Analysis of business safety performance by structural equation models

Domestic safety performance, which has had gained increasingly greater importance in recent years, is the subject of many studies. However, studies on the application of the structural equation model (SEM) in systematic safety performance model fitness verifications remain scarce. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety performance with the aim at one private representative chemical and food company in Taiwan, for providing the strategy and improvement consult in safety management. In order to obtain the best-fit safety performance model, the Amos 17.0 (Analysis of Moment Structure 17.0) was used to construct a series of SEM competition models to confirm the four various orientations of the safety performance model through the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) method. The results showed that the first-order multi-factor oblique model and second-order single-factor safety performance model were the best-fit models. The results of this study will contribute to the related enterprises’ ability to assess the safety indicators and will also be an even greater contribution to the future development of enterprise security.     

Structural equation-based latent growth curve modeling of watershed attribute-regulated stream sensitivity to reduced acidic deposition

Little information is available about the effects of watershed attributes on long-term stream chemical responses to reduced acidic deposition. Long-term chemical data (1980-2006) for 21 stream sites from the Appalachian Mountain region and data of 8 watershed attributes of the corresponding watersheds were analyzed to study such effects. Latent growth curve modeling (LGM), a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, was conducted to quantify stream sensitivity to reduced acidic deposition in the region, and to model the initial chemical conditions (intercepts) and changing rates (slopes) in three time periods: 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. The modeled chemical trends were generally consistent with those trends which were detected by trend analyses in a previous study. Watershed attributes including area, mean elevation, percentage of developed land, percentage of grassland, percentages of shale and sandstone, percentage of barren land, and percentage of soil type Gilpin-Upshur-Vandalia (GUV) were found to affect stream sensitivity to the reduced acidic deposition with their importance in the respective order. The stream sensitivity in turn regulated streams’ chemical initial conditions and their changing rates in the studied watersheds. This innovative application of LGM for modeling long-term chemical trends advanced our understanding of the role of watershed attributes in regulating streams’ responses to reduced acidic deposition. This approach can be applied for evaluating streams’ responses to acidic deposition in other regions and, more broadly, for studying causal effects on long-term behaviors in other ecological and environmental science subjects.     

牛粪还田对土壤微生物群落特征的影响

畜禽粪便还田对土壤质量产生了深刻影响,而土壤微生物是反映土壤质量的敏感指标.基于稀释平板计数和高通量测序技术,研究了牛粪还田区土壤微生物群落特征及其影响因素.结果表明,与对照点相比,牛粪还田区土壤微生物群落β多样性发生了显著变化;牛粪还田增加了变形杆菌门(Proteobacteria)的相对丰度,而减少了放线菌门(Actinobacteria)和芽单胞菌门(Gemmatimonadetes)的相对丰度;牛粪还田显著改变了土壤微生物群落中的鞘氨醇单胞菌属(Sphingomonas)、PLTA13属、MSB-4B10属、盐单胞菌属(Halomonas)、CCD24属、Gaiella属、节杆菌属(Arthrobacter)、芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)和Entotheonellaceae属的相对丰度;影响牛粪还田区土壤微生物群落组成的重要因素是土壤含水量和放线菌数量;牛粪还田增加了假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)、梭状芽孢杆菌属(Clostridium)和链球菌属(Streptococcus)等病原菌的相对丰度,对土壤质量存在一定的生物污染风险.研究结果可为深入认识牛粪还田对土壤质量的...     

