluskan shells for poultry feed and edible lime. Indiscriminate exploitation of these resources leads to a heavy reduction of the species concerned and other associated marine communities. The magnitude of such destruction has been quantified. The impacts of biodiversity loss and their after-effects on the ecobalance of this coastal system have become a matter of great concern to ecologists to maintain security and sustainability. The authors propose a public awareness program on themes relating to the importance of biodiversity for human livelihoods.     

嗜盐菌的特性与高盐废水生物处理的进展

论述了嗜盐菌的形态特征、营养构成、生理特性和嗜盐机理，以及利用其特性在含盐有机废水处理中的应用，综述了国内外生化处理高含盐量有机工业废水的实验研究成果、在实际废水工程中的应用及其发展方向。对嗜盐菌的培养与驯化有一定的参考价值，对含盐废水处理工程的设计与运行有指导意义。     

Corrosive Effects of Mixtures of Pollutants

The corrosion films that form on metals and alloys during field exposure are generally chemical mixtures. It is clear that the formation of such films requires the presence of mixtures of atmospheric corrosive gases, or of a combination of corrosive gases and atmospheric aerosol particles. Thus, laboratory experiments designed to reproduce field effects must involve mixtures of corrosive constituents. In this paper we review the mixed corrodent experiments of ourselves and others, describe the synergistic effects of mixtures of pollutants on a variety of metals, and present the necessary ingredients for experiments designed to simulate the interactive effects of atmospheric corrosive constituents.     

Spectrophotometric Determination of Atmospheric Acidity by means of the Displacement of the Equilibrium of Acid-Base Indicators

A method is described for determining acidity by means of the spectrophotometric determination of the displacement of the equilibrium of açid-base indicators. The method is simple, sensitive and free of known interferences. There is no dependence on costly or sophisticated equipment and the results obtained are reliable and reproducible.     

混凝试验搅拌器的研制

影响混凝效果的因素众多,混凝沉淀烧杯试验是进行水的混合、絮凝、沉淀工艺研究、设计和生产指导的最有效方法之一,阐述了智能型混凝试验搅拌器的设计原理和技术性能.     

Comparison of methods for evaluation of activity of photocatalytic films

Objective

This work aims to investigate the correlation between the photocatalytic activity determined by methylene blue bleaching (DIN 52980), stearic acid degradation, and degradation of acetone in gas phase.

Method

The photocatalytic TiO₂ coatings included in this investigation ranged from thin commercially available coatings (Activ^TM and BioClean^TM) and ready to use suspensions (Nano-X PK1245) to lab-produced PVD and sol?Cgel coatings. XRD analysis of the photocatalytic coatings showed that all the coatings consisted of nanocrystalline anatase, although the thickness and porosity varied considerably.

Results

The study showed that the reproducibility of the activity measurements was good. However, more importantly, the investigation showed that there is a good correlation between the activities determined by the different methods even though the characteristics of the photocatalytic coatings and the organic probe molecules varied considerably.

Conclusion

The overall findings of this work suggest that there is a good correlation between the investigated methods. These results are promising for the future work concerning standardization of methods for determination of the activity of photocatalytic films.     

A review of neurotoxicity of microcystins

Cyanobacterial blooms-produced microcystins are secondary metabolites which can accumulate in the food chain and contaminate water, thus posing a potential threat to the health of aquatic animals and even humans. Microcystin toxicity affects not only the liver but also the other organs, i.e., the brain. The serious neurotoxicity effects caused by microcystins then lead to various symptoms. This review focuses on the neurotoxicity of microcystins. Microcystins can cross blood-brain barrier with the transport of Oatps/OATPs, causing neurostructural, functional, and behavioral changes. In this review, potential uptake mechanisms and neurotoxicity mechanisms are summarized, including neurotransmissions, neurochannels, signal transduction, oxidative stress, and cytoskeleton disruption. However, further researches are needed for detailed studies on signaling pathways and the downstream pathways of neurotoxicity of microcystins.     

