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The repeatability of the years and the maximum values amplitudes that observed in long rows (over 100 years) of the average sea levels of the World Oceans, Black Sea, in the similar rows of rivers Danube and Dnieper flow and annual precipitation in Odessa was considered. The comparison of the years with El Niño, which was appreciated by an average sea level at equatorial stations east coast of the Pacific Ocean and years of maximums was carried out. It was found that maximum values of the studied characteristics were observed synchronously or with a shift ± 2 years and its repeatability was an average of 10-12 years. The correlation coefficients between sea level on the stations and the Earth rotation were estimated — its range was from ± 0.40 to ± 0.60-0.70., Рассмотрена повторяемость годов и амплитуд максимальных значений, наблюдающихся в длительных рядах (более 100 лет) среднегодовых высот уровня Мирового океана, Черного моря, в аналогичных рядах расходов рек Дунай и Днепр и годовых сумм осадков в Одессе. Проведено сопоставление их с годами Эль-Ниньо, оцененными по среднегодовому уровню на экваториальных станциях восточного побережья Тихого океана. Установлено, что максимальные значения в исследуемых характеристиках наблюдаются синхронно или со сдвижкой ±2 года и их повторяемость составляет в среднем 10-12 лет. Оценены коэффициенты корреляции между уровнем моря по отдельным станциям и скоростью вращения Земли — их диапазон от ± 0.40 до ±0.60-0.70., Розглянуто повторюваність років і амплітуд максимальних значень, що спостерігаються в тривалих рядах (більше 100 років) середньорічних висот рівня Світового океану, Чорного моря, в аналогічних рядах витрат річок Дунай та Дніпро і річних сум опадів в Одесі. Проведено зіставлення їх з роками Ель-Ніньо, які оцінено по середньорічному рівню на екваторіальних станціях східного узбережжя Тихого океану. Встановлено, що максимальні значення в досліджуваних характеристиках спостерігаються синхронно або зі зрушенням ± 2 роки та їх повторюваність складає в середньому 10-12 років. Оцінено коефіцієнти кореляції між рівнем моря по окремим станціям і швидкістю обертання Землі — їх діапазон від ± 0.40 до ± 0.60-0.70.

Het RIVM doet een voorstel voor nieuwe wetenschappelijk onderbouwde normen voor PCB-verontreinigingen (polychloorbifenylen) in de bodem. Dit is nodig om te beoordelen voor welke doeleinden afgegraven grond kan worden hergebruikt. De kwaliteit van de grond bepaalt óf dat kan en voor welke bestemming het mag worden hergebruikt: bij voldoende kwaliteit voor 'wonen', anders voor 'industrie'. Voor de beoordeling van hergebruik van grond wordt aan de hand van een standaardlijst gemeten welke vervuilende stoffen in de bodem zitten. In 2008 zijn PCB's aan deze stoffenlijst toegevoegd. De kwaliteit van de grond wordt beoordeeld op basis van de grenswaarden voor deze stoffen (de zogenoemde Maximale Waarden). Tot op heden bestonden er geen wetenschappelijk onderbouwde maximale waarden voor PCB's. De voorgestelde wetenschappelijk onderbouwde normen voor PCBverontreinigingen zijn gebaseerd op de blootstelling van marterachtigen aan PCB's. Het blijkt namelijk dat marterachtigen als meest gevoelige soort kunnen worden aangeduid. Tot nu toe waren de risicogrenswaarden van PCB's in de bodem alleen gebaseerd op de directe giftigheid van deze stoffen voor mens of ecosystemen. Het is echter gebleken dat ophoping van PCB's in de voedselketen een groter risico vormt dan directe giftigheid. Als ophoping in de voedselketen niet wordt meegenomen, wordt het risico onderschat.

