Effects of Olestra on Organic and Solids Removal in Septic Tanks

A field study was conducted to examine the fate and potential effects of olestra, a non-caloric fat replacer, in septic tanks. The study compared the performance of parallel septic tanks, which were led domestic waste water with liquid and solid forms of olestra, against a control tank receiving waste water without olestra. Results showed that 36 g/d of olestra dosed to the tanks (a three-fold exaggeration of expected loadings) had no adverse effect on system operation (based on visual observations and sludge accumulation) or performance (based on removal of organic content and solids) over a six-month period. Removal efficiencies for total suspended solids (TSS), carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were not significantly different (p<0.05) in the olestra tanks when compared to the control tank. In addition, a relatively small amount of the total olestra added (3 to 6%) was recovered in the septic tank effluents over the course of the study. Accumulation of tank solids was not affected as measured sludge levels in the tank at the middle and end of the study showed no difference between the olestra dosed tanks and the control tank.     

Defrocking the false father of the ‘Driftless Area’, USA

The Driftless Area is a designation popular in American promotional tourist literature for an area in four contiguous American states, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois, that were not glaciated during the latest ice advance. Geographer Lawrence Martin published several articles asserting that geologist William H. Keating first discovered this area in 1823, an error that has crept into subsequent accounts. But historical evidence goes to show that three geologists, Roland D. Irving, Newton H. Winchell and Thomas C. Chamberlin, were simultaneous originators of the concept as we understand it today, about the year 1877.     

Evaluation of Summer Monsoon Clouds over the Tibetan Plateau Simulated in the ACCESS Model Using Satellite Products

Cloud distribution characteristics over the Tibetan Plateau in the summer monsoon period simulated by the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator(ACCESS) model are evaluated using COSP [the CFMIP(Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project) Observation Simulator Package]. The results show that the ACCESS model simulates less cumulus cloud at atmospheric middle levels when compared with observations from CALIPSO and CloudSat, but more ice cloud at high levels and drizzle drops at low levels. The model also has seasonal biases after the onset of the summer monsoon in May. While observations show that the prevalent high cloud at 9–10 km in spring shifts downward to 7–9 km,the modeled maximum cloud fractions move upward to 12–15 km. The reason for this model deficiency is investigated by comparing model dynamical and thermodynamical fields with those of ERA-Interim. It is found that the lifting effect of the Tibetan Plateau in the ACCESS model is stronger than in ERA-Interim, which means that the vertical velocity in the ACCESS model is stronger and more water vapor is transported to the upper levels of the atmosphere, resulting in more high-level ice clouds and less middle-level cumulus cloud over the Tibetan Plateau. The modeled radiation fields and precipitation are also evaluated against the relevant satellite observations.     

Can sand dunes be used to study historic storm events?

Knowing the long‐term frequency of high magnitude storm events that cause coastal inundation is critical for present coastal management, especially in the context of rising sea levels and potentially increasing frequency and severity of storm events. Coastal sand dunes may provide a sedimentary archive of past storm events from which long‐term frequencies of large storms can be reconstructed. This study uses novel portable optically stimulated luminescence (POSL) profiles from coastal dunes to reconstruct the sedimentary archive of storm and surge activity for Norfolk, UK. Application of POSL profiling with supporting luminescence ages and particle size analysis to coastal dunes provides not only information of dunefield evolution but also on past coastal storms. In this study, seven storm events, two major, were identified from the dune archive spanning the last 140 years. These appear to correspond to historical reports of major storm surges. Dunes appear to be only recording (at least at the sampling resolution used here) the highest storm levels that were associated with significant flooding. As such the approach seems to hold promise to obtain a better understanding of the frequency of large storms by extending the dune archive records further back to times when documentation of storm surges was sparse. © 2017 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Star formation in a multi-phase interstellar medium