Mechanisms of biodegradation of dibenzoate plasticizers

Biodegradation mechanisms were elucidated for three dibenzoate plasticizers: diethylene glycol dibenzoate (D(EG)DB), dipropylene glycol dibenzoate (D(PG)DB), both of which are commercially available, and 1,6-hexanediol dibenzoate, a potential green plasticizer. Degradation studies were done using Rhodococcus rhodochrous in the presence of pure alkanes as a co-substrate. As expected, the first degradation step for all of these systems was the hydrolysis of one ester bond with the release of benzoic acid and a monoester. Subsequent biodegradation of the monobenzoates of diethylene glycol (D(EG)MB) and dipropylene glycol (D(PG)MB) was very slow, leading to significant accumulation of these monoesters. In contrast, 1,6-hexanediol monobenzoate was quickly degraded and characterization of the metabolites indicated that the biodegradation proceeded by way of the oxidation of the alcohol group to generate 6-(benzoyloxy) hexanoic acid followed by β-oxidation steps. This pathway was blocked for D(EG)MB and D(PG)MB by the presence of an ether function.The use of a pure hydrocarbon as a co-substrate resulted in the formation of another class of metabolites; namely the esters of the alcohols formed by the oxidation of the alkanes and the benzoic acid released by hydrolysis of the original diesters. These metabolites were biodegraded without the accumulation of any intermediates.     

Evaluation of the presence of drugs of abuse in tap waters

A total of seventy samples of drinking water were tested for non-controlled and illicit drugs. Of these, 43 were from Spanish cities, 15 from seven other European countries, three from Japan and nine from seven different Latin American countries. The most frequently detected compounds were caffeine, nicotine, cotinine, cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine, methadone and its metabolite EDDP. The mean concentrations of non-controlled drugs were: for caffeine 50 and 19 ng L⁻¹, in Spanish and worldwide drinking water respectively and for nicotine 13 and 19 ng L⁻¹. Illicit drugs were sparsely present and usually at ultratrace level (<1 ng L⁻¹). For example, cocaine has mean values of 0.4 (Spain) and 0.3 ng L⁻¹ (worldwide), whereas for benzoylecgonine, these mean values were 0.4 and 1.8 ng L⁻¹, respectively. Higher concentrations of benzoylecgonine were found in Latin American samples (up to 15 ng L⁻¹). No opiates were identified in any sample but the presence of methadone and EDDP was frequently detected. Total mean values for EDDP were 0.4 ng L⁻¹ (Spain) and 0.3 ng L⁻¹ (worldwide). Very few samples tested positive for amphetamines, in line with the reactivity of chlorine with these compounds. No cannabinoids, LSD, ketamine, fentanyl and PCP were detected.     

红土吸附砷对其动电电位的影响

研究了遵义红土吸附砷对其动电电位的影响 ,从砷酸根浓度和体系pH对红土动电电位影响的角度作了探讨 ,结果表明 ,砷酸根离子浓度越大 ,Zata电位下降幅度越大 ,Zata电位也越低 ;随着体系pH的升高 ,氧化铁胶体动电电位逐渐下降 ,甚至改变了表面电位的符号。由此得出了红土吸附砷属于专性吸附的结论。     

添加乙醇碳源对驯化菌种降解油制气废水的影响

进行了添加乙醇作为碳源强化油制气废水生物降解的研究,并利用GC／MS分析对油制气废水中芳烃类化合物的降解进行了初步研究。研究表明,共代谢基质乙醇的加入,可使菌种S-2、Y-3、XH-3、M-3对COD、氨氮、可萃取有机物等指标的去除率分别提高17．6％～25．6％、34．9％～42．8％、10．4％～14．2％;但在所采用的时间范围内,酚类化合物的去除率降低;芳烃类化合物的去除率提高15．4％～21．2％。除了维持无共代谢条件下对芳环数≤3的芳烃类化合物的良好降解能力外,对芳环数为4～6的化合物降解能力也有所提高。     

Visualisation of the complexity of EUSES

The interdependencies of parameters applied in the models of EUSES are visualised in a directed connectivity graph. The parameters (inputs, defaults, state variables, outputs) are represented by boxes (nodes) and their relations by lines (edges). The visualisation, on the one hand, clarifies the complexity of the models in EUSES and, on the other hand, creates an overview and transparency. The parameters’ relations to each other can be recognised faster, and the models can be better understood. The complexity was quantified by the number (variety), kind (substance parameter, physico-chemical parameter, concentration, other parameters), and depth (dimension) of the parameter and the number of relations (connectivity). The variety of EUSES (without the modelsSimple Treat andSimple Box whose interior structure is not documented and without the effect and risk characterisation) amounts to 466, the connectivity to 961, and the maximal dimension is 21.     

