Variable-density flow in heterogeneous porous media — Laboratory experiments and numerical simulations

Konz, M., Ackerer, P., Younes, A., Huggenberger, P., Zechner, E., 2009a. 2D Stable Layered Laboratory-scale Experiments for Testing Density-coupled Flow Models. Water Resources Research, 45. doi:10.1029/2008WR007118., a series of laboratory-scale 2D tank experiments were conducted and accurately simulated for density driven flow problems on homogeneous porous media. In the present work, we extended the numerical and experimental studies to heterogeneous problems. The heterogeneous porous medium was constructed with a low permeability zone in the centre of the tank and had well-defined parameters and boundary conditions. Concentration distributions were measured in high resolution using a photometric method and an image analysis technique. The numerical model used for the simulations was based on efficient advanced approximations for both spatial and temporal discretizations. The Method Of Lines (MOL) was used to allow higher-order temporal discretization. Three different boundary conditions, corresponding to different localizations of the inflow and the outflow openings at the opposite edges of the tank, were applied to investigate different flow scenarios in the heterogeneous porous medium flow tank. Simulation results of all three density coupled experiments revealed a density-dependent behavior of dispersion. Thus, a reduction of dispersivites was required to obtain a good matching of the experimental data. The high quality of the experiments enabled a detailed testing of numerical variable-density flow codes under heterogeneous conditions. Therefore, the experiments were considered to be reliable benchmark tests.     

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate and mono(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate in media for in vitro fertilization

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is one of the most important treatments of infertility to provide a chance of conceiving. In IVF treatment, sperm are washed and motile sperm are isolated with sperm washing media (SWM) for the purpose of fertilization; fertilized ova are then incubated for a maximum of 5 or 6 d in media for IVF (IVFM). The exposure of fertilized ova to chemicals via such media has not been studied. We determined the concentrations of two contaminants; di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and its hydrolyzed product mono(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (MEHP) in IVFM, SWM, and protein sources (PS: human serum albumin or serum substitute) for IVFM and SWM. The DEHP and MEHP in these media were extracted by a liquid-liquid extraction method and their concentrations determined by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Fifteen IVFM, nine SWM, and six PS obtained in Japan were examined. The concentrations of DEHP and MEHP in IVFM and SWM were <10-114 and <2.0-263 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The concentrations of both DEHP and MEHP were higher in the media containing PS than in those without PS. Either MEHP alone or both DEHP and MEHP were detected in PS. The concentrations of DEHP and MEHP in PS were <10-982 and 47.0-1840 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The DEHP and MEHP detected in these media were derived from PS. This is the first study on the chemical contamination of IVFM, SWM, and PS.     

Climate Change Coverage in Greek Newspapers: 2001–2008

This paper's aim is to identify the debate and document the coverage of climate change (CC) in the Greek national press and to assess to what extent this reporting exhibits the traits anticipated by the “polarized pluralist” character of the Greek “media system.” In order to do this, we analyzed articles published in three Greek quality newspapers (Kathimerini, Ta NEA, and Eleftherotypia) over the period 2001–2008 (N =2072). Our findings suggest a mixed picture: the Greek media debate is characterized by consensus on the anthropogenic causes of CC and on the promotion of renewable energy sources as a means for tackling Greek CC-related emissions. However when examining more specific/controversial CC-policy decisions, there is less evidence supporting a close link with the national character of Greek media reporting, with newspapers appearing to align themselves along partisan lines.     

PTFE乳液涂层对针刺毡复合滤料过滤性能的改良

采用PTFE乳液对P84.PTFE混纺针刺毡复合滤料进行涂层整理,并将其与未经整理的试样进行VDI滤料过滤性能模拟测试,进而阐述PTFE乳液涂层对该复合滤料过滤性能的影响。     

低温下生物膜流化床工艺硝化反应动力学研究

采用生物膜流化床工艺对中部某城镇污水处理厂进行提标改造,在冬季水温低于14℃时进行中试研究。取好氧池1和2中的部分填料经小试实验对其中的硝化反应动力学分析,得出填料上相应生物膜硝化反应速率表达式。并通过物料衡算计算出两级生物膜流化床反应器硝化反应动力学模型,经过实际中试实验,测得实际值与计算值相关性较好,其相对误差在15%以下。应用模型在单个反应器为完全混合、整体为推流模式的多级生物膜流化床工艺,得出NH4+-N出水浓度计算表达式。     

