The Long Beach/Fort Lauderdale relative risk study

Problem

The role of alcohol as a major factor in traffic crash causation has been firmly established. However, controversy remains as to the precise shape of the relative risk function and the BAC at which crash risk begins to increase.

Methods

This study used a case-control design in two locations: Long Beach, California, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Data were collected on 2,871 crashes of all severities and a matched control group of drivers selected from the same time, location, and direction of travel as the crash drivers. Of the 14,985 sample drivers, 81.3% of the crash drivers and 97.9% of the controls provided a valid BAC specimen.

Results

When adjusted for covariates and nonparticipation bias, increases in relative risk were observed at BACs of .04-.05, and the elevations in risk became very pronounced when BACs exceeded .10.

Discussion

The results provide strong support for .08 per se laws and for state policies that increase sanctions for BACs in excess of .15.

Impact on Industry

This study provides further precision on the deleterious effects of alcohol on driving and, by implication, on other complex tasks.     

锑锍渣中回收金试验研究

通过对"浮选+氰化浸出"工艺回收锑锍渣中金的试验研究,确锍渣中金的综合回收率可达80%-85%,既减少了污染,又回收了有价资源,有明显的经济和环境效益.     

Integration of traditional and innovative characterization techniques for flux-based assessment of Dense Non-aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) sites

Key attributes of the source zone and the expanding dissolved plume at a trichloroethene (TCE) site in Australia were evaluated using trends in groundwater monitoring data along with data from on-line volatile organic compound (VOC) samplers and passive flux meters (PFMs) deployed in selected wells. These data indicate that: (1) residual TCE source mass in the saturated zone, estimated using two innovative techniques, is small ( 10 kg), which is also reflected in small source mass discharge ( 3 g/day); (2) the plume is disconnecting, based on TCE concentration contours and TCE fluxes in wells along a longitudinal transect; (3) there is minimal biodegradation, based on TCE mass discharge of  6 g/day at a plume control plane  175 m from source, which is also consistent with aerobic geochemical conditions observed in the plume; and (4) residual TCE in the vadose zone provides episodic inputs of TCE mass to the plume during infiltration/recharge events. TCE flux data also suggest that the small residual TCE source mass is present in the low-permeability zones, thus making source treatment difficult. Our analysis, based on a synthesis of the archived data and new data, suggests that source treatment is unwarranted, and that containment of the large TCE plume ( 1.2 km long,  0.3 km wide; 17 m deep;  2000–2500 kg TCE mass) or institutional controls, along with a long-term flux monitoring program, might be necessary. The flux-based site management approach outlined in this paper provides a novel way of looking beyond the complexities of groundwater contamination in heterogeneous domains, to make intelligent and informed site decisions based on strategic measurement of the appropriate metrics.     

Mercury cycling and species mass balances in four North American lakes

A mass balance model for mercury based on the fugacity concept is applied to Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Onondaga Lake and Little Rock Lake to evaluate model performance, analyze cycling of three mercury species groups (elemental, divalent and methyl mercury), and identify important processes that determine the source-to-concentration relationship of the three mercury species groups in these lakes. This model application to four disparate ecosystems is an extension of previous applications of fugacity-based models describing mercury cycling. The model performs satisfactorily following site-specific parameterization, and provides an estimate of minimum rates of species interconversion that compare well with literature. Volatilization and sediment burial are the main processes removing mercury from the lakes, and uncertainty analyses indicate that air-water exchange of elemental mercury and water-sediment exchange of divalent mercury attached to particles are influential in governing mercury concentrations in water. Any new model application or field campaign to quantify mercury cycling in a lake should consider these processes as important.     

A/O膜生物反应器处理高浓度氨氮废水试验研究

对A/O膜生物反应器处理高浓度氨氮废水进行了研究,着重考察硝化液回流比和C/N对系统脱氮效能的影响.研究表明,当硝化液回流比为2、C/N为6时.系统对COD、氨氮、TN的平均去除率分别达96.17%、97.76%、76.29%;A/O膜生物反应器稳定运行期间,氨氮容积负荷去除量与进水氨氮容积负荷呈现良好的线性关系;当A/O膜生物反应器内MLSS稳定在9～13 g/L时,上清液COD较低,膜压差增长缓慢.     

