Designing, Developing, and Implementing Diversity Training: Guidelines for Practitioners.

Science.gov (United States)

Kincaid, Tanna M.; Horner, Erin R.

1997-01-01

Discusses diversity in the workplace and offers guidelines for practitioners in designing, developing, and implementing diversity training. Highlights include linking the diversity initiative to the organization's mission, cultural climate assessments, reviewing policies and procedures, needs assessment, learner analysis, establishing objectives,…

Design principles of water sensitive in settlement area on the river banks

Science.gov (United States)

Ryanti, E.; Hasriyanti, N.; Utami, W. D.

2018-03-01

This research will formulate the principle of designing settlement area of Kapuas River Pontianak with the approach of water sensitive concept of urban design (WSUD) the densely populated settlement area. By using a case study the approach that is a dense settlement area located on the banks of the river with literature study techniques to formulate the aspects considered and components that are set in the design, descriptive analysis with the rationalistic paradigm for identification characteristics of the settlement in the river banks areas with consideration of WSUD elements and formulate the principles of designing water-sensitive settlement areas. This research is important to do because the problems related to the water management system in the existing riverside settlement in Pontianak has not been maximal to do. So the primary of this research contains several objectives that will be achieved that is identifying the characteristics of riverside settlement area based on consideration of design aspects of the area that are sensitive to water and the principle of designing the area so that the existing problem structure will be formulated in relation to the community’s need for infrastructure in settlement environment and formulate and develop appropriate technology guidelines for integrated water management systems in riverside settlement areas and design techniques for water-sensitive settlements (WSUD).

Diversity Techniques for Single-Carrier Packet Retransmissions over Frequency-Selective Channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Assimi Abdel-Nasser

2009-01-01

Full Text Available In data packet communication systems over multipath frequency-selective channels, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ protocols are usually used in order to ensure data reliability. For single-carrier packet transmission in slow fading environment, an identical retransmission of the same packet, due to a decoding failure, does not fully exploit the available time diversity in retransmission-based HARQ protocols. In this paper, we compare two transmit diversity techniques, namely, cyclic frequency-shift diversity and bit-interleaving diversity. Both techniques can be integrated in the HARQ scheme in order to improve the performance of the joint detector. Their performance in terms of pairwise error probability is investigated using maximum likelihood detection and decoding. The impact of the channel memory and the modulation order on the performance gain is emphasized. In practice, we use low complexity linear filter-based equalization which can be efficiently implemented in the frequency domain. The use of iterative equalization and decoding is also considered. The performance gain in terms of frame error rate and data throughput is evaluated by numerical simulations.

Molecular detection of pathogens in water--the pros and cons of molecular techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Girones, Rosina; Ferrús, Maria Antonia; Alonso, José Luis; Rodriguez-Manzano, Jesus; Calgua, Byron; Corrêa, Adriana de Abreu; Hundesa, Ayalkibet; Carratala, Anna; Bofill-Mas, Sílvia

2010-08-01

Pollution of water by sewage and run-off from farms produces a serious public health problem in many countries. Viruses, along with bacteria and protozoa in the intestine or in urine are shed and transported through the sewer system. Even in highly industrialized countries, pathogens, including viruses, are prevalent throughout the environment. Molecular methods are used to monitor viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens, and to track pathogen- and source-specific markers in the environment. Molecular techniques, specifically polymerase chain reaction-based methods, provide sensitive, rapid, and quantitative analytical tools with which to study such pathogens, including new or emerging strains. These techniques are used to evaluate the microbiological quality of food and water, and to assess the efficiency of virus removal in drinking and wastewater treatment plants. The range of methods available for the application of molecular techniques has increased, and the costs involved have fallen. These developments have allowed the potential standardization and automation of certain techniques. In some cases they facilitate the identification, genotyping, enumeration, viability assessment, and source-tracking of human and animal contamination. Additionally, recent improvements in detection technologies have allowed the simultaneous detection of multiple targets in a single assay. However, the molecular techniques available today and those under development require further refinement in order to be standardized and applicable to a diversity of matrices. Water disinfection treatments may have an effect on the viability of pathogens and the numbers obtained by molecular techniques may overestimate the quantification of infectious microorganisms. The pros and cons of molecular techniques for the detection and quantification of pathogens in water are discussed. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Active neutron technique for detecting attempted special nuclear material diversion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, G.W.; Rice, L.G. III.

1979-01-01

The identification of special nuclear material (SNM) diversion is necessary if SNM inventory control is to be maintained at nuclear facilities. (Special nuclear materials are defined for this purpose as either 235 U of 239 Pu.) Direct SNM identification by the detection of natural decay or fission radiation is inadequate if the SNM is concealed by appropriate shielding. The active neutron interrogation technique described combines direct SNM identification by delayed fission neutron (DFN) detection with implied SNM detection by the identification of materials capable of shielding SNM from direct detection. This technique is being developed for application in an unattended material/equipment portal through which items such as electronic instruments, packages, tool boxes, etc., will pass. The volume of this portal will be 41-cm wide, 53-cm high and 76-cm deep. The objective of this technique is to identify an attempted diversion of at least 20 grams of SNM with a measurement time of 30 seconds

Water sampling techniques for continuous monitoring of pesticides in water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Šunjka Dragana

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Good ecological and chemical status of water represents the most important aim of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, which implies respect of water quality standards at the level of entire river basin (2008/105/EC and 2013/39/EC. This especially refers to the control of pesticide residues in surface waters. In order to achieve the set goals, a continuous monitoring program that should provide a comprehensive and interrelated overview of water status should be implemented. However, it demands the use of appropriate analysis techniques. Until now, the procedure for sampling and quantification of residual pesticide quantities in aquatic environment was based on the use of traditional sampling techniques that imply periodical collecting of individual samples. However, this type of sampling provides only a snapshot of the situation in regard to the presence of pollutants in water. As an alternative, the technique of passive sampling of pollutants in water, including pesticides has been introduced. Different samplers are available for pesticide sampling in surface water, depending on compounds. The technique itself is based on keeping a device in water over a longer period of time which varies from several days to several weeks, depending on the kind of compound. In this manner, the average concentrations of pollutants dissolved in water during a time period (time-weighted average concentrations, TWA are obtained, which enables monitoring of trends in areal and seasonal variations. The use of these techniques also leads to an increase in sensitivity of analytical methods, considering that pre-concentration of analytes takes place within the sorption medium. However, the use of these techniques for determination of pesticide concentrations in real water environments requires calibration studies for the estimation of sampling rates (Rs. Rs is a volume of water per time, calculated as the product of overall mass transfer coefficient and area of

Water intake fish diversion apparatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taft, E.P. III; Cook, T.C.

