Even sampling designs generation by charges repulsion simulation

Evenly distributed sampling design is generally considered as an efficient sampling design. It is widely used in sampling for the environmental survey. In this paper, we present a novel method for generating N evenly distributed samples within a given irregular polygon via simulating the movements of some ideal homogeneous point charges. Initially, charges are randomly put into the sampling region; then, they are freed and held orderly; and after enough runs, the charges will finally reach a stable state with all of them having a zero resultant force and velocity; and so they distribute evenly within the region. Their layout can thus be considered as an evenly distributed sampling design. The main advantages of this method are: (1) it is easy to understand and implement; (2) it is efficient in both running and generating better designs. Analysis and experimental results indicate that this method is an efficient and robust method for generating even sampling designs for 2D polygonal sampling region.     

Joint versus separate estimation of state and change in category frequencies from repeat stratified two-phase sampling with a fallible classifier

Joint maximum likelihood estimates (JML) of category frequencies and change from repeat stratified two-phase samplingsurveys with a fallible classifier are often seriously biased andhave large root mean square errors when they are obtained for small populations (<5000) with three or more categories and amoderate to small phase II sample size (<1000). JML estimates of state also depend on antecedent or posterior data, a recipe for inconsistency. In these situations, a separate maximum likelihood estimation (SML) of category frequenciesat each survey date appears preferable. SML estimates of net change are obtained as the difference in states. SML standard errors of change are obtained via an estimate of the temporal correlation and variances of state. A bivariate binarylogistic model of change provided the estimate of temporal correlation. SML generally outperformed JMLsignificantly in terms of bias and root mean square errors in eight case studies.     

气体中雾状物质的采样效率探讨

发生增塑剂 DEP雾 ,粒径主要分布在 0 .48～ 3 .4μm。使用不同容积、不同类型的吸收瓶 (管 )在不同的采样条件下进行 DEP雾样品采集 ,将采样效率和采样过程发生的现象进行比较 ,选择出合适的采样方法和采样条件     

A simplified sampling procedure for the estimation of methane emission in rice fields

Manual closed chamber methods are widely used for CH₄ measurement from rice paddies. Despite diurnal and seasonal variations in CH₄ emissions, fixed sampling times, usually during the day, are used. Here, we monitored CH₄ emission from rice paddies for one complete rice-growing season. Daytime CH₄ emission increased from 0800 h, and maximal emission was observed at 1200 h. Daily averaged CH₄ flux increased during plant growth or fertilizer application and decreased upon drainage of plants. CH₄ measurement results were linearly interpolated and matched with the daily averaged CH₄ emission calculated from the measured results. The time when daily averaged emission and the interpolated CH₄ curve coincided during the daytime was largely invariant within each of the five distinctive periods. One-hourly sampling during each of these five periods was utilized to estimate the emission during each period, and we found that five one-hourly samples during the season accurately reflected the CH₄ emission calculated based on all 136 hourly samples. This new sampling scheme is simple and more efficient than current sampling practices. Previously reported sampling schemes yielded estimates 9 to 32% higher than the measured CH₄ emission, while our suggested scheme yielded an estimate that was only 5% different from that based on all 136-h samples. The sampling scheme proposed in this study can be used in rice paddy fields in Korea and extended worldwide to countries that use similar farming practices. This sampling scheme will help in producing more accurate global methane budget from rice paddy fields.     

Evaluation of physical sampling efficiency for cyclone-based personal bioaerosol samplers in moving air environments

The need to determine occupational exposure to bioaerosols has notably increased in the past decade, especially for microbiology-related workplaces and laboratories. Recently, two new cyclone-based personal bioaerosol samplers were developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the USA and the Research Center for Toxicology and Hygienic Regulation of Biopreparations (RCT & HRB) in Russia to monitor bioaerosol exposure in the workplace. Here, a series of wind tunnel experiments were carried out to evaluate the physical sampling performance of these two samplers in moving air conditions, which could provide information for personal biological monitoring in a moving air environment. The experiments were conducted in a small wind tunnel facility using three wind speeds (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 m s(-1)) and three sampling orientations (0°, 90°, and 180°) with respect to the wind direction. Monodispersed particles ranging from 0.5 to 10 μm were employed as the test aerosols. The evaluation of the physical sampling performance was focused on the aspiration efficiency and capture efficiency of the two samplers. The test results showed that the orientation-averaged aspiration efficiencies of the two samplers closely agreed with the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) inhalable convention within the particle sizes used in the evaluation tests, and the effect of the wind speed on the aspiration efficiency was found negligible. The capture efficiencies of these two samplers ranged from 70% to 80%. These data offer important information on the insight into the physical sampling characteristics of the two test samplers.     

