Quality assessment of groundwater from the south-eastern Arabian Peninsula

Assessment of groundwater quality plays a significant role in the utilization of the scarce water resources globally and especially in arid regions. The increasing abstraction together with man-made contamination and seawater intrusion have strongly affected groundwater quality in the Arabia Peninsula, exemplified by the investigation given here from the United Arab Emirates, where the groundwater is seldom reviewed and assessed. In the aim of assessing current groundwater quality, we here present a comparison of chemical data linked to aquifers types. The results reveal that most of the investigated groundwater is not suitable for drinking, household, and agricultural purposes following the WHO permissible limits. Aquifer composition and climate have vital control on the water quality, with the carbonate aquifers contain the least potable water compared to the ophiolites and Quaternary clastics. Seawater intrusion along coastal regions has deteriorated the water quality and the phenomenon may become more intensive with future warming climate and rising sea level.     

Socio-cultural valuation of ecosystem services in a transhumance social-ecological network

The ecosystem services framework is receiving increasing attention in the fields of policy and research. The assessment of human attitudes and perceptions regarding ecosystem services has been proposed as a promising tool for addressing complex problems associated with environmental change, particularly in the context of cultural landscapes. Transhumance is not only a farming practice responsible for shaping cultural landscapes but also an adaptive strategy based on mobility that may represent a useful approach to overcoming the growing challenges posed by accelerated environmental change. A socio-cultural valuation of ecosystem services associated with the Conquense Drove Road, one of the major transhumant networks still in use in Mediterranean Spain, was conducted via the distribution of questionnaires to 416 local residents and visitors to capture their perceptions regarding the importance of 34 ecosystem services (10 provisioning, 12 regulating, and 12 cultural) for both social and personal well-being. Overall, the ecosystem services considered to be the most important for social well-being were fire prevention, air purification and livestock. Most of the ecosystem services in question were perceived as declining, with the exception of those associated with recreation, scientific knowledge and environmental education. This study revealed that perceptions regarding the value of ecosystem services differed among respondents, depending on their age, place of origin and gender. Several methodological issues, as well as the implications of socio-cultural valuation for policy making, are also discussed here.     

Measured carbon monoxide concentrations from stock and reduced-emission prototype portable generators operated in an attached garage

There is concern about the hazard of acute residential CO exposures from portable gasoline-powered generators, which can result in death or serious adverse health effects in exposed individuals. To address this hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has developed low CO emission prototype generators by adapting off-the-shelf emission control technologies onto commercially available generators. A series of tests was conducted to characterize the indoor CO concentrations resulting from portable generators operating in the attached garage of a research house under seven different test house/garage configurations. The tested generators include both unmodified and modified low CO emission prototypes. It was found that CO concentrations varied widely, with peak house CO concentrations ranging from under 10 ppm to over 10,000 ppm. The highest concentrations in the house resulted from operation of the unmodified generator in the garage with the garage bay door closed and the house access door open. The lowest concentrations resulted from operation of a modified low CO emission prototype in the garage with the garage bay door open and the house access door closed. These tests documented reductions of up to 98% in CO concentrations due to emissions from two low CO emission portable generators compared to a stock generator.

Implications: Improper portable generator use has caused 800 U.S. deaths in the past 14 years. Generators operated in attached garages can cause CO to quickly reach deadly levels. Two low-emission prototypes generators were tested and had CO emissions reduced by up to 98%. Low-emission generators can reduce the risk of consumer poisonings and deaths.     

肠道微生物对土壤中铜、锌、锰生物可给性的影响

为了更全面、准确地评价土壤中金属元素对人体的健康风险,研究土壤中金属元素在结肠阶段的生物可给性具有重要意义。通过采集我国一些地区的6种土壤,利用in vitro方法(PBET和SHIME联用)研究土壤中Cu、Zn、Mn在胃、小肠、结肠阶段的生物可给性。研究显示,土壤中Cu、Zn、Mn在胃阶段的生物可给性分别为23.8%~63.0%、21.2%~64.4%、11.7%~35.6%;从胃阶段到小肠阶段,土壤中Cu的生物可给性提高了0.4%~14.4%,而土壤中Zn在小肠阶段的生物可给性降低了6.7%~38.7%。结肠阶段,土壤中Cu、Zn、Mn的生物可给性分别为2.4%~12.9%、5.7%~18.7%、6.2%~18.9%,与小肠阶段相比,分别降低了21.7%~56.9%、0.4%~36.8%、4.5%~19.1%。结果表明,在肠道微生物存在的情况下,土壤中Cu、Zn、Mn在结肠阶段有较低的人体健康风险。     

Why social values cannot be changed for the sake of conservation

The hope for creating widespread change in social values has endured among conservation professionals since early calls by Aldo Leopold for a “land ethic.” However, there has been little serious attention in conservation to the fields of investigation that address values, how they are formed, and how they change. We introduce a social–ecological systems conceptual approach in which values are seen not only as motivational goals people hold but also as ideas that are deeply embedded in society's material culture, collective behaviors, traditions, and institutions. Values define and bind groups, organizations, and societies; serve an adaptive role; and are typically stable across generations. When abrupt value changes occur, they are in response to substantial alterations in the social–ecological context. Such changes build on prior value structures and do not result in complete replacement. Given this understanding of values, we conclude that deliberate efforts to orchestrate value shifts for conservation are unlikely to be effective. Instead, there is an urgent need for research on values with a multilevel and dynamic view that can inform innovative conservation strategies for working within existing value structures. New directions facilitated by a systems approach will enhance understanding of the role values play in shaping conservation challenges and improve management of the human component of conservation.     