1995-01-01

A fish diversion apparatus uses a plane screen to divert fish for variety of types of water intakes in order to protect fish from injury and death. The apparatus permits selection of a relatively small screen angle, for example ten degrees, to minimize fish injury. The apparatus permits selection of a high water velocity, for example ten feet per second, to maximize power generation efficiency. The apparatus is especially suitable retrofit to existing water intakes. The apparatus is modular to allow use plural modules in parallel to adjust for water flow conditions. The apparatus has a floor, two opposite side walls, and a roof which define a water flow passage and a plane screen within the passage. The screen is oriented to divert fish into a fish bypass which carries fish to a safe discharge location. The dimensions of the floor, walls, and roof are selected to define the dimensions of the passage and to permit selection of the screen angle. The floor is bi-level with a level upstream of the screen and a level beneath screen selected to provide a uniform flow distribution through the screen. The apparatus may include separation walls to provide a water flow channel between the apparatus and the water intake. Lead walls may be used to adjust water flow conditions into the apparatus. The apparatus features stoplog guides near its upstream and downstream ends to permit the water flow passage to be dewatered. 3 figs

Process Integration Design Methods for Water Conservation and Wastewater Reduction in Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Overcash, Michael; Russell, Dunn; Wenzel, Henrik

2002-01-01

This paper addresses operational techniques for applying mass integration design in industry with special focus on water conservation and wastewater reduction. This paper presents a design technique for any number of wastewater streams containing multiple contaminants. The technique comprises...... a single non-linear optimization program to minimize the wastewater discharged (or maximize the amount of recycled wastewater). This program is developed based on general water allocation principles and uses the transshipment model theory to allow the “shipment” of wastewater (referred to as “sources......” or “warehouses”) to process water users (referred to as “sinks”, “demands” or “customers”). A detailed case study of industrial significance, highlighting land treatment technology, is included to illustrate the proposed methodology and various process scenarios are evaluated within this case study...

Genetic diversity of water use efficiency in Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) germplasm

Science.gov (United States)

Genetic diversity in crop germplasm is an important resource for crop improvement, but information on genetic diversity is rare for Jerusalem artichoke, especially for traits related to water use efficiency. The objectives of this study were to investigate genetic variations for water use and water...

Process Integration Design Methods for Water Conservation and Wastewater Reduction in Industry. Part 3: Experience of Industrial Application

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wenzel, Henrik; Dunn, Russell; Gottrup, Lene

2002-01-01

This paper is Part 3 in a three part series of papers addressing operational techniques for applying mass integration principles to design in industry with special focus on water conservation and wastewater reduction. The presented techniques derive from merging US and Danish experience with indu......This paper is Part 3 in a three part series of papers addressing operational techniques for applying mass integration principles to design in industry with special focus on water conservation and wastewater reduction. The presented techniques derive from merging US and Danish experience......’s experience with defining the scope of the system and with identifying water flow constraints and water quality constraints is discussed. It is shown, how physical constraints for the system design often set a limit for the sophistication of the water recycle network and thereby also a limit for how...... sophisticated the method for system design should be. Finally, pinch analysis and system designs for water recycling in a practical case study are shown, documenting large water saving potentials and achievements....

Improving of the photovoltaic / thermal system performance using water cooling technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussien, Hashim A; Numan, Ali H; Abdulmunem, Abdulmunem R

2015-01-01

This work is devoted to improving the electrical efficiency by reducing the rate of thermal energy of a photovoltaic/thermal system (PV/T).This is achieved by design cooling technique which consists of a heat exchanger and water circulating pipes placed at PV module rear surface to solve the problem of the high heat stored inside the PV cells during the operation. An experimental rig is designed to investigate and evaluate PV module performance with the proposed cooling technique. This cooling technique is the first work in Iraq to dissipate the heat from PV module. The experimental results indicated that due to the heat loss by convection between water and the PV panel's upper surface, an increase of output power is achieved. It was found that without active cooling, the temperature of the PV module was high and solar cells could only achieve a conversion efficiency of about 8%. However, when the PV module was operated under active water cooling condition, the temperature was dropped from 76.8°C without cooling to 70.1°C with active cooling. This temperature dropping led to increase in the electrical efficiency of solar panel to 9.8% at optimum mass flow rate (0.2L/s) and thermal efficiency to (12.3%). (paper)

Risk Assessment and effect of Penicillin-G on bacterial diversity in drinking water

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Qing; Zhao, Xiaofei; Peng, Sen; Wang, Lei; Zhao, Xinhua

2018-02-01

Penicillin-G was detected in drinking water by LC-MS/MS and the bacterial diversity was investigated by PCR and high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that bacteria community structure in drinking water has undergone major changes when added different concentrations of penicillin-G. The diversity index of each sample was calculated. The results showed that the total number and abundance of bacterial community species in drinking water samples decreased significantly after the addition of penicillin-G. However, the number and abundance of community structure did not change with the concentration. Penicillin-G inhibits the activity of bacterial community in drinking water and can reduce the bacterial diversity in drinking water.

Introducing GIS across Levels: Designing for Diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Barros, Joana

2017-01-01

The paper proposes a strategy for designing introductory GIS modules at Birkbeck, University of London. Seven design aspects or elements (content, practical exercises, assessment, pace, mode, level of support, and level of difficulty) for tailoring modules at appropriate levels and for diversity are introduced and their application in Birkbeck's…

Impact of water diversion on the hydrogeochemical characterization of surface water and groundwater in the Yellow River Delta

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Qiang; Li, Fadong; Zhang, Qiuying; Li, Jing; Zhang, Yan; Tu, Chun; Ouyang, Zhu

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We assess the response of different ecosystems to the water diversion. • We characterized the interaction between surface water and groundwater. • We use the Piper and HFE-D to illustrate the salinization process. - Abstract: The Yellow River Delta is undergoing severe ecosystem degradation through salinization caused mainly by seawater intrusion. The Yellow River diversion project, in operation since 2008, aims to mitigate a projected ecosystem disaster. We conducted field investigations across three ecosystems (Farmland, Wetland and Coast) in the delta to assess the effectiveness of the annual water pulse and determine the relationships between surface water and groundwater. The chemical characteristics of the groundwater in Farmland exclude the possibility of seawater intrusion. The Wetland is vulnerable to pollution by groundwater discharge from Farmland and to secondary salinization caused by rising water tables. The salinity values of groundwater at Coast sites likely reflect the presence of seawater trapped in the clay sediments, a premise corroborated through measurements of groundwater levels, stable isotopes and major ion signatures. Our δD–δ 18 O two-dimensional graphic plot demonstrated that groundwaters of Farmland and Wetland changed toward more depleted isotopic compositions following water diversion, but this was not the case in the Coast sites, where the water table varied little year-round. A hydrochemical facies evolution diagram (HFE-D) demonstrated that freshening is taking place in the largest portions of the aquifers and that, without sustained water diversion recharge, these underground water bodies may switch from freshening to salinization on a seasonal time scale. Thus, the qualities of waters in coastal aquifers in the Yellow River Delta are substantially influenced by the process of ecological water diversion, and also by land use practices and by the lithological properties of the drainage landscape

