An Environmental Application of Regional Geochemical Mapping in Understanding Enzootic Geophagia of Calves in the Reivilo Area, South Africa

A specific enzootic form of geophagia (the deliberate ingestion of soil) occurs in young cattle and sheep in restricted areas of the Barkley-West, Postmasburg and Vryburg Districts of the Northern Cape- and North West Provinces of the Republic of South Africa. It results in severe, subacute to chronic hepatitis and jaundice, with a high mortality rate in untreated cases. An association between the disease and high concentrations of manganese in soils was shown since all the affected farms are situated on outcrops of the Reivilo Formation of the Campbell Rand Subgroup, which consists mainly of manganiferous dolomite. Furthermore high concentrations of manganese were found in the analysis of liver specimens from affected calves and the characteristic microscopic pathological changes in the liver could be induced experimentally in a calf and lamb by oral administration of manganese sulphate. The highest incidence of geophagia occurs at 7 to 14 days, whereas calves older than about 2 months are rarely affected. The symptoms usually start with intermittent, progressive geophagia, followed by constipation, dehydration and death within ca. 7–10 days in untreated cases. Young calves and lambs display an insatiable appetite for soil and sometimes lick iron poles. The treatment of calves by the parenteral injection of commercial iron-dextran- and vitamin B₁₂ preparations at 1 to 2 days after birth, and at 14 days of age, at the registered therapeutic doses, appeared to have a marked preventative effect on the occurrence of geophagia and its complications. Regional geochemical maps show a northeast–southwest trending anomaly in MnO, Zn and Pb, visually correlating with the distribution of the affected farms. Anomalously high distributions of Pb and Zn are also spatially related to the Pering (Pb,Zn) Mine. In this study, two farms were selected for comparative purposes. Gam, a farm situated on the Reivilo Formation of the Campbellrand Subgroup was chosen where a high incidence of geophagia occurred, as well as the farm Holpan on the Lyttelton Formation of the Malmani Subgroup where the problem was not known to be present. The farm Holpan was chosen as a control area, and is situated close to an old manganese mine on dolomite with a high MnO content. Geographically, Holpan is situated in an area with a high rainfall, with leaching and the formation of deep red soils on the dolomite, together with a hilly relief and low soil pH_{H 2 O}. Gam is situated in an area with lower rainfall, where precipitation would be less than evapotranspiration. The dolomite of the Malmani Subgroup and the Reivilo Formation are significantly different in their soil geochemistry. The MnO, Fe₂O₃ ^T and Co contents are significantly higher in the soils of the Malmani Subgroup than in the Reivilo Formation. The MnO, Zn and Pb contents on Gam are higher than on Holpan, whereas the Fe₂O₃ ^T and Co contents are lower. Soil on Holpan contains iron-minerals such as haematite, while no iron minerals were detected in the soils of Gam. The concretions, found in the soils on both farms, differs remarkably in iron-contents. Concretions on both farms have similar high concentrations of MnO, whereas the FeO content are low for the concretions on Gam and high for Holpan. Preliminary comparative analytical results of the colostrum, sampled from cows with new born calves within three days of birth, do not entirely reflect the soil geochemistry of the different farms. Whereas the soils on Gam have higher MnO, Zn and Pb, and lower Fe₂O₃ ^T and Co than Holpan, the colostrum produced on Gam has lower Mn, Fe and Co than on Holpan. The Pb and Zn concentrations in the colostrum on both farms do not differ significantly. The comparative regional geochemical soil data, together with the colostrum data, suggest that young calves on the farm Gam probably suffer from Fe and Co deficiency. Conversely, it was illustrated that the Fe and Co content in the soils are high and the Fe is abundant in the concretions on the farm Holpan. These findings, together with the apparent absence of geophagia at Holpan, as well as the observed effect of iron and cobalt supplementation in the prevention of geophagia on the farm Gam, suggests an association of geophagia with iron and cobalt deficiencies on the farm Gam.     

喷淋塔传质特性的实验与模型研究

从液滴受力分析入手,分析了喷淋塔内液滴的运动特性,采用类比定律推导了气相传质系数计算式,建立了喷淋塔脱氨传质模型,并进行了实验验证,分别在不同的喷淋密度和空塔气速的条件下,对传质系数、比表面积及容积吸收率沿塔高的分布进行了模拟。结果表明,沿着液滴的下落方向,比表面积逐渐减小,传质系数缓慢增大,二者在塔顶附近变化显著;传质速率受比表面积和传质推动力的影响较大,增大喷淋密度可显著增加比表面积,提高空塔气速可增大平均传质系数;喷淋塔下半段比表面积小,增大比表面积是强化传质的有效手段。     

Spatial variability of sydney air quality by cumulative semivariogram

This paper establishes that an isotropic spatial correlation function in the form of a modified Bessel function of the second kind, first order, can be used to model the spatial variability of a pollution concentration field over a sufficiently long period of time in which the variability due to meteorological factors has been smoothed out. The corresponding cumulative semivariogram is derived and fitted by nonlinear least-squares to monthly averaged ozone data at 18 monitoring stations of the Sydney region. The good fit of the model indicates that the Sydney airshed has homogeneous and isotropic subregions whose radius of influence is about 17 km. The Bessel function form of the spatial correlation has a physical meaning as it is derived from the diffusion equation; hence, it is expected that the model can be used, in general, to represent the spatial variability of a smoothed homogeneous and isotropic concentration field.     

