PROCESS-ORIENTED ESTIMATION OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION1

ABSTRACT: Least squares regression and ARIMA models were developed from suspended sediment data for the Ausable River, Southern Ontario, Canada. A poor correlation between discharge and suspended sediment concentration results from the dynamics of the physical system, including seasonality, antecedent conditions, and hysteresis. Regression model results were significantly improved by the division of the data set into seasons and the addition of simple. but physically meaningful variables. Misleading improvements obtained from the regression of sediment load and discharge are discussed. ARIMA models provided accurate forecasts of sediment concentration on a real-time basis, but the rigorous data requirements limit their use in modeling suspended sediment concentrations in Canadian rivers.     

EFFECTS OF SUSPENDED SOLIDS ON THE ACUTE TOXICITY OF ZINC TO DAPHNIA MAGNA AND PIMEPHALES PROMELAS1

ABSTRACT: Current procedures for setting site-specific water quality criteria consider abiotic and biotic factors. Suspended solids were shown to be important in reducing zinc toxicity to water column organisms. At zinc concentrations of ～ 1 mg/L in solutions with < 100 mg/L of all suspended solids tested, zinc toxicity to D. magna was reduced. Sorption of zinc to suspended solids and/or changes in water chemistry due to the addition of suspended solids appear to have been the factors causing reductions in zinc toxicity to D. magna. Only suspended solids levels of 483–734 mg/L of a type that increased total alkalinity, total hardness, and total dissolved carbon clearly reduced the toxicity of ～ 20 mg/L zinc to P. promelas. The toxic form of zinc to these organisms appears to reside in the aqueous phase. Characteristics of suspended solids did not influence the partition coefficient of zinc in sorption experiments of 96 h. The slopes of dose-response curves proved to be useful for assessing the potential of an organism to respond to changes in aqueous phase zinc concentrations, and may be a useful biological parameter when considering site-specific water quality criteria for chemicals.     

UN/ECE ICP Materials Dose-response Functions for the Multi-pollutant Situation

A “multi-pollutant exposure programme” reflecting the new pollution situation where SO₂ is no longer the dominating pollutant has been performed by the International Co-operative Programme on Effects on Materials, including Historic and Cultural Monuments (ICP Materials) within the activities of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. The main results obtained in the period 1997–2003 are summarised. Dose-response functions are presented for carbon steel, zinc, copper, bronze and limestone. Parameters involved in the functions include besides SO₂ and pH, which were included in the previously developed functions from ICP Materials, also the effect of particulate matter and HNO₃.     

类二 多氯联苯对赤子爱胜蚓生理活性的影响

通过人工土壤法,研究0.1, 1, 10, 100, 1000μg/kg类二 多氯联苯暴露浓度对赤子爱胜蚓 (Eisenia fetida)抗氧化酶(SOD酶、CAT酶和GST酶)、抗氧化分子(GSH)、氧化损伤物(MDA)等生理活性指标在第2, 7, 14, 28d时的影响.结果显示,类二 多氯联苯刺激赤子爱胜蚓生理活性显著增加(P<0.05),可诱导蚯蚓抗氧化系统应答启动;不同暴露时间下,受试物浓度与蚯蚓生理活性的相关性分析显示,蚯蚓不同生理活性指标对受试物的最佳响应时间不同, Cu-Zn SOD响应最早(7d), SOD, CAT, GSH, MDA次之(14d), GST响应最迟(28d);在最佳响应时间下,受试物暴露浓度对数与生理活性值对数均存在显著的剂量-效应关系(P <0.001)     

UV-B辐射增强对大豆叶绿素荧光特性的影响

利用脉冲振幅调制叶绿素荧光仪测定大豆不同生育期叶片的荧光参数和快速光曲线,以研究UV-B辐射增强对大豆叶绿素荧光特性的影响.结果表明, UV-B辐射增强20%条件下,大豆幼苗期、分枝-开花期和结荚期的叶绿素含量分别降低了5.03%、 7.70%和10.38%;分枝-开花期,F_v/F_m值降低了6.13%;幼苗期和分枝-开花期,有效量子产量(Y)在PAR>366 μmol·(m~2·s)~(-1)时显著降低,最大潜在相对电子传递速率(P_m)分别降低了28.92%和15.49%;但对三叶期和结荚期的Y和P_m无显著影响.UV-B辐射增强使三叶期和幼苗期半饱和光强(l_k)分别降低了21.18%和23.17%;使分枝-开花期的初始斜率(α)降低了21.05%;并显著降低了幼苗期PAR>366 μmol·(m~2·s)~(-1)的非光化学淬灭(NPQ)和分枝-开花期PAR>366 μmol·(m~2·s)~(-1)的光化淬灭(qP).本研究意味着UV-B辐射增强抑制了PSⅡ的电子传递活性,损伤了捕光系统和耗散保护机制,破坏了大豆光合系统,使其光合效率下降.     

