Determination of neonicotinoids in Estonian honey by liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry

The aim of the study was to provide a comprehensive overview of neonicotinoid pesticide residues in honey samples for a single country and compare the results with the import data for neonicotinoid pesticides. The levels of four neonicotinoid pesticides, namely thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, and thiacloprid, were determined in 294 honey samples harvested from 2005 to 2013 from more than 200 locations in Estonia. For the analyzed honey samples, 27% contained thiacloprid, and its levels in all cases were below the maximum residue level set by the European Union. The other neonicotinoids were not detected. The proportion of thiacloprid-positive samples for different years correlates well with the data on thiacloprid imports into Estonia, indicating that honey contamination with neonicotinoids can be estimated based on the import data.     

Performance evaluation of reverse logistics enterprise – an agent-based simulation approach

Reverse logistics (RL) has been applied in many industries and sectors since its conception. Unlike forward logistics, retracing consumer goods from the point of consumption to the point of inception is not a well-studied process. It involves many uncertainties such as time, quality and quantity of returns. The returned products can be remanufactured, have parts harvested, or be disposed safely. It is important to implement these activities in a cost-effective manner. The aim of this research is to measure the performance of the RL enterprise with the help of an agent-based simulation model. The major entities in the RL network are considered as Agents that can act independently. There are several different agents: collector agent, sorting-cum-reuse agent, remanufacturing agent, recycler agent, supplier agent and distributor agent. The individual performances of the agents are measured and recommendations are given to improve their performance, leading to the enhancement of the total performance of the RL enterprise. The approach is applied to a case study involving cell phone remanufacturing.     

Co-treatment of fruit and vegetable waste in sludge digesters. An analysis of the relationship among bio-methane generation,process stability and digestate phytotoxicity

The co-digestion of a variable amount of fruit and vegetable waste in a waste mixed sludge digester was investigated using a pilot scale apparatus. The organic loading rate (OLR) was increased from 1.46 kg VS/m³ day to 2.8 kg VS/m³ day. The hydraulic retention time was reduced from 14 days to about 10 days. Specific bio-methane production increased from about 90 NL/kg VS to the maximum value of about 430 NL/kg VS when OLR was increased from 1.46 kg VS/m³ day to 2.1 kg VS/m³ day. A higher OLR caused an excessive reduction in the hydraulic retention time, enhancing microorganism wash out. Process stability evaluated by the total volatile fatty acids concentration (mg/l) to the alkalinity buffer capacity (eq. mg/l CaCO₃) ratio (i.e. FOS/TAC) criterion was <0.1 indicating high stability for OLR <2.46 kg VS/m³ day. For higher OLR, FOS/TAC increased rapidly. Residual phytotoxicty of the digestate evaluated by the germination index (GI) (%) was quite constant for OLR < 2.46 kg VS/m³ day, which is lower than the 60% limit, indicating an acceptable toxicity level for crops. For OLR > 2.46 kg VS/m³ day, GI decreased rapidly. This corresponding trend between FOS/TAC and GI was further investigated by the definition of the GI ratio (GIR) parameter. Comparison between GIR and FOS/TAC suggests that GI could be a suitable criterion for evaluating process stability.     

固相萃取-GC/MS法测定地表水中3-甲基吲哚

采用微球硅胶键合C_(18)固相萃取柱萃取水样中的3-甲基吲哚,并用气质联用法测定,方法在0 mg/L~10.0 mg/L范围内线性良好,方法检出限为0.2μg/L。空白水样3个质量浓度水平的加标回收率为89%~94%,7次测定结果的RSD为2.3%~6.9%。用该方法测定7个实际地表水样品,其中4个地表水样品检出3-甲基吲哚,地表水样的加标回收率为81.5%~97.0%。     

5种植物材料的水解释碳性能及反硝化效率

碳源在硝酸盐去除过程中起电子供体的作用,是生物反硝化反应的关键物质之一。为解决污水处理脱氮时碳源不足抑制反硝化反应造成脱氮效率低的问题,本研究选取风车草、甘蔗渣、芦竹、美人蕉和稻草秆5种植物材料作为反硝化碳源,探讨不同植物材料的水解释碳能力和释放规律;并进一步以其水解液作为外加碳源,探讨其对反硝化脱氮效率的影响。研究结果表明,植物材料水解释碳过程符合二级动力学反应规律,不同植物材料的释碳能力具有显著性差异,以甘蔗渣在固液比1∶80时COD释放当量最大,为45.45 mg/L;添加植物水解液可显著提高反硝化脱氮效率,以芦竹水解液脱氮效果最好,达到71.9%。此外,碳氮比是影响脱氮效率的重要因素之一,以碳氮比为9时反硝化脱氮效果最佳。     

