Human factors and tidal influences on water quality of an urban river in Can Tho, a major city of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

In this study, we focused on water quality in an urban canal and the Mekong River in the city of Can Tho, a central municipality of the Mekong Delta region, southern Vietnam. Water temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, BOD₅, COD_Cr, Na⁺, Cl^?, NH₄ ⁺?N, SO₄ ^2??S, NO₃ ^??N, and NO₂ ^??N for both canal and river, and tide level of the urban canal, were monitored once per month from May 2010 to April 2012. The urban canal is subject to severe anthropogenic contamination, owing to poor sewage treatment. In general, water quality in the canal exhibited strong tidal variation, poorer at lower tides and better at higher tides. Some anomalies were observed, with degraded water quality under some high-tide conditions. These were associated with flow from the upstream residential area. Therefore, it was concluded that water quality in the urban canal changed with a balance between dilution effects and extent of contaminant supply, both driven by tidal fluctuations in the Mekong River.     

Dietary patterns and blood levels of PCDDs, PCDFs, and dioxin-like PCBs in 1656 Japanese individuals

The association between dietary patterns and blood dioxin levels has not been fully investigated. The present study population consisted of 755 men and 901 women (aged 15-73 years) living in 90 different areas of 30 prefectures of Japan. Dietary habits were assessed by inquiring about the consumption frequency of 28 foods, food groups and beverages. In addition, the blood levels of 29 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzo-furans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (DL-PCBs) congeners were determined by high-resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The median total toxicity equivalent (TEQ) in the blood, which was calculated on the basis of the toxicity equivalency factors of WHO (2005), was 16 pg TEQ g⁻¹ lipid. Principal component analysis identified five dietary patterns: Healthy diet (high intake of vegetables and fruits); Meat/High fat intake (high intake of meat, meat products, and eggs); Seafood and Alcohol (high intake of fish, shellfish, and alcoholic beverages); Miscellaneous; and Milk products and Alcohol intake (high intake of milk, Milk products, and alcoholic beverages). After adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, and smoking habits, the Seafood and Alcohol pattern scores were significantly related to higher blood levels of total TEQ and PCDDs/PCDFs/DL-PCBs, and the Milk products and Alcohol pattern scores were correlated with higher blood levels of DL-PCBs. More detailed analysis showed that the intake frequencies for alcoholic beverages and seafood were independently and positively associated with total TEQ and the TEQ of PCDFs and DL-PCBs. The association between alcoholic beverage intake and PCDDs was also significant. Analysis of dietary patterns may be useful for identifying the dietary characteristics of individuals with a high dioxin body burden.     

A level change in mutagenicity of Japanese tap water over the past 12 yr

A relative comparison study of mutagenicity in Japanese tap water was conducted for 1993 and 2005 surveys. It intended to assess the effects of advanced water treatment installations to water works, improvement of raw water quality and improvement of residual HOCl concentration controlling. Sampling points (taps) were the same in both surveys. The results of 245 samples obtained by the Ames Salmonella mutagenicity test (Ames test) were analyzed. The Ames tests were conducted by using Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 strains with and without exogenous activation (S9). With the exception of TA100-S9, the other conditions needed no discussion as a factor in the mutagenicity level change. The average mutagenicity in 1993 and 2005 under the conditions of TA100-S9 were 2600 and 1100 net revertant L⁻¹, respectively. This indicated that the mutagenicity level of Japanese tap water decreased during the 12-yr period. Particularly a remarkable decrease in mutagenicity was observed in the water works where the advanced water treatments were installed during the 12-yr period. The advanced water treatments were effective in decreasing the mutagenicity of tap water. Mutagenicity also decreased in the water works with conventional water treatments; the improvement of residual HOCl concentration controlling was also considered to be effective in decreasing the mutagenicity of tap water.     

