Deposition of nanoparticles on school eyeglasses in urban and rural areas:A methodology for a more real assessment of the possible impacts

Because incomplete confirmation is available concerning the influential role of atmosphere contamination on conjunctivitis,myopia,asthma,and allergic rhinitis in Brazil,the focus of the present work is to explore the possible relations among atmosphere contamination and eye problems.Rather that a case study on eye diseases,by way of questionnaires supplemented by the investigation of nanoparticles(NPs)on eyeglasses,the study examines the mechanisms in which NPs and ultra-fine particles are deposited on the glasses of children up to 10 years of age in urban and rural area.The important connection between atmosphere contaminants and individual protection equipment justifies improving indoor school properties in order could protect children’s eyes,particularly in high-pollution/high-particulate areas.     

Mental preparation for climate adaptation: The role of cognition and culture in enhancing adaptive capacity of water management in Kiribati

In many Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), such as in Kiribati, formal national adaptation programmes are currently being operationalised or are in the pipeline. A key focus is on motivating householders to adapt in anticipation of climate change through pilot community projects. In this paper, we argue that the water sector must pay equal attention to how communities cognitively perceive the process of adaptation if interventions are to be effective. Adopting a cognitive model to gain such insights we conclude that individual's belief in their own abilities to manage water stress play a crucial role in driving intentions to adapt and therefore greater attention needs to be placed on understanding the underling drivers shaping such beliefs.     

Impact of mining activities on sediments in a semi-arid environment: San Pedro River, Sonora, Mexico

A study of the San Pedro River (SPR), which is located in a semi-arid region in Sonora, Mexico, was conducted to evaluate the chemical, spatial and temporal (mobilization) trends of potentially harmful metals in its sediment in the rainy and dry seasons. High total concentrations of metals were detected in the following order: Fe > Cu > Mn > Zn > Pb > Cd. All studied metals except for Pb were increased during the dry season showing the effect of climate on the metal distribution in sediments. The results of sequential extraction indicated that the residual and Fe/Mn oxide fractions were the most important with regard to retaining potentially harmful metals in the sediments. In the exchangeable carbonate and Fe oxide fractions, high concentrations of metals were detected, representing high environmental risk. The geoaccumulation index shows slight to moderate contamination in most samples, and sampling point E4 (related to cattle activity) shows strong contamination for Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn. Enrichment factors (EFs) demonstrate anthropogenic origins for Pb (EF: 3–57), Cd (EF: 6–73) and Cu (EF: 1.5–224). This study shows that sediments are impacted by anthropogenic activities related to the mining industry, untreated wastewater discharges from the city of Cananea and cattle activities. Metal mobility in the SPR can disrupt the development of aquatic species in the river.     

Ascomycete fungi on dimension stone of the “Burg Gleichen”, Thuringia

In the present study, the diversity of ascomycete fungi was investigated on two wall areas of the “Burg Gleichen”, Thuringia (Germany), made of various types of sandstones, travertine and Grenzdolomit. From a W-exposed, shaded wall area, free-living ascomycetes (mainly “black fungi”) and green algae could be retrieved from sandstone lithologies. Sandstone from an ESE-exposed area was mainly colonized by lichen ascomycetes and the lichen alga Trebouxia. Both areas share a small number of generalist species, related to the ascomycete black fungi Sarcinomyces petricola, Phaeococcomyces chersonesos and Stichococcus mirabilis. Free-living black fungi were isolated and characterized with respect to cell wall morphology and melanin content. A remarkably rigid melanin layer, incorporated in the cell wall of a Cladosporium isolate is presented in detail.     

Multicolour Photometry of RX and During 1994/95

The cataclysmic star RX And was observed in the states standstill and quiescence. They differed not only in the light level but in the type of variations around this level. The standstill observed by us turned out quite near to the maximum light and its duration was unusually long. The energy distribution of RX And at the standstill seemed similar to the spectrum of an accretion disk. Two variabilities with periods 3 h 43 min and 1 h 26 min were found at the standstill but only the second of them was present at quiescence too. The star did not show light variability with the spectroscopic period. We tried to interpret some of the results by the supposition that the Z Cam-stars are an intermediate subtype of the cataclysmic stars evolving from UX UMa-subtype to U Gem-subtype and that probably RX And presents a pattern of Z Cam-star that is very near to the U Gem-subtype.     

