Vertical distribution of nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates in sedimentary core from the Beipaiming Channel, North China

The vertical profiles of nonylphenol （NP） and nonylphenol ethoxylates （NPEOs） were investigated in a sediment core from the Beipaiming Channel, North China using high sensitive LC-MS and GC-MS metthods In this core, relatively high concentrations of NP and NPEOs occurred in the surface sediment （≤40 cm）, with the maximum value of NP and NPEOs reaching 3539 and 12735 mg/g, respectively, whereas, no NP or NPEOs were detected in deeper sediments （〉40 cm）. The high concentrations of NP and NPEOs in the surface layers suggested recent inputs in this area. NPEOs with short ethoxy chains （NPnEO, n=0-3） were dominant in the NPEO mixture with percentages from 54% to 78%, which were similar to the distribution of homolog NPEO in effluents from nearby sewage treatment plants （STPs）, indicating that the channel received the effluents from these STPs. The sewage treatment ratio was quite similar to that found in North America before the 1980s. Finally, the concentrations of NP and NPEOs were related to the total organic carbon （TOC） （p〈0.001）, suggesting that TOC was an important factor for vertical distribution of NPEOs and NP from the Beipaiming Channel.     

Start-up performances of dry anaerobic mesophilic and thermophilic digestions of organic solid wastes

Two dry anaerobic digestions of organic solid wastes were conducted for 6 weeks in a lab-scale batch experiment for investigating the start-up performances under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The enzymatic activities, i.e., β-glucosidase, N-α-benzoyl-Largininamide （BAA）-hydrolysing protease, urease and phosphatase activities were analysed. The BAA-hydrolysing protease activity during the first 2-3 weeks was low with low pH, but was enhanced later with the pH increase. β-Glucosidase activity showed the lowest values in weeks 1-2, and recovered with the increase of BAA-hydrolysing protease activity. Acetic acid dominated most of the total VFAs in thermophilic digestion, while propionate and butyrate dominated in mesophilic digestion. Thermophilic digestion was confirmed more feasible for achieving better performance against misbalance, especially during the start-up period in a dry anaerobic digestion process.     

Nitrogen interception in floodwater of rice field in Taihu region of China

A field experiment located in Taihu Lake Basin of China was conducted,by application of urea or a mixture of urea with manure, to elucidate the interception of nitrogen(N)export in a typical rice field through"zero-drainage water management"combined with sound irrigation,rainfall forecasting and field drying,N concentrations in floodwater rapidly declined before the first event of field drying after three split fertilizations,and subsequently tended to retum to the background level.Before the first field drying,total particulate nitrogen(TPN)was the predominant N form in floodwater of plots with no N input,dissolved inorganic nitrogen(DIN)on plots that received urea only,and dissolved organic nitrogen(DON)on plots treated with the mixture of urea and manure.Thereafter TPN became the major form.No N export was found from the rice field,but total nitrogen(TN)of 15.8 kg/hm~2 was remained,mainly due to soil N sorption.The results recommended the zero-drainage water management for full-scale areas for minimizing N export.     

Treatment of tannery wastewater by electrocoagulation

Treatment of tannery wastewater by electrocoagulation with low cell current(≤1A)and soluble electrodes(mild steel electrodes and aluminum electrodes)was studied.Compared with aluminum electrodes,mild steel electrodes were more effective for the removal of sulfide,with a removal efficiency of over 90%.But during the treatment process,black color precipitate typical to iron(Ⅱ)sulfides was produced.While aluminum electrodes were effective to eliminate the colority of the effluent,the removal efficiency of sulfide was lower than 12%.The mechanisms of the removal of chemical oxygen demand,ammonia,total organic carbon,sulfide and colority with the two soluble electrodes(mild steel and aluminum electrodes)were discussed in detail.In order to exert the predominance of diffenent types of electrodes,the tannery wastewater was treated using mild steel electrodes first followed by the filter and finally by the aluminum electrodes,the elimination rates of chemical oxygen demand,ammonia,total organic carbon,sulfide and colority were 68.0%,43.1%,55.1%,96.7% and 84.3%,respectively,with the initial concentrations 2413.1 mg/L,223.4 mg/L,1000.4 mg/L,112.3 mg/L and 256 dilution times,respectively.The absorbance spectra and energy consumption during electrocoagulation process were also discussed.     

