Oxidative stress on land snail Helix aspersa as a sentinel organism for ecotoxicological effects of urban pollution with heavy metals

The oxidative stress in the digestive gland of the land snail Helix aspersa was considered as a bioindicator for atmospheric pollution with heavy metals from several industries and vehicular traffic in Kafr El-Zayat city. Regional means of heavy metals concentration of all sites were 0.71, 7.09, 0.71, 2.68, 41.44 and 18.01 mg kg⁻¹ wet mass for Cd, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn and Cu, respectively. In addition, the highest values of Cd concentrations were found 1.22 and 1.73 mg kg⁻¹ wet mass in S1 (Potato International Center) and S4 (The Nile bank), respectively. Lactate dehydrogenase (D-LDH(and recorded lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels were significantly high in S1 and S2 (Traffic station). On the other hand, the highest activity of catalase (CAT) was found in S2 (194.04% of control), while the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GP_x) reached the highest significant value in S1.     

Portuguese inventory of dioxins and furans atmospheric emissions

This article presents the results of the most recent estimation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDF) atmospheric emissions in Portugal, which has covered the period 2004–2009 and includes 27 emission sources types. The results are compared with previous emissions inventories published for Portugal. The main objective of this work is to provide relevant information about the amounts of the compounds that are released into the atmosphere in Portugal, and identify their major sources and trends.     

适合严寒地区直流换流站外冷却系统的研究

针对目前严寒地区直流换流站外水冷系统多采用空气冷却方式,而空气冷却方式存在造价高、占地多、运行费用高等不利因素,设计了一种新型外水冷系统,冬季利用漏水孔板淋水带走内水冷系统的热量,并采取必要的防冻措施。该系统应用于北方严寒地区,可以大大降低初投资,减少占地面积,运行费用降低,噪声减小,同时也保证了直流输电系统的安全可靠运行,具有极大的经济效益和推广价值。     

Measuring Sustainability Based Upon Various Perspectives: A Case Study of a Hill Station in Southeast Asia

A hill station is a town or city situated in mountain regions in the tropics founded during the western colonization in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Hill stations have moderate temperatures, and are known for their relatively good natural environments, which generate valuable ecosystem services that benefit the local population. However, rapid urbanization threatens the sustainability of these areas. This study evaluates the sustainability of the urbanization process of Baguio City, a hill station city in Southeast Asia and the summer capital of the Philippines, by determining the relationship between its velocity of urbanization and velocity of urban sustainability based upon various perspectives. From an equal weight perspective (of the triple bottom line of sustainability components, namely environmental, social, and economic) and a pro-economic perspective, the results revealed that the urbanization of Baguio City has been moving toward a “sustainable urbanization.” However, from the environmental and eco-sustainable human development perspectives, the results indicated that it has been moving toward an “unsustainable urbanization.” The paper discusses the implications of the findings for the planning of sustainable development for Baguio City, including some critical challenges in sustainability assessment and the applicability of the framework used for future sustainability assessments of the other hill stations in Southeast Asia.     

Bioaccumulation behaviour of transplants of the lichen Flavoparmelia caperata in relation to total deposition at a polluted location in Portugal

This experiment compares the short and long time element accumulation behaviour of transplants of Flavoparmelia caperata lichen thalli and total deposition in an atmospheric polluted area. It was found that lichens exposed for a short time behaved differently from lichens in cumulative exposition suggesting the presence of acclimatization behaviour. The lichen transplant elemental content does not unequivocally represent the average or cumulative environmental availability of the exposure period. Reflection characteristics depend on the element and the lichen physiological conditions. Good correlations between lichen elemental contents and total deposition were obtained when a physiological lichen parameter was introduced in a mathematical model, suggesting that metabolically mediated accumulation is important.     

Temporal changes in the distribution, methylation, and bioaccumulation of newly deposited mercury in an aquatic ecosystem

Our objective was to examine how the behavior of atmospheric mercury (Hg) deposited to boreal lake mesocosms changed over time. We added inorganic Hg enriched in a different stable isotope in each of two years, which allowed us to differentiate between Hg added in the first and second year. Although inorganic Hg and methylmercury (MeHg) continued to accumulate in sediments throughout the experiment, the availability of MeHg to the food web declined within one year. This decrease was detected in periphyton, zooplankton, and water mites, but not in gomphid larvae, amphipods, or fish. We suggest that reductions in atmospheric Hg deposition should lead to decreases in MeHg concentrations in biota, but that changes will be more easily detected in short-lived pelagic species than long-lived species associated with benthic food webs.     

无锡马山抽水蓄能电站堆石料工程特性平行试验研究

通过马山抽水蓄能电站坝体堆石料平行试验研究,认为三种堆石料两次大型三轴剪切试验、侧限单向压缩试验和渗透试验的结果都很接近;堆石料的应力应变关系符合邓肯-张双曲线模型,低围压下会发生剪胀;其压缩性比较低,卸荷回弹量很小,基本都是塑性变形;堆石料的渗透规律基本满足达西定律。堆石料平行试验结果验证了材料的性质能满足工程设计的要求,也说明材料性质的稳定性、试验方法的可行性和试验仪器的准确性均比较令人满意。     

复杂地铁工程施工安全控制技术研究

北京地铁5号线崇文门站为国内首次在既有地铁隧道下方采用暗挖法施工的地铁车站,施工期间要保证既有地铁线路的正常运营,因此施工难度和风险极大。施工前对既有地铁结构进行了安全评估,根据评估结果并结合相关规范制定了既有线结构变形的安全控制标准。在施工风险分析的基础上,结合数值模拟计算确定了柱洞法施工方案,并辅以降水、超前大管幕和注浆等辅助技术措施,同时采用远程自动监测系统实时监控既有线的动态变化,对施工中既有线结构出现的异常变形进行了及时处理,最终地铁车站成功建成,并确保了既有地铁结构的安全和线路的正常运营。     

江宁地电新台监测预报效能评价

江宁地电新台于 1996年开始在新台址处正式观测。经 4年的观测资料积累 ,已具备条件对新台的监测预报效能进行评价。评价表明 ,江宁地电新台观测资料可靠 ,观测精度较高。在1996年 11月 9日南黄海MS6 1地震 (Δ396km)和 1997年 7月 2 8日南黄海MS5 1地震 (Δ36 0km)前 ,地电阻率值显示了较好的前兆异常。对台址测区附近 (Δ <10km)发生的ML2 1地震 ,江宁地电新台地电阻率也观测到异常变化。由此可见 ,江宁地电新台具备较好的监测预报效能 ,有望在江苏及南黄海地区的地震监测预报中发挥作用。     

海安地电台极区金属管道干扰的测试和分析

1999年 6月 5～ 8日海安地震台地电N6 0°E测向为ρs 值异常升幅 2 % ,而N30°W、N70°W两测向 ρs 值均处于正常年变化形态。经勘查、测试分析 ,确定为新埋设的地下自来水金属管道干扰所致。