Assessing factors affecting drought,earthquake, and flood risk perception: empirical evidence from Bangladesh

Natural Hazards - Understanding household disaster risk perception is crucial to formulate and apply disaster risk reduction strategies. Using survey data from 300 households from three highly...     

Geochemical assessment of groundwater contamination with special emphasis on fluoride concentration, North Jordan

The concentrations of fluorine in groundwater of North Jordan range from 0.009 to 0.055 mg/l. Other chemical parameters, e.g. pH, EC, TDS, Cl, TH, HCO₃, PO₄, SO₄, NO₃, NH₄, K, Ca, Mg, and NO₃ have been studied and showed higher concentrations in HCO₃⁻ and NO₃⁻ of 307 and 51 mg/l, respectively. Thermodynamic considerations show that almost all the analyzed samples are undersaturated with respect to calcite and fluorite. This undersaturation is probably due to their low availability in the locations. Fluoride concentration shows a positive relation to pH and HCO₃, whereas Cl, Mg, Ca, and Na initially increase and then decrease with increasing fluoride in the water. Saturation indexes of fluorite and calcite are estimated. The chemistry of the groundwater is controlled by the fluorite and calcite solubility. The topography of the area has exerted control on the aerial extent of fluoride concentration.     

TOXICITY OF TWO HERBICIDES 2,4 -D DIMETHYLAMINE AND BENSULFURON METHYL TO RICE FIELD CHIRONOMUS KIIENSIS (TOKUNAGA) ( DIPTERA: CHIRONOMIDAE)

1 INTRODUCTIONRice field is a unique man -made wetland envi-ronment where many varieties of aquatic insects oc-curred ( Ali, Ahmad, 1988; Yamazaki,et al,2001a; Che Salmah, Abu Hassan, 2002). Duringrice cultivation in Malaysia, herbicides are used in-tensi…     

Estimation of frequency dependent coda wave attenuation structure at the vicinity of Cairo Metropolitan Area

Estimation of seismic wave attenuation in the shallow crust in terms of coda wave Q structure previously investigated in the vicinity of Cairo Metropolitan Area was improved using seismograms of local earthquakes recorded by the Egyptian National Seismic Network. The seismic wave attenuation was measured from the time decay of coda wave amplitudes on narrow bandpass filtered seismograms based on the single scattering theory. The frequency bands of interest are from 1.5 to 18 Hz. In general, the values obtained for various events recorded at El-Fayoum and Wadi Hagul stations are very similar for all frequency bands. A regional attenuation law Q _c = 85.66 f ^0.79 was obtained.     

孟加拉国农业利用强度增加、土地利用/覆盖变化和土地退化

在实地采访、地块土地利用/覆盖调查和1 260个土样的收集和实验室分析等野外工作的基础上,对比分析了1984—1985年和2003—2004年265个家户的人口、农业系统、土地利用和土壤质量数据,研究了孟加拉国6个村庄农业诱导强度增强对土地和土壤质量的影响。1984—2004年家户和土质数据的百分比变化用来构建诱导强度增强模型和土地退化模型中的统计变量和土地退化指标。结果表明：研究区种植强度和土地生产力的增加主要是由于低压泵灌溉的普及,化肥和杀虫剂的使用以及水稻、蔬菜和虾生产的多元化高产。诱导强度增强模型可以解释研究区81%的种植强度增量和73%的土地生产力增量。人口压力和市场驱动也诱发了农业利用强度的增加;环境约束起到了一定制约作用;低压泵灌溉等应对干旱的技术也对农业增产有一定贡献。然而动力耕作机、低压泵灌溉和化学物质的持续利用再加上除草性水稻、蔬菜和虾的频繁耕作和养殖已经导致土壤结构、质地和化学属性的退化,生产力也有所降低。利用强度越大的土地退化现象越严重,生产力下降得也更多。土地的不断退化将有可能会引发孟加拉国的马尔萨斯危机。     

Intraspecific morphometric diversity of barramundi (Lates calcariferBloch, 1790) in the waters of southern Bangladesh

A total of 160 barramundi's(Lates calcarifer Bloch,1790)sampled from four rivers(Tentulia,Balaswar,Bakkhali,and Andarmanik)along the southern coastal region of Bangladesh were investigated in terms of morphometric characters to reveal the intraspecific variation.Twenty-five morphometric measurements were extracted using the conventional method and subjected to multivariate analyses(i.e.,principal component analysis(PCA),discriminate function analysis(DFA),cluster analysis(CA))to distinguish individuals from different rivers.The result demonstrated that twenty-two out of 2 5 measurements was statistically significant(Univariate ANOVA)among all four populations.PCA analy sis of morphometric characters resulted in two principal components,PC I and PCII which accounted for 79.25%and 4.28%of the total data variance.PC I-PC Ⅱ plot explained 83.5 3%of total variance differentiated the population of L.calcarifer into two groups.Discriminate analysis correctly classified about 88.1%of the examined fish into the four areas.The UPGMA dendrogram showed that Bakkhali populations were the most morphologically different populations in comparison to other populations,while Andarmanik and Balaswar populations were very close to each other.The strong morphometric variation between Bakkhali and Tentulia,Andarmanik and Balaswar was observed in the present study,suggested the evidence of the separate stock population of barramundi in these locations,which might require distinct stock management strategies for resource sustainability in the waters of southern Bangladesh.However,if these findings are supported by further molecular markers and geometric morphometry,this would be a strong indication of different stocks of this population in the four rivers of southern Bangladesh.     

