Solid state speciation and potential bioavailability of depleted uranium particles from Kosovo and Kuwait

A combination of synchrotron radiation based X-ray microscopic techniques (μ-XRF, μ-XANES, μ-XRD) applied on single depleted uranium (DU) particles and semi-bulk leaching experiments has been employed to link the potential bioavailability of DU particles to site-specific particle characteristics. The oxidation states and crystallographic forms of U in DU particles have been determined for individual particles isolated from selected samples collected at different sites in Kosovo and Kuwait that were contaminated by DU ammunition during the 1999 Balkan conflict and the 1991 Gulf war. Furthermore, small soil or sand samples heavily contaminated with DU particles were subjected to simulated gastrointestinal fluid (0.16 M HCl) extractions. Characteristics of DU particles in Kosovo soils collected in 2000 and in Kuwait soils collected in 2002 varied significantly depending on the release scenario and to some extent on weathering conditions. Oxidized U (+6) was determined in large, fragile and bright yellow DU particles released during fire at a DU ammunition storage facility and crystalline phases such as schoepite (UO₃·2.25H₂O), dehydrated schoepite (UO₃·0.75H₂O) and metaschoepite (UO₃·2.0H₂O) were identified. As expected, these DU particles were rapidly dissolved in 0.16 M HCl (84 ± 3% extracted after 2 h) indicating a high degree of potential mobility and bioavailability. In contrast, the 2 h extraction of samples contaminated with DU particles originating either from corrosion of unspent DU penetrators or from impacted DU ammunition appeared to be much slower (20–30%) as uranium was less oxidized (+4 to +6). Crystalline phases such as UO₂, UC and metallic U or U–Ti alloy were determined in impacted DU particles from Kosovo and Kuwait, while the UO_2,34 phase, only determined in particles from Kosovo, could reflect a more corrosive environment. Although the results are based on a limited number of DU particles, they indicate that the structure and extractability of DU particles released from similar sources (metallic U penetrators) will depend on the release scenarios (fire, impact) and to some extent environmental conditions. However, most of the DU particles (73–96%) in all investigated samples were dissolved in 0.16 M HCl after one week indicating that a majority of the DU material is bioaccessible.     

浅论加强劳动合同管理对国企建立能进能出用人机制的作用

劳动合同制度是企业在市场经济条件下建立员工能进能出用人机制的本质体现。而在国有企业中，受长期计划经济的影响，存在着劳动合同制度流于形式，劳动合同内容及形式不完备，程序不规范，企业对劳动合同制度重视不够、员工进出没有制度保障的问题。加强劳动合同管理，能够规范人员进入企业的入口，打通企业的人员出口。     

Change of Flood Patterns in China under the Influences of Climate Change and Human Activities

Based on the flood affected area （FA） data of the provinces in China from 1950 to 2005, the article discusses the change of the flood patterns in China, and investigates its relationship with climate change and human activities. The flood center shifted from North China and the Yangtze-Huaihe basin in the 1950s towards the south, north and west of China, and located in the south of the Yangtze River and South China after the 1990s. The FA in the western provinces was continuously on the rise since the 1950s. There are two characteristics for the future flood pattem in China. The pattern of ＂flood in the south and drought in the north＂ depends on the north-south shift of the maximum rainfall region in eastern China. The flood intensification to the west of Hu Huanyong＇s line mainly results from the increase of rainfall, extreme precipitation and the melting of glaciers under the background of human activity magnification.     

Trends of PCDD/F and PCB concentrations and depositions in ambient air in Northwestern Germany

Time series of polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/F) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in ambient air of a large conurbation in North-Western Germany are presented and analyzed. The trend of PCDD/F concentrations, starting from as early as 1988, shows a pronounced decrease by at least one order of magnitude, demonstrating that the emission reductions were effective. The PCDD/F depositions also have decreased by a factor of 5 since 1992. However, both trends have leveled out since 2005. Time series of PCB concentrations and depositions starting in 1994 show only slight decreases for the concentrations and almost no decrease for the depositions. From the decay rates following first order kinetics, half-lives in the order of 5-15 years for the PCDD/F and 15-31 years for the sum of the six indicator PCB could be calculated, which are much longer than the half-lives estimated from their reactivity towards the OH radical. Apparently, small fresh emissions (PCDD/F), considerable secondary emissions and evaporation from contaminated soils slow down their decay in the atmosphere of big conurbations. Analyzing the decay rates of individual PCB congeners shows that the lower chlorinated and more volatile ones are removed faster than the higher chlorinated congeners, probably via gas phase reactions with the OH radical. It can be concluded from the present study that the input of PCDD/F and PCB into the food chain via the air path will continue for another one or two decades in big conurbations.     

岩石变形破裂过程中电荷感应信号的检测

设计了采用非接触方式、高放大倍数、高效率的电荷传感器,并给出了电荷传感器的设计原理和技术指标。利用研制的电荷传感器对岩石变形破裂过程中产生的电荷感应信号进行了检测试验。结果表明,岩石在变形破裂过程中会产生电荷感应信号,并能够被研制的电荷传感器检测到;电荷感应信号是瞬时脉冲的;随着加载应力水平的增加,电荷感应信号强度增强,在峰值应力前,电荷感应信号强度达到最大值;在破裂面接收到的电荷感应信号较强,主破裂面接收到的信号最强,因而电荷的产生和岩石的破裂有很大的关系。作为正在探索的检测岩石破坏过程的手段之一,电荷感应方法应是一种很具潜力的方法,值得深入研究。     

Residue levels of fenitrothion and aminocarb in the air samples collected from experimental spray blocks in New Brunswick in 1982

Abstract

Fenitrothion and aminocarb formulations were aerially sprayed over mixed coniferous forests near Fredericton and Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada. Insecticide concentrations inside the spray blocks were measured at intervals of time by trapping the airborne toxicants in a fritted‐glass bubbler containing dimethylformamide (DMF). The residues in DMF were analysed by gas chromatography. Concentrations of the insecticides in the air sampled decreased rapidly with time from peak levels of 1997 ng/m³ (fenitrothion) and 1201 ng/m³ (aminocarb). Concentrations of the two insecticides in the air samplers were dependent upon the nature of the chemicals, type of formulation used, spray timings and other environmental factors.     

