Fate of β-blocker human pharmaceuticals in surface water: Comparison of measured and simulated concentrations in the Glatt Valley Watershed, Switzerland

This study focused on the occurrence and fate of four β-blockers (atenolol, sotalol, metoprolol, propranolol) in wastewater and surface water. Measured concentrations were compared with predicted concentrations using an implementation of the geo-referenced model GREAT-ER for the Glatt Valley Watershed (Switzerland). Particularly, the question was addressed how measured and simulated data could complement each other for the exposure assessment of human pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants entering surface water through wastewater treatment plants (WWTP).Concentrations in the Glatt River ranged from <LOQ to 83 ng L⁻¹ with the highest concentrations found for atenolol. Higher loads were measured on days with combined sewer overflow events during high flow conditions.GREAT-ER was able to predict spatially resolved river concentrations based on average consumption and excretion data, removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and dissipation and degradation processes in surface water within a factor of 2. These results indicate that modelling might be sufficient to estimate daily average exposure concentrations for compounds that are either recalcitrant or whose degradation and sorption behaviour can be predicted with confidence based on laboratory experiments. Chemical measurements, in contrast, should be reserved for assessing point sources, investigating mechanisms which lead to short-term temporal fluctuations in compound loads, and determining in-situ degradation rates in conjunction with modelling.     

Mercury contamination in spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus: An assessment of liver, kidney, blood, and nervous system health

Marine fishes in South Florida (Florida Keys-Florida Bay-Everglades region) accumulate higher concentrations of mercury (Hg) in their tissues than similar fishes from other areas of the southeastern U.S., though it is not known whether these elevated levels affect fish health. In this study, we used quantifiable pathological and biochemical indicators to explore Hg-associated differences in marine fish from South Florida, where Hg contamination is high, and from Indian River Lagoon, Florida, which served as a reference area. Hg concentrations in all tissues of mature spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) from South Florida were significantly higher than those from Indian River Lagoon and were within the threshold range of those in studies where effects of Hg exposure have been observed. The distribution of Hg among tissues followed the same trend in both areas, with the greatest concentration in kidney tissue, followed by liver, muscle, brain, gonad, and red blood cells. Blood-plasma biochemistry showed that concentrations of iron, inorganic phosphate, lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate aminotransferase were significantly less in South Florida. Also, fructosamine and alkaline phosphatase were significantly less in South Florida. Liver histology revealed that pyknosis/necrosis, interstitial inflammation, and bile duct hyperplasia were found only in seatrout from South Florida, and steatosis/glycogen was more frequently found in Indian River Lagoon specimens. In renal tissue, interstitial inflammation, glomerular dilatation and thickening, and tubular degeneration and necrosis were more frequently found in South Florida specimens. Changes in the liver cytoskeleton and morphology may explain some of the differences in blood parameters between study areas. Neurochemical analyses showed that brain N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors (but not those of muscarinic cholinergic receptors, monoamine oxidase, or acetylcholinesterase) were significantly less in fish from South Florida than from Indian River Lagoon. These findings provide compelling evidence that elevated Hg could cause quantifiable pathological and biochemical changes that might influence the health of spotted seatrout and could also affect other marine fish species.     

Eine Echtzeit-Online-Methode zur Beurteilung der künstlichen Grundwasseranreicherung und Grundwasserentnahme

Grundwasser - Eine nachhaltige Wasserversorgung in urbanen Gebieten stellt aufgrund des Nutzungsdrucks sowie vielfältiger anthropogener Einträge eine große Herausforderung dar....     

Passive cooling for air-conditioning energy savings with new radiative low-cost coatings

Passive cooling is considered as an alternative technology to avoid unwanted heat gains, to reduce urban heat islands and to generate cooling potential for buildings (limiting air-conditioning energy). According to materials and surface treatments, the roof can represent to be a major heat gain source from opaque elements of the building fabric, heating up the outer surface and increasing heat flow by conduction. This paper presents low-cost new radiative materials (1 ∉/m²) allowing to limit heat gains during diurnal cycle for hot seasons. To evaluate the relevance of these new substrates, their reflective UV-VIS-IR behavior are studied and compared to classical roofed materials available in industrial and developing countries. A 48 m² experimental roof having different surfaces (plate steel sheets, fiber cement, terra cotta tiles and corrugated sheets) allows to determine the temperature ratio δ between uncoated and coated materials. Up to 34% surface temperature gains are obtained for white coated CS, 25% for FC and ∼18% for TCT and PSS. According to uncoated materials for a surface temperature T₀ = 60 °C, simulations showed that the low-cost white opaque reflective roofs (50 m²) presented in this study would reduce cooling energy consumption by 26-49%.     

当一切都合为整体 ——克里斯蒂安·克雷兹访谈

本文是对克里斯蒂安·克雷兹进行的访谈。"整体"的概念体现在访谈的方方面面之中:克雷兹的建筑学习开始于在类比建筑学影响下,将建筑理解为一个整体的设计方法;在他当下思考中,整体是对于空间本质的根本认知,建筑的外观变化源于空间认知的整体逻辑而不是碎片式的风格转变;在他从概念到实践的工作方式中,整体的概念体现在对于感性一以贯之的坚持;在他的实践项目,尤其是中国的竞赛项目中,整体是对于建筑与社会问题的综合思考,其新近完成中国美术学院良渚校区竞赛的综合体量也是这点的体现之一。     

The Concept of Subjective Well-being in Housing Research

The aim of this article is to review the ways in which subjective well-being has been conceptualized within housing research, with a view to evaluating the use of the concept, the insights it has generated, the problems that have been experienced and the possible range of lessons that might be taken forward. The article begins with an analysis of the reasons why subjective well-being has become popular as a conceptual tool in many fields. The article continues with a discussion of the range of definitions that appear in the literature which leads into discussions of the research techniques and methodologies that have been used in empirical research. Empirical studies which focussed on the impact of physical housing conditions and tenure on subjective well-being are reviewed in order to evaluate what is known about the impact of housing on both personal and collective subjective well-being. This review highlights issues of status, reference groups and adaptation that are important insights from the subjective well-being approach that should set the agenda for further research in this area. The conclusion is that the relationship between housing and subjective well-being is a complex one that repays further study in order to understand the rich texture of the role of housing in people’s lives. The article concludes with suggestions for both conceptual and methodological approaches and the focus of future research.     

On the stability of the German Beveridge curve: a spatial econometric perspective

In this paper, the framework of the aggregated Beveridge curve is used to investigate the effectiveness of the job-matching process using German regional labour market data. For a fixed matching technology, the Beveridge curve postulates a negative relationship between the unemployment rate and the rate of vacancies, which is efficiently estimated using spatial econometric techniques. The eigenfunction decomposition approach suggested by Griffith (J Geogr Syst 2:141–156, 2000; Spatial autocorrelation and Spatial filtering. Springer, Berlin, 2003) is the workhorse to identify spatial and non-spatial components. As the significance of the spatial pattern might vary over time, inference is conducted on the base of a spatial SUR model. Particularly in contrast to findings for the US and Canada, the results reveal an increased degree of job mismatch over the last decade in Germany. An explanation of this adverse development by regional mismatch is clearly rejected. Although the outward shift of the Beveridge curve can partially be explained by structural factors such as the evolution of long-term unemployment, it is to a large extent affected by business cycle fluctuations.