黄土丘陵区撂荒农田土壤酶活性及酶化学计量变化特征

明确土壤胞外酶活性及酶化学计量比在农田撂荒过程中的变化特征及驱动因素,对揭示土壤养分可利用性随植被恢复的变化规律和阐明生态系统养分循环机制有重要意义.本文以黄土丘陵区不同撂荒年限坡耕地（0、10、20和30 a）为研究对象,通过测定土壤酶活性及酶计量比、土壤理化性质、植物多样性和科组成,探讨农田撂荒后土壤微生物养分限制状况及酶活性和酶计量比的主控因子.结果表明,β-1,4-N-乙酰氨基葡萄糖苷酶（NAG）、亮氨酸氨基肽酶（LAP）和碱性磷酸酶（ALP）的活性均随撂荒年限增加而显著增加,而β-1,4-葡萄糖苷酶（BG）活性则相反.土壤BG：（NAG+LAP）和BG：ALP呈现出与土壤BG活性相同的随撂荒年限增加而减小的趋势;而（NAG+LAP）：ALP呈先升后降趋势,在撂荒20 a时达到最高值.酶化学计量的向量长度随撂荒年限增加而显著减小,表明撂荒过程中土壤微生物受碳（C）限制程度的减弱.撂荒前10 a酶化学计量的向量角度小于45°,后20 a大于45°,说明撂荒前期微生物受氮（N）限制,后期受磷（P）限制.冗余分析结果揭示土壤有机碳含量、总氮含量、C：N、C：P、pH以及植被多样性是调控酶活性和酶计量比变化的主要因子.分类变异分析表明,土壤和植物因素可解释不同撂荒年限下土壤酶活性及酶计量比差异的62.0%,植被特征与土壤理化特性之间的交互作用是土壤酶活性及酶计量比变化的主控因子,解释度为37.1%.综上所述,黄土丘陵区农田撂荒过程中应考虑外源P的投入以缓解生态系统中有效P的不足,研究结果可为理解脆弱生境恢复生态系统中微生物介导的生物地球化学循环机制以及指导土壤养分管理和生态可持续发展提供理论依据.     

微胶囊化新型聚硫橡胶密封剂的性能试验与评估

目的研发新型聚硫橡胶密封剂,并对其性能进行综合评估。方法基于原位聚合技术,制备以脲醛树脂为壁材,液态聚硫橡胶为囊芯的微胶囊。通过考察微胶囊密封剂的稳定可靠性、力学性能(力矩和拉伸性能)等,系统评价新型微胶囊密封剂的综合性能。结果通过聚硫密封剂微胶囊化,可将其装配工序由5步简化成1步,实现密封剂的预涂覆功能。微胶囊密封剂的稳定可靠性实验结果表明,长期储存后,微胶囊颗粒形貌不变,芯材聚硫橡胶未泄露和变性,保持良好的化学反应活性。力学性能试验结果表明,与原密封剂相比,微胶囊密封剂的破坏力矩、拆卸力矩、拉伸强度和断裂拉伸强度明显提高,断裂伸长率有所下降。结论通过脲醛原位聚合技术成功制备出形貌规整、粒径分布单一的聚硫密封剂微胶囊,实现聚硫密封剂包得住、不变性的目的。囊壁材料的引入对于密封剂力学性能有较大影响。     

秸秆与脱硫石膏配施改良黄河三角洲盐碱地的理化性质

为探索秸秆与脱硫石膏配施改良滨海盐渍化土壤效果,以黄河三角洲地区碱化盐土为研究对象,通过田间小区试验,设置对照(CK)、脱硫石膏(DG)、中量秸杆(MS)、脱硫石膏+低量秸秆(DGLS)、脱硫石膏+中量秸秆(DGMS)和脱硫石膏+高量秸秆(DGHS)共6个处理,结合团聚体分级法比较不同处理下滨海盐碱化土壤容重、总孔隙度、 pH、可溶性盐含量、微生物量碳、溶解性有机碳、新碳和团聚体有机碳的变化.结果发现,MS和DGHS处理显著降低了土壤容重,增加了土壤总孔隙度、含水率和平均重量直径;各处理下土壤pH和碱化度均显著降低,且无显著性差异;DG处理显著降低了土壤钠吸附比,与MS处理相比,DGLS、 DGMS和DGHS处理的土壤钠吸附比有进一步降低的趋势,降幅范围为57%～66%. DGLS、 DGMS和DGHS处理的土壤可溶性Na⁺分别较MS降低27.92%、 32.23%和20.15%,而可溶性Ca²⁺和SO₄^2-含量显著增加;与CK相比,各处理均能显著降低Cl^-含量,且各处理间差异...     