The diversity of design of TSOs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rious, Vincent; Glachant, Jean-Michel; Perez, Yannick; Dessante, Philippe

2008-01-01

It is puzzling today to explain diversity and imperfection of actual transmission monopoly designs in competitive electricity markets. We argue that transmission monopoly in competitive electricity markets has to be analyzed within a [Wilson, R, 2002. Architecture of the power markets. Econometrica 70(4), 1299-1344] modular framework. Applied to the management of electricity flows, at least three modules make the core of transmission design: (1) the short run management of network externalities; (2) the long run management of network investment; and (3) the coordination of neighboring transmission system operators (TSOs) for cross-border trade. In order to tackle this diversity of designs of TSOs, we show that for each of these modules, three different basic ways of managing them are possible. Among the identified 27 options of organization, we define an ideal TSO. Second, we demonstrate that (1) monopoly design differs from this ideal TSO and cannot handle these three modules irrespective of the 'institutional' definition and allocation of property rights on transmission, while (2) definition and allocation of property rights on transmission cannot ignore the existing electrical industry and transmission network structure: they have to complement each other to be efficient. Some conclusions for regulatory issues of TSOs are derived from this analysis of network monopoly organization

Fusion blanket design and optimization techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gohar, Y.

2005-01-01

In fusion reactors, the blanket design and its characteristics have a major impact on the reactor performance, size, and economics. The selection and arrangement of the blanket materials, dimensions of the different blanket zones, and different requirements of the selected materials for a satisfactory performance are the main parameters, which define the blanket performance. These parameters translate to a large number of variables and design constraints, which need to be simultaneously considered in the blanket design process. This represents a major design challenge because of the lack of a comprehensive design tool capable of considering all these variables to define the optimum blanket design and satisfying all the design constraints for the adopted figure of merit and the blanket design criteria. The blanket design techniques of the First Wall/Blanket/Shield Design and Optimization System (BSDOS) have been developed to overcome this difficulty and to provide the state-of-the-art techniques and tools for performing blanket design and analysis. This report describes some of the BSDOS techniques and demonstrates its use. In addition, the use of the optimization technique of the BSDOS can result in a significant blanket performance enhancement and cost saving for the reactor design under consideration. In this report, examples are presented, which utilize an earlier version of the ITER solid breeder blanket design and a high power density self-cooled lithium blanket design for demonstrating some of the BSDOS blanket design techniques

Analysis of the impact of water level fluctuations on macrophytes in Miyun Reservoir after receiving water transferred by the South-to-North Water Diversion Project

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, L.; Gu, H.; Lou, C. H.; Zhang, L.; Meng, Q. Y.

2016-08-01

As the main primary producers in aquatic ecosystems, macrophytes affect the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems, and their distribution is controlled by water depth. Miyun Reservoir in Beijing will have to experience substantial changes in water level and surface area as it begins to receive water transferred by the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, which will have an adverse impact on the macrophytes growing there. In this study, a hydrodynamic model was constructed with MIKE21 and then used in a simulation in three scenarios: dry year, normal year and wet year. The results suggest that during water diversion, the annual and interannual water level fluctuations will be too significant for them to adapt and as a result, the original macrophytes in the reservoir tend to die and disappear completely. The area of the zone suitable for macrophyte growth, or suitable growth zone (SGZ), fluctuated. Restricted by the main dam and auxiliary dam to its south, the overall suitable growth zone moved toward the northeast and northwest of the reservoir, with a northeastward movement of its centroid. The distance and path of movement varied between scenarios. After the water diversion was completed, the suitable growth zone shrunk in the three scenarios. It is predicted that the macrophyte species diversity and richness of the reservoir can recover to the levels recorded before water diversion only in dry year. These results suggest that manual interventions should be implemented after water diversion to speed up the natural recovery of aquatic plant communities in Miyun Reservoir and thereby maintain the stability of the aquatic ecosystem.

Design consideration for a diversity of heat sink

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rueckbrodt, Karin; Meischak, Stefan [AREVA NP GmbH, Erlangen (Germany)

2013-07-01

The defense in depth approach requires in all cases to prevent and mitigate accidents that could release radioactive materials. To assure the physical design barriers (preserve fuel integrity, reactor coolant pressure boundary integrity, and containment integrity) the decay heat has to be removed. External and internal events have to be taken in consideration for the robustness of all the involved cooling systems. To ensure the cooling function in all conceivable and all unlikely events an analysis for the necessity of a diversified heat sink is essential. The diversified concepts analyses the type of the primary heat sink and use contrary sources for the heat sink, air instead of water, well instead of a river. A complete diversity is realized if also for the heat transfer diversified systems are implemented. The described solutions are mainly applied for BWR plants, but can be partly transferred analogously to PWR plants. (orig.)

Species Diversity of Shallow Water Zoanthids (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia) in Florida

OpenAIRE

Reimer, James Davis; Foord, Colin; Irei, Yuka

2012-01-01

Shallow water zooxanthellate zoanthids are a common component of the coral reef ecosystems of the Caribbean. Despite this, their species diversity remains poorly understood. In this study, collected Palythoa, Zoanthus, Isaurus, and Terrazoanthus specimens from the waters of Florida were phylogenetically examined to obtain a better understanding of zoanthid species diversity in the Caribbean. Surprisingly, the results from analyses utilizing three DNA markers (mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA, ...

Influence of the South-North Water Diversion Project and the mitigation projects on the water quality of Han River.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Y P; Zhang, H P; Chen, L; Zhao, J F

2008-11-15

Situated in the central part of China, the Han River Basin is undergoing rapid social and economic development with some human interventions to be made soon which will profoundly influence the water environment of the basin. The integrated MIKE 11 model system comprising of a rainfall-runoff model (NAM), a non-point load evaluation model (LOAD), a hydrodynamic model (MIKE 11 HD) and a water quality model (ECOLab) was applied to investigate the impact of the Middle Route of the South-North Water Diversion Project on the Han River and the effectiveness of the 2 proposed mitigation projects, the 22 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and the Yangtze-Han Water Diversion Project. The study concludes that business as usual will lead to a continuing rapid deterioration of the water quality of the Han River. Implementation of the Middle Route of the South-North Water Diversion Project in 2010 will bring disastrous consequence in the form of the remarkably elevated pollution level and high risk of algae bloom in the middle and lower reaches. The proposed WWTPs will merely lower the pollution level in the reach by around 10%, while the Yangtze-Han Water Diversion Project can significantly improve the water quality in the downstream 200-km reach. The results reveal that serious water quality problem will emerge in the middle reach between Xiangfan and Qianjiang in the future. Implementation of the South-North Water Diversion Project (phase II) in 2030 will further exacerbate the problem. In order to effectively improve the water quality of the Han River, it is suggested that nutrient removal processes should be adopted in the proposed WWTPs, and the pollution load from the non-point sources, especially the load from the upstream Henan Province, should be effectively controlled.

