Binghamton wastewater management study : report of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on plans developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for short- and long-range wastewater management to insure high quality water for future generations in Broome and Tioga Counties.

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Ecological studies on:(a) the use of colonisation samplers in relation to biological surveillance of river water quality (b) the requirements of freshwater gastropoda

Some of the factors affecting colonisation of a colonisation sampler, the Standard Aufwuchs Unit (S. Auf. U.) were investigated, namely immersion period, whether anchored on the bottom or suspended, and the influence of riffles. It was concluded that a four-week immersion period was best. S. Auf. U. anchored on the bottom collected both more taxa and individuals than suspended ones. Fewer taxa but more individuals colonised S. Auf. U. in the potamon zone compared to the rhithron zone with a consequent reduction in the values of pollution indexes and diversity. It was concluded that a completely different scoring system was necessary for lowland rivers. Macroinvertebrates colonising S. Auf. U. in simulated streams, lowland rivers and the R. Churnet reflected water quality. A variety of pollution and diversity indexes were applied to results from lowland river sites. Instead of these, it was recommended that an abbreviated species - relative abundance list be used to summarise biological data for use in lowland river surveillance. An intensive study of gastropod populations was made in simulated streams. Lynnaea peregra increased in abundance whereas Potamopyrgas jenkinsi decreased with increasing sewage effluent concentration. No clear-cut differences in reproduction were observed. The presence/absence of eight gastropod taxa was compared with concentrations of various pollutants in lowland rivers. On the basis of all field work it appeared that ammonia, nitrite, copper and zinc were the toxicants most likely to be detrimental to gastropods and that P. jenkinsi and Theodoxus fluviatilis were the least tolerant taxa. 96h acute toxicity tests of P. jenkinsi using ammonia and copper were carried out in a flow-through system after a variety of static range finding tests. P. jenkinsi was intolerant to both toxicants compared to reports on other taxa and the results suggested that these toxicants would affect distribution of this species in the field.

The Pico de Navas slump (Burgos, Spain): a large rocky landslide caused by underlying clayey sand fluidification

The Pico de Navas landslide was a large-magnitude rotational movement, affecting 50x106m3 of hard to soft rocks. The objectives of this study were: (1) to characterize the landslide in terms of geology, geomorphological features and geotechnical parameters; and (2) to obtain an adequate geomechanical model to comprehensively explain its rupture, considering topographic, hydro-geological and geomechanical conditions. The rupture surface crossed, from top to bottom: (a) more than 200 m of limestone and clay units of the Upper Cretaceous, affected by faults; and (b) the Albian unit of Utrillas facies composed of silty sand with clay (Kaolinite) of the Lower Cretaceous. This sand played an important role in the basal failure of the slide due to the influence of fine particles (silt and clay), which comprised on average more than 70% of the sand, and the high content presence of kaolinite (>40%) in some beds. Its geotechnical parameters are: unit weight (δ) = 19-23 KN/m3; friction angle (φ) = 13º-38º and cohesion (c) = 10-48 KN/m2. Its microstructure consists of accumulations of kaolinite crystals stuck to terrigenous grains, making clayey peds. We hypothesize that the presence of these aggregates was the internal cause of fluidification of this layer once wet. Besides the faulted structure of the massif, other conditioning factors of the movement were: the large load of the upper limestone layers; high water table levels; high water pore pressure; and the loss of strength due to wet conditions. The 3D simulation of the stability conditions concurs with our hypothesis. The landslide occurred in the Recent or Middle Holocene, certainly before at least 500 BC and possibly during a wet climate period. Today, it appears to be inactive. This study helps to understand the frequent slope instabilities all along the Iberian Range when facies Utrillas is present.

The development of a photoacoustic Instrument for the monitoring of oil and other hydrocarbons in water.

The present methods for the detection of oil in discharge water are based either on chemical analysis of intermittent samples or bypass pipelines with instrumentation to detect either dissolved or dispersed hydrocarbons by a variety of optical techniques including absorption, scattering and fluorescence. However, test have shown that no single instruments entirely meets either present needs or satisfies the requirements of the future more stringent legislation which may limit total hydrocarbon content to 30 ppm or even less. Hence, in this paper, a detector is devised which can detect both dissolved and dispersed oil products, has a high immunity to scattering and can operate in-line and harsh environments with a detection sensitivity of a few ppm throughout a wide range of operations.

Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile in its westernmost biogeographical limit (northwestern Alboran Sea): Meadows characterisation, phenology and flowering events

Posidonia oceanica is a Mediterranean endemic seagrass species that forms meadows covering ca. 2.5–4.5 millions of hectares, representing ca.25 % of the infralittoral and shallow circalittoral (down to 50m) bottoms of the Mediterranean. This seagrass is considered a habitat-engineer species and provides an elevated number of ecosystem services. In addition the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC) includes seagrass like elements to evaluate the “Good Environmental Status” of the European coasts. Information about their phenological characteristic and structure of the meadows is needed for indicator estimations in order to establish their conservation status. The studied meadows are located in the westernmost limit of the P. oceanica distribution (North-western Alboran Sea) in the vecinity of the Strait of Gibraltar, an Atlantic-Mediterranean water transition area. Four sites were selected from East to West: Paraje Natural de Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo (hereafter Maro), Special Area of Conservation “Calahonda” (hereafter Calahonda), Site of Community Importance Estepona (hereafter Estepona) and Punta Chullera (hereafter Chullera) where P. oceanica present their westernmost meadows. Phenological data were recorded from mid November to mid December in P. oceanica patches located at 2 – 3 m depth. At each site three types of patches (patch area <1m2, small patches; 1-2 m2, medium patches and >2 m2, large patches) were sampled. At each patch and site, 3 quadrants of 45 x 45 cm were sampled for shoot and inflorescences density measurements. In each quadrant, 10 random shoots were sampled for shoot morphology (shoot height and number of leaves). Shoot and inflorescences densities were standardized to squared meters. All the studied P. oceanica meadows develop on rocks and they present a fragmented structure with a coverage ranging between ca. 45% in Calahonda and Estepona and ca. 31% in Maro. The meadows of Chullera are reduced to a few small - medium patches with areas ranging between 0.5-1.5 m2 (Fig. 1). The meadows of Chullera and Estepona presented similar values of shoot density (ca. 752 – 662 shoots m-2, respectively) and leaf height (ca. 25 cm). Similarly, the Calahonda and Maro meadows also showed similar values of shoot density (ca. 510 – 550 shoots m-2, respectively) but displaying lower values than those of sites located closer to the Strait of Gibraltar. Regarding patch sizes and leaf height, the longest leaves (ca. 25 cm) were found in medium and large patches, but the number of leaves per shoot were higher in the small and the medium size patches (ca. 6.3 leaves per shoot). Flowering was only detected at the Calahonda meadows with maximum values of ca. 330 inflorescences m-2 (115.2 ± 98.2 inflorescences m-2, n= 9; mean ± SD) (Fig.1). Inflorescence density was not significant different among patches of different sizes. In the Alboran Sea and unlike the studied meadows, extensive beds of P. oceanica occur at the National Park of Cabo de Gata (northeastern Alboran Sea), but from east to west (Strait of Gibraltar), meadows are gradually fragmenting and their depth range decrease from 30m to 2m depth between Cabo de Gata and Chullera, respectively. Probably, the Atlantic influence and the characteristic oceanographic conditions of the Alboran Sea (i.e., higher turbidity, higher water turbulence) represent a developmental limiting factor for P. oceanica at higher depths. Similarities between the meadows located closer to Strait of Gibraltar (Chullera and Estepona) were detected as well as between those more distant (Calahonda and Maro). The first ones showed higher values of shoot densities and leaf heights than the formers, which could be relating to the higher hydrodynamic exposure found at Chullera and Estepona meadows. Regarding flowering events, sexual reproduction in P. oceanica is not common in different locations of the Mediterranean Sea. The available information seems to indicate that flowering represent an irregular event and it is related to high seawater temperature. In fact, the flowering episodes that occurred in Calahonda in November 2015, match with the warmest year ever recorded. This is the third flowering event registered in these meadows located close to the westernmost distributional limit of P. oceanica (Málaga, Alboran Sea), which could indicates that these meadows presents a healthy status. Furthermore, the absence of significant differences in relation to inflorescence density between patches of different sizes may be indicating that the fragmentation does not necessarily influence on the flowering of this seagrass species.

