Simultaneous adsorption and biodegradation processes in sequencing batch reactor (SBR) for treating copper and cadmium-containing wastewater

The application of simultaneous adsorption and biodegradation processes in the same reactor is known to be effective in the removal of both biodegradable and non-biodegradable contaminants in various kinds of wastewater. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the two processes under sequencing batch reactor (SBR) operation in treating copper and cadmium-containing synthetic wastewater with powdered activated carbon (PAC) as the adsorbent. The SBR systems were operated with FILL, REACT, SETTLE, DRAW and IDLE periods in the ratio of 0.5: 3.5: 1.0: 0.75 :0.25 for a cycle time of 6 h. In the presence of 10 mg/L Cu(II) and 30 mg/L Cd(II), respectively, the average COD removal efficiencies were above 85% with the PAC dosage in the influent solution at 143 mg/L compared to around 60% without PAC addition. Copper(II) was found to exert a more pronounced inhibitory effect on the bioactivity of the microorganisms compared to Cd(II). It was observed that the combined presence of Cu(II) and Cd(II) did not exert synergistic effects on the microorganisms. Kinetic study conducted for the REACT period showed that the addition of PAC had minimized the inhibitory effect of the heavy metals on the bioactivity of microorganisms.     

Long-period gratings in planar optical waveguides

We present a theoretical analysis of light propagation in a four-layer planar waveguide that consists of a long-period grating (LPG) having a period of the order of 100 microm. By means of the coupled-mode theory, we show that such a structure is capable of coupling light from the fundamental guided mode to the cladding modes at specific wavelengths (resonance wavelengths) and thus results in sharp rejection bands in the transmission spectrum of the waveguide. Our numerical results show that the resonance wavelengths as well as the transmission spectrum can be significantly changed with the waveguide and grating parameters. A waveguide-based LPG should provide a useful approach to the design of a wide range of integrated-optic devices, including wavelength-tunable filters, switches, and environmental sensors.     

The distributed lag between electricity demand and price

This paper investigates the lagged relationship between electricity price changes and consumer response. It finds some evidence that price rises can induce rather long-term effects with detectable influence up to a decade. This tentative conclusion is important because it implies that recent increases may have a greater effect on future demand than is normally supposed.     

Clinical pharmacokinetics of camptothecin topoisomerase I inhibitors

In this review the clinical pharmacokinetics of camptothecin topoisomerase I inhibitors, an important new class of anticancer drugs, is discussed. Two prototypes, topotecan and irinotecan, are currently marketed in many European countries and the USA for the treatment of patients with ovarian and colorectal cancer, respectively. Other camptothecin derivatives, including lurtotecan, 9-aminocamptothecin (9-AC) and 9-nitrocamptothecin (9-NC), are at different stages of clinical development. The common property of camptothecin analogues is their action against DNA topoisomerase I, but beyond this similarity the compounds differ widely in terms of antitumour efficacy, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and metabolism. We review chemistry, mechanism of action, stability and bioanalysis of the camptothecins. Dosage and administration, status of clinical application, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and drug interactions are discussed.     

Photodegradation of Reactive Black 5, Direct Red 28 and Direct Yellow 12 using UV, UV/H(2)O(2) and UV/H(2)O(2)/Fe(2+): a comparative study

The photodegradation of three commercially available dyestuffs (C.I. Reactive Black 5, C.I. RB5, C.I. Direct Yellow 12, C.I. DY12, and C.I. Direct Red 28, C.I. DR28) by UV, UV/H(2)O(2) and UV/H(2)O(2)/Fe(II) processes was investigated in a laboratory-scale batch photoreactor equipped with an 16W immersed-type low-pressure mercury vapour lamp. The experimental results were assessed in terms of absorbance and total organic carbon (TOC) reduction. The initial concentration was kept constant at 100 mg l(-1) for all dyes. Initial results showed that, color removal efficiencies by UV or H(2)O(2) alone were negligible for all dyes. Almost complete disappearance of C.I. RB5 (99%) and DY12 (98%) in UV/H(2)O(2) process was possible to achieve after 60 min of irradiation. The maximum color removal efficiency of C.I. DR28 after 60 min of irradiation, however, was only 40% and reached a maximum value of 70% after 120 min of irradiation. Corresponding mineralization efficiencies were 50, 55 and 7-12%, respectively. The addition of Fe(II) to the system, so-called the photo-Fenton process, greatly enhanced the color removal, the efficiencies being 98, 88 and 85% for C.I. RB5, C.I. DY12 and C.I. DR28 only after 5 min of irradiation. Corresponding mineralization efficiencies were 98% for 45 min irradiation, 100% for 60 min irradiation and 98% for 90 min irradiation, respectively. However, marginal benefit was less significant in the higher range of both H(2)O(2) and Fe(II). Furthermore, decreases in both decolorization and mineralization were observed at higher concentrations of oxidant and catalyst due to the scavenging effect of excess H(2)O(2) and OH radicals. The degradation of all dyes was found to follow first-order reaction kinetics.     

Molal volumes of somen-Fatty acids and their methyl and ethyl esters

The densities of some pure methyl and ethyl esters ofn-fatty acids were determined at temperatures between 10° to 80°C. The molal volumes of these esters and the long-chain fatty acids were correlated with temperature and chainlength. The reciprocals of the average methylene contribution at long-chain and the end group contribution to the molal volumes were found to be linear functions of the temperature. With the introduction of a correction term to account for mutual interaction of the end groups, three equations, one for each of the esters and the acids, were developed. These equations were used to calculate the molal values of the acids with carbon numbers up to 30 and up to 20 for the esters at temperatures ranging from 10° to 100°C. Excellent agreements were obtained between the molal volumes calculated by the equations and those obtained from the literature and experimental data.     

Development of New Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Exposure Metrics and their Relationship to “Sick Building Syndrome” Symptoms

Abstract Occupants of office buildings are exposed to low concentrations of complex mixtures of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that encompass a number of chemical classes and a broad range of irritancies. “Sick building syndrome” (SBS) is suspected to be related to these exposures. Using data from 22 office areas in 12 California buildings, seven VOC exposure metrics were developed and their ability to predict self-reported SBS irritant symptoms of office workers was tested. The VOC metrics were each evaluated in a multivariate logistic regression analysis model adjusted for other risk factors or confounders. Total VOCs and most of the other metrics were not statistically significant predictors of symptoms in crude or adjusted analyses. Two metrics were developed using principal components (PC) analysis on subsets of the 39 VOCs. The Irritancy/PC metric was the most statistically significant predictor of adjusted irritant symptoms. The irritant potencies of individual compounds, highly correlated nature of indoor VOC mixtures, and probable presence of potent, but unmeasured, VOCs were variously factored into this metric. These results, which for the first time show a link between low level VOC exposures from specific types of indoor sources to SBS symptoms, require confirmation using data sets from other buildings.     

Coupled-mode equations for pulse switching in parallel waveguides

The coupled-mode equations that describe the switching dynamics of optical pulses in two parallel waveguides are derived. These equations differ from the conventional ones in having extra coupling terms that arise from the dispersion properties of the coupling coefficient. It is shown that the coupling-coefficient dispersion can cause pulse distortion or even pulse breakup and in general produces much more significant effects than the group-velocity dispersion     

卫星电视接收技术的现状及其发展趋势

本文综述了卫星电视接收技术的国内外现状,简要地概括了它的十个发展方向,其发展的最终目标是要进入家庭.在技术开发和市场开拓上都是具有光明前途的.