Exploring Chemical Variables in Ligustrum lucidum Ait. F. Tricolor (Rehd.) Rehd. in Relation to Air Pollutants and Environmental Conditions

Ligustrum lucidum Ait. f. tricolor (Rehd.) Rehd. in relation to atmospheric pollutants in Córdoba city, Argentina. The study area receives regional pollutants and was categorized taking into account traffic level, industrial density, type of industry, location of the sample point in relation to the street corner, treeless condition, and topographic level. Dried weight/fresh weight ratio (DW/FW) and specific leaf area (SLA) were calculated, and concentrations of chlorophylls, carotenoids, total sulfur, soluble proteins, malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydroperoxy conjugated dienes (HPCD) were determined in leaf samples. Sulfur content correlates positively with traffic density and SLA correlates negatively with some combinations of the categorical variables; MDA correlates positively with topographic level and total protein concentration correlates negatively with treeless condition. On the basis of our results, traffic, location of trees, type of industry, situation of a tree with respect to others, and topographic level are the environmental variables to bear in mind when selecting analogous sampling points in a passive monitoring program. An approximation to predict tree injury may be obtained by measuring DW/FW ratio, proteins, pigments, HPCD, and MDA as they are responsible for the major variability of data.     

Affordability of residential water tariffs: Alternative measurement and explanatory factors in southern Spain

Using information on a basic or “lifeline” level of domestic water use obtained from a water demand function based on a Stone–Geary utility function, a minimum water threshold of 128 m³ per household per year was estimated in a sample of municipalities in Southern Spain. As a second objective, water affordability indexes were then calculated that relate the cost of such lifeline to average municipal income levels. The analysis of the factors behind the differences in that ratio across Andalusian municipalities shows that the relative cost of purchasing the lifeline appears inversely related to average income levels, revealing an element of regressivity in the component of water tariffs affecting the least superfluous part of the household’s consumption. The main policy recommendation would involve redesigning water tariffs in order to improve access for lower income households to an amount of water sufficient to cover their basic needs. The proposed methodology could be applied to other geographical areas, both from developed and from developing countries, in order to analyze the degree of progressivity of the water tariffs currently in effect and in order to guide the design of more equitable regulatory policies.     

湖北水资源现状与可持续利用战略对策

湖北省有十分丰富的过境客水资源,但自产水资源却十分有限,在水资源开发利用中存在许多亟待解决的问题。如地表水污染日趋严重,地下水也存在不容的污染;农业用水占大头,其节水潜力巨大;目前主要是利用地表水,地下水的利用很少;洪涝时时灾害仍然十分严重,并有愈演愈烈的趋势;从长远看,湖北省的水资源问题将主要是污染型短缺的问题;南水北调中线工程将对汉江中下游供水和水质造成不容忽视的影响;在计划体制下形成的水资源     

长江中下游河道与岸线演变特点

分析了长江中下游河道岸线变化的主要因素，它们分别是河岸崩塌，泥沙淤积及人类活动等，其中河岸崩塌是河道岸线演变的最主要原因。总的来说长江中下游干流河势是稳定的，但五个河段有各自演变特点和规律，其中宜昌－枝城段河道与河床比较稳定，岸线顺直，但葛洲坝和三峡水利枢纽建成后对河床的冲刷作用较大；荆江段是长江著名的河曲段，其冲淤变化较大；城陵矶至湖口段为节点和分汊河床组成，一般来说节点较为稳定，而分汊河床不太稳定，湖口至江阴河段岸线一般较为稳定，但弯道河床变化较大；河口段不但受江流作用影响，还受潮流与波浪等共同影响，所以河口河床演变迅速，主要表现为汊道主泓迁移摆动。     

Vegetation cover and rainfall seasonality impact nutrient loss via runoff and erosion in the Colombian Andes

Regional Environmental Change - Mountain ecosystems provide key services to a large portion of the population in the tropics. However, they are particularly vulnerable to regional environmental...     

