Internal and External Factors Influencing Time-Related Injury Risk in Continuous Shift Work

Time-related accident risk in shift work may be attributed to internal factors, such as fatigue, level of performance, sleep propensity, and to some external factors, like shift system, physical and social environment. Six hundred and sixty-eight events in the metallurgical industry have been analysed in terms of time of day, time on task, consecutive day of the shift block, day of the week, and season.

The injury rate was similar on all shifts but more severe accidents happened in the nighttime. Somewhat more injuries occurred in the second half of the shift, in the second part of a shift block, and in summer compared with winter. There were fewer injuries at weekends.     

Problems of railway noise-a case study

Under Directive 2002/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise, all European countries are obliged to model their environmental noise levels in heavily populated areas. Some countries have their own national method, to predict noise but most have not created one yet. The recommendation for countries that do not have their own model is to use an interim method. The Dutch SRM II scheme is suggested for railways. In addition to the Dutch model, this paper describes and discusses 3 other national methods. Moreover, discrepancies between the HARMONOISE and IMAGINE projects are analysed. The results of rail traffic noise measurements are compared with national methods.     

An evaluation of selected chemical,biochemical, and biological parameters of soil enriched with vermicompost

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The aim of this study was to assess the changes in chemical and microbial properties and enzymatic activity of soil enriched with vermicompost derived...     

Influence of 1,2,4,5-tetrazine derivatives on growth of bacterial consortium isolated from soil

This article presents the results of laboratory studies of the influence of tetrazine derivatives on the growth kinetic parameters of soil bacteria. 3,6-Dihydrazinotetrazine (DHTz), 3,6- bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (DMPDHT) and N,N′-bis(1,2,4,5-tetrazine-6-(3,5-dimethylpirazylo))hydrazine (BDMPT) were applied. 3,6-Dihydrazinetetrazine had the largest influence on the growth of bacteria, reflected in a significant lengthening of the lag-phase and a decrease in the specific growth rate. Dehydrogenase activity was also determined in bacterial cultures exposed to tetrazine derivatives. Dehydrogenases remained active even at DHTz concentrations of 80 mg · L^?1, which completely inhibited bacterial growth. The compounds studied variously influence the kinetics of growth in the bacterial consortium; at the same time, they undergo biodegradation in soil by autochthonous microflora.     

The influence of FeCl3 on the photocatalytic degradation of dissolved azo dyes in aqueous TiO2 suspensions

The study concerned decolouration of solutions of azo, anionic (Acid Orange 7, Reactive Red 45, Acid Yellow 23) and cationic (Basic Blue 41 and Basic Orange 66) dyes during illumination with UV (lambdamax 366 nm) irradiation in the presence of TiO2 and FeCl3. The process of decolouration during illumination of the solutions studied containing FeCl3 underwent significant intensification in the case of anionic dyes and unfavourable inhibition in case of cationic dyes. It was also observed that FeCl3 had a diverse influence on the adsorption of the dyes studied on TiO2. The adsorption of anionic dyes and decolouration of solutions before the illumination was observed only in the presence of FeCl3. In case of cationic dyes the addition of FeCl3 caused elimination of these phenomena. An additional cause of decolouration of anionic dyes solutions before illumination was the precipitation of their poorly soluble compounds from Fe3+. The processes of degradation and mineralization of the dye that accompanied decolouration of Acid Orange 7 solutions were also observed. It was stated that similarly to the case of Acid Orange 7, the decolouration of the studied anionic dyes' solutions can depend on the concentration of FeCl3, the amount of TiO2 and the initial concentration of the dye in its solution.     

Studies of the effect of simulated acid rain on the ecological equilibrium of the soil system

Introduction to the problem of environmental pollution caused by acid depositions. Presentation of principles of the six-year field experiment with simulated acid rain. Short characteristics of particular parts of the series of papers.     

