Spatial, temporal, and human dimensions of air pollution in Brisbane

Arriving in Brisbane some six years ago, I could not help being impressed by what may be prosaically described as its atmospheric amenity resources. Perhaps this in part was due to my recent experiences in major urban centres in North America, but since that time, that sparkling quality and the blue skies seem to have progressively diminished. Unfortunately, there is also objective evidence available to suggest that this apparent deterioration is not merely the result of habituation of the senses. Air pollution data for the city show trends of increasing concentrations of those very substances that have destroyed the attractiveness of major population centres elsewhere, with climates initially as salubrious. Indeed, present figures indicate that photochemical smog in unacceptably high concentrations is rapidly becoming endemic also over Brisbane. These regrettable developments should come as no surprise. The society at large has not been inclined to respond purposefully to warnings of impending environmental problems, despite the experiences and publicity from overseas and even from other cities within Australia. Nor, up to the present, have certain politicians and government officials displayed stances beyond those necessary for the maintenance of a decorum of concern. At this stage, there still exists the possibility for meaningful government action without the embarrassment of losing political favour with the electorate. To the contrary, there is every chance that such action may be turned to advantage with increased public enlightenment. It would be more than a pity to miss perhaps the final remaining opportunity: Queensland is one of the few remaining places in the world with sufficient resources to permit both rational development and high environmental quality. The choice appears to be one of making a relatively minor investment now for a large financial and social gain the near future, or, permitting Brisbane to degenerate gradually into just another stagnated Los Angeles or Sydney. The present monograph attempts to introduce the problem by reviewing the available research on air quality in the Brisbane area. It also tries to elucidate some seemingly obvious, but so far unapplied management approaches. By necessity, such a broad treatment needs to make inroads into extensive ranges of subject areas, including political and legal practices to public perceptions, scientific measurement and statistical analysis to dynamics of air flow. Clearly, it does not pretend to be definitive in any of these fields, but it does try to emphasize those adjustable facets of the human use system of natural resources, too often neglected in favour of air pollution control technology. The crossing of disciplinary boundaries, however, needs no apology: air quality problems are ubiquitous, touching upon space, time and human interaction.

Diseño hidráulico de vertedores escalonados con pendientes moderadas: Metodología basada en un estudio experimental

Durante las últimas tres décadas el interés y diversidad en el uso de canales escalonados han aumentado debido al desarrollo de nuevas técnicas y materiales que permiten su construcción de manera rápida y económica (Concreto compactado con rodillo CCR, Gaviones, etc.). Actualmente, los canales escalonados se usan como vertedores y/o canales para peces en presas y diques, como disipadores de energía en canales y ríos, o como aireadores en plantas de tratamiento y torrentes contaminados. Diversos investigadores han estudiado el flujo en vertedores escalonados, enfocándose en estructuras de gran pendiente (  45o) por lo que a la fecha, el comportamiento del flujo sobre vertedores con pendientes moderadas (  15 a 30o) no ha sido totalmente comprendido. El presente artículo comprende un estudio experimental de las propiedades físicas del flujo aire-agua sobre canales escalonados con pendientes moderadas, típicas en presas de materiales sueltos. Un extenso rango de gastos en condiciones de flujo rasante se investigó en dos modelos experimentales a gran escala (Le = 3 a 6): Un canal con pendiente 3.5H:1V (  16o) y dos alturas de escalón distintas (h = 0.1 y 0.05 m) y un canal con pendiente 2.5H:1V (  22o) y una altura de escalón de h = 0.1 m. Los resultados incluyen un análisis detallado de las propiedades del flujo en vertedores escalonados con pendientes moderadas y un nuevo criterio de diseño hidráulico, el cual está basado en los resultados experimentales obtenidos. English abstract: Stepped chutes have been used as hydraulic structures since antiquity, they can be found acting as spillways and fish ladders in dams and weirs, as energy dissipators in artificial channels, gutters and rivers, and as aeration enhancers in water treatment plants and polluted streams. In recent years, new construction techniques and materials (Roller Compacted Concrete RCC, rip-rap gabions, etc.) together with the development of the abovementioned new applications have allowed cheaper construction methods, increasing the interest in stepped chute design. During the last three decades, research in stepped spillways has been very active. However, studies prior to 1993 neglected the effect of free-surface aeration. A number of studies have focused since on steep stepped chutes (  45o) but the hydraulic performance of moderate-slope stepped channels is not yet totally understood. This study details an experimental investigation of physical air-water flow properties down moderate slope stepped spillways conducted in two laboratory models: the first model was a 3.15 m long stepped chute with a 15.9o slope comprising two interchangeable step heights (h = 0.1 m and h = 0.05 m); the second model was a 3.3 m long, stepped channel with a 21.8o slope (h = 0.1 m). A broad range of discharges within transition and skimming flow regimes was investigated. Measurements were conducted using a double tip conductivity probe. The study provides new, original insights into air-water stepped chute flows not foreseen in prior studies and presents a new design criterion for chutes with moderate slopes based on the experimental results.