The present experimental investigation deals with the impact responses of hybrid composites (carbon-glass fiber/epoxy) under various temperatures. A number of samples were subjected to increasing impact energy at the temperature range of -20 to 60°C until complete perforation of samples. With this use of increasing impact energies, it was possible to examine the impact response and failure mechanisms of hybrid composites until perforation of sample. An Energy Profiling Diagram (EPD) was used to obtain the penetration and perforation thresholds of hybrid composites. Besides, the temperature effects on impact characteristics such as load, contact time and permanent deflection were also presented in figures. Test results showed that temperature variations affect the impact characteristics of hybrid composites and they get their maximum values at -20°C or 60°C. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[EN] In decision-making processes, reliability and risk aversion play a decisive role. This paper presents a framework for stochastic optimization of control strategies for groundwater nitrate pollution from agriculture under hydraulic conductivity uncertainty. The main goal is to analyze the influence of uncertainty in the physical parameters of a heterogeneous groundwater diffuse pollution problem on the results of management strategies, and to introduce methods that integrate uncertainty and reliability in order to obtain strategies of spatial allocation of fertilizer use in agriculture. A hydro-economic modeling approach is used for obtaining the allocation of fertilizer reduction that complies with the maximum permissible concentration in groundwater while minimizes agricultural income losses. The model is based upon nonlinear programming and groundwater flow and mass transport numerical simulation, condensed on a pollutant concentration response matrix. The effects of the hydraulic conductivity uncertainty on the allocation of nitrogen reduction among agriculture pollution sources are analyzed using four formulations: Monte Carlo simulation with pre-assumed parameter field, Monte Carlo optimization, stacking management, and mixed-integer stochastic model with predefined reliability. The formulations were tested in an illustrative example for 100 hydraulic conductivity realizations with different variance. The results show a high probability of not meeting the groundwater quality standards when deriving a policy from just a deterministic analysis. To increase the reliability several realizations can be optimized at the same time. By using a mixed-integer stochastic formulation, the desired reliability level of the strategy can be fixed in advance. The approach allows deriving the trade-offs between the reliability of meeting the standard and the net benefits from agricultural production. In a risk-averse decision making, not only the reliability of meeting the standards counts, but also the probability distribution of the maximum pollutant concentrations. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to assess the influence of the variance of the hydraulic conductivity fields on the strategies. The results show that the larger the variance, the greater the range of maximum nitrate concentrations and the worst case (or maximum value) that could be reached for the same level of reliability. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd., The study has been partially supported by the European Community 7th Framework Project GENESIS (226536) on groundwater systems and from the Plan Nacional I+D+I 2008-2011 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (subprojects CGL2009-13238-C02-01 and CGL2009-13238-C02-02). The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their suggestions for improving the paper.

We present a systematic study of the influence of material composition and ink-jet processing conditions on the charge transport in bottom-gate field-effect transistors based on blends of 6,13-bis(triisopropyl-silylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS-PEN) and polystyrene. After careful process optimizations of blending ratio and printing temperature we routinely can make transistors with an average mobility of 1 cm2/Vs (maximum value 1.5 cm2/Vs), on/off ratio exceeding 107, and sharp turn-on in current (sub-threshold slopes approaching 60 mV/decade). These characteristics are superior to the TIPS-PEN only transistors. Using channel scaling measurements and scanning Kelvin probe microscopy, the sharp turn-on in current in the blends is attributed to a contact resistance that originates from a thin insulating layer between the injecting contacts and the semiconductor channel.

