A proposal for an approach to mapping susceptibility to landslides using natural language processing and machine learning

Landslides - Compiling an inventory is a fundamental step for carrying out assessments of landslide hazards. However, data in sufficient quantity and quality are not always available. Thus, this...     

Effect of exposure time on the bioaccumulation of Cd, Mg, Mn and Zn in Cystoseira abies-marina samples subject to shallow water hydrothermal activity in São Miguel (Azores)

Shallow water hydrothermal vents can be compared to polluted places due to high concentrations of heavy metals, and are thus good models for bioaccumulation studies. The present study intended to estimate the time of exposure required for the accumulation of certain elements to stabilize in specimens of Cystoseira abies-marina , to be used as a reference in future work. Cystoseira abies-marina intertidal specimens were transplanted from Mosteiros (a non-hydrothermal and pristine site) to Ferraria (with hydrothermal activity) and left there. Transplanted samples were collected after 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks and the concentrations of Cd, Mg, Mn and Zn were measured through flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Although further studies with increased periods of exposure are needed because the concentration of these elements never stabilized in the collected samples, there is strong evidence that increased time of exposure led to increased concentrations of Cd, Mg, Mn, but not Zn. These results are consistent with the assumption that C. abies-marina is bioaccumulating some of the heavy metals and can thus be a good indicator for polluted waters.     

Single-beam acoustic ground discrimination of shallow water habitats: 50 kHz or 200 kHz frequency survey?

The single-beam acoustic ground discrimination system QTC View, Series V, was used in the Bay of Cadiz, Southwest Spain, for the identification and mapping of the bottom acoustic diversity. The acoustic data were obtained through two successive surveys, each conducted with one of the following echo sounder frequencies: 50 kHz and 200 kHz. The performance of each survey frequency for the identification of the sedimentary gradients was analyzed. The surveys were conducted during high tide given that the majority of the surveyed area is shallower than 5 m, although depth may occasionally reach 20 m in specific areas located in a navigation channel. The acoustic data obtained at the two different frequencies were, individually, submitted to manual clustering and a final solution consisting of three acoustic classes was reached for both datasets. However, only the geographical distribution of the acoustic classes obtained with 50 kHz echo sounder frequency was coincident with the spatial distribution of the superficial sediment groups (silty medium sand, very silty fine sand and mud), identified through multivariate analysis of the grain-size data of ground-truth sediment samples. The results obtained with the 200 kHz echo sounder frequency did not match the sedimentary gradients obtained for the area surveyed, not even the separation of muddy and sandy areas.     

Comparison of the antioxidant defense system in Crassostrea rhizophorae and Crassostrea gigas exposed to domestic sewage discharges

Oysters Crassostrea rhizophorae and Crassostrea gigas were kept for fourteen days at four sites in S?o José, SC, Brazil, chosen according to a sewage discharge contamination gradient. Enzymatic activities of CAT, GST, G6PDH and GR were evaluated in gills and digestive glands. Higher CAT activity was observed in tissues of C. rhizophorae in response to sewage contamination possibly indicating peroxisome proliferation induction. C. gigas showed elevated G6PDH activity in digestive gland, and GR in gills, after domestic sewage exposure. In conclusion, C. rhizophorae and C. gigas showed different biochemical responses after in situ exposure to domestic sewage. However, C. rhizophorae showed more significant changes in CAT suggesting that this organism could be a better monitor to this kind of effluent.     

Potential responses of oligochaetes (Annelida, Clitellata) to global changes: Experimental fertilization in a lowland stream of Argentina (South America)

One of the possible consequences of climatic change for streams and rivers in the pampean region of South America is an increment in nutrient loads. To analyze this possible perturbation on a biological scale, the response of oligochaetes to an experimental eutrophication of the La Choza Stream, Argentina was studied. We proposed that the addition of nutrients could increase the abundance, biomass, and species composition of the stream. Two stretches (Control and Treatment sites) were selected, with bimonthly samples being taken (March 2007 through February 2009) in two habitat types: the sediments and the aquatic vegetation. On each sampling occasion the environmental variables were measured. The nutrient addition consisted in the continuous dissolution of a commercial fertilizer. The oligochaete mean density and total biomass, the taxonomic richness, the Shannon diversity (H′), and the evenness (E) were calculated and the BACI ANOVA design used to compare the differences between the sites. Thirty-three species of the families Naididae (Naidinae, Pristininae, Tubificinae, and Rhyacodrilinae), Opistocystidae, Enchytraeidae plus Aphanoneura Aeolosomatidae were collected. The oligochaete abundance and biomass increased significantly in the sediments and on the aquatic vegetation, especially among the Naidinae and Pristininae during their asexual reproductive phase. The diversity and evenness varied significantly in the sediments with the nutrient addition. Significant differences in the species richness and diversity were found on the aquatic vegetation, with both increasing at the treatment site after the fertilization. A significant correlation (Spearman) was observed between the oligochaete density in the sediments and the NO₃-N and NH₄-N concentration in the water. The increment in the naidines resistant to the fertilizer throughout the experiment could be explained by the greater nutrient availability, their mode of reproduction, and their short life cycles. The results of our study suggested that the incorporation of nutrients modified the composition of the oligochaete assemblage in favor of herbivores and detrivores. The usefulness of these indicator organisms in monitoring freshwater systems is subsequently discussed.     

