Biofiltration of fishpond effluents and accumulation of N-compounds (phycobiliproteins and mycosporine-like amino acids) versus C-compounds (polysaccharides) in Hydropuntia cornea (Rhodophyta)

The biofiltration capacity, biomass-yield and accumulation of N- and C-compounds of Hydropuntia cornea were analyzed. Algae were grown in different conditions for 28 d: outdoor and indoor, with or without fishpond effluents. N-uptake efficiency of these effluents was higher than 95% after 7 d both outdoors and indoors. N-enriched conditions reduced the extent of photoinhibition and increased the maximal quantum yield in H. cornea. The biomass-yield was higher in outdoor grown-algae after 7 d and decreased independently of the treatment after 28 d. N, acid polysaccharide (AP) and mycosporine-like amino acid (MAA)-yields decreased throughout the experiment in all conditions. The highest MAA-yield was observed in fishpond effluent outdoor-grown algae, indicating a positive effect of increased radiation on MAA accumulation. However, APs were higher under N-depleted conditions. The use of MAAs as UV-screening and antioxidants, and the use of AP as immunostimulants are discussed.     

Spatial distribution of canine faeces in Buenos Aires suburbs: implications for public health

Canine faecal contamination contributes to environmental degradation and increases the exposure of humans – mainly children – to helminth infections. We studied the magnitude and spatial distribution of faecal contamination on the pavements of two neighbourhoods representative of Buenos Aires suburbs. The pavements of a low-income neighbourhood (LIN) and a middle-income neighbourhood (MIN) were selected at random. Field maps including all substrates and objects observed on each pavement were drawn, viewed from above, on millimetre paper at 1:100 scale. Data were then loaded into a geographic information system (GIS) Arc View 3.1 with a digitiser board. The spatial distribution of faeces and its association with substrates or standing elements were analysed at three scales: substrate, pavement and neighbourhood.
Permeable substrate cover was higher in LIN (75%) than in MIN (35%). The faeces were not homogeneously distributed on the substrates. In both neighbourhoods, the substrates with >50 per cent grass cover showed a significantly higher proportion of faeces than those with <50 per cent grass cover, bare soil and tile. At pavement scale, the number of faeces on pavements was not related to either the number of trees, posts and domiciled dogs in the block, or with the number of faeces and percentage cover of each substrate. At patch scale, substrate patches with faeces were larger than those without faeces. Patches with faeces did not differ in shape between neighbourhoods and were more regularly shaped than patches without faeces.
The spatial distribution of faeces relative to each other was almost random, even when analysed in relation to trees or standing objects. Strategies for the sustainable control of this problem are suggested.     

Biological Reduction of Nitrate and Perchlorate in Soil Microcosms: An Electron Donor Comparison of Glycerol,Emulsified Oil,and Mulch Extract

Diverse technologies have been developed and tested for their efficacy in remediating perchlorate-contaminated surface water, groundwater, and soil. Biological reduction, particularly when coupled with electron donor augmentation, has been shown to be one of the most cost-effective alternatives. Numerous electron donors have been evaluated in the literature, but few studies have compared standard vs. slow-release electron donors for sequential nitrate and perchlorate reduction. This study evaluated the efficacy and kinetics of biological reduction in soil microcosms augmented with emulsified oil (EO), glycerol, and mulch extract. Results indicated that EO and glycerol spiked at approximately 100 times stoichiometric excess (i.e., 100x) achieved similar overall reductions and degradation rates for nitrate and perchlorate, although nitrate appeared to exhibit zero order kinetics while perchlorate exhibited first order kinetics. The zero order rate constants for nitrate reduction were 3.32 mg/L d and 2.57 mg/L d for EO and glycerol, respectively. The first order rate constant for perchlorate reduction was 0.36 day⁻¹ for both EO and glycerol. Stable chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations also highlighted the slow-release properties of EO, which would reduce electron donor consumption in comparison to soluble substrates in soil remediation applications. The microcosms augmented with mulch extract failed to demonstrate any nitrate or perchlorate reduction due to the extract's lower COD concentration. Augmentation with compost or additional processing (i.e., concentration) would be necessary to make the extract a viable alternative.     

Fine-Scale Detection of Estuarine Water Quality with Managed Freshwater Releases

Freshwater pulses to subtropical estuaries often occur on time scales less than 1 week. In particular, introduction of low-level pulses are potentially important during the dry season (November–April) when freshwater is scarce. Determining potential ecological benefits of pulses requires an innovative method of data acquisition at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales. The South Florida Water Management District conducted a pilot study to assess changes in water column attributes with pulse releases to the Caloosahatchee River Estuary (CRE) from January to April 2012. An average inflow of 450 cfs was targeted for a series of freshwater pulses. This study utilized an onboard, flow-through system to record surface water temperature, salinity (S), pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and in situ chlorophyll a (in situ CHL) at 5 s intervals along the 42-km length of the estuary. On each of seven research cruises, the vessel stopped at multiple stations to conduct vertical water column profiles. Salinity increased throughout the CRE as inflow decreased during the study period. Simple correlation and partial least squares regression were used to determine that the downstream locations of the S?=?10 isohaline and the maximum CHL concentration (in situ CHL_max) were positively related to inflow. While the in situ CHL_max was located 12–20 km downstream on five of the cruises, it was only a few kilometer from the estuary head on the first (1/12) and last (4/11) dates. It is possible that two circumstances related to freshwater inflow accounted for this pattern. First, water column stratification before January could have stimulated remineralization and primary production. Second, inflow ceased as water temperature increased to 26.0 °C by April to promote algal growth. Further study of the relationships among inflow, water level, flushing time, and CHL is warranted. Future efforts will examine the range of wet season discharge by incorporating a sensor for colored dissolved organic matter to fully connect inflow, salinity, submarine light, and phytoplankton attributes in the CRE.     

