Investigation of Blended Fibre Filtering Materials

Five variants of mixtures of different synthetic fibres at different area ratios were manufactured into needled nonwovens intended to be used as a filtering material for respiratory protection. Two variants were produced according to an earlier patent, and the contents of the other three was completely new. Samples of the nonwovens were tested for sodium chloride particles penetration and for breathing resistance. The results showed that one variant of a nonwoven, designated PP/PPFM, had very valuable filtering properties and that those properties were stable in time.     

When creativity enhances sales effectiveness: The moderating role of leader–member exchange

This study extends research on creativity by exploring the boundary conditions of the creativity–job effectiveness relationship. Building on social exchange theory, we argue that the extent to which employee creativity is related to sales—an objective work effectiveness measure—depends on the quality of leader–member exchange (LMX). We hypothesize that the relationship between creativity and sales is significant and positive when LMX is high, but not when LMX is low. Hierarchical linear modelling analysis provided support for the interaction hypothesis in a sample of 151 sales agents and 26 supervisors drawn from both pharmaceutical and insurance companies. Results showed that sales agents who were more creative generated higher sales only when they had high‐quality LMX. An ad hoc qualitative study provided a more detailed understanding of the moderator role played by LMX. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparing the Extent and Permanence of Headwater Streams From Two Field Surveys to Values From Hydrographic Databases and Maps

Supreme Court cases have questioned if jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act extends to water bodies such as streams without year‐round flow. Headwater streams are central to this issue because many periodically dry, and because little is known about their influence on navigable waters. An accurate account of the extent and flow permanence of headwater streams is critical to estimating downstream contributions. We compared the extent and permanence of headwater streams from two field surveys with values from databases and maps. The first used data from 29 headwater streams in nine U.S. forests, whereas the second had data from 178 headwater streams in Oregon. Synthetic networks developed from the nine‐forest survey indicated that 33 to 93% of the channel lacked year‐round flow. Seven of the nine forests were predicted to have >200% more channel length than portrayed in the high‐resolution National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). The NHD and topographic map classifications of permanence agreed with ~50% of the field determinations across ~300 headwater sites. Classification agreement with the field determinations generally increased with increasing resolution. However, the flow classification on soil maps only agreed with ~30% of the field determination despite depicting greater channel extent than other maps. Maps that include streams regardless of permanence and size will aid regulatory decisions and are fundamental to improving water quality monitoring and models.     

Modeling Monthly Fluctuations in Submersion Area of a Dammed River Reservoir: A Case Study1

Lu, Haorong, S. Samuel Li, and Jinsong Guo, 2012. Modeling Monthly Fluctuations in Submersion Area of a Dammed River Reservoir: A Case Study. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 1‐13. DOI: 10.1111/jawr.12003 Abstract: Fluctuations in water submersion of the Three Gorges Reservoir in China have not been explored in spite of their important implications for shoreline erosion and other undesirable consequences. This article aims to quantify the monthly fluctuations in response to changing hydraulic parameters and regional climatic factors. Flow velocity and water levels distributed along the 609‐km long dammed river reservoir are calculated with a one‐dimensional hydrodynamics model. Evaporation of water from the surface of the reservoir is determined using mass transfer‐based methods. Calculated flow velocities and water levels compare well with field data. We show that the water surface slope decreases with rising water level at the dam, and decreases to almost zero during the winter months of water storage when the downstream water level reaches the normal pool level. The submersion area varies between 830 and 1,070 km² over the year or over 20% of the reservoir zone will experience the annual cycle of dry land and partial or complete submersion. These fluctuations are of relevance to shoreline management and to the prevention and restoration of shoreline erosion. Evaporation is estimated to fluctuate between 1,240 and 26,110 tons of water per month per kilometer length of reservoir channel; this can possibly affect the hydrological budget of the reservoir region. The simple methodologies discussed in this article can easily be applied to other dammed river reservoirs for submersion estimates.     

An Optimization Method for Estimating Constituent Mean Concentrations in Base Flow‐Dominated Flow

Pollutant coefficients have been widely used to assess runoff nonpoint source pollution from individual land uses (e.g., agricultural, residential) of a watershed. Pollutant coefficients, known as event mean concentrations (EMCs), were developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Nationwide Urban Runoff Program (NURP) to serve as a national measure for characterizing pollutant loading in a receiving water body. The term “baseflow pollutant coefficient (BPC)” is used in this study as a surrogate for EMC to describe mean concentration of pollutants in base flow‐dominated flow. A method for characterizing base flow quantity and quality for different land uses was explored using inverse modeling with two optimization techniques (a least square method and a genetic algorithm [GA] optimization), land use information, and streamflow quantity and quality data. The inverse model was formulated as a constrained minimization problem and demonstrated with data for 15 watersheds in Indiana. Results showed that estimated pollutant coefficients are comparable to the published literature. This indicates that the proposed method has the potential to effectively estimate constituent mean concentrations for pollutant load determination in gauged and ungauged watersheds, albeit more analysis with larger and more robust datasets is desirable to further refine and validate the accuracy of the approach.     

