Monitoring of Seasonal Vegetables for Pesticide Residues

Market samples (60) of six seasonal vegetables were monitoredduring 1996–1997 to determine the magnitude of pesticidalcontamination. The estimation of insecticide residuesrepresenting four major chemical groups i.e. organochlorine,organophosphorous, synthetic pyrethroid and carbamate, was doneby adopting a multiresidue analytical technique employingGC-ECD and GC-NPD systems with capillary columns. The testedsamples showed 100% contamination with low but measurableamounts of residues. Among the four chemical groups, theorganophosphates were dominant followed by organochlorines,synthetic pyrethroids and carbamates. About 23% of the samplesshowed contamination with organophosphorous compounds abovetheir respective MRL values. More extensive studies coveringdifferent regions of Haryana state are suggested to get a clearidea of the magnitude of vegetable contamination with pesticideresidues.     

Identification of dredged sediment-derived soils in the alluvial plains of the Leie and the Upper and Sea Scheldt rivers (Belgium) based on physico-chemical soil properties

An approach was developed to identify surface soils affected by historical dredged sediment disposal in the alluvial plains of the Upper Scheldt, the Sea Scheldt and the Leie river. Dredged sediment-derived soils were identified based on field observations, comparative granulometric analyses and chemical analyses. Criteria developed were based on a comparison between reference data from 102 aerobic soil samples of areas known to be affected by dredged sediment disposal and 104 samples from undisturbed alluvial soils along the studied rivers. A comparative grain size analysis with optical laser diffractometry between the A and C horizon proved useful for the identification of levelled-up sites. The chemical soil characteristics that were most useful in identifying dredged sediment-derived soils were CaCO3, sulfur (S), organic carbon (OC) and phosphorus (P) contents, electrical conductivity (EC), and the C/P and C/S ratios. Criteria for concluding the origin of an investigated soil were specific for the studied area, but the approach presented may provide useful guidelines for developing criteria valid for different regions.     

Organotin compounds in the marine environment of the Bay of Piran,northern Adriatic Sea

In the year 2000, organotin pollution was investigated in the Bay of Piran, Slovenia, at the northern extremity of the Adriatic Sea. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with single ion monitoring GC/MS-SIM was applied for speciation analysis of pentylated organotin compounds in water and mussels. Sampling of marine waters was performed in summer and autumn at 8 locations. Mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were collected only in summer at 3 locations. The highest concentrations of tributyltin (TBT) in marine water ranged from 500 to 630 ng L(-1) (as Sn) in summer and from 180 to 230 ng L(-1) (as Sn) in autumn. TBT concentration in mussels varied from 500 to 3500 ng g(-1) dry weight (d.w.) (as Sn). The study indicated remarkable butyltin pollution of the Slovenian coastline. Accuracy of the analytical procedure was verified by BCR CRM 477.     

The interaction between physical and social-psychological factors in indoor environmental health

Indoor environmental health is now recognized as an important factor in preventing respiratory health problems in the United States. It is also a concern in Canada due to the amount of time that Canadians spend indoors because of cold weather and the potential for increased time indoors during the summer if theclimate warms. The negative health effects are often labeled assick building syndrome, but diagnosing a building or itsoccupants as sick is complicated by the variety of symptoms, thepresence of chronic versus acute symptoms and social andpsychological (socio-psychological) factors that may reduce theeffectiveness of an engineering solution. As a case study, thecontribution of various factors to indoor environmental health,in three buildings at the University of Toronto, was examinedusing five different methods. The results indicate that theinhabitants of the buildings consider features other than airquality in considering building health such as design,maintenance, funding cuts and socio-psychological factors.     

Using Multiple Antibiotic Resistance and land use characteristics to determine sources of fecal coliform bacterial pollution

Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) analysis and regression modeling techniques were used to identify surface water areas impacted by fecal pollution from human sources, and to determine the effects of land use on fecal pollution in Murrells Inlet, a small, urbanized, high-salinity estuary located between Myrtle Beach and Georgetown, South Carolina. MAR analysis was performed to identify areas in the estuary that are impacted by human-source fecal pollution. Additionally, regression analysis was performed to determine if an association exists between land use and fecal coliform densities over the ten-year period from 1989 to 1998. Land-use variables were derived using Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques and were used in the regression analysis.MAR analyses were conducted by comparing the frequency and patterns of antibiotic resistance found in Escherichia coli isolates derived from surface water samples and from sewage sources in the Murrells Inlet sewage collection system. The MAR results suggest that the majority of the fecal pollution detected in the Murrells Inlet estuary may be from non-human sources, including fecal coliforms isolated from areas in close proximity to high densities of active septic tanks.A MAR Index, which measures the frequency of antibiotic resistance, was calculated for each of twenty-three water samples and nine sewage samples. The antibiotic resistance pattern comparisons were performed using cluster analysis. Although the MAR indices indicated that several surface water sites had potential human-source contamination, the cluster analysis suggests that only one sampling site had MAR patterns that were similar to those found in the sewage samples. This site was in close proximity to several large pleasure boats as well as a sewage collection system lift station, but was not near areas with active septic tanks. The results of the regression analysis also suggest that sewage sources and rainfall runoff from urbanized areas may contribute to fecal pollution in the estuary.     

