Urban-rural nitrogen emission from household food consumption in China: spatial pattern and dynamics analysis

The nitrogen emission from household food consumption (NEHFC) has played a vital role in sustainability development. Recent changes in household dietary have significantly accelerated reactive nitrogen emissions in China. However, the spatial patterns and dynamics of these flows between urban and rural areas remain unclear. Based on material flow and spatial-temporal analysis, our study investigated the patterns of Chinese urban-rural NEHFC during 1993–2015. Increasingly apparent regional disparities were found in both the spatial patterns of urban-rural NEHFC during the study period. Notably, the spatial autocorrelation of urban NEHFC demonstrated a ‘U’ type, compared with a recent decreasing Moran’s I index of rural NEHFC. Moreover, the regional spatial-temporal variation of per capita urban NEHFC exhibited ‘South (High)-North (Low)-Middle (Fast)’ trend. By contrast, the hotspot of per capita rural NEHFC mainly concentrated in South-eastern China with a distinct regional changing of ‘Middle-east (Fast) & west (Slow).’ The Social-Economic and Regional-Development Index were far more critical than the Natural-Geographic Index to the spatial-temporal variation of per capita urban NEHFC, whereas the rural NEHFC was driven by the combined actions of all the three indexes. Our study highlighted the necessity of ‘Location-Suitable’ and ‘Urban-rural recycling’ nitrogen management strategies for reducing the risk of NEHFC in China.     

RANS simulation of neutral atmospheric boundary layer flows over complex terrain by proper imposition of boundary conditions and modification on the k-ε model

In this study, a modelling methodology is proposed for RANS simulations of neutral Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) flows on the basis of the standard k-ε model, which allows the adoption of an arbitrary shear stress model. This modelling methodology is first examined in the context of an open flat terrain in an empty domain to ascertain there are no substantial changes in the prescribed profiles. The results show that relatively good homogeneity can be achieved with this modelling methodology for various sets of inflow boundary profiles. In addition, to extend the solutions derived from the standard k-ε model to RNG k-ε model, the RNG k-ε model is in detail assembly and tuned. Finally, the topographic effects on surface wind speeds over a complex terrain are assessed with the combined use of the proposed methodology and the modified RNG model. The numerical results are in good agreement with wind tunnel testing results and long-term field observations. A discussion of the effects of horizontal homogeneity and turbulence models on the simulated wind flows over a complex terrain is also given.     

生物反应器填埋条件下垃圾生物质组分的初期降解规律

在经甲烷化填埋层渗滤后的渗滤液循环回灌的新鲜垃圾填埋层内,以生物质分类表征为基础,分析了新鲜垃圾填埋层内固相各生物质组分（总糖、蛋白质、脂肪、纤维素和木质素）的初期降解规律.结果表明,垃圾中原有总糖组分和蛋白质的快速水解发酵是新鲜垃圾填埋后产生高有机质浓度渗滤液的主要机制;脂肪和纤维素的降解产物不是填埋初期高有机质浓度渗滤液的主要来源;纤维素是填埋层稳定产甲烷阶段的主要碳源,其水解速率可能是甲烷化过程的限速步骤;纤维素/木质素之质量比可作为指示填埋垃圾稳定化的指标.各生物质组分的初期降解速率常数均在0.01至0.1之间,而填埋气体中甲烷体积分数在60d内达到45%.食品垃圾组分富集的生活垃圾,应用生物反应器填埋技术时,必须具备足够的降解容量以代谢填埋初期固相中总糖和蛋白质快速水解产生的酸性液相产物.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals (HMs) as well as their genotoxicity in soil after long-term wastewater irrigation

A study was carried out on the residue level of major concern pollutants (PAHs, PCBs and HMs) and the assessment of their genotoxicity in soils obtained from Shenyang, northeast of China which had been subjected to wastewater irrigation for more than 40 years. Topsoils (0-20cm) in paddy fields were sampled along the upper, middle and lower reaches of the wastewater disposal channel. Sixteen USEPA PAHs were determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detector, eight PCBs were detected by Gas Chromatography (GC) with electron capture detector, and six heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, and Cr) were measured by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The genotoxicity effect of soils was examined by Vicia faba micronucleus (MN) test. Archived soils that had undergone a similar history of wastewater irrigation provided by Technical University of Berlin, Germany were subjected to analysis of the above pollutants and Vicia faba/MN test for comparison. Results indicated elevated residues of the studied pollutants (PAHs, especially benzo (a) pyrene, the eight PCB congeners and heavy metals) in both tested and archived soils. The MN frequencies were 2.2-48.4 times higher compared with the control. However, there was no correlation between the MN frequencies and the concentration of pollutants detected. This investigation suggested a potential ecological risk even with a lower level of residual pollutants in soil matrix after long-term wastewater irrigation.     