Uvod: Neka istraživanja ukazuju na mogućnost da se specifičnim treningom disanja mogu unaprijediti sposobnosti biciklista, međutim, drugi radovi nisu potvrdili vrijednost treninga disanja te o tome ne postoji jedinstveni stav. Cilj: Cilj istraživanja je ispitati utjecaj 8-tjednog specifičnog treninga dišne muskulature, provođenog istovremeno sa standardnim biciklističkim treningom, na dinamičke plućne kapacitete, ekonomičnost vožnje bicikla te parametre za procjenu aerobnog kapaciteta i natjecateljske uspješnosti. Metode: Uzorak ispitanika čini 30 biciklista nacionalnog ranga razvrstanih slučajnim odabirom u eksperimentalnu i kontrolnu grupu. Obje grupe provele su klasični biciklistički trening u trajanju od osam tjedana, a eksperimentalna grupa provodila je dodatno i specifičan trening dišne muskulature: 1) trening voljne kontrole disanja, 2) trening jačanja dišne muskulature. Prije i nakon eksperimentalnog postupka svi su ispitanici proveli mjerenje dinamičkih plućnih kapaciteta i tri testa – dva laboratorijska testa na biciklergometru: 1) test s konstantnim opterećenjem od 150 W u trajanju od 10 min za procjenu ekonomičnosti vožnje bicikla (C150); 2) progresivni test opterećenja za procjenu aerobnog kapaciteta (GXTVO2max); te jedan terenski test: 3) maksimalni test vožnje bicikla na biciklističkoj pisti dužine 4 km za procjenu natjecateljske uspješnosti (t4km). Statistička značajnost razlika između inicijalnog i finalnog mjerenja u eksperimentalne i kontrolne skupine testirana je t- testom za zavisne uzorke, a razlika između grupa ANOVA za ponovljena mjerenja (p < 0,05). Rezultati: U odnosu na inicijalno mjerenje (I), nakon provedenog trenažnog programa i treninga dišne muskulature u eksperimentalnoj skupini u finalnom mjerenju (F) ispitanika utvrđeno je: 1) značajno kraće vrijeme vožnje u terenskom testu (t4km_I = 393,4 ± 19,1 : t4km_F = 386, 1 ± 12,9 (s) p < 0,05; 2) značajno viša maksimalna voljna ventilacija (MMV_I = 184, 1 ± 31 : MMV_F = 1 99,8 ± 33,3 (l) p < 0,05); 3) bolja ekonomičnost vožnje bicikla pri opterećenju od 150 W (C150_I = 0,198 ± 0,044 : C150_F = 0,182 ± 0,038 (ml/kg/min/W) p < 0,05); 4) značajno više vrijednosti parametara za procjenu aerobnog kapaciteta pri anaerobnom pragu (ANP_I = 304,7 ± 43,1 : ANP_F= 326,0 ± 32,5 (W) p < 0,05) i pri maksimalnom intenzitetu (Wmax_I = 353,3 ± 44 : Wmax_F = 378,6 ± 31,5 (W) (p < 0,05). Kod kontrolne skupine ispitanika nisu utvrđene statistički značajne razlike za sve navedene parametre. Zaključak: Rezultati ovog istraživanja pokazuju da specifičan trening disanja usmjeren na poboljšanje tehnike disanja i jačanje dišne muskulature (kroz 8 tjedana uz klasični biciklistički trening) dovodi do poboljšanja vremena na biciklističkoj pisti na 4 km, do povećanja maksimalnog voljnog volumena, povećanja ekonomičnosti vožnje bicikla pri 150 W te povećanja vrijednosti anaerobnog praga i maksimalnog intenziteta. Introduction: Some researches point to possibility of improving a cyclist's abilities with a specific breathing training, but other works have not confirmed value of a breathing training and there is no common attitude towards that. Aim: The aim of the research is to test influence of the specific respiratory muscles training over the period of 8 weeks, conducted at the same time with standard cycling training, on dynamic lung capacities, cycling economy and parameters for evaluation of aerobic capacity and competitive success. Methods: The sample of respondents consists of 30 cyclists of the national rank sorted randomly into experimental and control group. Both groups have conducted a standard cycling training over the period of eight weeks and the experimental group has additionally conducted a specific respiratory muscles training: 1) training for voluntary control of breathing, 2) training for strengthening the respiratory muscles. Before and after the experimental procedure all respondents have conducted a measurement of dynamical lung capacity and three tests, two laboratory tests on bicycle ergometer: 1) a test with a constant burden of 150 W during the period of 10 minutes in order to estimate cycling economy (C150), 2) a progressive test of the burden in order to estimate the aerobic capacity (GXT VO2max) and one field test: 3) a maximal test of a bicycle ride on a 4 km long cycling track in order to estimate competitive success (t4km). Statistically significant difference between the initial and final measurement in the experimental and control group have been tested with the t-test for dependent samples and the difference between grups ANOVA for repeated measures (p < 0,05). Results: In comparison to the initial measurement (I), after the conducted training programme and the respiratory muscles training the following has been determined among the respondents from the experimental group in the final measurement (F): 1) significantly shorter cycling time in the field test (t4km_I = 393,4 ± 19,1 : t4km_F = 386,1 ± 12,9 (s) p < 0,05); 2 ) significantly higher willing ventilation (MMV_I = 184,1 ± 31 : MMV_F = 199,8 ± 33,3 (l) p < 0,05); 3) better cycling economy with the burden of 150 W (C150_I = 0,198 ± 0,044 : C150_F = 0,182 ± 0,038 (ml/kg/min/W) p < 0,05); 4) significantly higher values of the parameters for evaluation of aerobic capacity at the anaerobic threshold (ANP_I = 304,7 ± 43,1 : ANP_F = 326,0 ± 32,5 (W) p < 0,05) and maximum intensity (Wmax_I = 353,3 ± 44 : Wmax_F = 378,6 ± 31,5 (W) (p < 0,05). At the control group of the respondents no statistically significant differences for the mentioned parameters have been determined. Conclusion: The results of this research point to the fact that a specific breathing training directed to improvement of breathing technique and strengthening of respiratory muscles (over the period of 8 weeks together with a standard cycling training) time improvement on the 4 km long cycling track, leads to increase of maximum willing volume, increase in cycling economy at 150 W, increase in the value anaerobic threshold and and maximum intensity.

