Particulate composition characteristics under different ambient air quality conditions

Particulate compositions including elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), water-soluble ionic species, and elemental compositions were investigated during the period from 2004 to 2006 in southern Taiwan. The correlation between the pollutant standard index (PSI) of ambient air quality and the various particle compositions was also addressed in this study. PSI revealed a correlation with fine (r = 0.74) and coarse (r = 0.80) particulate matter (PM). PSI manifested a significant correlation with the amount of analyzed ionic species (r approximately 0.80) in coarse and fine particles and a moderate correlation with carbon content (r = 0.63) in fine particles; however, it showed no correlation with elemental content. Although the ambient air quality ranged from good to moderate, the ionic species including chloride (Cl-), nitrate (NO3-), sulfate (SO4(2-)), sodium (Na+), ammonium (NH4+), magnesium (Mg2+), and calcium (Ca2+) increased significantly (1.5-3.7 times for Daliao and 1.8-6.9 times for Tzouying) in coarse PM. For fine particles, NO3-, SO4(2-), NH4+, and potassium (K+) also increased significantly (1.3-2.4 times for Daliao and 2.8-9.6 times for Tzouying) when the air quality went from good to moderate. For meteorological parameters, temperature evidenced a slightly negative correlation with PM concentration and PSI value, which implied a high PM concentration in the low-temperature condition. This reflects the high frequency of PM episodes in winter and spring in southern Taiwan. In addition, the mixing height increase from 980 to 1450 m corresponds to the air quality condition changing from unhealthy to good.     

The Anthropocene: From Global Change to Planetary Stewardship

Over the past century, the total material wealth of humanity has been enhanced. However, in the twenty-first century, we face scarcity in critical resources, the degradation of ecosystem services, and the erosion of the planet's capability to absorb our wastes. Equity issues remain stubbornly difficult to solve. This situation is novel in its speed, its global scale and its threat to the resilience of the Earth System. The advent of the Anthropence, the time interval in which human activities now rival global geophysical processes, suggests that we need to fundamentally alter our relationship with the planet we inhabit. Many approaches could be adopted, ranging from geoengineering solutions that purposefully manipulate parts of the Earth System to becoming active stewards of our own life support system. The Anthropocene is a reminder that the Holocene, during which complex human societies have developed, has been a stable, accommodating environment and is the only state of the Earth System that we know for sure can support contemporary society. The need to achieve effective planetary stewardship is urgent. As we go further into the Anthropocene, we risk driving the Earth System onto a trajectory toward more hostile states from which we cannot easily return.     

The behavior of PCDD and PCDF during thermal treatment of waste incineration ash

The polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) content of three fly ash samples with different elemental compositions from different municipal waste incinerators were analyzed before and after thermal treatment at 300 °C or 500 °C. Gas phase emissions during the treatments were also collected and analyzed. Substantial reductions in the total PCCD/F content of the ashes were observed after treatment at 500 °C, seemingly due to degradation rather than dechlorination. Treatment at 300 °C resulted in an increase in the PCDD/F content of the three ashes. Initial concentration of PCDD/F in the untreated ashes did not reflect the outcome of the treatment at the different temperatures. In addition, the composition of the ash was found to influence the rate of decomposition and formation of PCDD and PCDF during thermal treatment; the results showed that Cu, Fe, Ca and S play important roles in these processes.     

Effects of sodium bisulfate on alcohol, amine, and ammonia emissions from dairy slurry

Sodium bisulfate (SBS) is extensively used in the poultry industry to reduce ammonia and bacterial levels in litter. It is also used in the dairy industry to reduce bacterial counts in bedding and ammonia emissions, preventing environmental mastitis and calf respiratory stress. The present study measured the effect of SBS on the air emission of ammonia, amine, and alcohol from a dairy slurry mix. Amine flux was undetectable (<5 ng L(-1)) across treatments. Application of SBS decreased ammonia, methanol, and ethanol emissions from fresh dairy slurry. Ammonia emissions decreased with increasing levels of SBS treatment. The 3-d average ammonia flux from the control (no SBS applied) and the three different SBS surface application levels of 0.125, 0.250, and 0.375 kg m(-2) were 513.4, 407.2, 294.8, and 204.5 mg h(-1) m(-2), respectively. The ammonia emission reduction potentials were 0, 21, 43, and 60%, respectively. Methanol and ethanol emissions decreased with an increase in the amount of SBS applied. The 3-d average methanol emissions were 223.7, 178.0, 131.6, and 87.0 mg h(-1) m(-2) for SBS surface application level of 0, 0.125, 0.250, and 0.375 kg m(-2), with corresponding reduction potentials of 0, 20, 41, and 61, respectively. Similar emission reduction potentials of 0, 18, 35, and 58% were obtained for ethanol. Sodium bisulfate was shown to be effective in the mitigation of ammonia and alcohol emissions from fresh dairy slurry.     

Is there a place for social capital in the psychology of health and place?

