Use of principal component analysis to profile temporal and spatial variations of chlorinated solvent concentration in groundwater

This work aims at evaluating spatial distribution patterns of concentration variations for chlorinated solvents in groundwater, based on principal component analysis and geographic information system (GIS) tools. The study investigates long-time series of chlorinated solvent concentrations in groundwater measured for 18 contaminated industrial sites. The characterization of contaminant plumes and delineation of pollutant sources are essential for choosing appropriate monitoring and remediation strategies, as contaminated groundwaters are characterized by complex patterns of spatial and temporal concentration variability, with wide unpredictable fluctuations over time. The present work describes the results of a new exploratory statistical method called the Variability Index Method (VIM) applied to environmental data to assess the performance of using concentration variations as molecular tracers to reveal aquifer dynamics, industrial impacts, and point sources for contamination plumes. The application of this method provides a useful assessment of controls over contaminant concentration variations as well as support for remediation techniques.     

Development of a risk-based index for source water protection planning, which supports the reduction of pathogens from agricultural activity entering water resources

Source water protection planning (SWPP) is an approach to prevent contamination of ground and surface water in watersheds where these resources may be abstracted for drinking or used for recreation. For SWPP the hazards within a watershed that could contribute to water contamination are identified together with the pathways that link them to the water resource. In rural areas, farms are significant potential sources of pathogens. A risk-based index can be used to support the assessment of the potential for contamination following guidelines on safety and operational efficacy of processes and practices developed as beneficial approaches to agricultural land management. Evaluation of the health risk for a target population requires knowledge of the strength of the hazard with respect to the pathogen load (massxconcentration). Manure handling and on-site wastewater treatment systems form the most important hazards, and both can comprise confined and unconfined source elements. There is also a need to understand the modification of pathogen numbers (attenuation) together with characteristics of the established pathways (surface or subsurface), which allow the movement of the contaminant species from a source to a receptor (water source). Many practices for manure management have not been fully evaluated for their impact on pathogen survival and transport in the environment. A key component is the identification of potential pathways of contaminant transport. This requires the development of a suitable digital elevation model of the watershed for surface movement and information on local groundwater aquifer systems for subsurface flows. Both require detailed soils and geological information. The pathways to surface and groundwater resources can then be identified. Details of land management, farm management practices (including animal and manure management) and agronomic practices have to be obtained, possibly from questionnaires completed by each producer within the watershed. To confirm that potential pathways are active requires some microbial source tracking. One possibility is to identify the molecular types of Escherichia coli present in each hazard on a farm. An essential part of any such index is the identification of mitigation strategies and practices that can reduce the magnitude of the hazard or block open pathways.     

垂直面绿化植物遮阳系数与叶面积指数研究

比较、分析了农业研究中提出的叶面积指数LAI与用于建筑节能领域的垂直面绿化植物叶片遮阳系数SCPVW两个概念的异同和各自的应用范围。指出城市绿化采用水平或垂直绿化方式时,由于下垫面差异,植物叶片的遮阳系数应当分别采用LAI和SCPVW进行计算。     

两株壬基酚和双酚A高效降解菌株的筛选和降解特性

以桂林市上窑污水处理厂污泥脱水车间剩余污泥、上窑堆肥厂的堆肥堆料和桂林雁山镇森林土壤为菌源进行驯化,分离纯化并筛选得到2株能分别以壬基酚(NP)和双酚A(BPA)为唯一碳源和能源生长的降解菌株N-1和B-1。通过对菌株的16S r DNA序列同源性分析,初步鉴定N-1和B-1菌分别为Cupriavidus(贪铜菌属)、Acinetobacter(不动杆菌属)。通过两菌株分别降解NP和BPA的单因素实验,确定了降解动力学以及时间、温度、p H值对降解过程的影响。研究结果表明,细菌N-1,B-1的最佳初始目标污染物质量浓度为5~10 mg/L,降解40 h,N-1去除率可达49.63%,B-1去除率可达62.34%。细菌N-1对NP的去除半衰期t1/2为41.44~48.02 h;B-1对BPA的去除半衰期t1/2为35.23~37.33 h。细菌N-1,B-1的最佳降解温度均为30℃,最佳p H值均在6.5~7.5之间,即两种细菌在中温、中性条件下对NP和BPA降解效果最佳。     

