Carbonaceous resin capsule for vapor-phase monitoring of volatile hydrocarbons in soil: partitioning and kinetic model verification

The resin capsule system (RCS) was tested as a means of providing data on the presence and forms of volatile hydrocarbons. Results indicated that resin capsules provided data showing sensitivity to soil variables (texture and moisture content) and time. The objectives of this paper are to evaluate the RCS methodology and to determine whether carbonaceous resin capsules provide results that can be described by fundamental chemical partitioning and kinetic principles. Findings revealed a significant relationship between quantities of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene adsorbed on the capsule and quantities partitioned into the vapor phase. Kinetic evaluation indicated that the vapor adsorption by the resin capsule is regulated by diffusion processes. No verification of rate-limiting processes was possible due to limitations imposed by the experimental design, but it appears that during early stages, adsorption rate was limited by vapor diffusion through the soil. The resin capsule data also reflected differences that would be expected due to properties of the organic liquids present. These results provide further evidence that the RCS could be developed to suggest direct in situ monitoring to reveal quantities and nature of organic substances in soils.     

Performance evaluation of material separation from spent fluorescent lamps using the thermal end-cutting method

The recovery of valuable materials such as aluminum, phosphor powder, and glass from spent fluorescent lamps (SFLs) is part of the overall recycling process of lamps. In the end-cutting process, an SFL is separated into a base cap and a glass part using thermal shock caused by the temperature difference between the heating unit and the cooling unit. The separation efficiency of the end-cutting system is estimated by measuring the mass of the parts of the SFL. The optimum condition of the end-cutting process with thermal shock was determined to have a temperature difference of 600 °C and moving speed of 2 cm/s. At optimum conditions, the separation efficiency of glass and the end cap from an SFL using the end-cutting method is estimated to be more than about 97 %. In an air injection system, however, the separation efficiency of phosphor powder from glass is less than 50 %. Separation efficiency in the end-cutting system is increased by decreasing the moving speed of the SFL and increasing the temperature difference between the heating unit and the cooling unit. From the results of experiments, it was found that the end-cutting unit has very high performance because the overall separation efficiency is more than 95 %.     

Enhancement of aerobic biodegradation in an oxygen-limiting environment using a saponin-based microbubble suspension

This study investigated the ability of a saponin-based microbubble suspension to enhance aerobic biodegradation of phenanthrene by subsurface delivery. As the microbubble suspension flowed through a sand column pressure buildup and release was repeatedly observed, which delivered oxygen to the less permeable regions. Burkholderia cepacia RPH1, a phenanthrene-degrading bacterium, was mainly transported in a suspended form in the microbubble suspension. When three pore volumes of the microbubble suspension containing B. cepacia RPH1 was introduced into a column contaminated with phenanthrene (100 mg/kg), the oxygen content declined to 5% from an initial value of 20% within 5 days and correspondingly, 34.4% of initial phenanthrene was removed in 8 days. The addition of two further three pore volumes enhanced the biodegradation efficiency by a factor of 2.2. Our data suggest that a saponin-based microbubble suspension could be a potential carrier for enhancing the aerobic biodegradation under an oxygen-limiting environment.     

Male-Specific and Somatic Coliphage Profiles from Major Aquaculture Areas in Republic of Korea

Human and animal feces are important sources of various types of microbial contamination in water. Especially, enteric viruses, the major agents of waterbo     

Prediction of Total Sediment Load in Sand‐Bed Rivers in Korea Using Lateral Distribution Method

A new method for numerically predicting the total sediment load in a river is proposed. The method can be used to predict the total sediment load with information on channel geometry and slope, flow, and bed materials. The conventional method uses a 1D approach that assumes the channel has a wide rectangular shape. However, the proposed method computes depth‐averaged velocity over the width and predicts the total sediment load based on the flow computations. The new method, therefore, is expected to predict better if the flow changes significantly in the lateral direction. The proposed method was applied to three large sand‐bed rivers in Korea, where information is available regarding suspended sediment. Five formulas were tested of use in making total sediment load computations, namely Engelund‐Hansen's, Ackers‐White's, Yang's, Brownlie's, and Karim's formulas. The predicted total sediment loads are compared not only with measured data but also with results calculated using the 1D approach. Discrepancy ratios between the predicted and measured total sediment loads are given and the results are discussed.     

