Usability of food industry waste oils as fuel for diesel engines

Two cogeneration units were each fitted with a prechamber (IDI) diesel engine in order to test the feasibility of using waste oils from the food industry as a fuel source, and additionally to test emissions generated by the combustion of these fuels. Esterified waste oils and animal fats as well as mustard oil were tested and compared to the more or less "common" fuels: diesel, rapeseed oil and rapeseed methyl ester. The results show that, in principle, each of these fuels is suitable for use in a prechamber diesel engine. Engine performance can be maintained at a constant level. Without catalytic conversion, the nitrogen oxides emissions were comparable. A significant reduction in NO(x) was achieved through the injection of urea. Combining a urea injection with the SCR catalytic converter reduced NO(x) emissions between 53% and 67%. The carbon monoxide emissions from waste oils are not significantly different from those of "common" fuels and can be reduced the same way as of hydrocarbon emissions, through utilization of a catalytic converter. The rate of carbon monoxide reduction by catalytic conversion was 84-86%. A lower hydrocarbon concentration was associated with fuels of agricultural origin. With the catalytic converter a reduction of 29-42% achieved. Each prechamber diesel engine exhibited its own characteristic exhaust, which was independent of fuel type. The selective catalytic reduction of the exhaust emissions can be realized without restriction using fuels of agricultural origin.     

The impact of shoreline stabilization on economic growth in small island developing states

This paper assesses the economic growth impact of shoreline stabilization policy in Small Island Developing States. Concentrating on the Barbadian efforts to stem shoreline retreat, it explores whether investments in shoreline stabilization and beach amenity enhancement have beneficial effects on medium-term economic growth. The analysis relies on the synthetic control method as a way to systematically choose comparison units (beach sites), which allows for precise quantitative inference in small-sample studies. Our results indicate that in the first three years after shoreline stabilization works were completed, local economic effects, as measured by nighttime lights data, are positive and indicate a positive trend. Confidence bounds obtained by a bootstrapping method suggest that the positive trend is robust in the last two years post-treatment. Shoreline stabilization works may therefore not only help preserve fragile ecological conditions, but further lead to sustainable growth in the local economy.     

The impact of the Gulf crisis on Qatar's humanitarian sector

The 2017 Gulf crisis is one of the most challenging episodes faced by Qatar since its independence in 1971, with major economic, social, and political impacts on the Arab Gulf nation. Its economic prognosis has been brought into doubt, the map of regional alliances has been redrawn, and any prospects of deeper regional integration have been dashed. This paper analyses the little-documented impact of the crisis on Qatar's humanitarian sector, which has unfolded as the small, gas-rich emirate has striven to become a major humanitarian donor. It concludes that while there have been disruptions to humanitarian operations and regional coordination, the Gulf crisis has triggered and in some cases accelerated already intended reforms across the Qatari humanitarian sector. In the long term, the reorganisation and adaptation implemented to weather the storm of the crisis may help Qatar to emerge from the crisis with a more sustainable and resilient humanitarian sector.     

Adaptation to Climate Change in Developing Countries

Adaptation to climate change is given increasing international attention as the confidence in climate change projections is getting higher. Developing countries have specific needs for adaptation due to high vulnerabilities, and they will in this way carry a great part of the global costs of climate change although the rising atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations are mainly the responsibility of industrialized countries. This article provides a status of climate change adaptation in developing countries. An overview of observed and projected climate change is given, and recent literature on impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation are reviewed, including the emerging focus on mainstreaming of climate change and adaptation in development plans and programs. The article also serves as an introduction to the seven research articles of this special issue on climate change adaptation in developing countries. It is concluded that although many useful steps have been taken in the direction of ensuring adequate adaptation in developing countries, much work still remains to fully understand the drivers of past adaptation efforts, the need for future adaptation, and how to mainstream climate into general development policies.     

