WHO GETS CLEAN WATER? AID ALLOCATION TO SMALL WATER SYSTEMS IN PENNSYLVANIA1

ABSTRACT: Research on the condition of drinking water provision in the United States documents the inequitable financial impact of environmental regulations on small water systems (those serving 3,300 or fewer people). While a variety of federal and state financial assistance programs are available for water systems, few quantitative analyses have evaluated the success of these programs in alleviating the problems of small systems. A case study of the largest aid initiative for water supply infrastructure in Pennsylvania provides the empirical framework through which to analyze government funding opportunities for water systems. This study examines the allocation practices of the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) to water systems of varying sizes. Utilizing data from PENNVEST applications and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the distribution of PENNVEST award recipients and denied applicants by size characteristics are compared. The study indicates that very small water systems (those serving 500 or fewer) do not apply for or receive funds with the same frequency as their larger counterparts. Understanding the allocation of awards from PENNVEST offers insight into the ability of small communities to access capital for water supply infrastructure.     

State subsidies induce gray jays to accept greater danger: an ecologically rational response?

Models of strictly rational choice assume that decision-makers evaluate options on relevant dimensions, assign fixed values to options, and then make consistent choices based on these values. If so, recent experience would have no impact on preference. But, recent events change an animal’s state, and preference may change accordingly. We explore how state affects willingness to accept greater danger to obtain larger food rewards. We tested how a supplement in state (hoard size) impacts this willingness in gray jays (Perisoreus canadensis). When subsidized, most of the subjects increased their willingness to trade danger for food. Why would they become less cautious when their hoard was increased? Superficially, it might seem prudent to play it safer in response to a subsidy. But imagining fitness as a sigmoid function of state (hoard size) provides a tentative explanation for our counterintuitive finding. Above a threshold hoard size, a subsidy should weaken the willingness to accept extra danger. Incremental increases in state in the deceleratory phase yield smaller fitness gains, so it would pay to increase emphasis on safety after receiving a subsidy. But below this threshold, incremental increases in state in the acceleratory phase yield bigger fitness gains, and so it would pay to decrease emphasis on safety after receiving a subsidy. Most of our subjects’ choice behavior was, thus, plausibly consistent with the possibility that effective hoard size is considerably smaller than the total number of items stored. We speculate that this response may reflect an ecologically rational compensation for the inevitable loss of hoards via theft and rot.     

EDSS及其在EIA中的应用

区域环境系统是由人-地相互作用而形成的开放的和复杂的社会、经济与环境的复合巨系统,由此产生的复杂环境问题给环境决策带来了诸多的不确定性,而环境决策支持系统(EDSS)可以辅助环境保护决策工作者提高决策的科学性和有效性.叙述了EDSS的概念,全面回顾了30多年来国内外环境决策支持系统在水环境规划与管理、大气环境质量管理、城市固体废物管理等研究领域的应用进展,并举例重点分析了其在环境影响评价(EIA)中的应用.同时具备强大数据更新能力和环境质量分析预测功能的EDSS,是解决EIA工作中复杂问题的有力工具.基于近年来新技术的发展,EDSS将在智能化,3S技术及多媒体技术应用等方面得到进一步发展,并在环境规划与管理和EIA等工作中发挥更加重要的作用.      

有机离子载入-复焙烧失法制备新型净水材料

探索了一种制备介孔复合净水材料的新方法——载入有机离子一复焙烧失法。通过实验得到的最佳工艺参数为：有机载入剂为CTMAB,有机载入剂(质量浓度5g/L)加入量4mL／g,有机离子交换反应时间2h,反应温度40℃,复焙烧失温度230℃,复焙烧失时间1．5h。在最佳工艺条件下制备的净水材料对色度为7400倍、COD为3040mg／L的染料废水的脱色率为98．9％,略优于杏壳活性炭的脱色率(98．2％);COD去除率为91．3％,与杏壳活性炭的COD去除率91．7％相差无几。净水材料的染料吸附量是添加剂升温烧蚀后产品的近85倍,是酸洗刻蚀后产品的近590倍,是原材料的900多倍,其对染料废水的净化能力整体优于杏壳活性炭。     

高活性絮凝剂产生菌群的构建、培养及应用研究

从筛选到的絮凝剂产生菌中构建出能比单一菌群产生更高絮凝活性的复合菌群——复合菌群1（BAFRT4＋CYGS1）．为降低复合菌群1的培养成本,尝试用啤酒废水替代葡萄糖作为培养基中的碳源和能源并获得成功．在优化培养条件下,复合菌群1所产MBF的絮凝活性达96.8％．复合菌群1所产MBF对靛蓝印染废水有良好的处理效果,最大CODCr去除率和脱色率分别达79．2％和87．6％．     

