Grazed Riparian Management and Stream Channel Response in Southeastern Minnesota (USA) Streams

The U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service has recommended domestic cattle grazing exclusion from riparian corridors for decades. This recommendation was based on a belief that domestic cattle grazing would typically destroy stream bank vegetation and in-channel habitat. Continuous grazing (CG) has caused adverse environmental damage, but along cohesive-sediment stream banks of disturbed catchments in southeastern Minnesota, short-duration grazing (SDG), a rotational grazing system, may offer a better riparian management practice than CG. Over 30 physical and biological metrics were gathered at 26 sites to evaluate differences between SDG, CG, and nongrazed sites (NG). Ordinations produced with nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) indicated a gradient with a benthic macroinvertebrate index of biotic integrity (IBI) and riparian site management; low IBI scores associated with CG sites and higher IBI scores associated with NG sites. Nongrazed sites were associated with reduced soil compaction and higher bank stability, as measured by the Pfankuch stability index; whereas CG sites were associated with increased soil compaction and lower bank stability, SDG sites were intermediate. Bedrock geology influenced NMS results: sites with carbonate derived cobble were associated with more stable channels and higher IBI scores. Though current riparian grazing practices in southeastern Minnesota present pollution problems, short duration grazing could reduce sediment pollution if managed in an environmentally sustainable fashion that considers stream channel response.     

A Tool for Automated Load Duration Curve Creation1

Abstract: A recent study by the Texas Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Task Force has recommended the use of load duration curves as a primary tool in calculating bacterial TMDLs. This method is attractive because it effectively integrates flow regimes into TMDL analyses, clearly communicates data through a method that is understandable to the general public, and has been successfully applied in TMDL studies in other states. To ease the creation of load duration curves, an automated load duration curve creation tool called LDCurve has been created within a Microsoft Excel framework. Web services and a webscraper are used to retrieve U.S. Geological Survey streamflow data and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality water quality data. Data are imported to the spreadsheet, combined to create flow and load duration curves, and plotted. Final steps result in a preliminary estimate of the overall load reductions needed to meet water quality standards in the modeled segment. LDCurve is currently only applicable in the state of Texas, but may be updated to model water quality throughout the nation using analogous web services from the EPA STORET database. By using automated data retrievals and computations, the LDCurve tool reduces the amount of time required to create curves and calculate load reductions to a matter of minutes. LDCurve and all supporting materials are available online for free download at: http://tools.crwr.utexas.edu/LDCurve/ .     

南宁市道路初期雨水径流污染物浓度分析

初期雨水污染是雨水径流污染的主要贡献者,掌握初期雨水的污染特征,对于城市雨水处理设施建设尤为重要。以南宁市为例,开展了城市初期雨水径流污染特性分析,旨在为南宁市海绵城市建设以及雨水处理措施提供参考。选取6个采样点的8场降雨,对常规水质指标(COD、NH3-N、TN、TP、SS)进行分析,揭示了降雨过程中污染物的瞬时浓度分布。结果表明:建成区污染物浓度范围和污染物平均水平均明显高于规划区;不同雨型下,雨水初期冲刷效果强弱顺序为暴雨>大雨>中雨>小雨;除小雨外,其他雨型在降雨20 min左右时污染物浓度达到平衡;暴雨情况下,污染物浓度在5 min内降低50%,15 min内70%~80%的污染物随雨水直排或进入城市管网。     

预臭氧对砂滤过滤性能的影响

通过规模为200L·h-1的连续动态实验,研究了臭氧预处理对砂滤出水浊度、颗粒数以及运行周期的影响.实验结果表明,投加低剂量0.12mg·L-1的臭氧,就可以显著改善砂滤的运行性能.臭氧预处理可以使砂滤出水浊度和粒径范围为3～7μm的颗粒物(与隐孢子虫大小相当)含量分别从平均0.25NTU和584个mL-1下降到0.05NTU和72个mL-1,其它粒径范围的颗粒数也显著下降,砂滤周期延长了1倍.     

Thermal risk in batch reactors: Theoretical framework for runaway and accident

Thermal safety and risk of accidents are still challenging topics in the case of batch reactors carrying exothermic reactions. In the present paper, the authors develop an integrated framework focusing on defining the governing parameters for the thermal runaway and evaluating the subsequent risk of accident. A relevant set of criteria are identified in order to find the prior conditions for a thermal runaway: failure of the cooling system, critical temperature threshold, successive derivatives of the temperature (first and second namely) vs. time and no detection in due time (reaction time) of the runaway initiation. For illustrative purposes, the synthesis of peracetic acid (PAA) with hydrogen peroxide (HP) and acetic acid (AA) is considered as case study. The critical and threshold values for the runaway accident are identified for selected sets of input data. Under the conditional probability of prior cooling system failure, Monte Carlo simulations are performed in order to estimate the risk of thermal runaway accident in batch reactors. It becomes then possible to predict the ratio of reactors, within an industrial plant, potentially subject to thermal runaway accident.     