Triboelectrostatic separation for PP and ABS plastics in end of life passenger vehicles

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The recovery and utilization of automotive plastics are global concerns because of the increasing number of end-of-life vehicles. Passenger...     

菲和镉单一及复合污染条件下在毛蚶体内的富集动力学研究

采用室内半静态双箱动力学模型实验,研究了菲和镉单一及复合污染条件下在毛蚶(Anadara subcrenata)体内的生物富集,通过对富集与释放过程中毛蚶体内菲和Cd的富集量进行非线性曲线拟合,获得了菲和Cd单一及复合污染条件下在毛蚶体内的吸收速率常数k1、释放速率常数k2、生物富集因子BCF、生物半衰期B1/2和平衡状态下最大富集量CA max等动力学参数。实验结果表明,菲和Cd在实验前期富集速率较高,8 d以后富集速率减缓,释放阶段与富集阶段相似。毛蚶对菲的BCF值为37.80,远大于Cd的BCF值13.12,且生物半衰期时间更长,菲更容易在生物体内富集。菲和Cd联合暴露条件下,在毛蚶体内的CA max和BCF值均大于单一作用,说明二者同时暴露时,毛蚶对菲和镉的吸收富集均有所增强。实验模型拟合度较好,输出值和实测值之间无显著性差异,拟合方程和拟合参数可信。     

自动化前处理-气相色谱串联质谱法测定淡水鱼体中的有机磷阻燃剂

应用自动化前处理设备和气相色谱串联四级杆质谱仪建立了淡水鱼体中10种有机磷阻燃剂的检测方法。该方法先采用自动索氏提取仪进行样品的提取,再应用凝胶渗透色谱净化仪和florisil柱对提取液进行两级净化,最后用气相色谱串联四级杆质谱法(多反应监测模式)对样品中的有机磷阻燃剂(OPFRs)定性定量。实验表明,凝胶渗透色谱净化系统在以乙酸乙酯∶环己烷(1∶1,V/V)为流动相,流速为5.0 m L·min-1的条件下,收集OPFRs的最佳时间为900~1 680 s;方法的检出限为0.002~0.192 ng·g~(-1)湿重,加标水平为5.000 ng·g~(-1)湿重时,平均加标回收率为48.7%~122%,相对偏差除磷酸三乙酯(TEP)(17.7%)和磷酸三(1,3-二氯异丙基)酯(TDCP)(11.9%)外均小于10%。应用该方法测定采集于东江某污水处理厂入河排污口的鱼类样品时,回收率指示物(d27-TBP)的回收率为82.4%~114%,鱼类样品中∑OPFRs的浓度范围为nd~6.41 ng·g~(-1)湿重。     

A Two-Stage Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for MPPT of Partially Shaded PV Arrays

The power-voltage (P-V) characteristic curves of a PV array are nonlinear and have multiple peaks under partially shaded conditions (PSCs). This paper proposes a novel maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method for a PV system with reduced steady-state oscillation based on a two-stage particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The grouping method of the shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA) is incorporated in the basic PSO algorithm (PSO-SFLA), ensuring fast and accurate searching of the global extremum. An adaptive speed factor is also introduced into the improved PSO to further enhance its convergence speed. Test results show that the proposed method converges in less than half the time taken by the conventional PSO method, and the power is improved by 33% under the worst PSCs, which confirms the superiority of the proposed method over the standard PSO algorithm in terms of tracking speed and steady-state oscillations under different PSCs.     

共存物质对重金属絮凝齐MCC除镉性能的影响

为进一步拓展天然高分子絮凝剂壳聚糖的应用范围，以壳聚糖、L-半胱氨酸为原料，通过酰胺化反应制备一种具有重金属捕集功能的高分子重金属絮凝剂-2-氨基-3-巯基丙酰壳聚糖（MCC），研究了水体中常见的阴阳离子、有机配位剂及浊度对MCC除镉性能的影响，探讨了絮体形貌与絮体分形维数及絮凝除镉效果间的关系。结果表明，Na＋、Cl-、N03、F-、SO4 2-的存在对MCC除Cd2＋均有促进作用，Ca2＋表现为明显的抑制作用；低浓度的EDTA对除镉有促进作用，随着EDTA浓度的增大，逐渐转为抑制作用；低浓度的腐殖酸对MCC去除Cd2＋有显著的促进作用；在一定范围内，浊度可促进MCC对Cd2＋的去除；絮体间空隙越多，絮体分形维数越小，除镉效果越好。