Performance characteristics of PM10 samplers under calm air conditions

The size range of airborne particles that is closely related to specific deposition regions in the human respiratory tract and excess lung burden of these deposited particles is associated with disease. Size-selective sampling, therefore, needs to be performed to assess the related health risks. Performance criteria applied to these samplers must be well characterized in order to provide accurate and reliable results. The PM10 samplers that have been used in place of the total suspended particulate samplers for the collection of ambient air particles are more relevant to potential inhalation hazards. In order to be certified, a PM10 sampler must meet reliable performance specifications, primarily the aerosol penetration test with liquid and solid particles in a wind tunnel (wind speeds of 2, 8, and 24 km/hr). This testing is intended to assure reasonable accuracy in aerosol measurements. However, the sampler performance under calm air conditions has not been well studied. In the present study, the sampling heads of three devices--the Harvard impactor, the Personal Environmental Monitor (PEM), and the Sierra Andersen model 241 dichotomous sampler PM10 inlet head--were tested for aerosol separation efficiency. With the consideration of bias and imprecision of the measurements, five specimens of each type of sampler were chosen for performance testing, repeating the tests 5 times for each specimen. An ultrasonic atomizing nozzle was used to nebulize potassium sodium tartrate tetrahydrate and dioctyl phthalate particles as the solid and liquid challenge aerosols, respectively. The aerosol number concentrations and size distributions upstream and downstream of the samplers were measured by using an aerosizer calibrated against a settling velocity chamber. The results showed that among the samplers tested, the dichotomous sampler PM10 inlet head had the best fit to the PM10 convention, while the other two samplers not only appeared to have a steeper separation-curve slope but also had significant particle bounce when challenged with solid particles. Analysis of variance also confirmed the superiority of the dichotomous samplers. Surface-coating with oil or grease greatly reduced the problem of particle bounce.     

大弹涂鱼(Boleophthalmus Pectinirostris)作为放射性核素指示物的研究

以大弹涂鱼为对象,模拟其两栖生活的环境,采用示踪法并用S-80智能多道分析器与Ge(Li)探头研究了大弹涂鱼的整体及其组织器官对~(137)Cs、~(134)Cs、~(65)Zn、~(60)Co的富集与排出.探讨了其积累量、残留量与海水中核素浓度的相关性,推荐性腺、肌肉、头部作为监测海洋中~(137)Cs、~(134)Cs、~(65)Zn、~(60)Co污染的生物指示物.     

查干湖汇水区面源污染风险识别及管控

面源污染是我国流域面临的主要水环境问题,为了识别面源污染高风险区和潜在风险路径,实现流域水环境保护,以查干湖水质目标为约束条件,构建4类关键“源”景观.选取高程、坡度、土地利用类型、污染强度、距居民点距离、距公路距离、距铁路距离、距水体距离等8个评价因子构建阻力面,对查干湖汇水区面源污染风险区和风险路径进行识别,提出管控分区和治理措施.结果表明:①查干湖汇水区关键“源”景观有4类,分别为面源污染单位面积高负荷区、坡度>3°区域、污染传输通道和临湖区域,面积共126.33 km2.②查干湖汇水区面源污染高风险区即面源污染重点管控区,占汇水区总面积的27.10%,主要位于乾安灌区有字泡区域、查干湖及周边泡沼沿岸.区内现有耕地不再增加,同时对坡度较大的区域退耕还湿、退耕还草,并设置污染降解设施.③查干湖汇水区面源污染较高风险区即面源污染一般管控区,占汇水区总面积的20.23%.该区鼓励开展有机农业,发展生态旅游.④查干湖北岸和东南岸、库里泡周边设置一定宽度的植被缓冲带,汇水区设置生态降解渠道333.41 km,生态湿地节点9个.研究显示,污染排放强度是查干湖汇水区面源污染风险的主要威胁因素,需要重点加强查干湖汇水区乾安灌区有字泡、湖区北岸及东南岸的面源污染管控.      

Association of serum levels of perfluoroalkyl substances with gestational diabetes mellitus and postpartum blood glucose

This study was conducted to examine the association of perfluoroalkyl substance(PFAS)exposure with gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM) risk and postpartum fasting blood glucose.We used a 1:2 matched case–control study with 84 GDM subjects and 168 healthy pregnant women from Beijing, China. The maternal blood was collected at 1–2 days before delivery, and eight linear isomers and fourteen branched isomers were determined in maternal serum.Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the associations after adjusting for potential confounders. The median of the sum of levels of total PFASs was 4.24 ng/m L with a interquartile range(IQR) of 2.82–6.54 ng/m L. Although maternal PFAS exposure was not associated with risk of GDM, significant positive associations were observed between evaluated exposure to specific PFAS congeners and increasing blood glucose. The odds ratio(ORs) of the highest category of postpartum fasting blood glucose for perfluoro-1-metylheptylsulfonat(1 m-PFOS), perfluoro-3/4-metylheptylsulfonat(3 m+4 m-PFOS), perfluoro-5-metylheptylsulfonat(5 m-PFOS), and perfluorohexane sulfonate(PFHx S) were 2.03(95% CI: 1.09–3.77), 1.93(95% CI:1.04–3.58), 2.48(95% CI: 1.33–4.65), and 2.26(95% CI: 1.21–4.21), respectively, suggesting negative effects of maternal exposure to specific PFAS compounds on glucose metabolism.     