Рассмотрено нормирование волновых нагрузок, действующих на корпус судна, с учетом конечности их максимальных значений. Получен закон распределения амплитуд этих нагрузок для случая распределения ординат по закону Пирсона типа I., Розглянуто нормування хвильових навантажень, що діють на корпус судна, з урахуванням скінченності їх максимальних значень. Отримано імовірнісний закон розподілу амплітуд цих навантажень у випадку, коли для ординат є чинним закон розподілу Пірсона типу I., The determining of the wave loads standards for the ship taking into account the finitude of their maximum values is reviewed. The detection of distribution law of the wave loads amplitudes is reviewed for cases when the ordinates are distributed in accordance with the Pierson type I distribution law.

In this article, the numerical investigation of entropy generation due to heat transfer irreversibility and fluid friction irreversibility during natural convection within tilted square cavity with hot wall AB, cold side walls (DA and BC), and top insulated wall (CD) has been performed. The numerical simulation has been carried out for various fluids of industrial importance (Pr = 0.015, 0.7, and 1000), Rayleigh numbers (10 3 ? Ra ? 10 5), and different inclination angles (f = 15�, 45�, and 75�). The results are presented in terms of isotherms streamlines, entropy generation maps due to heat transfer (S?), and fluid friction (S). The total entropy generation (S total), average Bejan number (Beav), and average heat transfer rate (NuAB) are plotted for Rayleigh number 10 3 ? Ra ? 10 5. The maximum values of S? occur near the corner regions of wall AB due to a junction of hot and cold walls. On the other hand, maximum values of S? are found near the walls of the cavity due to friction between the circulation cells and walls of the cavity. It is found that minimum entropy generation occurs for f= 45� at convection dominant mode (Ra = 10 5) for lower Pr (Pr = 0.015 and 0.7). The inclined cavity with = 45� may be an alternative optimal inclination angle in optimal thermal processing of high Pr (Pr = 1000). � 2012 American Chemical Society.

Super high voltage power transmission lines can be a source of harmful electric and magnetic fields for environment. This paper discusses results of the experimental measurements of these types of fields under real world transmission lines 110, 220, and 500kV. The measurements are fulfilled by using an electric and magnetic fields meter and analyzer. The level of fields parameters at frequency fifty hertz is highest and can exceed permitted maximum for people. The most visible components in field spectra are third and fifth harmonic. The level of magnetic field components does not exceed permitted maximum values for professional and civil people. The change of the ground relief under transmission lines can significantly change level of electric field. This level can exceed the permitted level for people. © 2012 IEEE.

The amorphous alloys Gd60Co40−xMnx (x = 0, 5, 10, 15) were prepared by melt spinning. The Curie temperature, Tc, increases monotonously with Mn addition, ranging from 198 K for x = 0 to 205 K for x = 15, while the maximum values of −ΔSM under the applied field change from 0 to 5 T are 7.7, 7.1, 6.2 and 5.4 J·kg−1·K−1 for x = 0, 5, 10, and 15, respectively. All samples undergo a second order ferri-paramagnetic phase transition. The critical behavior around the transition temperature is investigated in detail, using both the standard Kouvel-Fisher procedure as well as the study of the field dependence of the magnetocaloric effect. Results indicate that the obtained critical exponents are reliable, and that the present alloys exhibit local magnetic interaction.