Numerical assessment of the water injection application to GDI engines

A possible future scenario for the water injection (WI) application has been explored as an advanced strategy for modern GDI engines. The aim is to verify whether the PWI (Port Water Injection) and DWI (Direct Water Injection) architectures can replace current fuel enrichment strategies to limit turbine inlet temperatures (TiT) and knock engine attitude. In this way, it might be possible to extend the stoichiometric mixture condition over the entire engine map, meeting possible future restrictions in the use of AES (Auxiliary Emission Strategies) and future emission limitations. The research was first addressed through a comprehensive assessment of the state-of-the-art of the technology and the main effects of the chemical-physical water properties. Then, detailed chemical kinetics simulations were performed in order to compute the effects of WI on combustion development and auto-ignition. The latter represents an important methodology step for accurate numerical combustion simulations. The water injection was then analysed in detail for a PWI system, through an experimental campaign for macroscopic and microscopic injector characterization inside a test chamber. The collected data were used to perform a numerical validation of the spray models, obtaining an excellent matching in terms of particle size and droplet velocity distributions. Finally, a wide range of three-dimensional CFD simulations of a virtual high-bmep engine were realized and compared, exploring also different engine designs and water/fuel injection strategies under non-reacting and reacting flow conditions. According to the latter, it was found that thanks to the introduction of water, for both PWI and DWI systems, it could be possible to obtain an increase of the target performance and an optimization of the bsfc (Break Specific Fuel Consumption), lowering the engine knock risk at the same time, while the TiT target has been achieved hardly only for one DWI configuration.

Thermodynamic Study Of The Micellization Of Zwitterionic Surfactants And Their Interaction With Polymers In Water By Isothermal Titration Calorimetry.

The micellization of a homologous series of zwitterionic surfactants, a group of sulfobetaines, was studied using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) in the temperature range from 15 to 65 °C. The increase in both temperature and the alkyl chain length leads to more negative values of ΔGmic(0) , favoring the micellization. The entropic term (ΔSmic(0)) is predominant at lower temperatures, and above ca. 55-65 °C, the enthalpic term (ΔHmic(0)) becomes prevalent, figuring a jointly driven process as the temperature increases. The interaction of these sulfobetaines with different polymers was also studied by ITC. Among the polymers studied, only two induced the formation of micellar aggregates at lower surfactant concentration: poly(acrylic acid), PAA, probably due to the formation of hydrogen bonds between the carboxylic group of the polymer and the sulfonate group of the surfactant, and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate), PSS, probably due to the incorporation of the hydrophobic styrene group into the micelles. The prevalence of the hydrophobic and not the electrostatic contributions to the interaction between sulfobetaine and PSS was confirmed by an increased interaction enthalpy in the presence of electrolytes (NaCl) and by the observation of a significant temperature dependence, the latter consistent with the proposed removal of hydrophobic groups from water.

Geochemistry Of Acid Mine Drainage From A Coal Mining Area And Processes Controlling Metal Attenuation In Stream Waters, Southern Brazil.

Acid drainage influence on the water and sediment quality was investigated in a coal mining area (southern Brazil). Mine drainage showed pH between 3.2 and 4.6 and elevated concentrations of sulfate, As and metals, of which, Fe, Mn and Zn exceeded the limits for the emission of effluents stated in the Brazilian legislation. Arsenic also exceeded the limit, but only slightly. Groundwater monitoring wells from active mines and tailings piles showed pH interval and chemical concentrations similar to those of mine drainage. However, the river and ground water samples of municipal public water supplies revealed a pH range from 7.2 to 7.5 and low chemical concentrations, although Cd concentration slightly exceeded the limit adopted by Brazilian legislation for groundwater. In general, surface waters showed large pH range (6 to 10.8), and changes caused by acid drainage in the chemical composition of these waters were not very significant. Locally, acid drainage seemed to have dissolved carbonate rocks present in the local stratigraphic sequence, attenuating the dispersion of metals and As. Stream sediments presented anomalies of these elements, which were strongly dependent on the proximity of tailings piles and abandoned mines. We found that precipitation processes in sediments and the dilution of dissolved phases were responsible for the attenuation of the concentrations of the metals and As in the acid drainage and river water mixing zone. In general, a larger influence of mining activities on the chemical composition of the surface waters and sediments was observed when enrichment factors in relation to regional background levels were used.

