Pattern recognition of the movement tracks of medaka (Oryzias latipes) in response to sub-lethal treatments of an insecticide by using artificial neural networks

Specimens of medaka (Oryzias latipes) were observed continuously through an automatic image recognition system before and after treatments of an anti-cholinesterase insecticide, diazinon (0.1 mg/l), for 4 days in semi-natural conditions (2 days before treatment and 2 days after treatment). The "smooth" pattern was typically shown as a normal movement behavior, while the "shaking" pattern was frequently observed after treatments of diazinon. These smooth and shaking patterns were selected for training with an artificial neural network. Parameters characterizing the movement tracks, such as speed, degree of backward movements, stop duration, turning rate, meander, and maximum distance movements in the y-axis of 1-min duration, were given as input (six nodes) to a multi-layer perceptron with the back propagation algorithm. Binary information for the smooth and shaking patterns was separately given as the matching output (one node), while eight nodes were assigned to a single hidden layer. As new input data were given to the trained network, it was possible to recognize the smooth and shaking patterns of the new input data. Average recognition rates of the smooth pattern decreased significantly while those for the shaking pattern increased to a higher degree after treatments of diazinon. The trained network was able to reveal the difference in the shaking pattern in different light phases before treatments of diazinon. This study demonstrated that artificial neural networks could be useful for detecting the presence of toxic chemicals in the environment by serving as in-situ behavioral monitoring tools.     

US Army Chemical Corps Vietnam veterans health study: preliminary results

The long-term health consequences of exposure to phenoxyherbicides used in Vietnam has been a great concern to the veterans. In addition to the Air Force Ranch Hand personnel, Army Chemical Corps personnel who served in Vietnam are thought to have had some of the highest herbicide exposures. The Department of Veterans Affairs commenced a study of veterans who served in Vietnam as members of the Army Chemical Corps and a comparison cohort of Army Chemical Corps personnel who served elsewhere. A total of 2872 Vietnam veterans and 2737 non-Vietnam veterans who served in the Army Chemical Corps were identified for inclusion in a telephone health interview survey with a random 20% sample of veterans receiving serum dioxin and other congeners assessments. In a feasibility study which included 284 Vietnam veterans and 281 non-Vietnam veterans, 100 serum assessments were conducted of which 95 were included in the analysis. Vietnam veterans with a history of spraying herbicides were found to have a statistically significant elevation in their current serum 2,3,7,8-TCDD concentrations compared to non-Vietnam veterans without a spray history (P = 0.05). Other 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxins levels were comparable to the levels found in the non-Vietnam veterans. This feasibility study demonstrated that serum dioxin concentrations from a sample of the study participants can be used to identify exposure variables in the health survey that can serve as a surrogate measure of phenoxyherbicide exposure.     

Chemical composition of post-harvest biomass burning aerosols in Gwangju, Korea

The main objective of this study was to investigate the chemical characteristics of post-harvest biomass burning aerosols from field burning of barley straw in late spring and rice straw in late fall in rural areas of Korea. A 12-hr integrated intensive sampling of particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 microm (PM10) and PM with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 microm (PM2.5) biomass burning aerosols had been conducted continuously in Gwangju, Korea, during two biomass burning periods: June 4--15, 2001, and October 8--November 14, 2002. The fine and coarse particles of biomass burning aerosols were analyzed for mass and ionic, elemental, and carbonaceous species. The average fine and coarse mass concentrations of biomass burning aerosols were, respectively, 129.6 and 24.2 microg/m3 in June 2001 and 47.1 and 33.2 microg/m3 in October--November 2002. An exceptionally high PM2.5 concentration of 157.8 microg/m3 was observed during biomass burning events under stagnant atmospheric conditions. In the fine mode, chlorine and potassium were unusually rich because of the high content of semi-arid vegetation. Both organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon increased during the biomass burning periods, with the former exhibiting a higher abundance. PM from the open field burning of agricultural waste has an adverse impact on local air quality and regional climate.     

