Development and application of kinetic model on biological anoxic/aerobic filter

An up-flow biological anoxic filter (BANF) has been developed to achieve high removal performance of suspended solids and BOD removal as well as nitrogen. With a view to understand treatment mechanisms, we developed a filtration model that incorporates filtration, deposit scoring and biological reactions simultaneously. The biological reactions consist of four types of reaction; dissolution of organic particles; utilization of dissolved organic matter; denitrification; and self-degradation of bacteria. Whereas the reactor is generally assumed to be a plug flow reactor in the filtration model, it is assumed a continuous-flow stirred tank reactor (CSTR) in the model of biological reactions. The hydrodynamics is supposed that the filter bottom (the portion sludge settled) is a CSTR and the filter bed (the portion filled with filter media) consists of number of CSTR of equal size arranged in series. The model obtained in this study was verified and simulated using experimental results taken from a pilot-scale plant and predicted the experimental data well, applying to design and operate BANF.     

Induction of cytochrome P4501A and endocrine disrupting effects of school incinerator residues

The emission of the dioxin-like compounds from on-site waste incinerators of seven schools in Kyonggi Province of Korea was evaluated by determination of the cytochrome P4501A(CYP1A) catalytic activity and antiestrogenic activity using cell culturemicrobioassay. The residue samples were extracted in a Soxhlet apparatus using toluene for 20 hr. The concentrated crude extractswere fractionated with a basic alumina column. Dioxin-like compounds were then extracted. Induction of CYP1A activity in a rat(H4IIE) hepatoma cell line was used as indicator of biologicaleffect of incinerator residues and measured as 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase(EROD) activities. The EROD activities of fraction II extracts (one of the two extracts) in the H4IIE cells were from 0.044±0.002 to 4.424±0.351 ng-TEQ g^-1 (TCDD Toxicity equivalent), showing relatively high inducing capacity. Antisetrogenicity of the extracts was measured as decrease in E₂-induced cell proliferation. Most of the extracts showed antiestrogenic activity in MCF7-BUS cell.The TEQ levels of the incinerator residues and the antiestrogenicactivities were in good correlation, strongly suggesting that thepotent toxic emissions were indeed produced from the on-site school waste semi-incinerators and could cause the antiestrogenicity.     

Response of the Ascorbate-Peroxidase of Selenastrum capricornutum to Copper and Lead in Stormwaters

The green alga Selenastrum capricornutum expresses a uniqueascorbate peroxidase, that responds to copper and lead. Attemptswere made to test if this peroxidase could be used to monitor thelevels of copper and lead in natural waters. When S.capricornutum was exposed to a stormwater sample, the specificactivity of the peroxidase in the cell extract was commensuratewith the combined copper and lead contents in the sample. Theperoxidase responses were also correlated with the 96 hr biomasstoxicity assay of S. capricornutum. However, unlike thebiomass toxicity assay, the peroxidase activity was not affectedby the anions in the samples. The use of this peroxidase can beused as a marker for testing heavy metal toxicity in the water.     

Detection of low-grade mosaicism in fetal cells isolated from maternal blood

Recovering and analysing fetal erythrocytes from maternal blood is being pursued for non-invasive prenatal genetic diagnosis. We report the observation of 46, XY/47, XXY mosaicism in fetal cells from a woman whose first-trimester chorionic villus sampling (CVS) initially showed only 46, XY. Only after exhaustive (500 cells) analysis were four XXY cells found in cultured villi.     

Determinants of parental decisions to abort for chromosome abnormalities

Parental decisions concerning the continuation of pregnancy following prenatal detection of abnormal chromosomes were evaluated for 80 patients whose diagnosis and prenatal counselling were performed in our centre. Twenty-two anomalies were diagnosed by chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and 58 by amniocentesis. The severity of the chromosome anomaly and associated ultrasound findings in the first vs. second trimester were correlated with patients' decisions. No difference was found in the likelihood of parental decisions to interrupt or continue a pregnancy between CVS and amniocentesis for either the‘severe’ or the‘questionable’ group of chromosome anomalies. Ninety-three per cent of patients with severe prognosis and 27 per cent with questionable prognosis opted for pregnancy termination (p <0·0001). The association of ultrasound anomalies and termination was highly significant (p< 0·001). The severity of the chromosome anomaly, and, to a lesser extent, the visualization of anomalies on ultrasound were the major determinants of parental decisions to terminate the pregnancy. The diagnosis of an anomaly in the first trimester was no more likely ito lead to a termination of pregnancy than in the second trimester.     

Numerical Simulation of Synoptic Condition on a Severe Sand Dust Storm

By using observational data and MM5, an observational analysisand numerical study was conducted on the synoptic condition of a severe dust storm that was caused by a Mongolian cyclone whichoccurred from 6 to 8 April 2001. Results illustrated thatthe cyclogenesis was due to the isentropic potential vorticity (IPV) advection in the upper troposphere and the terrain modifiedbaroclinicity in the mid-lower troposphere. The Altai-Sayan complex of mountains blocked the lower level cold air and made the isentropic surface sharply steep. When the air slid down along the isentropic surface the increasing of baroclinicity anddecreasing of stability blew up the vertical vorticity development.The formation of the dust storm was a result of a cyclonic cold front passing across the area. The occurrence of this dust stormwas closely related to the strong surface wind, which was accompanied by a cold front passing, rather than the cyclogenesis, itself. Hence, the reason for the pre-front dust storm formulation was the formation of heating convection. Reasons behind the formation of a black storm (visibilitylower than 50 m), which occurred in the mid-north part ofInner Mongolia, lay in several aspects. Firstly, in thisarea the surface wind was strong, a direct result of thedownward transport in mid-lower troposphere. Secondly,the cold front passed over the effected area near sunsetso the air obtained much more surface heating to form adeeper mixed layer (ML). Thirdly, cooperation between thelower level wind and the terrain made the atmosphere inthis area and acquired the maximum advective contributionnecessary to form a deep post-front ML. The sensitivityexperiment revealed that surface heat flux was important to the frontal lifting. In addition, the forcing of surface heating wasalso seen as the primary forcing mechanism of frontogenesis. Meanwhile, removal of the surface heat flux made the atmosphericstratification became stable and the pre-storm ML very shallow,which weakened the strength of the dust storm.     

The Relation Between Sandstorms and Strong Winds in Xinjiang,China

With observational data spanning 1961–1999 from 90 meteorological stations in Xinjiang, China, the spatial and temporal characteristics of sandstorms and strong winds, and the contribution of strong winds to the occurrence of sandstormsare analyzed. Moreover, the dominant wind direction and minimumwind speeds during sandstorm periods are discussed. The research shows that although possessing similar climatic trends, sandstorms and strong winds in Xinjiang have opposite geographical distributions, i.e. places with more sandstorms show fewer strong winds. The contribution of strongwinds to sandstorms in northern Xinjiang is larger than that insouthern Xinjiang. The dominant wind directions clearly indicatethe paths of the weather systems that introduced the sandstorms.The minimum wind speeds in the sandstorms were over 10 ms^-1in northern and eastern Xinjiang and in the Turpan and Yanqi Basins of southern Xinjiang. In Tarim Basin of southern Xinjiang,however, the minimum wind speed was about 6–8 ms^-1, and even 6 ms^-1 at its southern edge.