Comparative assessment of the resistance of the unstirred water layer to solute transport between two different intestinal perfusion systems

The resistance of the unstirred water layer to solute transport was estimated in two different intestinal single-pass perfusion systems for a comparative study, using D-glucose as a model compound. One is a well established perfusion system in anesthetized rats as a standard (system A). The other is the one in unanesthetized rats for comparison (system B). It was demonstrated that in system B as well as in system A the resistance of the unstirred water layer to D-glucose transport should be taken into account and this resistance, accordingly, the effective thickness of the unstirred water layer (delta) which is assumed to be in proportion to its resistance, could be described as a function of the perfusion rate by using a film model. The delta decreased with increasing perfusion rate and was larger in system A than in system B at each perfusion rate; 785 microns in system A versus 319 microns in system B at the perfusion rate of 0.16 ml/min and 337 microns versus 184 micron at that of 2.95 ml/min. Thus in system B the effective thickness, accordingly, the resistance, of the unstirred water layer was reduced to about 50% of that in system A, but the resistance of the unstirred water layer could still account for 85% of the total resistance at the maximum as far as D-glucose absorption was concerned, while 93% in system A. These results suggest that, compared with perfusion experiments in anesthetized rats (system A), the resistance of the unstirred water layer is reduced but cannot be left out of consideration even if perfusion experiments are performed in unanesthetized rats (system B). And the lower resistance of the unstirred water layer in system B was attributed to a turbulent flow in contrary to a laminar flow in system A.     

Evaluation of water services system through LCA. A case study for Iasi City,Romania

Purpose

The main objective of this paper is to analyse through life cycle assessment (LCA), the entire water services system in Iasi City (Romania): a representative city for the problems faced by the water services sector in Romania. Furthermore, the study is aimed at demonstrating the usefulness of the LCA approach as a support instrument for water resources management.

Methods

The life cycle inventory (LCI) of the Iasi water system was organized considering the water system components, as well as their function related to the water use life cycle: before the tap system as production phase (water abstraction, transport, treatment and distribution) and after the tap section as post-use phase (wastewater collection, treatment and discharge). The foreground data describing the LCI processes were provided directly by the company operating the Iasi water system, while the data for the background processes were sourced or selected from Ecoinvent 2.0 database. The assessment considers the quantification of environmental impacts (according to the CML 2000 baseline and Ecological Scarcity 2006 methodologies) of water supply (abstraction, treatment and distribution) and wastewater disposal (collection and treatment) relative to 1 m³ of tap water.

Results and discussion

For this given system, the results have pointed out that the before the tap system generates higher impacts than the after tap system, mainly due to the energetic effort needed for water supply and the fairly high water losses in the distribution system. However, the after the tap system, specifically the discharge of treated wastewater is still responsible for many of the water-related impact such as Eutrophication (when using CML) or Emissions to surface waters (when using the Ecological Scarcity method). Apart from the LCA approach, this study presents several scenarios for the improvement of the environmental performance of the water services, such as: changing between water sources, improving the distribution system and upgrading the wastewater treatment plant.

Conclusions

This study has demonstrated the usefulness of LCA to describe, compare and predict the environmental performance of complex water services systems (and all its components). The results have provided a reference case for the environmental profile of Iasi city water system, and have enabled the identification of its improvement alternatives. Also, this study, which represents a premiere for Romania, has opened future research directions which may include the development perspectives of the Iasi water services system, as well as improvements of LCIA methodologies to better represent the local specific water-related impacts.     

Hygienic effect of periodical draining from auto-watering piping for laboratory animal breeding

To prevent the bacterial contamination of the drinking water, we developed a periodical draining machine system which were composed of the electromagnetic valve and the time switch. The machine system is able to replace standing water with fresh water on optional volumes and intervals. The total bacterial numbers of standing water were counted as an indicator of the bacterial contamination. The number of total bacteria were reduced to less than 5 per ml by working the machine system on 6-hour-interval with replacing twice as much as standing water, although more than 10(3) per ml of the bacteria were found when the system was not operated. It was demonstrated that the periodical draining of the machine prevented the drinking water in auto-watering piping from bacterial contamination.     

