Work injuries and disability

Problem

This study estimated the hazard ratio for disability pension retirement (DPR) for persons who have experienced a work injury causing absence lasting at least one day after the accidental injury occurred and to estimate the fraction of DPR attributable to work injuries.

Methods:

A total of 4,217 male and 4,105 female employees from a national survey were followed up for subsequent DPR.

Results and impact on industry and government:

Having had a work injury was a strong predictor of DPR among men. After control for age, smoking, body mass index, body postures, and physical demands, the hazard ratio (HR) among those employees who had ever experienced a work injury was 1.80 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20-2.68). No association was found among women.

Summary:

Having had a reportable work injury is a strong predictor of subsequent DPR for men.     

Recycling of calcium fluoride sludge as ceramic material using low temperature sintering technology

The Chinese integrated circuit industry has been transformed from a small state-owned sector into a global competitor, but chip manufacturing produces large amounts of calcium fluoride sludge (CFS). The current treating method is landfill in China. In order to solve the problem of unavailable landfill sites and the dissolved CFS polluting water sources, CFS was tested as a component for a ceramic product made with sodium borate, sodium phosphate, and waste alumina using a low temperature sintering technology. The ceramic was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), microstructure, compressive strength. XRD and microstructure analyses verified that CFS was transformed into Na₂Ca(PO₄)F as an inert crystalline phase in ceramic, which is enclosed by the borophosphate glass liquid phase. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure and corrosion resistance tests verified that fluorine from CFS was solidified in the inert crystalline phase, which did not release to cause secondary pollution. This novel technology produces high-performance ceramic as a construction material, in accordance with the concept of sustainable development.     

Effect of loading rate on shear strength parameters of mechanically and biologically treated waste

● Mechanical behavior of MBT waste affected by loading rate was investigated. ● Shear strength ratio of MBT waste increases with an increase in loading rate. ● Cohesion is inversely related to loading rate. ● Internal friction angles are positively related to loading rate. ● MBT waste from China shows smaller range of φ. Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) technology has attracted increasing attention because it can reduce the volume of waste produced. To deal with the current trend of increasing waste, MBT practices are being adopted to address waste generated in developing urban societies. In this study, a total of 20 specimens of consolidated undrained triaxial tests were conducted on waste obtained from the Hangzhou Tianziling landfill, China, to evaluate the effect of loading rate on the shear strength parameters of MBT waste. The MBT waste samples exhibited an evident strain-hardening behavior, and no peak was observed even when the axial strain exceeded 25%. Further, the shear strength increased with an increase in the loading rate; the effect of loading rate on shear strength under a low confining pressure was greater than that under a high confining pressure. Furthermore, the shear strength parameters of MBT waste were related to the loading rate. The relationship between the cohesion, internal friction angle, and logarithm of the loading rate could be fitted to a linear relationship, which was established in this study. Finally, the ranges of shear strength parameters cohesion c and effective cohesion c ´ were determined as 1.0–8.2 kPa and 2.1–14.9 kPa, respectively; the ranges of the internal friction angle φ and effective internal friction angle φ ´ were determined as 16.2°–29° and 19.8°–43.9°, respectively. These results could be used as a valuable reference for conducting stability analyses of MBT landfills.     

安徽地区地震活动趋势分析

安徽地区地震活动周期表将公元２８８ 年以来Ｍ≥４ ．０ 地震活动划分为与华北二至七周期相对应的六个地震周期,每周期分为与华北相似的初震段、前震段、主震段和余震段四个地震段。安徽地震周期超前于华北地震周期,每周期４ 级以上地震从皖渐交界一带的皖东南地区开始活动,各阶段最大地震震中由南向北迁移。第七周期４ 级以上地震活动至１９７９ 年固镇５ 级地震已结束,未来将进入第八周期初震段。近几年皖东南地区的广德县或旌德县可能发生４－３ 级左右地震。     

中国未来的粮食安全与生态可持续性问题研究——基于粮食生产过程生态足迹的实证分析

自然资源与农业生态可持续开发是保障农业生产与粮食安全可持续发展的基础。随着我国人口的增长以及人们生活水平的提高,粮食需求量逐年增加。这不但加剧了我国人多地少的矛盾,还给我国农业资源与生态的可持续发展带来了挑战。利用计量模型测算出我国人口高峰时粮食安全背景下粮食生产活动的生态足迹,然后依据生态足迹指数法判断其生态可持续性状况。结果显示,按照目前的粮食生产模式依靠自给实现粮食安全,我国人均生态足迹指数将出现负值。这意味着我国农业生态将处于不可持续的状态。解决我国“粮食 耕地”矛盾与“粮食 生态”矛盾,实现粮食安全与农业生态的协调可持续发展,一方面需要把我国目前依靠要素投入的粗放式粮食生产模式转向生态友好型的种植模式;另一方面需要改变我国依靠自给的粮食安全保障模式,通过适当降低我国的粮食自给率、增加粮食进口缓解我国农业资源与生态环境的压力。这对我国未来的农业发展道路以及粮食安全政策都具有重要的参考价值     

Dissolution of trace element contaminants from two coastal plain soils as affected by pH