Druckfehler, Ergänzungen und Verbesserungen im Kommentar zu den Oden Salomos

There are quite a few typographical errors and omissions in Michael Lattke's ARC-funded German commentary on the Odes of Solomon. Most of them were discovered by Marianne Ehrhardt while she translated the manuscript into English for the Hermeneia commentary series: Lattke, Michael (2009). Odes of Solomon : a commentary. Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN.

Impact of Commercial Search Engines and International Databases on Engineering Teaching and Research

For the last three decades, the engineering higher education and professional environments have been completely transformed by the "electronic/digital information revolution" that has included the introduction of personal computer, the development of email and world wide web, and broadband Internet connections at home. Herein the writer compares the performances of several digital tools with traditional library resources. While new specialised search engines and open access digital repositories may fill a gap between conventional search engines and traditional references, these should be not be confused with real libraries and international scientific databases that encompass textbooks and peer-reviewed scholarly works. An absence of listing in some Internet search listings, databases and repositories is not an indication of standing. Researchers, engineers and academics should remember these key differences in assessing the quality of bibliographic "research" based solely upon Internet searches.

Bellerophon: a program to detect chimeric sequences in multiple sequence alignments

Bellerophon is a program for detecting chimeric sequences in multiple sequence datasets by an adaption of partial treeing analysis. Bellerophon was specifically developed to detect 16S rRNA gene chimeras in PCR-clone libraries of environmental samples but can be applied to other nucleotide sequence alignments.

Religious Information Poverty in Australian State Schools

This paper introduces the concept of religious information poverty in Australian state schools from an information science perspective. Information scientists have been theorising about the global information society for some time, along with its increased provision of vital information for the good of the world. Australian state schools see themselves as preparing children for effective participation in the information society, yet Australian children are currently suffering a religious illiteracy that undermines this goal. Some reasons and theories are offered to explain the existence of religious information poverty in state schools, and suggestions for professional stakeholders are offered for its alleviation.

Fast Structure-Based Assignment of 15N HSQC Spectra of Selectively 15N-Labeled Paramagnetic Proteins

A novel strategy for fast NMR resonance assignment of N-15 HSQC spectra of proteins is presented. It requires the structure coordinates of the protein, a paramagnetic center, and one or more residue-selectively N-15-labeled samples. Comparison of sensitive undecoupled N-15 HSQC spectra recorded of paramagnetic and diamagnetic samples yields data for every cross-peak on pseudocontact shift, paramagnetic relaxation enhancement, cross-correlation between Curie-spin and dipole-dipole relaxation, and residual dipolar coupling. Comparison of these four different paramagnetic quantities with predictions from the three-dimensional structure simultaneously yields the resonance assignment and the anisotropy of the susceptibility tensor of the paramagnetic center. The method is demonstrated with the 30 kDa complex between the N-terminal domain of the epsilon subunit and the theta subunit of Escherichia Coll DNA polymerase III. The program PLATYPUS was developed to perform the assignment, provide a measure of reliability of the assignment, and determine the susceptibility tensor anisotropy.

A unified and complete construction of all finite dimensional irreducible representations of gl(2|2)

Representations of the non-semisimple superalgebra gl(2/2) in the standard basis are investigated by means of the vector coherent state method and boson-fermion realization. All finite-dimensional irreducible typical and atypical representations and lowest weight (indecomposable) Kac modules of gl(2/2) are constructed explicity through the explicit construction of all gl(2) circle plus gl(2) particle states (multiplets) in terms of boson and fermion creation operators in the super-Fock space. This gives a unified and complete treatment of finite-dimensional representations of gl(2/2) in explicit form, essential for the construction of primary fields of the corresponding current superalgebra at arbitrary level.

Exact solution of the A(n-1)((1)) trigonometric vertex model with non-diagonal open boundaries

The A(n-1)((1)) trigonometric vertex model with generic non-diagonal boundaries is studied. The double-row transfer matrix of the model is diagonalized by algebraic Bethe ansatz method in terms of the intertwiner and the corresponding face-vertex relation. The eigenvalues and the corresponding Bethe ansatz equations are obtained.

Hydraulic engineering in the 21st century: Where to?

For centuries, hydraulic engineers were at the forefront of science. The last forty years marked a change of perception in our society with a focus on environmental sustainability and management, particularly in developed countries. Herein, the writer illustrates his strong belief that the future of hydraulic engineering lies upon a combination of innovative engineering, research excellence and higher education of quality. This drive continues a long tradition established by eminent scholars like Arthur Thomas IPPEN, John Fisher KENNEDY and Hunter ROUSE.