Lagrangian dispersion modeling of vehicular emissions from a highway in complex terrain

Transit traffic through the Austrian Alps is of major concern in government policy. Pollutant burdens resulting from such traffic are discussed widely in Austrian politics and have already led to measures to restrict traffic on transit routes. In the course of an environmental assessment study, comprehensive measurements were performed. These included air quality observations using passive samplers, a differential optical absorption spectroscopy system, a mobile and a fixed air quality monitoring station, and meteorological observations. As was evident from several previous studies, dispersion modeling in such areas of complex terrain and, moreover, with frequent calm wind conditions, is difficult to handle. Further, in the case presented here, different pollutant sources had to be treated simultaneously (e.g., road networks, exhaust chimneys from road tunnels, and road tunnel portals). No appropriate system for modeling all these factors has so far appeared in the literature. A prognostic wind field model coupled with a Lagrangian dispersion model is thus presented here and is designed to treat all these factors. A comparison of the modeling system with results from passive samplers and from a fixed air quality monitoring station proved the ability of the model to provide reasonable figures for concentration distributions along the A10.     

Modelling of Air Quality with CAMx: A Case Study in Switzerland

The three-dimensional Eulerian model CAMx (Comprehensive Air QualityModel with Extensions) was applied for the first time to simulate bothgaseous and particulate photochemical air pollution in Switzerland during July 28–30, 1993. The meteorological input data were prepared using the Systems Applications International Mesoscale Model (SAIMM). The CAMx model results were compared with the measurements carried out at ground level andfrom airborne measuring platforms within the frame of the Swiss POLLUMET research programme. In general, the CAMx performance for gaseous species wasfound to be better than that of the previously used Urban Airshed Model (UAM)and the Variable Grid Urban Airshed Model (UAM-V). The most significant improvement for the gaseous species is in the prediction of HNO₃ concentrations, due to the inclusion of aerosol chemistry. Aerosol species such as NO₃ ^-, NH₄ ⁺, SO₄ ^2-, and secondary organic aerosols were calculated in one particle size range (0.04–2.5 m) and compared with a few measurements available. Although July 29 was reasonably well simulated, overestimated wind speeds by SAIMM for July 30 caused a too fast transport of pollutants. Similarly to measurements, significant spatial correlation of the secondarily formed aerosols with ozone and formaldehyde is found in the afternoon.     

Thermal constraints on prey-capture behavior of a burrowing spider in a hot environment

Summary Seothyra henscheli (Eresidae) is a burrowing spider that lives in the dune sea of the southern Namib Desert, Namibia. Prey capture by these spiders involves a foray from a cool subterranean retreat to the undersurface of a capture web that can be lethally hot. Striking, disentangling and retrieving prey from the capture web typically involves several short trips to the capture web, alternating with retreats to the cool burrow. It has been suggested that this behavior limits the increase of body temperature a spider must experience while working at the hot capture web. We used biophysical models in conjunction with direct observations of prey-capture behavior and distributions of sand temperature to estimate body temperatures experienced by S. henscheli during prey capture. In the circumstances we observed, only the relatively long post-strike retreat from the capture web is important in keeping spiders' body temperatures from exceeding their lethal limits. After the post-strike retreat, shuttling appreciably limits the increase in body temperature of small individuals, but may have little effect on body temperature increase in larger spiders. Correspondence to: J.S. Turner at the present address     

The theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) as option generation tool within cleaner production projects

Cleaner Production is an organized approach to minimize industrial waste and emissions by increasing the efficiency of the use of materials and energy. It is propagated especially by UNIDO and UNEP as an approach to identify preventive measures to cut on waste and emissions from industrial activities. Case studies conducted by the authors in the last 10 years demonstrate, that in a number of cases water consumption per production unit of industries from the surface treatment sector, from food processing and from the textile industry could be reduced by 30–90%, auxiliary materials consumption could be reduced by 30–50%, and energy consumption of processes could be reduced by 15–25%. All these measures were actually economically beneficial for the companies, most of these measures paid back in less than one year [1].The standard approach to apply Cleaner Production originates from chemical engineering. It follows the steps of: Drawing a process flow sheet – collecting input/output data – doing mass and energy balances – identify sources for waste and emissions – set priorities – identify options. In the process of option generation one generally relies on expert knowledge or on checklists which are available in different manuals or in the best available technology reference (BREF) notes.¹ This approach is strong with teams with an (chemical) engineering background.The authors wanted to develop a generic approach for option identification especially for teams with little formal engineering background or teams which have to go beyond their professional experience by using elements of the so-called TRIZ method (Theory of inventive problem solving, or originally Russian: “

” (Teoria reschenija isobretatjelskich sadatsch)). TRIZ offers very strong tools for developing process improvement options on a generic level without specific technological knowledge about the process which shall be improved. The authors have found from their research that especially the concept of the Ideal Final Result, and the Laws of Evolution form a conceptual framework which can aid effectively in the identification of improvement options in a systematic way.     