Decomposition of poly(amide-imide) film enameled on solid copper wire using atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma

The decomposition of a poly(amide-imide) thin film coated on a solid copper wire was attempted using atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma. The plasma was produced by applying microwave power to an electrically conductive material in a gas mixture of argon, oxygen, and hydrogen. The poly(amide-imide) thin film was easily decomposed by argon-oxygen mixed gas plasma and an oxidized copper surface was obtained. The reduction of the oxidized surface with argon-hydrogen mixed gas plasma rapidly yielded a metallic copper surface. A continuous plasma heat-treatment process using a combination of both the argon-oxygen plasma and argon-hydrogen plasma was found to be suitable for the decomposition of the poly(amide-imide) thin film coated on the solid copper wire.     

Double-conscious professional self-expression of racial minority scientists-in-training

Double-consciousness pervades the workplace experiences of minority professionals. Prior research captures various manifestations of double-consciousness in the workplace, yet much of what we know comes from understanding the experiences of minority professionals in predominantly White workplaces. Inherent in conceptions of double-consciousness is the sense of twoness in one's self concept that arises from seeing oneself through the eyes of both the predominantly White profession and one's own racial community. In this study, we examine contrasts as well as commonalities in experiences of double-consciousness across different social contexts in the socialization of minority scientists-in-training. We draw from qualitative data collected from 64 individuals (including 39 underrepresented minority doctoral students, and 25 faculty, staff, and administrators) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) doctoral programs in both predominantly White and historically Black institutions to examine and compare the factors across different contexts that influence how minority scientists-in-training are able to express their emerging professional identity. Our findings reveal how minority scientists-in-training experience twoness as both a struggle and a strength, and we develop an inductive model of how different socializations influence the double-conscious professional self-expressions of minority scientists in training.     

Basic Research on the Emission of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons caused by Waste Incineration

The emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) caused by municipal waste incineration varies according to waste composition and operating parameters such as furnace temperature and excess air. However, to obtain a sample sufficient to measure the emission of PAH at trace levels, it is necessary to operate the incinerator for many hours. Since during these lengthy periods it has not always been possible to maintain stable conditions, it is very difficult to determine the relationship between the emission and waste composition.

In our basic research, therefore, we used municipal waste with an artificially regulated composition for our combustion experiments, and by using an experimental Incinerator we examined the emission behavior of PAH with respect to changes in waste composition and combustion conditions. The following facts were revealed by the results: ? The PAH found in the flue gas were predominantly the more volatile compounds.

? When municipal waste was incinerated at over 850 °C, the concentration of PAH in the flue gas increased rapidly as the proportion of plastics in the waste increased from 0 to 24 percent.

? The elimination of plastics from municipal waste by separate collection and the improvement of combustion conditions can effectively diminish the emission of PAH.

     

ANALYSIS AND EXTRACTION OF LOW FLOW RECESSION CHARACTERISTICS1

ABSTRACT: It is important to extract and assess low flow recession characteristics for water resources planning in the upper reaches of streams. However, it is very difficult to express synthetically the low flow recession characteristics for a stream flow. In this paper, first a new method of constructing the master recession curve based on the exponential expression is proposed and applied with the restriction that there are no regulation or diversion structures in the upper reaches above the measurement station. Daily precipitation and stream flow were used for the analysis. Second, analysis for a recession constant was conducted and the relationship between the recession constant and low flow and/or geology was qualitatively examined. In conclusion, the application of the proposed method indicated that it is objective and useful for constructing the master recession curve. It became apparent that the recession constant of a master recession curve may be defined as the total index of low flow characteristics. In addition, it was found that baseflow value increases in the order of Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Tertiary, and Quaternary.     

