Analysis of the Trend and Seasonal Cycle of Carbon Monoxide Concentrations in an Urban Area (4 pp)

Background, Aim and Scope Air quality is an field of major concern in large cities. This problem has led administrations to introduce plans and regulations to reduce pollutant emissions. The analysis of variations in the concentration of pollutants is useful when evaluating the effectiveness of these plans. However, such an analysis cannot be undertaken using standard statistical techniques, due to the fact that concentrations of atmospheric pollutants often exhibit a lack of normality and are autocorrelated. On the other hand, if long-term trends of any pollutant’s emissions are to be detected, meteorological effects must be removed from the time series analysed, due to their strong masking effects. Materials and Methods The application of statistical methods to analyse temporal variations is illustrated using monthly carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations observed at an urban site. The sampling site is located at a street intersection in central Valencia (Spain) with a high traffic density. Valencia is the third largest city in Spain. It is a typical Mediterranean city in terms of its urban structure and climatology. The sampling site started operation in January 1994 and monitored CO ground level concentrations until February 2002. Its geographic coordinates are W0°22′52″ N39°28′05″ and its altitude is 11 m. Two nonparametric trend tests are applied. One of these is robust against serial correlation with regards to the false rejection rate, when observations have a strong persistence or when the sample size per month is small. A nonparametric analysis of the homogeneity of trends between seasons is also discussed. A multiple linear regression model is used with the transformed data, including the effect of meteorological variables. The method of generalized least squares is applied to estimate the model parameters to take into account the serial dependence of the residuals of this model. This study also assesses temporal changes using the Kolmogorov-Zurbenko (KZ) filter. The KZ filter has been shown to be an effective way to remove the influence of meteorological conditions on O₃ and PM to examine underlying trends. Results The nonparametric tests indicate a decreasing, significant trend in the sampled site. The application of the linear model yields a significant decrease every twelve months of 15.8% for the average monthly CO concentration. The 95% confidence interval for the trend ranges from 13.9% to 17.7%. The seasonal cycle also provides significant results. There are no differences in trends throughout the months. The percentage of CO variance explained by the linear model is 90.3%. The KZ filter separates out long, short-term and seasonal variations in the CO series. The estimated, significant, long-term trend every year results in 10.3% with this method. The 95% confidence interval ranges from 8.8% to 11.9%. This approach explains 89.9% of the CO temporal variations. Discussion The differences between the linear model and KZ filter trend estimations are due to the fact that the KZ filter performs the analysis on the smoothed data rather than the original data. In the KZ filter trend estimation, the effect of meteorological conditions has been removed. The CO short-term componentis attributable to weather and short-term fluctuations in emissions. There is a significant seasonal cycle. This component is a result of changes in the traffic, the yearly meteorological cycle and the interactions between these two factors. There are peaks during the autumn and winter months, which have more traffic density in the sampled site. There is a minimum during the month of August, reflecting the very low level of vehicle emissions which is a direct consequence of the holiday period. Conclusions The significant, decreasing trend implies to a certain extent that the urban environment in the area is improving. This trend results from changes in overall emissions, pollutant transport, climate, policy and economics. It is also due to the effect of introducing reformulated gasoline. The additives enable vehicles to burn fuel with a higher air/fuel ratio, thereby lowering the emission of CO. The KZ filter has been the most effective method to separate the CO series components and to obtain an estimate of the long-term trend due to changes in emissions, removing the effect of meteorological conditions. Recommendations and Perspectives Air quality managers and policy-makers must understand the link between climate and pollutants to select optimal pollutant reduction strategies and avoid exceeding emission directives. This paper analyses eight years of ambient CO data at a site with a high traffic density, and provides results that are useful for decision-making. The assessment of long-term changes in air pollutants to evaluate reduction strategies has to be done while taking into account meteorological variability     

Volatiles of the honey bee larva initiate oogenesis in the parasitic mite Varroa destructor

Summary. Varroa reproduction is closely synchronized to the development of its host. In this study we present a new bioassay for field and laboratory tests to evaluate host factors triggering Varroa oogenesis. Female mites deprived of feeding activated oogenesis when perceiving larval volatiles. In laboratory assays the living L5-larva and pentane extracts of the larval cuticle had a clear activating effect. Wax and larval food did not elicit Varroa oogenesis. The activating components apparently are in the polar fraction of the cuticular volatiles. The consequences of this regulative mechanism for the host parasite relationship and prospects for further research are discussed.     

Assessment of Metal Contamination in Doñana National Park (Spain) using Crayfish (Procamburus Clarkii)

Water quality assessment in the Aznalcollar area was attempted using multivariate methods based on heavy metal concentrations in red swamp crayfish (Procamburus clarkii). Trace levels of four heavy metals, copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), were detected in crayfish from eleven different stations. Principal component analysis (PCA) highlighted a gradient of contamination between the sampling stations. Cluster analysis (CA) distinguished three groups of stations. Discriminant analysis also differentiated three groups. The group centroids of the first discriminant function were used to devise an index that varies according to the source of the crayfish. These standardized values are proposed for use as a water quality index. The ability of this index to successfully predict environmental quality was proved with random samples.     

