Leafyeasts as indicators of air quality in Europe

Leafyeast populations were surveyed in 1987 and 1988 with the help of schoolchildren at 23 centres throughout Europe located at Brussels, Rochfort-Marche, Flobecq-Renaix and Tournai (Belgium); Aberdeen and Halifax (Britain); Lyon, Rouen and Toulouse (France); Hamburg, Koblenz and Stuttgart (Federal Republic of Germany); Banbridge, Belfast, Dublin and Enniskillen (Ireland); Hollenfels and Ettenbruck (Luxembourg); Apeldoorn, Deventer, Harlem, Leiderdorp and Zutphen (Netherlands). From one to one hundred schools were involved at each centre. The results demonstrate the suitability of leafyeasts for assessing air quality in both urban and rural areas of the non-Mediterranean countries of Europe. Low counts are associated with known pollution sources. As leafyeast populations change quite quickly, the effect of weather systems on the impact of pollution clouds from urban/industrial areas can be followed. Leafyeasts thus give information complementary to that from traditional biological monitors like lichens which provide an integrated picture of the pattern of air pollution over the months or years prior to study.     

Monitoring of iodinated X-ray contrast media in surface water

A monitoring programme was carried out in order to determine iodinated X-ray contrast media (ICM) in the River Danube and to investigate the raw water quality for drinking water production at Langenau waterworks. The study revealed that the maximum concentrations of ICM (over 500 ng l(-1) for diatrizoic acid and iopamidol) were found in 2h-composite samples taken from the downstream of the Ulm/Neu-Ulm metropolitan area. By means of a concentration profile over one month the highest ICM concentrations were observed on weekdays. The extended data evaluation with principal component analysis shows that the upstream and downstream samples had different pattern of variations in ICM concentration and also demonstrates a clear change in ICM composition by the discharge of municipal wastewater. In addition to load profiles of ICM, time-dependent plots of principal component 1 exhibited peaks, indicating a short-term discharge of ICM between the two sampling sites. In conclusion, a point source for ICM contamination between the sampling sites in Ulm upstream and Leipheim downstream seems to be the reasonable explanation for peak ICM concentrations. Due to the observed high variations of ICM concentrations in river, the evaluation of natural waters by means of a single analysis is not representative.     

Characterization of the Odor Properties of 101 Petrochemicals Using Sensory Methods

The absolute and recognition thresholds, odor index, quality, and hedonic tone of 101 petrochemical compounds have been determined using a trained panel and a laboratory method. The odor fountain method combines the features of accurate results, simplicity, reproducibility, and speed.     

Fluldized-Bed Combustion

The Fourth International Conference on Fluidized Bed Combustion (FBC) was held at The MITRE Corporation in McLean, VA, December 9 to 11, 1975. With attendees from Great Britain, West Germany, Japan, Canada, and Sweden, the conference apparently fulfilled its international scope and intent.

The objectives of the conference were to review the current state of technology in FBC, to promote technical information exchange on FBC and related areas, and to generate a useful technical information base for further FBC development. Throughout the conference, the goal of commercialization was repeatedly emphasized.

Sponsored by the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) and coordinated by MITRE, this meeting was the most comprehensive event in the seven year series of conferences on this subject according to attendees. ERDA, the government’s lead agency in FBC technology development, is the principal sponsor and coordinator of the National Fluidized Bed Combustion Program with the goal of advancing the commercialization time frame for FBC. Prior conferences in this series were hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at about two year intervals at Hueston Woods, Ohio. The last EPA conference was held in October 1972.     

Particle Size Distribution of Fumes Formed by Ferrosilicon Production

Fumes from a FeSi (75% Si) open submerged-arc furnace have been carefully collected on filters and the particle size distributions determined by optical, and transmission electron microscope methods. The sampling method, counting technique, and some of the theory for computing the results are briefly described.     