Culturable Bacterial Diversity From A Feed Water Of A Reverse Osmosis System, Evaluation Of Biofilm Formation And Biocontrol Using Phages.

Biofilm formation on reverse osmosis (RO) systems represents a drawback in the application of this technology by different industries, including oil refineries. In RO systems the feed water maybe a source of microbial contamination and thus contributes for the formation of biofilm and consequent biofouling. In this study the planktonic culturable bacterial community was characterized from a feed water of a RO system and their capacities were evaluated to form biofilm in vitro. Bacterial motility and biofilm control were also analysed using phages. As results, diverse Protobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were identified. Alphaproteobacteria was the predominant group and Brevundimonas, Pseudomonas and Mycobacterium the most abundant genera. Among the 30 isolates, 11 showed at least one type of motility and 11 were classified as good biofilm formers. Additionally, the influence of non-specific bacteriophage in the bacterial biofilms formed in vitro was investigated by action of phages enzymes or phage infection. The vB_AspP-UFV1 (Podoviridae) interfered in biofilm formation of most tested bacteria and may represent a good alternative in biofilm control. These findings provide important information about the bacterial community from the feed water of a RO system that may be used for the development of strategies for biofilm prevention and control in such systems.

Propylthiouracil Quantification In Human Plasma By High-performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled With Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Application In A Bioequivalence Study.

A rapid, sensitive and specific method for quantifying propylthiouracil in human plasma using methylthiouracil as the internal standard (IS) is described. The analyte and the IS were extracted from plasma by liquid-liquid extraction using an organic solvent (ethyl acetate). The extracts were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) in negative mode (ES-). Chromatography was performed using a Phenomenex Gemini C18 5μm analytical column (4.6mm×150mm i.d.) and a mobile phase consisting of methanol/water/acetonitrile (40/40/20, v/v/v)+0.1% of formic acid. For propylthiouracil and I.S., the optimized parameters of the declustering potential, collision energy and collision exit potential were -60 (V), -26 (eV) and -5 (V), respectively. The method had a chromatographic run time of 2.5min and a linear calibration curve over the range 20-5000ng/mL. The limit of quantification was 20ng/mL. The stability tests indicated no significant degradation. This HPLC-MS/MS procedure was used to assess the bioequivalence of two propylthiouracil 100mg tablet formulations in healthy volunteers of both sexes in fasted and fed state. The geometric mean and 90% confidence interval CI of Test/Reference percent ratios were, without and with food, respectively: 109.28% (103.63-115.25%) and 115.60% (109.03-122.58%) for Cmax, 103.31% (100.74-105.96%) and 103.40% (101.03-105.84) for AUClast. This method offers advantages over those previously reported, in terms of both a simple liquid-liquid extraction without clean-up procedures, as well as a faster run time (2.5min). The LOQ of 20ng/mL is well suited for pharmacokinetic studies. The assay performance results indicate that the method is precise and accurate enough for the routine determination of the propylthiouracil in human plasma. The test formulation with and without food was bioequivalent to reference formulation. Food administration increased the Tmax and decreased the bioavailability (Cmax and AUC).

Clustering Of Water Bodies In Unpolluted And Polluted Environments Based On Escherichia Coli Phylogroup Abundance Using A Simple Interaction Database.

Different types of water bodies, including lakes, streams, and coastal marine waters, are often susceptible to fecal contamination from a range of point and nonpoint sources, and have been evaluated using fecal indicator microorganisms. The most commonly used fecal indicator is Escherichia coli, but traditional cultivation methods do not allow discrimination of the source of pollution. The use of triplex PCR offers an approach that is fast and inexpensive, and here enabled the identification of phylogroups. The phylogenetic distribution of E. coli subgroups isolated from water samples revealed higher frequencies of subgroups A1 and B23 in rivers impacted by human pollution sources, while subgroups D1 and D2 were associated with pristine sites, and subgroup B1 with domesticated animal sources, suggesting their use as a first screening for pollution source identification. A simple classification is also proposed based on phylogenetic subgroup distribution using the w-clique metric, enabling differentiation of polluted and unpolluted sites.

