Exposure of population and microenvironmental distributions of volatile organic compound concentrations in the EXPOLIS study

Determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) formed one part of the EU-EXPOLIS project in which the exposure of European urban populations to particles and gaseous pollutants was studied. The EXPOLIS study concentrated on 30 target VOCs selected on the basis of environmental and health significance and usability of the compounds as markers of pollution sources. In the project, 201 subjects in Helsinki, 50 in Athens, 50 in Basel, 50 in Milan and, 50 in Oxford and 50 in Prague were selected for the final exposure sample. The microenvironmental and personal exposure concentrations of VOCs were the lowest in Helsinki and Basel, while the highest concentrations were measured in Athens and Milan; Oxford and Prague were in between. In all cities, home indoor air was the most significant exposure agent. Workplace indoor air concentrations measured in this study were generally lower than the home indoor concentrations and home outdoor air played a minor role as an exposure agent. When estimating the measured personal exposure concentrations using the measured concentrations and time fractions spent at home indoors, at home outdoors, and at the workplace, it could be concluded that these three microenvironments do not fully explain the personal exposure. Other important sources for personal exposure must be encountered, the most important being traffic/transportation and other indoor environments not measured in this study.     

Anomalies of mouthparts in Rana arvalis Nilss tadpoles and ecological conditions providing for their emergence

Rana arvalis tadpoles reared under natural or experimental conditions have been studied to analyze anomalies in the development of mouthparts and to compile a catalog of corresponding characters. It has been shown that the frequency of these anomalies increases in the course of growth and development and that their manifestations differ in tadpoles from different spawns and depend on environmental conditions. In turn, anomalies of the mouthparts have an effect on the rate of larval growth and development and on the survival of tadpoles in the period of the metamorphic climax. The results of this study provide an explanation for some deviations observed in laboratory experiments.     

Integrated assessment of river health based on the conditions of water quality,aquatic life and physical habitat

The health conditions of Liao River were assessed using 25 sampling sites in April 2005, with water quality index, biotic index and physical habitat quality index.Based on the method of cluster analysis (CA) for water quality indices, it reveals that heavily polluted sites of Liao River are located at estuary and mainstream.The aquatic species surveyed were attached algae and benthic invertebrates.The result shows that the diversity and biomass of attached algae and benthic index of biotic integrity (B-IBI) are degrading as the chemical and physical quality of water bodies deteriorating.Physiochemical parameters, BOD5, CODCr, TN, TP, NH3-N, DO, petroleum hydrocarbon and conductivity, were statistically analyzed with principal component analysis and correlation analysis.The statistical results were incorporated into the integrated assessing water quality index, combining fecal coliform count, attached algae diversity, B-IBI and physical habitat quality score, a comprehensive integrated assessing system of river ecological health was established.Based on the systimetic assesment, the assessed sites are categorized into 9 "healthy" and "sub-healthy" sites and 8 "sub-sick" and "sick" sites.     

Comparative experimental analysis of the effect of convective heat losses on the performance of parabolic dish water heater

This paper reveals comparative experimental analysis of the effect of variation of natural and forced convection heat losses on the performance of prototype parabolic dish water heater with coated and non-coated receivers. With the above-described system, hot water needs in domestic applications can be fulfilled instantly. A parabolic dish collector was used for instant water heating. Design of solar parabolic dish collector consists of truncated cone-shaped helical coiled receiver made up of copper at focal point. Instantaneous efficiency of 63% and 48% has been achieved with coated and non-coated receivers. This prototype has been evaluated for its performance with water flow rate of 0.0076 kg/s during the months of April and May 2010 at Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India (latitude: 16.42° North, longitude: 74.13° West).     

三峡库区航运气象条件分析

利用三峡库区9个沿江测站气象要素,分析了长江航道的(三峡库区段)江面风、水温、能见度资料。就能见度强度和低能见度的时空分布特征、变化情况和航道出现典型低能见度的天气形势进行了研究。结果表明：①该航段的风向风速和水温对航行安全没有明显的影响;②能见度成为影响三峡河道航运极其重要的因素;③三峡库区航道低能见度天气存在比较明显的时空分布差异：冬季较夏季易出现影响航道安全的低能见度天气,重庆到忠县段出现低能见度的机率较大,而万州至巫山段较少出现低能见度现象;④长江航道低能见度在年际间除重庆和忠县外总体有减小的趋势,季节分布中在冬季出现最多,其次是秋季、春季,夏季最少;低能见度现象持续时间大部分在2小时以下;⑤造成长江航道低能见度出现的原因除城市环境外,主要的天气原因是由于盆地受地面冷高压控制,为阴天或阴雨天气,形成雾或雨雾。     

地质灾害危险性评估分级因素的探讨

地质灾害危险性评估工作级别由建设项目重要性和评估区地质环境条件复杂程度这两个因素决定.在分析现行相关标准和研究成果的基础上,指出建设项目重要性可依次由省部级相关技术标准、项目行政审批权限级别、预估灾后损失程度顺序确定,以先符合者为准;指出评估区地质环境条件复杂程度可由地质灾害发育程度、地形与地貌复杂程度、地质构造复杂程度、岩土体工程地质性质、水文地质条件、破坏地质环境的人类工程活动程度等6项判定因素确定,并初步确定了地质灾害发育程度、地形与地貌复杂程度、地质构造复杂程度、岩土体工程地质性质、水文地质条件和破坏地质环境的人类工程活动程度等分级评价标准.     