河道底泥陶粒比表面测定

讨论了以河道底泥和生活污泥为原料烧制陶粒比表面的测定原理、方法和结果，并对生活污泥添加量、粘结刑添加量和烧结温度对陶粒比表面的影响作了进一步分析。     

Comparative study of accessibility of distinctive pesticides

Interactions of micro-contaminants with soil may play a crucial role in their environmental fate and possible harmful effects. Major goals of our investigations were to model the availability of widely used pesticides and characterize adsorption capabilities of distinctive soil types by the accomplishment of extensive comparative studies and application of several extraction methods. Environmental and biological relevance of these examinations is enhanced by the fact that intrinsic features and specific details of pesticide accessibility have not been revealed so far by a comparative approach. Five different experimental methods were assessed for modelling accessibility of five selected pesticides. The applied models for regaining the pesticides showed diverse efficiency in extraction capability in cases of the different soil types (sandy, brown forest and alluvial soils). The amounts of the obtained pesticides were determined by using gas-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Accessibility of pesticides was also compared in cases of sterilized and real soil samples in order to estimate the extent of the influence of microflora. Aqueous extraction solvents proved to be suitable for accurate assessment of the accessible amounts of pesticides, as their effectivity was at least as high as that of the applied organic solvents. In our studies pesticide-soil interactions have comprehensively been characterized, and possible influences of environmental factors on the accessibility have also been revealed. Our study might be regarded as a tentative approach to model some significant circumstances playing key roles in pesticides' possible bioavailability.     

Sodium dodecyl sulphate-enhanced desorption of atrazine: effect of surfactant concentration and of organic matter content of soils

A study was made of the adsorption-desorption of atrazine in aqueous medium in five soils with organic matter (OM) contents in the range 1.4-10.3% and also of the desorption of the herbicide in aqueous solutions of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) at critical micelle concentrations (cmc) of 0.75, 1.50, 5 and 10. The adsorption and desorption isotherms in water together with the desorption isotherms in SDS solutions with concentrations of 0.75 and 1.50 cmc fit the Freundlich adsorption equation. All the desorption isotherms displayed hysteresis. The increase or reduction in hysteresis of the desorption isotherms in SDS solutions with respect to those of desorption in water depend on the SDS concentration and on the OM content of the soils. Below the cmc, SDS only increases the desorption of atrazine in the soil with the highest OM content (10.3%). However, above the cmc (5 and 10 cmc) the desorption of atrazine increases in all soils, the efficiency of desorption increasing with the OM content of the soils.     

Accumulation of silver in the liver of three species of pinnipeds

Silver in the three species of pinnipeds [northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus), Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), and harbor seal (Phoca vitulina)] caught in the North Pacific Ocean were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, in order to understand accumulation and distribution of silver in pinnipeds. In northern fur seals, relatively high concentrations of silver were observed in the liver and body hair. Some 70% of the silver burden was concentrated in the liver. Hepatic silver concentrations were significantly correlated to age in northern fur seals (r = 0.766, P < 0.001, n = 49) and Steller sea lions (r = 0.496, P < 0.01, n = 28). Levels of silver concentrations per wet weight (microgram g-1) in the three pinnipeds ranged from 0.04 to 0.55 for northern fur seals, from 0.1 to 1.04 for Steller sea lions and from 0.03 to 0.83 for harbor seals. Silver concentrations in liver for all pinnipeds were significantly correlated with mercury, and selenium (P < 0.001). Molar ratios between silver to selenium approximated 1:180 in northern fur seals, 1:120 in Steller sea lions, and 1:60 in harbor seals. The silver-mercury molar ratios were approximately 1:170 in northern fur seals, and 1:80 both in the other species. Increase in silver accumulation in the liver was caused by the retention in nuclei and mitochondria fraction together with mercury and selenium in the cells of northern fur seals.     

Effects of combinations of malathion and cypermethrin on survivability and time of metamorphosis of tadpoles of Indian cricket frog (Fejervarya limnocharis)

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of environmentally realistic concentrations of two commonly used pesticides viz., malathion and cypermethrin, using a fully 3 × 3 factorial experiments on the survivability and time of metamorphosis in a common rice paddy field frog (cricket frog) Fejervarya limnocharis under laboratory conditions. The results suggest that cypermethrin is more toxic than malathion and combinations of higher concentrations of cypermethrin (50 μg/L) with malathion (250 and 500 μg/L) are more deleterious to the survivability of tadpoles. With increasing cypermethrin concentration, the survivability of tadpole decreased (r = -0.986, P = 0.108). But cypermethrin alone induced early metamorphosis among the surviving tadpoles. However, there was a delay in the time required for metamorphosis induced by malathion and its combination with cypermethrin. The delay in metamorphosis may indicate the altered physiological fitness of the individual. The emergent froglets will be subjected to environmental stressors like high temperature and less humidity of post-monsoon tropical climate that could enhance negative influence triggered by pesticides.