Chlorinated dibenzo-<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-dioxins and dibenzofurans in the baltic herrinj and sprat of estonian coastal waters

BACKGROUND, AIMS AND SCOPE: The concentration of chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in many fish from the Baltic requires monitoring, since it approaches or exceeds the European Union threshold limit value of 4 pg TEQ/g wet weight of fish for human consumption. The concentrations, expressed in TEQs, are important for toxicology and regulations, but hide the concentrations of the individual congeners, which are important for other environmental sciences, source allocation, and for the detection of measurement errors. This report evaluates the results of a survey reported earlier only in the terms of the TEQ concentrations. METHODS: Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the dimensions of the data (17 = 7 chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and 10 chlorinated dibenzofuran congeners) to three principal components. This facilitated the interpretation of the congener profiles. Slopes of the congener concentrations as a function of age of the fish were estimated by least squares regression. The results were compared with a large set of data for lake trout from Lake Ontario. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The congener profiles of Baltic herring are less scattered than those of sprat. The profiles of herring from the central Baltic differ from those of herring from the Gulf of Riga and both appear to be affected relatively minimally by the age of the fish. The congener profiles of herring from the western Gulf of Finland are similar to those from the central Baltic, those from middle Gulf of Finland are similar to those from the Gulf of Riga. Both seem to be more affected by age of the fish than the profiles of the first two groups. The concentrations of several pentachloro- and hexachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans increase with the age of the fish CONCLUSION: PCA is a good technique for the evaluation of the congener profiles. The resulting loading and score plots provide a good graphic summary of the multidimensional data. Additional analyses are needed to confirm the observed profile patterns. A comparison with the results of a long-term monitoring from another area shows that the age of the fish is a more important factor than the year of capture. RECOMMENDATION AND OUTLOOK: The surveys should continue for a number of years and the results should be presented and evaluated both in terms of the TEQs as well as in terms of weight concentrations. Since the concentrations do not appear to change very much from year to year, it would be better to carry out surveys only every 3-4 years and, instead, stratify the sampling according to age and gender of the fish, and to analyze replicate extracts by replicate measurements. The inclusion of unmarked replicate samples would be a good quality assurance measure. It would be desirable to analyze additional parts of the food chain in order to understand the fate of the compounds in the ecosystem.     

Assessment of interfacial mass transfer in water-unsaturated soils during vapor extraction

This paper presents results of a numerical investigation of soil vapor extraction (SVE) systems at the laboratory scale. The SVE technique is used to remove volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons (VCHC) from the water-unsaturated soil zone. The developed numerical model solves equations of flow, transport and interfacial mass transfer regarding an isothermal n-component and three-phase system. The mathematical model is based on a simple pore network and phase distribution model and designed to be scaled by a characteristic length. All mathematical expressions are structured into VCHC specific and VCHC non-specific parameters. Furthermore, indicators are introduced that help to separate thermodynamic equilibrium from thermodynamic non-equilibrium domains and to determine the controlling physical parameters. For numerical solution, the system of partial differential equations is discretized by a finite volume method and an implicit Euler time stepping scheme. Computational effort is reduced notably through techniques that enable spatial and temporal adaptivity, through a standard multigrid method as well as through a problem-oriented sparse-matrix storage concept. Computations are carried out in two dimensions regarding the laboratory experiment of Fischer et al. [Water Resour. Res. 32 (12) 1996 3413]. By varying the characteristic length scale of the pore network and phase distribution model, it is shown that the experimental gas phase concentrations cannot be explained only by the volatility and diffusivity of the VCHC. The computational results suggest a sorption process whose significance grows with the aqueous activity of the less or non-polar organic compounds.     

