A new approach to characterize biodegradation of organics by molecular mass distribution in landfill leachate

This study provides biodegradability of organics in leachate according to their molecular mass distributions (<0.5, 0.5 to 1, 1 to 3, 10, and >10 KDa). Organics with molecular mass values lower than 0.5 KDa were the predominant species in the raw leachate filtrate, and the aerated lagoon process was very effective in treating these highly biodegradable organics; the Fenton's oxidation process was very effective in treating not-so-biodegradable organics with molecular mass values higher than 0.5 KDa, but a portion of these organics were converted into organics <0.5 KDa after Fenton's oxidation. An oxygen uptake measurement using a respirometer was more sensitive than a conventional biochemical oxygen demand measurement to evaluate bioactivities, especially when bioactivities were low.     

Characterization of PM2.5 aerosols dominated by local pollution and Asian dust observed at an urban site in Korea during aerosol characterization experiments (ACE)--Asia Project

Daily fine particulate matter (PM2.5) samples were collected at Gwangju, Korea, during the Aerosol Characterization Experiments (ACE)-Asia Project to determine the chemical properties of PM2.5 originating from local pollution and Asian dust (AD) storms. During the study period, two significant events occurred on April 10-13 and 24-25, 2001, and a minor event occurred on April 19, 2001. Based on air mass transport pathways identified by back-trajectory calculation, the PM2.5 dataset was classified into three types of aerosol populations: local pollution and two AD aerosol types. The two AD types were transported along different pathways. One originated from Gobi desert area in Mongolia, passing through Hunshandake desert in Northern Inner Mongolia, urban and polluted regions of China (AD1), and the other originated in sandy deserts located in the Northeast Inner Mongolia Plateau and then flowed southward through the Korean peninsula (AD2). During the AD2 event, a smoke plume that originated in North Korea was transported to our study site. Mass balance closures show that crustal materials were the most significant species during both AD events, contributing -48% to the PM2.5 mass; sulfate aerosols (19.1%) and organic matter (OM; 24.6%) were the second greatest contributors during the AD1 and AD2 periods, respectively, indicating that aerosol properties were dependent on the transport pathway. The sulfate concentration constituted only 6.4% (4.5 microg/m3) of the AD2 PM2.5 mass. OM was the major chemical species in the local pollution-dominated PM2.5 aerosols, accounting for 28.7% of the measured PM2.5 mass, followed by sulfate (21.4%), nitrate (15%), ammonium (12.8%), elemental carbon (8.9%), and crustal material (6.5%). Together with substantial enhancement of the crustal elements (Mg, Al, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, Mn, Fe, Sr, Zr, Ba, and Ce), higher concentrations of pollution elements (S, V, Ni, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) were observed during AD1 and AD2 than during the local pollution period, indicating that, in addition to crustal material, the AD dust storms also had a significant influence on anthropogenic elements.     

Magnetic resonance image findings of placental lake: report of two cases

Two cases with a large cystic mass within the placenta are reported. By ultrasonography, it was found that both women had a subchorionic hypoechoic lesion (11.0 × 4.8 × 4.0 cm and 6.6 × 3.7 × 2.2 cm, respectively) at 24 and 35 weeks of gestation, respectively. In both cases, turbulent blood flow generated by a pulsatile jet flow (pulse rate; 40 to 60 beats per minute) into the cystic lesion seen on real-time imaging and lesions being low intensity on T1-weighted and isointensity on T2-weighted magnetic resonance image suggested that they contained fresh maternal blood. In both cases, the sonolucency of the lesions did not change until cesarean deliveries of females, both of whom were small-for-gestational-age infants (1940 g at 37 weeks and 2195 g at 37 weeks, respectively). Biochemical analysis of the fluid in the cystic lesion sampled during the cesarean section in the latter case confirmed that the fluid had originated from the maternal blood. These lesions histologically corresponded to large avillous areas surrounded by normal villi. Thus, a huge placental lake was diagnosed in both cases. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of arsenic species on the growth and arsenic accumulation in Cucumis sativus