Sediment grain size estimation using airborne remote sensing, field sampling, and robust statistic

Remote sensing has been used since the 1980s to study parameters in relation with coastal zones. It was not until the beginning of the twenty-first century that it started to acquire imagery with good temporal and spectral resolution. This has encouraged the development of reliable imagery acquisition systems that consider remote sensing as a water management tool. Nevertheless, the spatial resolution that it provides is not adapted to carry out coastal studies. This article introduces a new methodology for estimating the most fundamental physical property of intertidal sediment, the grain size, in coastal zones. The study combines hyperspectral information (CASI-2 flight), robust statistic, and simultaneous field work (chemical and radiometric sampling), performed over Santander Bay, Spain. Field data acquisition was used to build a spectral library in order to study different atmospheric correction algorithms for CASI-2 data and to develop algorithms to estimate grain size in an estuary. Two robust estimation techniques (MVE and MCD multivariate M-estimators of location and scale) were applied to CASI-2 imagery, and the results showed that robust adjustments give acceptable and meaningful algorithms. These adjustments have given the following R(2) estimated results: 0.93 in the case of sandy loam contribution, 0.94 for the silty loam, and 0.67 for clay loam. The robust statistic is a powerful tool for large dataset.     

Cover estimation versus density counting in species-rich pasture under different grazing intensities

Two methods for monitoring of grassland vegetation were compared: visual estimation of plant cover (C) and plant densities counting (D). C and D were performed in monthly intervals for three vegetation growing seasons after imposing different grazing regimes on abandoned grassland in 1998. Species scores obtained from paired redundancy analyses (RDA) of C and D data were compared and Spearman's rank correlations were used to show if the two methods give comparable results. Results of C and D were highly correlated in the first two growing seasons only. In the third season, correlation was substantially lower as the sward structure was more heterogeneous due to creation of differently defoliated patches especially under extensive grazing. Presence of the same plant species with different habit in frequently and in infrequently grazed patches, reduced significance of Spearman's rank correlations. Cover estimation can fully substitute plant density counting in grassland with lower proportion of frequently and infrequently grazed patches only, but caution should be used when comparing different management regimes in long term analyses.     

Assessment of sampling designs to measure riverine fluxes from the Pearl River Delta, China to the South China Sea

The Pearl River Delta (PRD), located in South China and adjacent to the South China Sea, is comprised of a complicated hydrological system; therefore, it was a great challenge to sample adequately to measure fluxes of organic and inorganic materials to the coastal ocean. In this study, several sampling designs, including five-point (the number of sampling points along the river cross-section and three samples collected at the upper, middle, and bottom parts at each vertical line), three-point (at the middle and two other profiles), one-point (at the middle profile), and single-point (upper, middle, or bottom sub-sampling point at the middle profile) methods, were assessed using total organic carbon (TOC) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) as the measurables. Statistical analysis showed that the three- and five-point designs were consistent with one another for TOC measurements (p > 0.05). The three- and one-point sampling methods also yielded similar TOC results (95% of the differences within 10%). Single-point sampling yielded considerably larger errors than the three- and one-point designs, relative to the results from the five-point design, but sampling at the middle sub-point from the middle profile of a river achieved a relatively smaller error than sampling at the upper or bottom sub-point. Comparison of the sampling frequencies of 12 times a year, four times a year, and twice a year indicated that the frequency of twice a year was sufficient to acquire representative TOC data, but larger sample size and higher sampling frequency were deemed necessary to characterize SPM.     