Mate choice games, context-dependent good genes, and genetic cycles in the side-blotched lizard, Uta stansburiana

According to mate choice models, a female should prefer males with traits that are reliable indicators of genetic quality which the sire can pass on to their progeny. However, good genes may depend on the social environment, and female choice for good genes should be context dependent. The side-blotched lizard, Uta stansburiana, exhibits genetically based throat colors (orange, blue, or yellow) that could be used as a sexually selected signal since they reliably predict the genetic quality of mates. The frequencies of male and female morphs cycle between years, and both male and female morphs have an advantage when rare; thus genetic quality will depend on morph frequency. A female should choose a sire that maximizes the reproductive success of both male and female progeny. We examine a game theoretical model that predicts female mate choice as a function of morph frequency and population density. The model predicts the following flexible mate choice rule: both female morphs should prefer rare males in ’boom years’ of the female cycle (e.g., ’rarest-of-N rule’), but prefer orange males in ’crash years’ of the female cycle (’orange-male rule’). Cues from the current social environment should be used by females to choose a mate that maximizes the future reproductive success of progeny, given the social environment of the next generation. We predict that the cue is the density of aggressive orange females. In the side-blotched lizard, cycling mate choice games and context-dependent mate choice are predicted to maintain genetic variation in the presence of choice for good genes. Received: 8 March 2000 / Revised: 26 August 2000 / Accepted: 4 September 2000     

国家重点监控水污染企业筛选方法辨析

简述了国家重点监控水污染企业筛选的方法。建议通过增加筛选因子,拓宽统计范围,采用分类筛选的方式改进国家重点监控企业筛选方法,并由环境监察、税务和工商等部门联合确定国家重点监控企业名单。     

常州市水质总体规划方案的多指标决策研究

本文概述了用于水质总体规划研究中的协调规划、协同游戏理论和存优汰劣等3种多指标决策方法。介绍了在常州市水质保护总体规划方案优化研究中应用多指标决策方法,在进行水质效益和费用分析基础上,确定最优的总体规划方案。     

三座不同营养类型水库春季细菌生理群分布特征

运用实验室培养的方法,于2005年4月调查了热带亚热带过渡区的三座不同营养类型的水库:大镜山(富营养型),梅溪(贫中营养型),流溪河(贫中营养型),并对3座水库水体和底泥异养细菌及N、P细菌生理群的分布特点进行了初步分析。3座水库水体和底泥细菌生理群的分布差异明显,这些差异主要取决于水库水体和底泥的营养状况。大镜山水库和流溪河水库底泥中有机营养物质丰富,2座水库底泥中主要细菌生理群的分布相似。流溪河水库与梅溪水库为贫中营养型水库,两座水库水体中主要细菌生理群的密度分布相近。在流溪河水库和大镜山水库中不同采样点之间细菌生理群的分布存在一定的空间差异,梅溪水库大坝和出水口之间差异不显著,这种差异取决与水库的水动力学特征。3座水库水体硝酸还原菌与TP(R2=0.6668,P<0.05)和Chl.a(R2=0.6734,P<0.05)以及有机磷分解菌与TP(R2=0.5977,P<0.05)和Chl.a(R2=0.5968,P<0.05)之间存在着显著的相关关系。     

Model-based hazard identification in multiphase chemical reactors

Chemical productions operated in extreme conditions (high pressure, high temperature) require a detailed analysis of all potentially dangerous situations that can lead to a major industrial accident and thus cause a loss of life and property. Many accidents in the near or distant history underline the need of a detailed safety analysis in process industries, not only in the phase of plant design but also during the operation of the plant. It would be shown that simulation of a chemical unit using an appropriate mathematical model and the nonlinear analysis theory can be a suitable tool for safety analysis. This approach is based on mathematical modeling of a process unit where both the steady-state analysis, including the analysis of the steady states multiplicity and stability, and the dynamic simulation are used. Principal objective of this paper is to summarize problems regarding the model-based hazard identification in processes. A case study, focused on phenomena of multiple steady states in ammonia synthesis reactor will be presented. The influence of the model complexity and model parameters uncertainly on the quality of safety analysis would be underline.