1961~2015年西南地区降水及洪涝指数空间分布特征

利用西南地区98个气象站连续完整的日降水序列数据,整合降水强度、持续性指数及等级指数形成降水指数体系并研究该区域降水及洪涝指数的空间分布特征,得到以下主要结论：（1） 1961~2015年,西南地区年降水量（PRCPTOT）与极端降水量（R95PTOT）都呈现出“东多西少、南多北少”的分布形态;持续降水日数（CWD）则表现为“南高北低、西高东低”的分布格局。区域多年平 均PRCPTOT、R95PTOT、CWD分别以-13.12 mm/10 a、1.34 mm/10 a、-0.29 d/10 a的速率变化。（2）西南地区不同等级降水日数具有相似的空间分布特征,均呈现出“南高北低、东高西低”的分布形态。（3）西南地区洪涝强度指数呈由东北向西南递减的分布特征;降水总量越多的地区,洪涝强度反而越低,主要由于单站洪涝强度表征的是降水的波动情况,降水量越多波动越不明显。21世纪以来,该 地区洪涝等级以重级为主,2010年以来连续多年出现特重级洪涝。此外,洪涝强度越大,区域性年度灾害等级越高。该研究对于掌握西南地区极端气候变化规律,从而服务于防灾减灾具有一定的理论意义。     

中国耕地非农化压力时空格局的演变分析

社会经济和资源禀赋的区域差异导致耕地非农化压力表现出明显的空间异质性。开展耕地非农化压力测算并揭示其时空格局演变,是实现土地资源优化配置的基础。从经济因素、社会因素、产业结构和资源禀赋4个方面构建耕地非农化压力指数评价指标体系,采用熵值法计算各指标权重,继而计算1990~2014年中国31省的耕地非农化压力指数,并在此基础上开展了耕地非农化压力的时空格局分析。结果表明:(1)从空间格局分布来看,中国耕地非农化压力空间分布呈现明显的地理梯度,总体上呈现从东到西依次递减的态势。(2)从时间变化趋势来看,不同地区各省份之间的耕地非农化压力指数变化呈现多元化趋势。东部沿海地区,山东、浙江、江苏的耕地非农化压力指数处于上升阶段,上海、福建的压力指数变化趋势逐渐趋稳,广东的压力指数呈现下降趋势。中部地区,河南、河北、山西、江西的耕地非农化压力指数趋稳,陕西、湖北以及四川、重庆等西南地区省份的压力指数呈上升趋势。西部沿边3省(云南、西藏、新疆)的耕地非农化压力呈现了一致的下降趋势。(3)从时空格局结合来看,耕地非农化压力不同的省份其变化趋势呈现出截然不同的走向。在耕地非农化压力较大的地区,耕地非农化经历了从制度驱动向发展推动的阶段,经济增长的倒"U"型轨迹明显,经济增长与耕地非农化之间的关系逐渐脱钩。在耕地非农化压力居中或较小的地区,产业发展滞后,土地比较收益较低,耕地的社会保障作用、生态作用对耕地非农化的影响较大,从而增加了部分省份的耕地非农化压力。     