The water-tower analogy of the cardiovascular system

The cardiovascular system is a complex arrangement of hydraulic, yet living, components. The complexity of this system may make it difficult for students to see the "forest" instead of the "trees." To better explain the dynamics of cardiovascular function and control, an analogy has been drawn to the operation of a city water supply. In cities that use a water tower, fresh water is pumped up into the tower from a river or other source. The tower serves as a pressure reservoir for providing water to homes through a largely parallel arrangement of distribution pipes. Local homeowners control their own water usage through faucets, whereas the city maintains water pressure by monitoring the level in the tower. Key analogous points with the cardiovascular system are the heart as the city pump, the aorta as the water tower, arteries as parallel distribution pipes, and arterioles as faucets. Baroreceptor reflex control is discussed as well as such features as the capacitance role of veins, the skeletal muscle pump, and the competition between locally mediated vasodilation and sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction. Subjective student and peer evaluations have indicated that this analogy is effective in improving student comprehension of the cardiovascular system.     

Examination and characterization of distribution system biofilms.

Investigations concerning the role of distribution system biofilms on water quality were conducted at a drinking water utility in New Jersey. The utility experienced long-term bacteriological problems in the distribution system, while treatment plant effluents were uniformly negative for coliform bacteria. Results of a monitoring program showed increased coliform levels as the water moved from the treatment plant through the distribution system. Increased coliform densities could not be accounted for by growth of the cells in the water column alone. Identification of coliform bacteria showed that species diversity increased as water flowed through the study area. All materials in the distribution system had high densities of heterotrophic plate count bacteria, while high levels of coliforms were detected only in iron tubercles. Coliform bacteria with the same biochemical profile were found both in distribution system biofilms and in the water column. Assimilable organic carbon determinations showed that carbon levels declined as water flowed through the study area. Maintenance of a 1.0-mg/liter free chlorine residual was insufficient to control coliform occurrences. Flushing and pigging the study area was not an effective control for coliform occurrences in that section. Because coliform bacteria growing in distribution system biofilms may mask the presence of indicator organisms resulting from a true breakdown of treatment barriers, the report recommends that efforts continue to find methods to control growth of coliform bacteria in pipeline biofilms.     

An ambient water loop system for USP purified water

An ambient loop USP purified water system has been designed and implemented using carbon and ion exchange resin beds, ultraviolet light systems and polishing filters to produce water consistently meeting or exceeding all USP XXIII quality specifications for purified water. The circulation system is constructed of PVDF plastic piping material installed in a continuous fully-drainable loop. The system was sized for a pilot scale fermentation/harvest process at the 1000?l cultivation scale. This system passed all installation and operational qualification testing as well as sixty days of continuous performance qualification testing before entering into an ongoing monitoring regimen. Excursions outside acceptable water quality parameters during this extensive monitoring regimen were minimal. Sanitization of the system, along with bed and filter changes at the time of sanitization, was conducted every 3 to 6 months to insure consistent water quality.     

Examination and characterization of distribution system biofilms

Investigations concerning the role of distribution system biofilms on water quality were conducted at a drinking water utility in New Jersey. The utility experienced long-term bacteriological problems in the distribution system, while treatment plant effluents were uniformly negative for coliform bacteria. Results of a monitoring program showed increased coliform levels as the water moved from the treatment plant through the distribution system. Increased coliform densities could not be accounted for by growth of the cells in the water column alone. Identification of coliform bacteria showed that species diversity increased as water flowed through the study area. All materials in the distribution system had high densities of heterotrophic plate count bacteria, while high levels of coliforms were detected only in iron tubercles. Coliform bacteria with the same biochemical profile were found both in distribution system biofilms and in the water column. Assimilable organic carbon determinations showed that carbon levels declined as water flowed through the study area. Maintenance of a 1.0-mg/liter free chlorine residual was insufficient to control coliform occurrences. Flushing and pigging the study area was not an effective control for coliform occurrences in that section. Because coliform bacteria growing in distribution system biofilms may mask the presence of indicator organisms resulting from a true breakdown of treatment barriers, the report recommends that efforts continue to find methods to control growth of coliform bacteria in pipeline biofilms.     