Assessment of indoor radiation level in the environs of the uranium deposit area of West Khasi Hills District,Meghalaya, India

An estimation of the indoor background radiation dose distribution was carried out in dwellings of eleven villages located within and around the uranium mineralization area of Kylleng-Pyndensohiong, Mawthabah in West Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya, India. The ambient indoor gamma radiation level was monitored using Thermo Luminescence Dosimeters (TLDs) while the indoor radon and thoron concentration was measured using twin-cup dosimeters employing Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTDs). Results obtained from the study reveals that the local inhabitants of villages located close to the mining site receive higher doses than those inhabitants of villages located at a much farther distance from the mining site. The average total annual effective dose was found to be varying from 1.2 mSv y⁻¹ in the village of Langpa to 3.4 mSv y⁻¹ in the village of Nongbah Jynrin. The data obtained will serve as a reference in documenting changes to environmental radioactivity if mining is to be carried out in the future.     

COD浓度和进水流量比对一体化工艺脱氮除碳的影响

保持进水总流量不变,以一定流量比同时从缺氧区和厌氧区进水,探讨了不同进水流量比(R=Q_厌/Q_缺)和进水COD浓度对中心岛式一体化OCO工艺脱氮除碳的影响。研究结果表明,进水COD浓度和进水流量比Rs对COD的去除效果影响不大,出水COD浓度一直稳定在50 mg/L以下,去除率在92%以上;进水COD浓度和进水流量比Rs共同决定着系统TN的去除效果,进水COD浓度为100 mg/L、200 mg/L时,TN去除率随着进水流量比Rs的减小呈增加的趋势;当进水COD浓度为 300 mg/L时,TN去除率随着进水流量比Rs的减小呈先升高后降低的趋势,在进水流量比Rs为3∶1时TN去除率最高,达到87%。     

内蒙古沙尘气溶胶浓度及其输送特性——朱日和春季情形的个例研究

利用WPS宽范围粒径谱仪对朱日和春季0.01～10μm的沙尘气溶胶观测资料,以及20m梯度塔气象要素资料,对沙尘天气日和非沙尘天气日的气溶胶浓度、谱分布以及输送特性进行了个例研究.结果表明:沙尘气溶胶浓度有明显的日变化特征,不同粒径段粒子的变化特征有所不同;沙尘气溶胶浓度在沙尘天气和非沙尘天气存在较大差别,粒径越大,这种差别越明显;气象要素对沙尘气溶胶浓度的分布有较大的影响,风速、气温、相对湿度与不同粒径段粒子的相关性不同;沙尘暴过程对不同粒径段粒子的输送特性不同,不同粒径段对应的输送距离和输送量有较大差别.     

Nutrients and suspended solids in dry weather and storm flows from a tropical catchment with various proportions of rural and urban land use

The results of an investigation characterizing the nutrients and suspended solids contained in stormwater from Kranji Catchment in Singapore are reported in this paper. Stormwater samples were collected from 4 locations and analyzed for the following eleven analytes: TOC, DOC, TN, TDN, NH₄⁺, NO₂⁻ + NO₃⁻ (NO_x), TP, TDP, OP, SiO₂ and TSS. Stormwater was sampled from catchments with various proportions of rural and urban land use, including forested areas, grassed areas, agricultural and residential and commercial areas. The event mean concentrations (EMCs) of nutrients and TSS from sampling stations which have agricultural land use activities upstream were found to be higher. Comparison of site EMCs (SMCs) with published data showed that the SMCs of the nutrients and TSS are generally higher than SMCs reported for forested areas but lower than published SMCs for urban areas. Positive correlations (p < 5%) were found between loading and peak flow at locations most impacted by ubanisation or agricultural activities. Correlation between loading and rainfall variables was less distinct. EMC was found to correlate less with rainfall and flow variables compared to pollutant loading. Unlike loading, no consistent pattern exists linking EMC to any particular storm or flow variable in any of the catchments. Lastly, positive correlations were obtained between the particulate forms of nitrogen and phosphorus and TSS.     

负压防护急救车车厢内生物污染物运动扩散的数值模拟与试验验证

为掌握负压防护急救车车厢内生物污染物的分布情况,运用计算流体动力学(CFD)方法和拉格朗日颗粒随机轨道模型,对该车车厢内生物污染物的运动扩散进行数值模拟;并通过试验对比研究车厢内污染物浓度场的分布状态,试验与模拟的结果基本一致。同时表明:该随机轨道模型较好地反映生物污染物运动扩散的时空分布特点;负压防护急救车车厢内污染物浓度较高,医护人员应穿戴有效的个人防护器材。