基于链式多重插补的WOA-ELM煤与瓦斯突出预测模型

为了提高缺失数据下煤与瓦斯突出预测准确率,提出1种基于链式支持向量机多重插补(MICE＿SVM)的鲸鱼优化算法(WOA)-极限学习机(ELM)预测模型,以淮南朱集矿区为例,选取5个煤与瓦斯突出影响指标作为模型特征,采用提出的MICE＿SVM算法插补突出事故数据中缺失值,利用WOA优选ELM输入层权值及隐含层阈值,构建煤与瓦斯突出预测模型,将插补后数据用于WOA-ELM模型的训练与测试,并与其他模型的预测效果对比。研究结果表明：MICE＿SVM插补前、后的有突出数据预测准确率分别为83.02%,90.41%,MICE＿SVM显著提高了有突出预测准确率,对无突出和整体的预测准确率提高不明显;数据插补后WOA优化ELM对无突出、有突出和整体的预测准确率分别为97.94%,96.25%,96.48%,较优化前分别提高了5.79%,5.84%,5.55%,数据插补后WOA-ELM为最佳预测模型。     

基于多目标决策的室内空气质量评价模型

在室内空气质量各单项评价指标的基础上,应用运筹学的决策理论,建立室内空气质量评价模型。并通过实例应用此模型对室内空气品质进行了评价研究,取得了满意的结果。与其他评价方法相比,该评价模型结构严谨、计算简便、结果合理、分辨率高。为室内空气质量评价提供了一种简单而适用的评价方法。     

两相厌氧工艺处理浆粕废水及其动力学研究

浆粕废水组分较为复杂,废水治理具有一定的技术难度,采用两相厌氧、间歇式活性污泥法和物化处理组合工艺可以取得较好的效果。生产运行表明:两相厌氧工艺对COD、BOD5的去除效率分别达67%～78%和82%～87%。在水温自然变化情况下,测定了两相厌氧阶段的生化动力学参数,并与文献报导的造纸废水的测定结果进行了比较,表明两者水质特征基本相似。     

污染场地修复决策支持系统的几个关键问题探讨

场地土壤和地下水环境污染问题已成为近年来我国环境保护领域关注的焦点和热点.污染场地修复决策支持系统是在场地勘察与风险评估基础上,筛选最佳的修复技术,以制定经济高效的场地污染治理方案.本文探讨与分析修复决策系统的框架、模型、方法等关键环节,评估与总结了国际上现有40多种修复决策软件的模块及功能.针对我国场地污染问题,综合国际前沿的思想与理念,提出适合我国现阶段经济社会发展水平的决策支持系统开发思路.     

城市内部尺度PM2.5传输关联方法研究—以北京市为例

基于数据驱动思想,以城市内部环境空气质量监测站点为研究对象,建立了目标站点与周边站点间PM_2.5浓度、风向、风速、欧几里得距离等参数的多元线性关联回归模型,使用梯度下降算法学习得到各参数权重系数,计算得出周边站点对目标站点PM_2.5传输贡献,并评估了模型的可行性.以北京市丰台花园（FT）为目标站点的应用研究结果显示,2016年FT站点PM_2.5浓度为82μg/m³,周边站点大兴（DX）、房山（FS）、亦庄（YZ）、东四环（DS）、古城（GC）和万柳（WL）浓度分别为93,82,80,79,77,71μg/m³;FT站点PM_2.5浓度与上一时刻周边站点WL、GC、DX、YZ的相关性分别为0.634、0.631、0.608和0.601,显示其对FT站点PM_2.5污染传输显著;建立的4个季节关联回归模型RMSE值分别为13.22、11.74、12.51和13.22,PM_2.5模拟浓度与监测浓度变化趋势一致,验证了模型的可行性;WL、DX、YZ、GC分别是对应春、夏、秋、冬4个季节对FT站点PM_2.5污染传输贡献较大的站点,其贡献值分别为1.61%、1.71%、2.20%和8.57%.该模型解析的结果可为北京市未来城市规划、建设提供依据,提出的PM_2.5传输多元线性关联回归方法同样可用来解析其他城市内部尺度PM_2.5传输关联,为挖掘城市内部PM_2.5传输路径、精准溯源提供基础.