Determination Of Tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium Sulfate In Commercial Formulations And Cooling Water By Capillary Electrophoresis With Contactless Conductivity Detection.

A novel capillary electrophoresis method using capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection is proposed for the determination of the biocide tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium sulfate. The feasibility of the electrophoretic separation of this biocide was attributed to the formation of an anionic complex between the biocide and borate ions in the background electrolyte. Evidence of this complex formation was provided by (11) B NMR spectroscopy. A linear relationship (R(2) = 0.9990) between the peak area of the complex and the biocide concentration (50-900 μmol/L) was found. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 15.0 and 50.1 μmol/L, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the determination of tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium sulfate in commercial formulations, and the results were in good agreement with those obtained by the standard iodometric titration method. The method was also evaluated for the analysis of tap water and cooling water samples treated with the biocide. The results of the recovery tests at three concentration levels (300, 400, and 600 μmol/L) varied from 75 to 99%, with a relative standard deviation no higher than 9%.

Pain Intensity And Cervical Range Of Motion In Women With Myofascial Pain Treated With Acupuncture And Electroacupuncture: A Double-blinded, Randomized Clinical Trial.

Acupuncture stimulates points on the body, influencing the perception of myofascial pain or altering physiologic functions. The aim was to evaluate the effect of electroacupuncture (EAC) and acupuncture (AC) for myofascial pain of the upper trapezius and cervical range of motion, using SHAM acupuncture as control. Sixty women presenting at least one trigger point at the upper trapezius and local or referred pain for more than six months were randomized into EAC, AC, and SHAM groups. Eight sessions were scheduled and a follow-up was conducted after 28 days. The Visual Analog Scale assessed the intensity of local and general pain. A fleximeter assessed cervical movements. Data were analyzed using paired t or Wilcoxon's tests, ANOVA or Friedman or Kruskal-Wallis tests and Pearson's correlation (α=0.05). There was reduction in general pain in the EAC and AC groups after eight sessions (P<0.001). A significant decrease in pain intensity occurred for the right trapezius in all groups and for the left trapezius in the EAC and AC groups. Intergroup comparisons showed improvement in general pain in the EAC and AC groups and in local pain intensity in the EAC group (P<0.05), which showed an increase in left rotation (P=0.049). The AC group showed increases in inclination (P=0.005) sustained until follow-up and rotation to the right (P=0.032). EAC and AC were effective in reducing the pain intensity compared with SHAM. EAC was better than AC for local pain relief. These treatments can assist in increasing cervical range of motion, albeit subtly.

Fluoride Concentrations In The Water Of Maringá, Brazil, Considering The Benefit/risk Balance Of Caries And Fluorosis.

Current Brazilian law regarding water fluoridation classification is dichotomous with respect to the risks of and benefits for oral diseases, and fluoride (F) concentrations less than 0.6 or above 0.8 mg F/L are considered outside the normal limits. Thus, the law does not consider that both caries and fluorosis are dependent on the dosage and duration of fluoride exposure because they are both chronic diseases. Therefore, this study evaluated the quality of water fluoridation in Maringá, PR, Brazil, considering a new classification for the concentration of F in water the supply, based on the anticaries benefit and risk of fluorosis (CECOL/USP, 2011). Water samples (n = 325) were collected monthly over one year from 28 distribution water networks: 20 from treatment plants and 8 from artesian wells. F concentrations were determined using a specific ion electrode. The average F concentration was 0.77 mg F/L (ppm F), ranging from 0.44 to 1.22 mg F/L. Considering all of the water samples analyzed, 83.7% of them presented from 0.55 to 0.84 mg F/L, and according to the new classification used, they would provide maximum anticaries benefit with a low risk of fluorosis. This percentage was lower (75.4%) in the water samples supplied from artesian wells than from those distributed by the treatment plant (86%). In conclusion, based on the new classification of water F concentrations, the quality of water fluoridation in Maringá is adequate and is within the range of the best balance between risk and benefit.