Estimation of the liability to detonating of prilled ammonium nitrate fertiliser grade

The statistical analysis of the results of testing liability to detonation of coated and uncoated prilled ammonium nitrate was performed. The correlation between the crushing of the lead cylinders as a result of the so-called 4″ tube test and the chemical as well as the physical properties of ammonium nitrate were determined. The results demonstrated that the liability to detonation of ammonium nitrate may be estimated by use of mathematical equations, which employ easily obtainable experimental values relating to the chemical composition and physical properties of the tested fertilisers.     

Predictions of long-term performance of granular iron permeable reactive barriers: field-scale evaluation

Long-term performance is a key consideration for the granular iron permeable reactive barrier (PRB) technology because the economic benefit relies on sustainable operation for substantial periods of time. However, predictions on the long-term performance have been limited mainly because of the lack of reliable modeling tools. This study evaluated the predictive capability of a recently-developed reactive transport model at two field-scale PRBs, both having relatively high concentrations of dissolved carbonate in the native groundwater. The first site, with 8 years of available monitoring data, was a funnel-and-gate installation, with a low groundwater velocity through the gate (about 0.12 m d(-1)). The loss in iron reactivity caused by secondary mineral precipitation was small, maintaining relatively high removal rates for chlorinated organics. The simulated concentrations for most constituents in the groundwater were within the range of the monitoring data. The second site, with monitoring data available for 5 years, was a continuous wall PRB, designed for a groundwater velocity of 0.9 m d(-1). A comparison of measured and simulated aqueous concentrations suggested that the average groundwater velocity through the PRB could be lower than the design value by a factor of two or more. The distribution and amounts of carbonate minerals measured in core samples supported the decreased groundwater velocity used in the simulation. The generally good agreement between the simulated and measured aqueous and solid-phase data suggest that the model could be an effective tool for predicting long-term performance of granular iron PRBs, particularly in groundwater with high concentrations of carbonate.     

Effect of chemophytostabilization practices on arbuscular mycorrhiza colonization of Deschampsia cespitosa ecotype Waryński at different soil depths

The effects of chemophytostabilization practices on arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) of Deschampsia cespitosa roots at different depths in soils highly contaminated with heavy metals were studied in field trials. Mycorrhizal parameters, including frequency of mycorrhization, intensity of root cortex colonization and arbuscule abundance were studied. Correlations between concentration of bioavailable Cd, Zn, Pb and Cu in soil and mycorrhizal parameters were estimated. An increase in AM colonization with increasing soil depth was observed in soils with spontaneously growing D. cespitosa. A positive effect of chemophytostabilization amendments (calcium phosphate, lignite) on AM colonization was found in the soil layers to which the amendments were applied. Negative correlation coefficients between mycorrhizal parameters and concentration of bioavailable Cd and Zn in soil were obtained. Our results demonstrated that chemophytostabilization practices enhance AM colonization in D. cespitosa roots, even in soils fertilized with high rates of phosphorus.     

Ozone distribution and phytotoxic potential in mixed conifer forests of the San Bernardino Mountains, southern California

In the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California, ozone (O(3)) concentrations have been elevated since the 1950s with peaks reaching 600ppb and summer seasonal averages >100ppb in the 1970s. During that period increased mortality of ponderosa and Jeffrey pines occurred. Between the late 1970s and late1990s, O(3) concentrations decreased with peaks approximately 180ppb and approximately 60ppb seasonal averages. However, since the late 1990s concentrations have not changed. Monitoring during summers of 2002-2006 showed that O(3) concentrations (2-week averages) for individual years were much higher in western sites (58-69ppb) than eastern sites (44-50ppb). Potential O(3) phytotoxicity measured as various exposure indices was very high, reaching SUM00 - 173.5ppmh, SUM60 - 112.7ppmh, W126 - 98.3ppmh, and AOT40 - 75ppmh, representing the highest values reported for mountain areas in North America and Europe.