We have synthesized a range of transition-metal-doped BiFeO3 thin films on conducting silicon substrates using a spin-coating technique from metal-organic precursor solutions. Bismuth, iron and transition-metal-organic solutions were mixed in the appropriate ratios to produce 3% transition-metal-doped samples. X-ray diffraction studies show that the samples annealed in a nitrogen atmosphere crystallize in a rhombohedrally distorted BiFeO3 structure with no evidence for any ferromagnetic secondary phase formation. We find evidence for the disappearance of the 404cm -1 Raman mode for certain dopants indicative of structural distortions. The saturation magnetization of these BiFeO3 films has been found to increase on doping with transition metal ions, reaching a maximum value of 8.5emucm-3 for the Cr-doped samples. However, leakage current measurements find that the resistivity of the films typically decreases with transition metal doping. We find no evidence for any systematic variation of the electric or magnetic properties of BiFeO3 depending on the transition metal dopant, suggesting that these properties are determined mainly by extrinsic effects arising from defects or grainboundaries. � 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Laminar co-flow methane-oxygen flames issuing into the unconfined atmosphere have been studied. A numerical model, which employs different chemical kinetics submodels, including a skeletal mechanism with 43 reaction steps and 18 species and four global reaction mechanisms (two 2-steps and two 4-steps mechanisms), and an optically thin radiation sub-model, has been employed in the simulations. Numerical model has been validated against the experimental results available in literature. The numerical predictions from the global kinetic mechanisms have been compared with the 43-steps mechanism predictions. At all oxygen flow rates, the predictions of the distributions of temperature, mass fractions of CH4, O2 and CO2 by the 2-steps mechanisms are closer to 43-steps mechanism. The overall distribution of H2O predicted by 2-steps mechanisms is close to that of 43-steps except for the maximum value. Especially at higher oxygen flow rates, the modified 2-steps mechanism predicts these quantities much closer to those predicted by the 43-steps mechanism. Further, the 2-steps mechanisms predict location of the reaction zone accurately. However, they can just give an idea of overall CO distribution in terms of the axial and radial locations within which CO will almost be consumed, but not its maximum value in the domain. The 4-steps mechanisms predict the trend of variation of these quantities quite reasonably. However, they under-predict the location of the reaction zone. At higher oxygen flow rates, the predictions by 4-steps mechanisms becomes better, especially in the prediction of maximum CO and H2O. Over all, the modified 2-steps mechanism can be recommended for reasonable and economical predictions of oxy-rich methane flames. � 2011 Taylor & Francis.

Transient dynamic response of magnetoelectroelastic sensors bonded to a mild steel beam using 3D magnetic vector potential approach is presented in this paper. The electric field induced by time varying magnetic field is nonconservative and can be described by electric scalar potential and magnetic vector potentials. The aim of the study is to find how different volume fractions of the composite behave in sensor applications at locations on the structure where maximum strain is induced subjected to different boundary conditions. The 3D beam and the sensor is modeled using eight nodded brick elements and the beam is subjected to dynamic loading with clamped-free and clamped-clamped boundary conditions. A perfect bonding between the mild steel beam and the sensor is assumed and the present study ignores the potential noise effects which come across during experiments. The maximum value of electric potential and the dominating component of magnetic potential corresponds to vf =0.2 of the composite. The sensor is placed at the middle of a clamped-clamped beam, vf =0.4 gives noticeably higher values of magnetic potential. � 2011 IEEE.

The harmonic active power is used to determine the location of polluting loads, the direction of harmonic power flow and to estimate how consequential a certain current harmonic source is. The highest uncertainties, when measuring harmonic active power, are introduced by the current and voltage transducers. This paper presents experimental results which show the impact of current transformers (CTs) on the accuracy of the harmonic power measurements. An expression for the evaluation of the power error in distorted conditions was developed which can be easily utilized in the case of linear current transducers. It is shown how CTs cannot be considered linear transducers and how the higher the absolute value of the CT phase angle error is, the higher becomes the harmonic power error. The harmonic power error reaches maximum value when the phase shift between the voltage and current harmonic nears ± 90°. Even high accuracy class CTs may not be adequate enough to assist on harmonic power measurement, while linear current transducers will perform satisfactorily. © 2010 IEEE.