太湖蓝藻预警采样点位布设与采样层次的研究

蓝藻水华的聚集和分布与气象条件有着密切的关系.根据近几年蓝藻预警监测及科研的实践,分析了风向对蓝藻迁移的影响,以及不同深度的藻密度变化情况.以此为依据,对太湖蓝藻监测时采样点位布设与采样层次选择的方案进行了比较研究,并提出了优化方案,为环太湖地区的相关部门更好地开展蓝藻预警监测工作提供了科学依据.     

Air sampling of fungal spores on filters. An investigation on passive sampling and viability

In this study, glycerol was tested as a collection substrate for passive bioaerosol sampling. Filters (mixed cellulose acetate and nitrate) were soaked in glycerol and exposed for an aerosol from three different fungal species: Penicillum commune, Aspergillus versicolor and Paecilomyces variotii. The passive sampling method was compared with a closed-face polycarbonate filter sampling method. Exposure was performed in an exposure chamber. The total number of spores was determined by microscopic techniques, and the cultivable number was determined by cultivation on Malt Extract Agar dishes. The glycerol soaked filter demonstrated a good correlation with the closed-face sampler with regard to the total count. Spores stored in a pumped filter cassette were not affected by storage for up to 7 days. On the other hand, the culturability of the spores was markedly decreased after 1 day when stored on glycerol soaked filters.     

The role of hydrodynamics, matrix and sampling duration in passive sampling of polar compounds with Empore SDB-RPS disks

There is an increasing need to monitor concentrations of polar organic contaminants in the aquatic environment. Integrative passive samplers can be used to assess time weighted average aqueous concentrations, provided calibration data are available and sampling rates are known. The sampling rate depends on environmental factors, such as temperature and water flow rate. Here we introduce an apparatus to investigate the sampling properties of passive samplers using river-like flow conditions and ambient environmental matrices: river water and treated sewage effluent. As a model sampler we selected Empore SDB-RPS disks in a Chemcatcher housing. The disks were exposed for 1 to 8 days at flow rates between 0.03 and 0.4 m s(-1). Samples were analysed using a bioassay for estrogenic activity and by LC-MS-MS target analysis of the pharmaceuticals sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine and clarithromycin. In order to assess sampling rates of SDB disks, we also measured aqueous concentrations of the pharmaceuticals. Sampling rates increased with increasing flow rate and this relationship was not affected by the environmental matrix. However, SDB disks were only sampling in the integrative mode at low flow rates <0.1 m s(-1) and/or for short sampling times. The duration of linear uptake was particularly short for sulfamethoxazole (1 day) and longer for clarithromycin (5 days). At 0.03 m s(-1) and 12-14 degrees C, the sampling rate of SDB disks was 0.09 L day(-1) for clarithromycin, 0.14 L day(-1) for sulfamethoxazole and 0.25 L day(-1) for carbamazepine. The results show that under controlled conditions, SDB disks can be effectively used as passive sampling devices.     

Effect of imperfect detectability on adaptive and conventional sampling: simulated sampling of freshwater mussels in the upper Mississippi River

Adaptive sampling designs are recommended where, as is typical with freshwater mussels, the outcome of interest is rare and clustered. However, the performance of adaptive designs has not been investigated when outcomes are not only rare and clustered but also imperfectly detected. We address this combination of challenges using data simulated to mimic properties of freshwater mussels from a reach of the upper Mississippi River. Simulations were conducted under a range of sample sizes and detection probabilities. Under perfect detection, efficiency of the adaptive sampling design increased relative to the conventional design as sample size increased and as density decreased. Also, the probability of sampling occupied habitat was four times higher for adaptive than conventional sampling of the lowest density population examined. However, imperfect detection resulted in substantial biases in sample means and variances under both adaptive sampling and conventional designs. The efficiency of adaptive sampling declined with decreasing detectability. Also, the probability of encountering an occupied unit during adaptive sampling, relative to conventional sampling declined with decreasing detectability. Thus, the potential gains in the application of adaptive sampling to rare and clustered populations relative to conventional sampling are reduced when detection is imperfect. The results highlight the need to increase or estimate detection to improve performance of conventional and adaptive sampling designs.     