Internal structure of massive terrestrial planets

Planetary formation models predict the existence of massive terrestrial planets and experiments are now being designed that should succeed in discovering them and measuring their masses and radii. We calculate internal structures of planets with one to ten times the mass of the Earth (Super-Earths) to obtain scaling laws for total radius, mantle thickness, core size and average density as a function of mass. We explore different compositions and obtain a scaling law of R∝M0.267-0.272 for Super-Earths. We also study a second family of planets, Super-Mercuries with masses ranging from one mercury-mass to ten mercury-masses with similar composition to the Earth's but with a larger core mass fraction. We explore the effect of surface temperature and core mass fraction on the scaling laws for these planets. The scaling law obtained for the Super-Mercuries is R∝M∼0.3.     

Modeling and Mapping High Water Table for a Coastal Region in Florida using Lidar DEM Data

Predicting and mapping high water table elevation in coastal landscapes is critical for both science application projects like inundation risk analysis and engineering projects like pond design and maintenance. Previous studies of water table mapping focused on the application of geostatistical methods, which cannot predict values beyond an observation spatial domain or generate an ideal pattern for regions with sparse measurements. In this study, we evaluated the multiple linear regression (MLR) and support vector machine (SVM) techniques for high water table prediction and mapping using fine spatial resolution lidar-derived Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data, and designed an application protocol of these two techniques for high water table mapping in a coastal landscape where groundwater, tide, and surface water are related. Testing results showed that SVM largely improved the high water table prediction with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.22 feet and root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.22 feet compared to the application of the ordinary Kriging method which could not generate a reasonable water table. MLR was also promising with a MAE of around 2 feet and RMSE of around 3 feet. The study suggests that both MLR and SVM are valuable alternatives to estimate high water table elevation in Florida. Fine resolution lidar DEMs are beneficial for high water table prediction and mapping.     

Aboveground Biomass Patterns of Dominant Spartina Species and Their Relationship with Selected Abiotic Variables in Argentinean SW Atlantic Marshes

Salt marsh zonation patterns generate different abiotic and biotic conditions that can accentuate species inherent differences in primary production and biomass. In South West Atlantic marshes, there are two Spartina species: Spartina alterniflora in the low intertidal and Spartina densiflora in the high intertidal. These two species are generally found in all marshes but with different dominance: In some marshes, the S. densiflora zone occupies higher extents, and in others, the S. alterniflora zone is the one that prevails. We found through field sampling that, in six studied marshes, there is greater S. densiflora live and total (i.e., dead+live) aboveground biomass (g m^?2) in the marshes dominated by S. densiflora than in the ones dominated by S. alterniflora. Spartina alterniflora had similar aboveground biomass in the six marshes, regardless of the dominance of each species. When comparing the two Spartina species within each marsh, S. densiflora had greater live and total biomass in the marshes it dominates. In the marshes dominated by S. alterniflora, both species had similar live and total biomass. In all marshes, there was greater dead S. densiflora biomass. A multivariate analysis using selected abiotic factors (i.e., salinity, latitude, and tidal amplitude) showed that S. alterniflora aboveground biomass patterns are mainly correlated with salinity, while S. densiflora live biomass is mainly correlated with salinity and latitude, dead biomass with salinity and tidal amplitude, and total biomass with salinity alone. We conclude that in S. densiflora dominated marshes, the main processes of that species zone (i.e., nutrient accumulation) will be accentuated because of its higher biomass. We also conclude that climatic conditions, in combination with specific Spartina biotic and ambient abiotic parameters, can affect marsh ecological functions.     

Assessing risk to groundwater quality using an integrated risk framework

Source-water protection strategies are ideally focused where the greatest amount of harm reduction can occur. This process of risk management requires an assessment of the spatial variability of risk to water. The assessment methodology presented herein combines aquifer susceptibility with a hazard threat inventory and an analysis of the consequence of contamination to assess the risk to water quality. Aquifer susceptibility combines the intrinsic susceptibility of the physical system with anthropogenic features that locally increase susceptibility. Hazard threats are assessed based on the properties of the chemicals (toxicity and environmental fate), the potential magnitude (extent and quantity of release) and the likelihood of release. The consequence is herein considered as the financial costs of the loss of the resource, including the replacement of a water source and the economic loss where water intensive businesses are lost. A second scenario is included that analyses health issues related to pathogen sources as well as the financial impact to the community where people fall ill and present a financial burden to the public health care system. The risk assessment methodology is applied to the Township of Langley, in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The results outline the most vulnerable areas as those where susceptible aquifers coexist with potential chemical and biological threats. The risk is greatest where these vulnerable areas coincide with those with the greatest potential for financial loss: within the capture zones of major municipal production wells and where private wells serve agricultural operations with high annual farm sales.