Quantitative Ethnobotany in an Atlantic Forest Fragment of Northeastern Brazil – Implications to Conservation

Two new methods for assessing temporal trends in stream-solute concentrations at specific streamflow ranges were applied to long (40 to 50-year) but sparse (bi-weekly to quarterly sampling) stream-water quality data collected at three forested mesoscale basins along an atmospheric deposition gradient in the northeastern United States (one in north-central Pennsylvania, one in southeastern New York, and one in eastern Maine). The three data sets span the period since the implementation of the Clean Air Act in 1970 and its subsequent amendments.Declining sulfate (O ₄ ^2-) trends since the mid 1960s were identified for all 3 rivers by one or more of the 4 methods of trend detection used. Flow-specific trends were assessed by segmenting the data sets into 3-year and 6-year blocks, then determining concentration-discharge relationships for each block. Declining sulfate (O ₄ ^2-) trends at median flow were similar to trends determined using a Seasonal Kendall Tau test and Sen slope estimator. The trend of declining O ₄ ^2- concentrations differed at high, median and low flow since the mid 1980s at YWC and NR, and at high and low flow at WR, but the trends leveled or reversed at high flow from 1999 through 2002. Trends for the period of record at high flows were similar to medium- and low-flow trends for Ca²⁺+ Mg²⁺ concentrations at WR, non-significant at YWC, and were more negative at low flow than at high flow at NR; trends in nitrate (NO₃ ^-), and alkalinity (ALK) concentrations were different at different flow conditions, and in ways that are consistent with the hydrology and deposition history at each watershed. Quarterly sampling is adequate for assessing average-flow trends in the chemical parameters assessed over long time periods (∼decades). However, with even a modest effort at sampling a range of flow conditions within each year, trends at specified flows for constituents with strong concentration-discharge relationships can be evaluated and may allow early detection of ecosystem response to climate change and pollution management strategies.     

Communicating Local Climate Risks Online Through an Interactive Data Visualization

Literature suggests a need to develop climate communication tools that focus on the impacts of climate change at local scales to increase proximity and communicate the risks on a more personal level. However, the nature of raw climate projection data makes accessibility by the lay audience a challenge and necessitates the need for innovative technological approaches to its distribution. ClimateData.US was created as an interactive visualization tool based on downscaled climate projection data to increase proximity and render climate change as salient and personally relevant. This experiment evaluated whether interacting with ClimateData.US influenced participants’ climate change attitudes and concern and whether this effect varied as a function of geographic proximity. Findings revealed strong effects—regardless of geographic proximity—for interacting with the website on participants’ perceived reality of climate change, attitude certainty, and concern for climate change.     

美国污水处理厂深度除磷技术分析

污水处理厂控磷是防治湖泊等封闭性水域富营养化最有效的对策之一。但国内污水处理厂传统的除磷技术不足以改善水质,控制水体富营养化。综述了美国环境保护署推荐的深度除磷技术,介绍了美国污水处理厂深度除磷技术的工程案例。结果表明,美国深度除磷技术主要分为3大类:生物除磷+化学除磷+沉淀过滤、生物除磷+化学除磷+两级过滤、生物除磷+化学除磷+膜分离。通过对美国深度除磷技术的综述和分析,为中国污水处理厂除磷技术改进及已建设施的提升改造提供了重要参考依据和借鉴意义。     

Assessing the Hydrologic and Water Quality Benefits of a Network of Stormwater Control Measures in a SE U.S. Piedmont Watershed

The hydrologic and water quality benefits of an existing engineered stormwater control measures (SCMs) network, along with the alternative stormwater control simulations, were assessed in the rapidly urbanizing Beaverdam Creek watershed located in SE U.S. Piedmont region through the use of distributed Model of Urban Stormwater Improvement Conceptualization stormwater model. When compared with predevelopment conditions, the postdevelopment watershed simulation without SCMs indicated a 2 times increase in total runoff volume, 3 times average increase in peak flow for 1.5‐3.2 cm 6‐h storm events, and 30 times, 12 times, and 3 times higher total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorous (TP), and total nitrogen (TN) loadings, respectively. The existing SCMs network, in comparison with the postdeveloped watershed without SCMs, reduced the average peak flow rates for 1.5‐3.2 cm 6‐h storm events by 70%, lowered the annual runoff volume by 3%, and lowered TSS, TP, TN annual loads by 57, 51, and 10%, respectively. A backyard rain garden simulation resulted in minimal additional reduction in TSS (1.6%), TP (0.4%), and TN (4%). Model simulations indicate that mandatory 85% TSS and 70% TP annual load reductions in comparison with the predevelopment levels would require the diversion of runoff from at least 70% of the contributing drainage areas runoff into additional offline bioretention basins.     

