Decision making under uncertainty in case of soil remediation

Decisions on soil remediation are one of the most difficult management issues of municipal and state agencies. The assessment of contamination is uncertain, the costs of remediation are high, and the impacts on the environment are multiple. This paper presents a general, transparent, and consistent method for decision making among the remediation alternatives. Soil washing, phytoremediation, and no remediation are exemplarily considered. Multi-criteria utility functions including (a) the cost of remediation (b) the impact on human health and agricultural productivity, and (c) the economic gain after remediation are constructed using probability density functions representing contamination for all site coordinates. Herewith, the probability of different types of (i) correct decisions such as a hit or a true rejection and (ii) erroneous decisions such as a false alarm or miss are examined. The decision theoretic model is applied to a case study on heavy metal contaminated soil. This case study reveals the non-linear structure of multi-criteria-decision making. The case study shows that the geostatistical uncertainties of the log-normal distributed soil contamination must be taken into account: When uncertainties are not considered and the utilities are assessed according to the estimated value for a spatial unit, only few (N=26) spatial units result where the utility score of the alternative soil washing are higher than the utility score to the no remediation alternative. However, when taking into account geostatistical uncertainties of the log-normal soil distribution this number is about ten times greater (N=237). Furthermore, the use of 'maximizing expected utility' as decision rule is critical in that it may lead to a high probability of misses.     

Comparison of models of simazine transport and fate in the subsurface environment in a citrus farm

Contamination of groundwater by agrochemicals is now widely recognized as an extremely important environmental problem. Modern agricultural practices involve the combined use of irrigation with the application of large amounts of agrochemicals to maximize crop yield. Due to flood irrigation and natural runoff, agricultural activities might generate soil, surface water and groundwater contamination problems and leaching of pesticides. Modeling of the transport and fate of pesticides, such as simazine, may help understand the long-term potential risk to the subsurface environment. This paper illustrates a comparative study via the use of three different pesticide transport simulation models and the applicability of those models in determining the groundwater vulnerability to pesticides contamination in a citrus orchard located at the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV). The three models used in the study are the pesticide root zone model-3 (PRZM-3), the pesticide analytical model (PESTAN) and integrated pesticide transport modeling (IPTM). The concentration values obtained from all three models are in agreement, and they show a decreasing trend from the surface through the vadose zone. The problem is how to use this information and, specifically, how to combine the testimony of a number of experts into a single useful judgment. With the aid of the fuzzy multiattribute decision making method, PRZM-3 is deemed as the most promising one for such precision farming applications.     

亚铵法制浆造纸厂中段废水处理技术分析研究

通过对采用两级气浮做预处理 ,生物硫化床串联接触氧化做深度处理的治理技术的分析研究 ,结合废水处理工程实例 ,说明了用两级串联气浮 +硫化床 +接触氧化工艺处理造纸中段水技术切实可靠 ,该治理工艺对处理亚铵法麦草制浆造纸中段废水有较强的针对性和可行性。     

Decision making during the prenatal diagnostic procedure. A questionnaire and interview study of 211 women participating in prenatal diagnosis

Counselling in connection with prenatal diagnosis (PND) is a common task for the obstetrician and the midwife. However, the decision making processes of pregnant women are not completely known, for instance, the questions of women's autonomy, the decision on how to act in the case of an abnormal test, and the partner's participation in the decision. A questionnaire and interview study was carried out among 211 women undergoing PND by amniocentesis or chorionic villus biopsy. Most women in the sample indicated that PND was completely voluntary. However, at the same time almost every woman reported that it was difficult to decline from PND when offered. Even before the visit to register at the antenatal clinic, most of the women (83 per cent) had made up their minds to have PND. At the time of the test, many of the participants (62 per cent) had decided in favour of a legal abortion if the test indicated an abnormality in the fetus. At the same time, however, the data indicate a need for reflection and ambivalence, which the medical staff have to accept. In the questionnaire most of the women stated that they and their partners had similar attitudes towards PND, but when interviewed 38 per cent of the women admitted some differences between their own attitudes and their partners'. Although some women reported considerable deliberation and ambivalence, most of them said that they would undergo PND in another pregnancy.     

烧结砖生产中氟的逸出及钙基废渣固氟特性研究

砖坯烧制过程中，氟逸出的初始温度约为600℃，大部分氟在约800℃至砖坯发生明显烧结的温度内逸出，以CaO含量高的粘土原料制砖，氟逸出量相对较少。在此基础上，提出在制砖原料中添加适量钙基废渣抑制氟的逸出，并进行了详细的实验室和工业性试验；结果表明，在适宜添加量下，存氟率由约25％增至70％以下，且不影响砖制品质量。     

厌氧-混凝工艺处理造纸厂终端废水试验研究

本文报告了用厌氧 -混凝工艺处理造纸厂终端废水的实验情况 ,在最佳实验条件下 ,废水从CODcr80 6 . 7m g/ L、BOD52 10 . 5 m g/ L、SS2 15 . 7m g/ L、OD4 650 . 35 0降至 CODcr6 1. 5 m g/ L、BOD52 7. 4m g/ L、SS17.3mg/ L、OD4 650 .0 11。实验结果表明对造纸厂终端废水的治理 ,本工艺是很有实用价值的一种方法     

水环境化学作用CAI课件的制作

计算机辅助教学CAI（Computer-Assisted Instruction)是现代计算机技术发展与教学内容相结合的产物。本文主要介绍了计算机辅助教学CAI课件的优点和特点。详细说明了水环境化学作用CAI课件的制作过程，探讨了具体制作一个CAI课件的流程。     

试论公众参与环境决策

公众参与环境决策的理论和实践在我国还是一个新事物。本文深入探讨了在我国公众参与环境决策的理论依据、法律依据以及现实依据；并从现实的角度对我国公众参与环境决策的作用和现状进行了分析；最后，针对我国公众参与环境决策实践过程中存在的问题提出了加强环保知识宣传，完善环境立法以及扩展环境知情权等四点进一步促进我国公众参与环境决策的对策。     

环境意识对环境与发展综合决策的影响

环境意识对提高环境与发展综合决策水平有很大作用。环境意识高低与综合决策的水平有很大联系。对环境意识的形成、其对综合决策的影响作用以及如何提高环境意识、促进综合决策发展做了研究。     

豫西地区降水资源对旱地粮食作物产量的影响与对策

本文论述降水资源是旱地粮食作物产量的重要影响因素,揭示了豫西地区主要粮食作物的需水规律和水分盈亏规律,提出运用地理风险决策、实行适水种植的宏观对策。