顾及基准点稳定性的高崩溃污染率坐标转换模型

针对矿区基准点布设时间较早,容易发生位移的特点,为确保高精度GPS控制网坐标系统转换后的质量,克服基准点位移对转换成果的影响,提出顾及基准点位移的高崩溃污染率抗差估计理论,建立坐标转换参数的估计模型和转换后GPS网的质量评价体系。对兖州某矿区进行应用,结果表明,该模型可以选择分布合理且稳定的基准点,很好地保留了GPS技术高精度的特点,并为矿区建立了高精度的坐标基准。     

Asbestos: world concern,involvement and culpability

The general population is exposed to asbestos fibers stemming from a massive number of consumer products and from environmental pollution. Asbestos bodies are present in the lungs of many urban dwellers who do not work with the mineral. Heavy occupational exposure to asbestos is known to cause asbestosis, pleural calcification, pleural plaques, lung cancer, and pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas. The ingestion of asbestos fibers may increase the risk of gastrointestinal tract cancer. At the present time, little is known about the hazards of chronic low‐level exposure to asbestos. However, the use of asbestos fibers should be curtailed whenever possible, more pathogenicity data should be collected and evaluated, and the health risk to the general public should be reassessed and updated with progressing research.     

The effect of changes in nitrate concentration in drinking water on methemoglobin levels in infants

For a five‐day period infants consuming powdered milk formula made up with tap water were exposed to water of controlled nitrate content. There was a significant rise in MetHb levels above normal in most children after the first day of exposure to high nitrate water (108 mg/1 NO3). This was followed by some indication of a drop in MetHb levels despite the continued exposure and finally a return to normal levels when the exposure to nitrates stopped. No clinical signs of methemoglobinemia developed. The possible existence of an adaption mechanism is suggested but requires further elucidation.     

Spatial distribution of chromium in soils contaminated by chromium-containing slag

To evaluate the metal chromium (Cr) contamination of soil at a chromium-containing slag site by ferrochromium production, the contaminated sites, under slag heap, in the vicinity of slag heap and arable soils near the outlet of sewer channel, and unpolluted site 5 km away from one ferroalloy plant in Hunan Province, China, were selected. The concentrations of total Cr and water soluble Cr in bulk soil samples and profile depth samples were determined. The results show that the soils in the vicinity of slag heap have the highest total Cr content followed by the soils under the slag heap and near the outlet of sewer channel of the factory. The mean concentrations of total Cr in the top soils at above three contaminated locations exceed the critical level of Secondary Environmental Quality Standard for Soil in China by 3.5, 5.4 and 1.8 times. In most Cr polluted soils, total Cr has a relative accumulation in soil depth of 40-60 cm, but this trend is not found in unpolluted soils. The average concentrations of water soluble Cr (Ⅵ) in top soils under slag heap and in the vicinity of slag heap are 176.9 times and 52.7 times higher than that in the uncontaminated soils, respectively. However, water soluble Cr (Ⅵ) contents in soils near sewer channel are all low and the values are close to that in the uncontaminated soils. Although water soluble Cr (Ⅵ) content in soil profiles decreases with soil depths, it in soils under slag heap maintains a high level even at a depth of 100-150 cm. The results imply that the transportation of Cr (Ⅵ) can result in a potential risk of groundwater system in this area.     

Soil metal concentrations and toxicity: Associations with distances to industrial facilities and implications for human health

Urban and rural areas may have different levels of environmental contamination and different potential sources of exposure. Many metals, i.e., arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg), have well-documented negative neurological effects, and the developing fetus and young children are particularly at risk. Using a database of mother and child pairs, three areas were identified: a rural area with no increased prevalence of mental retardation and developmental delay (MR/DD) (Area A), and a rural area (Area B) and an urban area (Area C) with significantly higher prevalence of MR/DD in children as compared to the state-wide average. Areas were mapped and surface soil samples were collected from nodes of a uniform grid. Samples were analyzed for As, barium (Ba), beryllium (Be), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), Pb, manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and Hg concentrations and for soil toxicity, and correlated to identify potential common sources. ArcGIS^® was used to determine distances between sample locations and industrial facilities, which were correlated with both metal concentrations and soil toxicity. Results indicated that all metal concentrations (except Be and Hg) in Area C were significantly greater than those in Areas A and B (p ≤ 0.0001) and that Area C had fewer correlations between metals suggesting more varied sources of metals than in rural areas. Area C also had a large number of facilities whose distances were significantly correlated with metals, particularly Cr (maximum r = 0.33; p = 0.0002), and with soil toxicity (maximum r = 0.25; p = 0.007) over a large spatial scale. Arsenic was not associated with distance to any facility and may have a different anthropogenic, or natural source. In contrast to Area C, both rural areas had lower concentrations of metals, lower soil toxicity, and a small number of facilities with significant associations between distance and soil metals.     