The Use of TILLING Technique to Detect Mutations and genetic diversity in Potato

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elias, R; Al-Safadi, B; Till, B

2008-01-01

TILLING technique has been used, for the first time, to detect genetic variation, at the molecular level, among potato mutants (induced by gamma irradiation) and genetic diversity among 3 potato cultivars. Three potato mutant lines (every mutant represents a cultivar) tolerant to salinity have been used along with their controls. Three primer pairs were designed with the help of Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium on the web and were evaluated using agarose gel then sequencing. Primer pairs passing these tests were fluorescently labeled. Li-Cor based TILLING was applied using 2 forward primers one of them is labeled and 2 reverse primers one of them is labeled. The results have shown the success of using this technique on potato (tetraploid species) where the average density of nucleotide polymorphisms per sample was 16 polymorphisms per 1 kb. The optimal concentration was also determined between 0.1 and 1 ng/ul for potato genomic DNAs to be used in Li-Cor based TILLING assays. (author)

Application of Ion Torrent Sequencing to the Assessment of the Effect of Alkali Ballast Water Treatment on Microbial Community Diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Fujimoto, Masanori; Moyerbrailean, Gregory A.; Noman, Sifat; Gizicki, Jason P.; Ram, Michal L.; Green, Phyllis A.; Ram, Jeffrey L.

2014-01-01

The impact of NaOH as a ballast water treatment (BWT) on microbial community diversity was assessed using the 16S rRNA gene based Ion Torrent sequencing with its new 400 base chemistry. Ballast water samples from a Great Lakes ship were collected from the intake and discharge of both control and NaOH (pH 12) treated tanks and were analyzed in duplicates. One set of duplicates was treated with the membrane-impermeable DNA cross-linking reagent propidium mono-azide (PMA) prior to PCR amplification to differentiate between live and dead microorganisms. Ion Torrent sequencing generated nearly 580,000 reads for 31 bar-coded samples and revealed alterations of the microbial community structure in ballast water that had been treated with NaOH. Rarefaction analysis of the Ion Torrent sequencing data showed that BWT using NaOH significantly decreased microbial community diversity relative to control discharge (pbased principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) plots and UPGMA tree analysis revealed that NaOH-treated ballast water microbial communities differed from both intake communities and control discharge communities. After NaOH treatment, bacteria from the genus Alishewanella became dominant in the NaOH-treated samples, accounting for alkali ballast water treatment in reducing ballast water microbial diversity and demonstrated the application of new Ion Torrent sequencing techniques to microbial community studies. PMID:25222021

Life cycle assessment of water supply alternatives in water-receiving areas of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yi; Xiong, Wei; Zhang, Wenlong; Wang, Chao; Wang, Peifang

2016-02-01

To alleviate the water shortage in northern China, the Chinese government launched the world's largest water diversion project, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP), which delivers water from water-sufficient southern China to water-deficient northern China. However, an up-to-date study has not been conducted to determine whether the project is a favorable option to augment the water supply from an environmental perspective. The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology integrated with a freshwater withdrawal category (FWI) was adopted to compare water supply alternatives in the water-receiving areas of the SNWDP, i.e., water diversion, wastewater reclamation and seawater desalination. Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan and Qingdao were studied as representative cities because they are the primary water-receiving areas of the SNWDP. The results revealed that the operation phase played the dominant role in all but one of the life cycle impact categories considered and contributed to more than 70% of their scores. For Beijing and Tianjin, receiving water through the SNWDP is the most sustainable option to augment the water supply. The result can be drawn in all of the water-receiving areas of the middle route of the SNWDP. For Jinan and Qingdao, the most sustainable option is the wastewater reclamation system. The seawater desalination system obtains the highest score of the standard impact indicators in all of the study areas, whereas it is the most favorable water supply option when considering the freshwater withdrawal impact. Although the most sustainable water supply alternative was recommended through an LCA analysis, multi-water resources should be integrated into the region's water supply from the perspective of water sustainability. The results of this study provide a useful recommendation on the management of water resources for China. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diversity as a measure of water pollution and an aid for biological water analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verma, S.R.; Sharma, A.K.; Goel, D.P.

1987-01-01

Five aquatic ecosystems, Yamuna river, Krishna river Eastern Kalinadi, Kadrabad drain and Peacock lake have been studied with reference to disversity and physico-chemical characteristics and biological indices; a list of species have been selected with reference to polluted, mildly polluted or unpolluted water conditions. Though it is difficult to call any species strictly indicator species, certain species of Bacillariophyceae, bottom biota and Entomostraca can be regarded as indicative species; the quantitative distributions of the species of different groups have been analysed statistically. Margalef's Community Diversity Index (d), Shannon Weaver Function, coefficient of rank correlation and partial and multiple correlation coefficient were calculated as to find out the order of precedence in different taxonomical groups and the linear regression against BOD and the whole biocenosis were calculated, which indicate the relation as diversity d=6.7854-0.0080 BOD+-0.9695 where r/sup 2/=B=0.7365. Similarly, multiple linear regressions were also calculated using diversity against BOD, pH and temperature for each aquatic ecosystem. All these observations indicate that diversity of organisms can be used to measure the water pollution intensity.

Improved Cost-Base Design of Water Distribution Networks using Genetic Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Moradzadeh Azar, Foad; Abghari, Hirad; Taghi Alami, Mohammad; Weijs, Steven

2010-05-01

Population growth and progressive extension of urbanization in different places of Iran cause an increasing demand for primary needs. The water, this vital liquid is the most important natural need for human life. Providing this natural need is requires the design and construction of water distribution networks, that incur enormous costs on the country's budget. Any reduction in these costs enable more people from society to access extreme profit least cost. Therefore, investment of Municipal councils need to maximize benefits or minimize expenditures. To achieve this purpose, the engineering design depends on the cost optimization techniques. This paper, presents optimization models based on genetic algorithm(GA) to find out the minimum design cost Mahabad City's (North West, Iran) water distribution network. By designing two models and comparing the resulting costs, the abilities of GA were determined. the GA based model could find optimum pipe diameters to reduce the design costs of network. Results show that the water distribution network design using Genetic Algorithm could lead to reduction of at least 7% in project costs in comparison to the classic model. Keywords: Genetic Algorithm, Optimum Design of Water Distribution Network, Mahabad City, Iran.

