Feasibility study of a passive aeration reactor equipped with vertical pipes for compost stabilization of cow manure.

Pilot-scale composting was carried out with cow manure to evaluate the performances of two passive aeration systems: a conventional passive aeration system equipped with horizontal pipes and an unusual passive aeration method based on air delivery by means of vertical pipes. The effects of both types of passive aeration apparatus were investigated in order to determine the degree of composting rate by continuously monitoring temperature, moisture content, organic matter, electrical conductivity, pH and C/N ratio in the piles. Temperatures in the range of thermophily (55-65 degrees C) were reached in all runs within 1-2 days then lasting for about 1 week, a span long enough for pathogen abatement. Results suggest that passive aeration carried out by vertical pipes is more effective for air delivery into compost piles than conventional passive aeration of air adduction with horizontal pipes. The variation in the number of vertical pipes was revealed to be an important parameter for the control of composting rate and temperature. Composting rates estimated from the heat balance equation were substantially in agreement with those computed through the conversion ratio of total organic matter decrement. The conversion ratios and composting rates obtained in this study using passive aeration with vertical pipes were well aligned with those found using forced air delivery systems.     

活性污泥法的多变量最优控制Ⅲ.限制最高和同时限制平均与最高出水BOD浓度

在前文的基础上,进一步研究了更常用的在限制最高和同时限制平均与最高出水有机物浓度两种排放标准的约束条件下,使其运行费用最省的最优周期控制问题.计算结果都表明,最优控制变量QW和DO的变化规律都尽可能使其满足约束条件和节省运行费用,但是,当进水负荷变化幅度非常大时,任何控制也难于使出水水质达标,而运行费用还会大幅度增大.相对而言,同时限制平均与最高出水BOD浓度是更合理的排放标准,它既有利于污水处理厂的运行管理又能有效地保护受纳水体.初始状态S(0)对最优控制的影响不大.而X(0)的影响较大,在本研究中,X(0)的最优值在2400-2600mg/L范围内.     

The Oklo phenomenon

Until recently, scientists believed that the chemical elements were synthesized only in stars. The discovery of the Oklo phenomenon in the Republic of Gabon in 1972 has revealed, however, that a nuclear “fire” had existed on the earth and largescale transmutations of the elements were occurring on our planet 1.7·10⁹ years ago. The formation of natural (or Pre-Fermi) reactors is closely related to the appearance of life on our planet earth. The Pre-Fermi reactors were probably never formed until about 2·10⁹ years ago, when oxygen was injected into the earth's atmosphere by a new generation of living organisms carrying out photosynthesis.     

石英羟基水-分子水的分馏系数与常规混合水δD分析的关系

采集了 4个不同地区花岗岩石英、热液脉石英 ,分析其中包裹体分子水与结构羟基水的含量、包裹体分子水的δDinclusion、结构羟基水的δDOH,计算了结构羟基水 包裹体分子水之间的D/H分馏系数αOH inclusion。考查了混合水 (结构羟基水 +包裹体分子水 )δDwhole water与单独包裹体水δDinclusion之间的差别 ,分析了这种差别与分馏系数αOH inclusion的关系。结果表明 :花岗岩样品中两种水之间的分馏系数小 ,分馏程度大 ,在常规分析中 ,若采用测定混合水δDwhole water值代表实际流体 (包裹体水 )δDinclusion值时 ,二者间有较大的差异。热液石英脉样品总体来说分馏系数接近于 1,分馏程度小 ,常规分析中引起的二者之间差异小。常规的分析方法用于分馏程度小的热液脉石英是可行的 ,但进行花岗岩石英水的氢同位素分析时有必要区分出包裹体水与羟基水。     

Effects of acute γ-irradiation on the aquatic microbial microcosm in comparison with chemicals

Effects of acute γ-irradiation were investigated in the aquatic microcosm consisting of green algae (Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp.) and a blue–green alga (Tolypothrix sp.) as producers; an oligochaete (Aeolosoma hemprichi), rotifers (Lecane sp. and Philodina sp.) and a ciliate protozoan (Cyclidium glaucoma) as consumers; and more than four species of bacteria as decomposers. At 100 Gy, populations were not affected in any taxa. At 500–5000 Gy, one or three taxa died out and populations of two or three taxa decreased over time, while that of Tolypothrix sp. increased. This Tolypothrix sp. increase was likely an indirect effect due to interspecies interactions. The principal response curve analysis revealed that the main trend of the effects was a dose-dependent population decrease. For a better understanding of radiation risks in aquatic microbial communities, effect doses of γ-rays compared with copper, herbicides and detergents were evaluated using the radiochemoecological conceptual model and the effect index for microcosm.     