This contribution reports on our first efforts to simulate a multiphase interstellar medium on a kiloparsec scale in three dimensions with the stars and gas modeled self-consistently. Starting from inhomogenous initial conditions, our closed box simulations follow the gas as it cools and collapses under its own self-gravity to form stars which eventually return material and energy back through supernovae explosions and winds. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Access,Equity, and Urban Greenways: An Exploratory Investigation

Recurring issues in the social sciences concern the distribution of public facilities such as parks and equity of access to them. Geographers have observed that access has perceptual as well as physical dimensions and that perceptions of difference can affect use of public space. This study explores the nature of greenways as public space and a set of issues related to equity of access to greenway trails in Indianapolis, Indiana. The study uses proximity as a measure of access and simple GIS analyses of census and other data to assess equality of access. Evidence is provided that suggests that minorities and the poor have disproportionate access to trails. It is also shown that populations adjacent to the trails differ and that the populations along particular trails are segregated. Spatial differences in trail populations are associated with historic land use patterns and population movements within the city. The implications of the findings of difference for use of the greenways system are explored. Implications for management of the greenways system—including achievement of the goal of linking neighborhoods—are also discussed.     

Whole-lake addition of coarse woody habitat: response of fish populations

Lakeshore residential development (LRD) reduces coarse woody habitat (CWH) in lakes resulting in negative effects on fishes. We tested whether the addition of CWH could reverse those effects. We added CWH to Camp Lake, a lake with CWH abundances similar to developed lakes, following 2 years of study of the fish populations in the reference and treatment basins. Both basins were monitored for 4 years following the manipulation. Specifically, we tested for changes in the population dynamics (densities, size-structure, growth), diet, and behavior (habitat use) of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). CWH addition had no discernible effect on fish population dynamics. Diet and behavioral responses were more pronounced in the treatment basin. Prey diversity and availability increased. Piscivory increased, with decreased reliance upon terrestrial prey, for largemouth bass. Habitat use was positively correlated with CWH branching complexity and abundance. Our study suggests that negative effects observed in fish populations through CWH reductions cannot be reversed in the short-term by adding CWH. We recommend that regulations governing the LRD process be protective of CWH.     

Shock melts in QUE 94411, Hammadah al Hamra 237, and Bencubbin: Remains of the missing matrix?

Abstract— We have studied the CB carbonaceous chondrites Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 94411, Hammadah al Hamra (HH) 237, and Bencubbin with an emphasis on the petrographical and mineralogical effects of the shock processing that these meteorite assemblages have undergone. Iron‐nickel metal and chondrule silicates are the main components in these meteorites. These high‐temperature components are held together by shock melts consisting of droplets of dendritically intergrown Fe,Ni‐metal/sulfide embedded in silicate glass, which is substantially more FeO‐rich (30–40 wt%) than the chondrule silicates (FeO <5 wt%). Fine‐grained matrix material, which is a major component in most other chondrite classes, is extremely scarce in QUE 94411 and HH 237, and has not been observed in Bencubbin. This material occurs as rare, hydrated matrix lumps with major and minor element abundances roughly similar to the ferrous silicate shock melts (and CI). We infer that hydrated, fine‐grained material, compositionally similar to these matrix lumps, was originally present between the Fe,Ni‐metal grains and chondrules, but was preferentially shock melted. Other shock‐related features in QUE 94411, HH 237, and Bencubbin include an alignment and occasionally strong plastic deformation of metal and chondrule fragments. The existence of chemically zoned and metastable Fe,Ni‐metal condensates in direct contact with shock melts indicates that the shock did not substantially increase the average temperature of the rock. Because porphyritic olivine‐pyroxene chondrules are absent in QUE 94411, HH 237, and Bencubbin, it is difficult to determine the precise shock stage of these meteorites, but the shock was probably relatively light (S2–S3), consistent with a bulk temperature increase of the assemblages of less than ?300 °C. The apparently similar shock processing of Bencubbin, Weatherford, Gujba (CB_a) and QUE 94411/HH 237 (CB_b) supports the idea of a common asteroidal parent body for these meteorites.