Investigations of impingement of aquatic organisms at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, 1975–1995

The Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant (CCNPP) in Maryland began commercial operation in 1975. The once-through cooling system pumps Chesapeake Bay water at a maximum rate of 73 m³/s (2.4×10⁶ gallons per min) to the condensers, a total equal to 0.7% of the average tidal flow in the area.From 1975 to 1995, impingement monitoring was conducted at CCNPP. The 21-year record is one of the most extensive of its kind in the utility industry. A total of 73 species of fish were identified. Often, five species accounted for over 90% of the total number of fish collected in any year. Estimates of total annual fish impingement ranged from 79,000 to over 9.6 million with a 21-year average of 1.3 million fish per year. Total impinged biomass was less variable with a range of 1300 to 18,600 kg/yr (9100 kg/yr avg.)Six different survival studies were conducted at CCNPP and species-specific impingement tolerances were determined. Eleven of the 14 species caught most often had survival rates over 50% and blue crabs demonstrated greater than 99% survival. When total impingement estimates are adjusted to account for survival, the fish impact is reduced by over 73%.This impact is small compared with commercial and recreational fishing and other natural causes of mortality. In addition, many of the significant impingement collections were episodic events correlated with high temperature and low dissolved oxygen conditions in the intake water. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has concluded that CCNPP impingement losses are small and do not represent a significant impact to fish populations in the mesohaline regions of the Chesapeake Bay.     

Battersea Power Station and environmental issues 1929–1989

From inception (1920s) to partial demolition (1980s) London's Battersea Power Station provoked public concern over environmental impacts. Adverse reaction during the early stages concerned siting and the effects of air pollutants on the urban surroundings. Potential air pollution problems resulted in a restrictive ‘condition’ being inserted in the consent for Battersea which required smoke and sulphur dioxide to be controlled. The ‘condition’ did not reassure either the public or special interest groups who campaigned against the construction of the station. However plans were too advanced to be halted and the official response focused on ensuring successful implementation of flue gas desulphurization. Though the subsequent effectiveness of emission control during the station's working life is arguable, the building itself rapidly became a popular London landmark and an architectural symbol of the fascination that surrounds technology. Objections to its decommissioning and demolition in the 1980s once again placed Battersea Power Station at the centre of public protest. Reactions to the station illustrate the rapidity with which our perception of environmental threats may change.     

Intake modifications to reduce entrainment and impingement at Carolina Power & Light Company’s Brunswick Steam Electric Plant,Southport, North Carolina

The Brunswick Steam Electric Plant (BSEP) is a two-unit nuclear station located in the lower Cape Fear River Estuary (CFE) near Southport, NC. Once-through cooling water is withdrawn from the CFE and discharged to the Atlantic Ocean. Estuarine-dependent fish and shellfish species are potentially subject to entrainment and impingement during cooling-water withdrawal. Mitigation technologies include a fish diversion structure (9.4-mm mesh screens) at the mouth of the intake canal to reduce impingement of large organisms, 1-mm fine-mesh traveling screens to reduce entrainment of larvae, a fish return system to return impinged organisms alive back to the estuary, and flow minimization. Installation of the fish diversion structure resulted in a 40% reduction in number and 70% reduction in the weight of larger organisms impinged. Use of fine-mesh screens successfully reduced the number of organisms entrained by as much as 80% depending upon species present. Survival of organisms returned to the CFE ranged from <1% to approximately 92% depending upon species and size class. In addition to monitoring the effectiveness of the intake modifications, over 20 years of extensive environmental studies in the estuary indicate that operation of the BSEP has had no measurable adverse effect on the fisheries of the CFE. The species composition, seasonality, and abundance of organisms using the CFE have not changed as a result of operation of the BSEP.     

Twin-roll casting of aluminum–steel clad strips

The results of experiments on twin-roll casting of aluminum–steel clad strips are presented. For the first time this energy-saving production technology for a clad material of this metals combination was implemented. Besides the experimental equipment and processing details, the results of metallographic, electron microprobe and transmission electron microscopy analysis of the aluminum–steel interface are shown. The pack rolling and deep-drawing tests of the twin-roll cast clad strips were performed to check their applicability for a further processing using plastic deformation. In addition adhesive strength of the bond was tested. The performed analysis have shown the formation of a continuous, thin and uniform layer of intermetallic phases on the materials interface of approx. 3 μm thickness having an adhesive strength over 70 MPa.     