Simulation of vortex-induced vibrations of a cylinder using ANSYS CFX

In this paper, vortex-induced vibrations of a cylinder are simulated by use of ANSYS CFX simulation code. The cylinder is treated as a rigid body and transverse displacements are obtained by use of a one degree of freedom spring damper system. 2-D as well as 3-D analysis is performed using air as the fluid. Reynolds number is varied from 40 to 16000 approx., covering the laminar and turbulent regimes of flow. The experimental results of （Khalak and Williamson, 1997） and other researchers are used for validation purposes. The results obtained are comparable.     

The geochemistry of aliphatic and polar organic tracers in sediments from Lake Bera, Malaysia

The molecular distributions of homologous aliphatic lipid compounds (n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkanols, n-alkanals and n-alkan-2-ones) were investigated in sediments of Lake Bera, Malaysia as well as in plant waxes from the vicinity using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In addition, triterpenoids of the oleanane, ursane, lupane and friedelane series, and their diagenetic products were also identified. Using the aquatic proxy P_aq, it was found that the n-alkanes present in surface sediments S1, S5 and S6 correspond to an input from emergent macrophytes, whereas in sediments collected from open water (S2, S3 and S4) they correspond to input from submerged/floating macrophytes. The presence of n-alkan-2-ols, a commonly found homologous series in the sediments as well as in the plant wax, is novel here. In addition, the presence of 24-methylcycloart-22-enol and 24-ethylcycloart-22-enol in sediments as well as the plant wax of Pandanus helicopus, a dominant reed around the lake, also supports the input of plant biomarkers to the sediments. The occurrence of 5-membered ring triterpenoid derivatives as major diagenetic products of the triterpenoids identified (e.g. friedelan-2,3-dione) shows that the degradation of the organic matter in the sediments occurs mainly under oxic conditions. Also, the presence of ring-A degraded triterpenoids (dihydroputranjivic acid, 3-nor-2,4-seco-friedelane, 4α- and 4β-3-norfriedelanes, A-norfriedel-10-one, and A-norfriedel-8-en-10-one) and the aromatized triterpenoid hydrocarbons (mono- and triaromatic derivatives) as minor diagenetic products indicates photochemical and microorganism-mediated alteration reactions of natural products in the sediments. Additional novel polyfunctional friedelane derivatives, namely friedelane-2,3-dione, friedelane-1,3-diol-2-one and friedel-1(10)-ene-1,3-diol-2-one were identified for the first time in this study. These novel polyfunctional triterpenoids were inferred to derive from the oxidation of the triterpenoids from higher plants in this oxic tropical environment. For future reference purposes, the mass spectra of the identified polar triterpenoids are also presented here. This study provides important data on the biogeochemistry of organic matter in a tropical lake of SE Asia.     

Geochemistry and fluid inclusions study of highly fractionated garnet-bearing granite of Gabal Abu Diab, central Eastern Desert of Egypt

The Neoproterozoic granite of Gabal Abu Diab, central Eastern Desert of Egypt, comprises mainly garnet-bearing granite and alkali feldspar granite intruded into calc-alkaline granodiorite–tonalite and metagabbro–diorite complexes. The garnet-bearing granite is composed mainly of plagioclase, K-feldspar, quartz, garnet and primary muscovite ± biotite. The presence of garnet and primary muscovite of Abu-Diab granite suggests its highly fractionated character. Geochemically, the garnet-bearing granite is highly fractionated as indicated from the high contents of SiO₂ (74.85–77.5%), alkalis (8.27 to 9.2%, Na₂O+K₂O) and the trace elements association: Ga, Zn, Zr, Nb and Y. This granite is depleted in CaO, MgO, P₂O₅, Sr and Ba. The alumina saturation (Shand Index, molar ratio A/CNK) of 1.0 to 1.1 indicates the weak peraluminous nature of this garnet-bearing granite. The geochemical characteristics of the Abu Diab garnet-bearing granite are consistent with either the average I-type or A-type granite and also suggest post-orogenic or anorogenic setting. A fluid inclusions study reveals the presence of three fluid generations trapped into the studied granite. The earlier is a complex CO₂–H₂O fluid trapped in primary fluid inclusions with CO₂ contents >?60 vol.%. These inclusions were probably trapped at minimum temperature >?400°C and minimum pressure >?2 kb. The second is immiscible water–CO₂ fluid trapped in secondary and/or pseudo-secondary inclusions. The trapping conditions were estimated at temperature between 400°C and 170°C and pressure between 900 and 2000 bar. The latest fluid is low-salinity aqueous fluid trapped in secondary two-phase and mono-phase inclusions. The trapping conditions were estimated at temperature between 90°C and 160°C and pressure <?900 bar. The origin of the early fluid generation is magmatic fluid while the second and third fluids are of hydrothermal and meteoric origin, respectively.     

Amelioration of calcareous sandy soil productivity via incorporation between biochar and some organic manures

Most arid and semi-arid soils, especially calcareous sandy soils, are widely distributed in the Middle East region; the deficiency in their content of many nutrients particularly phosphorus and organic matter limits crops production. This study aimed to assess the effects of adding biochar (B) with farmyard manure (FYM) and poultry manure (PM) on some soil properties, phosphorus (P) availability, and barley growth in calcareous sandy soil. The pot experiment includes the following treatments: Control, B, B?+?FYM (1:1), B?+?PM (1:1), B?+?FYM (2:1), B?+?PM (2:1), FYM?+?B (2:1), and PM?+?B (2:1). Biochar combined with FYM and PM enhanced the water holding capacity (WHC) and soil organic matter (SOM) content in calcareous sandy soil. Phosphorus availability was increased significantly by applying biochar mixed with farmyard manure and poultry manure at all treatments. Green biomass of barley improved because of adding biochar alone, poultry manure alone, and biochar co-applied with poultry manure at all mixing ratios. Biochar application caused significant increases in phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) by barley plants compared to all other treatments, except for the control. We recommend adding biochar either individually or mixed with poultry manure to improve the productivity of calcareous sandy soil.