Hydrocarbon stress response of four tropical plants in weathered crude oil contaminated soil in microcosms

Responses to hydrocarbon stress of four tropical plants Panicum maximum, Zea mays, Centrosema sp. and Pueraria sp. grown in crude oil contaminated soils (1%, 5% and 10% w/w) were evaluated in a green house. Plants’ percentage survival, shoot heights, biomass development, and phytotoxicity susceptibility were used as indicators of growth, stress response and hydrocarbon tolerance. Relative to control, shoot heights and biomass of plants reduced with increasing hydrocarbon concentration, but 1% w/w oil-in-soil, stimulated shoot heights (5.9% and 6.4%) and weights (21.9% and 2.3%) in P. maximum and Centrosema sp. respectively. P. maximum tolerated the contaminant stress with biomass yields of 113% and 57% of control respectively in 1% and 10% w/w oil-in-soil. All the plants had 100% survival in 1% w/w, but considerably reduced survival in 10% w/w oil-in-soil. These results show that P. maximum has great potential for phytoremediation of petroleum contaminated soil.     

公私合营(PPP)项目市场需求风险分担研究

对PPP项目市场需求风险的影响因素、分担偏好、参与者的管理能力等问题进行探讨,以实例提出PPP项目市场需求风险完全由政府承担、政府与私人投资者共同承担及私人投资者承担的三种模式。在此基础上提出风险分担中政府所应承担的责任,以及市场分担与项目竞争强度的关系等观点,以期为政府后续PPP项目市场需求风险的管理提供参考和借鉴。     

Polychlorinated naphthalenes in air and snow in the Norwegian Arctic: a local source or an Eastern Arctic phenomenon?

PCNs were measured in air and snow during separate field campaigns at Ny-Alesund (April 2001) and Troms? (February/March 2003) in the Norwegian Arctic. Air concentrations ranged from 27 to 48 and 9 to 47 pg sigmaPCN m(-3) for Ny-Alesund (n=6) and Troms? (n=10), respectively. These concentrations (including the tri-chlorinated naphthalenes) greatly exceeded concentrations previously measured in the Canadian Arctic, but did fall within the upper range of concentrations observed over the eastern Arctic Ocean and regional seas. Local sources appear to be affecting concentrations observed at both sites, with the presence of several hexa-chlorinated naphthalenes at Troms? probably attributed to local/regional sources. Use of air mass back trajectories at Troms? revealed that background air concentrations in the Norwegian Arctic are likely to range between <9 and 20 pg sigmaPCN m(-3) and that contemporary concentrations derived close to potential sources (i.e. arctic towns) may equal or exceed those of PCBs. The mean concentration in surface snow was 350 and 240 pg sigmaPCN L(-1) (meltwater) (or 0.014 and 0.01 pg g(-1) (snow)) at Ny-Alesund and Troms?, respectively. The wide variation in concentrations observed between fresh snowfalls could be explained by different snow densities (as a surrogate of snow surface area), rather than attributed to varying air concentrations. A statistically significant inverse relationship was found between snow density and concentrations of tri- to penta-chlorinated homologues and compliments similar findings for the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This suggests that the vapour-sorbed quantity changes rapidly with snow ageing/compaction; with implications for the fate of these chemicals in the Arctic.     

Cobalt powdersintering industry (stone cutting diamond wheels): a study of environmental-biological monitoring, workplace improvement and health surveillance

This communication deals with an aspect of occupational hygiene in a factory producing granite cutting diamond wheels by sintering, in moulds, of fine cobalt powder. The factory has been studied between 1988 and 1991; the Department of Preventive and Occupational Medicine of the Local Sanitary Unit of Reggio Emilia has followed the evolution of the local exhaust ventilation equipment supplied by the employer in that period. At the same time, the following measurements and observations were carried out: (a) cobalt exposure by personal sampling, (b) airborne cobalt measurements by area sampling, (c) biological monitoring of cobalt in urine, (d) health surveillance.     

Human response to blast-induced vibration and air-overpressure: an Indian scenario

Ground vibration (V_max) and air-overpressure/noise (p) are some of the negative effects of blasting. The associated human annoyance and complaints are expected to show an increasing trend in the future as there is no economically viable alternative to blasting in mines in India.A study of the human response to blasting in four mining localities across India has shown that the response is not simply political, as frequently assumed. It has been found that irrespective of those questioned, a basic concern for the safety of property was the main response. There was a greater response from the middle-aged and middle-educated while fewer women than men responded. Assuming that a 100% negative response from the inhabitants will translate into complaints, a methodology is suggested to take account of the human response criteria when considering blasting within 400 m of habitations.     

Evaluation of the fern Azolla for growth, nitrogen and phosphorus removal from wastewater

Water fern (Azolla filiculoides Lam.) has been assessed for nitrogen and phosphorus removal in outdoor experiments comparing sewage water (S) from an experimental aquaculture plant, well water (W) and mineral growth medium Hoagland (H). The experiments were undertaken during the spring and the summer. The yield of fern biomass and nitrogenase activity was higher in H than in W and S waters. The enzyme activity had a decreasing trend with significant differences (p < 0.05) in the three waters. Peroxidase (POD) activity in April decreased with significative differences in W and S waters (p < 0.05). The electrical conductivity and the concentrations of NO3- in the three waters decreased significantly (p < 0.05). The highest removal of nitrate from the media was obtained in July. In S water, NO2- concentration decreased, while it increased in W water. PO(4)3- concentration was very low in W and S waters and decreased in H medium. The results obtained confirm the ability of the fern to grow in sewage water.     

Machining of NiTi-shape memory alloys-A review

The emerging trends in the development of advanced smart materials with better unique properties under different environments for a particular application fascinate the researchers and industrialists. Nickel-Titanium based shape memory alloys are exotic materials due to their unique properties such as SME, SE, high damping characteristics, high corrosion and wear resistance and biocompatibility. This article presents an overview of machining processes that can be used to machine the NiTi and its surface induced characteristics such as microhardness, surface roughness, topography, induced layer, residual stress, fatigue and phase transformation. The surface integrity characteristics are discussed for machining of NiTi-SMAs under the category of traditional, non-traditional and micro-machining with the effect of input parameters such as cutting speed, feed, depth of cut, type of lubricant and type of coating material on cutting tool. The conventional machining of NiTi alloys are quite complicated due to high toughness, severe strain hardening, fatigue hardening and distinctive property of NiTi-SMAs such as pseudoelastic and shape memory effect. From this study, non-traditional process is significantly used to machine the NiTi-SMAs due to its better results on surface integrity characteristics. Consequently, future trends are also identified for machining the NiTi-SMAs and to improve the surface integrity characteristics.