Effect of chromium on the fatty acid composition of two strains of Euglena gracilis

The effect of hexavalent chromium on fatty acid composition was studied in two strains of Euglena gracilis; UTEX 753 (from the Culture Collection of Algae of Texas University, USA) and MAT (isolated from a highly polluted River). Both were grown in photoauxotrophic and photoheterotrophic conditions and exposed to two metal concentrations, one below and one above IC50. The high malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (3 to 7-fold) obtained with chromium concentration above IC50, suggested the existence of metal-induced lipid peroxidation. Total lipid content increased only with concentration below IC50, whereas it was inhibited by higher metal concentration. Photoheterotrophic control strains exhibited a significantly higher proportion of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Polyunsaturated acids were most affected by chromium, especially those related to chloroplast structures. Ultra-structure studies showed clear thylakoid disorganization in all treated cells. The results indicate that hexavalent chromium affects levels of fatty acids, especially those related to photosynthetic activity.     

Mineralization of the biocide chloroxylenol by electrochemical advanced oxidation processes

Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) are environmentally friendly methods based on the destruction of organic pollutants in wastewaters with in situ electrogenerated hydroxyl radical. This species is formed in anodic oxidation (AO) from water oxidation at the anode and in indirect electro-oxidation methods like electro-Fenton (EF) and photoelectro-Fenton (PEF) also from reaction between catalytic Fe2+ and H2O2 continuously produced at the O2-diffusion cathode. The PEF method involves the irradiation of the treated solution with UVA light to enhance the photolysis of organics including Fe(III) complexes. In this work, the oxidation power of such EAOPs to decontaminate synthetic wastewaters of the biocide chloroxylenol (4-chloro-3,5-dimethylphenol) at pH 3.0 is comparatively examined with an undivided electrolytic cell containing a Pt or boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode and a stainless steel or O2-diffusion cathode. The initial chlorine is released as Cl(-) ion, which remains stable in the medium using Pt or is oxidized to Cl2 on BDD. The biocide solutions can be completely decontaminated using AO with a BDD anode, as well as PEF with a Pt or BDD anode. The PEF procedure with a BDD anode is the most powerful method leading to total mineralization in about 300 min, practically independent of current density. When current density rises, the degradation rate of processes increases, but they become less efficient due to the larger enhancement of waste reactions of oxidants. Chloroxylenol is much more rapidly removed in EF and PEF than in AO. 2,6-dimethylhydroquinone, 2,6-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone and 3,5-dimethyl-2-hydroxy-p-benzoquinone are identified as aromatic by-products, and maleic, malonic, pyruvic, acetic and oxalic acids are found as generated carboxylic acids. A general pathway for chloroxylenol mineralization by all EAOPs including the above by-products is proposed.     

Sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to carbonaceous materials in a river floodplain soil

We report on sorption isotherm of phenanthrene (Phe) for river floodplain soil associated with carbonaceous materials, with particular attention being devoted to the natural loading of Phe. Our sorption experiments with original soil samples, size, and density sub-fractions showed that the light fraction had the highest sorption capacity comparable to low rank coals. In addition, the light fraction contributed most for the sorption of Phe in total soil samples. K_oc values for all fractions were in the same range, thus indicating that coal and coal-derived particles in all samples are responsible for the enhanced sorption for Phe. Sorption was strongly nonlinear and the combined partitioning and pore-filling model gave a better fit than the Freundlich sorption model. In addition, the spiked PAHs did not show the same behavior as the naturally aged ones, therefore the accessibility of indigenous background organic contaminants was reduced when coal and coal-derived particles are associated with the soils.     

Platinum (IV) recovery from chloride solution by functionalized acrylic copolymers

Two acrylic adsorbents with different morphological structures and bearing amidoethylenamine and thiol groups were obtained and used for platinum sorption from chloride solution by the batch method. Physico-chemical parameters that influence adsorption such as initial Pt(IV) concentration, stirring time, pH, and adsorbent amount were investigated. The thermodynamic parameters of Pt(IV) sorption on the synthesized adsorbent were also evaluated based on Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Thermodynamic parameters estimated from Langmuir constants indicated that the adsorption is spontaneous, exothermic and there is a disordered state at the molecular level. The models used to analyze the sorption rate led to the conclusion that the most important step in the sorption of Pt(IV) could be both particle diffusion and chemical reaction of [PtCl₆]⁻ with amine functional groups. Thus, both the ion exchange and complex formation mechanisms can occur via nitrogen atoms in the recovery of Pt(IV) on the studied adsorbent.     

Daily performance at work: feeling recovered in the morning as a predictor of day‐level job performance

This study examined the state of being recovered in the morning (i.e., feeling physically and mentally refreshed) as a predictor of daily job performance and daily compensatory effort at work. Ninety‐nine employees from public service organizations completed a general survey and two daily surveys on pocket computers over the course of one workweek. Hierarchical linear modeling showed that being recovered in the morning was positively related to daily task performance, personal initiative, and organizational citizenship behavior and negatively related to daily compensatory effort at work. Relationships between the state of being recovered and day‐specific job performance were moderated by job control. For persons with a high level of job control, the relationship between being recovered and daily performance was stronger. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.