Large-sample hydrology: recent progress,guidelines for new datasets and grand challenges

ABSTRACT

Large-sample hydrology (LSH) relies on data from large sets (tens to thousands) of catchments to go beyond individual case studies and derive robust conclusions on hydrological processes and models. Numerous LSH datasets have recently been released, covering a wide range of regions and relying on increasingly diverse data sources to characterize catchment behaviour. These datasets offer novel opportunities, yet they are also limited by their lack of comparability, uncertainty estimates and characterization of human impacts. This article (i) underscores the key role of LSH datasets in hydrological studies, (ii) provides a review of currently available LSH datasets, (iii) highlights current limitations of LSH datasets and (iv) proposes guidelines and coordinated actions to overcome these limitations. These guidelines and actions aim to standardize and automatize the creation of LSH datasets worldwide, and to enhance the reproducibility and comparability of hydrological studies.     

Biochemical alterations in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to zinc: glutathione reductase as a target

The aim of this study was to investigate biochemical changes in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to zinc chloride (10, 30 and 100 microM) for a period of 48 h. Zinc exposure caused a concentration-dependent reduction in glutathione reductase (GR) activity in gills, liver and brain. Gill glutathione S-transferase (GST) was reduced when animals were exposed to the highest concentration of 100 microM zinc. The phosphorylation of p38(MAPK) increased in the brain of fish exposed to zinc 100 microM, while phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase 1/2 (JNK1/2) remained unchanged. Expression of proteins HSP60 and HSP70 were not affected by zinc exposure. Considering the significant concentration-dependent inhibition of GR in all tissues analyzed, this enzyme could be a potential biomarker of exposure to zinc, which has to be confirmed.     

MARC: a robust method for multiple-aspect trajectory classification via space,time, and semantic embeddings

ABSTRACT

The increasing popularity of Location-Based Social Networks (LBSNs) and the semantic enrichment of mobility data in several contexts in the last years has led to the generation of large volumes of trajectory data. In contrast to GPS-based trajectories, LBSN and context-aware trajectories are more complex data, having several semantic textual dimensions besides space and time, which may reveal interesting mobility patterns. For instance, people may visit different places or perform different activities depending on the weather conditions. These new semantically rich data, known as multiple-aspect trajectories, pose new challenges in trajectory classification, which is the problem that we address in this paper. Existing methods for trajectory classification cannot deal with the complexity of heterogeneous data dimensions or the sequential aspect that characterizes movement. In this paper we propose MARC, an approach based on attribute embedding and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) for classifying multiple-aspect trajectories, that tackles all trajectory properties: space, time, semantics, and sequence. We highlight that MARC exhibits good performance especially when trajectories are described by several textual/categorical attributes. Experiments performed over four publicly available datasets considering the Trajectory-User Linking (TUL) problem show that MARC outperformed all competitors, with respect to accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score.     

Response of hybrid isolation system during a shake table experiment of a full‐scale isolated building

A full‐scale 5‐story steel moment frame building was subjected to a series of earthquake excitations using the E‐Defense shake table in August, 2011. For one of the test configurations, the building was seismically isolated by a hybrid system of lead‐rubber bearings and low friction roller bearings known as cross‐linear bearings, and was designed for a very rare 100 000‐year return period earthquake at a Central and Eastern US soil site. The building was subject to 15 trials including sinusoidal input, recorded motions and simulated earthquakes, 2D and 3D input, and a range of intensities including some beyond the design basis level. The experimental program was one of the first system‐level full‐scale validations of seismic isolation and the first known full‐scale experiment of a hybrid isolation system incorporating lead‐rubber and low friction bearings. Stable response of the hybrid isolation system was demonstrated at displacement demands up to 550 mm and shear strain in excess of 200%. Torsional amplifications were within the new factor stipulated by the code provisions. Axial force was observed to transfer from the lead‐rubber bearings to the cross‐linear bearings at large displacements, and the force transfer at large displacements exceeded that predicted by basic calculations. The force transfer occurred primarily because of the flexural rigidity of the base diaphragm and the larger vertical stiffness of the cross‐linear bearings relative to the lead‐rubber bearings.     

Could fiscal policies induce green innovation in developing countries? The case of Brazilian manufacturing sectors

Brazil is the first major developing country to pledge for absolute reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. This article explores the extent to which fiscal policies could contribute to this reduction and to greening the Brazilian economy. It was found that the use of green fiscal policies is at an early stage in Brazil, but a growing number of measures have been adopted in recent years led by subnational-level policies. An econometric analysis of 24 Brazilian manufacturing sectors for the years 2001–2008 shows that some fiscal instruments, such as low-cost (subsidized) finance for innovation and fiscal incentives for sustainable practices, have been effective in inducing green innovation. However, less than 14% of more than 100 thousand companies included in the study have adopted greener technologies. Even though Brazilian green fiscal policies have been rather uncoordinated and ad hoc, their significant impact on the uptake of green technologies indicates these can play an important role in a transition to a green economy.

