Serum PAPP-A measurements in first-trimester screening for Down syndrome

Serum PAPP-A measurements taken from 254 women in the first trimester are reported. Eleven chromosomal abnormalities were detected. The mean serum PAPP-A levels in cases of Down syndrome were 0.44 MOM at 9 weeks gestation, 0.15 MOM at 10 weeks, and 0.29 MOM at 11 weeks. The PAPP-A level at 10 weeks was below those of pregnancies which aborted spontaneously. At 11 weeks, the pregnancies with Down syndrome recorded the lowest PAPP-A levels at that gestation. On this small sample, offering chorionic villus sampling to women with singleton pregnancies and a PAPP-A level below 0.3 MOM (approximately 6.5 per cent of this at-risk group) would have detected all the Down syndrome fetuses at 10 weeks and 50 per cent at 11 weeks without selecting those cases destined to abort. This suggests that serum PAPP-A should continue to be investigated as a potential first-trimester screening test for Down syndrome.     

Petroleum waste biodegradation with porous biomass support system (PBSS) on rotating biological contactor

A laboratory scale study was conducted to assess the feasibility of the new coupling of rotating biological contactor (RBC) plus porous biomass support system (PBSS) using polyurethane foam as porous support media to biodegrade petroleum refinery wastewater. Polyurethane foam was attached on disks of two four-stage laboratory scale cascade connected RBC units.The two RBC units were operated simultaneously at different but constant, flowrates giving hydraulic loading rates of 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 m3/m2/d in two runs keeping the same rotational speed 10 r/min throughout. Organic loading was a less controllable factor in this study.For all of the hydraulic loadings, it was found that the removal efficiency of total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) and oil were above 80 percent. Ammonia nitrogen and phenol removal were above 90 and 80 percent respectively. The maximum biomass concentration within polyurethane foam was about 30 g/m2 in the first stage for 0.03 m3/m2/d hydraulic loading.The results show that t     

Status of air pollution in Beijing

A study has been made on elements organic constituents, TSP, SO2,NO2 of atmospheric pollutants in Beijing. 17 elements, and some PAHs, e. g. B(a)P, B(b, j, k)P, and B(g, h, i)P, in airborne particles by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and HPLC, GC/MS, have been determined respectively. It has been shown that the elements Pb, Zn, S and Cu were more enriched in fine particles and different valence states of sulfur at various sites. It was found that the concentrations of S6+ and S2-were more than 85% and less than 15% of the total sulfur respectively. Concentrations of major PAHs and sulfur-containing compounds increased in winter and in urban area. High values for Pb and Zn in city, Fe and Mn at industrial area and Cu, Al rural sites were obtained respectively. This implies the functions of different elemental sources of various sites. Thus, elements can be from distingushed anthropogenic and natural sources.The main contribution of SO2 was found of to have same seasonal variation as the anthropogenic el     

阳极材料对医院污水电化学消毒处理效果的研究

分析了三维电极法处理医院污水的影响因素，探讨了阳极材料、电流密度．水力停留时间、空气流量、极水比等因素对消毒效果的影响，确定在不加化学药剂、不影响水质和低耗能条件下电化学消毒试验的最佳使用条件。结果表明，在用涂有贵金属（钌、铂、铱）氧化物的钛板作阳极，不锈钢板作阴极，电流密度为6mA／cm^2、水力停留时间为15min、空气流量为40L／h、极水比为1．0的试验条件下，消毒后污水中总大肠菌群数〈500CFU／L。电化学法消毒处理医院污水方法简单有效、运行费用低，无二次污染．处理后的污水达到国家一级排放标准（GB8978—1996）。     

泡沫分离--臭氧消毒装置的水处理效果研究

对闭合循环水产养殖系统中泡沫分离—臭氧消毒装置及泡沫分离装置的水处理效果进行研究。结果表明,泡沫分离—臭氧消毒装置对养殖水体中异养细菌去除率为93.58％,NH_4~ -N、NO_2~--N去除率分别为39.00％、38.10％,能明显提高水体pH和DO,对COD的去除效果不明显;连续运行24h,能有效控制养殖水体中的NO_2~--N浓度和异养细菌数量。泡沫分离装置出水口比进水口的NH_4~ -N、NO_2~--N和COD分别降低42.45％、24.71％、11.00％,能明显提高出水pH和DO;连续运行24h,对养殖系统中的NH_4~ -N和NO_2~--N有一定的处理效果。