A Model to Test the Internal Structure of the G31.41+0.31 Hot Molecular Core

We investigate the physical conditions of the material around massive protostars by modelling the so-called hot molecular cores. We present a model for the spectral energy distribution (SED) as well as the ammonia line emission of the G31.41+0.31 hot core. We find that the best fit to the SED is achieved by assuming a density distribution corresponding to the collapse of a magnetized logatropic sphere. On the other hand, the line emission is reproduced by adopting a gas phase ammonia abundance increasing towards the center of the core, as a result of the release of the ammonia molecules trapped in ice grain mantles.     

Urban structure and dengue incidence in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Dengue is currently the most important arboviral disease globally and is usually associated with built environments in tropical areas. Remotely sensed information can facilitate the study of urban mosquito-borne diseases by providing multiple temporal and spatial resolutions appropriate to investigate urban structure and ecological characteristics associated with infectious disease. In this study, coarse, medium and fine resolution satellite imagery (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer and QuickBird respectively) and ground-based data were analyzed for the Greater Puntarenas area, Costa Rica for the years 2002–04. The results showed that the mean normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was generally higher in the localities with lower incidence of dengue fever during 2002, although the correlation was statistically significant only in the dry season (r =−0.40; p = 0.03). Dengue incidence was inversely correlated to built area and directly correlated with tree cover (r = 0.75, p = 0.01). Overall, the significant correlations between dengue incidence and urban structural variables (tree cover and building density) suggest that properties of urban structure may be associated with dengue incidence in tropical urban settings.     

塔里木盆地西缘两次致灾冰雹环境场和雷达特征对比分析

利用常规气象观测资料、雷达资料、探空资料、NCEP再分析资料,对2018年5月19日和7月29日喀什地区北部2次致灾冰雹天气的环境场及雷达特征进行对比分析。结果表明: (1)两次冰雹都是在中亚低涡的有利的环流背景下产生,午后垂直温度递减率增大,中高层干冷空气与低层暖湿空气交汇增强了大气不稳定性、冰雹发生前强对流指数明显增强、深层风切变加强、0℃～-20℃层高度适宜,为冰雹产生提供了有利的环境场条件。不同之处在于,两次过程中亚低涡中心强度和南伸的位置不同,“5.19”过程低涡位置偏南; 低层触发系统不同,“5.19”为地面中尺度辐合线触发对流,“7.29”为700 hPa切变线附近触发；θse能量锋区、比湿、中高层干冷空气入侵势力、深层风切变等变化上“7.29”冰雹比“5.19”冰雹偏强；(2)雷达回波形态和风暴类型上,前者为多单体线性风暴,后者为超级单体风暴,反射率因子剖面均出现弱回波区和悬垂回波等特征结构,≥50 dBZ 的回波伸展到-20 ℃层高度以上；径向速度图上均出现中小尺度辐合辐散特征；冰雹发生前VIL值出现跃增,冰雹结束后迅速下降,可以作为监测冰雹特征之一。上述特征结构在“7.29”过程表现的更明显。     

ECMWF细网格2 m温度预报产品在南疆西部温度预报中的释用

利用2016年1月1日—2018年12月31日ECMWF细网格模式2 m温度预报产品，使用三次多项式差值方法内插到站点，并用中短期天气预报检验方法，对南疆西部12个国家站与15个区域自动站共27个站的最高、最低气温未来24 h预报效果进行检验分析。结果表明：ECMWF细网格模式2 m温度预报产品对南疆西部非山区站未来24 h最高、最低气温的预报能力较好，对山区站未来24 h预报效果差；对南疆西部最高、最低气温的预报效果随季节变化，夏季预报准确率高于冬季，秋季预报准确率最低；模式最高气温预报准确率在降雪、高温天气时较高，最低气温预报准确率在降雨时较高，在高温过程中较低；模式对于降雨、降雪、大风/沙尘等天气最高气温预报偏低，高温事件中最高气温预报偏高。最低气温预报在降雨、高温天气中偏高，降雪时偏低，大风/沙尘天气最低气温预报偏东地区偏高、偏北地区偏低。降雪、高温天气预报相对降雨、大风/沙尘天气预报效果更稳定。     

Paleoshoreline reconstruction: A proposed method to approach submerged prehistoric landscapes of Espiritu Santo Island,Baja California Sur,Mexico

When the first Americans inhabited the area now known as Isla Espiritu Santo, around 12.5 and 6 ka, the sea level continuously rose. This resulted in the loss of the coastal territory and the retreat of the human population further inland. Part of the archaeological evidence of this period currently lies over the seafloor and under the seabed. Therefore, reconstructing paleoshorelines is a necessary first step toward submerged precontact archaeology and a broad understanding of the spatial context in which those human populations interacted and how the landscapes changed. Isla Espiritu Santo is of prehistoric importance as it contains numerous Paleocoastal tradition sites as early as ~12,400 Cal B.P. This research aims to reconstruct the changing shoreline positions as sea levels rose around Isla Espiritu Santo between 12.5 and 6.5 ka. We apply numerical modeling to map digital elevation models at 1 ka intervals by estimating the changes in the morphology of the seafloor according to the deposition rates and global sea-level curve. The results show the evolution of coastal morphology and paleoshoreline's position. Three primary geoforms are proposed: (1) coastal plains, (2) tombolo, and (3) a coastal lagoon–island barrier system. This also offers insights into the physical aspect of submerged prehistoric landscapes and the possible resource exploitation options of early societies. In this research, the reconstruction of submerged landscapes seeks to contribute to the long-term goal of locating submerged precontact sites.