The background influence of cadmium detection in saline water using PGNAA technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daqian Hei; Zhou Jiang; Hongtao Wang; Jiatong Li

2016-01-01

In order to solve the background influence of cadmium detection in saline water using prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) technique, a series experiments have been designed and carried out. Furthermore, a method based on internal standard was used to correct the neutron self-shielding effect, and the background influence has been decreased sequentially. The results showed a good linear relationship between the characteristic peak counts and the concentrations of cadmium after the neutron self-shielding correction. And in the detection of saline water by PGNAA technique, the proposed methodology can be used to reduce the influence of background with the self-shielding effect correction. (author)

Exergy costs analysis of water desalination and purification techniques by transfer functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carrasquer, Beatriz; Martínez-Gracia, Amaya; Uche, Javier

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A procedure to estimate the unit exergy cost of water treatment techniques is provided. • Unit exergy costs of water purification and desalination are given as a function of design and operating parameters. • Unit exergy costs range from 3.3 to 6.8 in purification and from 2 to 26 in desalination. • They could be used in their preliminary design as good indicators of their energy efficiency. - Abstract: The unit exergy costs of desalination and purification, which are two alternatives commonly used for water supply and treatment, have been characterized as a function of the energy efficiency of the process by combining the Exergy Cost Analysis with Transfer Function Analysis. An equation to assess the exergy costs of these alternatives is then proposed as a quick guide to know the energy efficiency of any water treatment process under different design and operating conditions. This combination, was satisfactory applied to groundwaters and water transfers. After identifying the boundaries of the system, input and output flows are calculated in exergy values. Next, different examples are analyzed in order to propose a generic equation to assess the exergy cost of the water restoration technologies, attending to their main features. Recovery ratio, energy requirements and salts concentrations (for desalination), and plant capacity and organic matter recovery (for water purification) are introduced in the calculations as their main endogenous parameters. Values obtained for typical operation ranges of commercial plants showed that unit exergy costs of water purification ranged from 3.3 to 6.8; maximum values, as expected, were found at low plant capacities and high organic matter removal ratios. For water desalination, values varied from 2 to 7 in membrane technologies and from 10 to 26 in thermal processes. The recovery ratio and salts concentration in raw water increased the unit exergy costs in membrane techniques. In distillation processes

Design of a High-Reynolds Number Recirculating Water Tunnel

Science.gov (United States)

Daniel, Libin; Elbing, Brian

2014-11-01

An experimental fluid mechanics laboratory focused on turbulent boundary layers, drag reduction techniques, multiphase flows and fluid-structure interactions has recently been established at Oklahoma State University. This laboratory has three primary components; (1) a recirculating water tunnel, (2) a multiphase pipe flow loop, and (3) a multi-scale flow visualization system. The design of the water tunnel is the focus of this talk. The criteria used for the water tunnel design was that it had to produce a momentum-thickness based Reynolds number in excess of 104, negligible flow acceleration due to boundary layer growth, maximize optical access for use of the flow visualization system, and minimize inlet flow non-uniformity. This Reynolds number was targeted to bridge the gap between typical university/commercial water tunnels (103) and the world's largest water tunnel facilities (105) . These objectives were achieved with a 152 mm (6-inch) square test section that is 1 m long and has a maximum flow speed of 10 m/s. The flow non-uniformity was mitigated with the use of a tandem honeycomb configuration, a settling chamber and an 8.5:1 contraction. The design process that produced this final design will be presented along with its current status.

Modeling urban storm rainfall runoff from diverse underlying surfaces and application for control design in Beijing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ouyang, Wei; Guo, Bobo; Hao, Fanghua; Huang, Haobo; Li, Junqi; Gong, Yongwei

2012-12-30

Managing storm rainfall runoff is paramount in semi-arid regions with urban development. In Beijing, pollution prevention in urban storm runoff and storm water utilization has been identified as the primary strategy for urban water management. In this paper, we sampled runoff during storm rainfall events and analyzed the concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus (TP) in the runoff. Furthermore, the first flush effect of storm rainfall from diverse underlying surfaces was also analyzed. With the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), the different impervious rates of underlying surfaces during the storm runoff process were expressed. The removal rates of three typical pollutants and their interactions with precipitation and underlying surfaces were identified. From these rates, the scenarios regarding the urban storm runoff pollution loading from different designs of underlying previous rates were assessed with the SWMM. First flush effect analysis showed that the first 20% of the storm runoff should be discarded, which can help in utilizing the storm water resource. The results of this study suggest that the SWMM can express in detail the storm water pollution patterns from diverse underlying surfaces in Beijing, which significantly affected water quality. The scenario analysis demonstrated that impervious rate adjustment has the potential to reduce runoff peak and decrease pollution loading. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resilience-based optimal design of water distribution network

Science.gov (United States)

Suribabu, C. R.

2017-11-01

Optimal design of water distribution network is generally aimed to minimize the capital cost of the investments on tanks, pipes, pumps, and other appurtenances. Minimizing the cost of pipes is usually considered as a prime objective as its proportion in capital cost of the water distribution system project is very high. However, minimizing the capital cost of the pipeline alone may result in economical network configuration, but it may not be a promising solution in terms of resilience point of view. Resilience of the water distribution network has been considered as one of the popular surrogate measures to address ability of network to withstand failure scenarios. To improve the resiliency of the network, the pipe network optimization can be performed with two objectives, namely minimizing the capital cost as first objective and maximizing resilience measure of the configuration as secondary objective. In the present work, these two objectives are combined as single objective and optimization problem is solved by differential evolution technique. The paper illustrates the procedure for normalizing the objective functions having distinct metrics. Two of the existing resilience indices and power efficiency are considered for optimal design of water distribution network. The proposed normalized objective function is found to be efficient under weighted method of handling multi-objective water distribution design problem. The numerical results of the design indicate the importance of sizing pipe telescopically along shortest path of flow to have enhanced resiliency indices.

Bacterial diversity and composition of an alkaline uranium mine tailings-water interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Nurul H; Bondici, Viorica F; Medihala, Prabhakara G; Lawrence, John R; Wolfaardt, Gideon M; Warner, Jeff; Korber, Darren R

2013-10-01

The microbial diversity and biogeochemical potential associated with a northern Saskatchewan uranium mine water-tailings interface was examined using culture-dependent and -independent techniques. Morphologically-distinct colonies from uranium mine water-tailings and a reference lake (MC) obtained using selective and non-selective media were selected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing and identification, revealing that culturable organisms from the uranium tailings interface were dominated by Firmicutes and Betaproteobacteria; whereas, MC organisms mainly consisted of Bacteroidetes and Gammaproteobacteria. Ion Torrent (IT) 16S rRNA metagenomic analysis carried out on extracted DNA from tailings and MC interfaces demonstrated the dominance of Firmicutes in both of the systems. Overall, the tailings-water interface environment harbored a distinct bacterial community relative to the MC, reflective of the ambient conditions (i.e., total dissolved solids, pH, salinity, conductivity, heavy metals) dominating the uranium tailings system. Significant correlations among the physicochemical data and the major bacterial groups present in the tailings and MC were also observed. Presence of sulfate reducing bacteria demonstrated by culture-dependent analyses and the dominance of Desulfosporosinus spp. indicated by Ion Torrent analyses within the tailings-water interface suggests the existence of anaerobic microenvironments along with the potential for reductive metabolic processes.