Long-Term Power Transmission Failures in Southeastern Brazil and the Geophysical Environment

High-voltage transmission networks represent a large electrical circuit just above the ground subjected to a number of transient overcharges of various kinds, some of which may lead to failures. Some failures might be related to anomalies of the geophysical environment. We have analyzed one unprecedented long series of transmission grid failures (9?years) on high-voltage networks located in S?o Paulo state, southeastern Brazil, from 1998 to 2006, which includes an important fraction of the past solar activity cycle 23. Ninety-five distinct failure causes were given by the power line operator to explain the transmission grid shut downs. Most failures were attributed to atmospheric discharges, corresponding to 1,957 failures out of a total of 4,572 for the whole period at 138?kV, and 170 out of 763 at 440?kV, respectively. They correspond to less than one ten thousandth of the actual number of atmospheric discharges recorded in the same area, demonstrating the grid’s high resilience to breakdowns due to lightning. A clear concentration of failures in the region’s thunderstorm season has been found. A significant 67 and 77?% reduction in the number of failure rates per year has been found for the 138 and 440?kV grids, respectively, for the period studied, in good correspondence with the decay in the sunspot numbers. No obvious correlation was found between power failures and the planetary index of geomagnetic activity or major geomagnetic storms in the period, either on short or on long time scales. Assuming that the dependence of the electrosphere/ionosphere-ground coupling on the external geophysical environment plays a major role in explaining the reduction in power failures as the solar cycle wanes, it is suggested that the increase in atmosphere conductivity caused by the larger cosmic ray flux then reduces the threshold voltage required to produce lightning strokes, so reducing their effectiveness in disrupting high-voltage power lines.     

Earthquake loss assessment of precast RC industrial structures in Tuscany (Italy)

A seismic loss assessment for structural, non-structural, contents and business interruption is presented for precast reinforced concrete industrial buildings located in Italy. The correlation that exists between the performances of such spatially distributed buildings (i.e. spatial correlation) given a seismic event should be considered when estimating losses at a local or regional level. Loss assessment is thus performed herein using the OpenQuake-engine, an open-source tool capable of including the spatial correlation of ground-motion residuals and uncertainty in building vulnerability. The annual probability of structural collapse is employed as an initial risk measure, in which each industrial facility is considered as an individual asset. Then the economic loss for 300 buildings in the province of Arezzo is computed using a probabilistic event-based risk approach and presented in terms of annual average losses and losses at given annual rates of exceedance. The impact of the losses due to business interruption is also explored, and the extent of customer base is used as a prioritization metric for risk mitigation. It is observed that risk reduction should be applied as a priority in the facilities that are compromising the current level of acceptable risk, and the results show that business interruption has a significant contribution for economic losses, whose repercussions go beyond the regional level. Although this application is confined to the province of Arezzo, the same methodology can be used in other regions in Italy with similar building stock.     

High efficacy on diclofenac removal by activated carbon produced from potato peel waste

In the present study, a novel porous carbon obtained by K₂CO₃ activation of potato peel waste under optimized conditions was applied for the first time as liquid-phase adsorbent of sodium diclofenac in parallel with a commercial activated carbon. The biomass-activated carbon presented an apparent surface area of 866 m² g^?1 and well-developed microporous structure with a large amount of ultramicropores. The obtained carbon presented leaching and ecotoxicological properties compatible with its safe application to aqueous medium. Kinetic data of laboratory-made and commercial sample were best fitted by the pseudo-second-order model. The commercial carbon presented higher uptake of diclofenac, but the biomass carbon presented the higher adsorption rate which was associated with its higher hydrophilic nature which favoured external mass transfer. Both adsorbents presented adsorption isotherms that were best fitted by Langmuir model. The biomass carbon and the commercial carbon presented adsorption monolayer capacities of 69 and 146 mg g^?1, and Langmuir constants of 0.38 and 1.02 L mg^?1, respectively. The better performance of the commercial sample was related to its slightly higher micropore volume, but the most remarkable effect was the competition of water molecules in the biomass carbon.     

Sea-bottom classification across a shallow-water bar channel and near-shore shelf, using single-beam acoustics

An acoustic ground discrimination system (QTC VIEW, Series IV) was used to identify and map the bottom acoustic diversity in the bar channel of Ria de Aveiro, Western Portugal. The majority of the survey area presented shallow depth for this type of equipment, ranging mainly from 5 to 15 m. Depth occasionally reached 25 m in specific areas located across the entrance channel, dug by the strong tidal currents, reaching 3 m/s. The acoustic data were submitted to manual and auto-cluster and the results obtained from both procedures were coherent. Using aids to the acoustic classification and ground-truth sediment data, a final solution consisting of four acoustic classes was reached. Their geographical distribution was coincident with the spatial distribution of the major bottom types and sediment groups (hard bottom, coarse sand, medium sand and fine sand), identified through multivariate analysis of the grain-size data, and reflected the complex hydrodynamics of the entrance channel. The acoustic pattern was coincident at the intersections of the acoustic survey lines, assuring the repeatability of the acoustic procedure. Overall, the acoustic approach showed consistent results for the assessment and mapping of the benthic habitats in this shallow-water coastal area, providing a very valuable tool in an area where conventional sediment sampling is less favourable, namely due to strong tidal currents and frequent ship traffic, such as the entrance channel of Ria de Aveiro and the near-shore adjacent shelf.