Concentration and distribution of heavy metals in urban airborne particulate matter in Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Heavy metal concentrations were measured in airborne dust collected at three sites with different traffic densities from August 2001 to July 2002 in the Frankfurt am Main area. Bulk samples of particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic equivalent diameter of <22 microm were collected on cellulose nitrate filters using air filtration devices. Fractionated samples of PM with an aerodynamic equivalent diameter of <10 microm were collected using an eight-stage Andersen impactor. Pb, Cd, Mn, Ni, Zn, V, As, Sb, Cu, Cr, Co, and Ce were determined by inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry, Pt and Rh were determined by adsorptive voltammetry, and Pd was determined by total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis. The results show that the highest airborne heavy metal concentrations occurred at the main street with a large volume of traffic. With the exception of Co, V, Ce, and Mn, the heavy metals had an elevated enrichment factor compared to their concentrations in the continental crust. The main street site was especially contaminated with Sb, Zn, Cu, V, and Ni. Motor vehicles are the likely source of emissions. With the exception of Cr, Cu, and Zn, most of the airborne heavy metal concentrations determined for impactor samples deviate slightly from the results for total airborne dust. Heavy metal particle size distributions can be divided into three groups. For metals such as As, Cd, Pb, and V, the main fraction can be found in fine particles with a diameter of <2.1 microm, whereas Ce, Cr, Co, and Ni occur mainly in coarse particles with a diameter of >2.1 microm. Cu, Mn, Sb, Zn, Pt, Pd, and Rh occur in high concentrations in the medium range of the impactor stages (particle diameters of 1.1-4.7 microm). Metal concentrations in fine dust particles are needed to assess the human health risks of their inhalation.     

Relationship between ruminal ammonia and nonprotein nitrogen utilization by ruminants. I. Development of a model for predicting nonprotein nitrogen utilization by cattle.

The influence of ration composition on mean ruminal ammonia concentration was studied by collecting samples of ruminal ingesta from cattle fed rations varying in crude protein and total digestible nutrient content. A minimum of four sampling times distributed throughout the day permitted calculation of mean ruminal ammonia concentrations. Mean ruminal ammonia concentration was positively related to dietary crude protein concentration and negatively related to total digestible nutrient concentration. It is postulated that mean ruminal ammonia concentration may be a useful criterion for predicting efficacy of nonprotein nitrogen supplementation. A quantitative approach for evaluating nonprotein nitrogen supplementation based upon determination of the point at which ruminal ammonia exceeds the requirement (5 mg ammonia nitrogen/100 ml rumen fluid) of the ammonia-utilizing bacteria is proposed. Dietary conditions expected to result in excessive concentrations of ruminal ammonia are defined and recommended upper limits for nonprotein nitrogen supplementation are presented. Theoretical relationships between composition of the unsupplemented ration, amount of nonprotein nitrogen added, and efficiency of nonprotein nitrogen utilization are discussed. The practice of adding nonprotein nitrogen so as to exceed 12 to 13% crude protein in typical dairy or feedlot rations needs to be reevaluated.     

One-step substrate nanofabrication and patterning of nanoparticles by lithographically controlled etching

We propose an integrated top-down and bottom-up approach to single-step nanofabrication of complex nanostructures made of different materials. The process, termed lithographically controlled etching (LCE), starts with a drop of an etching solution cast on the surface to be patterned. By placing a polymeric mold on the substrate, the stamp protrusions come into contact with the surface, thus protecting it, whereas the surface beneath the mold recesses is exposed to a thin layer of etching solution, allowing the surface to be etched. By dispersing nanoparticles into the etching solution, these can be deposited and self-organize in the recesses on the substrate as these are excavated. We demonstrate here the fabrication of complex structures and nanowires 30 nm wide. Moreover, by exploiting capillary forces, it is possible to deposit nanoparticles at precise positions with respect to optically addressable microstructures, thus realizing a multiscale functional pattern.     

Modelling of the borehole filling of double U-pipe heat exchangers

A new model MISOS is proposed for the simulation of the borehole filling (grout) of double U-pipe heat exchangers. When simulating ground-coupled heat pumps, a suitable model of the filling is necessary because the temperature of the filling effects the temperature of the heat carrier fluid. The filling is divided into three elements whose geometry corresponds to the different temperature zones. For each time step, the temperatures of the filling elements can be calculated from energy balances. MISOS is very fast compared to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) algorithms. CFD calculations were performed for different shank spacings, and results compared with those obtained from MISOS. If the pipe shanks are situated between the axis and the wall of the borehole, nearly the same difference of the fluid temperature between inlet and outlet is predicted by MISOS and CFD. For a minimal shank spacing, heating is overpredicted by about 6% for an extraction period of 3 h while an underprediction of about 9% is obtained for maximal shank spacing.     

Use of equivalent spheres to model the relation between radar reflectivity and optical extinction of ice cloud particles

The effect of ice crystal size and shape on the relation between radar reflectivity and optical extinction is examined. Discrete-dipole approximation calculations of 95-GHz radar reflectivity and ray-tracing calculations are applied to ice crystals of various habits and sizes. Ray tracing was used primarily to calculate optical extinction and to provide approximate information on the lidar backscatter cross section. The results of the combined calculations are compared with Mie calculations applied to collections of different types of equivalent spheres. Various equivalent sphere formulations are considered, including equivalent radar-lidar spheres; equivalent maximum dimension spheres; equivalent area spheres, and equivalent volume and equivalent effective radius spheres. Marked differences are found with respect to the accuracy of different formulations, and certain types of equivalent spheres can be used for useful prediction of both the radar reflectivity at 95 GHz and the optical extinction (but not lidar backscatter cross section) over a wide range of particle sizes. The implications of these results on combined lidar-radar ice cloud remote sensing are discussed.     

Eine Stellungnahme zum Beitrag von Sass & Treskatis: “Herstellungs- und Bemessungsgrundlagen für einen verlaufsgesteuerten Trinkwasserbrunnen ...”

Ohne Zusammenfassung Eingang des Beitrages: 14.03.2000 / Eingang des überarbeiteten Beitrages: nicht überarbeitet, nur korrigiert     

Cracked dry or finely ground high moisture shelled corn as a supplement for grazing cows.

Feeding shelled corn as the primary supplement in cracked dry form or ground high moisture form to grazing cows was studied in an experiment using 32 cows in late lactation. Each of the two forms of corn accounted for 74.7% of the concentrate supplement, which was fed at 9 kg/d (DM). The experiment was 13 wk, during which cows grazed permanent native pasture containing mostly grasses and some clover. Milk yield was 2.4 kg/d higher for cows fed ground high moisture shelled corn than for those fed dry cracked shelled corn. Milk fat content was lower (3.28 vs. 3.67%), but protein content was higher (3.26 vs. 3.15%) for the high moisture corn supplement. Results suggest that high moisture corn can serve as a better supplement for grazing cows than dry corn, likely by providing more metabolizable energy and microbial protein due to more fermentable and digestible starch.     

A comparative study of a vitreous biological composition suitable for coating steel prostheses

A correlation between composition and quality of a biological glass used as a bioglaze and an industrial glaze for sheet-steel coating was carried out. Apart from the extremely different conditions, particularly relative to the temperature for application of the coating to the metallic substrate, it was noted that the compositions are not very much different; this led us to think that the doping of the vitreous system with substances favouring the bonding of glaze to support (according what has been suggested by enamellists) is trustworthy in this case too. Some hypotheses relative to the role of nickel and the fluidity of the vitreous system were made to explain the observations, and to suggest the best way to improve the adhesion of metal to glaze.