Environmental Significance of the Diclofop-methyl and Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes

Cyclodextrins (CDs) possess a hydrophilic external surface and a hydrophobic cavity. They are thus highly soluble and, in the meantime, effectively form inclusion complexes with hydrophobic organic compounds to enhance their solubilities. In this study, the complexation between modified β-CDs and the herbicide diclofop-methyl (DM), (2-(4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-phenoxy) propionate), was investigated. The complexation was confirmed by the shifts in the wavelengths of maximum ultra violet (UV) absorption and fluorescence excitation/emission. The deuterium isotope effects indicate that in the presence of β-CDs the solubility of DM was lower while that of diclofop was higher in D₂O than in H₂O, suggesting the primary role of hydrophobic interactions in complexation. The solubility of DM was enhanced in the presence of β-CDs, the extent of which depended on the modification of β-CDs. The complexation reduced the hydrolysis of DM and hence increased its stability. The small inconsistency in the power of β-CDs between hydrolysis retardation and solubilization suggests that hydrolysis was affected by the properties of β-CDs and the configuration of DM in the complexes. Use of β-CDs may thus result in the mobilization of soil DM. Properly modified β-CDs may be utilized as formulation additives for improved delivery of DM and for enhanced environmental remediation.     

Stability and safety evaluation of mixed traffic flow with connected automated vehicles on expressways

Introduction: Connected automated vehicles (CAVs) technology has deeply integrated advanced technologies in various fields, providing an effective way to improve traffic safety. However, it would take time for vehicles on the road to vehicles from human-driven vehicles (HDVs) progress to CAVs. Moreover, the Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) vehicle would degrade into the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) vehicle due to communication failure. Method: First, the different car-following models are used to capture characteristics of different types of vehicles (e.g., HDVs, CACC, and ACC). Second, the stability of mixed traffic flow is analyzed under different penetration rates of CAVs. Then, multiple safety measures, such as standard deviation of vehicle speed (SD), time exposed rear-end crash risk (TER), time exposed time-to-collision (TET), and time-integrated time-to-collision (TIT) are used to evaluate the safety of mixed traffic flow on expressways. Finally, the sensitivity of traffic demand, the threshold of time-to-collision (TTC), and the parameters of car-following models are analyzed based on a numerical simulation. Results: The results show that the ACC vehicle has no significant impact on the SD of mixed traffic flows, but it leads to the deterioration of TET and TIT, making the reduction proportion of TER slower. When the penetration rate exceeds 50%, the increase of CACC vehicles reduces traffic safety risks significantly. Furthermore, the increase in traffic demand and car-following parameters worsens traffic safety on expressways. Conclusions: This paper suggests that the CACC vehicles degenerate into ACC vehicles due to communication failure, and the safety risk of mixed traffic flow increases significantly. Practical Applications: The application of CAVs can improve the stability and safety of traffic flow.     

In situ measurement of soil moisture and pore-water pressures in an ‘incipient’ landslide: Lake Tutira,New Zealand

The immediate cost of shallow regolith landslides in New Zealand has been estimated to exceed US$33M annually. Since the majority of these landslides occur during prolonged wet conditions, or intense rainstorms, moisture conditions are a critical control. The nature, dynamics, and character of soil moisture conditions, and the piezometric response to rainfall, have been recorded within an ‘incipient’ landslide for more than 5 years. The study site, on pastoral hill country within the Lake Tutira catchment in northern Hawkes Bay, is typical of large areas of New Zealand episodically affected by extensive landsliding. Detailed continuous measurements show that both the soil moisture and piezometric response within the regolith are highly storm- and site-specific. The development of positive pore pressures is infrequent; they form only during intense rainstorms, and persist for a short time. The hydraulic response of the soil is primarily a function of storm characteristics, but this response can be modified by antecedent moisture conditions, topographic position, and heterogeneity of soil properties.     

Influence of dissolved oxygen on aggregation kinetics of citrate-coated silver nanoparticles

Aggregation, an important environmental behavior of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) influences their bioavailability and cytotoxicity. The work studied the influence of dissolved oxygen (DO) or the redox potential on the stability of AgNPs in aqueous environments. This study employed time-resolved dynamic light scattering (TR-DLS) to investigate the aggregation kinetics of citrate-coated AgNPs. Our results demonstrated that when DO was present, the aggregation rates became much faster (e.g., 3-8 times) than those without DO. The hydrodynamic sizes of AgNPs had a linear growth within the initial 4-6 h and after the linear growth, the hydrodynamic sizes became random for AgNPs in the presence of DO, whereas in the absence of DO the hydrodynamic sizes grew smoothly and steadily. Furthermore, the effects of primary particles sizes (20, 40, and 80 nm) and initial concentrations (300 and 600 μg/L) of AgNPs on aggregation kinetics were also investigated.     

Oxidative transformation of polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners (PBDEs) and of hydroxylated PBDEs (OH-PBDEs)