Long-term impact of PM2.5 mass and sulfur reductions on ultrafine particle trends in Boston,MA from 1999 to 2018

ABSTRACT

Ultrafine particles (UFPs) pose a human health risk as they can penetrate deep into the respiratory system. The Harvard supersite in Boston, MA provides one of the longest time series of UFP concentrations. This study examined the hypothesis that long-term reductions in PM_2.5 mass and sulfur have influenced UFP trends by limiting the ability of UFPs to coagulate onto the accumulation mode via polydisperse coagulation with larger particles. The study used Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) to assess whether changes in PM_2.5 mass and sulfur concentrations resulted in smaller than expected (assuming no change in PM_2.5 mass or sulfur) decreases in daily UFP trends over the 20-year period from 1999 to 2018. The impact of PM_2.5 mass and sulfur changes were represented as UFP penalties. Bootstrapping was applied to calculate standard errors for the different trend and penalty estimates. Results showed that PM_2.5 mass and sulfur concentrations declined significantly over the study period. The analysis found an estimated 7.3% (95% CI: 3.5, 11.1%) UFP penalty due to long-term PM_2.5 mass trends, and a 9.9% (95% CI: 6.2, 13.7%) UFP penalty due to long-term sulfur trends. Findings from this study suggest that future UFP control efforts should account for the role of PM_2.5 mass and sulfur changes.     

Chlorinated and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in riverine and estuarine sediments from Pearl River Delta, China

Spatial distribution of chlorinated hydrocarbons [chlorinated pesticides (CPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)] and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was measured in riverine and estuarine sediment samples from Pearl River Delta, China, collected in 1997. Concentrations of CPs of the riverine sediment samples range from 12 to 158 ng/g, dry weight, while those of PCBs range from 11 to 486 ng/g. The CPs concentrations of the estuarine sediment samples are in the range 6-1658 ng/g, while concentrations of PCBs are in the range 10-339 ng/g. Total PAH concentration ranges from 1168 to 21,329 ng/g in the riverine sediment samples, whereas the PAH concentration ranges from 323 to 14,812 ng/g in the sediment samples of the Estuary. Sediment samples of the Zhujiang River and Macao harbor around the Estuary show the highest concentrations of CPs, PCBs, and PAHs. Possible factors affecting the distribution patterns are also discussed based on the usage history of the chemicals, hydrologic condition, and land erosion due to urbanization processes. The composition of PAHs is investigated and used to assess petrogenic, combustion and naturally derived PAHs of the sediment samples of the Pearl River Delta. In addition, the concentrations of a number of organic compounds of the Pearl River Delta samples indicate that sediments of the Zhujiang river and Macao harbor are most likely to pose biological impairment.     

The styrene purification performance of biotrickling filter with toluene-styrene acclimatization under acidic conditions

The obvious disadvantages of biotrickling filters (BTFs) are the long start-up time and low removal efficiency (RE) when treating refractory hydrophobic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which limits its industrial application. It is worthwhile to investigate how to reduce the start-up period of the BTF for treating hydrophobic VOCs. Here, we present the first study to evaluate the strategy of toluene induction combined with toluene-styrene synchronous acclimatization during start-up in a laboratory-scale BTF inoculated with activated sludge for styrene removal, as well as the effects of styrene inlet concentration (0.279 to 2.659 g·m^?3), empty bed residence time (EBRT) (i.e., 136, 90, 68, 45, 34 sec), humidity (7.7% to 88.9%), and pH (i.e., 4, 3, 2.5, 2) on the performance of the BTF system. The experiments were carried out under acidic conditions (pH 4.5) to make fungi dominant in the BTF. The start-up period for styrene in the BTF was shortened to about 28 days. A maximum elimination capacity (EC_max) of 126 g·m^?3·hr^?1 with an RE of 80% was attained when styrene inlet loading rate (ILR) was below 180 g·m^?3·hr^?1. The highest styrene RE(s) [of BTF] that could be achieved were 95% and 93.4%, respectively, for humidity of 7.7% and at pH 2. A single dominant fungal strain was isolated and identified as Candida palmioleophila strain MA-M11 based on the 26S ribosomal RNA gene. Overall, the styrene induction with the toluene-styrene synchronous acclimatization could markedly reduce the start-up period and enhance the RE of styrene. The BTF dominated by fungi exhibited good performance under low pH and humidity and great potential in treating styrene with higher inlet concentrations.

Implications: The application of the toluene induction combined with toluene-styrene synchronous acclimatization demonstrated to be a promising approach for the highly efficient removal of styrene. The toluene induction can accelerate biofilm formation, and the adaptability of microorganisms to styrene can be improved rapidly by the toluene-styrene synchronous acclimatization. The integrated application of two technologies can shorten the start-up period of biotrickling filters markedly and promote its industrial application.     