POLICY RELEVANCE

Faced with the challenge of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions in absolute terms, Brazil now needs to put in place policies to help deliver the country’s pledge. This article analyses which fiscal policies should be adopted and how these policies could form part of a low carbon policy framework in the country. Among our policy-relevant findings is that subnational green fiscal policies are relatively less complex to introduce and encourage uptake of green technologies. Thus, they could be an entry point to a wider green fiscal policy strategy. We also found that fiscal incentives for green innovation projects can present more than proportional impact on the uptake of green technologies owing to positive feedbacks, increasing returns to scale and spill-overs. These are attractive features of green innovations to developing countries in addition to environmental benefits, as they favour the accumulation of indigenous technological capabilities that are critical for long-term technological and economic development. These lessons learned from green fiscal policies in Brazil are applicable to other developing countries.     

Water determination in iron oxyhydroxides and iron ores by Karl Fischer titration

Protohematite (Fe_2?x/3(OH) _x O_3?x 1 ≤ x < 0.5) and hydrohematite (Fe_2?x/3(OH) _x O_3?x 0.5 ≤ x < 0) are iron-defective phases containing hydroxyl groups in their structures. These species were described in prior studies mainly with the aid of X-ray diffraction and Infrared spectroscopy. The existence of these phases in soils might have influence in redox processes, and they were considered as a possible water reservoir in Martian soils. In this study, we have used for the first time the Karl Fischer titration method to determine the amount of water released after heating several synthetic samples of goethite, hematite and natural iron ores at 105, 400, 600 and 900 °C. It was found that heating at 105 °C did not remove all moisture from the samples, and higher temperatures were necessary to completely remove all the absorbed water. The water contents determined at 400, 600 and 900 °C were found to be the same within the experimental errors, suggesting the inexistence of both protohematite and hydrohematite in the investigated samples. Therefore, the above-mentioned effects of these phases in soils might have to be reevaluated.     

Cytotoxic and genotoxic evaluation and chemical characterization of sewage treated using activated sludge and a floating emergent-macrophyte filter in a municipal wastewater treatment plant: a case study in Southern Brazil

This study was conducted to evaluate the chemical parameters and the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of raw domestic sewage and effluents from treatment with activated sludge and a floating emergent-macrophyte filter from a domestic wastewater treatment plant in the city of Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The physicochemical analysis revealed that both treatment systems achieved the legal emission pattern for biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and suspended solids, but ammoniacal nitrogen and E. coli values were above the limits in the macrophyte treatment effluent. Phosphorous values were above the maximum permitted for both treatments. The results obtained from the Allium cepa test and the micronuclei test in fish did not demonstrate any significant differences in both cytotoxicity (mitotic index) and genotoxicity (chromosome aberration and micronucleus) endpoints between the negative control group and the exposed groups. However, the comet assay in fish revealed a DNA damage increase in animals exposed to the 30 % concentration of the macrophyte effluent and two concentrations of the activated sludge treatment effluent (10 and 75 %), which suggests that these two treatment systems may increase wastewater genotoxicity.     

Oxidative stress in the mussel Mytella guyanensis from polluted mangroves on Santa Catarina Island,Brazil

Digestive glands of the mangrove mussel Mytella guyanensis, collected at one non-polluted site (site 1) and two polluted sites (sites 2 and 3), were analysed for different antioxidant defenses, lipid peroxidation and DNA damage. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine levels were enhanced at the polluted sites. With the exception of superoxide dismutase, the activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase were also higher at the polluted sites. Greater increases were observed in glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase and etoxyresorufine-O-deethylase activities at the polluted sites. Conversely, reduced glutathione content was higher at the control site. Trace metal contents in mussels collected at polluted sites were increased compared to the control site, and there were strong positive correlations between TBARS and Cu and Pb contents. M. guyanensis is routinely exposed to an oxidative stress condition at both polluted sites, and considering xenobiotic bioaccumulation in bivalve molluscs, the mangrove mussel represents an excellent bioindicator for environmental monitoring studies.     

Temporal Variability of Dark Carbon Fixation and Bacterial Production and Their Relation with Environmental Factors in a Tropical Estuarine System

Dark carbon fixation (DCF) is considered an important energy source in aquatic environments, although it has been neglected for a long time. DCF is known to be relevant in ecosystems associated with redoxclines, shallow-water sulfide-rich habitats, deep-sea vents, cold seeps, and even in coastal waters associated with upwelling events. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative importance of DCF in relation to heterotrophic bacterial production (BP), as well as how these rates affect each other, and how they are influenced by the environmental factors. This study was conducted monthly during 2 years in a tropical eutrophic bay (Guanabara Bay), where two stations were sampled and compared. DCF and BP were measured by ¹⁴C-bicarbonate and ³H-leucine incorporation, respectively, and incubations in the dark. Our results showed that DCF is not a quantitatively relevant process in this estuarine system, when compared to heterotrophic BP, and possibly occurred via anaplerotic reactions. Relatively higher DCF rates were associated with less oxygenated waters at the more polluted station and during the wet summer-spring, when the water column is more stratified. BP rates presented clear spatial patterns, according to pollution and depth gradients, with higher rates in more polluted areas, and also at surface waters. The hydrodynamics combined with other environmental conditions (precipitation, temperature, dissolved organic carbon, and nutrients) may control the distribution of DCF and BP over space and time. The allochthonous inputs of organic matter are more important than DCF-derived organic carbon to bacterioplankton in this polluted and eutrophic bay, where the heterotrophic metabolism prevails.