Numerical modeling of tracer transport in a contact tank

Chlorine is extensively used to disinfect the drinking water supply. However, the inefficient use of chlorine as a disinfectant can result in the formation of chemical compounds which can have adverse health effects. Numerical models are increasingly being used in the design of efficient chlorine contact tanks. In this paper, details are given of the application of a two-dimensional semi-time-centred implicit QUICK scheme to model the transport of a tracer in a scaled physical model of a serpentine chlorine contact disinfection tank. The model is shown to give good agreement with laboratory measurements in the compartments of the tank where the flow is relatively uniform over the depth.     

典型树种挥发性有机物(VOCs)排放成分谱及排放特征

为研究典型树种的挥发性有机物（VOCs）排放特征,并获得基础排放速率,应用动态封闭式采样系统对毛果杨、北美枫香和马尾松的排放进行了实验室测量.利用热脱附-气相色谱-飞行质谱仪对排放样品进行定性和定量分析,包括异戊二烯、单萜烯、倍半萜烯、烷烃和烯烃,计算获得各树种VOCs排放速率及其排放谱特征.研究表明：毛果杨、北美枫香和马尾松的总VOCs排放速率分别为19.51、17.19和0.67μg/（g·h）.毛果杨的异戊二烯排放最高（18.51μg/（g·h））,占其总排放的94.86%;马尾松排放的异戊二烯仅占4.03%,单萜烯贡献最高,为49.09%;北美枫香的单萜烯排放速率最高,为0.84μg/（g·h）;3个树种排放的倍半萜烯占各自VOCs总排放的比重均较小（<1.5%）;各树种的烷烃排放强度高于倍半萜烯,部分化合物甚至高于异戊二烯和单萜烯的排放强度.反式-β-罗勒烯是毛果杨排放最多的单萜烯化合物,占其单萜烯总排放的99.84%;北美枫香排放的单萜烯主要以香桧烯和β-蒎烯为主;马尾松以α-蒎烯、香桧烯和β-蒎烯为主.石竹烯、葎草烯、δ-杜松烯和β-愈创木烯是主要的倍半萜烯物种.烷烃排放主要为C4和C5的化合物,特别是异丁烷和正丁烷;各树种排放的烯烃中,1-丁烯排放占比最高.     

Estimating expected value of information using Bayesian belief networks: a case study in fish consumption advisory

A recent international collaborative effort was directed at quantifying the risks and benefits of fish consumption. A nonparametric continuous–discrete Bayesian belief network was constructed to support these calculations. The same Bayesian belief network has enabled calculation of the expected benefits of further research directed at shrinking the uncertainties and prioritization of possible research efforts.     

Tracking progress on the economic costs of disasters under the indicators of the sustainable development goals

The Sustainable Development Goals indicator framework identifies as an indicator of progress the objective of reducing disaster losses as a proportion of global gross domestic product. This short analysis presents data on this indicator from 1990. In constant 2017 US dollars, both weather-related and non-weather related catastrophe losses have increased, with a 74% increase in the former and 182% increase in the latter since 1990. However, since 1990 both overall and weather/climate losses have decreased as proportion of global GDP, indicating progress with respect to the SDG indicator. Extending this trend into the future will require vigilance to exposure, vulnerability and resilience in the face of uncertainty about the future frequency and magnitude of extreme events.     

Pervaporation of ethanol produced from banana waste

Banana waste has the potential to produce ethanol with a low-cost and sustainable production method. The present work seeks to evaluate the separation of ethanol produced from banana waste (rejected fruit) using pervaporation with different operating conditions. Tests were carried out with model solutions and broth with commercial hollow hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane membranes. It was observed that pervaporation performance for ethanol/water binary mixtures was strongly dependent on the feed concentration and operating temperature with ethanol concentrations of 1–10%; that an increase of feed flow rate can enhance the permeation rate of ethanol with the water remaining at almost the same value; that water and ethanol fluxes was increased with the temperature increase; and that the higher effect in flux increase was observed when the vapor pressure in the permeate stream was close to the ethanol vapor pressure. Better results were obtained with fermentation broth than with model solutions, indicated by the permeance and membrane selectivity. This could be attributed to by-products present in the multicomponent mixtures, facilitating the ethanol permeability. By-products analyses show that the presence of lactic acid increased the hydrophilicity of the membrane. Based on this, we believe that pervaporation with hollow membrane of ethanol produced from banana waste is indeed a technology with the potential to be applied.     

Modeling effects of a tidal barrage on water quality indicator distribution in the Severn Estuary

In this study, emphasis has focused on assessing the potential hydro-environmental impacts of a barrage across the Severn Estuary, with a numerical model being developed and applied to the estuary to assess the impacts of proposed Severn Barrage on the hydrodynamic, sediment transport and faecal indicator organism distribution within the estuary. The results show that the Severn Barrage has the potential to reduce the tidal currents in a highly dynamic estuary. This leads to the reduction of suspended sediment concentrations, which in turn affects the bacterial transport processes which is highly related to the sediment transport processes.     

De Novo terpenoid biosynthesis by the dendronotid nudibranch Melibe leonina

Summary. Stable isotope feeding studies using [1,2-¹³C₂]-sodium acetate have demonstrated that 2,6-dimethyl-5-heptenal (1), a putative defensive allomone, is made by the Dendronotid nudibranch Melibe leonina via de novo biosynthesis.