Changes in reproductive life-history strategies in response to nest density in a shell-brooding cichlid, Telmatochromis vittatus

To determine whether the appearance of a reproductively parasitic tactic varies, and how this variation affects territorial males of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid fish Telmatochromis vittatus, we examined the reproductive ecology of territorial males in Mtondwe and compared it with that of a neighboring Wonzye population, where nest density differs from that at Mtondwe. In Wonzye, with high nest density, male tactics change with their body size from a territorial to a non-territorial parasitic tactic called piracy in which they conquer several nests defended by territorial males and take over the nests while females are spawning. These “pirate” males could decrease the costs incurred by travelling among nests by exclusively targeting aggregations of nests in close proximity while avoiding separate nests. Territorial males in Wonzye sacrifice the potential higher attractiveness offered by large nests and instead compete for nests farther from neighbors on which pirates less frequently intrude. In contrast, the Mtondwe population had lower nest density and piracy was absent. Given that the success of piracy depends on the close proximity of nests, nest density is likely responsible for the observed variation in the occurrence of piracy between the two populations. Furthermore, in Mtondwe, territorial males competed for larger nests and were smaller than the territorial males in Wonzye. Thus, this lower nest density may free territorial males from the selection pressures for increased size caused by both defense against nest piracy and the need to develop into pirates as they grow.     

Assessment of air pollution in Nagasaki City: determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their nitrated derivatives, and some metals

Air pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), their nitrated derivatives (NPAHs), and some metals on airborne particles in Nagasaki city, Japan were determined over a period of 12 months by high-performance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence, fluorescence and flameless atomic absorption spectrometry. The average concentrations (range) were 18.24 (4.07-41.54) ng/m3 for total PAHs, 0.91 (0.23-4.10) pg/m3 for NPAHs, 7.95 (1.71-16.31) ng/m3 for Pb, 11.56 (3.35-24.96) ng/m3 for Mn and 3.79 (0.97-14.71) ng/m3 for Ni (n = 136). The toxic equivalency factors adjusted concentration of total PAHs determined in Nagasaki city area was 2.33 ng/m3. Concentrations of total PAHs and NPAHs in winter were higher than those in summer. In a weekly variations study, total PAHs and NPAHs concentrations, as well as traffic volume showed a similar tendency with all values higher during weekdays and lower at the weekend. The correlation coefficients between total PAHs or NPAHs and traffic volume were 0.781 and 0.818, respectively. These results suggested that one of the main sources for NPAHs and PAHs in a city area might be motor vehicles.     

Why are reproductively parasitic fish males so small?—influence of tactic-specific selection

Despite the wide prevalence of alternative reproductive tactics, little attention has been paid to why reproductively parasitic males are so small. In this study, we tackled this issue in a shell-brooding fish Lamprologus callipterus. Sneaky ‘dwarf males’ of this fish remain much smaller than bourgeois conspecifics throughout their life and employ a unique parasitic tactic, i.e. entering into a gastropod shell where a female is spawning, passing through the space between the female and shell wall and staying behind her to ejaculate throughout the spawning event. Here, we tested the prediction that they remain small to get past her through the shell spaces by interpopulation comparison. We showed, across populations, a negative allometry for sexual size dimorphism, an exponential increase of female size with an increase in shell size and a negative correlation between the magnitude of sexual size dimorphism and shell size. These results suggest that the inner spaces strongly regulate dwarf male size. We conclude that the small bodies of dwarf males arise from adaptation to their unique reproductive behaviour.     

Characterization of the genes involved in nitrogen cycling in wastewater treatment plants using DNA microarray and most probable number-PCR

To improve nitrogen removal performance of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), it is essential to understand the behavior of nitrogen cycling communities, which comprise various microorganisms. This study characterized the quantity and diversity of nitrogen cycling genes in various processes of municipal WWTPs by employing two molecular-based methods:most probable number-polymerase chain reaction (MPN-PCR) and DNA microarray. MPN-PCR analysis revealed that gene quantities were not statistically different among processes, suggesting that conventional activated sludge processes (CAS) are similar to nitrogen removal processes in their ability to retain an adequate population of nitrogen cycling microorganisms. Furthermore, most processes in the WWTPs that were researched shared a pattern:the nirS and the bacterial amoA genes were more abundant than the nirK and archaeal amoA genes, respectively. DNA microarray analysis revealed that several kinds of nitrification and denitrification genes were detected in both CAS and anaerobic-oxic processes (AO), whereas limited genes were detected in nitrogen removal processes. Results of this study suggest that CAS maintains a diverse community of nitrogen cycling microorganisms; moreover, the microbial communities in nitrogen removal processes may be specific.

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