The field of environmental psychology is primely placed to further understanding of the way in which social capital influences or is influenced by the context and characteristics of neighbourhood environments, but has been one of the quieter voices in the cacophony of social capital discourse over the last decade. While there is increasing research interest in area and neighbourhood variations in social capital, the mechanisms and causal pathways through which physical environments, social capital and health may be related are not yet clear. More refined unpacking of the relationship between social capital and neighbourhood design, features and settings is required to identify practical intervention points for preserving, fostering and harnessing social capital within communities. Through a review of literature, this paper explores whether there is a place for social capital in the psychology of place and considers the contribution that environmental psychology and related disciplines could make to future social capital research and applications.     

Chemical solutions for greywater recycling

Greywater recycling is now accepted as a sustainable solution to the general increase of the fresh water demand, water shortages and for environment protection. However, the majority of the suggested treatments are biological and such technologies can be affected, especially at small scale, by the variability in strength and flow of the greywater and potential shock loading. This investigation presents the study of alternative processes, coagulation and magnetic ion exchange resin, for the treatment of greywater for reuse. The potential of these processes as well as the influence of parameters such as coagulant or resin dose, pH or contact time were investigated for the treatment of two greywaters of low and high organic strengths. The results obtained revealed that magnetic ion exchange resin and coagulation were suitable treatment solutions for low strength greywater sources. However, they were unable to achieve the required level of treatment for the reuse of medium to high strength greywaters. Consequently, these processes could only be considered as an option for greywater recycling in specific conditions that is to say in case of low organic strength greywater or less stringent standards for reuse.     

Evaluation of Cu-PPHs as active catalysts for the SCR process to control NOx emissions from heavy duty diesel vehicles

Copper based catalysts supported on mesoporous materials, which were in turn based on a surfactant expanded zirconium phosphate for the formation of silica galleries in the interlayer space, were prepared by the impregnation method. They were then characterised and tested in the selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia as active catalysts for the control of the NOx emissions from heavy duty vehicles. Copper catalysts displayed a high catalytic performance, even in the presence of 14% (v/v) of H2O and 100 ppm of SO2. They also displayed improved catalytic behaviour when compared to a CuZSM5 catalyst.     

Seasonal air-water exchange fluxes of polychlorinated biphenyls in the Hudson River Estuary

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in the air and water over the Hudson River Estuary during six intensive field campaigns from December 1999 to April 2001. Over-water gas-phase SigmaPCB concentrations averaged 1100 pg/m3 and varied with temperature. Dissolved-phase SigmaPCB concentrations averaged 1100 pg/L and displayed no seasonal trend. Uncertainty analysis of the results suggests that PCBs with 5 or fewer chlorines exhibited net volatilization. The direction of net air/water exchange could not be determined for PCBs with 6 or more chlorines. Instantaneous net fluxes of SigmaPCBs ranged from +0.2 to +630 ng m(-2) d(-1). Annual fluxes of SigmaPCBs were predicted from modeled gas-phase concentrations, measured dissolved-phase concentrations, daily surface water temperatures and wind speeds. The net volatilization flux was +62 microg m(-2) yr(-1), corresponding to an annual loss of +28 kg/yr of SigmaPCBs from the Hudson River Estuary for the year of 2000.     

Safety climate dimensions,leader–member exchange,and organizational support as predictors of upward safety communication in a sample of rail industry workers

The freedom employees feel to communicate safety concerns with their supervisors, termed upward safety communication, has been shown to be related to adverse safety events (Hofmann and Morgeson, 1999). Research to date has demonstrated that good supervisor–employee relationships (leader–member exchange), a sense that the organization values an employee (perceived organizational support) and safety climate (including perceived management attitudes toward safety, job demands interfering with safety, and pressure from coworkers to behave safely) all contribute to employees’ comfort in bringing up safety issues with their supervisors. However, little is known about which specific dimensions of safety climate are most predictive of upward safety communication. Using a sample of 548 railway workers, we found that when all factors were considered simultaneously using dominance analysis, the dominant factor predicting upward safety communication was perceived management attitudes toward safety, followed by job demands interfering with safety and then leader–member exchange. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

The impact of non‐performance information on ratings of job performance: A policy‐capturing approach

Researchers have suggested that rater motives and the organizational context should be considered as sources of performance appraisal inaccuracies. A review of the performance appraisal literature revealed three primary non‐performance factors that managers consider when rating employee performance: (a) Potential negative consequences of ratings, (b) organizational norms, and (c) the opportunity to advance self‐interests. Using a policy‐capturing methodology, the current study investigated if these three non‐performance factors, as well as individual rater differences (e.g., conscientiousness, agreeableness, and performance appraisal experience), influence performance ratings. A sample of 303 experienced managers rated the performance of a fictitious employee, featured in a series of hypothetical scenarios, in which the above information was manipulated. Using hierarchical linear modeling, the results revealed that each of the three non‐performance related considerations accounted for variance incremental to objective employee performance. Managers' performance appraisal experience also predicted ratings, such that more experience was associated with lower ratings. These results provide support for the view that non‐performance factors can be a substantive component of performance ratings. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.