无锡市能源消费、碳排放与经济增长关系分析

经济增长对资源消耗存在很大的依赖性,研究能源消费、碳排放与经济增长关系,可为经济增长方式转变和低碳城市建设提供重要科学依据。基于IPCC国家温室气体排放清单指南中的方法估算了无锡市能源消费碳排放,并建立“脱钩”模型探讨能源消费、碳排放与经济增长之间的关系。结果表明：（1）2000~2010年,无锡市碳排放从84335万t增加到2 52804万t,总量不断增加,但趋势有所减缓,且各县市碳排放特征差异显著;（2）无锡市碳排放与经济增长整体处于弱脱钩状态,且脱钩状态有不断增强的趋势,市区经济发展已不依赖于能源消费,朝着环境友好方向发展,江阴和宜兴节能减排压力仍然很大;（3）优化产业结构、调整工业结构和提高能源利用效率是改善无锡市能源消费、碳排放和经济增长关系的有效途径,各县市根据具体情况,侧重点有所不同     

Realistic retrospective dose assessments to members of the public around Spanish nuclear facilities

In the frame of an epidemiological study carried out in the influence areas around the Spanish nuclear facilities (ISCIII-CSN, 2009. Epidemiological Study of The Possible Effect of Ionizing Radiations Deriving from The Operation of Spanish Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities on The Health of The Population Living in Their Vicinity. Final report December 2009. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. Madrid. Available from: http://www.csn.es/images/stories/actualidad_datos/especiales/epidemiologico/epidemiological_study.pdf), annual effective doses to public have been assessed by the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) for over 45 years using a retrospective realistic-dose methodology. These values are compared with data from natural radiation exposure. For the affected population, natural radiation effective doses are in average 2300 times higher than effective doses due to the operation of nuclear installations (nuclear power stations and fuel cycle facilities). When considering the impact on the whole Spanish population, effective doses attributable to nuclear facilities represent in average 3.5 × 10⁻⁵ mSv/y, in contrast to 1.6 mSv/y from natural radiation or 1.3 mSv/y from medical exposures.     

久效磷在黄河水体沉积物中的吸附特征及机理

研究了黄河水体沉积物对有机磷农药久效磷的吸附特性及机理 ,结果表明 ,沉积物对黄河水中久效磷的吸附符合 L angmuir和 Freundlich等温式 ,是分配作用和表面吸附共同作用的结果。对分配作用和表面吸附在沉积物吸附久效磷中的相对贡献率进行了定量描述 :它们均为浓度的函数 ,吸附作用以分配作用为主。     

城郊小河流沉积物吸附Pb2+的动力学过程

采用分批试验法,对城郊小河流沉积物吸附Pb2+过程进行了研究,探讨了Pb2+吸附的动力学过程和机制.结果表明,随着溶液中沉积物质量增大,达到吸附平衡所需时间变短,单位沉积物吸附量和达到吸附平衡后溶液中Pb²⁺浓度变低;沉积物含量>0.6 g·L^-1时对溶液中Pb²⁺的去除率超过95%;Pb²⁺在沉积物上吸附的动力学过程符合假二级动力学模型,该模型拟合的平衡吸附量也更接近真实值;Pb²⁺初始吸附速率与初始溶液中沉积物质量无明显的相关性;随溶液中沉积物浓度的增加,吸附速率常数逐渐增大,化学吸附所起的作用也越显著;较高浓度沉积物吸附Pb²⁺的动力学机制能较好符合Elovich方程,但较低浓度沉积物时则相对较差;从吸附速率来看,溶液中沉积物质量较高时,内扩散是整个吸附过程速率的控制步骤,沉积物含量较低时,吸附速率存在多级线性过程,初始阶段非均相扩散是主要控制步骤,但随着时间的延长,其吸附过程转变为沉积物内部的扩散过程.     

三氯硅烷储罐区火灾爆炸事故分析与控制

应用事故树分析法,将某公司三氯硅烷储罐区火灾爆炸事故作为顶上事件,分析其罐区发生泄漏、火灾爆炸事故的关键因素及内在联系,计算出各基本事件的结构重要度,并提出了预防与控制该类火灾爆炸事故的有效措施。