A review of measurement methods for peracetic acid (PAA)

• Physical and chemical properties and application of peracetic acid solution. • Determination method of high concentration peracetic acid. • Determination method of residual peracetic acid (low concentration). Peroxyacetic acid has been widely used in food, medical, and synthetic chemical fields for the past several decades. Recently, peroxyacetic acid has gradually become an effective alternative disinfectant in wastewater disinfection and has strong redox capacity for removing micro-pollutants from drinking water. However, commercial peroxyacetic acid solutions are primarily multi-component mixtures of peroxyacetic acid, acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and water. During the process of water treatment, peroxyacetic acid and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) often coexist, which limits further investigation on the properties of peroxyacetic acid. Therefore, analytical methods need to achieve a certain level of selectivity, particularly when peroxyacetic acid and hydrogen peroxide coexist. This review summarizes the measurement and detection methods of peroxyacetic acid, comparing the principle, adaptability, and relative merits of these methods.     

Moving FOCUS – The Fire Service Organizational Culture of Safety survey – From research to practice

Introduction: FOCUS, the Fire Service Organizational Culture of Safety survey, has evolved from a research to practice enterprise within the United States fire and rescue service. The FOCUS tool was developed through a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Research & Development grant. Then it moved to practice in the field. To date over 35,000 firefighters have participated. A current FEMA Fire Prevention & Safety grant can support FOCUS assessment in up to 1,000 fire departments, with the potential of nearly 120,000 respondents. With each funding cycle, the goal of the FOCUS program is to grow and measure its research to practice impact. Methods: We describe how FOCUS safety culture results are disseminated to fire service stakeholders. By utilizing customized reports and a training curriculum we demonstrate how FOCUS is moving research to practice by: (1) illustrating how survey results can be delivered effectively to practitioners, (2) providing examples of how fire departments are using results, and (3) sharing the reactions of the fire service to the FOCUS instrument, reports, and our flagship data training curriculum – Culture Camp. Results' Conclusions: Qualitative and quantitative data are analyzed to demonstrate the impact and acceptance of the FOCUS report and Culture Camps. Stakeholders reflect on the report and the experience of having quantitative safety culture data. Culture Camps are evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively using a matching game exercise, pre/post-test, a fire department teach back, and a Qualtrics evaluation. Practical Applications: Traditionally, the fire service has focused on reducing negative safety outcomes. FOCUS is helping shift their attention further upstream in the prevention pathway through the measurement of important organizational outcomes. The research to practice evolution of the FOCUS program may hold utility for other occupational groups when considering how to steadily move occupational health and safety research to practice in the field for measurable impact.     

Income and distance-decay effects on willingness to pay estimated by the contingent valuation method

This study suggests a methodology for enhancing accuracy in evaluating amenity by the contingent valuation method when household's willingness to pay (WTP) is dependent to its income and the distance between a respondent's residence and the location of a target facility. Using a linear city model, this study demonstrates the influences of income and distance-decay effects on WTP. Simulations are performed to check the validity of the model, as well as to predict consequences when income and distance-decay effects are not properly treated. Finally, the suggested methodology is applied to two real cases. The estimation results from a structural model show that the calculated total benefit varies largely when income and distance-decay effects exist and are ignored. Also, an ad hoc model generates significantly different estimates from the utility difference model this study adopted. The difference in estimates suggests that the total benefit has to be estimated by a structural model.     

农地整理项目农户耕地损失补偿额度的实证研究——基于耕地资源价值与农户受偿意愿

从耕地资源价值出发,测算农地整理项目农户耕地损失补偿额度,并基于湖北省孝感市和潜江市的农户调查数据分析农户的受偿意愿及其影响因素。研究表明:基于耕地资源价值体系,测算得到孝感市和潜江市农地整理项目农户耕地损失补偿额度分别为1 449 695.76、1 784 296.17元/hm~2;农户所期望得到的耕地损失补偿标准远低于耕地资源价值体系测算出来的理论值,两市农户对耕地损失的平均受偿意愿额度为336 197.95元/hm~2,可以农户受偿意愿为主、耕地农业生产价值和社会保障价值为辅,制定农地整理项目农户耕地损失补偿标准;受教育程度对补偿标准有显著负向影响,农户文化程度的提高有助于提高其对农地整理事业的认知程度,进而促进我国农地整理事业的发展;土地权属调整是解决农户耕地损失的一项重要措施,做好农地整理项目土地权属调整工作需充分尊重农户的意愿,并以农业现代化作为土地权属调整的目标。     

农业机械化、非农就业与农民的承包地退出意愿

工业化和城镇化必然要求部分农民与农村土地"人地分离",农业生产方式的转变加快了上述进程。理论分析表明,农业机械的广泛使用,不仅可能对农民的承包地退出意愿直接产生正负两种作用,还可能会通过非农就业这一中介变量间接影响农民的退地意愿。为了考察当前我国农民的农村土地退出意愿以及农业机械化、非农就业对其造成的影响,本文首先采用两阶段随机抽样法,对河北、山东、河南三省九县(市、区)620个农户进行了问卷调查,发现相当一部分农民愿意有偿退出农村承包地,且对不同的退出方式有不同的选择偏好。利用上述农户调查数据,本文将农村承包地退出划分为"换工资收入"、"直接出售"和"被政府征用"三种具体方式,通过构建mvprobit模型,计量分析了农业机械化、非农就业与农民的承包地退出意愿之间的联系。研究发现,农业机械使用比例的提高会强化农民以承包地换养老保险等工资性收入的意愿,而农民对农机作业服务满意程度的提升,则会抑制其直接出售承包地或用之换养老保险等工资性收入的意愿。整体来看,农业机械化对农民"弃地进城"有显著的积极作用。非农就业是农业机械化影响农民退地意愿的中介变量,但它对退地意愿的作用不显著。成员非农就业较稳定的农户家庭,更愿意以一次性卖断(直接出售或被政府征用)的方式处置承包地。为了避免陷入"日韩陷阱",推动农业转型发展和农民市民化,需要实施农民的承包地退出制度,尽快为有意愿、有能力的进城农户彻底放弃农村土地提供制度出口。     