Trace element mobility in soils depends on contaminant concentration, chemical speciation, water movement, and soil matrix properties such as mineralogy, pH, and redox potential. Our objective was to characterize trace element dissolution in response to acidification of soil samples from two abandoned incinerators in the North Carolina Coastal Plain. Trace element concentrations in 11 soil samples from both sites ranged from 2 to 46 mg Cu kg(-1), 3 to 105 mg Pb kg(-1), 1 to 102 mg Zn kg(-1), 3 to 11 mg Cr kg(-1), < 0.1 to 10 mg As kg(-1), and < 0.01 to 0.9 mg Cd kg(-1). Acidified CaCl2 solutions were passed through soil columns to bring the effluent solution to approximately pH 4 during a 280-h flow period. Maximum concentrations of dissolved Cu, Pb, and Zn at the lowest pH of an experiment (pH 3.8-4.1) were 0.32 mg Cu L(-1), 0.11 mg Pb L(-1), and 1.3 mg Zn L(-1) for samples from the site with well-drained soils, and 0.25 mg Cu L(-1), 1.2 mg Pb L(-1), and 1.4 mg Zn L(-1) for samples from the site with more poorly drained soils. Dissolved Cu concentration at pH 4 increased linearly with increasing soil Cu concentration, but no such relationship was found for Zn. Dissolved concentrations of other trace elements were below our analytical detection limits. Synchrotron X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy showed that Cr and As were in their less mobile Cr(III) and As(V) oxidation states. XANES analysis of Cu and Zn on selected samples indicated an association of Cu(II) with soil organic matter and Zn(II) with Al- and Fe-oxides or franklinite.     

Removal of arsenic from groundwater by granular titanium dioxide adsorbent

A novel granular titanium dioxide (TiO2) was evaluated for the removal of arsenic from groundwater. Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent and the effect of anions on arsenic removal. Batch experimental results showed that more arsenate [As(V)] was adsorbed on TiO2 than arsenite [As(III)] in US groundwater at pH 7.0. The adsorption capacities for As(V) and As(III) were 41.4 and 32.4 mgg(-1) TiO2, respectively. However, the adsorbent had a similar adsorption capacity for As(V) and As(III) (approximately 40 mgg(-1)) when simulated Bangladesh groundwater was used. Silica (20 mgl(-1)) and phosphate (5.8 mgl(-1)) had no obvious effect on the removal of As(V) and As(III) by TiO2 at neutral pH. Point-of-entry (POE) filters containing 3 l of the granular adsorbent were tested for the removal of arsenic from groundwater in central New Jersey, USA. Groundwater was continuously passed through the filters at an empty bed contact time (EBCT) of 3 min. Approximately 45,000 bed volumes of groundwater containing an average of 39 microgl(-1) of As(V) was treated by the POE filter before the effluent arsenic concentration increased to 10 microgl(-1). The total treated water volumes per weight of adsorbent were about 60,000 l per 1 kg of adsorbent. The field filtration results demonstrated that the granular TiO2 adsorbent was very effective for the removal of arsenic in groundwater.     

长江河口低盐度河段化学物质的分布及其成因

根据长江口水体 2 0个站位的DO、ABS、Cl-、B、P、BOD5、NH4 N、TOC、Pb、Cu、Mn、CODCr、SS、Cr(VI)等指标的系统监测结果 ,采用因子分析法对引起长江河口上游来水水质变化的因素作出了综合判断。各种影响因素中海水入侵、支流进入、城市污水排放的成因率分别达到 6 2 .0、2 4 .9和 4 .8%。     

无锡城北污水处理厂MBR系统运行效果分析与探讨

无锡市城北污水处理厂是太湖流域较早采用MBR工艺的大型污水处理工程。对污水处理厂MBR工艺实际运行数据进行分析,发现虽然进水污染物浓度有较大波动,但其出水水质稳定,各项指标可全年达标。介绍了运行过程中出现的超细格栅堵塞、离线清洗池药剂消耗、产水量波动严重等问题及相应的改造措施,并在此基础上对MBR工艺的设计提出建议。     

Bayesian hierarchical spatio-temporal modelling of trends and future projections in the ocean wave climate with a \text{ CO }_2 regression component

Bad weather and rough seas continue to be a major cause for ship losses and is thus a significant contributor to the risk to maritime transportation. This stresses the importance of taking severe sea state conditions adequately into account, with due treatment of the uncertainties involved, in ship design and operation in order to enhance safety. Hence, there is a need for appropriate stochastic models describing the variability of sea states. These should also incorporate realistic projections of future return levels of extreme sea states, taking into account long-term trends related to climate change and inherent uncertainties. The stochastic ocean wave model presented in this paper exploits the flexible framework of Bayesian hierarchical space-time models. It allows modelling of complex dependence structures in space and time and incorporation of physical features and prior knowledge, yet at the same time remains intuitive and easily interpreted. Furthermore, by taking a Bayesian approach, the uncertainties of the model parameters are also taken into account. A regression component with $\text{ CO }_2$ as an explanatory variable has been introduced in order to extract long-term trends in the data. The model has been fitted by monthly maximum significant wave height data for an area in the North Atlantic ocean. The different components of the model will be outlined in the paper, and the results will be discussed. Furthermore, a discussion of possible extensions to the model will be given.