Sustainable biofuels from algae

There is currently great interest in microalgae as sources of renewable energy and biofuels. Many algae species have a high lipid content and can be grown on non-arable land using alternate water sources such as seawater. This paper discusses in detail the issue of sustainability of commercial-scale microalgae production of biofuels with particular focus on land, water, nutrients (N and P) and CO₂ requirements and highlights some of the key issues in the very large scale culture of microalgae which is required for biofuels. The use of genetically modified algae is also considered.     

Phenomenological compensation of thermally caused position and orientation errors of rotary axes

Thermal errors of machine tools are one of the major sources of inaccuracy. Therefore, the reduction of temperature induced deviations or the compensation of the resulting tool center point (TCP) errors have been of strong interest to the manufacturing industry for a couple of years. Up to now, the observation of the environment, the main spindle, the linear axes and the machine bed were in the focus of research, but with the rising demand for 5-axis machine tools and the increasing requirements regarding their accuracy, the analysis of the thermal behavior of rotary axes becomes more and more important. This paper gives an overview of corresponding thermal measurements of machine tools. The thermal behavior of rotary and swiveling axes is analyzed in detail. A simulation model and an approach for a phenomenological compensation of the TCP error are introduced and verified by measurements.     

中性点不接地电网中单相接地故障的分析及处理

阐述了中性点不接地电网中单相接地的特点,并分析了用绝缘监视装置和小电流接地选线装置查找故障的利弊,以及目前小电流接地选线技术可靠性差的原因.     

含砷毒剂降解产物三苯胂对大豆萌发及幼苗生长的影响

采用不同浓度三苯胂(Triphenylarsine,TPA)沙质室内培养东北代表性作物大豆,研究日本遗弃在华化学武器("日遗化武")装填毒剂的主要降解产物之——TPA(C18H15As)对大豆萌发和幼苗生长的影响。结果表明:在0 mg/kg～400 mg/kg TPA浓度范围内,大豆受到的毒性效应随浓度增大而增大,直至无法生长;试验大豆的萌发率、根长、下胚轴长和株高等形态指标均随着培养介质中TPA浓度的增加而出现抑制效应明显增加的趋势;其中根系是大豆幼苗期砷累积的主要器官,也是对环境TPA毒害效应最敏感、响应最早的部位之一。日遗华武泄漏造成的土壤污染若处理不当会对埋藏地种植的大豆作物生长产生影响。     

封闭湖泊蓝藻水华预警机制及应急控制方法

随着我国城市化进程的不断推进以及经济的快速发展,城市封闭湖泊水体污染日益严重,蓝藻水华现象频频发生。文章分析了该类水体水华的主要影响因素,并提出了预警机制。根据已开展的湖泊污染治理工程效果,针对性地提出了几种有效的封闭湖泊蓝藻水华应急控制方法。     

关于云南省环境影响评价工作的思考

在概述环境影响评价制度发展历史基础之上,分析了云南省环境影响评价工作现状,指出了面临的突出问题及其影响和危害,并结合突出问题提出了对策建议,以期对促进全省环境影响评价事业健康发展有所裨益。     

Coastal flooding,climate change and environmental justice: identifying obstacles and incentives for adaptation in two metropolitan Boston Massachusetts communities

We explored the possible future impacts of increased coastal flooding due to sea level rise and the potential adaptation responses of two urban, environmental justice communities in the metropolitan Boston area of Massachusetts. East Boston is predominantly a residential area with some industrial and commercial activities, particularly along the coastal fringe. Everett, a city to the north of Boston, has a diversified industrial and commercial base. While these two communities have similar socioeconomic characteristics, they differ substantially in the extent to which residents would be impacted by increased coastal flooding. In East Boston, a large portion of residents would be flooded, while in Everett, it is the commercial/industrial districts that are primarily vulnerable. Through a series of workshops with residents in each community, we found that the target populations do not have an adaptation perspective or knowledge of any resources that could assist them in this challenge. Furthermore, they do not feel included in the planning processes within their communities. However, a common incentive for both communities was an intense commitment to their communities and an eagerness to learn more and become actively engaged in decisions regarding climate change adaptation. The lessons that can be applied to other studies include 1) images are powerful tools in communicating concepts, 2) understanding existing cultural knowledge and values in adaptation planning is essential to the planning process and 3) engaging local residents at the beginning of the process can create important educational opportunities and develop trust and consensus that is necessary for moving from concept to implementation.     

Greenhouse gas mitigation and offset options for suckler cow farms: an economic comparison for the Swiss case

We assessed the economic suitability of 4 greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation options and one GHG offset option for an improvement of the GHG balance of a representative Swiss suckler cow farm housing 35 Livestock units and cultivating 25 ha grassland. GHG emissions per kilogram meat in the economic optimum differ between the production systems and range from 18 to 21.9 kg CO₂-eq./kg meat. Only GHG offset by agroforestry systems showed the potential to significantly reduce these emissions. Depending on the production system agroforestry systems could reduce net GHG emissions by 66% to 7.3 kg CO₂-eq./kg meat in the most intensive system and by 100% in the most extensive system. In this calculation a carbon sequestration rate of 8 t CO₂/ha/year was assumed. The potential of a combination of the addition of lipids to the diet, a cover of the slurry tank and the application of nitrification inhibitors only had the potential to reduce GHG emissions by 12% thereby marginal abatement costs are increasing much faster than for agroforestry systems. A reduction of the GHG emissions to 7.5 kg CO₂-eq./kg meat—possible with agroforestry only—raised costs between 0.03 CHF/kg meat and 0.38 CHF/kg meat depending on the production system and the state of the system before the reduction. If GHG emissions were reduced maximally average costs ranged between 0.37 CHF/kg meat, if agroforestry had the potential to reduce net GHG emissions to 0 kg CO₂-eq., to 1.17 CHF/kg meat if also other options had to be applied.     

Does safety climate moderate the influence of staffing adequacy and work conditions on nurse injuries?

PROBLEM: Hospital nurses have one of the highest work-related injury rates in the United States. Yet, approaches to improving employee safety have generally focused on attempts to modify individual behavior through enforced compliance with safety rules and mandatory participation in safety training. We examined a theoretical model that investigated the impact on nurse injuries (back injuries and needlesticks) of critical structural variables (staffing adequacy, work engagement, and work conditions) and further tested whether safety climate moderated these effects. METHOD: A longitudinal, non-experimental, organizational study, conducted in 281 medical-surgical units in 143 general acute care hospitals in the United States. RESULTS: Work engagement and work conditions were positively related to safety climate, but not directly to nurse back injuries or needlesticks. Safety climate moderated the relationship between work engagement and needlesticks, while safety climate moderated the effect of work conditions on both needlesticks and back injuries, although in unexpected ways. DISCUSSION AND IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Our findings suggest that positive work engagement and work conditions contribute to enhanced safety climate and can reduce nurse injuries.