阿什河水系枯水期氮污染特征与同位素源解析

在阿什河水系设置20个采样点,采用水质监测技术和稳定氮同位素示踪技术,研究了枯水期阿什河氮污染特征和硝酸盐氮污染来源。结果表明:(1)阿什河枯水期大部分采样点氨氮浓度较低,大部分区域达到或优于《地表水环境质量标准》(GB3838—2002)中Ⅲ类。上游河段硝酸盐氮浓度较低,中游河段较高,到下游河段略有降低。总氮浓度较高,最高达19.4mg/L。(2)阿什河水系采样点15 N的丰度(δ15 N)主要处于0.11%~0.21%、0.42%~0.78%、0.83%~0.88%和1.09%~1.26%。稳定15 N同位素示踪解析阿什河硝酸盐氮污染来源表明,阿什河上游污染源主要为大气沉降、土壤有机氮和人工化肥;中游主要受畜禽养殖污水和生活污水污染;下游主要受城镇生活污水和工业废水影响。     

Designing and Implementing a Network for Sensing Water Quality and Hydrology across Mountain to Urban Transitions

Water resources are increasingly impacted by growing human populations, land use, and climate changes, and complex interactions among biophysical processes. In an effort to better understand these factors in semiarid northern Utah, United States, we created a real‐time observatory consisting of sensors deployed at aquatic and terrestrial stations to monitor water quality, water inputs, and outputs along mountain to urban gradients. The Gradients Along Mountain to Urban Transitions (GAMUT) monitoring network spans three watersheds with similar climates and streams fed by mountain winter‐derived precipitation, but that differ in urbanization level, land use, and biophysical characteristics. The aquatic monitoring stations in the GAMUT network include sensors to measure chemical (dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, pH, nitrate, and dissolved organic matter), physical (stage, temperature, and turbidity), and biological components (chlorophyll‐a and phycocyanin). We present the logistics of designing, implementing, and maintaining the network; quality assurance and control of numerous, large datasets; and data acquisition, dissemination, and visualization. Data from GAMUT reveal spatial differences in water quality due to urbanization and built infrastructure; capture rapid temporal changes in water quality due to anthropogenic activity; and identify changes in biological structure, each of which are demonstrated via case study datasets.     

Detention Outlet Retrofit Improves the Functionality of Existing Detention Basins by Reducing Erosive Flows in Receiving Channels

By discharging excess stormwater at rates that more frequently exceed the critical flow for stream erosion, conventional detention basins often contribute to increased channel instability in urban and suburban systems that can be detrimental to aquatic habitat and water quality, as well as adjacent property and infrastructure. However, these ubiquitous assets, valued at approximately $600,000 per km² in a representative suburban watershed, are ideal candidates to aid in reversing such cycles of channel degradation because improving their functionality would not necessarily require property acquisition or heavy construction. The objective of this research was to develop a simple, cost‐effective device that could be installed in detention basin outlets to reduce the erosive power of the relatively frequent storm events (~ < two‐year recurrence) and provide a passive bypass to maintain flood control performance during infrequent storms (such as the 100‐year recurrence). Results from a pilot installation show that the Detain H₂O device reduced the cumulative sediment transport capacity of the preretrofit condition by greater than 40%, and contributed to reduced flashiness and prolonged baseflows in receiving streams. When scaling the strategy across a watershed, these results suggest that potential gains in water quality and stream channel stability could be achieved at costs that are orders of magnitude less than comparable benefits from newly constructed stormwater control measures.     

Supporting Diverse Data Providers in the Open Water Data Initiative: Communicating Water Data Quality and Fitness of Use

Shared, trusted, timely data are essential elements for the cooperation needed to optimize economic, ecologic, and public safety concerns related to water. The Open Water Data Initiative (OWDI) will provide a fully scalable platform that can support a wide variety of data from many diverse providers. Many of these will be larger, well‐established, and trusted agencies with a history of providing well‐documented, standardized, and archive‐ready products. However, some potential partners may be smaller, distributed, and relatively unknown or untested as data providers. The data these partners will provide are valuable and can be used to fill in many data gaps, but can also be variable in quality or supplied in nonstandardized formats. They may also reflect the smaller partners' variable budgets and missions, be intermittent, or of unknown provenance. A challenge for the OWDI will be to convey the quality and the contextual “fitness” of data from providers other than the most trusted brands. This article reviews past and current methods for documenting data quality. Three case studies are provided that describe processes and pathways for effective data‐sharing and publication initiatives. They also illustrate how partners may work together to find a metadata reporting threshold that encourages participation while maintaining high data integrity. And lastly, potential governance is proposed that may assist smaller partners with short‐ and long‐term participation in the OWDI.     

三氯卡班对小鼠血浆内源性物质影响的代谢组学研究

三氯卡班被认定为一种新型的环境污染物,可能对动植物和人体产生危害,为探究三氯卡班的有害作用机制,选择C57BL6小鼠作为载体,利用分子生物学和报告基因方法考察了三氯卡班对肝脏的作用,同时利用代谢组学技术考察三氯卡班对血浆内源性代谢物变化的影响。结果表明,三氯卡班是核受体CAR的激活剂,可以提高肝脏CYP2b10的m RNA表达。同时血浆主要的内源性代谢物也产生了显著性变化,血浆中的脂肪酸比例都呈下降趋势,肉毒碱与乙酰肉碱的比例都呈上升趋势,花生四烯酸与肌酸的比例都呈上升趋势,这都与核受体CAR被激活密切相关,由此说明利用代谢组学技术能够全面地反映三氯卡班所造成的对机体的影响。