高效稠油降解菌DL1-G的筛选及降解特性

从大连保税库区稠油污染土壤中分离出1株稠油降解菌DL1-G,经形态观察、生化鉴定、16S rRNA序列及系统发育分析,鉴定该菌株为弯曲芽孢杆菌(Bacillus flexus).菌株DL1-G在第9d对稠油的降解率为39.89%,饱和烃和芳香烃的总含量降低了68.30%;GC-MS分析显示,饱和烃中nC11~nC38、nC6~nC30-烷基环已烷及姥鲛烷(27.179min)、植烷(30.657min)降解完全、未检出,C14~C16二环倍半萜烷及8α(H)-补身烷、8β(H)-补身烷、8β(H)-升补身烷降解率达99%以上,13β(H),14α(H)-C19~C29三环萜烷共降解了36.32%,11种甾烷类化合物共降解了12.04%;芳烃中萘系物、菲系物、芴系物、二苯并噻吩系物、联苯系物、甲基芘系物等都有不同程度降解,其中萘系物、芴系物、二苯并噻吩系物的降解率均达90%以上;菌株DL1-G对多环芳烃(PAHs)中的蒽、菲、芴、芘、萘的降解率分别达98.55%、97.16%、82.98%、64.85%、63.61%,表明该菌株在稠油污染治理方面具有良好的应用潜力.     

OFFSITE MEASUREMENT OF THE VISUAL CLARITY OF WATERS1

ABSTRACT: The black disk method for measuring visual water clarity in situ is becoming established as a simple but robust method for optically characterizing natural waters. However, in spite of its virtues, the method is limited by a practical visibility minimum of around 0.1 m and the requirement for direct access to the water body at a point where there is adequate lighting for the visual observations. A method has been devised for measuring black disk clarity off-site on samples of waters, diluted if necessary, and contained in a trough constructed of galvanized steel. In 23 streams, rivers, and lakes of diverse optical and physical character, measurements of visual clarity of water samples contained in troughs agreed closely with in situ measurements and correlated well (inversely) with the beam attenuation coefficient measured by transmissometer. Therefore, at sites where in situ measurement is difficult, visual clarity of waters can be measured offsite on a water sample. Furthermore, the visibility of samples diluted with tap water of known clarity was predictable from a simple balance on light attenuation. This means that useful visual clarity measurements on very turbid waters and effluents can be made in a trough containing volumetrically diluted samples, so extending application of the black disk method to very low visual ranges.     

Lignin-based Carbon Fibers: Effect of Synthetic Polymer Blending on Fiber Properties

Carbon fibers have been produced from hardwood lignin/synthetic polymer blend fibers. Hardwood kraft lignin was thermally blended with two recyclable polymers, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and polypropylene (PP). Both systems were easily spun into fibers. A thermostabilization step was utilized prior to carbonization to prevent fusion of individual fibers. For the lignin-based carbon fibers, careful control of heating rate was required. However, PET–lignin blend fibers can be thermostabilized under higher heating rates than the corresponding homofibers. Carbon fiber yield decreased with increasing incorporation of synthetic plastic. However, carbon fiber yield obtained for a 25% plastic blend fiber was still higher than that generally reported for petroleum pitch. Blend composition also affected surface morphology of the carbon fibers. Immiscible lignin–PP fibers resulted in a hollow and/or porous carbon fiber; whereas carbon fiber produced from miscible lignin–PET fibers have a smooth surface. Synthetic polymer blending also affected the mechanical properties of the fibers, especially MOE; lignin-based carbon fiber properties improved upon blending with PET.     

Identifying Determinants of Nations' Wetland Management Programs Using Structural Equation Modeling: An Exploratory Analysis

Integrated management and policy models suggest that solutions to environmental issues may be linked to the socioeconomic and political characteristics of a nation. In this study, we empirically explore these suggestions by applying them to the wetland management activities of nations. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate a model of national wetland management effort and one of national wetland protection. Using five predictor variables of social capital, economic capital, environmental and political characteristics, and land-use pressure, the multivariate models were able to explain 60% of the variation in nations' wetland protection efforts based on data from 90 nations, as defined by level of participation in the international wetland convention. Social capital had the largest direct effect on wetland protection efforts, suggesting that increased social development may eventually lead to better wetland protection. In contrast, increasing economic development had a negative linear relationship with wetland protection efforts, suggesting the need for explicit wetland protection programs as nations continue to focus on economic development. Government, environmental characteristics, and land-use pressure also had a positive direct effect on wetland protection, and mediated the effect of social capital on wetland protection. Explicit wetland protection policies, combined with a focus on social development, would lead to better wetland protection at the national level.