海南岛北部地区酸雨的天气影响因素及污染源分析

根据2005年7月—2006年12月海口市发生的19个酸雨个例,对海南岛北部地区酸雨发生的天气背景、致酸物的源地及输送方式进行了天气学分析. 结果表明:海南岛北部地区酸雨的发生无明显季节性;影响海南岛北部地区酸雨形成的天气系统主要有6种,其中冷空气偏东型及热带气旋型2类天气系统产生的酸雨次数最多;致酸物多属远距离输送所致,主要来源于华南地区,部分来源于越南,海南岛本地污染物导致酸雨的个例很少. 海南岛北部地区酸雨的形成不仅与气象条件有关,而且与海南岛的地形地貌有关.      

Comparative analysis of impact of human occupancy on indoor microbiomes

• Exposure to indoor microbiomes is a public health concern in educational facilities. • Indoor microbiomes were characterized in two multifunctional university buildings. • Human occupancy had significant impact on the composition of indoor microbiomes. • The skin microbiota of occupants represented important sources of indoor microbiomes. Educational facilities serve as community hubs and consequently hotspots for exposure to pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, it is of critical importance to understand processes shaping the indoor microbiomes in educational facilities to protect public health by reducing potential exposure risks of students and the broader community. In this study, the indoor surface bacterial microbiomes were characterized in two multifunctional university buildings with contrasting levels of human occupancy, of which one was recently constructed with minimal human occupancy while the other had been in full operation for six years. Higher levels of human occupancy in the older building were shown to result in greater microbial abundance in the indoor environment and greater proportion of the indoor surface bacterial microbiomes contributed from human-associated microbiota, particularly the skin microbiota. It was further revealed that human-associated microbiota had greater influence on the indoor surface bacterial microbiomes in areas of high occupancy than areas of low occupancy. Consistent with minimal impact from human occupancy in a new construction, the indoor microbiomes in the new building exhibited significantly lower influence from human-associated microbiota than in the older building, with microbial taxa originating from soil and plants representing the dominant constituents of the indoor surface bacterial microbiomes. In contrast, microbial taxa in the older building with extensive human occupancy were represented by constituents of the human microbiota, likely from occupants. These findings provide insights into processes shaping the indoor microbiomes which will aid the development of effective strategies to control microbial exposure risks of occupants in educational facilities.     

Working Conditions in Small Private Enterprises in Poland

The study deals with working conditions in small private enterprises in Poland. Data come from 50 small enterprises from the Warsaw area. Information about the evaluation of working conditions and the existence of programmes for their improvement was gathered with the help of questionnaires addressed to employees and employers. The results constitute a ‘photograph’ of the Polish reality at the beginning of its transition from planned to market economy. The study revealed a lack of programmes for the improvement of working conditions in a significant number of the enterprises studied as well as little interest in occupational safety on the part of employers (owners).

The study also revealed that all decisions—including those about the improvement of working conditions—were made by employers. Hence, the need for the widest possible dissemination of knowledge on occupational safety and the protection of human in the working environment with particular stress put on employers. Employers who are knowledgeable in this field and who are aware of its importance can significantly influence the improvement of working conditions in small enterprises.     

Psychological Approaches to OSH Research—An Evaluation of 20 Years of Psychological Research on Industrial Safety and Health in Germany

During the past 20 years of research in occupational safety and health (OSH), major contributions have been made by psychology in general, foremost German work and organizational psychology. This is the result of an empirical study with 216 scientific projects that were analyzed by content, and 32 interviews on OSH with experts on science, as well as in professional occupations and federations. Its sound methodological and theoretical approach has helped work and organizational psychology to embody itself as a driving force of OSH. The research focuses on the development of tools for job analysis, striving for the valid diagnosis of occupational hazards and mental load. Consequently, work and organizational psychology provides a solid foundation for deriving human and personality ameliorating organizational measures. Among the predominant means of intervention are training in coping with stress, behavioral training and modeling, health circles, and the arrangement of environments sensitive to occupational load. Major deficits in the field of research show up within evaluation and transfer as well as within quality control of the developed diagnostic and devices regarding intervention. Future scientific effort by means of application-orientated methods is vital to detect and overcome effectively a mounting mental load in the occupational world.