Removal of water produced from lipase-catalyzed esterification in organic solvent by pervaporation

Esterification of oleic acid with n-butanol in the presence of Lipozyme(R) was carried out at 25 degrees C in isooctane with various initial water activities. Initial reaction rate as well as equilibrium conversion decreased at high initial water activity. Therefore, removal of water present in the reaction mixtures was essential. A pervaporation process was applied to the lipase-catalyzed synthesis of n-butyloleate to remove water. Pervaporation selectively separated water from the reaction mixture using a nonporous polymeric membrane, cellulose acetate. Therefore, pervaporation is potentially applicable to remove the water produced from various enzymatic processes, such as synthesis of various esters, peptides, and glycosides in a solvent system as well as in a solvent-free system. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Energies of freezing and frost desiccation

A stable cellulose paper system was studied to relate water distribution data, as obtained previously from plant tissues, to the analysis of freezing energy. Water distribution data for the cellulose system were obtained by several techniques and were coordinated with calorimetric data. The effect of the cellulose system on the latent heat of freezing was evaluated to estimate activation energies as functions of the amount of associated liquid water. Similar activation energies of water phase transitions in critical plant tissue systems may be heritable characteristics that affect freezing stress. Adhesion energy, that develops between ice and hydrophilic polymer systems as they compete for liquid water in a complex interface, was suggested as one possible source of freezing stress. This does not occur in frost desiccation.     

基于SENCE概念框架的区域水生态安全评价研究——以甘肃地区17流段为例

作为生态环境至关重要的因素,水生态安全格局是生态安全格局的关键组成部分,科学评估水生态安全状况,进行生态系统管理及保护,对促进经济社会发展具有重要意义。选取甘肃地区17个流段为研究对象,基于SENCE （社会-经济-自然复合生态系统）概念构建涵盖经济发展、社会进步、自然资源、生态环境4方面33指标的初步水生态安全评价指标体系,基于改进生态位理论结合模糊系统分析对初步水生态安全评价指标体系进行优化,最终得到28指标构成的水生态安全评价优化指标体系,运用优化后指标体系对17流段2016-2018年间水生态安全状况模糊综合评价。结果表明：水生态安全状况良好（一级、二级）以上占比分别为35.3%、41.2%、35.3%,一般（三级）占比分别为57.8%、52.0%、46.1%,较差（四级）占比分别为23.5%、11.8%、11.8%,大致呈正态分布,且年际变化小,基本保持稳定。年平均降水量、河川基流量、地表水源供应量、生态环境用水量、节水灌溉面积等指标累计指标权重达47.75%,是影响水生态安全状况的主要影响因子。     

太原市集中供热管网循环水中有害微生物的研究

调查了山西太原市集中供热循环水系统中主要造成管网腐蚀的有害微生物,包括粘液异养菌,硫酸盐还原菌,铁细菌,真菌,测定了各菌群的数量分布,类型及与水温之间的关系。结果表明：在管网供热期间,循环水中有害菌菌数普遍低于管网腐蚀的菌数指标;停止供热期间,循环水中菌数超标,对管网赞成一定的腐蚀。     

A split-pot experiment with sorghum to test a root water uptake partitioning model

Correct modeling of root water uptake partitioning over depth is an important issue in hydrological and crop growth models. Recently a physically based model to describe root water uptake was developed at single root scale and upscaled to the root system scale considering a homogeneous distribution of roots per soil layer. Root water uptake partitioning is calculated over soil layers or compartments as a function of respective soil hydraulic conditions, specifically the soil matric flux potential, root characteristics and a root system efficiency factor to compensate for within-layer root system heterogeneities. The performance of this model was tested in an experiment performed in two-compartment split-pot lysimeters with sorghum plants. The compartments were submitted to different irrigation cycles resulting in contrasting water contents over time. The root system efficiency factor was determined to be about 0.05. Release of water from roots to soil was predicted and observed on several occasions during the experiment; however, model predictions suggested root water release to occur more often and at a higher rate than observed. This may be due to not considering internal root system resistances, thus overestimating the ease with which roots can act as conductors of water. Excluding these erroneous predictions from the dataset, statistical indices show model performance to be of good quality.     

