Intentional contamination of water distribution networks: developing indicators for sensitivity and vulnerability assessments

Performing a comprehensive risk analysis is primordial to ensure a reliable and sustainable water supply. Though the general framework of risk analysis is well established, specific adaptation seems needed for systems such as water distribution networks (WDN). Understanding of vulnerabilities of WDN against deliberate contamination and consumers’ sensitivity against contaminated water use is very vital to inform decision-maker. This paper presents an innovative step-by-step methodology for developing comprehensive indicators to perform sensitivity, vulnerability and criticality analyses in case of absence of early warning system (EWS). The assessment and the aggregation of these indicators with specific fuzzy operators allow identifying the most critical points in a WDN. Intentional intrusion of contaminants at these points can potentially harm both the consumers as well as water infrastructure. The implementation of the developed methodology has been demonstrated through a case study of a French WDN unequipped with sensors.     

Estimating masses of selected stars in the Pulkovo program by means of astrometry methods

Stars in the Pulkovo Observatory program are observed with a 65-cm refractor during many years to study their positions and movements. We present examples of two visual binary stars, for which orbits and masses of components were determined, and two astrometric stars, for which masses of their unseen companions were estimated. The first two stars are ADS 14636(61 Cygni) and ADS 7251,and the others are Gliese 623 and ADS 8035(Alpha UMa). Direct astrometric methods are used for estimation of mass-ratio and masses.     

Chemical mass transfer in the Rio Tanama system,west-central Puerto Rico

Equilibrium relationships are defined between stream waters and weathering products, kaolinite and calcium montmorillonite, for the Rio Tanama system, west-central Puerto Rico. The major element composition of 46 water samples of springs and streams define a reaction path in the system CaO-Na₂O-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O between acid waters containing low concentrations of alkali cations and detrital reactant minerals. The principal reactant phases appear to be chlorite, plagioclase and orthoclase and occasionally anhydrite or calcite. Headward erosion by the Rio Tanama supplies the reactant phases to the stream silt load.The chemical denudation rate calculated for the Rio Tanama system is about 30 m/million yr. The chemical stream load appears to be buffered by the product phases in the main river over the 15–20 km river length sampled in this study.The silt and soil mineralogy and water compositions are used to define a log K for the hydrolysis of Ca-montmorillonite at 25°C of 35.0 ± 0.8. This value is in reasonable agreement with the value of 37.1 ± 1.0 defined by Garrels and Mackenzie (1967) in a similar manner for spring waters in the Sierra Nevada.     

CHILDREN'S PERCEPTION OF A DOWNTOWN SHOPPING CENTER

This paper offers an exploratory investigation of the effects of a child's age on three behavioral constructs (awareness space, activity space, and attitude) concerning a downtown shopping center in Bristol, England. The data are elicited from three samples of Bristol school children defined according to age and are analyzed using statistical inferential procedures. The results disclose that awareness space and activity space consistently increase with age. In addition, attitudinal responses to specific features of the shopping center exhibit a gradual change over a long-term period.     

R-mode factor analysis on enstatite chondrite analyses

R-mode factor analysis on 11 specimens of 9 enstatite chondrites, analysed for Ga, Se, Te, Zn, Cd, Bi, Tl, In, Sb, As, Co, showed three factors (rotated) to account for 92 per cent of the elemental variations (variance).Factor 1 dominates the first 8 elements listed, all volatile and mostly chalcophile: factors 2 and 3 express Sb and As variations, respectively, probably dependent on siderophile and less volatile behaviour; factors 1 and 2 contribute to Co.Factor-scores for individual meteorites indicate compositional differences (for these elements) between the E4 as against E5 and E6 stones (which are indistinguishable).Factor analysis of a second suite of 10 specimens analysed for Zn, Cd, Bi, Tl, In, Ag, Rb, Cs showed one factor to account for 93 per cent of the elemental variance. This expresses the association of Ag, Rb, Cs with the volatile-chalcophile factor.     

Steady- and transient-state inversion in hydrogeology by successive flux estimation

A calibration method to solve the groundwater inverse problem under steady- and transient-state conditions is presented. The method compares kriged and numerical head field gradients to modify hydraulic conductivity without the use of non-linear optimization techniques. The process is repeated iteratively until a close match with piezometric data is reached. The approach includes a damping factor to avoid divergence and oscillation of the solution in areas of low hydraulic gradient and a weighting factor to account for temporal head variation in transient simulations. The efficiency of the method in terms of computing time and calibration results is demonstrated with a synthetic field. It is shown that the proposed method provides parameter fields that reproduce both hydraulic conductivity and piezometric data in few forward model solutions. Stochastic numerical experiments are conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of the method to the damping function and to the head field estimation errors.