Responses of microbial populations in the rhizosphere to deposition of simulated acidic rain onto foliage and/or soil

Air pollutants or some chemicals applied to plant foliage can alter the ecology of the rhizosphere. Experiments were conducted to distinguish among possible foliage-mediated versus soil- or root-mediated effects of acid deposition on microorganism in the rhizosphere. Seedlings of a sorghum x sudangrass hybrid in pots of non-sterile soil-sand mix in a greenhouse were exposed to simulated rain solution adjusted with H2SO4 + HNO3 to pH 4.9, 4.2, 3.5 or 2.8. Solutions were applied as simulated rain to foliage and soil, foliage only (soil covered by plastic, and deionized water applied directly to the soil), or soil only (solution applied directly to the soil). Solutions were applied on 16 days during a 6-week period (1.5 cm deposition in 1 h per application). Plant shoot and root dry weights and population densities of selected types of bacteria, filamentous actinomycetes and fungi in the rhizosphere were quantified after exposures were completed. Deposition of simulated acidic rain onto foliage alone had no effect on plant biomass or microbial population densities in the rhizosphere (colony-forming units per gram of rhizosphere soil). However, plant growth was stimulated and all microbial populations in the rhizosphere increased 3- to 8-fold with increased solution acidity (relative to pH 4.9 solution) when solution penetrated the soil. Statistical analyses indicated that the acid dose-population response relationships for soil-only and foliage-and-soil applications were not different. Thus, no foliage-mediated effect of simulated acidic rain on rhizosphere ecology was detected.     

Training refugees as primary health care workers: Past imperfect, future conditional

Many problems have been encountered in the planning and implementation of health care in refugee camps, and more specifically in the training of refugees as primary health care workers. A review of the published literature and a "survey" of the opinions and experiences of refugee, national and international health personnel regarding training has therefore been undertaken to provide an overview of what has been done and to make recommendations for future work.
The review highlights the need to reallocate resources away from high visibility emergency aid to development activities, such as training, that will create an infrastructure for primary health care and promote self-reliance.     

Identifying the land use and land cover change drivers: methods and case studies of two forest reserves in Northern Benin

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Land use and land cover change (LULCC) is one of the problems that the world has been facing for the last few decades despite political attention....     

基于LOADEST和数字滤波的水源地基流氮素输出定量方法应用实例

地表直接径流和基流均是流域非点源氮/磷养分输出的重要水文途径.科学认识和定量模拟基流氮/磷养分输出对于准确解析水源地水体非点源污染来源至关重要.基于Load Estimator模型和数字滤波算法,建立了定量水源地基流氮素输出的方法体系.以浙江省珊溪水源地的玉泉溪流域为例,利用玉泉溪2010-01—2013-12期间逐月总氮(TN)水质监测数据和逐日流量数据,展示了该方法的计算过程.结果表明,本文建立的水源地基流氮素输出定量方法结果合理,模拟精度高,决定系数和纳什系数分别为0.83和0.80;玉泉溪流域2010—2013年TN负荷量为141.21～274.68 t·a~(-1),平均208.63 t·a~(-1),年基流TN负荷量为84.39～168.68 t·a~(-1),平均127.69 t·a~(-1);基流对玉泉溪年均TN负荷量贡献率高达60%以上,流域基流养分输出对地表水体的污染应引起足够重视.     

沈阳市郊区环境空气中醛酮类化合物的污染特征与来源分析

为探究沈阳市郊区环境空气中醛酮类化合物的污染特征,于2017年8月24日—9月2日采用2,4-二硝基苯肼固相吸附/高效液相色谱方法对沈阳市郊区醛酮类化合物进行观测分析,利用美国环境保护局推荐的人体健康风险评价方法对部分有毒有害醛酮类化合物的人体健康风险进行了评价,并利用比值法对醛酮类化合物的来源进行了初步分析.结果表明:醛酮类化合物质量浓度日均值范围为23.16~38.38 μg/m3;质量浓度最高的4种醛酮类化合物依次是丙酮、甲醛、正丁醛和乙醛,其质量浓度日均值的平均值分别为8.71、5.90、5.48和2.95 μg/m3.对·OH消耗速率(L_OH)贡献较大的醛酮类化合物物种是正丁醛、甲醛和乙醛,臭氧生成潜势贡献(OFP)较大的醛酮类化合物物种是甲醛、正丁醛和乙醛,在研究区影响醛酮类化合物光化学反应活性的物种主要是甲醛、乙醛和正丁醛.研究区观测期间,环境空气中甲醛和乙醛的致癌性风险值分别为1.18×10-5和5.91×10-6,对暴露人群存在潜在的致癌风险;乙醛的非致癌风险值为0.05,对暴露人群不存在非致癌风险.在研究区的一次臭氧轻度污染过程期间,环境空气中的甲醛和乙醛受天然源排放的挥发性有机物二次转化的影响减弱,甲醛、乙醛和丙酮受到炼焦工业和机动车等人为源排放的影响增强,而正丁醛主要受当地精细化工产业排放的影响.研究显示,沈阳市应加大对炼焦工业、精细化工和机动车来源排放醛酮类化合物的管制,以降低环境空气中活性醛酮类化合物及有毒有害醛酮类化合物的浓度.      

Simulation of a 100-MW solar-powered thermo-chemical air separation system combined with an oxy-fuel power plant for bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)

The combination of concentrated solar power–chemical looping air separation (CSP-CLAS) with an oxy-fuel combustion process for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture is a novel system to generate electricity from solar power and biomass while being able to store solar power efficiently. In this study, the computer program Advanced System for Process Engineering Plus (ASPEN Plus) was used to develop models to assess the process performance of such a process with manganese (Mn)-based oxygen carriers on alumina (Al₂O₃) support for a location in the region of Seville in Spain, using real solar beam irradiance and electricity demand data. It was shown that the utilisation of olive tree prunings (Olea europaea) as the fuel—an agricultural residue produced locally—results in negative CO₂ emissions (a net removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere). Furthermore, it was found that the process with an annual average electricity output of 18 MW would utilise 2.43% of Andalusia’s olive tree prunings, thereby capturing 260.5 k-tonnes of CO₂, annually. Drawbacks of the system are its relatively high complexity, a significant energy penalty in the CLAS process associated with the steam requirements for the loop-seal fluidisation, and the gas storage requirements. Nevertheless, the utilisation of agricultural residues is highly promising, and given the large quantities produced globally (~?4 billion tonnes/year), it is suggested that other novel processes tailored to these fuels should be investigated, under consideration of a future price on CO₂ emissions, integration potential with a likely electricity grid system, and based on the local conditions and real data.