Bees use three-dimensional information to improve target detection

Bumblebee detection of a flat circular disc (two-dimensional (2D) presentation) and a disc which was presented 10 cm in front of a structured background (and thus provided three-dimensional (3D) cues) was compared. A dual choice test using a Y-maze apparatus was conducted to estimate the minimum visual angle at which the bees were able to detect the disc. At large visual angles of 15, 10 and 5° bees’ performance between the 2D and the 3D presentation did not differ. However, when the disc subtended 3° at the bee’s eye, the bees performed significantly better when 3D information was available. Overall, bees were able to detect a target subtending a 40% smaller visual angle when it was presented in front of the structured background compared to a 2D presentation. This suggests that previous reports on the limits of target detection in bees using flat stimuli might have underestimated the bees’ ability to locate small flowers under natural conditions. Bees use motion parallax, i.e. the apparent relative motion of a stationary object against a background, for perceiving the third dimension. Our data suggest that bumblebees can integrate information from at least two types of feature detectors, motion and area, to improve single target detection.     

Provenancing of archeological pumice finds from North Sinai

Seven pumice samples from excavations in North Sinai have been investigated with respect to their geochemical composition. This type of volcanic rock has been used as an abrasive and thus has been an object of trade since antiquity. With the help of Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis, six of these Bronze Age samples could be correlated to their volcanic sources on the islands of Santorini, Nisyros and Giali (Greece) using the typical element concentrations (“chemical fingerprint”). The source of one pumice sample remains unidentified excluding, however, the Santorini eruption as a possible source. The concluding section of this article discusses the possible contribution, however indirect, of the pumice from Sinai and elsewhere in the Eastern Mediterranean to the controversial issue of the accurate date of the “Minoan” eruption of Santorini.     

Evaluation of old landfills--a thermoanalytical and spectroscopic approach

Abandoned landfills and dumps, where untreated waste materials were deposited in the past, are a main anthropogenic source of relevant gaseous emissions. The determination of stability is a crucial target in the context of landfill risk assessment. FTIR spectroscopy and simultaneous thermal analysis in association with multivariate statistical methods were applied to landfill materials in order to get information on the kind of waste and its reactivity. The spectral and thermal patterns are fingerprints of the material. Industrial waste and the material from a 5-year-old reactor landfill were distinguished from the defined classes of mechanically-biologically treated ("MBT") waste and 30 to 40-year-old stable landfills containing municipal solid waste and construction waste ("LF") by a classification model based on soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA). Degradation experiments were carried out with the fresh material originating from one MBT plant that was subjected to aerobic and anaerobic conditions in lab-scale reactors. These samples were compared to samples of one reactor landfill and to the landfill fraction from the MBT plant to demonstrate the efficiency of the biological pretreatment before final disposal. Prediction models that are based on spectral or thermal characteristics and the corresponding reference analyses were calculated by means of a partial least squares regression (PLS-R). The developed models of the biological oxygen demand (BOD) and the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were based on spectral data, the models of the total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) were based on thermal data (heat flow profiles and mass spectra of combustion gases). Preliminary results are discussed. The enthalpy of the materials decreases with progressing mineralization, whereas the enthalpy of the remaining organic matter increases. The ratio of the enthalpies was used as an indicator of stability. Selected samples comprising old landfills, a recent reactor landfill, MBT landfills and MBT materials were classified according to the calculated ratios.     

John Rawls’s Theory of Justice and Large-Scale Land Acquisitions: A Law and Economics Analysis of Institutional Background Justice in Sub-Saharan Africa

During the 2007–2008 global food crisis, the prices of primary foods, in particular, peaked. Subsequently, governments concerned about food security and investors keen to capitalize on profit-maximizing opportunities undertook large-scale land acquisitions (LASLA) in, predominantly, least developed countries (LDCs). Economically speaking, this market reaction is highly welcome, as it should (1) improve food security and lower prices through more efficient food production while (2) host countries benefit from development opportunities. However, our assessment of the debate on the issues indicates critical voices in both the media and academic discourse. This article aims to provide a philosophical law and economics analysis. We draw on John Rawls’s Theory of Justice, focusing on Rawls’s background institutions for distributive justice (§43) to evaluate LASLA form an ethical angle. Approaching LASLA into Sub Saharan LDCs as a socio-economic reform redistributing land from the local population of LDCs to investors, we acknowledge that they bear a highly desirable potential. Often, though, they cannot be regarded as ethically correct in practice as the insignificant improvements for local populations and sometimes even human rights violations contradict Rawls’s principles of justice. Then investigating whether and how international law can help overcome the shortcomings, we conclude that even though respective mechanisms exist in the current state of international law, it is hardly possible that it will produce more just outcomes in the near future.