透水混凝土路面对径流水量削减试验

透水混凝土路面作为低影响开发技术之一,对雨洪的管理与控制具有重要作用。对透水混凝土路面对径流的控制作用进行试验,结果表明:基于设计路面和北京降雨参数,降雨历时分别为30,60,120 min时,透水混凝土路面对径流总量的削减率分别达到60%、55%和40%以上,对洪峰流量的削减率分别达到65%、63%和40%以上;降雨重现期从1年增到100年,产流延迟时间从13 min降至5 min。试验表明,透水混凝土路面的雨量径流系数在0.18~0.54,远小于普通混凝土路面的雨量径流系数0.91。结果表明,透水混凝土路面对延迟产流时间、削减径流水量、削减洪峰流量以及降低径流系数具有很好的作用,可以为该低影响开发技术在国内的应用设计提供参考。     

基于IREQ模型的低温环境应急救援人员冷应激分析

为更准确地评估低温环境下应急救援人员冷应激情况,避免低温伤害。基于国家推荐性标准GB/T 24254—2009确定我国低温冰冻灾害应急救援作业工作服装热阻（IREQ）,并引入适合描述我国低温冰冻灾害高强度应急救援作业的人体储热率参数,对所需IREQ模型进行改进。计算分析低温冰冻灾害环境下应急救援人员的修正服装热阻、有限持续暴露时间、体温恢复时间。研究结果表明:改进的 IREQ模型计算所得的基本需求热阻更高,有限持续暴露时间更低,对提高低温环境下的应急救援作业安全性具有一定的科学意义。     

How safe are standard certified motorcycle safety helmets? Malaysian postal delivery riders scenario

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of motorcycle safety helmets (MSHs) used by postal delivery riders (PDRs) that comply with the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia’s (SIRIM) MSH standard guidelines and identify factors that contribute toward compliance of used MSHs with the standards.

Methods: The presence of SIRIM certification label, the status of MSH, type of chinstrap, MSH crash history, and duration of MSH use were observed. The dependent variable was the results of the SIRIM testing procedures (SIRIM tests). MSHs that passed the SIRIM tests were considered “standard certified” MSHs.

Results: The odds of the complimentary MSHs passing all of the SIRIM tests were 3.7 times the odds of the self-purchased MSHs passing the tests. The odds of MSHs with the SIRIM certification label passing all of the SIRIM tests were 24.2 times the odds of MSHs without the SIRIM certification label, and the odds of MSHs used <3?years passing the SIRIM tests were 3.75 times the odds of the MSHs used ≥3.8?years.

Conclusion: PDRs provided with complimentary MSHs with the SIRIM certification label by the employer for their daily delivery routines and duration of MSH used for less than 3 years were found to be safe MSHs for male occupational riders in Malaysia.     

Influence of light zones on drivers' visual fixation characteristics and traffic safety in extra-long tunnels

Objective: Special light zone is a new illumination technique that promises to improve the visual environment and improve traffic safety in extra-long tunnels. The purpose of this study is to identify how light zones affect the dynamic visual characteristics and information perception of drivers as they pass through extra-long tunnels on highways.

Methods: Thirty-two subjects were recruited for this study, and fixation data were recorded using eye movement tracking devices. A back-propagation artificial neural network was employed to predict and analyze the influence of special light zones on the variations in the fixation duration and pupil area of drivers. The analytic coordinates of focus points at different light zones were clustered to obtain different visual fixation regions using dynamic cluster theory.

Results: The findings of this study indicated that the special light zones had different influences on fixation duration and pupil area compared to other sections. Drivers gradually changed their fixation points from a scattered pattern to a narrow and zonal distribution that mainly focused on the main visual area at the center, the road just ahead, and the right side of the main visual area while approaching the special light zones. The results also showed that the variation in illumination and landscape in light zones was more important than driving experience to yield changes in visual cognition and driving behavior.

Conclusions: It can be concluded that the special light zones can help relieve drivers' vision fatigue to some extent and further develop certain visual stimulus that can enhance drivers' attention. The study would provide a scientific basis for safety measurement implementation in extra-long tunnels.