Natural attenuation/phytoremediation in the vadose zone of a former industrial sludge basin

The natural attenuation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the vadose zone of a naturally revegetated former industrial sludge basin (0.45 ha) was examined. This was accomplished by comparing the concentration of 16 PAH contaminants present in sludge collected below the root zone of plants with contaminants present at 3 shallower depths within the root zone. Chemical analysis of 240 samples from 60 cores showed the average concentration of total and individual PAHs in the 0-30 cm, 30-60 cm, and bottom of the root zone strata were approximately 10, 20, and 50%, respectively, of the 16, 800 ppm average total PAH concentration in deep non-rooted sludge. Statistically significant differences in average PAH concentrations were observed between each strata studied and the non-rooted sludge except for the concentrations of acenaphthene and chrysene present at the bottom of the root zone in comparison to sludge values. The rooting depth of the vegetation growing in the basin was dependent on both vegetation type and plant age. Average rooting depths for trees, forbs (herbaceous non-grasses), and grasses were 90, 60, and 50 cm, respectively. The deepest root systems observed (100-120 cm) were associated with the oldest (12-14 year-old) mulberry trees. Examination of root systems and PAH concentrations at numerous locations and depths within the basin indicated that plant roots and their microbially active rhizospheres fostered PAH disappearance; including water insoluble, low volatility compounds, i.e. benzo(a)pyrene and benzo(ghi)perylene. The reduced concentration of PAHs in the upper strata of this revegetated former sludge basin indicated that natural attenuation had occurred. This observation supports the concept that through appropriate planting and management practices (phytoremediation) it will be possible to accelerate, maximize, and sustain natural processes, whereby even the most recalcitrant PAH contaminants (i.e. benzo(a)pyrene) can be remediated over time.     

Unidirectional gas flow in soil porosity resulting from barometric pressure cycles

During numerical simulation of air flow in the vadose zone, it was noticed that a small sinusoidal pressure would cause a gradual one-way migration of the pore gas. This was found to be a physical phenomenon, not a numerical artifact of the finite element simulation. The one-way migration occurs because the atmospheric pressure, and hence the air density, is slightly greater when air is flowing into the ground than when air is flowing out of the ground. A simple analytic theory of the phenomenon is presented, together with analytic calculations using actual barometric pressure data. In soil of one Darcy permeability, the one-way migration is of the order of a few tenths of a meter per year for either plane flow from ground surface or for radial flow from an open borehole. The migration is sufficiently small that it will have no practical consequences in most circumstances; however, investigators who conduct detailed numerical modeling should recognize that this phenomenon is not a numerical artifact in an apparently linear system.     

中条山东段植被垂直带的数量分类研究

在野外调查的基础上,应用有序样方聚类法对中条山东段植 垂直带进行了数量分类研究,结果为：１．落叶阔叶林带,包括４个亚带：（１）侧柏林带（５００￣８００ｍ）,（２０松栎林带（８００￣１８００ｍ）,（３）栓皮林带（１４００￣２０００ｍ）和（４）杨桦林带（１９００￣２２００ｍ）;２．山地草甸带（２１００￣２３５８ｍ）。此外,与前人的划分结果进行了比较,结果表明,有序样方聚类法的结果更符合实际情况。     

考虑煤岩体成拱效应的工作面区段煤柱合理尺寸研究

为研究综采工作面面间煤柱留设宽度及加固范围,以陕西铜川玉华煤矿一采区为工程背景,首先建立采空区上覆岩土体自重荷载向煤柱传递的传力拱模型,通过求解传力拱模型,对采空区上覆岩土体荷载向煤柱的传递机理进行分析研究。再结合极限平衡理论与刚塑性理论,给出煤柱最小留设宽度与煤帮加固范围计算式。进一步对传力拱影响范围的各参数进行分析,结果表明:当开采宽度小于临界值,煤柱留设宽度随工作面埋深、工作面倾向长度增大而增大,随顶板材料黏聚力、内摩擦角的增大而减小;开采宽度超过临界值时,作用在煤柱上的荷载发生绕流现象。最后根据研究结果进行工程验证,巷道表面位移观测结果说明所设计的煤柱尺寸合理可靠。研究结果对类似开采条件下的区段煤柱宽度确定具有参考意义。     

