Experimental Research On Fatigue Property Of Steel Rubber Vibration Isolator For Offshore Jacket Platform In Cold Environment

Jacket platform is the most widely used offshore platform. Steel rubber vibration isolator and damping isolation system are often used to reduce or isolate the ice-induced and seismic-induced vibrations. The previous experimental and theoretical studies concern mostly with dynamic properties, vibration isolation schemes and vibration-reduction effectiveness analysis. In this paper, the experiments on steel rubber vibration isolator were carried out to investigate the compressive properties and fatigue properties in different low temperature conditions. The results may provide some guidelines for design of steel rubber vibration isolator for offshore platform in a cold environment, and for maintenance and replacement of steel rubber vibration isolator, and also for fatigue life assessment of the steel rubber vibration isolator. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment effects of cage culture on nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in relation to fallowing in a shallow lake in China

Nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in relation to fallowing in a fish cage farm was investigated in a shallow lake in China. Four sampling sites were set: beneath the cages, at the cage sides, and 50 and 100 m east of the cage farm. Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) in lake water and sediment were analyzed during a 2-year rearing cycle. The cage culture had a fish yield of 16.3-39.2 tonnes in the study period. Based on the mass balance equation, 1533-3084 kg TN and 339-697 kg TP were contributed to the lake environment. Nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations showed greater increase in the first culture period than in the second rearing cycle. No obvious changes were found at the sampling sites 50 and 100 m east of the cages during the study periods. Main impacts were found close to the cages (beneath the cages and at the cage side); the sampling points at the cage side showed relatively high TN and TP sedimentation. After 3 months of fallowing, water TN and TP decreased significantly but the sediment TN and TP contents remained high. Therefore, recovery seems to happen during fallowing but attention should be paid to whether the culture continues to operate in the future.

Body loadings and health risk assessment of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans at an intensive electronic waste recycling site in China

This study is one of the very few investigating the dioxin body burden of a group of child-bearing-aged women at an electronic waste (e-waste) recycling site (Taizhou, Zhejiang Province) (24 +/- 2.83 years of age, 40% were primiparae) and a reference site (Lin'an city, Zhejiang Province, about 245 km away from Taizhou) (24 +/- 2.35 years of age, 100% were primiparae) in China. Five sets of samples (each set consisted of human milk, placenta, and hair) were collected from each site. Body burdens of people from the e-waste processing site (human milk, 21.02 +/- 13.81 pg WHO-TEQ(1998/g) fat (World Health Organization toxic equivalency 1998); placenta, 31.15 +/- 15.67 pg WHO-TEQ(1998/g) fat; hair, 33.82 +/- 17.74 pg WHO-TEQ(1998/g) dry wt) showed significantly higher levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurnas (PCDD/Fs) than those from the reference site (human milk, 9.35 +/- 7.39 pg WHO-TEQ(1998/g) fat, placenta, 11.91 +/- 7.05 pg WHO-TEQ(1998/g) fat; hair, 5.59 +/- 4.36 pg WHO-TEQ(1998/g) dry wt) and were comparatively higher than other studies. The difference between the two sites was due to e-waste recycling operations, for example, open burning, which led to high background levels. Moreover, mothers from the e-waste recycling site consumed more foods of animal origin. The estimated daily intake of PCDD/Fs within 6 months by breast-fed infants from the e-waste processing site was 2 times higher than that from the reference site. Both values exceeded the WHO tolerable daily intake for adults by at least 25 and 11 times, respectively. Our results implicated that e-waste recycling operations cause prominent PCDD/F levels in the environment and in humans. The elevated body burden may have health implications for the next generation.

A QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF SOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS TO INHALABLE PARTICULATE MATTER POLLUTION IN METROPOLITAN BOSTON

In this paper, source apportionment techniques are employed to identify and quantify the major particle pollution source classes affecting a monitoring site in metropolitan Boston, MA. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of paniculate elemental data allows the estimation of mass contributions for five fine mass panicle source classes (soil, motor vehicle, coal related, oil and salt aerosols), and six coarse panicle source classes (soil, motor vehicle, refuse incineration, residual oil, salt and sulfate aerosols). Also derived are the elemental characteristics of those source aerosols and their contributions to the total recorded elemental concentrations (i.e. an elemental mass balance). These are estimated by applying a new approach to apportioning mass among various PCA source components: the calculation of Absolute Principal Component Scores, and the subsequent regression of daily mass and elemental concentrations on these scores.

Assessment of coastal zone sustainable development: A case study of Yantai, China

The assessment of sustainable development is a challenging task as its measuring is rather complex without a mature framework. In this paper, as a case study, a coastal city of China-Yantai was assessed for sustainable development in the period from 1998 to 2007. We used a methodological framework based on 36 indicators and three composite indices from the dimensions of environment, economy and society subsystems. The assessment results indicated that Yantai was almost in the potentially unsustainable development or intermediate sustainable development, except in 1998 and in 2007. Accordingly, the progress of sustainable development was divided into two stages in the light of the relative changes of three subsystems. Some relevant issues, such as natural capital, GPI vs. GDP in sustainable development assessment were discussed. Finally, an uncertainty analysis was also given in the assessment. In conclusion, the sustainable development in Yantai had experienced a shift from environment-based to social-economic-based in the past 10 years. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.