Case study: design, operation, maintenance and water quality management of sustainable storm water ponds for roof runoff.

Science.gov (United States)

Scholz, Miklas

2004-12-01

The purpose of this case study was to optimise design, operation and maintenance guidelines, and to assess the water treatment potential of a storm water pond system after 15 months of operation. The system was based on a combined silt trap, attenuation pond and vegetated infiltration basin. This combination was used as the basis for construction of a roof water runoff system from a single domestic property. United Kingdom Building Research Establishment and Construction Industry Research and Information Association, and German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste design guidelines were tested. These design guidelines failed because they did not consider local conditions. The infiltration function for the infiltration basin was logarithmic. Algal control techniques were successfully applied, and treatment of rainwater runoff from roofs was found to be largely unnecessary for recycling (e.g., watering plants). However, seasonal and diurnal variations of biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen and pH were recorded.

Multimodal designs for learning in contexts of diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arlene Archer

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to identify multimodal designs for learning in diverse and developing contexts, where access to resources remains vastly unequal. Using case studies from South African education, the paper explores ways of surfacing the range of students’ resources which are often not noticed or valued in formal educational settings. The studies showcased here demonstrate how ethnographic and textually-based approaches can be combined. Opening up the semiotic space of the classroom through multimodal designs for learning is important for finding innovative ways of addressing access, diversity, and past inequalities. This is of relevance not only to South Africa, but a range of global contexts. The paper argues that multimodal designs for learning can involve interrogating the relation between ‘tradition’ and ‘modernity’; harnessing students’ creative practices as resources for pedagogy; developing metalanguages for critical reflection; creating less regulated pedagogical spaces in order to enable useful teaching and learning practices.

REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS WITH HIGH RELIABILITY IN CHANGJIANG WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Ma

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Remote sensing technology has been widely used in many fields. But most of the applications cannot get the information with high reliability and high accuracy in large scale, especially for the applications using automatic interpretation methods. We have designed an application-oriented technology system (PIR composed of a series of accurate interpretation techniques,which can get over 85 % correctness in Water Resource Management from the view of photogrammetry and expert knowledge. The techniques compose of the spatial positioning techniques from the view of photogrammetry, the feature interpretation techniques from the view of expert knowledge, and the rationality analysis techniques from the view of data mining. Each interpreted polygon is accurate enough to be applied to the accuracy sensitive projects, such as the Three Gorge Project and the South - to - North Water Diversion Project. In this paper, we present several remote sensing applications with high reliability in Changjiang Water Resource Management,including water pollution investigation, illegal construction inspection, and water conservation monitoring, etc.

Remote Sensing Applications with High Reliability in Changjiang Water Resource Management

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, L.; Gao, S.; Yang, A.

2018-04-01

Remote sensing technology has been widely used in many fields. But most of the applications cannot get the information with high reliability and high accuracy in large scale, especially for the applications using automatic interpretation methods. We have designed an application-oriented technology system (PIR) composed of a series of accurate interpretation techniques,which can get over 85 % correctness in Water Resource Management from the view of photogrammetry and expert knowledge. The techniques compose of the spatial positioning techniques from the view of photogrammetry, the feature interpretation techniques from the view of expert knowledge, and the rationality analysis techniques from the view of data mining. Each interpreted polygon is accurate enough to be applied to the accuracy sensitive projects, such as the Three Gorge Project and the South - to - North Water Diversion Project. In this paper, we present several remote sensing applications with high reliability in Changjiang Water Resource Management,including water pollution investigation, illegal construction inspection, and water conservation monitoring, etc.

Artificial intelligent techniques for optimizing water allocation in a reservoir watershed

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Fi-John; Chang, Li-Chiu; Wang, Yu-Chung

2014-05-01

This study proposes a systematical water allocation scheme that integrates system analysis with artificial intelligence techniques for reservoir operation in consideration of the great uncertainty upon hydrometeorology for mitigating droughts impacts on public and irrigation sectors. The AI techniques mainly include a genetic algorithm and adaptive-network based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). We first derive evaluation diagrams through systematic interactive evaluations on long-term hydrological data to provide a clear simulation perspective of all possible drought conditions tagged with their corresponding water shortages; then search the optimal reservoir operating histogram using genetic algorithm (GA) based on given demands and hydrological conditions that can be recognized as the optimal base of input-output training patterns for modelling; and finally build a suitable water allocation scheme through constructing an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model with a learning of the mechanism between designed inputs (water discount rates and hydrological conditions) and outputs (two scenarios: simulated and optimized water deficiency levels). The effectiveness of the proposed approach is tested on the operation of the Shihmen Reservoir in northern Taiwan for the first paddy crop in the study area to assess the water allocation mechanism during drought periods. We demonstrate that the proposed water allocation scheme significantly and substantially avails water managers of reliably determining a suitable discount rate on water supply for both irrigation and public sectors, and thus can reduce the drought risk and the compensation amount induced by making restrictions on agricultural use water.

Optimum design of water supply purifying station in living section of a uranium mine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jianjun; Zhang Yu

2012-01-01

A design of water supply purifying station in living section of a uranium mine was optimized, and appropriate technique and equipment were chosen based on the raw water quality characteristic, water consumption and change, landform of construction field, etc. After the engineering finished, the circulation is steady-going, the quality of treated water fulfills water standards for drinking water quality. (authors)

Prokaryotic phylogenetic diversity of Hungarian deep subsurface geothermal well waters.

Science.gov (United States)

Németh, Andrea; Szirányi, Barbara; Krett, Gergely; Janurik, Endre; Kosáros, Tünde; Pekár, Ferenc; Márialigeti, Károly; Borsodi, Andrea K

2014-09-01

Geothermal wells characterized by thermal waters warmer than 30°C can be found in more than 65% of the area of Hungary. The examined thermal wells located nearby Szarvas are used for heating industrial and agricultural facilities because of their relatively high hydrocarbon content. The aim of this study was to reveal the prokaryotic community structure of the water of SZR18, K87 and SZR21 geothermal wells using molecular cloning methods and Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE). Water samples from the outflow pipes were collected in 2012 and 2013. The phylogenetic distribution of archaeal molecular clones was very similar in each sample, the most abundant groups belonged to the genera Methanosaeta, Methanothermobacter and Thermofilum. In contrast, the distribution of bacterial molecular clones was very diverse. Many of them showed the closest sequence similarities to uncultured clone sequences from similar thermal environments. From the water of the SZR18 well, phylotypes closely related to genera Fictibacillus and Alicyclobacillus (Firmicutes) were only revealed, while the bacterial diversity of the K87 well water was much higher. Here, the members of the phyla Thermodesulfobacteria, Proteobacteria, Nitrospira, Chlorobi, OP1 and OPB7 were also detected besides Firmicutes.