Photosensitized degradation of Irgarol 1051 in water

Irgarol 1051 (2-methylthio-4-tert-butylamino-6-cyclopropylamino-s-triazine) is a herbicide analogue that is added to antifouling agents used on ships. Our former study on its degradation in sunlight suggested that unknown photosensitizers in natural waters accelerated the photodegradation to the degradation product, M1. In this study, the photodegradation of Irgarol in water was investigated in the presence of some photosensitizers. Test water containing Irgarol or M1, with or without photosensitizers, was irradiated with light from a UV-A fluorescent lamp for 48h. The concentrations of Irgarol and M1 in the test water were determined by HPLC after solid-phase extraction. M1 was more stable than Irgarol when irradiated in the presence of photosensitizers such as acetone, benzophenone, tryptophan, and rose bengal. Hydrogen peroxide (HP) accelerated the photodegradation of Irgarol, and the product M1 was degraded in the presence of more than 100mgl(-1) HP after 10h. Natural humic substances (NHS) also accelerated the photodegradation of Irgarol, but in this case, the product M1 persisted even when Irgarol was completely degraded. Photosensitized degradation of Irgarol by NHS may result in the accumulation of M1 in aquatic environments.     

Observation and characterization of colloids derived from leached cement hydrates

The possibility of colloid generation from cement hydrates in a cementitious repository environment has been investigated through leaching experiments. Pulverized samples of High Flyash and Silica fume-content Cement (HFSC) and 1:9 ordinary portland cement/blast furnace slag (1:9 OPC/BFS) hydrate were leached in low-salinity groundwater at three solid-to-liquid (S/L) mass ratios (1:5, 1:50 and 1:100), and two temperatures (20 and 60 degrees C) for durations of nearly 2 and 8 months. Detailed characterization of colloid populations has been undertaken by TEM coupled with X-ray analysis. In addition, the surface charge and stability behavior of colloids have been investigated. The colloid concentrations in HFSC hydrate leachates generated at 20 and 60 degrees C show similar trends with S/L ratio. The colloid concentrations of leachates with the lower S/L ratio (1:50 and 1:100) are in the range of 10(11)-10(12) particles per liter. The majority of these particles are composed predominantly of Si, Ca, and Al; the mean particle size is less than 100 nm. The lowest colloid concentrations are found in the leachates with the highest S/L ratios, and the colloid populations tend to be dominated by larger particles. HFSC-derived colloid stability is due to a high negative zeta potential at alkaline pH values, combined with a calcium concentration that is below the critical coagulation concentration (CCC) for the colloids. A preliminary interpretation of HFSC-derived colloid stability based on classical DLVO theory provides a semi-quantitative explanation of the dependence of colloid populations on the S/L ratio in the leaching experiments.     

Effect of Snow Cover Conditions on the Hydrologic Regime: Case Study in a Pluvial‐Nival Watershed,Japan1

Abstract: Hydrologic monitoring in a small forested and mountainous headwater basin in Niigata Prefecture has been undertaken since 2000. An important characteristic of the basin is that the hydrologic regime contains pluvial elements year‐round, including rain‐on‐snow, in addition to spring snowmelt. We evaluated the effect of different snow cover conditions on the hydrologic regime by analyzing observed data in conjunction with model simulations of the snowpack. A degree‐day snow model is presented and applied to the study basin to enable estimation of the basin average snow water equivalent using air temperature at three representative elevations. Analysis of hydrological time series data and master recession curves showed that flow during the snowmelt season was generated by a combination of ground water flow having a recession constant of 0.018/day and diurnal melt water flow having a recession constant of 0.015/hour. Daily flows during the winter/snowmelt season showed greater persistence than daily flows during the warm season. The seasonal water balance indicated that the ratio of runoff to precipitation during the cold season (December to May) was about 90% every year. Seasonal snowpack plays an important role in defining the hydrologic regime, with winter precipitation and snowmelt runoff contributing about 65% of the annual runoff. The timing of the snowmelt season, indicated by the date of occurrence of the first significant snowmelt event, was correlated with the occurrence of low flow events. Model simulations showed that basin average snow water equivalent reached a peak around mid‐February to mid‐March, although further validation of the model is required at high elevation sites.