大气总悬浮颗粒物中半挥发性有机污染物的测定

采用超声萃取技术提取大气总悬浮颗粒物(TSP)采样膜中的半挥发性有机污染物(SVOC),浓缩净化后,将1μL试样注入气相色谱质谱仪(GC/MS)进行定性定量分析.研究了大气中64种半挥发有机污染物,包括苯酚类、苯胺类、硝基芳香烃类、多环芳烃类和酞酸酯类物质的回收率、精密度和检测限.实验表明,方法操作简便,净化效果好,且部分测定指标优于美国环境标准方法EPA8270c.     

Occupant Risk,Partner Risk and Fatality Rate in Frontal Crashes: Estimated Effects of Changing Vehicle Fleet Mass in 15 Years

The effect of vehicle fleet mass on car crash fatalities was estimated, using a new mathematical model to isolate vehicle mass from related factors like size, stiffness and inherent protection. The model was based on fatality risk data, impact speed, fleet mass distribution, and collision probabilities. The fleet mass distribution was changed over 15 years to (a) a homogeneous fleet of 1300 kg cars, (b) a bimodal fleet of 600 and 1600 kg cars, and (c) a 300 kg lighter fleet.

Occupant and collision partner fatality risks were estimated for the new fleets. The new fleets were achieved by various strategies, and the average fatality rate was calculated after and during the transition to the new fleet.Occupant fatality risk decreased and partner risk increased as occupants changed to a heavier car. The average fatality rate was 59% higher after the transition to a bimodal fleet mass, and 11 % lower for a homogeneous fleet. A 300 kg lighter fleet had a 8% higher fatality rale, but the strategy influenced the number of fatalities accumulated during the transition. The safest strategy to attain the lighter fleet was to reduce the mass of the heaviest cars first.

It was concluded that vehicle fleet mass significantly affects traffic safety. Downsizing consequences can be compensated for by improving inherent vehicle protection or reducing impact speed. The fatalities during downsizing can be limited by choosing an appropriate strategy.     

基于粗糙集和非线性多元回归的矿岩可爆性指数计算公式的修正

在前人研究的基础上建立了一个矿岩可爆性决策信息系统,其中爆破漏斗体积、爆破块度分布中的大块率、小块率、平均合格率、岩体纵波声速、岩体弹性波阻抗为条件属性,矿岩可爆性指数为决策属性。应用粗糙集对条件属性进行约简,剔除了块度平均合格率,保留其它五个条件属性,计算结果表明爆破漏斗体积对矿岩可爆性影响最大。应用非线性多元回归方法对原可爆性指数计算公式进行了修正,并采用数值计算和统计分析方法对修正公式进行了验证。最后利用修正指数公式计算某矿山的矿岩可爆性指数,并反算了炸药单耗,计算值与现场试验结果一致。研究表明:修正后的指数计算公式包含五个待定系数,比原公式减少一个,计算更加简便,能够满足工程需要。     

爆炸应力波在层状节理岩体中的传播规律试验研究

为了研究爆炸应力波在岩体中的传播规律,基于相似理论,开展了爆炸应力波在层状节理岩体中衰减的实验研究。研究表明,节理阻碍 应力波的传播且存在各向异性;对于垂直或小角度入射节理的应力波,在垂直方向和纵向的衰减很明显并且幅度较大,在横向衰减不明显;对 于斜入射节理的应力波,横向和垂直方向没有明显的衰减,纵向的衰减很明显并且幅度较大;应力波的合成峰值速度与炮孔密集度之间的关系 密切,当炮孔间距超过一定距离时,实际测得的速度时程为最近药包爆破产生的应力波,并非总药量产生的应力波的叠加。     

不同地表雨水径流冲刷特性分析

选择北京市某城区典型地表(校园、自行车道、商业街和高架桥)的雨水径流作为研究对象,系统分析了不同地表雨水径流的冲刷特性。分析结果表明:不同地表初期冲刷现象都比较明显,控制不同地表20%的初期雨水可以削减污染物总量的40%～60%,高架桥初期雨水径流中COD、SS和TP浓度最高,校园初期雨水径流中TN浓度最高。不同地表雨水径流的水质优劣顺序为:校园>商业街>自行车道>高架桥。校园和自行车道在整个降雨过程中D50和D90粒径大小相近,分别为30μm和50μm左右,且变化幅度都较小。高架桥和商业街在雨水径流初期D50和D90粒径有明显减小,但后期均出现较大幅度的波动,其粒径明显大于校园和自行车道。上述研究成果对于城市不同地表雨水径流污染控制和场地开发具有重要意义。     

Making Progress? Reproducing Hegemony Through Discourses of “Sustainable Development” in the Australian News Media

While numerous studies have investigated discourses of “sustainable development” in a variety of institutional and academic contexts, media discourses on this issue have remained largely unexamined. But considering the intertwined nature of media and society, the construction of sustainable development in the news may be an important factor shaping future ecological and social outcomes. Proceeding from the thesis that the news is a site in which hegemony may be reproduced, this paper critically analyses discourses used to construct sustainable development in news texts published over the 10-year period 2004–2013 across the eight most widely circulated newspapers in Australia. The findings show that sustainable development news is confined to a narrow range of discourses that largely serve to perpetuate the status quo, which is broadly consistent with the media hegemony thesis. Finally, I discuss the implications of these findings, propose possible explanations, and explore avenues for future research.