聚合氯化铝铁的形态分布对微污染源水混凝效果的影响

针对微污染源水中浊度、叶绿素a等的强化去除问题,研究了碱化度、铝铁比和加碱方式等对聚合氯化铝铁形态分布的影响,并考察了形态分布与混凝除污效率和混凝沉淀出水中残铝浓度的关系.结果表明:在铁摩尔分数一定时,混凝剂中单体、中等聚合物和无定形凝胶含量与碱化度存在线性相关性,并推导出中等聚合物含量的计算公式;在碱化度一定时,混凝剂中单体、中等聚合物和无定形凝胶含量与铁摩尔分数也存在线性相关性;增加碱化度或降低铁摩尔分数,可以增加中等聚合物含量、降低单体含量,从而影响混凝除污效率和混凝沉淀后出水中残铝浓度.混凝实验结果表明,混凝过程中叶绿素a去除率和浊度去除率均与混凝剂中中等聚合物含量存在线性相关性,但两者相关系数不同.混凝沉淀后出水中残铝浓度与混凝剂中单体含量存在线性相关性.因此,预聚合的无机高分子混凝剂对提高混凝过程中的除浊、除藻效率,降低混凝沉淀后出水中残铝浓度具有重要的意义.     

砷形态水样贮存方法及稳定性研究

设计了不同试样、不同浓度、不同酸度、不同温度以及不同容器条件的贮存方案,对含砷形态化合物水样的贮存和砷形态稳定性进行了研究。认为,人为酸化水样不利于砷形态的稳定;塑料瓶作容器、低温对砷形态水样的保存有利。本研究为水质监测砷形态提供了必要依据。     

The perception of Malaysian pedestrians toward the use of footbridges

Objective: The footbridge is a vital structure in the road network and a cornerstone among crossing facilities. Yet, it suffers from low usage by pedestrians as they try to cross the street on the level. This study aims to analyze the perceptions of Malaysian pedestrians toward the use of footbridges with the consideration of different factors.

Method: The study was carried out by collecting data from field observation and questionnaire distribution on the street among the public. The data were statistically analyzed by applying multiple linear regression models and a series of chi-square tests.

Results: The study found that the most influential factor cited by pedestrians in decision making regarding using a footbridge is the existence of an escalator. Being in a hurry and the fear of heights were significantly associated with choosing not to use a footbridge. Zebra crossing was chosen as the most favorable type of crossing facility by the majority of respondents. In addition, installation of a fence and barriers was proposed as an effective procedure to prevent jaywalking. To construct new and efficient footbridges in the future, the study suggests consideration of traffic volume, posted speed limit, and the number of lanes, because these are the most influential factors to predict the usage rate.

Conclusions: The study encourages decision makers and stakeholders to consider providing escalators for new footbridges to enhance the safety of pedestrians.     

Elicitation of willingness to pay for upgradeable products with calibrated auction-conjoint method

Understanding consumer preferences is a key element of new product development and sustainable consumption. Among sustainable products, we consider new products with upgradability properties. Upgradeability helps to prolong the lifespan of a product, satisfying changing consumer preferences and needs. This additional created value must be measured by willingness to pay premiums. This paper uses a method which valorizes each attribute of the product and analyzes the determinants of these premiums. A key advantage of the calibrated auction-conjoint method is the possibility of estimating numerous attributes with a large number of attribute levels. The results support the idea that consumers are willing to pay premiums for upgradeable, sustainable products, although these premiums are rather weak for some durable products in the study.     

Diversity of shrub tree layer, leaf litter decomposition and N release in a Brazilian Cerrado under N, P and N plus P additions

This study investigated changes in diversity of shrub-tree layer, leaf decomposition rates, nutrient release and soil NO fluxes of a Brazilian savanna (cerrado sensu stricto) under N, P and N plus P additions. Simultaneous addition of N and P affected density, dominance, richness and diversity patterns more significantly than addition of N or P separately. Leaf litter decomposition rates increased in P and NP plots but did not differ in N plots in comparison to control plots. N addition increased N mass loss, while the combined addition of N and P resulted in an immobilization of N in leaf litter. Soil NO emissions were also higher when N was applied without P. The results indicate that if the availability of P is not increased proportionally to the availability of N, the losses of N are intensified.     