We present a systematic study of the influence of material composition and ink-jet processing conditions on the charge transport in bottom-gate field-effect transistors based on blends of 6,13-bis(triisopropyl-silylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS-PEN) and polystyrene. After careful process optimizations of blending ratio and printing temperature we routinely can make transistors with an average mobility of 1 cm2/Vs (maximum value 1.5 cm 2/Vs), on/off ratio exceeding 107, and sharp turn-on in current (sub-threshold slopes approaching 60 mV/decade). These characteristics are superior to the TIPS-PEN only transistors. Using channel scaling measurements and scanning Kelvin probe microscopy, the sharp turn-on in current in the blends is attributed to a contact resistance that originates from a thin insulating layer between the injecting contacts and the semiconductor channel. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The study on topsoil contamination due to heavy metals was carried out by using the Magnetic susceptibility (MS) measurements in Izmit industrial city, northern Turkey. We attempted to investigate correlations between the concentration of selected heavy metals and the MS from 41 sample sites around Izmit Gulf. These investigations let us quantify and standardize the MS method, which may have consequences for long term monitoring of anthropogenic pollution, especially in urban areas. The MS surfer contour map based on the topsoil measurements was compiled with a randomly ranged distance density. The soil samples collected throughout the industrial areas, the parks, road sides and residential areas were also analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. Heavy metals Cu, Ni, Cr and Pb show strong correlations with MS, while Zn and Co show a weak correlation with MS. Moreover, the Tomlinson pollution load index (PLI) shows insignificant correlation with the MS. The MS was examined vertically (0-30 cm) with respect to anthropogenic and/or lithogenic influences at the fourteen sample sites. The maximum values were mostly observed in depths of 2-5 cm and the MS values on the depth profiles vary between 10 × 10- 8 m3 kg- 1 and 203 × 10- 8 m3 kg- 1. The study revealed that MS is an inexpensive, fast and non-destructive method for the detection and mapping of contaminated soils. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the compound Ce5Ge4 have been studied. This compound has orthorhombic Sm5Ge4-type structure (space group Pnma, no. 62) and orders ferromagnetically at ~12 K (TC). The paramagnetic Curie temperature is ~-20 K suggesting the presence of competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions in this compound. The magnetization does not seem to saturate even in fields of 90 kOe at 3 K consistent with the presence of competing interactions. Saturation magnetization value (extrapolated to 1/H?0) of only 0.8?B/Ce3+ is obtained compared to the free ion value of 2.14?B/Ce3+. This moment reduction in the ordered state of Ce5Ge4 could be due to partial antiferromagnetic/paramagnetic ordering of the Ce moments and may also be due to crystalline electric field effects. Magnetic entropy change near TC, calculated from the magnetization vs. field data, is found to be moderate with a maximum value of ~9 J/kg/K at ~11 K for a field change of 90 kOe. � 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment has derived Reference Values for maximum permissible soil pollution. The Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) used these values as a basis for the maximum values for soil pollution. The ministry set these values down according to a proposal for an update of soil policy and the Soil Protection Act in 2003. Reference values refer to allowed concentrations of pollutants in soil, depending on the land use. The soil concentrations of pollutants with values below these concentrations meet all the requirements. The risks for humans, the ecosystem and agriculture were analyzed as critical factors, with risk thresholds derived for different types of land use, such as playgrounds, gardens, and agricultural and nature areas. Furthermore, an accelerated procedure was used to compile a complete list of reference values in 2006. The RIVM used state-of-the-art knowledge to complete the 'old' knowledge for information on toxicity of substances; figures were used where knowledge gaps occurred. A recommendation for the coming years is to address resulting inconsistencies in the list of reference values.

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment has derived Reference Values for maximum permissible soil pollution. The Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) used these values as a basis for the maximum values for soil pollution. The ministry set these values down according to a proposal for an update of soil policy and the Soil Protection Act in 2003. Reference values refer to allowed concentrations of pollutants in soil, depending on the land use. The soil concentrations of pollutants with values below these concentrations meet all the requirements. The risks for humans, the ecosystem and agriculture were analyzed as critical factors, with risk thresholds derived for different types of land use, such as playgrounds, gardens, and agricultural and nature areas. Furthermore, an accelerated procedure was used to compile a complete list of reference values in 2006. The RIVM used state-of-the-art knowledge to complete the 'old' knowledge for information on toxicity of substances; figures were used where knowledge gaps occurred. A recommendation for the coming years is to address resulting inconsistencies in the list of reference values.

Polyethyleneglycolmethacrylate (PEGMA) and vinylimidazole (VI) were used in order to obtain microspheres of PEGMA-VI copolymers that can be used in heavy metal removal applications. The obtained copolymers were characterized and their use as sorbents in heavy metal removal was investigated. In the first part of the study, PEGMA-VI microspheres were prepared by suspension polymerization method. The obtained swellable microspheres with 10-50 µm average diameter did not have permanent porosity according to the morphological and physicochemical determinations. The sizes of microspheres became smaller with increasing VI and cross-linker ethyleneglycoldimethacrylate (EGDMA) contents and increasing agitation rate. The VI content, EGDMA ratio, pH and ionic strength were determined as the effective parameters on the swelling behavior of PEGMA-VI microspheres. In the second part of the study, Cu(II) ions were used as a model species in order to investigate the usability of the obtained PEGMA-VI microspheres in heavy metal removal. Adsorption capacities under optimum conditions were determined. The Cu(II) ion adsorption capacity increased by increasing the initial Cu(II) ion concentration, and it reached the maximum value (i.e., 30 mg Cu(II)/g PEGMA-VI microspheres) at 400 mg Cu(II)/L initial Cu(II) ion concentration under the determined optimum conditions. Microspheres were found to be reusable after desorption for several times. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.