A new fire management policy on Forest Service lands

A new Forest Service policy, effective February 1978, allows some wildfires to burn under prescribed conditions, urges a multidisciplinary approach to fire control, and has applications to rural and urban situations. Note: The author, formerly with the Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Berkeley, Calif., is now with the Forest Fire and Atmospheric Sciences Research Staff, Washington, D.C.     

Buckling of centerline-stiffened plates subjected to uniaxial eccentric compression

A solution for the elastic buckling of flat rectangular plates with centerline boundary conditions subjected to non-uniform in-plane axial compression is presented. The loaded edges are simply supported, the non-loaded edges are free, and the centerline is simply supported with a variable rotational stiffness. The Galerkin method is used to establish an eigenvalue problem and a series solution for plate buckling coefficients is obtained by using combined trigonometric and polynomial functions that satisfy the boundary conditions. It is demonstrated that the formulation approaches the classical solution of a plate with a clamped edge as the variable rotational stiffness is increased. The variation of buckling coefficient with aspect ratio is presented for various stress gradient ratios. The coupling between plate aspect ratio, centerline rotational stiffness, and gradient of applied compressive stress is illustrated and discussed. The solution is applicable to stiffened plates and I-shaped beams that are subjected to biaxial bending or combined flexure and torsion, and is important to estimate the reduction in elastic buckling capacity due to stress gradient.     

Combined influence of membrane surface properties and feed water qualities on RO/NF mass transfer, a pilot study

The impact of membrane surface characteristics and NOM on membrane performance has been investigated for varying pretreatment and membranes in a field study. Surface charge, hydrophobicity and roughness varied significantly among the four membranes used in the study. The membranes were tested in parallel following two different pretreatment processes, an enhanced Zenon ultrafiltration process (ZN) and a compact CSF process (Superpulsator (SP)) prior to RO membrane treatment for a total of eight integrated membrane systems. All membrane systems were exposed to the similar temperature, recovery and flux as well as chemical dosage. The membrane feed water qualities were statistically equivalent following ZN pretreatment and SP pretreatment except for NOM and SUVA. Membrane surface characteristics, NOM and SUVA measurements were used to describe mass transfer in a low-pressure RO integrated membrane system. Solute and water mass transfer coefficients (MTCs) were investigated for dependence on membrane surface properties and NOM mass loading. Inorganic MTCs were accurately described by a Gaussian distribution curve. Water productivity decreased with NOM loading and increased with contact angle and roughness. The negative effects of NOM loading on productivity were reduced as the negative charge on the membrane surface increased. Inorganic MTCs were also correlated to surface hydrophobicity and surface roughness. The permeability change of identical membranes was related to NOM loading, hydrophobicity and roughness. Organic fouling as measured by water, organic and inorganic mass transfer was less for membranes with higher hydrophilicity and roughness.     

Book reviews

Edge of Empire: Postcolonialism and the City. Jane M. Jacobs. London and New York, Routledge, 1996, 193 pp., £12.99 pb, ISBN 0–415–12007–1

Land for Industrial Development. David Adams, Lynne Russell & Clare Taylor‐Russell. London, E.&F.N. Spon, 1994, 289 pp., £37.50 hb, ISBN 0–419–19180–1

Urban Policy in Practice. Tim Blackman. London, Routledge, 1994, 320 pp., £14.99 pb, ISBN 0–415–09300–7

Planning, the Market and Private House‐building. G. Bramley, W. Bartlett & C. Lambert London, UCL Press, 1995, 192 pp., £11.95 pb, ISBN 1–85728–163–2

Retail Planning Policies in Western Europe. Ross Davies. London, Routledge, 1995, 304 pp., £45.00 hb, ISBN 0–415–10997–3

Transport Concepts in European Cities. Tim Pharoah & Dieter Apel. Aldershot, Avebury, 1995, 291 pp., £42.50 hb, ISBN 1–859–72094–3

Building a New Heritage: Tourism, Culture and Identity in the New Europe. G.J. Ashworth & P.J. Larkham (Eds). London, Routledge, 1994, 278 pp., hb (out of print), ISBN 0–415–07931–4

Fractal Cities: A Geometry of Form and Function. Michael Batty & Paul Longley. London, Academic Press, 1994, 394 pp., £38.00 hb, ISBN 0–124–55570–5     

Experimental evaluation of the seismic performance of steel MRFs with compressed elastomer dampers using large-scale real-time hybrid simulation

Real-time hybrid simulation combines experimental testing and numerical simulation, and thus is a viable experimental technique for evaluating the effectiveness of supplemental damping devices for seismic hazard mitigation. This paper presents an experimental program based on the use of the real-time hybrid simulation method to verify the performance-based seismic design of a two story, four-bay steel moment resisting frame (MRF) equipped with compressed elastomer dampers. The laboratory specimens, referred to as experimental substructures, are two individual compressed elastomer dampers with the remainder of the building modeled as an analytical substructure. The proposed experimental technique enables an ensemble of ground motions to be applied to the building, resulting in various levels of damage, without the need to repair the experimental substructures, since the damage will be within the analytical substructure. Statistical experimental response results incorporating the ground motion variability show that a steel MRF with compressed elastomer dampers can be designed to perform better than conventional steel special moment resisting frames (SMRFs), even when the MRF with dampers is significantly lighter in weight than the conventional MRF.     