Environmental economic,political and ethical integration in a common decision-making framework

This article develops a decision-making framework for environmental management that integrates technical, economic, political and legal, and ethical decision levels. It attempts to show how these decision levels can be ordained, integrated and interconnected and postulates a hierarchic concentric sphere system that proposes an environmental management model for long-term solutions. This model can be used as a check list for environmental management decision-making and also as a guide for environmental conflict resolution where environmental problems necessitate several levels of decision making. It integrates various environmental ethical positions and evaluates political decisions into a comprehensive, broadly applicable multidisciplinary approach. The objective of this decision-making model is to interconnect into a simplified sequence different levels of environmental management processes in order to account for sustainability, efficacy, efficiency and the acceptability of environmental management processes in the long term. This is done by observing when an environmental problem needs to be solved within a certain sphere of solutions and when it requires wider frameworks, how these can be established and how this process proves that solidarity is the widest and most reasonable sphere.     

The potential role of stated preference methods in the Water Framework Directive to assess disproportionate costs

This paper examines the issue of disproportionate costs of Water Framework Directive (WFD) implementation using public surveys as a means to inform policy and decision making. Public taxpayers are asked their opinion regarding the implementation of the WFD and its costs. Taxpayers are expected to bear a large share of the cost of WFD implementation, be it through national taxation, local water pollution charges or higher market prices for water related goods and services. The paper's main objective is to illustrate the role of stated preference research to elicit public opinions and perceptions towards socially acceptable levels of water quality and public willingness to pay (WTP) for the expected environmental benefits of the WFD. Stated preference research can be used as a way to assess the concept of disproportionate costs to those who are expected to bear a large share of the costs of WFD implementation, and at the same time address the issue of public participation in the WFD. The survey results are used as a public consultation tool to inform policy and decision makers about public willingness and ability to pay for the implementation of the WFD. This measure can be used as one of the benchmarks to define disproportionate costs in a cost-benefit context.     

Personality and economic choices

There is substantial variation in individual preferences for public goods, yet much of that variation remains poorly understood. However, simple measures of personality can help to explain economic values and choices in a systematic way. In this paper, we examine the effects of personality on individual economic choices over public environmental goods. Based on three datasets from three separate stated preference studies, we use a hybrid choice econometric framework to examine the effects of personality on preferences for the status quo, changes in environmental quality, and costs of investing in environmental improvements. We find effects that are consistent across all datasets. Personality, a stable feature of an individual's character that is simple to measure, enriches explanations of why the demand for environmental goods varies across people, provides an indication of how different people are likely to react to the introduction of environmental policies, and explains substantial differences in Willingness to Pay.     

太湖流域水生生物水质基准推导的物种选择

水生生物水质基准是水质基准体系的重要组成部分。由于不同地区的生态体系存在差异,所需要推导的水质基准也存在不同。目前太湖流域的水质基准研究刚刚起步,国内外制订的水质标准并不能代表太湖流域的水生生物和环境特征。因此,开展基于太湖流域的水生生物和环境特征的水质基准研究,对于太湖流域的水环境保护和水质管理具有重要的作用和意义。在水生生物水质基准的物种选择方面,选择了两种鱼类、两种浮游动物、3种底栖动物以及一种水生植物或浮游藻类,可以全面的代表太湖流域的水生态结构和营养等级。     

Coastal sand dune vegetation: An extreme case of species invasion

The coastal sand-dune flora of the Gulf and Caribbean region of Mexico was analyzed to understand differences in floristic composition and richness found along the coast. Each of the 655 species reported was classified according to its ecology and distribution range by checking herbaria specimens, literature and specialists. Three groups were formed: (a) species with predominantly coastal distribution; (b) ruderal or secondary species frequently found inland, common of disturbed areas such as roadsides, abandoned fields or forming part of secondary growths; (c) inland species frequently found in other vegetation types such as tropical dry or seasonal forest and grassland. A total of 71 coastal species, 237 ruderal/secondary and 336 species from other community types were found. The distribution of these groups was analyzed along 44 sites of the Gulf and Caribbean, in the different dune habitats and for the dominant growth forms. Coastal species are more widely distributed; they predominate in habitats with sand movement and the herbaceous component prevails. Ruderal/secondary species and especially those belonging to other vegetation types frequently appear in only one or two sites occupying more protected or stabilized habitats. The two latter groups considerably increase species richness of sand dune flora, but also pose interesting problems for dune conservation.