Action and composition of the alarm pheromone of the bedbugCimex lectularius L.

The Science of Nature -     

Vertical and horizontal movement of phorate and its metabolites in field soil under cropped and uncropped conditions

Vertical and horizontal movement of phorate and its metabolites in field microplots was studied under cropped and uncropped conditions in winter and summer seasons. Phorate bands were placed 2.5 cm below the soil surface and were subject to leaching by irrigation and rain. The crops used were peas, in winter, and maize, in summer. Periodic analyses of samples showed that total phorate residues (TPR) were significantly more mobile under cropped conditions than in fallow conditions in both seasons. The peak concentration depth remained at 7.5 cm throughout most of the experimental period. Irrespective of treatments, downward movement of TPR was greater in winter. Horizontal movement of TPR was greater under cropped conditions in summer. Differences in lateral mobility were insignificant in two seasons under cropped conditions. However, under uncropped conditions, horizontal movement was relatively more in the summer season. TPR persisted in the soil for 120 and 90 days in winter and summer, respectively. The TPR persistence was almost the same in the two crops. Maize and pea plants at harvest had residues below the legal health tolerance limit. Half-life values of TPR in maize and pea plants were 38 and 42 days, respectively.     

The effects of crude and fuel oils on the growth, chlorophyll 'a' content and dry matter production of a green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda (Turp.) bréb

The growth of Scenedesmus quadricauda algae in a batch culture was examined in the presence of crude oil and fuel oil, added to the cultivation medium in the form of a water-soluble fraction (WSF), water extract (WE) and oil-water dispersion (OWD). On applying various concentrations of oils, a decrease in the number of cells, dry matter and chlorophyll 'a' production, with respect to the cell population, was observed. The extent of this decrease depended on the kind and concentration of the soluble and dispersed hydrocarbon fractions and on the proportions in which these occurred in the culture medium. On the other hand, the water extracts of both oils stimulated dry mass and chlorophyll 'a' content with respect to a single cell. This effect was accompanied by increased size of the algal cells. The WSF, WE and OWD of fuel oil, prepared from 200, 50 and 1 cm(3) of oil per dm(3) of BBM medium, respectively, had a similar inhibitory effect, which points to the dominant role of oil dispersion in the reduction of algal growth. Chemical analysis of the water extracts of fuel oil revealed the presence of 35 hydrocarbons of various kinds, mainly n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.     

Chromium occurrence in the environment and methods of its speciation

This article includes a survey of chromium (Cr) occurrence in different environmental compartments, its pathways in the environment and the cross-sectional presentation of Cr speciation methods against the background of Cr chemistry. The aim of the article is to demonstrate that knowledge of interconversion processes between different Cr forms is necessary to understand its behaviour and role in the environment, in addition to enabling reliable Cr speciation analysis to be performed. The current methods of Cr speciation are presented, characterized and their usefulness discussed. These must rely on superior separation and detection capabilities since Cr in environmental compartments is mostly at trace or ultra-trace level. The need for using unique techniques of sampling, storage, handling and separation for Cr speciation is documented.     

磁浮列车灾害事故处置对策

继高速铁路快速发展之后,磁浮列车,特别是中低速磁浮列车将成为城际客运的又一重要交通工具。作为一种非传统的新型轨道交通运输工具,消防部队有必要深入研究其灾害处置对策。本文介绍了上海磁浮列车线路的主要情况,以已发生的灾害事故为背景,分析了事故特点和难点问题,提出了应对措施。     

外循环流化床处理含染料废水的工艺条件研究

利用活性炭为载体的外循环三相生物流化床,采用厌氧、好氧组合工艺对含染料废水进行处理实验,结果表明：活性炭载体填充量15 g/L为最佳用量,与流化床的流体混合特性吻合;得到最优化处理流程,包括一次性进水厌氧A（总计4 h,其中进水5 min）-好氧O（4 h）-沉淀（1 h）-出水闲置（3 h）,周期12 h。COD进水浓度较高时,其去除率89.4%;COD进水浓度较低时,其去除率82.3%;色度去除率接近100%;NH4-N去除率达60%以上,总容积负荷0.052 kg NH4-N/m3.d。为了保证高效的脱色效果,出水闲置阶段不应低于3h。     

Removal of Methyl Violet from aqueous solutions using poly （acrylic acid.co-acrylamide）/attapulgite composite

The adsorption of Methyl Violet (MV) cationic dye from aqueous solution was carried out by using crosslinked poly (acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)/attapulgite (Poly(AA-co-AM)/ATP) composite as adsorbent. The factors influencing adsorption capacity of the composite such as pH, concentration of the dye, temperature, contact time, adsorbent dosage, ionic strength and surfactant were systematically investigated. The equilibrium data fitted very well to the Langmuir isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity reached 1194 mg/g at 30°C. The thermodynamic parameters including G0, △H0 and △S 0 for the adsorption processes of MV on the composite were also calculated, and the negative △H0 and △G0 confirmed that the adsorption process was exothermic and spontaneous. The kinetic studies showed that the adsorption process was consistent with the pseudo second-order kinetic model and the desorption studies revealed that the regeneration of the composite adsorbent can be easily achieved.     

Sustainable recovery of nickel from spent hydrogenation catalyst: economics, emissions and wastes assessment

Economic viability, carbon emission profile and waste management associated with nickel recovery from spent hydrogenation catalysts are studied from sustainability perspectives. The purpose is to determine and compare the economic, environmental and social implications of different nickel reclamation techniques towards clean, safe and sustainable recovery of nickel from spent catalysts. Sustainability evaluation models are formulated to understand and improve the cost, carbon footprint and resource efficiency of a closed-loop nickel recovery process. The economic viability of the process highly depends on market values of recovered nickel and the production batch size. At a selling price higher than $12.60/kg, an operation with a batch size as small as 50 kg/batch would be profitable. The current rising nickel market, at ∼$18-24/kg, favors recovery operations although it also casts a dual effect on production costs. About 73-82% of carbon emission of the process is from the use of energy in the recovery operation. Energy efficiency is therefore identified as the most critical factor to improve the carbon footprint. The closed-loop process also improves resource use efficiency and minimizes toxic waste generation.     

Effects of stable aqueous fullerene nanocrystal （nC60） on Daphnia magna： Evaluation of hop frequency and accumulations under different conditions

We investigated the e ects of environmental factors and properties of water-stable crystal fullerene (nC60) on the uptake of nC60 by Daphnia magna based on known accumulation in our laboratory. This study was performed for seven days using di erent environmental factors including temperature, pH, water hardness, concentration (density of particle), and particle size. Results demonstrated that body burden of C60 increased with time in all experiments. Body burden of C60 increased with increasing concentration and particle size, and uptake of particles >100 nm reached their maximums more quickly than those <100 nm. Under high hardness in aqueous systems with lower pH and high temperature, uptake was higher than those under opposite conditions. Uptake in all batch tests reached balance within five days. Both nC60 properties and environmental factors influenced uptake of nC60 by D. magna in an aqueous system. Additionally, environmental factors may have a ected accumulation by changing nC60 properties, which are critical to understand the accumulation of fullerenes in aqueous systems.