Advanced Hydroinformatic Techniques for the Simulation and Analysis of Water Supply and Distribution Systems

OpenAIRE

Herrera, Manuel; Meniconi, Silvia; Alvisi, Stefano; Izquierdo, Joaquin

2018-01-01

This document is intended to be a presentation of the Special Issue “Advanced Hydroinformatic Techniques for the Simulation and Analysis of Water Supply and Distribution Systems”. The final aim of this Special Issue is to propose a suitable framework supporting insightful hydraulic mechanisms to aid the decision-making processes of water utility managers and practitioners. Its 18 peer-reviewed articles present as varied topics as: water distribution system design, optimization of network perf...

Trench design and construction techniques for low-level radioactive waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tucker, P.G.

1983-02-01

This document provides information on trench design and construction techniques which can be used in the disposal of LLW by shallow land burial. It covers practices currently in use not only in the LLW disposal field, but also methods and materials being used in areas of hazardous and municipal waste disposal which are compatible with the performance objectives of 10 CFR Part 61. The complexity of a disposal site and its potential problems dictate the use of site-specific characteristics when designing a LLW disposal trench. This report presents the LLW disposal trench as consisting of various elements or unit processes. The term unit processes is used as it more fully relays the impact of the designer's choice of methods and materials. When choosing a material to fulfill the function of a certain trench element, the designer is also stipulating a portion of his operational procedure which must be compatible with the disposal operation as a whole. Information is provided on the properties, selection, and installation of various materials such as bentonite, soil-cement, polymeric materials, asphaltic materials, and geotechnical fabrics. This is not intended to outline step-by-step procedures. Basically, three time frames are addressed with respect to construction techniques; preoperational, operational, and postoperational. Within each of these time frames there are certain construction techniques which can be employed by the designer to enhance the overall ease of construction and ultimate success of the disposal facility. Among the techniques presented are precontouring the disposal area, alignment of the trench axis, sloping the trench bottom, incremental excavation, and surface water (runoff) management

Management of ground water using isotope techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romani, Saleem

2004-01-01

Ground water play a major role in national economy and sustenance of life and environment. Prevalent water crisis in India includes falling water table, water quality deterioration, water logging and salinity. Keeping in view the increasing thrust on groundwater resources and the present scenario of availability vis-a vis demand there is a need to reorient our approach to ground water management. The various ground water management options require proper understanding of ground water flow system. Isotopes are increasingly being applied in hydrogeological investigations as a supplementary tool for assessment of aquifer flow and transport characteristics. Isotope techniques coupled with conventional hydrogeological and hydrochemical methods can bring in greater accuracy in the conceptualization of hydrogeological control mechanism. The use of isotope techniques in following areas can certainly be of immense help in implementing various ground water management options in an efficient manner. viz.Interaction between the surface water - groundwater systems to plan conjunctive use of surface and ground water. Establishing hydraulic interconnections between the aquifers in a multi aquifer system. Depth of circulation of water and dating of ground water. Demarcating ground water recharge and discharge areas. Plan ground water development in coastal aquifers to avoid sea water ingress. Development of flood plain aquifer. (author)

Diversity of Salmonella isolates from central Florida surface waters.

Science.gov (United States)

McEgan, Rachel; Chandler, Jeffrey C; Goodridge, Lawrence D; Danyluk, Michelle D

2014-11-01

Identification of Salmonella serotypes is important for understanding the environmental diversity of the genus Salmonella. This study evaluates the diversity of Salmonella isolates recovered from 165 of 202 Central Florida surface water samples and investigates whether the serotype of the environmental Salmonella isolates can be predicted by a previously published multiplex PCR assay (S. Kim, J. G. Frye, J. Hu, P. J. Fedorka-Cray, R. Gautom, and D. S. Boyle, J. Clin. Microbiol. 44:3608-3615, 2006, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00701-06). Multiplex PCR was performed on 562 Salmonella isolates (as many as 36 isolates per water sample) to predict serotypes. Kauffmann-White serogrouping was used to confirm multiplex PCR pattern groupings before isolates were serotyped, analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and assayed for antimicrobial susceptibility. In 41.2% of the Salmonella-positive water samples, all Salmonella isolates had identical multiplex PCR patterns; in the remaining 58.8%, two or more multiplex PCR patterns were identified. Within each sample, isolates with matching multiplex PCR patterns had matching serogroups. The multiplex patterns of 495 isolates (88.1%) did not match any previously reported pattern. The remaining 68 isolates matched reported patterns but did not match the serotypes for those patterns. The use of the multiplex PCR allowed the number of isolates requiring further analysis to be reduced to 223. Thirty-three Salmonella enterica serotypes were identified; the most frequent included serotypes Muenchen, Rubislaw, Anatum, Gaminara, and IV_50:z4,z23:-. A majority (141/223) of Salmonella isolates clustered into one genotypic group. Salmonella isolates in Central Florida surface waters are serotypically, genotypically, and phenotypically (in terms of antimicrobial susceptibility) diverse. While isolates could be grouped as different or potentially the same using multiplex PCR, the multiplex PCR pattern did not predict the Salmonella

Effects of plant diversity on primary production and species interactions in brackish water angiosperm communities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salo, Tiina; Gustafsson, Camilla; Boström, Christoffer

2009-01-01

Research on plant biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has mainly focused on terrestrial ecosystems, and our understanding of how plant species diversity and interactions affect processes in marine ecosystems is still limited. To investigate if plant species richness and composition influence...... plant productivity in brackish water angiosperm communities, a 14 wk field experiment was conducted. Using a replacement design with a standardized initial aboveground biomass, shoots of Zostera marina, Potamogeton filiformis and P. perfoliatus were planted on a shallow, sandy bottom in replicated...

Design techniques for mutlivariable flight control systems

Science.gov (United States)

1981-01-01

Techniques which address the multi-input closely coupled nature of advanced flight control applications and digital implementation issues are described and illustrated through flight control examples. The techniques described seek to exploit the advantages of traditional techniques in treating conventional feedback control design specifications and the simplicity of modern approaches for multivariable control system design.

Diversity for design: A framework for involving neurodiverse children in the technology design process

OpenAIRE

Benton, L.; Vasalou, A.; Khaled, R.; Johnson, H.; Gooch, D.

2014-01-01

The neurodiversity movement seeks to positively reframe certain neurological conditions, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and dyslexia, by concentrating on their strengths. In recent years, neurodiverse children have increasingly been involved in the technology design process, but the design approaches adopted have focused mostly on overcoming difficulties of working with these children, leaving their strengths untapped. We present a new participatory design (PD) framework, Diversity f...