Cu–Mn–Ce ternary mixed-oxide catalysts for catalytic combustion of toluene

Cu–Mn, Cu–Mn–Ce, and Cu–Ce mixed-oxide catalysts were prepared by a citric acid sol–gel method and then characterized by XRD, BET, H_2-TPR and XPS analyses. Their catalytic properties were investigated in the toluene combustion reaction. Results showed that the Cu–Mn–Ce ternary mixed-oxide catalyst with 1:2:4 mole ratios had the highest catalytic activity, and 99% toluene conversion was achieved at temperatures below 220°C. In the Cu–Mn–Ce catalyst, a portion of Cu and Mn species entered into the Ce O_2 fluorite lattice, which led to the formation of a ceria-based solid solution. Excess Cu and Mn oxides existed on the surface of the ceria-based solid solution. The coexistence of Cu–Mn mixed oxides and the ceria-based solid solution resulted in a better synergetic interaction than the Cu–Mn and Cu–Ce catalysts, which promoted catalyst reducibility, increased oxygen mobility, and enhanced the formation of abundant active oxygen species.     

Plant coexistence can enhance phytoextraction of cadmium by tobacco （Nicotiana tabacum L.） in contaminated soil

A mesocosm experiment was conducted to investigate whether plant coexistence affects cadmium (Cd) uptake by plant in contaminated soil.Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.var.K326) and Japanese clover (Kummerowia striata (Thunb.) Schindl.) were used.Cadmium was applied as 3CdSO 4 ·8H 2 O in solution at three levels (0,1,and 3 mg/kg soil) to simulate an unpolluted soil and soils that were slightly and moderately polluted with Cd.Tobacco (crop),Japanese clover (non-crop),and their combination were grown under each C...     

Emergy evaluation of the sustainability of Chinese steel production during 1998–2004

This paper deals with the application of eMergy analysis to the sustainability of Chinese steel production in 1998–2004. Emissions' impacts were quantified using eMergy synthesis and other methods (dilution method, disability adjusted life years (DALY) method and ecological cumulative exergy consumption (ECEC) method). The results show that its sustainability is very low and declining in this period, emissions obviously reduce the sustainability although their impacts are generally decreasing, and the main reasons lie in its low nonrenewable resources and energies' efficiencies. Finally, the related suggestions were put forward for improving its comprehensive performance.     

Electrical performance of laser braze-welded aluminum–copper interconnects

The reported investigation is related to laser beam braze-welding technology for dissimilar aluminum–copper interconnects for Li-ion battery assembly. The correlation between the brittle and high-resistivity intermetallic compounds and the electrical contact resistance showed that a thin intermetallic layer is highly desirable. It was proved that highest shear strength and lowest contact resistance can be achieved within the same parameter set which is of particular interest to battery electrical vehicle applications requiring both high mechanical reliability and electrical performance.A study on the weld seam layout further showed that two parallel weld seams with optimized spacing and overlap design provide lowest contact resistance.     

Analysis of air quality characteristics of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei and its surrounding air pollution transport channel cities in China

Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei(BTH) and its surrounding areas are very important to air pollution control in China.To analyze the characteristics of BTH and its surrounding areas of China,we collected 5,641,440 air quality data from 161 air monitoring stations and 37,123,000 continuous monitoring data from air polluting enterprises in BTH and surrounding cities to establish an indicator system for urban air quality portraits.The results showed that particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters of < 2....     

Numerical study of the effects of local atmospheric circulations on a pollution event over Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, China

Currently, the Chinese central government is considering plans to build a trilateral economic sphere in the Bohai Bay area, including Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei(BTH), where haze pollution frequently occurs. To achieve sustainable development, it is necessary to understand the physical mechanism of the haze pollution there. Therefore, the pollutant transport mechanisms of a haze event over the BTH region from 23 to 24 September 2011 were studied using the Weather Research and Forecasting model and the FLEXible-PARTicle dispersion model to understand the effects of the local atmospheric circulations and atmospheric boundary layer structure. Results suggested that the penetration by sea-breeze could strengthen the vertical dispersion by lifting up the planetary boundary layer height(PBLH) and carry the local pollutants to the downstream areas; in the early night, two elevated pollution layers(EPLs) may be generated over the mountain areas: the pollutants in the upper EPL at the altitude of 2–2.5 km were favored to disperse by long-range transport, while the lower EPL at the altitude of 1 km may serve as a reservoir, and the pollutants there could be transported downward and contribute to the surface air pollution.The intensity of the sea–land and mountain–valley breeze circulations played an important role in the vertical transport and distribution of pollutants. It was also found that the diurnal evolution of the PBLH is important for the vertical dispersion of the pollutants,which is strongly affected by the local atmospheric circulations and the distribution of urban areas.     