Inventory and vertical migration of ¹³⁷Cs in Spanish mainland soils

In this study the total activity of ¹³⁷Cs deposited per unit area over the Spanish peninsular territory was analysed using a 150 × 150 km² mesh grid, with samples taken from 29 points. The deposited activities ranged between 251 and 6074 Bq/m². A linear relationship was obtained between these values and the mean annual rainfall at each sampling point which allowed a map to be drawn, using GIS software, which shows the distribution of total deposited ¹³⁷Cs activity across the Spanish mainland. At twelve of these sampling points the vertical migration profile of ¹³⁷Cs was obtained. These profiles are separated into two groups with different behaviour, one of which includes clay and loam soils and the other containing sandy soils. For both groups of profiles the parameters of the convective-diffusive model, which describes the vertical migration of ¹³⁷Cs in the soil, v (apparent convection velocity) and D (apparent diffusion coefficient) were calculated.     

中国环境审计研究10年回顾:轨迹、问题与前瞻

国家审计署2008-2012年审计工作发展规划将资源环境审计作为六大审计类型之一,同时在2009年9月出台<关于加强资源环境审计工作的意见>(以下简称<意见>),这必将极大促进我国环境审计理论与实践的发展.在历史即将翻开新的一页之时,有必要对我国环境审计理论与实践研究轨迹进行系统总结和梳理,发掘其规律、问题,以利于未来环境审计研究.本文以发表于1999-2009年的689篇环境审计论文为样本,从发表时间、期刊类型、研究内容、研究方法、推动力量、学术影响力及研究人才队伍培养等方面系统描述我国近十年环境审计研究的轨迹.结果发现,我国环境审计研究的层面不够深入,研究方向存在偏颇性,研究视角显片面性.未来的环境审计研究应更加紧密围绕全球环境问题和国际环境会计的最新实,整合生态学、环境科学、会计学及审计学界力量,倡导研究视角的多元化,更加注重民间环境审计、环境审计的鉴证职能、生态绩效的评价审核等研究.     

The adsorption of short single-stranded DNA oligomers to mineral surfaces

We studied the adsorption of short single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA) oligomers, of approximately 30 nucleotides (nt) in length, of varying sequence, adenine + guanine + cytosine (AGC) content, and propensity to form secondary structure, to equal surface area samples of olivine, pyrite, calcite, hematite, and rutile in 0.1 M NaCl, 0.05 M pH 8.1 KHCO₃ buffer. Although the mineral surfaces have widely varying points of zero charge, under these conditions they show remarkably similar adsorption of ssDNA regardless of oligomer characteristics. Mineral surfaces appear to accommodate ssDNA comparably, or ssDNA oligomers of this length are able to find binding sites of comparable strength and density due to their flexibility, despite the disparate surface properties of the different minerals. This may partially be due charge shielding by the ionic strength of the solutions tested, which are typical of many natural environments. These results may have some bearing on the adsorption and accumulation of biologically derived nucleic acids in sediments as well as the abiotic synthesis of nucleic acids before the origin of life.     

Growth, photosynthesis and antioxidant responses of two microalgal species, Chlorella vulgaris and Selenastrum capricornutum, to nonylphenol stress

The effect of nonylphenol (NP) on growth, photochemistry and biochemistry of two green microalgae, Chlorella vulgaris and Selenanstrum capricornutum, and their ability to degrade NP were compared. The 96 h EC₅₀ of C. vulgaris and S. capricornutum were greater than 4.0 and 1.0 mg L⁻¹ NP, respectively, suggesting that the former species was more tolerant to NP. Both microalgae acclimated to NP stress through down-regulating their photosynthetic activities, including antenna size (chlorophyll a content), maximal photochemistry (Fv/Fm) and the light absorbed by PSII (ABS/CS₀), but the dissipation of energy from reaction centres (DI₀/RC) increased with the increase of NP concentrations. In C. vulgaris, the changes of these parameters were more significant than in S. capricornutum and recovered completely after a 96 h exposure. The antioxidant responses, such as GSH content, CAT and POD activities in C. vulgaris increased with the increase of NP concentrations after a 24 h exposure, but these changes disappeared with exposure time and recovered to the control levels after 96 h. In S. capricornutum, although GSH content, CAT and POD activities also increased when exposed to low- to moderate-NP concentrations, these values were significantly reduced at a high concentration (4 mg L⁻¹) even after a 96 h exposure, indicating its antioxidant responses were significantly delayed. It is clear that the more NP-tolerant species, C. vulgaris, acclimated better with a faster recovery of its photosynthetic activity from the NP-induced damage, and exhibited more efficient and rapid responses to NP-induced oxidative stress. C. vulgaris also had a higher NP degradation ability than S. capricornutum.