Indicator and probability kriging methods for delineating Cu, Fe, and Mn contamination in groundwater of Najafgarh Block, Delhi, India

Two non-parametric kriging methods such as indicator kriging and probability kriging were compared and used to estimate the probability of concentrations of Cu, Fe, and Mn higher than a threshold value in groundwater. In indicator kriging, experimental semivariogram values were fitted well in spherical model for Fe and Mn. Exponential model was found to be best for all the metals in probability kriging and for Cu in indicator kriging. The probability maps of all the metals exhibited an increasing risk of pollution over the entire study area. Probability kriging estimator incorporates the information about order relations which the indicator kriging does not, has improved the accuracy of estimating the probability of metal concentrations in groundwater being higher than a threshold value. Evaluation of these two spatial interpolation methods through mean error (ME), mean square error (MSE), kriged reduced mean error (KRME), and kriged reduced mean square error (KRMSE) showed 3.52% better performance of probability kriging over indicator kriging. The combined result of these two kriging method indicated that on an average 26.34%, 65.36%, and 99.55% area for Cu, Fe, and Mn, respectively, are coming under the risk zone with probability of exceedance from a cutoff value is 0.6 or more. The groundwater quality map pictorially represents groundwater zones as ??desirable?? or ??undesirable?? for drinking. Thus the geostatistical approach is very much helpful for the planners and decision makers to devise policy guidelines for efficient management of the groundwater resources so as to enhance groundwater recharge and minimize the pollution level.     

Optimization of hydrogen distribution systems with pressure constraints

Hydrogenation units are often operated at high pressure, requiring the use of compressors which are one of the most expensive chemical processing equipment. Optimizing a hydrogen network should therefore take into consideration not only purity and flowrate constraints but also pressure requirements. In this paper, based on the hydrogen surplus diagram approach, the average pressure profiles of hydrogen sources and sinks are proposed through the introduction of a system’s minimum pressure drop Δp. Combined with the traditional purity profiles, whether a source can meet a sink either for hydrogen concentration or for pressure requirements can be determined intuitively. In cases where the pressure of a source is not sufficient for a sink, installing a hydrogen compressor or using another source with higher purity and pressure could be potential solutions. A cost equation is established to determine which of the two solutions is economically more viable. For different matching situations between sources and sinks, strategies for optimum placement of compression equipment within a given hydrogen network are proposed. A case study is used to illustrate the application and effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Motorcycle safety among motorcycle taxi drivers and nonoccupational motorcyclists in developing countries: A case study of Maoming,South China

Objective: An increasing number of motorcycle taxis have been involved in traffic crashes in many developing countries. This study examines the characteristics of both motorcycle taxi drivers and nonoccupational motorcyclists, investigates the risks they pose to road safety, and provides recommendations to minimize their risks.

Methods: Based on the data collected from a questionnaire survey of 867 motorcycle taxi drivers and 2,029 nonoccupational motorcyclists in Maoming, South China, comparisons were made to analyze differences of personal attributes, attitudes toward road safety, and self-reported behavior of the 2 groups.

Results: Results of the chi-square tests show that not only motorcycle taxi drivers but also nonoccupational motorcyclists in Maoming held poor attitudes toward road safety and both groups reported unsafe driving behavior. There is much room for improving local road safety education among all motorcyclists in Maoming. Yet, motorcycle taxi drivers were more likely to pose road safety risks than nonoccupational motorcyclists under some circumstances, such as speeding late at night or early in the morning, not requiring passengers to wear helmets, and running a red light. The results of the binary logistic regression model show that possessing a vehicle license for a motorcycle or not was the common significant predictor for unsafe driving behavior of motorcycle taxi drivers and nonoccupational motorcyclists. Therefore, enforcement against all motorcyclists not showing vehicle licenses for their motorcycles should be stepped up.

Conclusion: Motorcycle safety is largely poor in Maoming. Therefore, efforts to improve motorcycle safety should be strengthened by targeting not only motorcycle taxi drivers but also nonoccupational motorcyclists.