A Diagnostic Assessment Of Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization For Water Resources Systems

This study contributes a rigorous diagnostic assessment of state-of-the-art multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) and highlights key advances that the water resources field can exploit to better discover the critical tradeoffs constraining our systems. This study provides the most comprehensive diagnostic assessment of MOEAs for water resources to date, exploiting more than 100,000 MOEA runs and trillions of design evaluations. The diagnostic assessment measures the effectiveness, efficiency, reliability, and controllability of ten benchmark MOEAs for a representative suite of water resources applications addressing rainfall-runoff calibration, long-term groundwater monitoring (LTM), and risk-based water supply portfolio planning. The suite of problems encompasses a range of challenging problem properties including (1) many-objective formulations with 4 or more objectives, (2) multi-modality (or false optima), (3) nonlinearity, (4) discreteness, (5) severe constraints, (6) stochastic objectives, and (7) non-separability (also called epistasis). The applications are representative of the dominant problem classes that have shaped the history of MOEAs in water resources and that will be dominant foci in the future. Recommendations are provided for which modern MOEAs should serve as tools and benchmarks in the future water resources literature.

Sintered Sewage Sludge As Support Material Used In Drinking Water Filtration

The processing of industry and domestic effluents in wastewater treatment plants reduces the amount of polluted material and forms reusable water and dehydrated sludge. the generation of hazardous municipal sludge can be decreased, as well as the impact on surface and underground water and the risk to human health. The aim this study is to verify the possibility to use sintered sewage sludge as support material after thermal treatment in the production of a filtering material to water supply systems. After thermal treatment the sewage sludge ash was characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), leaching test and water solubilization. Dehydration of sludge was performed by controlled heating at temperatures of 180 degrees C, 350 degrees C, 600 degrees C, 850 degrees C and 1000 degrees C for 3 hours.

Dental caries prevalence in children up to 36 months of age attending daycare centers in municipalities with different water fluoride content

This study determined the prevalence of cavitated caries lesions (CCL) and early childhood caries (ECC), and the contribution of some variables in children up to 36 months of age attending daycare centers in municipalities with different fluoride levels in the water supply: AFC (adequate fluoride content) and LFC (low fluoride content). After approval of the Ethics Committee, the parents were interviewed. The children were clinically examined using the same codes and criteria established by the WHO (World Health Organization) and the ADA (American Dental Association). Fisher's exact test (p<0.05) was applied for statistical analysis of data. The dmft indices calculated in the LFC and AFC municipalities were 0.57 and 0.68, respectively. Considering all children examined, 17.6% presented CCL and 33.8% ECC. The economic classification, mother's education level and duration of breastfeeding were considered statistically significant with regards to CCL prevalence. The age group, duration of the habit of drinking milk before bedtime and age at which oral hygiene started were considered statistically significant with regards to ECC prevalence.

Ultraviolet-B and water stress effects on growth, gas exchange and oxidative stress in sunflower plants

The effects and interaction of drought and UV-B radiation were studied in sunflower plants (Helianthus annuus L. var. Catissol-01), growing in a greenhouse under natural photoperiod conditions. The plants received approximately 1.7 W m(-2) (controls) or 8.6 W m(-2) (+UV-B) of UV-B radiation for 7 h per day. The UV-B and water stress treatments started 18 days after sowing. After a period of 12 days of stress, half of the water-stressed plants (including both UV-B irradiated or non-irradiated) were rehydrated. Both drought and UV-B radiation treatments resulted in lower shoot dry matter per plant, but there was no significant interaction between the two treatments. Water stress and UV-B radiation reduced photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and transpiration. However, the amplitude of the effects of both stressors was dependent on the interactions. This resulted in alleviation of the negative effect of drought on photosynthesis and transpiration by UV-B radiation as the water stress intensified. Intercelluar CO(2) concentration was initially reduced in all treatments compared to control plants but it increased with time. Photosynthetic pigments were not affected by UV-B radiation. Water stress reduced photosynthetic pigments only under high UV-B radiation. The decrease was more accentuated for chlorophyll a than for chlorophyll b. As a measure for the maximum efficiency of photosystem II in darkness F (v)/F (m) was used, which was not affected by drought stress but initially reduced by UV-B radiation. Independent of water supply, UV-B radiation increased the activity of pirogalol peroxidase and did not increase the level of malondialdehyde. on the other hand, water stress did not alter the activity of pirogalol peroxidase and caused membrane damage as assessed by lipid peroxidation. The application of UV-B radiation together with drought seemed to have a protective effect by lowering the intensity of lipid peroxidation caused by water stress. The content of proline was not affected by UV-B radiation but was increased by water stress under both low and high UV-B radiation. After 24 h of rehydration, most of the parameters analyzed recovered to the same level as the unstressed plants.

