Reproducibility of the HI-VOL Sampling Method Under Field Conditions

Pairs of standard NASN Hi-Vol suspended particulate samplers were operated biweekly at 25 stations (22 urban, 3 nonurban) from August to December 1969 to determine the comparability of paired samples collected under field conditions. The average of each pair of concentration values is taken as the best estimate of the true value; half the difference between each pair of sample values represents the deviation of the pair from that true value. A cumulative distribution of the individual percent deviations from the corresponding true values shows that half the measurements differ from their true value by less than ±4.5%. 90% of the measurements differ from the true value by less than ± 14%.     

Statistical Comparisons between Teleradiometer-Derived and Slide-Derived Visibility Parameters

An automated scanning densitometer system developed to estimate visibility-related parameters from photographic slides was tested in comparison to similar teleradiometric measurements. Parameters such as target-sky contrast, visual range, atmospheric light extinction coefficient, and plume and layered contrast can be estimated using this system; however, only target-sky radiance ratios and standard visual ranges were compared. More than 1600 concurrent densitometer and teleradiometer data pairs from eight National Park Service air quality and visibility monitoring locations in the western United States were analyzed using the techniques of correlation, linear regression, average bias and difference calculation, and cumulative frequency distribution generation. Correlation coefficients were good, especially with middle-range camera vistas around 50 km distant. Regression slopes approached unity with intercepts near zero. Average bias introduced into the determination of radiance ratios from slides ranged from near zero to 6 percent, depending on target distance. Standard visual range data distributions compared favorably at the low end with some minor differences at the high end.     

Effects of a zeolite-selective catalytic reduction system on comprehensive emissions from a heavy-duty diesel engine

The effects of a zeolite urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) aftertreatment system on a comprehensive spectrum of chemical species from diesel engine emissions were investigated in this study. Representative samples were collected with a newly developed source dilution sampling system after an aging process designed to simulate atmospheric dilution and cooling conditions. Samples were analyzed with established procedures and compared between the measurements taken from a baseline heavy-duty diesel engine and also from the same engine equipped with the exhaust aftertreatment system. The results have shown significant reductions for nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and organic carbon (OC) emissions. Additionally, less significant yet notable reductions were observed for particulate matter mass and metals emissions. Furthermore, the production of new species was not observed with the addition of the zeolite urea-SCR system joined with a downstream oxidation catalyst.     

Bristle-like integumentary structures at the tail of the horned dinosaur Psittacosaurus

A specimen of the horned dinosaur Psittacosaurus from the early Cretaceous of China is described in which the integument is extraordinarily well-preserved. Most unusual is the presence of long bristle-like structures on the proximal part of tail. We interpret these structures as cylindrical and possibly tubular epidermal structures that were anchored deeply in the skin. They might have been used in display behavior and especially if one assumes that they were colored, they may have had a signal function. At present, there is no convincing evidence which shows these structures to be homologous to the structurally different integumentary filaments of theropod dinosaurs. Independent of their homology, however, the discovery of bristle-like structures in Psittacosaurus is of great evolutionary significance since it shows that the integumentary covering of at least some dinosaurs was much more complex than has ever been previously imagined.     

LAND USE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING: AN APPLICATION IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA COASTAL ZONE1

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this paper is to describe a land use and environmental planning model. Map overlays were used for analyzing and aggregating economic, social, and environmental data. Various land use categories were evaluated using a numerical scoring system. These scores were then used to assist in the development of land use regulations in a coastal county in South Carolina.     

Decrease in water-soluble 17beta-Estradiol and testosterone in composted poultry manure with time

Little attention has been paid to the environmental fate of the hormones 17beta-estradiol and testosterone excreted in animal waste. Land application of manure has a considerable potential to affect the environment with these endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). Composting is known to decompose organic matter to a stable, humus-like material. The goal of the present study was to quantitatively assess levels of water-soluble 17beta-estradiol and testosterone in composting chicken manure with time. Chicken layer manure was mixed with hay, straw, decomposed leaves, and starter compost, adjusted to approximately 60% moisture, and placed into a windrow. A clay-amended windrow was also prepared. Windrows were turned weekly, and temperature, oxygen, and CO(2) in the composting mass were monitored for either 133 or 139 d. Commercial enzyme immunoassay kits were used to quantitate the levels of 17beta-estradiol and testosterone in aqueous sample extracts. Water-soluble quantities of both hormones diminished during composting. The decrease in 17beta-estradiol followed first-order kinetics, with a rate constant k = -0.010/d. Testosterone levels declined at a slightly higher rate than 17beta-estradiol (i.e., k = -0.015/d). Both hormones could still be measured in aqueous extracts of compost sampled at the conclusion of composting. The decline in water-soluble 17beta-estradiol and testosterone in extracts of clay-amended compost was not statistically different from normal compost. These data suggest that composting may be an environmentally friendly technology suitable for reducing, but not eliminating, the concentrations of these endocrine disrupting hormones at concentrated animal operation facilities.     

Community Sustainability Auditing

This paper presents a method for assessing a community's sustainability prospects at a point in time. It argues that an improved methodology is needed to support the development of local area indicators. The method presented is community sustainability auditing. The ethical, conservative, competitive and co-operative aspects of sustainability are emphasized.The method uses an indicator approach within a protocol loosely inspired by International Standards Organization procedures. This involves the development of a set of questions for audit purposes, definition of indicators, analysis of the indicators in the light of the questions and a report summarizing a community's sustainability prospects.