Polar organic tracers in PM2.5 aerosols from an inland background area in Southwest China: Correlations between secondary organic aerosol tracers and source apportionment

PM_(2.5) aerosol samples were collected over 12 hr and 24 hr intervals in an inland background area, Gongga Mountain National Nature Reserve(hereafter shortened to Gongga), during the summer of 2011. Polar organic tracers, inorganic ions and meteorological data were measured. The purpose of this work was to investigate the variation patterns, formation and sources of the secondary organic aerosol tracers in the studied atmosphere. The average concentrations of isoprene oxidation products, α-pinene oxidation products, β-caryophyllinic acid, sugars, sugar alcohols and anhydrosugars were 88.6 ± 106.1, 3.6 ± 5.7,0.13 ± 0.30, 13.6 ± 13.1, 31.9 ± 31.4 and 14.8 ± 10.7 ng/m3 respectively in all aerosol samples.The aged α-pinene second organic aerosol(SOA) tracers(i.e., 3-hydroxyglutraric acid(3 HGA), 3-hydroxy-2,2-dimethylglutaric acid(HDMGA), 3-acetylpentandioic acid(APDA) and 3-methyl-1,2,3-butanetricarboxylic acid(MBTCA)) correlated significantly with each other in the 24 hr PM2.5 aerosol samples, indicating that OH· is the major factor controlling the formation of these α-pinene SOA tracers. Using the positive matrix factorization(PMF) model and the tracer-based source apportionment method, we calculated that isoprene oxidation products, α-pinene oxidation products, sesquiterpene oxidation products, biomass burning, fungi spores and anthropogenic SOA accounted for 21.9% ± 5.5%, 8.4% ± 2.1%, 3.0% ± 0.7%, 5.2% ± 5.3%, 5.0% ± 6.2% and 31.4% ± 7.8% of organic carbon respectively during the sampling period.     

A multilevel perspective of interpersonal trust: Individual,dyadic, and cross‐level predictors of performance

While it is generally known that interpersonal trust facilitates individual functioning, few studies have examined the role of specific features of the interpersonal trust network — individual, dyadic, third‐party, and network‐level features — on individual performance. We adopt a multilevel perspective of interpersonal trust to examine how individuals' performance is not only predicted by their individual‐level centrality in the interpersonal trust network but also moderated, at the network level, by the overall centralized nature of that network. Further, we examine whether mutual trust relationships at the dyadic level, as well as shared trust ties to common third parties, can predict individuals' performance. We test our hypotheses with 206 members in 15 professional networking groups and find that interpersonal trust operates at multiple levels to predict members' performance in terms of generating income from business referrals. These findings provide theoretical and practical implications on how interpersonal trust relationships operate and can be managed for performance gains. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

国内外冷却服的发展现状及关键技术

本文论述了国内外冷却服的发展现状,介绍了3种制冷技术路线,指出了其各自的关键技术,有利于人们对冷却服的发展趋势进一步的了解和认识.     

Electroactive polyamide modified carbon paste electrode for the determination of ascorbic acid

Construction electroactive polyamide (EPA) with aniline-pentamer-based in the main chain has been modified on the surface of carbon paste electrode (CPE) for detecting ascorbic acid (AA). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies confirm the well-defined molecular structure of the oligoaniline and EPA. Further, the in situ chemical oxidation of EPA was monitored by UV-Visible absorption spectrum. The electroactivity of the EPA was evaluated by performing electrochemical cyclic voltammetry study. The sensing response studies have revealed that this EPA-modified CPE electrode can detect AA in the range of 0.05–0.7 mM with detection limit of 0.005 mM and sensitivity of 1.5 × 10^–5 AmM^–1. Besides, this EPA-modified CPE electrode shows a minimal relative standard deviation of 1.73%.     

Two-phase modeling of sediment clouds

A sediment cloud release in stagnant ambient fluid occurs in many engineering applications. Examples include land reclamation and disposal of dredged materials. The detailed modeling of the distinct characteristics of both the solid and fluid phases of the sediment cloud is hitherto unavailable in the literature despite their importance in practice. In this paper, the two-phase mixing characteristics of the sediment cloud are investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Experiments were carried out to measure the transient depth penetration and the lateral spread of the sediment cloud and its entrained fluid using the laser induced fluorescence technique, with a range of particle sizes frequently encountered in the field (modeled at laboratory scale). A two-phase model of the sediment cloud that provides detailed predictions of the mixing characteristics of the individual phases is also proposed. The entrained fluid characteristics are solved by an integral model accounting for the buoyancy loss (due to particle separation) in each time step. The flow field induced by the sediment cloud is approximated by a Hill’s spherical vortex centered at the centroid and with the size of the entrained fluid. The particle equation of motion under the effect of the induced flow governs each computational particle. A random walk model using the hydrodynamic diffusion coefficient is used to account for the random fluctuation of particles in the dispersive regime. Overall, the model predictions of the two-phase mixing characteristics are in good agreement with the experimental data for a wide range of release conditions.     

Properties of lightweight aggregate concrete prepared with PVC granules derived from scraped PVC pipes

This paper aims to investigate the fresh and hardened properties of lightweight aggregate concretes that are prepared with the use of recycled plastic waste sourced from scraped PVC pipes to replace river sand as fine aggregates. A number of laboratory prepared concrete mixes were tested, in which river sand was partially replaced by PVC plastic waste granules in percentages of 0%, 5%, 15%, 30% and 45% by volume. Two major findings are identified. The positive side shows that the concrete prepared with a partial replacement by PVC was lighter (lower density), was more ductile (greater Poisson's ratios and reduced modulus of elasticity), and had lower drying shrinkage and higher resistance to chloride ion penetration. The negative side reveals that the workability, compressive strength and tensile splitting strength of the concretes were reduced. The results gathered would form a part of useful information for recycling PVC plastic waste in lightweight concrete mixes.