Effect of petroleum on decomposition of shrub–grass litters in soil in Northern Shaanxi of China

The impacts of petroleum contamination on the litter decomposition of shrub–grass land would directly influence nutrient cycling, and the stability and function of ecosystem. Ten common shrub and grass species from Yujiaping oil deposits were studied. Litters from these species were placed into litterbags and buried in petroleum-contaminated soil with 3 levels of contamination (slight, moderate and serious pollution with petroleum concentrations of 15, 30 and 45 g/kg, respectively). A decomposition experiment was then conducted in the lab to investigate the impacts of petroleum contamination on litter decomposition rates. Slight pollution did not inhibit the decomposition of any litters and significantly promoted the litter decomposition of Hippophae rhamnoides, Caragana korshinskii, Amorpha fruticosa, Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa, Periploca sepium, Medicago sativa and Bothriochloa ischaemum. Moderate pollution significantly inhibited litter decomposition of M. sativa, Coronilla varia, Artemisia vestita and Trrifolium repens and significantly promoted the litter decomposition of C. korshinskii, Z. jujuba var. spinosa and P. sepium. Serious pollution significantly inhibited the litter decomposition of H. rhamnoides, A. fruticosa, B. ischaemum and A. vestita and significantly promoted the litter decomposition of Z. jujuba var. spinosa, P. sepium and M. sativa. In addition, the impacts of petroleum contamination did not exhibit a uniform increase or decrease as petroleum concentration increased. Inhibitory effects of petroleum on litter decomposition may hinder the substance cycling and result in the degradation of plant communities in contaminated areas.     

Performance of pond–wetland complexes as a preliminary processor of drinking water sources

Shijiuyang Constructed Wetland(110 hm~2) is a drinking water source treatment wetland with primary structural units of ponds and plant-bed/ditch systems. The wetland can process about 250,000 tonnes of source water in the Xincheng River every day and supplies raw water for Shijiuyang Drinking Water Plant. Daily data for 28 months indicated that the major water quality indexes of source water had been improved by one grade. The percentage increase for dissolved oxygen and the removal rates of ammonia nitrogen, iron and manganese were 73.63%, 38.86%, 35.64%, and 22.14% respectively. The treatment performance weight of ponds and plant-bed/ditch systems was roughly equal but they treated different pollutants preferentially. Most water quality indexes had better treatment efficacy with increasing temperature and inlet concentrations. These results revealed that the pond–wetland complexes exhibited strong buffering capacity for source water quality improvement. The treatment cost of Shijiuyang Drinking Water Plant was reduced by about 30.3%. Regional rainfall significantly determined the external river water levels and adversely deteriorated the inlet water quality, thus suggesting that the \"hidden\" diffuse pollution in the multitudinous stream branches as well as their catchments should be the controlling emphases for river source water protection in the future. The combination of pond and plant-bed/ditch systems provides a successful paradigm for drinking water source pretreatment. Three other drinking water source treatment wetlands with ponds and plant-bed/ditch systems are in operation or construction in the stream networks of the Yangtze River Delta and more people will be benefited.     

Carbon sequestration of paddy fields in Western Jilin of China during 1989–2004

The study area of this article, Western Jilin province of China, was a typical area responding to global changing in middle latitude areas. In this paper, by interpreting the thematic mapper (TM) images of the study area in the years of 1989, 1996, 2000 and 2004, the land use/cover change (LUCC) data were achieved, which included the area of paddy fields and its spatial distributions. 113 soil samples were collected to obtain soil organic carbon (SOC) data of different land use types. After that, the organic matter contents of these samples were measured by using the potassium dichromate oxidation-outer heating method. Based on the data above, the amount of SOC sequestrated by the surface soil (0~30 cm) of paddy fields was calculated. The result showed that: the area of paddy fields was increasing continuously in western Jilin, from 11.28 × 10⁴ hm² in 1989 to 22.77 × 10⁴ hm² in 2004. Paddy fields transferred from wetlands, grasslands and water areas accounted for the main part of the paddy fields in 2004, the areas were 3.09 × 10⁴ hm², 2.98 × 10⁴ hm² and 2.8 × 10⁴ hm², respectively. And paddy fields with a total area of 0.83 × 10⁴ hm² degraded into saline-alkali lands. The amount of organic carbon sequestration in the surface layer (0–30 cm) of paddy fields was 658.86 × 10⁴ t. The primary SOC sinks located around the joint of Baicheng City and Zhenlai County, while the major SOC source located at Songyuan City and northern Qianguo County.     