Validation of a system for monitoring individual feeding and drinking behaviour and intake in young cattle

The objective of this study was to validate an electronic system for monitoring individual feeding and drinking behaviour and intake developed for young cattle housed in group. A total of 35 Holstein–Gyr crossbred heifers (BW: 180±52 kg; age: 121.5±32.5 days), fitted with an ear tag containing a unique passive transponder, were distributed in three groups of 12, 12 and 11 animals per period and had free access to 12 electronic feed bins and two electronic water bins (Intergado® Ltd). The dimensions of feed and water bins, as well as the sensors position were appropriate for young cattle. The system documented the visit frequency and duration, as well as the feed and water intakes, by recording the animal’s identification tag, bin number, initial and final times of visits and the difference of feed/water weight at the start and end of each bin visit. Feed bins were monitored using time-lapse video recording over 4 days and the water bins were monitored over 6 days. For each feed bin, two feeding events were monitored using manual weighings with an external scale immediately before and after the animal’s visit and the difference between them was assumed as feed intake (n=24 observations). For the water bins, 60 manual weighings were made. Video and manual weighing data were regressed on the electronic feeding and drinking behaviour and intake data to evaluate the system’s precision and accuracy. The system showed high specificity (98.98% and 98.56% for the feed and water bins, respectively) and sensitivity (99.25% and 98.74%, respectively) for identifying an animal’s presence or absence. Duration of feed and water bin visits as well as feed and water consumption per visit estimated by the system were highly correlated and precise compared with the observed video and manual weighing data (r²=0.917, 0.963, 0.973 and 0.986, respectively). It was concluded that Intergado® system is a useful tool for monitoring feeding and drinking behaviour as well as water and feed intakes in young cattle housed in groups.     

Metal Removal from Water Discharges by a Constructed Treatment Wetland

A full‐scale constructed wetland treatment system consisting of four pairs of wetland cells (3.2 ha total area) with water flowing through a pair of cells in series prior to discharge was investigated. A retention basin provided stable water flow to the system. Water retention time in the wetland system was approximately 48 hours, and the wetland cells operated at circumneutral pH. Vegetation development within the cells has been excellent. Copper removal efficiency was greater than 75 % from the start‐up of the system, while mercury efficiency improved with maturation of the treatment cells. Sampling of the water course through the wetlands conducted during the fourth year of operation validated continued performance, and assessed the fate of a larger suite of metals present in the water. Copper and mercury removal efficiencies were still very high, both in excess of 80 % removal from the water after passage through the wetland system. Mercury removal continued along the entire water course through the system, while copper was removed almost immediately upon entering the wetland cells. Lead removal from the water by the system was 83 %, zinc removal was 60 %, and nickel was generally unaffected. Organic carbon in the water was also increased by the system and reduced the bioavailability of some metals. Operation and maintenance of the system continued to be minimal, and mainly consisted of checking for growth of the vegetation and free flow of the water through the system. The system was entirely passive, relying on gravity as the power source of water flow. No reportable permit exceedances have been experienced since the wetland began treating an outfall discharge.     

Giant and flux controllable pumping of water molecules in a double-walled carbon nanotube

We designed a water pumping system based on double-walled carbon nanotube. In this system, the inner tube was fixed as the water channel, while the exterior was moved similarly to the piston motion along the axial direction to induce pumping force. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that the water flux is sensitive to the motion velocity of the outer tube so that giant and controllable unidirectional water flow can be achieved in this system by varying the velocity. The enhancement of the pumping ability mainly results from the carbon–water van der Waals driving forces of the exterior tube and the osmosis pressure of the water reservoir. This design may open a new way for water pumping in the field of nanodevices.     