Number concentration and size distributions of submicron particles in Jinan urban area： Characteristics in summer and winter

The aerosol number concentration and size distribution were measured with the newly developed Wide-range Particle Spectrometer in summer and winter of 2006 at the urban site of Jinan City.Here reported the characteristics of fine particles of the different observation seasons.Relative high number concentrations for the particles in the diameter range of 10-500 nm were observed in both seasons.It was found that the dominant number distributed in particle diameter smaller than 100 nm and the percentage over the number concentration of all air particles is much higher than what has been measured in other urban sites over the world.The number mean diameter in summer was much smaller than in winter,strongly suggesting the different origin of ultrafine particles in different seasons.That is, particles in ultrafine mode mainly came from nucleation and new particle formation in summer while from traffic emission in winter. The diurnal variation also supported this point.Number concentration in the diameter range of 10-200 nm got their peak values at noontime,well correlated with the mixing ratio of SO_2 and the intensity of solar radiation in summer.While in winter,those in the same diameter range showed the main peaks during the traffic hours happened in the morning and evening.     

Investigation of head injuries by reconstructions of real-world vehicle-versus-adult-pedestrian accidents

A sizeable proportion of adult pedestrians involved in vehicle-versus-pedestrian accidents suffer head injuries, some of which can lead to lifelong disability or even death. To understand head injury mechanisms, in-depth accident analyses and accident reconstructions were conducted. A total of 120 adult pedestrian accident cases from the GIDAS (German in-depth accident study) database were analyzed, from which 10 were selected for reconstruction. Accident reconstructions initially were performed using multi-body system (MBS) pedestrian and car models, so as to calculate head impact conditions, like head impact velocity, head position and head orientation. These impact conditions then were used to set the initial conditions in a simulation of a head striking a windshield, using finite element (FE) head and windshield models. The intracranial pressure and stress distributions of the FE head model were calculated and correlated with injury outcomes. Accident analysis revealed that the windshield and its surrounding frames were the main sources of head injury for adult pedestrians. Reconstruction results indicated that coup/contrecoup pressure, Von Mises and shear stress were important physical parameters to estimate brain injury risks.     

The lag daemon: hysteresis in rebuilding landscapes and implications for biodiversity futures

Many native bird species in production landscapes of south-eastern Australia demonstrably are declining, with loss of native vegetation as the major cause. Our biodiversity management objectives must be to increase the probabilities of persistence of birds that should occur in the landscape. To do so, there needs to be extensive amounts of new plantings. However, one must be conscious that: (1) new plantings in the impoverished soils and increasing aridity of southern Australia will take many decades to mature, and, also, will offer suitable habitats for a sequence of different species over the course of that maturation process; and (2) much existing vegetation is senescent or will be in a few decades' time. Recent landscape rebuilding models do not explicitly consider maturation time-lags. These hystereses in habitat maturation may create 'bottlenecks' at future times (e.g. in 50yr) that might prevent some species from persisting in whole landscapes even though such landscapes may be much more suitable in 100yr than now. There are several critical issues: (1) species differ in habitat needs and even one species may require different kinds of habitats for foraging and for breeding; (2) landscapes must be conceived, and managed, as spatial and temporal mosaics to allow for persistence of the full set of species that should occupy them, meaning that senescing and replanted habitats may need to be juxtaposed; and (3) in certain particularly problematic landscapes, some highly productive agricultural lands may need to be used for providing habitat because maturation can be fast-tracked in fertile, well-watered locations. The problem is a complex one of scheduling and placement, and its optimization presents major theoretical and analytical challenges.     