三元氧化体系中协同效应与羟基自由基产率关系的研究

本研究构建了VUV-US-O_3三元氧化体系,以水杨酸(SA)为分子探针,采用高效液相色谱和荧光检测器联用测定分析三元氧化体系的·OH产率.结果表明,各氧化体系的氧化能力排序为VUV/US/O_3VUV/O_3US/O_3VUV/USO_3VUVUS,120 min内对应的SA去除率分别为96.27%、83.57%、74.80%、68.88%、50.67%、36.06%、8.60%,组合体系显示出了明显的协同效应;VUV/O_3、VUV/US和US/O_3中检测出羟基化产物的最高浓度分别为12.32、7.51、4.47μmol·L~(-1),较VUV、US、O_3单独氧化产生的羟基化产物浓度(分别为5.22、0.34、3.61μmol·L~(-1))更高,推测各二元氧化体系中的协同效应主要是由·OH产率增加而引起;将US加入VUV/O_3体系中构成VUV/US/O_3三元氧化体系后,可加速O_3溶解并提高·OH最高产率至22.24μmol·L~(-1),使VUV/US/O_3氧化能力进一步提高.     

Determination of C(5)-C(12) perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids in river water samples in the Czech Republic by GC-MS after SPE preconcentration

A method employing solid phase extraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with negative chemical ionization has been developed for determination of ultratrace concentrations of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids in river water. The effects of the experimental parameters, such as the pH, additions of NaCl and an ion-pairing agent (tetraethylammonium bromide) and the kind of the elution agent, on the efficiency of the test acid extraction have been studied. The analyte extraction recoveries and the limits of detection and determination have been found. The method developed has been tested on determinations of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids in the waters of the two largest Czech rivers, Vltava and Labe (Elbe). The best extraction results have been attained without any alteration of the sample pH, with an addition of tetrabutylammonium bromide (a concentration of 50 μg mL⁻¹ in the sample) and using methanol as the elution agent. Under these conditions, the recoveries of the test acids in the spiked real samples are within ranges from 60% to 104% and 53% to 111% for analyte concentration levels of 1.40 ng mL⁻¹ and 0.14 ng mL⁻¹, respectively, depending on the lengths of the perfluorinated chains of the acids. In general, the recovery decreases with increasing length of this chain. The method developed exhibits very low limits of detection and determination and the results are fully comparable with those obtained when using more expensive HPLC-MS/MS instrumentation. Typical values amount to tenths to tens of pg mL⁻¹ and units to one hundred pg mL⁻¹ for the limits of detection and determination, respectively; the measuring sensitivity increases with increasing length of the analyte chain. The analyzes of real samples from the Vltava and Elbe rivers have demonstrated that the results obtained are similar to the values published for contamination of the Elbe and other rivers in western and central Europe. The concentrations determined are of the order of units to tens of pg mL⁻¹ and the C₈-C₁₀ acids occur most often.     

美国地震风险评估中建筑物易损性与损失组合的探讨

探讨了以美国地震灾害风险评估模型为例的建筑物易损性模型的建立方法及地震随机事件损失组合的方法.由于应用对象的不同,如用于工程项目风险的评估或是对保险资产风险的评估,其易损性模型建立的方式具有较大的差异.在工程应用中,注重对建筑结构的分析,往往使用非线性解析方法如能力频谱法等以得到结构的易损性或脆弱曲线；而保险行业常用历史数据并运用统计方法等获取所需的易损性曲线.由于工程应用的易损性曲线有更好的精准性,越来越多保险用模型采用此方法.此外,工程应用常对单一地震事件进行评估,而保险行业的模型往往涉及对大量随机事件的评估.对不同的建筑物易损性建模方法、规范标准及适用范围进行了探讨,并对随机事件损失组合方法中如何计算损失的单次超越概率(OEP)和累计超越概率(AEP)进行了介绍.     

对美国、日本和中国预警机制现状的评述

突发公共事件是当今世界各国面临的共同威胁，但是，人类在防灾救灾方面仍然存在着一些缺陷。面对突发公共事件危机各国各政府都有自己的预警机制。尤其是一些发达国家建立了较为完善的预警机制，比如美国、日本等国的预警机制对于一些发展中国家建立预警机制有着重要的借鉴意义。中国在应对突发公共事件方面虽然存在着一些缺陷，但是，在建立应对突发公共事件预警机制方面，也进行了积极的探索和实践。     

US/UV协同催化氧化降解对氯苯酚的研究

选择掺杂过渡金属离子Fe^3 的纳米TiO2为催化剂，研究了US(超声波)／UV(紫外光)协同催化氧化水中对氯苯酚(4-CP)的降解效果，考察了对氯苯酚的起始浓度、超声波声强、溶液初始pH、饱和气体种类、反应温度和催化剂投加量对氯苯酚降解速率的影响．研究结果表明：US／UV协同催化氧化处理比单独超声波处理和光化学处理，4-CP降解速率提高了1．5～1．7倍，证实了声光联合技术具有明显的协同效应．     

浅析美国的军事与环境

近年来,人们逐渐认识到军事活动引起的环境污染和生态破坏不仅危及当代人也危及子孙后代的健康成长,并关系到政治、社会的稳定及经济的健康发展.总结了美国的主要军事污染源,浅析了美国军方有关环境保护方面的政策和措施,并对美军在环境政策上的两面性进行了探讨.