压力对填埋垃圾产甲烷的影响研究

压实作用被认为是影响填埋垃圾降解过程的一个重要因素,实验通过自制的压缩降解模拟填埋反应器装置,研究了阶梯增加式压力21k Pa→42 k Pa→84 k Pa(分别在垃圾填埋后的第75、103和131 d时施加)对填埋垃圾产甲烷这一资源化重要阶段的影响,包括产气特性、渗滤液性质及固体沉降等的变化.21 k Pa和42 k Pa分别恒定了4周,垃圾最后在84 k Pa恒定压力下降解,实验总共持续了170 d.结果表明,在初始21k Pa的压力作用下,由于接种物跟垃圾接触面积的增大,甲烷日产量从第75 d的1.85 L·d-1增加到了第76 d的2.95 L·d-1,产甲烷速率提高了59.82%,42 k Pa和84 k Pa时均有所增加,但增加程度均不明显.压力还使砾石层上部积留了一定水位高度的渗滤液,渗滤液的COD和含氮量在压力作用下都有了暂时的升高.压实作用还令垃圾体产生了较大的沉降,但压力进一步增大并没有使垃圾继续发生较多的沉降.实验结果有助于更好地了解压力对填埋垃圾降解过程的影响.     

Rewards and employee creative performance: Moderating effects of creative self‐efficacy,reward importance,and locus of control

The effects of extrinsic rewards on creative performance have been controversial, and scholars have called for the examination of the boundary conditions of such effects. Drawing upon expectancy theory, we attend to both reinforcement and self‐determination pathways that reveal the informational and controlling functions of creativity‐related extrinsic rewards. We further identify the individual dispositions that moderate these two pathways. Specifically, we propose that extrinsic rewards for creativity positively predict creative performance only when employees have high creative self‐efficacy and regard such rewards as important. We likewise propose that extrinsic rewards positively affect the intrinsic motivation of employees with an internal locus of control, thus enhancing their creative performance. Results based on a sample of 181 employee–supervisor dyads largely supported these expectations. The current analysis enriches the creativity literature by combining different perspectives in a coherent framework, by demonstrating the positive effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation, and by demonstrating that the rewards–creativity relationship varies across employees depending on their individual differences. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Biodegradation of methoxychlor and its metabolites by the white rot fungus Stereum hirsutum related to the inactivation of estrogenic activity

The white rot fungus Stereum hirsutum was used to degrade methoxychlor [2,2,2-trichloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethane] in culture and the degraded products were extensively determined. The estrogenic activity of the degraded products of methoxychlor was examined using cell proliferation and pS2 gene expression assays in MCF-7 cells. S. hirsutum showed high resistance to methoxychlor 100 ppm, and the mycelial growth was fully completed within 8 days of incubation at 30 degrees C. Methoxychlor in liquid culture medium was gradually converted into 2,2-dichloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethane, 2,2-dichloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethylene, 2-chloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl) ethane, 2-chloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl) ethylene, and 1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethylene, indicating that methoxychlor is dominantly degraded by dechlorination and dehydrogenation. MCF-7 cells were demonstrated to proliferate actively at the 10-5 M concentration of methoxychlor. However, cell proliferation was significantly inhibited by the incubation with methoxychlor culture media containing S. hirsutum. In addition, the expression level of pS2 mRNA was increased at the concentration (10-5 M) of methoxychlor. The reductive effect of S. hirsutum for methoxychlor was clear but not significant as in the proliferation assay.