氚靶制备现场氚的辐射防护

氚靶制备过程中氚的辐射防护是整项工作能否顺利完成的关键之一,本文以一次氚靶制备为例,报道了氚靶制备现场氚的辐射防护。结果表明：在氚靶制备过程中,充氚手套箱、操作间和排放烟囱内的氚浓度均未达到操作现场设定的氚的管理值,本次制靶过程中外排氚量为6．78×10^9Bq;制靶期间操作间地面和工作台、仪表上氚表面污染最大值分别为23．20Bq／cm^2、1．85Bq／cm^2、11．53Bq／cm^2,均远低于GB18871—2002中规定的控制区表面放射性物质污染控制水平值;剂量监测间地面氚表面污染最大值为8．92Bq／cm^2,低于国家标准中对监督区表面氚污染的控制限值;操作人员休息间、剂量监测控制间和走廊地面氚表面污染最大值分别为15．28Bq／cm^2、3．35Bq／cm^2、14．05Bq／cm^2,低于国标中对非限制区表面氚污染的控制水平;本次充氚活动中现场工作人员所受的剂量在国家标准值以下,对公众造成的附加剂量远低于GB18871—2002中规定的限值。     

"城中村"改造与城市土地集约利用研究——以济南市为例

研究"城中村"改造中土地集约利用的潜力及可行性,探索城市土地集约利用的有效途径,采取文献资料法和实例分析法进行研究。研究结果表明,一方面"城中村"土地利用混乱,效率低下,而且各种配套设施极不完善,给城市建设带来诸多问题急需改造;另一方面,"城中村"大量低效利用的土地经过开发整合具有很大的开发潜力,并具有可行性。"城中村"的改造需要政策支持和科学的规划,才能最大限度地发挥土地价值,达到土地集约利用的三效合一。     

Decomposition and mineralization of cefaclor by ionizing radiation: kinetics and effects of the radical scavengers

There has been recent growing interest in the presence of antibiotics in different environmental sectors. One considerable concern is the potential development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment, even at low concentrations. Cefaclor, one of the beta-lactam antibiotics, is widely used as an antibiotic. Kinetic studies were conducted to evaluate the decomposition and mineralization of cefaclor using gamma radiation. Cefaclor, 30 mg/l, was completely degraded with 1,000 Gy of gamma radiation. At a concentration of 30 mg/l, the removal efficiency, represented by the G-value, decreased with increasing accumulated radiation dose. Batch kinetic experiments with initial aqueous concentrations of 8.9, 13.3, 20.0 and 30.0mg/l showed the decomposition of cefaclor using gamma radiation followed a pseudo first-order reaction, and the dose constant increased with lower initial concentrations. At a given radiation dose, the G-values increased with higher initial cefaclor concentrations. The experimental results using methanol and thiourea as radical scavengers indicated that ()OH radicals were more closely associated with the radiolytic decomposition of cefaclor than other radicals, such as e(aq)(-) or ()H. The radical scavenger effects were tested under O(2) and N(2)O saturations for the enhancement of the TOC percentage removal efficiencies in the radiolytic decomposition of cefaclor. Under O(2) saturation, 90% TOC removal was observed with 100,000 Gy. Oxygen is well known to play a considerable role in the degradation of organic substances with effective chain reaction pathways. According to the effective radical reactions, the enhanced TOC percentage removal efficiencies might be based on the fast conversion reactions of e(aq)(-) and ()H with O(2) into oxidizing radicals, such as O(2)(-) and HO(2)(), respectively. 100% TOC removal was obtained with N(2)O gas at 20,000 Gy, as reducing radicals, such as e(aq)(-) and ()H, are scavenged by N(2)O and converted into ()OH radicals, which have strong oxidative properties. The results of this study showed that gamma irradiation was very effective for the removal of cefaclor in aqueous solution. The use of O(2) or N(2)O, with radiation, shows promise as effective radical scavengers for enhancing the TOC or COD removal efficiencies in pharmaceutical wastewaters containing antibiotics. However, the biological toxicity and interactions between various chemicals during the radiolytic treatment, as well as treatments under conditions more representative of real wastewater will require further studies.