大型公园道路网络关键节点脆弱性评价*

为更加科学有效地辨识景区道路网络中的客流关键节点,以节点脆弱性为度量指标,提出1种基于FIM模型的关键节点脆弱性评价方法。以某大型公园为例,首先通过ArcGIS软件将该公园的道路网络信息转换成可编译的文本信息,经过Java枚举可行路径,然后利用嵌入FIM算法的Lingo进行优化,得出网络节点的重要度。最后综合节点容量、流量、吸引度等信息加权得出网络节点的脆弱性。结果表明:该方法能够有效地对道路网络节点进行脆弱性度量并排序,景区可据此制定相应的客流导向方案以提高景区资源的利用率,提高游览的安全性。     

大坝下游河段的河流生态径流调控研究

了分析大坝工程对河流径流情势的影响,以三峡大坝下游河段的宜昌站为例,计算了三峡坝下河段的生态水文季节、生态需水和其它径流情势特征参数。计算结果表明,长江宜昌江段枯水期为1~3月份、副汛期为4~6月份和10~12月份,而洪水期为7~9月份;枯水期、副汛期和洪水期的最小生态需量占同期来水总量分别为24%~27%、30%~50%和30%~45%;适宜的生态需水在枯水期、主汛期分别占同时期来水总量为30%~42%、50%~70%;四大家鱼和中华鲟产卵、繁殖期内的适宜生态流量范围分别为 6 540~12 700 m3/s 和 16 300~9 130 m3/s,大约占同时期来水总量的50%~70%;涨水次数平均值分别为5.3和3.4,落水次数平均值分别为50和5.1等,这为三峡水库在四大家鱼和中华鲟产卵、繁殖期内的调度提供了保护的依据。〖     

Experimental analysis of thermal performance of evacuated tube and flat-plate solar air collectors at different air flow rates

The thermal performances of an evacuated tube collector (ETC) and flat-plate solar air collector (FPC) are experimentally investigated at different air flow rates. To investigate the performance of the ETC and FPC, experimental set-ups were fabricated. Air was used as a working fluid and tested at the same climatic conditions. The ETC had 15 evacuated tubes with a surface area of 1.66 m². The experimental set-up consisted of a header with a hollow pipe (square pipe) in the centre through which the air flowed. The flat-plate collector had a surface area of 1.35 m². The FPC had a black painted absorber sheet which divides the collector into two sections. The air flowed through the upper and the lower sections parallel to the collector to minimize the overall heat loss. The temperature of the outlet air depends on several factors along with the airflow rate and the intensity of the solar radiation. It was found that during the day at high flow rates, the efficiency of the ETC varies from 0.12 to 0.5, and for the flat plate it was from 0.29 to 0.68. The maximum temperature of the air was 56.7°C for the ETC and 25.7°C for the FPC.     

根据阵流估计泥石流堆积参数

泥石流堆积是泥石流产生灾害的主要方式，也是进行泥石流灾害评估的主要依据。根据泥石流堆积的形态特征提出了堆积的元过程叠加，将堆积与间歇性的阵流运动联系起来；利用近20年来蒋家沟泥石流阵流序列的观测数据，估计了堆积的相关因子，如速度、流深、流量、堆积厚度等。这些因子表现出一定的频率分布特征，它可能改变过去确定论的泥石流观念，同时也为提出新的泥石流评估模式提供了定量的依据。     

Combination of ion exchange system and biological reactors for simultaneous removal of ammonia and organics

A novel process for a simultaneous removal of ammonia and organics was developed on the basis of ion exchange and biological reactions. From batch experiments, it was found out that NH₄⁺ could be removed effectively by combining cation exchange and biological nitrification showing 0.98 mg N/m²?s of a maximum flux. On the other hand, the removal of NO₃⁻ was 3.5 times faster than NH₄⁺ and the maximum flux was calculated to be 3.4 mg N/m²?s. The systems for NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ removal were combined for establishing the IEBR process. When the process was operated in a continuous mode, approximately 95.8% of NH₄⁺ was removed showing an average flux of 0.22 mg N/m²·s. The removal efficiency of total nitrogen was calculated as 94.5% whereas that of organics was 99.5%. It was concluded that the IEBR process would be effectively used for a simultaneous removal of NH₄⁺ and organics.