Re-activation characteristics of preserved aerobic granular sludge

IntroductionThecapacityofawastewatertreatmentplantultimatelydependsupontwofeatures :themetaboliccapabilitiesofthemicroorganismsinthesystemandtheeffectivenessofsolid liquidseparationatthelaststageofthetreatmentprocess(Shwarzenbeck ,2 0 0 4 ) .Granularsludg…     

低pH对草鱼呼吸活动和耗氧代谢的影响

研究了低pH(6.0—3.6)对草鱼呼吸活动机能及耗氧代谢的影响.结果表明,在pH4.6—3.6条件下,草鱼呼吸和气体代谢活动受干扰的程度随酸度增大而急剧加重.其具体表现为:呼吸率加快,咳嗽反应增加,呼吸深度加大.耗氧率起始升高继而迅速下降,并在极端pH(3.6)下最终引起机体组织缺氧而致死.对于pH5.6,草鱼各类呼吸与代谢指标未受明显影响,基本属于正常.供试草鱼对低pH反应的灵敏程度依次为:咳嗽率>呼吸率>耗氧率>呼吸深度.     

Assessment of the sustainability of technology by means of a thermodynamically based life cycle analysis

Life cycle analysis is one of the tools in the assessment of the sustainability of technological options. It takes into account all effects on the ecosystem and the population which may endanger the possibilities of current and future generations. However, the main bottleneck in current LCA methodologies is the balancing of different effects, being all quantified on different scales. In this work, a methodology is proposed, which allows one to quantify different effects of the production, consumption and disposal of goods, and services on a single scale. The basis of the methodology is the second law of thermodynamics. All production, consumption and disposal processes affecting the ecosystem and the population, are quantified in terms of loss of exergy. The exergy content of a material is the maximum amount of energy which can be transformed into work at given environmental conditions. Next to the elaboration of the methodology, the new approach is illustrated by examples of the production of synthetic organic polymers, inorganic building insulation materials and different waste gas treatment options.     

Trace metal levels in freshwater fish, sediment and water

The trace metal concentrations in water, sediment and aquatic organisms, such as fish, could indicate the level and tendency of the pollution. This is important not only for the protection of the environment, but for evaluation of the quality of fish meat either captured from natural waters or cultured in fishponds. The total trace metal concentrations in samples of fish from different regions of Hungary and from different species have been determined by using an X-ray fluorescence technique (EDXRF). Water, sediment and fish samples from fishpond systems with different feeding and stocking has also been analyzed. In the case of zinc contents, differences have been traced between the cultured and wild common carp. In the case of common carp reared under different feeding conditions, differences were also observed in the zinc concentration. The retention of the trace metals in the fish has been studied by measuring the levels in sediment, water and feed. The different retention can be explained by the different availability of zinc in the applied feeds, which can be related to the presence of different metal species in the feeds.     

A cost worth paying: energetically expensive interactions with males protect females from intrasexual aggression

When approached by males, females of the Amarillo fish (Girardinichthys multiradiatus) perform a behaviour called vibration or they are aggressively challenged. We quantified vibration and assessed whether it compromises the rate of feeding attempts in dyads kept in outdoor enclosures. Male approaches resulted in female vibration and in a reduced feeding rate. Vibration was not evoked by female–female aggression, which was frequent and always ended in the subordinate fleeing from the dominant female. Using a closed respirometer we found that vibration is costly; oxygen consumption of females was greater in the presence of a male (which evoked vibration) than in the presence of a non-familiar female (when no vibration occurred). By recording interactions of females confined in aquaria in the presence and in the absence of males, we confirmed that escaping is the only available response to deal with female aggression. Females kept without males participated in frequent aggressive (even lethal) interactions that did not abate while the subordinate female was in sight of the dominant, and which caused premature births and injuries. Yet in the alternative treatment aggression ceased when a male approached, prompting vibration in both females. Thus, in the Amarillo, in as much as it evokes energetically costly female vibrations, male courtship is an expression of sexual conflict. However, in the absence of males, frequent female aggression potentially annuls the benefits of not vibrating. We propose that a complete appraisal of the consequences of sexual conflict must include an assessment of the costs imposed by intra-sexual interactions.     

On thresholds and environmental curve tensiometers

This paper considers distinctions between lognormal and mixture models. Emphasis is placed on two component mixtures where the lower valued subpopulation has a large mixing parameter. The density of this sort of mixture can be easily mistaken for a lognormal density. In order to compare such a mixture to a lognormal it is demonstrated that Galton's two parameter logmodel and Pearson's five parameternormal mixture are special, or limiting, cases of the same general mixture model. Consideration is given to the lognormal threshold parameter in order to devise a tool that can help distinguish mixtures from lognormals. Based on the threshold parameter, piloted procedures can help measure whether or not a curve is friable, in the sense that a brittle curve is better represented as a mixture than as a skewed lognormal. It is also shown that generalizations of Galton's product risk model can be represented interms of the threshold parameter Based on a tool called a curve tensiometer was designed to be applied as a graphical friability check in the ecological context of Fisher's classic Iris data and in the environmental context of a Santa Monica Bay fish consumption study.     

低药耗费通试剂氧化乙二醇废水的实验研究

对排放量小，间歇排放的乙二醇废水进行费通试剂催化氧化处理的条件研究。结果表明，在合适的条件下，采用费通试剂催化氧化－－加碱凝聚分离－－处理水循环回流的工艺。ＣＯＤＣｒ去除率达９６％，处理水可稳定达标排放。此工艺具有降低药耗，提高ＣＯＤｃｒ去除率的双重效果。     

中国能源消费与温室气体排放预测分析

构造了中国18个部门的能源—经济—环境投入产出模型,分析了能源消耗系数的变动规律,对2020年我国能源消费量与温室气体排放量进行了预测。结果表明:我国2020年的能源消费总量为29.5亿t(标准煤),等于1990年的299％,1995年的229％;煤炭消费最为26亿t,石油消费量为4.1亿t,天然气消费量为1420亿m~3,水电6400亿kW·h;能源消费弹性系数为0.43左右;CO_2排放量为17.50亿t(碳当量)。     

Towards sustainable consumption: Predicting the impact of social‐psychological factors on energy conservation intentions in Northern Cyprus

The incessant demand and consumption of energy services among individuals’ is increasing throughout the world. Individuals’ electricity consumption in Northern Cyprus has risen considerably. However, the demand for electrical energy services on the island is heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels has adverse effects on its environment. Therefore, sustainable energy consumption is required and individuals are targeted for energy conservation to reduce electricity consumption. Against this background, using the Structural Equation Modeling approach, this research incorporates social‐psychological factors; personal norms, positive and negative emotions into the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model to assess the relationships among the variables, explain their impact on consumers’ electricity conservation intentions and enhance the explanatory power of the model. Data was conveniently obtained from a quantitative sample of 400 electricity consumers. The results indicate that negative emotions have the strongest significant influence on intentions, but personal norms have the least effect on intentions to save electricity. Furthermore, the study revealed that our expanded TPB model can provide improved explanatory power more than the original TPB. Policy implications, limitations and future research are discussed.