Comparative gas exchange performance during the wet season of three Brazilian Styrax species under habitat conditions of cerrado vegetation types differing in soil water availability and crown density

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

CO2 assimilation, photosynthetic light response curves, and water relations of 'Pêra' sweet orange plants infected with Xylella fastidiosa

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Epidemiology of fluorosis and dental caries according to different types of water supplies

O objetivo do presente artigo é investigar a relação fluorose/cáries em escolas, de acordo com o nível de fluoreto no abastecimento público de água. A amostra consistiu em 360 alunos de doze anos de idade, de ambos os sexos, que frequentam as escolas próximas da região em que nasceram. As escolas foram classificadas em três grupos de acordo com a presença de fluoreto no abastecimento de água: 1) fluoretação na Estação de Tratamento de Água (ETA); 2) fluoretação direta em poços; e 3) áreas não fluoretadas (ANF). Os testes deχe de Goodman (significância = 5%) foram utilizados para avaliar a associação entre a origem da água e o grau de fluorose. Os resultados mais predominantes foram presença de cáries em toda a amostra (P<0,05); ausência de fluorose em ambos gêneros, para indivíduos brancos e aqueles vivendo em áreas abastecidas com água fluoretada diretamente de poços e não fluoretadas (P<0,05). Não houve diferença no grau de severidade da fluorose entre as fontes de abastecimento de água (P>0,05). As cáries ainda são uma importante questão nessa população, apesar do estabelecimento de medida preventiva. A observação da fluorose em alunos vivendo em áreas não fluoretadas confirma a presença de outras fontes de fluorose.

Distribution profile and availability of Cr, Ni, Cu, Cd and Pb in different sediments from anhumas surface water collection reservoir, Araraquara-São Paulo State, Brazil

In this work the influence of the anhtropogenic activities in the uptake of metals at a reservoir for public water supply in Araraquara City, São Paulo State, Brazil was studied. For this, the distribution of Cr, Ni, Cu, Cd and Pb in sediments collected from Anhumas reservoir, at seven sampling points and at three depths for each point was investigated. The pseudo-total and available metals contained in the different sediment samples were assessed using an ICP-AES technique. Among the five metals studied, cadmium possesses the largest relative potential availability, with percentages of 20 to 98% for the three different sediment types. In addition, the following decreasing availability order was characterized: Cd > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cr.

Water flow in high-speed handpieces

Objectives: This study measured the water flow commonly used in high-speed handpieces to evaluate the water flow's influence on temperature generation. Different flow speeds were evaluated between turbines that had different numbers of cooling apertures. Method and materials: Two water samples were collected from each high-speed handpiece at private practices and at the School of Dentistry at São José dos Campos. The first sample was collected at the customary flow and the second was collected with the terminal opened for maximum flow. The two samples were collected into weighed glass receptacles after 15 seconds of turbine operation. The glass receptacles were reweighed and the difference between weights was recorded to calculate the water flow in mL/min and for further statistical analysis. Results: The average water flow for 137 samples was 29.48 mL/min. The flow speeds obtained were 42.38 mL/min for turbines with one coolant aperture; 34.31 mL/min for turbines with two coolant apertures; and 30.44 mL/min for turbines with three coolant apertures. There were statistical differences between turbines with one and three coolant apertures (Tukey-Kramer multiple comparisons test with P < .05). Conclusion: Turbine handpieces with one cooling aperture distributed more water for the burs than high-speed handpieces with more than one aperture.

Urinary fluoride excretion in children exposed to fluoride toothpaste and to different water fluoride levels in a tropical area of Brazil

The aim of this study was to evaluate the urinary fluoride excretion of 2- to 7-year-old children exposed to different water fluoride concentrations in the city of Catolé do Rocha, PB, Brazil. Forty-two children were allocated to 3 groups according to the concentration of fluoride in the water: G1 (n=10; 0.5-1.0 ppm F), G2 (n=17; 1.1-1.5 ppm F) and G3 (n= 15; >1.51 ppm F). The study was carried out in two 1-week phases with 1-month interval between the moments of data collection: in the first phase, the children used a fluoride toothpaste (FT) (1,510 ppm F) for 1 week, whereas in the second phase a non-fluoride toothpaste (NFT) was used. The urine was collected in a 24-h period in each week-phase according to Marthaler's protocol. The urinary fluoride excretion data expressed as mean (SD) in ì g/24 h were: G1-FT= 452.9 (290.2); G1-NFT= 435.1 (187.0); G2-FT= 451.4 (224.0); G2-NFT= 430.3 (352.5); G3-FT=592.3 (390.5); and G3-NFT=623.6 (408.7). There was no statistically significant difference between the water fluoride groups, and regardless of the week phase (ANOVA, p>0.05). The use of fluoride toothpaste (1,510 ppmF) did not promote an increase in urinary fluoride excretion. There was a trend, though not significant, as to the increase of urine fluoride concentration in relation to fluoride concentrations in the water. The excretion values suggest that some children are under risk to develop dental fluorosis and information about the appropriate use of fluoride is necessary in this area.