Assessing the organic composition of urban surface films using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Recently it has been shown that urban surfaces are covered with a thin film which mediates the fate, distribution and accumulation of semi-volatile organic compounds in the environment. In this study we apply a combination of solution, semi-solids, and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods to provide a general overview of the organic constituents. In surface film collected from 30 m2 of outside windows over an area of 12 km2 in downtown Toronto, we roughly estimate that the organic carbon is approximately 35% carbohydrate, approximately 35% aliphatics, approximately 20% aromatics, and approximately 10% carbonyl groups. Various aliphatic groups can be identified including a number of acids, alcohols, alkanes, and alkenes. Also, numerous intact aliphatic esters are apparent that have not been observed before, as well as carbohydrates. The aromatic species include a small portion that appears to be derived from a polymer of styrene, in addition a larger fraction is consistent with polyhydroxylated PAH derived material, although this assignment is tentative and based solely on 1-D NMR data only. In addition, signals from polybutadiene are present and while accurate quantification is not possible, it appears that this polymer may be up to a few percents by weight of the total organic material.     

A spatial scan statistic for zero-inflated Poisson process

The scan statistic is widely used in spatial cluster detection applications of inhomogeneous Poisson processes. However, real data may present substantial departure from the underlying Poisson process. One of the possible departures has to do with zero excess. Some studies point out that when applied to data with excess zeros, the spatial scan statistic may produce biased inferences. In this work, we develop a closed-form scan statistic for cluster detection of spatial zero-inflated count data. We apply our methodology to simulated and real data. Our simulations revealed that the Scan-Poisson statistic steadily deteriorates as the number of zeros increases, producing biased inferences. On the other hand, our proposed Scan-ZIP and Scan-ZIP+EM statistics are, most of the time, either superior or comparable to the Scan-Poisson statistic.     

Effects of nutrient concentration and litter cover on quantitative shoot parameters and belowground biomass of Zizania latifolia (L)

This study investigated the effect of nutrient concentration and litter cover on the development of quantitative shoot parameters and belowground biomass (BGB) production of Zizania latifolia. Zizania latifolia is a common emergent aquatic species in East Asia. Four treatments were done at the study site, and were observed between May 2003 and December 2005. The treatments are namely, high nutrient (HN) with litter cover (HNWL), high nutrient without litter cover (HNNL), low nutrient (LN) with litter cover (LNWL), and low nutrient without litter cover (LNNL). The quantitative shoot parameters and BGB had higher values for treatments with high nutrient (HN) compared to the low nutrient treatments (LN), independent of the presence of litter cover. Furthermore, the life span of the secondary shoots was also higher in HN treatments compared to LN treatments. The BGB productivity was higher in the HNNL treatment compared to the other treatments. The LNWL treatment showed the least developed quantitative shoot parameters, e.g. plant height, and the lowest BGB for Z. latifolia. It was generally observed that the combined effects of low nutrients and litter cover negatively affected shoot development and BGB production.     

The uptake and translocation of selected elements by cole (Brassica) grown using oasis soils in pot experiments

Pot experiments were conducted on cole (Brassica) grown in soils jointly treated with traces of two heavy metals cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn). As the concentration of heavy metals in the soil increased, the uptake of these metals by the plants rose. However, the ratio of heavy metal concentration in soil to uptake by plants increased at a slower rate. Bioavailability of heavy metals considered between the roots and soil using non-linear regressions was shown to be statistically significant. Similarly, the bioavailability of these two heavy metals between leaves and roots using a linear regression was also statistically significant. The bioconcentration factors (BCFs) for Cd and Zn were 0.282 and 4.289, respectively. Significant variation of BCF with the heavy metal bioavailability in soil was noted from non-linear models. The transfer factors (TFs) were 4.49 for Cd and 1.39 for Zn. The Zn concentration in leaves under all treatments did not exceed threshold set standards, but Cd levels exceeded these standards when the concentration of Cd in the soil was more than 1.92 mg kg^?1 dry weight (dw). Data indicate that cole (Brassica) is not a suitable crop for oasis soils because of plant contamination with heavy metals, especially Cd.     

酞酸酯暴露及风险评价研究进展

酞酸酯的暴露及健康风险研究日趋深入。在综述了酞酸酯的物化性质、接触机会两方面特性,以及体内代谢、健康危害两方面的最新研究进展基础上,比较了其国内外相关标准现状,总结了酞酸酯暴露评估现状及健康风险研究现状,提出并分析了存在的问题,并对其今后的研究进行了展望。