Investigation of affecting parameters on treating high-strength compost leachate in a hybrid EGSB and fixed-bed reactor followed by electrocoagulation–flotation process

In this research, treatability of high-load compost leachate in a hybrid expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) and fixed-bed (FB) bioreactor followed by electrocoagulation–flotation (ECF) system was examined. The operational factors in EGSB–FB were influent chemical oxygen demand (COD), hydraulic retention time (HRT) and COD/nitrogen ratio (COD/N). And, their interactive effects on the efficiency of COD removal and biogas production rate (BPR) as responses were analyzed and correlated by response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum conditions of the hybrid EGSB–FB reactor were acquired at COD = 7800 mg/L, HRT = 35 h, COD/N = 70, in which COD removal efficiency was 83% and BPR 94 mL/h. The amount of confidence interval was 95%. COD (relevant coefficient = 9.8) and HRT (relevant coefficient = −24) were resulted respectively as the most effective parameters on COD removal and BPR. Yet, COD/N parameter imposed negative effect on COD removal and BPR in values less than about 100. The outcomes indicated that operated ECF as post-treatment in constant conditions (electrolysis time = 75 min, electrodes distance = 3 cm, voltage = 20 V) successfully satisfied discharge criteria in the most part of experimental domains.     

Competition gives way to cooperation: rethinking Sino-Indian relations in climate change negotiations

In global climate change politics, China and India have worked closely with each other, representing two big emitters from the developing world. This article reviews Sino-Indian cooperation during four UN climate change negotiations from 2009 to 2012. Their collaboration echoed the perception of neorealism in international relations (IR) studies that states will seek “external balancing” for maximizing national “relative gains”. China and India are expected to continue their cooperation on climate change issues when sharing the same structural position as big economies and big emitters, the same pressure in carbon emission reductions, and the same goal of improving living standards for their citizens. Encountering the devastating impacts of climate change and the deadlock in responsibility division in current global climate change governance, this work seeks to shed light on the evolving multilateral governance environment and its complex implications for Sino-Indian relations from an IR perspective.     

Cross-correlation between the controlled collision environment and real-world motor vehicle collisions: Evaluating the protection of the thoracic side airbag

Objective: Thoracic side airbags (tSABs) were integrated into the vehicle fleet to attenuate and distribute forces on the occupant's chest and abdomen, dissipate the impact energy, and move the occupant away from the intruding structure, all of which reduce the risk of injury. This research piece investigates and evaluates the safety performance of the airbag unit by cross-correlating data from a controlled collision environment with field data.

Method: We focus exclusively on vehicle–vehicle lateral impacts from the NHTSA's Vehicle Crash Test Database and NASS-CDS database, which are replicated in the controlled environment by the (crabbed) barrier impact. Similar collisions with and without seat-embedded tSABs are matched to each other and the injury risks are compared.

Results: Results indicated that dummy-based thoracic injury metrics were significantly lower with tSAB exposure (P <.001). Yet, when the controlled collision environment data were cross-correlated with NASS-CDS collisions, deployment of the tSAB indicated no association with thoracic injury (tho. MAIS 2+ unadjusted relative risk [RR] = 1.14; 90% confidence interval [CI], 0.80–1.62; tho. MAIS 3+ unadjusted RR = 1.12; 90% CI, 0.76–1.65).

Conclusion: The data from the controlled collision environment indicated an unequivocal benefit provided by the thoracic side airbag for the crash dummy; however, the real-world collisions demonstrate that no benefit is provided to the occupant. This has resulted from a noncorrelation between the crash test/dummy-based design taking the abstracting process too far to represent the real-world collision scenario.     

Information presentation compatibility in a simple digital control panel design: eye-tracking study

Various designs of typical digital control panels were analyzed experimentally from both the effectiveness and efficiency points of view. Subjects performed information comparison tasks aimed at keeping vehicle velocity at the same level. The experiment involved two versions of speedometers for displaying current and target velocities (clock-face and digital). The stimuli were also differentiated by the target velocity value (20, 50 and 80?km/h) and the correct response type (increase or decrease). Subjects’ performance results along with the eye-tracking data were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed for all 24 experimental conditions.     

Bordering Ecosystems: The Rhetorical Function of Characterization in Gray Wolf Management

Decisions about iconic species such as the wolf provide a key index of human–nature relations. The gray wolf's reintroduction in the USA has been controversial, particularly at the interface of state versus federal management. This essay analyzes discourse surrounding this controversy, focusing on how wolves are characterized as ecological and social actors in official correspondence and management plans. I interpret this textual evidence by drawing from social theory regarding sovereignty, discipline, and population, including studies on bordering practices imposed on humans. As with humans, bordering practices in the case of the wolf may illuminate how political forces impose physical and discursive limits upon mobile bodies motivated to move across political borders by powerful exigencies of need. The essay seeks to amplify understanding about how regimes of power enact difference from “others” whose presence strongly influences the health of ecosystems and economies.     