火电灰渣场自然恢复下灰渣养分及重金属含量研究

对自然恢复下4类不同年代样地的灰渣养分含量及重金属含量进行研究,通过对比分析发现,有机质、全氮、全钾、全磷含量随着自然恢复时间的增加呈现递增的趋势,全磷含量在各恢复阶段与对照样地之间并不存在显著差异(P0.05)。pH随着恢复时间的增加呈现递减的趋势。对灰渣综合质量指数进行研究发现,自然恢复长期、中期、短期与自然恢复初期对比均有显著提高(P0.05),且随着自然恢复时间的增加灰渣综合质量指数逐渐提高。对灰渣场锌、铅、铜3种重金属研究后发现,在自然恢复下随着时间的增加,灰渣中重金属含量均呈现递减的趋势。     

Co-composting of livestock manure with rice straw: Characterization and establishment of maturity evaluation system

Composting is considered to be a primary treatment method for livestock manure and rice straw, and high degree of maturity is a prerequisite for safe land application of the composting products. In this study pilot-scale experiments were carried out to characterize the co-composting process of livestock manure with rice straw, as well as to establish a maturity evaluation index system for the composts obtained. Two pilot composting piles with different feedstocks were conducted for 3 months: (1) swine manure and rice straw (SM–RS); and (2) dairy manure and rice straw (DM–RS). During the composting process, parameters including temperature, moisture, pH, total organic carbon (TOC), organic matter (OM), different forms of nitrogen (total, ammonia and nitrate), and humification index (humic acid and fulvic acid) were monitored in addition to germination index (GI), plant growth index (PGI) and Solvita maturity index. OM loss followed the first-order kinetic model in both piles, and a slightly faster OM mineralization was achieved in the SM–RS pile. Also, the SM–RS pile exhibited slightly better performance than the DM–RS according to the evolutions of temperature, OM degradation, GI and PGI. The C/N ratio, GI and PGI could be included in the maturity evaluation index system in which GI > 120% and PGI > 1.00 signal mature co-composts.     

Corynebacterium glutamicum as an indicator for environmental cobalt and silver stress–A proteome analysis

Cobalt and silver are toxic for cells, but mechanisms of this toxicity are largely unknown. Analysis of Corynebacterium glutamicum proteome from cells grown in control and cobalt or silver enriched media was performed by two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) followed by mass spectrometry. Our results indicate that the cell adapted to cobalt stress by inducing five defense mechanisms: Scavenging of free radicals, promotion of the generation of energy, reparation of DNA, reparation and biogenesis of Fe-S cluster proteins and supporting and reparation of cell wall. In response to the detoxification of Ag⁺ many proteins were up-regulated, which involved reparation of damaged DNA, minimizing the toxic effect of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and energy generation. Overexpression of proteins involved in cell wall biosynthesis (1,4-alpha-glucan branching enzyme and nucleoside-diphosphate-sugar epimerase) upon cobalt stress and induction of proteins involved in energy metabolism (2-methylcitrate dehydratase and 1, 2-methylcitrate synthase) upon silver demonstrate the potential of these enzymes as biomarkers of sub-lethal Ag⁺ and Co toxicity.     

Evaluation of effects of exposure time on aquatic toxicity with zooplanktons using a reduced life expectancy model

Traditionally in toxicological studies time is not studied as quantifiable variable but as a fixed endpoint. The Reduced Life Expectancy (RLE) model which relates exposure time and exposure concentration with lethal toxic effects was tested previously using fish data. In this current paper the effects of exposure time on aquatic toxicity with zooplanktons and various toxicants were evaluated using the RLE model based on ambient exposure concentration. The model was evaluated by plotting ln LT₅₀ against LC₅₀ using toxicity data with zooplanktons from the literature for metal, metalloid and organic compounds. Most of the experimental data sets can be satisfactorily correlated by use of the RLE model, but deviations occurred for some data sets. Those data sets were satisfactorily fitted by a two stage RLE model. This model was based on two phases: one in the peripheral system and other in the central system. Both the single and two stage RLE model support the hypothesis that toxicity is time dependent and decreases in a systematic way with increasing exposure time. A calculated normal life expectancy (NLT) can be obtained from the single stage model and is in accord with reported NLT but those obtained from the two stage RLE model are in excellent agreement.