Maize: The Native North American’s Legacy of Cultural Diversity and Biodiversity

Recent research has focused on establishing the values of preserving biodiversity both in agriculture and in less managed ecosystems, and in showing the importance of the role of cultural diversity in preserving biodiversity in food production systems. A study of the philosophy embedded in cultural systems can reveal the importance of the technological information for preserving genetic biodiversity contained in such systems and can be used to support arguments for the protection/preservation of cultural diversity. For example, corn or maize can serve as a paradigm of Native American thinking and can provide one of the few areas from which common philosophical conceptions can emerge. An examination of the cultivation of corn or maize as an agricultural activity and as a cultural activity in Native American literature reveals a philosophy that recognizes the importance of biodiversity and provides techniques for its preservation. Corn, and the food and the materials derived from it, is something thought out, not by specialists, but by the entire tribe and its ancestors, even if this thinking is done within what we might consider a framework of highly mythical notions. Importantly, this framework yields an understanding of both the genetics and nutrition of corn. A survey of these mythical notions (myths and stories) and agricultural practices makes this thought explicit and exemplifies the value of cultural diversity and biodiversity.     

Effect of water washing on the thermal behavior of rice straw

Rice straw can be used as a renewable fuel for heat and power generation. It is a viable mean of replacing fossil fuels and preventing pollution caused by open burning, especially in the areas where this residual biomass is generated. Nevertheless, the thermal conversion of rice straw can cause some operating problems such as slag formation, which negatively affects thermal conversion systems. So, the main objective of this research is studying the combustion behavior of rice straw samples collected from various regions by applying thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In addition, the thermal behavior of ashes from rice straw was also analyzed in order to detect their melting points, and ash sintering was detected at different temperatures within the range between 550 and 1000 °C. Since washing rice straw with water could reduce the content of undesirable inorganic compounds related to the ash fusibility, samples of washed rice straw were analyzed under combustion conditions to investigate its differences regarding the thermal behavior of rice straw. The results showed that rice straw washing led to a significant improvement in its thermal behavior, since it reduced the ash contents and sintering formation.     

南京北郊黑碳气溶胶的来源解析

利用七波段黑碳仪对2015年1~12月南京北郊地区黑碳(black carbon,BC)气溶胶实时监测,并结合黑碳仪模型对该期间内BC进行来源解析,探讨化石燃料排放产生BC(BCff)与生物质燃烧产生BC(BCbb)各自的贡献大小.结果表明,观测期间BC的吸收波长指数(α)和生物质燃烧对BC的贡献百分比(BB)的变化范围都较大但趋势较为一致;冬季α值偏高而夏季α值较低,表明不同季节时间BC来源和强度的差异性.BCff在各季节BC总浓度中占比略有不同但均高于75%;BC、BCff和BCbb的日变化趋势均呈双峰特征,在07:00~09:00和18:00~21:00左右浓度有最大值;全天中,BCff对BC贡献最大,浓度值约为BCbb的3~5倍;夜晚BC浓度普遍高于白天,其平均浓度值是白天的1.2倍.由浓度权重轨迹分析的结果可知,影响南京北郊地区高浓度BC的源区主要集中在浙江、安徽以及江西和福建等地区.     

Source apportionment of PAHs and n-alkanes bound to PM1 collected near the Venice highway

n-Alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) bound to atmospheric particulate matter (PM₁) were investigated in a traffic site located in an urban area of Venice Province (Eastern Po Valley, Italy) during the cold season. Considering the critical situation affecting the Veneto Region concerning the atmospheric pollution and the general lack of information on PM₁ composition and emission in this area, this experimental study aims at determining the source profile, their relative contributions and the dispersion of finer particles. Four sources were identified and quantified using the Positive Matrix Factorization receptor model: (1) mixed combustions related to the residential activities, (2) agricultural biomass burning in addition to the resuspension of anthropogenic and natural debris carried by the wind, (3) gasoline and (4) diesel traffic-related combustions. The role of local atmospheric circulation was also investigated to identify the pollutant sources.     

Influence of agricultural activities, forest fires and agro-industries on air quality in Thailand

Annual and monthly-based emission inventories in northern, central and north-eastern provinces in Thailand, where agriculture and related agro-industries are very intensive, were estimated to evaluate the contribution of agricultural activity, including crop residue burning, forest fires and related agro-industries on air quality monitored in corresponding provinces. The monthly-based emission inventories of air pollutants, or, particulate matter (PM), NOx and SO₂, for various agricultural crops were estimated based on information on the level of production of typical crops: rice, corn, sugarcane, cassava, soybeans and potatoes using emission factors and other parameters related to country-specific values taking into account crop type and the local residue burning period. The estimated monthly emission inventory was compared with air monitoring data obtained at monitoring stations operated by the Pollution Control Department, Thailand (PCD) for validating the estimated emission inventory. The agro-industry that has the greatest impact on the regions being evaluated, is the sugar processing industry, which uses sugarcane as a raw material and its residue as fuel for the boiler. The backward trajectory analysis of the air mass arriving at the PCD station was calculated to confirm this influence. For the provinces being evaluated which are located in the upper northern, lower northern and northeast in Thailand, agricultural activities and forest fires were shown to be closely correlated to the ambient PM concentration while their contribution to the production of gaseous pollutants is much less.     