厌氧平板膜生物反应器连续处理猪场废水研究

本研究以实际猪场废水为原料,在中温（37±1）℃条件下利用浸没式平板膜生物反应器进行180d连续厌氧发酵试验,以水力停留时间5,3和2d的梯度变化逐渐增加容积负荷,研究反应器运行性能,污泥比产甲烷活性,膜过滤特性和膜的清洗效果.试验结果表明,随水力停留时间的缩短,反应器的容积产沼气率分别达到0.68,1.03和1.12L/（L·d）,稳定运行期间出水的总挥发性脂肪酸分别为（169±41）mg/L,（15±3）mg/L和（114±45）mg/L,以乙酸为主.反应器中厌氧污泥的乙酸比产甲烷活性测试表明,以2000mg/L的乙酸为基质,HRT 3d时具有最大比产甲烷活性1.127g-COD/（g-VSS·d）.本试验发生膜污染的周期约4个月.采用2%的柠檬酸浸泡3h,可以恢复膜的过滤性能.在较低通量下,反应器中7~32g/L的污泥浓度并不会明显的影响平板膜的过滤性能.本研究结果显示,厌氧膜生物反应器有处理猪场废水的可能性.     

Performance and fouling mechanism of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) treating fermentation wastewater with high organic concentrations

In this study,direct contact membrane distillation(DCMD)was used for treating fermentation wastewater with high organic concentrations.DCMD performance characteristics including permeate flux,permeate water quality as well as membrane fouling were investigated systematically.Experimental results showed that,after 12 hr DCMD,the feed wastewater was concentrated by about a factor of 3.7 on a volumetric basis,with the permeate flux decreasing from the initial 8.7 L/m~2/hr to the final 4.3 L/m~2/hr due to membrane fouling;the protein concentration in the feed wastewater was increased by about 3.5 times and achieved a value of 6178 mg/L,which is suitable for reutilization.Although COD and TOC in permeate water increased continuously due to the transfer of volatile components from wastewater,organic rejection of over 95%was achieved in wastewater.GC–MS results suggested that the fermentation wastewater contained 128kinds of organics,in which 14 organics dominated.After 12 hr DCMD,not only volatile organics including trimethyl pyrazine,2-acetyl pyrrole,phenethyl alcohol and phenylacetic acid,but also non-volatile dibutyl phthalate was detected in permeate water due to membrane wetting.FT-IR and SEM–EDS results indicated that the deposits formed on the membrane inner surface mainly consisted of Ca,Mg,and amine,carboxylic acid and aromatic groups.The fouled membrane could be recovered,as most of the deposits could be removed using a HCl/Na OH chemical cleaning method.     

外部性视角下的节水灌溉技术补偿标准核算——基于选择实验法

合理的补偿标准是节水灌溉技术补偿政策的核心,也是促进农户技术采用的关键内容。论文以石羊河下游民勤县为例,通过选择实验调研和RPL（Random Parameters Logit）模型估计,量化了节水灌溉技术采用的外部效益,并结合特定技术与农户谈判能力讨论了兼顾公平与效率的补偿标准。结果表明：民勤县城乡居民均希望实施节水灌溉技术来改善生态环境,技术采用的外部效益约为1 052.25元/hm²;以膜下滴灌技术为例,合理的补偿标准应在789.15元/hm²左右。从现行政策看,过低的补贴标准难以保障农户切身利益,导致政策响应不足。据此建议,完善成本收益核算体系,将技术采用的外部效益纳入补偿标准的核算中,提升补偿政策的公平性,同时也要根据技术类型及其采用面积进行精准化补偿,保障资金有效利用。     

退耕还林工程与农业生态经济社会系统协同性研究——以安塞县为例

针对黄土丘陵区退耕还林工程与农业生态经济社会协同性研究滞后的现实,在构建退耕还林工程与农业生态经济社会协同性表征体系的基础上,通过建立耦合度模型分析了二者的协同性及相关问题,将退耕还林工程与农业生态经济社会系统协同关系划分为4个阶段：（Ⅰ）协作推进与发展阶段,（Ⅱ）相悖阶段,（Ⅲ）无序失衡阶段,（Ⅳ）抑制发展阶段。其中阶段Ⅲ只是理论结果,在实际政策约束和农户行为的影响下一般不会出现;而阶段Ⅱ和阶段Ⅳ可能会短期出现。以安塞县为例,系统分析了不同阶段协同性演变过程：1995—2014年,安塞县先后经历了相悖阶段和协作推进与发展阶段,目前处于协作推进与发展阶段的下降时期。基于此,需要进一步优化产业结构提高区域内资源的有效利用率,通过林种结构的合理布局,提高退耕林分质量,推进退耕还林工程与农业生态经济社会系统的协同发展。