Effects of acid rain on growth and nutrient concentrations in Scots pine and Norway spruce seedlings grown in a nutrient-rich soil

The effects of artificially applied acid precipitation on growth and nutrient concentrations of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) seedlings were investigated in a long-term acid irrigation experiment in field conditions. Seedlings of northern and southern origin were planted in boxes containing peat and composted soil rich in nutrients, and sprinkler irrigated with water acidified with nitric and sulphuric acids to pH 3 or pH 4 for periods varying from two to three and a half growing seasons during 1986-1989. Water irrigated (pH 5.4-7.6) and non-irrigated groups of seedlings were also included in the experiment. At the end of the experiment needles, main and lateral shoots and roots were collected from the seedlings for the determination of height growth and biomass partitioning, and for the analysis of S, N, Mg, P, K, Ca, Mn and Fe concentrations. The treatment effects compared to the irrigated control were studied using multivariate analyses of variance and covariance. In the pine seedlings the total dry matter production increased by 25-70% compared with the irrigated controls when the total wet deposition to the seedlings exceeded 67 kg S ha(-1) and 36 kg N ha(-1) (e.g. after two growing seasons' exposure of the pH 3 treatment). The increase was mainly due to an increase in needle dry weight (54-72% greater at pH 3) and root weight (20-65% greater at pH 3), whereas the height growth or shoot weight growth were less affected. The northern provenance pine seedlings responded more clearly to the pH 3 irrigation than the southern ones. The treatments had no consistent effects on any of the growth variables studied in the spruce seedlings, however. The pines had higher root and foliage Ca concentrations as a result of the acid irrigation, whereas in spruce, acid rain decreased the Ca concentration in needles and shoots. Root Mn and Fe concentrations were higher in both species as a result of the pH 3 treatment. A higher soil conductivity and Ca concentration resulted from the prolonged pH 3 treatment. The results strongly support the hypothesis that the long-term growth and nutrient allocation response of conifers to acid precipitation is dependent both on the tree species and on the nutritional status of the soil.     

斯里兰卡石墨的成因

<正> 石墨是斯里兰卡最重要的出口矿物原料之一,其纯度极高(99％以上),在伟晶岩和围岩中分别呈脉状和浸染薄片状产出。在这些石墨中,脉状石墨具有最重要意义,其质地也最优。现已知道,石墨的储量很大,矿床局限产于前寒武纪杂岩的高度变质的沉积岩中。虽然这些石墨矿床具有独特的性质,但对其成因目前还不十分清楚,对斯里兰卡石墨所进行的研究还很少。在最早的研究者中有D.N.Wadia(1943),他提出了关于石灰岩被紫苏花岗岩侵入而使岩浆内产生各种不同的氧化钙-硅酸盐和辉石以及碳呈气态或挥发态逸出的理论。G.Erdosh(1970)对斯里兰卡主     

造纸废弃物的厌氧处理

厌氧发酵法可将有机物质转化为高能量的沼气,其主要成分是甲烷和二氧化碳,此法可同时收到净化废水和产生沼气回收能源的双重效果。这些事实对于制浆造纸工业有巨大的利益,而制浆造纸工业在瑞     

用氯解和水热技术脱除Assam煤的硫

本文报导了利用氯解和水热技术,对含硫量为2.8%、3.23%和5.5%的 Assam 煤样脱硫研究的结果。在无水情况下完成氯解,继之用水在80℃下水解2小时,结果引起少量有机硫的脱除。改性机理解释了水在氯解过程中的作用。此外,还提出了在水热处理过程中有机硫脱除的机理。     

氟对人造花岗岩熔体密度的影响

用扫描热量计和膨胀计组合研究了含F人造花岗岩玻璃和液体的密度和热膨胀系数。4．55wt％F的加入（以F2O-1形式）使人造花岗岩液体（750℃）的密度由2．295±0．006g／cm3降至2．261±0．005g／cm3。随F2O-1的加入，液体（750℃）的膨胀系数由29．9±3．0×10－6／℃增高至53．1±1．4×10－6／℃。在人造花岗岩和F2O-1组分的基础上将密度转换成摩尔体积。750℃时这些熔体中的F2O-1的偏摩尔体积经计算是14．2±1．3cm3／mol．此值接近于硅酸盐熔体中几种组分的每个氧原子的摩尔体积。F和O具有相同的离子和共价半径，因此，假如阳离子的平衡配位数不产生附加影响的话，两个F置换一个O则可大致产生所预期的体积变化。这是从淬火熔体中得到的反对这些组成中存在Al的证据。F比B2O2能更有效地降低人造花岗质熔体的密度。本研究报道的F对密度的影响，对F2O-1在明显加速重力驱动富F岩浆体系中的晶体-熔体分异过程中对花岗质熔体粘度降低的影响是一个补充。