海洋着色菌YL28对含沉积物的海水养殖水体氮污染去除效应的研究

用含有沉积物的氮化物污染实际水体作为测定体系,通过测定水体无机三态氮、总氮、COD、pH以及沉积物总氮、COD和对4种代谢酶活性的动力学过程的监测,评价了一株不产氧光合细菌——海洋着色菌(Marichromatium gracile)YL28对海水实际养殖水体脱氮效应。结果表明:水体本身具有一定的自净作用;与对照组相比,YL28组水体氨氮、亚硝氮、硝氮、沉积物总氮和COD的残留率明显降低(P0.05),在6~10d内水体COD明显升高,水体总氮和pH未见显著差异。处理过程中,在特定的时间范围内,转化酶、蛋白酶、脲酶和脱氢酶活性明显升高(P0.05),与沉积物总氮和COD去除规律相吻合。由此可见,添加YL28对污染海水养殖水体中无机三态氮、沉积物有机氮化物和有机碳化物具有明显的去除作用,本研究为海水养殖微生态水质修复剂的开发和应用奠定基础。     

洞穴体系对外界气候与生态环境的响应

从大气降水、土壤水和洞穴滴水的继承关系的角度,在对洞穴化学沉积物形成的必备因素-洞穴滴水的地球化学形成过程作逐步分析的基础上,综合讨论了洞穴体系对外界气候与生态环境的响应关系。提出对洞穴综合体系开展详尽的长期观测与研究,更加深入地揭示现在正在进行的洞穴碳酸盐沉积过程,即观测现在环境下洞穴化学沉积物的沉积过程及其对环境的响应,是洞穴化学沉积物应用于全球变化研究领域需要更加引起重视的方向。     

Emergy analysis of regional water ecological–economic system

The theoretical framework and methodology of a water ecological–economic system (WEES) assessment based on emergy synthesis are proposed in this paper. Through calculating ecological and economic inputs and outputs within and outside the complex system, this paper discusses the system's economic situation, water resources development and system sustainability based on a series of emergy indicators. Besides traditional indices, following the principle of system assessment, four new indices, water emergy ratio (WER), water emergy utilization ratio (WEUR), water emergy self-support ratio (WESR), and water emergy density (WED) are formulated to assess the state of water resources development quantitatively. Taking the Zhengzhou water ecological–economic system as a study area, through the comparison of the systematic indicators of Zhengzhou with those of the selected Chinese cities, the general status of the Zhengzhou water ecological–economic system in China is identified. The results also show that most indicators of Beijing are located at middle levels among the selected Chinese cities. In particular, the sustainability, expressed by the indicators emergy-based sustainability index (ESI) and water resources population carrying capacity (WPC) were 1.34 and 1.94 million, respectively, in Zhengzhou in 2005, which indicates that the Zhengzhou WEES is in heavy pressure of water resources and is located at low levels of sustainability.     

间套作提高农田水分利用效率的节水机理

综合国内外多学科的研究成果,从地表水向土壤水的转化效率、农田水分的有效性、植物冠层结构、灌溉用水量和作物产量等方面,论述了间套作提高农田水分利用效率的节水机理.结果表明:间套作能够促进植物根系对农田水分的充分利用,有利于增加根层土壤的贮水量;间套作一方面减小棵间蒸发、抑制无效蒸腾,另一方面优化作物系统的源-库关系,创造出有利于植物生长发育的小气候,为资源在时间和空间上的集约利用和高产打好基础,在不增加农田灌溉水的同时大幅度提高单位面积产量,促进作物水分利用效率明显提高.     

社会水文学研究进展

社会水文学是水文学和自然、社会、人文的交叉学科,主要探究人-水耦合系统的双向互馈方式及其协同进化的动态机理,并着力解决当今人类所面临的水资源可持续利用等问题.本文从社会水文学的产生背景与形成过程入手,介绍了社会水文学的基本概念,总结了其学科特点;从人-水耦合系统中的权衡、水资源管理中的利益关系、人-水耦合系统中的虚拟水研究三方面论述了社会水文学的主要研究内容,并辨析了其与传统水文学、生态水文学和水文社会学的区别与联系;最后从完善学科内容、深化定量研究、注重社会水文学中的尺度研究、社会水文学与生态水文学的融合等方面对社会水文学的发展前景进行了展望,以期推动我国社会水文学研究的发展.