Presentation of ventriculomegaly at 11–14 weeks of gestation: An analysis of longitudinal data

Objectives

The aim of this study was to examine the value of the sonographic measurements of the choroid plexus and the lateral ventricles at 11–14 gestational weeks in fetuses that had the diagnosis of second-trimester ventriculomegaly (VM) as a clinical reference.

Methods

The standard axial plane used for biparietal diameter measurement from 2D stored images in the first trimester was used to calculate the ratio between the choroid plexus and lateral ventricle diameter (PDVDR), the choroid plexus and lateral ventricle length (PLVLR) and the choroid plexus and lateral ventricle area (PAVAR) in 100 normal and 15 fetuses diagnosed with second-trimester VM.

Results

In fetuses with VM, the measurements of PDVDR, PLVLR and PAVAR were all significantly smaller compared to normal fetuses (p = < 0.001, <0.001, <0.01). Four out of seven cases with mild VM had measurements below the 5th percentile (57%). 75% of cases with moderate or severe VM had at least one measurement below the 5th percentile.

Conclusions

Since the axial plane of the fetal head is obtained in all first-trimester routine screenings, the measurements of PDVDR, PLVLR and PAVAR could easily be integrated into routine examinations for an early detection of VM.     

Pre-treatment of pyridine wastewater by new cathodic–anodic-electrolysis packing

A novel cathodic–anodic-electrolysis packing(CAEP) used in the treatment of pyridine wastewater was researched, which mainly consisted of 4,4′-diamino-2,2′-disulfonic acid(DSD acid) industrial iron sludge. The physical properties and morphology of the packing were studied. The CAEP was used in a column reactor during the pretreatment of pyridine wastewater. The influence of p H, hydraulic retention time(HRT), the air–liquid ratio(A/L)and the initial concentration of pyridine were investigated by measuring the removal of total organic carbon(TOC) and pyridine. The characterization results showed that the bulk density, grain density, water absorption percentage and specific surface area were 921 kg/m3,1086 kg/m3, 25% and 29.89 m~2/g, respectively; the removal of TOC and pyridine could reach50% and 58% at the optimal experimental conditions(p H = 3, HRT = 8 hr, A/L = 2). Notably,the surface of the packing was renewed constantly during the running of the filter, and the handling capacity was stable after running for three months.     

TOF–SIMS surface analysis of chemical components of size–fractioned urban aerosols in a typical heavy air pollution event in Beijing

Size–fractioned atmospheric aerosol particles were collected during a typical heavy air pollution event in Beijing. The organic and inorganic components on the surfaces of the samples were analyzed using time–of–flight secondary ion mass spectrometry(TOF–SIMS).The variation characteristics of the surface chemical composition and influencing factors were studied, and the possible sources of these chemical compositions were identified through principal component analysis. The results showed that inorganic components such as crustal elements and sulfate, and organic components such as aliphatic hydrocarbons and oxygen–containing organic groups were present. Some surface components, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals and fluorides may exert adverse effects on human health. The species and relative percentages of the chemical components varied with particle size, diurnal and pollution progress. During a heavy pollution event, the species and relative percentages of secondary components such as oxygen–containing organic groups and sulfurous compounds increased, indicating that particles aged during this event. The surface chemical composition of the aerosol particles was affected mainly by emissions from coal combustion and motor vehicles. In addition, air pollution, meteorological factors, and air mass transport also exerted a significant effect on the surface chemical composition of aerosol particles.     

Evidence of the phase-out of CFC use in Europe over the period 1987–1990

European regulations exist to phase-out production of the ozone-depleting man-made CFCs. High frequency measurements of the principal CFCs and other radiatively active gases have been collected at Mace Head, Ireland from 1987–1990 as part of the Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (GAGE). These measurements provide the first clear evidence that this phase-out is effective. Allocation of the time series beginning at the end of 1988, to a particular wind sector combined with simple modelling techniques indicates a significant reduction in European source strengths for CFC-11 and CFC-12 which is consistent with reliable emission estimates for CFC-11, but which seem to indicate a slightly smaller reduction for CFC-12, when likewise compared to emission figures. The study provides evidence that European CH₄, CCl₂F₂ and CCl₃F emission have already declined to about one-third of 1987 levels by the end of 1990. Over the same period, no evidence of any phase-out in the European usage of methyl chloroform and CFC-113 was detected.