全球低碳发展评估及中国低碳发展的实现路径

低碳发展日益成为国际关注的热点问题,中国正处在快速工业化和城镇化进程当中,通过低碳发展实现经济社会转型尤为迫切。在全球大背景下正确判断中国的低碳发展水平,汲取各国有益的低碳发展经验,寻求适合中国的低碳发展路径尤为重要。从低碳发展特征指标变动出发,通过统计分析,得出全球低碳发展历史和现状水平,以及中国所处的位置。研究表明,近20年来全球碳生产力水平不断提高,近年来中国的碳生产力水平飞速提升,但是中国的碳生产力仍然远远低于全球平均水平,离先进国家的差距更大,不足法国的1/10,人均二氧化碳排放增速位居世界前列,减排压力巨大。因此,结合国内外实践经验,总结了中国低碳发展的5个实现路径,分别是调整能源结构、发展低碳产业、倡导低碳消费、建设低碳城市和加强碳汇建设。     

Development of heat transfer and evaporation model of LNG covered by Hi-Ex foam

Natural gas is a kind of clean, efficient green energy source, which is used widely. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is produced by cooling natural gas to −161 °C, at which it becomes the liquid. Once LNG was released, fire or explosion would happen when ignition source existed nearby. The high expansion foam (Hi-Ex foam) is believed to quickly blanket on the top of LNG spillage pool and warm the LNG vapor to lower the vapor cloud density at the ground level and raising vapor buoyancy. To identify the physical structure after it contacted with LN₂ and to develop heat transfer model, the small-scale field test with liquid nitrogen (LN₂) was designed. In experiment, three layers including frozen ice layer, frozen Hi-Ex layer and soft layer of Hi-Ex foam were observed at the steady state. By characterizing physical structure of the foam, formulas for calculating the surface of single foam bubble and counting foam film thickness were deduced. The micro heat transfer and evaporation model between cryogenic liquid and Hi-Ex foam was established. Indicating the physical structure of the frozen ice layer, there were a certain number of icicles below it. The heat transfer and evaporation mathematical model between the frozen ice layer and LNG was derived. Combining models above with the heat transfer between LNG, ground and cofferdam, the heat transfer and evaporation mathematical model of LNG covered by Hi-Ex foam was developed eventually. Finally, LN₂ evaporation rate calculated by this model was compared with the measured evaporation rate. The calculated results are 1.2–2.1 times of experimental results, which were acceptable in engineering and proved the model was reliable.     

基于数值模式的环境空气质量预报影响因素和改进方法

数值预报是各地开展环境空气质量业务预报的主流预报方法之一。模式预报产品、基础输入资料、外部技术支持、主客观预报偏差和预报命中概率等诸多因素均会不同程度地影响数值模式预报效果,研究探讨了上述因素对数值模式预报效果的影响及其针对性的改进方法,以期降低预报偏差,改善业务预报整体效果,为各地提高业务预报质量提供方法思路和技术参考。     

The Value of Using Feasibility Models in Systematic Conservation Planning to Predict Landholder Management Uptake

Understanding the social dimensions of conservation opportunity is crucial for conservation planning in multiple‐use landscapes. However, factors that influence the feasibility of implementing conservation actions, such as the history of landscape management, and landholders’ willingness to engage are often difficult or time consuming to quantify and rarely incorporated into planning. We examined how conservation agencies could reduce costs of acquiring such data by developing predictive models of management feasibility parameterized with social and biophysical factors likely to influence landholders’ decisions to engage in management. To test the utility of our best‐supported model, we developed 4 alternative investment scenarios based on different input data for conservation planning: social data only; biological data only; potential conservation opportunity derived from modeled feasibility that incurs no social data collection costs; and existing conservation opportunity derived from feasibility data that incurred collection costs. Using spatially explicit information on biodiversity values, feasibility, and management costs, we prioritized locations in southwest Australia to control an invasive predator that is detrimental to both agriculture and natural ecosystems: the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). When social data collection costs were moderate to high, the most cost‐effective investment scenario resulted from a predictive model of feasibility. Combining empirical feasibility data with biological data was more cost‐effective for prioritizing management when social data collection costs were low (<4% of the total budget). Calls for more data to inform conservation planning should take into account the costs and benefits of collecting and using social data to ensure that limited funding for conservation is spent in the most cost‐efficient and effective manner.     

Better than their reputation: enhancing the validity of contingent valuation mail survey results through citizen expert groups

Although contingent valuation is the dominant technique for the valuation of public projects, especially in the environmental sector, the high costs of contingent valuation surveys prevent the use of this method for the assessment of relatively small projects. The reason for this cost problem is that typically only contingent valuation studies which are based on face-to-face interviews are accepted as leading to valid results. Particularly in countries with high wages, face-to-face surveys are extremely costly considering that for a valid contingent valuation study a minimum of 1000 completed face-to-face interviews is required. This paper tries a rehabilitation of mail surveys as low-budget substitutes for costly face-to-face surveys. Based on an empirical contingent valuation study in Northern Thailand, it is shown that the validity of mail surveys can be improved significantly if so-called Citizen Expert Groups are employed for a thorough survey design.