Best practices in regulating State-owned and municipal water utilities

Includes bibliography

Mineral water: A microbiological approach

The microbiological quality of bottled mineral water of various domestic brands sold in Brazil was investigated, with particular focus on the heterotrophic plate count (HPC). Neither total coliforms nor Escherichia coli were found in any 1.5 L bottle samples. Total coliforms were found in 2.9% of the small bottles, while in 20 L bottles the presence of total coliforms and E. coli was demonstrated in 15.5 and 2.4% of samples, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was detected in 4.3, 4.5 and 9.5% of small, 1.5 and 20 L bottles, respectively. In 36.4% of the samples of 1.5 L bottles, the HPC was above 500 cfu/mL. This percentage of samples with an HPC above 500 cfu/mL increased to 52.0 and 61.9% in small and 20 L bottles, respectively. Higher contamination by total coliforms, E. coli, P. aeruginosa and HPCs occurred in 20 L bottles. In conclusion, several samples in this study were outside the international quality standard for mineral water and the large number of samples with high HPCs shows that more work must be done on the use of HPC in mineral water and the damaging effects that these microorganisms may cause to humans. The bottled mineral water was confirmed as a particularly important public health problem, due to the poor microbiological quality of the products that are marketed. © IWA Publishing 2012.

Water productivity assessment by using MODIS images and agrometeorological data in the Petrolina municipality, Brazil

The municipality of Petrolina, located in the semi-arid region of Brazil, is highlighted as an important agricultural growing region, however the irrigated areas have cleared natural vegetation inducing a loss of biodiversity. To analyze the contrast between these two ecosystems the large scale values of biomass production (BIO), evapotranspiration (ET) and water productivity (WP) were quantified. Monteithś equation was applied for estimating the absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (APAR), while the new SAFER (Simple Algorithm For Evapotranspiration Retrieving) algorithm was used to retrieve ET. The water productivity (WP) was analysed by the ratio of BIO by ET at monthly time scale with four bands of MODIS satellite images together with agrometeorological data for the year of 2011. The period with the highest water productivity values were from March to April in the rainy period for both irrigated and not irrigated conditions. However the largest ET rates were in November for irrigated crops and April for natural vegetation. More uniformity of the vegetation and water variables occurs in natural vegetation, evidenced by the lower values of standard deviation when comparing to irrigated crops, due to the different crop stages, cultural and irrigation managements. The models applied with MODIS satellite images on a large scale are considered to be suitable for water productivity assessments and for quantifying the effects of increasing irrigated areas over natural vegetation on regional water consumption in situations of quick changing land use pattern. © 2012 SPIE.

Productivity and water suppression in different beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) phenological stages

Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is widespread in the social and economic scene in Brazil, as well it is Brazilian population main dish, and it also helps small and medium farmers' income. The objective of this study was to compare the productivity performance of common bean Carioca - IAC Alvorada with irrigation suppression in each of the five phenological phases. The experiment was conducted in plots in a greenhouse at College of Agronomical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu - SP. The hypothesis is that if the water supply is suppressed in one of the five development stages of irrigated common beans, the yield reduction would be at least 20%. The treatments consisted of suppression irrigation in one of the five development stages (stage V1 to V3, stage V4 to early flowering, flowering stage, pod formation stage and pod filling stage) compared with the irrigation at all stages and suppression of irrigation at all stages, with seven treatments and four replications. The treatments most affected by water suppression were those which suffered suppression of irrigation during the vegetative phase and flowering stage. Treatments with water suppression in all stages, and suppression during the phases (stage V1 to V3, stage V4 to early flowering, flowering stage, pod formation stage and pod filling stage) showed yield reduction of approximately 95%, 55.1%, 49.5%, 63,1%, 30.2% and 35.6%, respectively, when compared to treatment with irrigation all stages. All treatments considered confirmed the hypothesis.

Water fluoridation in 40 Brazilian cities: 7 year analysis.

Fluoride levels in the public water supplies of 40 Brazilian cities were analyzed and classified on the basis of risk/benefit balance. Samples were collected monthly over a seven-year period from three sites for each water supply source. The samples were analyzed in duplicate in the laboratory of the Center for Research in Public Health - UNESP using an ion analyzer coupled to a fluoride-specific electrode. A total of 19,533 samples were analyzed, of which 18,847 were artificially fluoridated and 686 were not artificially fluoridated. In samples from cities performing water fluoridation, 51.57% (n=9,720) had fluoride levels in the range of 0.55 to 0.84 mg F/L; 30.53% (n=5,754) were below 0.55 mg F/L and 17.90% (n=3,373) were above 0.84 mg F/L (maximum concentration=6.96 mg F/L). Most of the cities performing fluoridation that had a majority of samples with fluoride levels above the recommended parameter had deep wells and more than one source of water supply. There was some variability in the fluoride levels of samples from the same site and between collection sites in the same city. The majority of samples from cities performing fluoridation had fluoride levels within the range that provides the best combination of risks and benefits, minimizing the risk of dental fluorosis while preventing dental caries. The conduction of studies about water distribution systems is suggested in cities with high natural fluoride concentrations in order to optimize the use of natural fluoride for fluoridation costs and avoid the risk of dental fluorosis.