硬岩竖井爆破损伤区探测及衬砌荷载*

为研究硬岩竖井受爆破开挖扰动的影响,依托米仓山公路隧道竖井工程,采用RSM-RCT（B）测试系统探测竖井爆破损伤区范围为1.1~1.4 m,并利用残余地质强度指标标定损伤区力学参数,将其纳入收敛约束法和数值分析中,以评估损伤区对竖井围岩及衬砌荷载的影响。研究结果表明,在硬岩竖井中开挖爆破是造成岩体损伤区的关键因素,地应力方向和大小对硬岩损伤区分布基本无影响。分析结果表明,爆破损伤区导致围岩变形增大,从而使得衬砌荷载增加,最大剪应力出现在损伤区与未破坏岩体之间的交界处,大小为16 MPa,同时靠近该位置的衬砌荷载也会变大,较深竖井可采用分区段支护,降低投资成本。研究结果可为硬岩竖井开挖荷载计算及设计优化提供一定参考。     

<Emphasis Type="Bold">Chronodisruption and cancer</Emphasis>

Research into health effects of chronodisruption (CD), a relevant disturbance of the circadian organization of physiology, endocrinology, metabolism and behaviour, is evolving at a rapid pace. With regard to malignancies, our synthesis of key experiments indicates that CD can play a causal role for cancer growth and tumor progression in animals. Moreover, our meta-analyses of 30 epidemiological studies evince that flight personnel and shift workers exposed to chronodisruption may have increased breast and prostate cancer risks: summary relative risks (RRs) for investigations of flight personnel and of shift workers suggested a 70 and 40% increase in the risk of breast cancer, respectively, and excess relative risks of prostate cancer in nine studies in flight personnel (40%) and in two studies in male shift workers. There was a remarkable indication of homogeneity of results from the individual studies that contribute to the average statistics. However, in view of doubts about whether the differing assessments of CD can really be regarded as valid reflections of the same causative phenomenon and the lack of control of covariates in the majority of studies, it is premature to conclude that the risk observations reflect a real, rather than spurious, association with CD. The challenge for future epidemiological investigations of the biologically plausible links between chronodisruption and human cancers is to conduct studies which appreciate details of transmeridian travelling, of shift work and of covariates for the development of the diseases.     

LAND USE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING: AN APPLICATION IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA COASTAL ZONE1

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this paper is to describe a land use and environmental planning model. Map overlays were used for analyzing and aggregating economic, social, and environmental data. Various land use categories were evaluated using a numerical scoring system. These scores were then used to assist in the development of land use regulations in a coastal county in South Carolina.     

丹江口库区新生消落带不同土地利用酶活性比较

随着南水北调中线工程的建成,丹江口水库水位上涨形成了大量新生消落带,消落带生态环境变化对水库水质具有较大影响,土壤酶活性和土壤养分的改变在一定程度上能反映土壤生态环境的变化.基于此,以丹江口水库新生消落带为研究区域,选取库周从未经历淹没的区域作为对照,采用裂区试验设计方法,以样地类型（新生消落带和对照区）为主处理,以3种不同土地利用类型（林地、农田和草地）为副处理,研究了土壤酶（脲酶、转化酶、过氧化氢酶和碱性磷酸酶）活性与土壤养分之间的关系.结果表明:①新生消落带土壤中w（TN）、w（NO₃--N）和w（OM）均显著低于对照区（P < 0.05）,而农田、草地的w（NH₄+-N）与林地的w（TP）显著高于对照区（P < 0.05）.②与对照区相比,新生消落带农田和草地的脲酶、转化酶、碱性磷酸酶和过氧化氢酶活性均降低,其中,农田和草地脲酶活性分别降低了79%和54%,而林地脲酶与过氧化氢酶显著增加,林地脲酶活性升高了133%,林地碱性磷酸酶与转化酶活性变化不显著.③不同土地利用类型的土壤理化性质对酶活性的影响不同,新生消落带农田土壤含水量、w（NH₄+-N）的升高及w（TN）、w（TP）、w（OM）的降低是导致酶活性降低的主要影响因素,新生消落带林地土壤pH、w（TP）、w（TN）对酶活性的增加有主要影响,新生消落带草地土壤含水量、w（NH₄+-N）、w（TN）、w（TP）、w（OM）对酶活性的降低有主要影响.研究显示,消落带林地在淹没期间能够吸附固定土壤及水体中的氮磷,水落后土壤酶活性的升高有利于土壤中养分的分解,减少氮磷对库区水体的污染.