Amniocentesis rate and the detection of down syndrome and other chromosomal anomalies in Israel

We investigated the contribution of different screening criteria to the prenatal detection of Down syndrome (DS) as well as other chromosomal anomalies in the Jewish population in Israel during 1990 and 1992. There was a significant decrease (P<0·03) in the incidence of DS live-births during 1992 (40:78 442) compared with 1990 (69:73 751) which paralleled a marked increase in total prenatal testing and in DS cases detected prenatally. Private laboratories, which perform amniocenteses mostly for women with a low risk of DS and without genetic counselling, had a significantly lower detection rate (1:917) compared with that of the genetic institutes, which following genetic counselling test both women ≥ 37 years of age (1:91) and women younger than 37 years (1:113). The detection of chromosomal anomalies other than DS was less affected by the reason for amniocentesis. Amniocentesis indicated by maternal serum marker screening of women younger than 37 years identified a greater number of chromosomal anomalies other than DS than amniocentesis based on age (≥37 years) alone (111:9604 versus 94:9810; P<0·06). Prenatal detection of DS is most effective when the indication for amniocentesis follows genetic counselling. The increasing use of maternal serum marker screening leads to a significant improvement in the positive detection rate of chromosomal anomalies other than DS in young women.     

Uptake of bromacil by isolated barley roots

A study of bromacil uptake by excised barley (Hordeum vulgare) roots was used to evaluate this procedure as a tool to learn the uptake characteristics of toxic organic chemicals. Bromacil uptake was shown to be a passive process with an uptake rate (at 0.8 mg l^-1) of 0.64 μg bromacil g^-1 fresh root hr^-1. A Q₁₀ for the process was determined to be 1.5 and living roots were required for bromacil uptake. This procedure was judged to be a quick and inexpensive method to screen plant uptake of toxic chemicals.     

Residential satisfaction in council housing

Planners' and architects' knowledge of the needs of users as well as their perceptions of the residential environment, has been commented on in many studies dealing with residential satisfaction. In this study—based on primary research in an area of council housing in Madrid—the main goal is the study of objective and subjective factors, on both physical and social levels, which influence council housing residents' satisfaction. A sample of 447 housewives responded to a questionaire, a multiple regression analysis of which showed that attachment to the neighbourhood and relationships with neighbours explained the greatest variance in residential satisfaction. Some methodological issues about the measurement of residential satisfaction are also discussed.     

生态公益林建设管理的环境经济政策分析--以广州市为例

根据环境经济学的外部性理论 ,生态公益林建设管理具有外部经济性。使生态公益林建设管理外部性内部化的主要手段是“调节市场”型的环境经济政策 ,即由政府向公众征收生态公益林建设管理费用 ,而“建立市场”型的环境经济政策———明晰生态公益林的产权、承包经营权 ,则是生态公益林建设管理外部性内部化和生态公益林有效管理的需要。广州市生态公益林建设管理中存在的建设管理资金不足、林地的使用权分散、对林农补偿的数量难以确定等问题 ,有待于上述两种环境经济政策来解决     

Monitoring trihalomethanes in water by differential ultraviolet spectroscopy

Ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy is a valid surrogate for monitoring the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs). Sodium thiosulphate is commonly used to remove disinfectant residual. However, it produces interferences with absorbance in the UV region. Relationship between trihalomethane (THM) formation and differential UV absorbance (−ΔA _λ ) was explored in the presence of sodium thiosulphate. Chlorination of two synthetic and five natural waters was carried out. Sodium thiosulphate showed high UV absorption at 254 nm. This effect can be overcome selecting a higher wavelength. Optimum wavelength varied being about 290 nm for fulvic acid and 300 nm for humic acid type natural organic matter. Correlation between THMs formation and −ΔA _λ was linear for all the analysed samples. Regression curves do not pass through zero indicating the existence of a threshold absorbance decreasment. Once it is surpassed THM release begins. Chlorination of surface waters showed that the presence of bromide significantly increases THMs vs. −ΔA _λ slope. Furthermore, slope decreased with the aromaticity–hydrophobicity of organic matter.     

澄江县阳宗镇生态环境治理对策研究

分析了阳宗镇的生态环境状况和存在的问题，提出了阳宗镇生态治理的对策措施。     

Transport of coliphage PRD1 in a surface flow constructed wetland.

A tracer study was conducted in a 3-ha surface flow constructed wetland to analyze transport performance of PRD1, an enteric virus model. The convection-dispersion equation (CDE), including a first-order reaction model, adequately simulated transport performance of PRD1 in the wetland under an average hydraulic loading rate of 82 mm/d. Convective velocity (v) and longitudinal dispersion coefficient (D) were estimated by modeling a conservative tracer (bromide) pulse through the wetland. Both PRD1 and bromide were simultaneously added to the entering secondary treated wastewater effluent. The mass of bromide and PRD1 recovered was 76 and 16%, respectively. The PRD1 decay rate was calculated to be 0.3/day. The findings of this study suggest that the CDE model and analytical moment equations represent a suitable option to characterize virus transport performance in surface flow constructed wetlands.     

盘式曝气器的结构优化设计

盘式曝气器是目前城市污水处理厂主要采用的曝气设备之一。但目前盘式曝气器存在充氧能力低、阻力损失大、使用寿命短等技术问题，增加了城市污水处理厂运行成本，降低了运行效能。针对这些问题，对盘式曝气器进行了结构优化设计。通过结构优化，既改善了曝气器的抗撕裂性和自闭性，同时叉提高了充氧能力，降低了曝气阻力损失。