Greening up: the effects of environmental standards in EU and US trade agreements

Can environmental provisions in preferential trade agreements (PTAs) foster an environmental race to the top? The ways in which different enforcement mechanisms in North–South PTAs affect the implementation of environmental standards in developing countries are examined. It is argued that environmental provisions in European Union (EU) and United States (US) PTAs will be effective in instigating policy change in partner countries, although the timing of the effect will vary significantly. Fines and sanctions in US PTAs incentivize partner countries to reform during the negotiation process. Reform in EU PTA partners is predicted to occur during agreement implementation as a result of the EU’s policy dialogue approach. Illustrative evidence is provided and the hypotheses are tested using statistical estimations of EU and US PTAs with environmental provisions on developing countries’ environmental policy reform.     

Polyoxometalates for photocatalytic degradation of aqueous dyestuff solutions and quantitative structure–property relationship study on photolysis rate constants

Polyoxometalate, K₆TiW₁₁O₃₉Sn·7H₂O (TiW₁₁Sn), was synthesized and characterized. TiW₁₁Sn and K₆ZrW₁₁O₃₉Sn·12H₂O (ZrW₁₁Sn) were evaluated for their photocatalytic degradation of triarylmethane (brilliant green and acid blue 9), bisazo (C.I. reactive black 5), and monoazo dyestuffs (C.I. reactive red 24, C.I. reactive red 194, and C.I. reactive orange 5) with natural sunlight in homogeneous aqueous solutions. TiW₁₁Sn and ZrW₁₁Sn effectively and photocatalytically decolorized the dyestuffs. The TiW₁₁Sn- and ZrW₁₁Sn-mediated photocatalytic degradation of the dyestuffs involved a pseudo-first-order reaction and was modeled by Langmuir–Hinshelwood-type kinetics. The observed pseudo-first-order rate constants (K^/) of triarylmethane dyestuffs were generally bigger than that of the azo dyestuffs. Quantitative structure–property relationship models of the K^/ of the dyestuffs were developed using partial least-square regression. The cumulative variance of the dependent variable explained by the partial least-square components was > 0.753 for each optimal model. This value indicated that the model had good predictive ability and robustness. The K^/ values of the dyestuffs were related to the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, and the most positive net atomic charges on a sulfur atom of dyestuffs. The linear correlation coefficients between the predicted and experimental values were all > 0.9950.     

Effervescence assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by microvolume UV-Vis spectrophotometric determination of surfactants in water

The novel and simple methods for the sensitive determination of cationic and anionic surfactants in water based on effervescence assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and microvolume UV-Vis spectrophotometry have been developed. The method involves ion-pair extraction of cationic and anionic surfactants with organic dyes (methyl orange and azure A, respectively) during the dispersion of extraction solvent (CHCl₃) by CO₂ bubbles which are formed by the injection of a mixture of the extraction solvent and proton donor solvent into the sample solution which contains carbonate-ions as effervescency agent. The analytical performance of the proposed procedure was compared with the conventional dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction. Appropriate experimental conditions for both methods were investigated. The absorbances of the colored extracts at wavelengths of 440 and 625 nm obey Beer's law within the range of 0.1–5.0 mg/L for both cationic and anionic surfactants. The limit of detection (LOD) obtained using the effervescence assisted extraction method was 30 µg/L for cationic and anionic surfactants. The proposed methods were successfully applied to determination of surfactants in water samples.     

Ecosystem services in infrastructure planning – a case study of the projected deepening of the Lower Weser river in Germany

We consider how ecosystem services can be incorporated into water infrastructure planning by studying the projected deepening of the Lower Weser river channel in Germany. We recalculate the project's benefit–cost ratio by integrating the monetary value of changes in different ecosystem services, as follows: (1) the restoration costs of a mitigation measure for a loss in fresh water supply for agricultural production in the estuary region, (2) the costs of a loss in habitat services, transferring the willingness to pay from a contingent valuation study to the area assessed in the environmental impact assessment, and (3) the benefits of emissions savings induced by more efficient shipping, taking a marginal abatement cost approach. We find that including monetary values for ecosystem service changes leads to a substantial drop in the benefit–cost ratio. On this basis, we argue for a reform of the standard cost–benefit analysis to facilitate more complete welfare assessments.