磁性PEI功能化秸秆的制备及对Pb (Ⅱ)的吸附

为获得同时具有优良的吸附性能和磁分离特性的生物吸附材料,以汽爆秸秆为基质,采用戊二醛交联剂法制备了磁性聚乙烯亚胺功能化秸秆吸附剂（Fe₃O₄-PEI-RS）,通过SEM、XRD、FTIR、XPS和VSM等手段表征了材料的结构和性质,测定了Pb（Ⅱ）在Fe₃O₄-PEI-RS上的吸附性能,考察了pH、吸附时间、吸附剂投加量、Pb（Ⅱ）初始浓度、温度等因素对吸附的影响.结果表明,Fe₃O₄-PEI-RS对Pb（Ⅱ）的吸附具有强烈的pH依赖性;吸附时间对Pb（Ⅱ）的吸附效率有明显的影响,在180 min时吸附达到平衡,吸附过程符合准二级动力学模型;Langmuir和Freundlich模型都能很好地描述Pb（Ⅱ）在Fe₃O₄-PEI-RS上的吸附行为,20、30和40℃时最大吸附量分别为192.31、200.00和212.77 mg/g;热力学参数△G < 0,而焓变△H>0、△S>0,说明该吸附属于熵增加的自发吸热反应过程,升温有利于吸附.重复试验表明,EDTA作解吸剂,经5次吸附/解吸附循环后吸附剂仍能保持较高的吸附容量.研究显示,所制Fe₃O₄-PEI-RS对Pb（Ⅱ）具有较高的吸附容量,稳定性好、可循环利用,能在磁场下实现快速分离.      

层次分析模型在室内空气质量评价中的应用研究

当前评价方法没有考虑室内空气质量界线的模糊性,不能真实反映室内空气品质,导致评价结果不准确.提出基于层次分析模型的室内空气质量评价方法,建立室内空气质量评价目标层、准则层和措施层三层递阶的层次结构模型,构造判断矩阵,计算特征向量,得到各自的层次总排序结果,结合室内空气质量评价各指标权重,计算空气各污染物的隶属函数,求导室内空气质量最终评价值.实验结果表明,所提方法获得的室内空气质量评价值与实际调查监测值一致,能够真实反映室内空气质量状况,具有较高的可靠性.     

麻醉呼吸机在手术室内环境中产生的毒害气体分析及预防处理研究

麻醉呼吸机在大型手术过程中会经常使用,由于麻醉过程中会使用一定氯化物,因此会造成一定有害气体的外泄,有害气体会影响手术进度以及手术的准确程度.针对上述问题,提出麻醉呼吸机在手术室内环境中产生的毒害气体的分析以及预防方法.对麻醉呼吸机能够泄露出的有害气体影响程度以及影响范围进行估计,针对产生的有害气体设计了完整的预防系统,通过传感器的使用达到对有毒气的预防监测过程.试验结果表明,设计的有害气体预防系统能够高敏感度对有毒气体识别分析.     

寒冷地区室内环境空气质量及其影响因素分析研究

以哈尔滨市2011年-2015年室内环境空气数据资料为基础,通过描述统计和数学模型分析了寒冷地区室内环境空气质量的变化趋势和影响因素.分析结果表明,寒冷地区室内环境空气质量随着人们对室内装修材料的不断重视和对健康的生活不懈追求呈逐年好转趋势;室内环境空气质量季节差别明显,房屋室内温湿度高有利于污染物从家具建材等装修材料中向空气中释放,从而使室内空气较差;室内装修材料使用多少、装修程度复杂或简单,都与室内环境空气质量呈正相关关系.     

华北平原玉米-小麦轮作农田N2O交换通量的研究

以华北地区冬小麦-夏玉米轮作农田为研究对象,运用静态箱法对正常施肥及正常施肥结合秸秆还田农田N2O交换通量进行了连续1 a对比研究.正常施肥及正常施肥结合秸秆还田样地N2O全年的累积排放量分别为7.61 kg.hm-2和12.6kg.hm-2,其中秸秆还田引起N2O排放明显增加主要发生在玉米生长季节.两种处理样地在玉米季N2O的排放量占全年累积排放的57%～86%,表明华北玉米-小麦轮作体系中N2O排放主要集中在玉米季.各次施肥后10 d内N2O的累积排放量约占全年总排放量的71%～88%,显然现有化肥极大促进了华北农田N2O排放.