Treatment of atrazine in nursery irrigation runoff by a constructed wetland

To investigate the treatment capability of a surface flow wetland at a container nursery near Portland, Oregon, atrazine was introduced during simulated runoff events. Treatment efficiency was evaluated as the percent atrazine recovered (as percent of applied) in the water column at the wetland's outlet. Atrazine treatment efficiency at the outlet of the constructed wetland during a 7-d period ranged from 18-24% in 1998 (experiments 1-3) and 16-17% in 1999 (experiments 4 and 5). Changes in total flow, or frequency and intensity of runoff events did not affect treatment. For experiment 6 in 1999, where the amount, frequency, and duration of runoff events exceeded all other experiments, treatment was compromised. For all experiments, deethylatrazine (DEA) and deisopropylatrazine (DIA) accounted for 13-21% of the initial application. Hydroxyatrazine (HA) was rarely detected in the water. Organic carbon adsorption coefficients (Koc) were determined from batch equilibrium sorption isotherms with wetland sediment, and they decreased in the order of HA > DIA > atrazine > DEA. Static water-sediment column experiments indicated that sorption is an important mechanism for atrazine loss from water passing through the constructed wetland. The results of the MPN assay indicated the existence in the wetland of a low-density population of microorganisms with the potential to mineralize atrazine's ethyl side chain.     

TECHNICAL AND LOCATIONAL EVOLUTION IN A HETEROGENEOUS INDUSTRY

ABSTRACT This paper uses an evolutionary simulation model of technical and locational adjustment to refine concepts of labor- and output-market segmentation within an industry. The simulation model focuses on differences among establishments arising from different strategic orientations. In particular, there are significant differences in establishments' likelihoods of relocation within a heterogeneous landscape. Empirically testable hypotheses are suggested for subsequent analyses of intraindustry evolution and local impacts.     

Mercury concentrations in fish inhabiting two polluted lakes in Northern Canada

The concentrations of total mercury in the sediments, water and fish of Giauque Lake and Thompson Lake in northern Canada were determined during 1977 and 1978. Both lakes had formerly received mercury-laden industrial discharges, which were terminated in 1968 (Giauque Lake) and 1949 (Thompson Lake). In Giaque Lake, lake trout (Salvelinus namaycusy) contained an average of 3.79 mg kg⁻¹ in their muscle while the average concentrations in northern pike (Esox lucius) and round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum) were 1.75 and 1.22 mg kg⁻¹ respectively. About 7% of the lake's bottom contained mercury levels of > 500 μg kg⁻¹ (dry weight) but, in the water, concentrations were always below detectable limits (0.2 μg l⁻¹). In Thompson Lake, mercury levels in northern pike averaged 1.69 mg kg⁻¹, whereas in lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), the highest recorded value was 0.6 mg kg⁻¹. Although mercury was usually not detectable in the water column, there was heavy contamination of the sediments, with values reaching 1300 μg kg⁻¹. In addition, approximately 15% of the lake bottom contained mercury in excess of 500 μg kg⁻¹. Based on these data, it is concluded that: (1) northern pike are still accumulating mercury from exposed tailings which were deposited in Thompson Lake 30 years ago, and (2) contamination of only a small part of a lake may result in high levels in fish throughout the lake: this is probably due to the movement of fish from contaminated to noncontaminated areas.     

Trace metals and organochlorines in the bamboo shark Chiloscyllium plagiosum from the southern waters of Hong Kong, China

The bamboo shark Chiloscyllium plagiosum is an abundant benthic species along the shallow continental shelf of Southeast Asia. It is commonly taken by fishermen in China, India, Taiwan and Thailand for human consumption. This study measured trace metal and organochlorine concentrations in C. plagiosum collected from the southern waters of Hong Kong, China. Metals (Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were measured in three different tissues: dorsal muscle, spleen and liver. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chlorinated pesticides in the dorsal muscle were identified and quantified using gas chromatography. Metal concentrations varied among the three different tissues, with liver having higher levels of Ag and Cd, and spleen possessing higher levels of Cu and Mn. Both Ni and Pb in all tissues were below the detection limit. Tissue concentrations of Cr, Cu, Mn and Zn generally decreased with increasing body weight whilst no significant concentration-size relationship was found for other metals. In muscle tissues, total PCBs ranged from 1.056-4.771 ng/g (wet wt.) with a median of 1.801 ng/g, while total DDTs ranged from 0.602-23.55 ng/g with a median of 1.109 ng/g, in which p,p'-DDE was the predominant metabolite. Levels of total hexachlorohexanes and cyclodienes were low. The pesticide p,p'-DDT was the only compound found to be positively correlated with body weight, indicating temporal bioaccumulation of this compound. Zn concentrations in the muscle of C. plagiosum were comparatively higher than recorded in other shark species, however, concentrations of other metals and organochlorines were relatively low. C. plagiosum feeds primarily on polychaetes, shrimps and small fishes, and thus is unlikely to contain levels of contaminants of human health concern.