The effects of arsenic (As) species, such as As(III), As(V) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), on the accumulation of As in cucumber (Cucumis sativus), as well as on its growth in a soil mesocosm were evaluated. When Cucumis sativus was cultivated in soils contaminated with 20 and 50 mg/kg of As(III), As(V) or DMA for 40 days, the growth was markedly inhibited by the inorganic As (As(III) and As(V)) rather than the organic As (DMA). Irrespective of the As species, the As concentrations accumulated in Cucumis sativus increased with increasing As concentration in the soil. The As bioaccumulation factors from soil into the tissue of Cucumis sativus were 17.5-35.4, 29.3-42.7 and 17.6-25.7 for As(III), As(V) and DMA, respectively. In addition, the As translocation factors from the roots to shoots were 0.025-0.031, 0.018-0.032 and 0.014-0.026 for As(III), As(V) and DMA, respectively. In conclusion, Cucumis sativus mainly accumulated As in its roots rather than its shoots and easily accumulated inorganic rather than organic As from the soil into its tissue.     

Competing hypotheses analyses of the associations between group task conflict and group relationship conflict

Although previous research have reported strong and positive intercorrelations between group task conflict and group relationship conflict, several different theoretical rationales exist for the positive link and the empirical literature remains equivocal. To clarify the causal linkage between the two types of conflict, we derived seven models specifying how group task and relationship conflict can be related to each other, including some rival explanations. We tested the competing models using a longitudinal panel design, with data collected from 74 project teams comprising a total of 388 students. The results indicated that relationship conflict led to an increased subsequent task conflict through negative group affect. Task conflict, however, predicted a subsequent relationship conflict under a specific context, that is, groups that had lower levels of trust among the members. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterization of pore scale NAPL morphology in homogeneous sands as a function of grain size and NAPL dissolution

In this study, we investigate pore scale morphology of nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) trapped in different pore sizes using tracer techniques. Specific interfacial area and saturation of NAPL trapped in homogeneous sands were measured using the interfacial and partitioning tracer techniques. The observed NAPL-water interfacial areas increased in a log-linear fashion with decreasing sand grain size, but showed no clear trend with residual NAPL saturation formed in the various grain sizes. The measured values were used to calculate the NAPL morphology index, which characterizes the spatial NAPL distribution within the pore space. The NAPL morphology indices, increased exponentially with decreasing grain size, indicating that the NAPL becomes smaller, but more blobs. For a fixed grain size, the specific interfacial area and saturation of the NAPL were measured following changes caused by dissolution using alcohol. The observed interfacial areas showed a decrease linearly as a function of the NAPL saturation.     

Synthesis of Harvard Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Center studies on traffic-related particulate pollution and cardiovascular outcomes in the Greater Boston Area

The association between particulate pollution and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is well established. While the cardiovascular effects of nationally regulated criteria pollutants (e.g., fine particulate matter [PM_2.5] and nitrogen dioxide) have been well documented, there are fewer studies on particulate pollutants that are more specific for traffic, such as black carbon (BC) and particle number (PN). In this paper, we synthesized studies conducted in the Greater Boston Area on cardiovascular health effects of traffic exposure, specifically defined by BC or PN exposure or proximity to major roadways. Large cohort studies demonstrate that exposure to traffic-related particles adversely affect cardiac autonomic function, increase systemic cytokine-mediated inflammation and pro-thrombotic activity, and elevate the risk of hypertension and ischemic stroke. Key patterns emerged when directly comparing studies with overlapping exposure metrics and population cohorts. Most notably, cardiovascular risk estimates of PN and BC exposures were larger in magnitude or more often statistically significant compared to those of PM_2.5 exposures. Across multiple exposure metrics (e.g., short-term vs. long-term; observed vs. modeled) and different population cohorts (e.g., elderly, individuals with co-morbidities, young healthy individuals), there is compelling evidence that BC and PN represent traffic-related particles that are especially harmful to cardiovascular health. Further research is needed to validate these findings in other geographic locations, characterize exposure errors associated with using monitored and modeled traffic pollutant levels, and elucidate pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular effects of traffic-related particulate pollutants.

Implications: Traffic emissions are an important source of particles harmful to cardiovascular health. Traffic-related particles, specifically BC and PN, adversely affect cardiac autonomic function, increase systemic inflammation and thrombotic activity, elevate BP, and increase the risk of ischemic stroke. There is evidence that BC and PN are associated with greater cardiovascular risk compared to PM_2.5. Further research is needed to elucidate other health effects of traffic-related particles and assess the feasibility of regulating BC and PN or their regional and local sources.