BACKGROUND, AIM, AND SCOPE: The historical and widespread use of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) as flame retardants in consumer products worldwide has caused PBDEs to now be regarded as pervasive environmental contaminants. Most recently, hydroxylated PBDEs (OH-PBDEs) and methoxylated PBDEs (MeO-PBDEs) have emerged as environmentally relevant due to reports of their natural production and metabolism. An important parameter for assessing the environmental impact of a chemical substance is persistence. By formulating the concept that persistence is the result of the substance's physicochemical properties and chemical reactivity, Green and Bergman have proposed a new methodology to determine the inherent persistence of a chemical. If persistence could be predicted by straightforward methods, substances with this quality could be screened out before large-scale production/manufacturing begins. To provide data to implement this concept, we have developed new methodologies to study chemical transformations through photolysis; hydrolysis, substitution, and elimination; and via oxidation. This study has focused on adapting an oxidative reaction method to be applicable to non-water soluble organic pollutants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PBDEs and one MeO-PBDE were dissolved in tetrahydrofuran/methanol and then diluted in alkaline water. The OH-PBDEs were dissolved in alkaline water prior to reaction. The oxidation degradation reaction was performed at 50 degrees C using potassium permanganate as described elsewhere. The pH was maintained at 7.6 with disodium hydrogen phosphate and barium hydrogen phosphate, the latter also serving as a trapping agent for manganate ions. The oxidation reactions were monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography and reaction rates were calculated. RESULTS: The OH-PBDEs have very fast oxidative transformation rates compared to the PBDEs. The reaction rates seem to be primarily dependent on substitution pattern of the pi-electron-donating bromine substituents and of bromine content. There are indications that further reactions of OH-PBDEs, e.g., methylation to the MeO-PBDEs, decrease the oxidation rates, and thereby generate more persistent substances. DISCUSSION: The resistance of PBDEs to oxidation, a major degradation pathway in air, should be further investigated, since these compounds do undergo long range transport. With slight modifications, the original method has been adapted to include a larger variety of chemical substances, and preliminary data are now available on the oxidative transformation rates for PBDEs and of OH-PBDEs. CONCLUSIONS: The original oxidation degradation method can now include non-water soluble compounds. This modification, using low concentrations of test chemicals, allows us to measure oxidative transformation rates, for some of the lower brominated DEs, data that can be used to assess their persistence in future model calculations. Oxidative transformation rates for PBDEs are slow compared to those for the OH-PBDEs. This suggests that OH-PBDEs, when released into the environment, undergo faster oxidative metabolism and excretion than the PBDEs. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: To evaluate the modified method, more degradation reactions with non-water soluble compounds should be investigated. Recent studies show that OH-PBDEs are present in rats and in humans and, because of their activity as endocrine disruptors, determining their subsequent environmental fate is of importance. The resistance of PBDEs to oxidative degradation should be acknowledged as of possible future concern. Several other compound classes (such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs), and pharmaceuticals) need to be subjected to this screening method to increase the database of transformation rates that can be used with this model.     

Release and sedimentation behaviors of biochar colloids in soil solutions

The release of biochar colloids considerably affects the stability of biochar in environment. Currently, information on the release behavior and suspension stability of biochar colloids in real soil solutions is scarce. In this study, 20 soils were collected from different districts in China and the release behavior of biochar colloids and their suspension stability in soil solutions were systematically examined. The results showed that both pyrolysis temperature and biomass source had important effects on the formation of biochar colloids in soil solutions. The formation amount of biochar colloids from low pyrolysis temperatures (400 °C) (average amount of 9.33–16.41 mg/g) were significantly higher than those from high pyrolysis temperatures (700 °C) (average amount of less than 2 mg/g). The formation amount of wheat straw-derived biochar colloids were higher than those of rice straw-derived biochar colloids probably due to the higher O/C ratio in wheat-straw biochar. Further, biochar colloidal formation amount was negatively correlated with comprehensive effect of dissolved organic carbon, Fe and Al in soil solutions. The sedimentation curve of biochar colloids in soil solutions is well described by an exponential model and demonstrated high suspension stability. Around 40% of the biochar colloids were maintained in the suspension at the final sedimentation equilibrium. The settling efficiency of biochar colloids was positively correlated with comprehensive effect of the ionic strength and K, Ca, Na, and Mg contents in soil solutions. Our findings help promote a deeper understanding of biochar loss and stability in the soil-water environment.     

投资对城市公共交通客运安全的控制分析

关于公共交通基础设施投资建设的研究目的是降低汽车密度 ,从而使公共交通事故减少。笔者主要研究如何进行投资建设 ,使公共交通客流按照一定的增长率增长 ,不至于引起客流较大的波动 ,保障人们出行的安全。首先 ,建立投资控制模型 ,分析其能控性和稳定性 ;由于该系统不是渐进稳定 ,投资策略只能采用有状态反馈的极点配置策略 ;采用待定系数法得出投资策略的数学表达式。最后 ,对结果进行验证并分析策略的优缺点。得出以下两个结论 :即在该投资策略下 ,系统在两步之内便逼近目标 ,有快速反应的品质 ;若需求在短时间内按照给定的规律增长 ,必须加大投资力度。笔者还给出展望和建议。     

水力侵蚀对路基表面稳定性的影响研究

通过降雨试验和天然降雨水土流失调查 ,笔者首先探讨了风化花岗岩地区路基表面水力侵蚀的表现形式和规律 ,其中 ,基床表层已填筑级配碎石的易于发生级配碎石粗粒化 ,未填筑级配碎石的易于发生沟蚀 ;裸露的路堤边坡水力侵蚀发生发展规律一般为 :沟蚀→边坡滑坍 ;裸露的路堑边坡水力侵蚀发生发展规律一般为 :溅蚀→面蚀→沟蚀→坍塌 ;片石护坡的路堤和路堑边坡易于发生潜蚀。然后分析了水力侵蚀对路基表面稳定性的影响 ,认为溅蚀和面蚀对路基表面稳定性的影响较小 ;沟蚀对路堤边坡表面稳定性的影响程度随侵蚀程度和工程进度具体情况而定。最后 ,提出了施工期路基表面防护的建议     

滑坡稳定性评价的非线性方法

在全面分析了滑坡稳定性评价方法的基础上 ,确定了影响滑坡稳定性的相关因素 ,应用BP神经网络建立了滑坡稳定性评价模型。应用表明 ,该模型精度很高。将该模型用于预测红石包和谭家评滑坡稳定性 ,其结果与实际相符。