煤基胶体特征及其在多孔介质中的运移行为

采集了长焰煤粉并提取其中的胶体,用激光粒度仪、红外光谱仪、扫描电镜和Zeta电位仪对煤基胶体的特征进行了定性和定量表征,研究了煤基胶体在石英砂的多孔介质柱中的运移特征及p H值、阳离子等环境因子的影响。结果表明,该方法提取煤基胶体的实测粒径与理论计算粒径基本吻合,煤基胶体表面具有丰富的褶皱和极其丰富的孔隙结构并呈片状,煤基胶体的化学组成以芳香烃为主,在试验范围内,煤基胶体的Zeta电位在-34.0~-21.2 e V,随p H值升高而下降。溶液p H=7时,煤基胶体在多孔介质中的运移能力最强,c/c0为0.664,增加p H值或降低p H值,运移能力下降。Ca离子对煤基在多孔介质中的运移具有明显的抑制作用,当离子强度IS(Ca Cl2)由0.001 mmol/L增加到0.1 mmol/L时,胶体悬液c/c0从0.569降至0.129。     

Syntrophic co-culture of Bacillus subtilis and Klebsiella pneumonia for degradation of kraft lignin discharged from rayon grade pulp industry

In order to search the degradability of kraft lignin, the potential bacterial strains Bacillus subtilis (GU193980) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (GU193981) were isolated, screened and applied in axenic and co-culture conditions. Results revealed that mixed culture showed better decolorization efficiency (80%) and reduction of pollution parameters (COD 73% and BOD 62%) than axenic culture. This indicated syntrophic growth of these two bacteria rather than any antagonistic effect. The HPLC analysis of degraded samples of kraft lignin has shown the reduction in peak area compared to control, suggesting that decrease in color intensity might be largely attributed to the degradation of lignin by isolated bacteria. Further, the GC–MS analysis showed that most of the compounds detected in control were diminished after bacterial treatment. Further, the seed germination test using Phaseolus aureus has supported the detoxification of bacterial decolorized kraft lignin for environmental safety. All these observations have revealed that the developed bacterial co-culture was capable for the effective degradation and decolorization of lignin containing rayon grade pulp mill wastewater for environmental safety.     

煤矸石-土壤混合基质对小白菜生长的影响及Pb迁移规律

盆栽试验研究了施用不同量煤矸石(0%、13%、26%、40%、53%)对贫瘠土壤改良的效果和对小白菜生长品质的影响。结果表明:(1)混合基质中Pb的迁移能力较差,小白菜中Pb积累量与植物体生物量具有正相关关系;(2)小白菜的发芽率、根系长度、地面以上株高和生物量等均在煤矸石施入比例为26%时达到最佳,发芽率、地面以上株高和干重分别增加23%、23.05%和20.62%;施入煤矸石超过40%时将导致各项指标有所下降;(3)采用单因子污染指数法进行食品质量评价,加入煤矸石量分别为0%、13%和26%时,产品污染指数分别为0.69、0.79和0.93,属于清洁水平;而加入煤矸石量为40%和53%时,污染指数分别为1.12(轻污染水平)和1.38(轻污染水平)。煤矸石可增加植物生长过程所需营养物质而作为贫瘠土壤的改良剂,实现煤矸石资源化并改善矿区生态环境。     

光透法定量两相流中流体饱和度的模型及其应用

基于光透法定量流体饱和度的原理及其在两相流中的应用,设计了两组密封砂箱实验来研究气体或重非水相流体(DNAPL)在饱和孔隙介质中的迁移,观察了气体或DNAPL在孔隙介质中的迁移规律,应用并验证了2个水/气两相流中的光强-饱和度(LIS)模型,特别是建立并应用了适用于NAPL/水两相流系统的2个新LIS模型.结果表明,气体以不规则的"指状"通道向上迁移直到在砂箱顶部聚集,最终形成连续的气体分布;TCE由于自身重力的影响向下迁移直至砂箱底部,最终在砂箱中形成不规则的污染羽并在砂箱底部形成污染池.利用实验结果应用并验证4个光透法模型得到:2个水/气系统中LIS模型(WG-A和WG-B)整体适用于本实验数据;2个NAPL/水系统的LIS模型(NW-A和NW-B)得到与实测资料较吻合的结果,其中基于单个孔隙水驱替假设的模型NW-A与实验结果更加接近,对量化多孔介质中的NAPL/水系统各相饱和度具有一定的参考意义.     

Risk and Responsibility in Public Engagement by Climate Scientists: Reconsidering Advocacy During the Trump Era

The election as US President of Donald J Trump, who denies the scientific consensus on climate change, raises questions about the role of scientists in public discourse. How far should scientists wade into the waters of advocacy before risking their credibility of fair arbiters of knowledge? The new study by Kotcher, Myers, Vraga, Stenhouse, and Maibach [2017. Does engagement in advocacy hurt the credibility of scientists? Results from a randomized national survey experiment. Environmental Communication. doi:10.1080/17524032.2016.1275736] is a reminder that scientists are among the most trusted people in public life and have some freedom to engage publicly without harming their reputation. However, with the power to influence public debate comes the responsibility to carefully consider the impact of statements and actions. This commentary discusses the challenges facing scientists at a time of great potential for public engagement, and for a gap between perceived and actual intent of public statements.