Optimising the sampling effort in riparian surveys

Riparian condition is commonly measured as part of stream health monitoring programs as riparian vegetation provides an intricate linkage between the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Field surveys of a riparian zone provide comprehensive riparian attribute data but can be considerably intensive and onerous on resources and workers. Our objective was to assess the impact of reducing the sampling effort on the variation in key riparian health indicators. Subsequently, we developed a non-parametric approach to calculate an information retained (IR) statistic for comparing several constrained systematic sampling schemes to the original survey. The IR statistic is used to select a scheme that reduces the time taken to undertake riparian surveys (and thus potentially the costs) whilst maximising the IR from the original survey. Approximate bootstrap confidence intervals were calculated to improve the inferential capability of the IR statistic. The approach is demonstrated using riparian vegetation indicators collected as part of an aquatic ecosystem health monitoring program in Queensland, Australia. Of the nine alternative sampling designs considered, the sampling design that reduced the sampling intensity per site by sixfold without significantly comprising the quality of the IR, results in halving the time taken to complete a riparian survey at a site. This approach could also be applied to reducing sampling effort involved in monitoring other ecosystem health indicators, where an intensive systematic sampling scheme was initially employed.     

PM2.5的化学物种采样与分析方法

对PM25的化学物种组成及其采样方法进行了概述,侧重介绍了主要的半挥发性成分硝酸铵与有机碳的采样问题.按照无机多元素、水溶性离子和含碳组分概述了PM25主要化学物种的分析方法.     

沥青烟中苯并(a)芘的等速采样与监测

新的大气污染综合排放标准对沥青及碳素制品生产和加工制定了沥青烟和苯并(a)芘的排放标准,然而空气和废气监测分析方法没有给出沥青烟气中苯并(a)芘的分析方法.为此,用色谱固定液滤筒及新设计的富集器等速采样,进行沥青烟苯并(a)芘的分析,为执行新的大气污染综合排放标准提供了实用技术.     

Microsoft Word for Windows在环境质量报告书中的应用

叙述了ＭｉｃｒｏｓｏｆｔＷｏｒｄｆｏｒＷｉｎｄｏｗｓ软件在编写环境质量报告书中的应用内容。     

地衣样品的采集和保存技术的研究

本文阐述了地衣样品的规范的采集;无污染的采样工具、运输工具、盛装容器及加工器械是保存技术的先行条件。全程序的质控是保存技术的基础,温度、压力、光则是保存技术决定性的因素。通过三种保存技术的研究筛选出了既经济又简便的保存技术     

Passive sampling of glycol ethers and their acetates in indoor air

This study examined the performances of a thermal desorbable radial diffusive sampler for the weekly measurement of eight glycol ethers in indoor air and described the results of an application of this method carried out as part of HABIT'AIR Nord - Pas de Calais program for the air monitoring of these compounds in sixty homes located in northern France. The target compounds were the four glycol ethers banned from sale to the public in France since the 1990s (i.e. 2-methoxy ethanol, 2-ethoxy ethanol and their acetates) and four other glycol ethers derivatives of which the use have increased considerably (i.e. 1-methoxy-2-propanol, 2-butoxy ethanol and their acetates).A test program was carried out with the aim of validating the passive sampling method. It allowed the estimation of all the parameters of a method for each compound (calibration, analytical precision, desorption efficiency, sampling rate in standard conditions, detection limit and stability of sample before and after exposure), the examination of the influence of environmental factors on the sampling rate by some exposure chamber experiments and the assessment of the uncertainty of the measurements.The results of this evaluation demonstrated that the method has turned out to be suitable for six out of eight glycol ethers tested. The effect of the environmental factors on the sampling rates was the main source of measurement uncertainty. The measurements done in sixty homes revealed a relative abundance of 1-methoxy-2-propanol that was found in more than two thirds of homes at concentration levels of 4.5 microg m(-3) on average (a maximum value of 28 microg m(-3)). 1-methoxy-2-propanol acetate and 2-butoxy ethanol were also detected, but less frequently (in 19% of homes) and with the concentrations below 12 microg m(-3). The highest levels of these glycol ethers appear to be in relation to the emissions occurring at the time of cleaning tasks.