Concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes (BTEX) in ambient air and in 1 yr old Pinus sylvestris pine needles were monitored along a busy road, petrol station and rural area of Belgium, Hungary and Latvia in a 1 yr period. To test P. sylvestris as a possible biomonitor for the BTEX concentrations, samples were taken in the four seasons. As the distribution of data was not normal, the level of pollution on different sites and seasons was compared and evaluated by non-parametric tests. The measured air concentrations did not differ significantly from one season to another throughout the year. There were, however, differences between sampling places. The C2-alkylbenzene and toluene concentrations in the needles were similar in the autumn/winter and spring/summer periods but a significant decrease in their concentration was observed in every place between winter and spring. This effect was less obvious for toluene. 相似文献
Forecasting the behaviour of a flammable or toxic cloud is a critical challenge in quantitative risk analysis. Recent literature shows that empirical and integral models are unable to model complex dispersion scenarios, like those occurring in semi-confined spaces or with the presence of physical barriers. Although CFD simulators are promising tools in this regard, they still need to be fully validated with comprehensive datasets coming from experimental campaigns designed ad-hoc. In this paper, we present an experimental campaign carried out by a joint venture between University of São Paulo and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya to investigate CFD tools performance when used to analyse clouds dispersion. The experiments consisted on propane cloud dispersion field tests (unobstructed and with the presence of a fence obstructing the flow) of releases up to 0.5 kg s−1 of 40 s of duration in a discharge area of 700 m2. We provide a full 1-s averaged propane concentration evolution dataset of two experiments, extracted from 29 points located at different positions within the cloud, with which we have tested FLACS® CFD-software performance. FLACS reproduces successfully the presence of complex geometry, showing realistic concentration decreases due to cloud dispersion obstruction by the existence of a fence. However, simulated clouds have not represented the whole complex accumulation dynamics due to wind variation. 相似文献
Routine application of significance tests does not extract the maximum information from environmental data and can lead to misleading conclusions. Reasons leading to this are: a significant result can often be reached merely by collecting enough samples; a statistically significant result is not necessarily practically significant; and reports of the presence or absence of statistically significant differences for multiple tests are not comparable unless identical sample sizes are used. These problems are demonstrated by application to pH data for grazed and retired fields, and by discussion of significance tests used in recent US regulations for groundwater quality. The advantages of equivalence tests, where the tester must state the difference of practical difference, are discussed and applied to the field pH problem. We recommend that environmental managers and scientists pay more attention to statistical power and decide on what is a practical difference. Confidence intervals for the size of the differences, accompanied where necessary by equivalence tests, are the preferred means of addressing the question: “is there a difference of practical significance?” 相似文献
ABSTRACT: In this paper four nonparametric tests for monotonic trend detection are compared with respect to their power and accuracy. The importance of comparing powers at equal empirical significance levels rather than nominal levels is stressed. Therefore, an appropriate graphical method is presented. The effect of the sampling frequency is also assessed using Monte Carlo simulations and a trajectory representation that visualizes the dynamics of the trade-off between the type I and type II errors. These methods are applied to compare four nonparametrical tests (seasonal Mann. Kendall, modified seasonal Mann-Kendall, covariance eigenvalue and covariance inversion) under several conditions. It is concluded with respect to the power that it is not worthwhile for the modified seasonal Mann-Kendall test applied to the AR(1) process considered in this paper to increase the sampling frequency from monthly to biweekly for detecting a monotonic trend of 5 percent, 10 percent, or 15 percent of the process variance. Under these conditions the seasonal Mann-Kendall test is highly liberal, while the covariance inversion and the covariance eigenvalue test are conservative. This research is situated in the development of an efficient sampling design for the Flemish water quality monitoring network. 相似文献
ABSTRACT: The detection of gradual trends in water quality time series is increasing in importance as concern grows for diffuse sources of pollution such as acid precipitation and agricultural non-point sources. A significant body of literature has arisen dealing with trend detection in water quality variables that exhibit seasonal patterns. Much of the literature has dealt with seasonality of the first moment. However, little has been mentioned about seasonality in the variance, and its effect upon the performance of trend detection techniques. In this paper, eight methods of trend detection that arise from both the statistical literature as well as the water quality literature have been compared by means of a simulation study. Varying degrees of seasonality in both the variances and the means have been introduced into the artificial data, and the performances of these procedures are analyzed. Since the focus is on lake and ground water quality monitoring, quarterly sampling and short to moderate record lengths are examined. 相似文献
Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the performance of a pelvic restraint cushion (PRC), a submarining countermeasure that deploys under the thighs when a crash is detected in order to block the forward motion of the pelvis.
Methods: Sled tests approximating low- and high-speed frontal impacts were conducted with 4 female postmortem human subjects (PMHS) restrained by a lap and shoulder belt in the right front passenger seat. The subjects were tested with and without a PRC.
Results: The PRC is effective in reducing forward motion of the PMHS pelvis and reduces the risk of injury due to lap belt loading in a high-speed frontal crash.
Conclusions: Although small sample size limits the utility of the study's findings, the results suggest that the PRC can limit pelvic forward motion and that pelvic injury due to PRC deployment is not likely. 相似文献
The beginning of the atomic age marked the outset of nuclear weapons testing, which is responsible for the radioactive contamination of a large number of sites worldwide. The paper aims to analyze nuclear weapons tests conducted in the second half of the twentieth century, highlighting the impact of radioactive pollution on the atmospheric, aquatic, and underground environments. Special attention was given to the concentration of main radioactive isotopes which were released, such as 14C, 137Cs, and 90Sr, generally stored in the atmosphere and marine environment. In addition, an attempt was made to trace the spatial delimitation of the most heavily contaminated sites worldwide, and to note the human exposure which has caused a significantly increased incidence of thyroidal cancer locally and regionally. The United States is one of the important examples of assessing the correlation between the increase in the thyroid cancer incidence rate and the continental-scale radioactive contamination with 131I, a radioactive isotope which was released in large amounts during the nuclear tests carried out in the main test site, Nevada. 相似文献