pH值变化对B30铜镍合金腐蚀电化学行为的影响

采用电化学阻抗谱、动电位极化曲线等电化学测试方法,研究了NaCl（质量分数为3．5％）溶液中pH值变化对B30铜镍合金腐蚀电化学行为的影响。结果表明：随着溶液pH值升高,B30材料的腐蚀行为由均匀腐蚀变为点蚀;材料阻抗值和瞬时腐蚀速率提高,极化电流密度降低;材料发生点蚀的倾向增大。     

重组酵母法测评Fenton反应中激素活性变化关系

环境内分泌干扰物的污染已成为环境领域广泛关注的研究领域.文章利用重组基因酵母菌检系统评测雌二醇(E2)在非均相Fenton光催化高级氧化降解过程中的激素活性变化.色谱质谱解析中间产物的结构,很好地解释了该非均相Fenton催化氧化过程不仅可以降低E2浓度,而且可以降低母体和中间产物的雌激素活性,对水体的安全处理具有重要...     

Modelling Replicated Weed Growth Data using Spatially-varying Growth Curves

Weed growth in agricultural fields constitutes a major deterrent to the growth of crops, often resulting in low productivity and huge losses for the farmers. Therefore, proper understanding of patterns in weed growth is vital to agricultural research. Recent advances in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) now allow geocoding of agricultural data, which enable more sophisticated spatial analysis. Our current application concerns the development of statistical models for conducting spatial analysis of growth patterns in weeds. Our data comes from an experiment conducted in Waseca, Minnesota, that recorded growth of the weed Setariaspp. We capture the spatial variation in Setaria spp. growth using spatially-varying growth curves. An added challenge is that these designs are spatially replicated, with each plot being a lattice of sub-plots. Therefore, spatial variation may exist at different resolutions – a macro level variation between the plots and micro level variation between the sub-plots nested within each plot. We develop a Bayesian hierarchical framework for this setting. Flexible classes of models result which are fitted using simulation-based methods.     

A RATING-CURVE METHOD FOR HYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATIONS IN CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT MODELING1

ABSTRACT: Accurate prediction of hydrodynamics is of great importance to modeling contaminant transport and water quality in a river. Flow conditions are needed in estimating potential exposure contamination levels and the recovery time for a no-action alternative in contaminated sediments remediation. Considering highly meandering characteristics of the Buffalo River, New York, a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model was selected to route upstream flows through the 8-km river section with limited existing information based on the model's fully predictive capability and process-oriented feature. The model was employed to simulate changes in water depth and flow velocity with space and time in response to variation in flow rate and/or water surface elevation at boundaries for given bottom morphometry and initial conditions. Flow conditions of the river reach where historical flow data are not available were computed. A rating-curve approach was developed to meet continuous and event contaminant modeling needs. Rating curves (depth-discharge and velocity-discharge relationships) were constructed at selected stations from the 3-D hydrodynamic simulations of individual flow events. The curves were obtained as steady solutions to an unsteady problem. The rating-curve approach serves to link flow information provided by the hydrodynamic model to a contaminant transport model. With the approach, the linking problem resulting from incompatible model dimensions and grid sizes can be solved. The curves will be used to simulate sediment movement and to predict contaminant fate and transport in the river.     

Arsenic in Drinking Water and Bladder Cancer: Comparison between Studies Based on Cancer Registry and Death Certificates

Associations between arsenic in drinking water and bladder cancer in an area along the southwest coast of Taiwan have been documented for decades. Several ecologic studies were conducted to assess the dose-response relationships. Some of them used the National Cancer Registry Program to identify cancer cases, and some used death certificates. Whereas the cancer registry collects information on all patients no matter if they died of bladder cancer or not, the case ascertainment might be incomplete due to the fact that reporting of cases is not mandatory. Reporting of death, on the other hand, is strictly enforced by law, but patients who did not die of bladder cancer might not be identified. In order to assess the problems with both approaches, we conducted a study using both case identification mechanisms. A total of 243 townships with measurements of arsenic in drinking water were included in the analysis of cancer registry data, and death certificates were collected from 10 of those townships. In both analyses, the same measurements of arsenic made by the mercuric bromide stain method were adopted. Due to limitation of the method, all levels below 0.04mg L^–1 were combined as a single exposure category. The results were very much alike; both approaches detected statistically significant associations between high arsenic levels in drinking water (above 0.64mg L^–1) and occurrence of bladder cancer but did not find such associations for arsenic exposures at lower levels.