Unlocked disinfection by-product formation potential upon exposure of swimming pool water to additional stimulants

• Swimming pool water was studied for DBPs upon exposure to additional stimulants. • DBP formation could be induced by residual chlorine and extended incubation. • Urine led to a massive formation of chloroform with additional stimulants. • Reactions between chlorine and anthropogenic organics were slow and long-lasting. • Urine control and air ventilation should be on the priority list for pool management. Anthropogenic organics are known to be responsible for the formation of harmful disinfection by-products (DBPs) in swimming pool water (SPW). The research explored an important scenario of SPW with no additional anthropogenic organic input. With stimulations by residual chlorine or additional chlorine and extended incubation, the formation of DBPs, especially chloroform, was significantly induced. Similar observations were found by investigating synthetic SPW made with sweat and urine. The presence of urine led to a massive formation of chloroform, as noted by an approximate 19-fold increase after 165-day incubation with a shock chlorine dose. The research suggests that consistent residual chlorine and long water retention as two typical features of SPW could unlock the DBP formation potential of anthropogenic organics. Thus, limiting the introduction of anthropogenic organics may not have an immediate effect on reducing DBP levels, because their reactions with chlorine can be slow and long-lasting. Pool management should prioritize on control of urine and improving air ventilation. This work is useful to deepen understandings about DBP formation in SPW and provide implications for pool management and prospective legislation.     

Contagious cooperation,temptation, and ecosystem collapse

Real world observations suggest that social norms of cooperation can be effective in overcoming social dilemmas such as the joint management of a common pool resource—but also that they can be subject to slow erosion and sudden collapse. We show that these patterns of erosion and collapse emerge endogenously in a model of a closed community harvesting a renewable natural resource in which individual agents face the temptation to overexploit the resource, while a cooperative harvesting norm spreads through the community via interpersonal relations. We analyze under what circumstances small changes in key parameters (including the size of the community, and the rate of technological progress) trigger catastrophic transitions from relatively high levels of cooperation to widespread norm violation—causing the social–ecological system to collapse.     

The effects of exposure to zinc and cadmium separately and jointly on the free amino acid pool of Gammarus pulex (L.)

Effects of the heavy metals zinc and cadmium on the free amino acid (FAA) pool of Gammarus pulex were studied at different metal concentrations and combinations as well as different exposure times. The dominant effect of these two metals was the reduction of most free amino acids and the whole FAA pool, except in the 10‐day low zinc and cadmium concentration exposures which resulted in a rise of free amino acid pool.

Among the free amino acids, the most sensitive to zinc exposure, were alanine, glutamic acid, arginine, and taurine; valine, leucine, asparagine, and isoleucine were among the most sensitive to cadmium. No predictable changes of individual free amino acids were shown in the mixed metals exposures. Elevation of taurine concentration was constant in seven of the eight treatments, it is suggested that this elevation may be related to the hepatopancreatic damage observed and induced synthesis of metallothioneins.     

Modeling soil and plant phosphorus within DSSAT

The crop models in the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) have served worldwide as a research tool for improving predictions of relationships between soil and plant nitrogen (N) and crop yield. However, without a phosphorus (P) simulation option, the applicability of the DSSAT crop models in P-deficient environments is limited. In this study, a soil-plant P model integrated to DSSAT was described, and results showing the ability of the model to mimic wide differences in maize responses to P in Ghana are presented as preliminary attempts to testing the model on highly weathered soils. The model simulates P transformations between soil inorganic labile, active and stable pools and soil organic microbial and stable pools. Plant growth is limited by P between two concentration thresholds that are species-specific optimum and minimum concentrations of P defined at different stages of plant growth. Phosphorus stress factors are computed to reduce photosynthesis, dry matter accumulation and dry matter partitioning. Testing on two highly weathered soils from Ghana over a wide range of N and P fertilizer application rates indicated that the P model achieved good predictability skill at one site (Kpeve) with a final grain yield root mean squared error (RMSE) of 535 kg ha⁻¹and a final biomass RMSE of 507 kg ha⁻¹. At the other site (Wa), the RMSE was 474 kg ha⁻¹ for final grain yield and 1675 kg ha⁻¹ for final biomass. A local sensitivity analysis indicated that under P-limiting conditions and no P fertilizer application, crop biomass, grain yield, and P uptake could be increased by over 0.10% due to organic P mineralization resulting from a 1% increase in organic carbon. It was also shown that the modeling philosophy that makes P in a root-free zone unavailable to plants resulted in a better agreement of simulated crop biomass and grain yield with field measurements. Because the complex soil P chemistry makes the availability of P to plants extremely variable, testing under a wider range of agro-ecological conditions is needed to complement the initial evaluation presented here, and extend the use of the DSSAT-P model to other P-deficient environments.     