Disgust as a disease-avoidance mechanism.

Many researchers have claimed that the emotion of disgust functions to protect us from disease. Although there have been several discussions of this hypothesis, none have yet reviewed the evidence in its entirety. The authors derive 14 hypotheses from a disease-avoidance account and evaluate the evidence for each, drawing upon research on pathogen avoidance in animals and empirical research on disgust. In all but 1 case, the evidence favors a disease-avoidance account. It is suggested that disgust is evoked by objects/people that possess particular types of prepared features that connote disease. Such simple disgusts are directly disease related, are acquired during childhood, and are able to contaminate other objects/people. The complex disgusts, which emerge later in development, may be mediated by several emotions. In these cases, violations of societal norms that may subserve a disease-avoidance function, notably relating to food and sex, act as reminders of simple disgust elicitors and thus generate disgust and motivate compliance. The authors find strong support for a disease-avoidance account and suggest that it offers a way to bridge the divide between concrete and ideational accounts of disgust. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In situ metal ion contamination and the effects on proton exchange membrane fuel cell performance

Automotive fuel cell technology has made considerable progress, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are regarded as a possible long-term solution to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, reduce fossil fuel dependency and increase energy efficiency. Even though great strides have been made, durability is still an issue. One key challenge is controlling MEA contamination. Metal ion contamination within the membrane and the effects on fuel cell performance were investigated. Given the possible benefits of using stainless steel or aluminum for balance-of-plant components or bipolar plates, cations of Al, Fe, Ni and Cr were studied. Membranes were immersed in metal sulfide solutions of varying concentration and then assembled into fuel cell MEAs tested in situ. The ranking of the four transition metals tested in terms of the greatest reduction in fuel cell performance was: Al³⁺ ? Fe²⁺ > Ni²⁺, Cr³⁺. For iron-contaminated membranes, no change in cell performance was detected until the membrane conductivity loss was greater than approximately 15%.     

Natural incidence of zearalenone in Croatian pig feed,urine and meat in 2014

The aim of this study was to determine the levels of zearalenone (ZEN) in different feed materials and feedstuffs for pigs, as well as in pig urine and pig meat following contaminated feed consumption. In total, 253 feed material and feedstuff samples were collected from Croatian pig farms. The results revealed the presence of ZEN in significant concentrations, the maximal being found in maize (5522 µg/kg), wheat (3366 µg/kg) and pig fattening feed (1949 µg/kg). In farms in which high feed contamination and pig hyperestrogenism were observed, samples of pig urine (n = 30) and meat (n = 30) were retrieved as well. The mean ZEN concentrations in pig urine and pig meat were 206 ± 20.6 µg/L and 0.62 ± 0.14 µg/kg, respectively. Despite high contamination of feedstuffs responsible for farmed pigs’ intoxication, ZEN levels determined in pig meat were shown to be of little significance for human safety.     

Lubricant Effects on White Etching Cracking Failures in Thrust Bearing Rig Tests

Abstract

White etching cracking (WEC) is a subsurface bearing failure mechanism influenced by a number of factors, including lubricant composition. Certain metal-containing lubricants have been reported to promote WEC-induced failure; however, the exact mechanisms linking lubricant effects on WEC propensity are still not fully understood. An interesting field that has not been elucidated is the influence of additive concentration and tribofilm growth on WEC initiation, propagation, and failure. The investigations conducted in this work involved two series of oil formulations: one with additives that give rise to WEC (WEC oils) in different combinations and concentrations and another with additives that do not cause WEC (non-WEC oils). A mini traction machine (MTM) in combination with a spacer layer imaging machine (SLIM) was employed to study the growth of tribofilms and their influence on friction response. Insights from the MTM-SLIM study allowed for better interpretation of FE8 bearing tests. When using oils that contribute to WEC formation, the tribofilm-induced WEC mechanism was confirmed, with cracks initiating as early as after 20 h of FE8 testing. Metal-containing additives were found to favor the formation of WECs by generating a high-friction tribofilm and increasing the water content in the lubricant. Furthermore, the source of subsurface H associated with WEC failure is investigated using heavy water (D2O)-saturated oil. A mechanism of water dissociation induced in tribofilm growth (incubation period) is proposed in this article.     

Development and Use of Quantitative Competitive PCR Assay for Detection of Poultry DNA in Sausage

This study focused on the development and evaluation of a quantitative competitive polymerase chain reaction (QC-PCR) for detection and quantification of poultry DNA in sausage. PCR is well known to be quantitative if internal DNA standards are co-amplified together with the target DNA. A DNA competitor differing by 83 bp in length from the poultry target sequence was constructed and used for PCR together with the target DNA. Specificity of the new primers was evaluated with DNA from cattle and sheep. The results of QC-PCR showed that the percentage of contamination was in the range of 23.87–52.06%.