高原乙醇油池火燃烧特性实验研究

为研究低压条件下油品燃烧特性,以乙醇油池火为研究对象,搭建高原油池火实验平台,研究不同油盘直径下乙醇油池火燃烧规律,分析燃烧速率、火焰高度和火焰脉动等参数随时间的变化规律。研究结果表明：低压条件下的乙醇油池火,燃烧速率小于同等尺度常压条件下的油池火燃烧速率;乙醇油池火的燃烧速率随油盘直径增加变化不明显;火焰高度随油池直径增加呈现显著上升趋势,并拟合推导出适用于低压乙醇池火的火焰高度公式;火焰脉动频率随油池直径增大而减小,并给出火焰脉动与油池直径的经验公式。研究结果可丰富低压乙醇燃烧的油池火实验数据,为低压乙醇油池火的风险评估提供参考。     

半封闭空间中水喷淋和泡沫灭火系统灭油池火实验研究

为了对比泡沫灭火系统和水喷淋灭火系统的灭火效率,采用装有400 mL汽油或柴油的280 mm×280 mm油盆模拟火源,分析了0.35,0.48和0.75 MPa压力下泡沫灭火系统和水喷淋灭火系统灭油池火的灭火时间、降温冷却效率及火焰面积。结果表明:泡沫灭火系统比水喷淋灭火系统灭油池火的效果更好,对汽油火的灭火时间比水喷淋灭火系统缩短了35.3%,压力对于灭火效率没有影响;柴油火的灭火效率随压力的增加而增加,不同压力下灭火时间比水喷淋灭火系统分别缩短了35.7%,42.9%和66.4%。     

水面LNG液池扩展模型的分析与对比研究

为了评价在开阔水面上的液化天然气（LNG）火灾和蒸气云爆炸灾害后果,分析了LNG水面扩展动态过程;对比分析了Fay模型、FERC模型和计算流体力学软件FLACS的计算结果,探讨了LNG液池面积随时间的动态变化过程,分析了泄漏量、泄漏速率等参数对LNG液池扩展半径的影响;根据液池扩展模型的计算结果,确定了LNG液池的最大面积,并以此分析了LNG流淌火灾的辐射危害。研究结果表明:对于相同的泄漏条件,3种方法模拟的泄漏LNG水面扩展动态过程相似,一般情况下,FLACS模型,FERC模型和Fay模型所计算的最大液池半径依次增大;由于FERC模型与FLACS软件的模拟结果接近且偏于保守,故此在一般的工程应用时,采用FERC模型即可方便快捷地获得较为准确的结果。     

石油库储罐区池火灾事故后果模拟探讨

石油库储罐区火灾、爆炸事故危害巨大.通过对某石油库储罐区池火灾事故后果进行预测评价,对石油库储罐区池火灾事故后果模拟方法进行了讨论和对比,为石油库安全管理、安全评价和应急救援预案编制提供有益的探索.     

土壤生态系统中黑碳研究的几个关键问题

因人类活动的影响,全球大气C02浓度自1750年以来呈现逐步上升的趋势。农业生产活动与气候变化紧密相关,因土地利用方式的改变以及高度集约化的粮食、食物生产等农业活动都有可能增加CO2等温室气体的排放。如何遏制和减少大气中的CO2浓度是当前的热点问题,黑碳这一物质形式有可能为这一问题的缓解或解决提供新途径。生物质黑碳是生物质材料在低氧或无氧状态下经热裂解而形成的一种富含碳元素的有机连续体,其中碳（C）元素的含量高达70％-80％,并且大多以稳定的芳香环形式而存在。人类生存环境中所形成黑碳的80％以上最终都要归于土壤,且由于其较强的抗分解能力而长期滞留于土壤环境中。利用黑碳的这些特性及其碳封存能力,实施积极而有效的土壤管理措施,有可能增加土壤生态系统中的碳储存,从而为人类社会应对全球气候变化提供新的机遇。在文献资料调研的基础上,描述了土壤中黑碳的来源及其增加土壤碳储存、减缓陆地生态系统碳循环的潜力;阐释了量化土壤中黑碳的重要性以及精确测定土壤黑碳含量的关键所在;揭示了黑碳在土壤环境中的稳定性,探讨了外源黑碳与土壤本体有机碳的相互作用关系,并分析了黑碳对土壤温室气体排放的影响及其不确定性。揭示这些问题有助于客观评价黑碳能否作为一个有效的土壤有机碳库,也益于明确黑碳在全球碳循环以及中国农业减排过程中的作用与地位。     

采煤塌陷塘浮游生物对矿区生态变化的响应

通过分析淮南矿区生态环境对塌陷塘水体的影响及不同时序采煤塌陷塘浮游生物的种类变化,探讨了塌陷塘水域浮游生物对矿区生态变化的响应;从中发现塌陷初期硅藻-裸藻占优势,到中期随着营养水平的增加,绿藻-蓝藻成为水体主要藻类,经过很长时间的高营养化水平后,塌陷塘周边环境逐渐稳定,影响因素也趋于单一化,硅藻-裸藻再次成为水体的优势藻类.浮游动物种类则呈现明显下降趋势,且优势种也发生变化.这说明塌陷塘的浮游生物演替不同于一般的水库和湖泊.