Diversity for design : a framework for involving neurodiverse children in the technology design process

OpenAIRE

Benton, Laura; Vasalou, Asimina; Khaled, Rilla; Johnson, Hilary; Gooch, Daniel

2014-01-01

The neurodiversity movement seeks to positively reframe certain neurological conditions, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and dyslexia, by concentrating on their strengths. In recent years, neurodiverse children have increasingly been involved in the technology design process, but the design approaches adopted have focused mostly on overcoming difficulties of working with these children, leaving their strengths untapped. We present a new participatory design (PD) framework, Diversity f...

Vegetation Water Content Mapping in a Diverse Agricultural Landscape: National Airborne Field Experiment 2006

Science.gov (United States)

Cosh, Michael H.; Jing Tao; Jackson, Thomas J.; McKee, Lynn; O'Neill, Peggy

2011-01-01

Mapping land cover and vegetation characteristics on a regional scale is critical to soil moisture retrieval using microwave remote sensing. In aircraft-based experiments such as the National Airborne Field Experiment 2006 (NAFE 06), it is challenging to provide accurate high resolution vegetation information, especially on a daily basis. A technique proposed in previous studies was adapted here to the heterogenous conditions encountered in NAFE 06, which included a hydrologically complex landscape consisting of both irrigated and dryland agriculture. Using field vegetation sampling and ground-based reflectance measurements, the knowledge base for relating the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and the vegetation water content was extended to a greater diversity of agricultural crops, which included dryland and irrigated wheat, alfalfa, and canola. Critical to the generation of vegetation water content maps, the land cover for this region was determined from satellite visible/infrared imagery and ground surveys with an accuracy of 95.5% and a kappa coefficient of 0.95. The vegetation water content was estimated with a root mean square error of 0.33 kg/sq m. The results of this investigation contribute to a more robust database of global vegetation water content observations and demonstrate that the approach can be applied with high accuracy. Keywords: Vegetation, field experimentation, thematic mapper, NDWI, agriculture.

Microbial water diversion technique-designed for near well treatment in low temperature sandstone reservoirs in the North Sea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paulsen, J.E.; Vatland, A. [RF-Rogaland Research, Stavanger (Norway); Sorheim, R. [SINTEF, Oslo (Norway)] [and others

1995-12-31

A Norwegian Research Program on Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) in North Sea reservoirs was launched in 1992. Microbial methods, applied in this context, is a part of this program. The scope, the methodological approach, and results from the three first years are presented. Water profile control, using biomass to block high permeable zones of a reservoir, has been investigated using nitrate-reducing bacteria in the injected sea water as plugging agents. Emphasis has been put on developing a process that does not have disadvantages secondary to the process itself, such as souring and impairment of the overall injectivity of the field. Data from continuous culture studies indicate that souring may successfully be mitigated by adding nitrite to the injected seawater. The morphology and size of generic-nitrate-reducing seawater bacteria have been investigated. Screening of growth-promoting nutrients has been carried out, and some sources were detected as favorable. Transport and penetration of bacteria in porous media have been given special attention. Investigations with sand packs, core models, and pore micromodels have been carried out. The inherent problems connected with permeability contrasts and flow patterns, versus bacterial behavior, are believed to be critical for the success of this technology. Data from the transport and blocking experiments with the porous matrices confirm this concern. The technology is primarily being developed for temperatures less than 40{degrees}C.

Boom clay pore water, home of a diverse microbial community

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wouters, Katinka; Moors, Hugo; Leys, Natalie

2012-01-01

Document available in extended abstract form only. Boom Clay pore water (BCPW) has been studied in the framework of geological disposal of nuclear waste for over two decades, thereby mainly addressing its geochemical properties. A reference composition for synthetic clay water has been derived earlier by modelling and spatial calibration efforts, mainly based on interstitial water sampled from different layers within the Boom clay. However, since microbial activity is found in a range of extreme circumstances, the possibility of microbes interacting with future radioactive waste in a host formation like Boom Clay, cannot be ignored. In this respect, BCPW was sampled from different Boom Clay layers using the Morpheus piezometer and subsequently analysed by a complementary set of microbiological and molecular techniques, in search for overall shared and abundant microorganisms. Similar to the previous characterization of the 'average' BCPW chemical composition, the primary aim of this microbiological study is to determine a representative BCPW microbial community which can be used in laboratory studies. Secondly, the in situ activity and the metabolic properties of members of this community were addressed, aiming to assess their survival and proliferation chances in repository conditions. In a first approach, total microbial DNA of the community was extracted from the BCPW samples. This molecular approach allows a broad insight in the total microbial ecology of the BCPW samples. By polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on the highly conserved 16S rRNA genes in this DNA pool and subsequent sequencing and bio-informatics analysis, operational taxonomic units (OTUs) could be assigned to the microbial community. The bacterial community was found to be quite diverse, with OTUs belonging to 8 different phyla (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi, Spirochetes, Chloroflexi and Deinococcus-Thermus). These results provide an overall view of the

Boom clay pore water, home of a diverse microbial community

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wouters, Katinka; Moors, Hugo; Leys, Natalie [SCK.CEN, Environment, Health and Safety Institute, B-2400 Mol (Belgium)

2012-10-15

Document available in extended abstract form only. Boom Clay pore water (BCPW) has been studied in the framework of geological disposal of nuclear waste for over two decades, thereby mainly addressing its geochemical properties. A reference composition for synthetic clay water has been derived earlier by modelling and spatial calibration efforts, mainly based on interstitial water sampled from different layers within the Boom clay. However, since microbial activity is found in a range of extreme circumstances, the possibility of microbes interacting with future radioactive waste in a host formation like Boom Clay, cannot be ignored. In this respect, BCPW was sampled from different Boom Clay layers using the Morpheus piezometer and subsequently analysed by a complementary set of microbiological and molecular techniques, in search for overall shared and abundant microorganisms. Similar to the previous characterization of the 'average' BCPW chemical composition, the primary aim of this microbiological study is to determine a representative BCPW microbial community which can be used in laboratory studies. Secondly, the in situ activity and the metabolic properties of members of this community were addressed, aiming to assess their survival and proliferation chances in repository conditions. In a first approach, total microbial DNA of the community was extracted from the BCPW samples. This molecular approach allows a broad insight in the total microbial ecology of the BCPW samples. By polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on the highly conserved 16S rRNA genes in this DNA pool and subsequent sequencing and bio-informatics analysis, operational taxonomic units (OTUs) could be assigned to the microbial community. The bacterial community was found to be quite diverse, with OTUs belonging to 8 different phyla (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi, Spirochetes, Chloroflexi and Deinococcus-Thermus). These results provide an overall view of the

Search method optimization technique for thermal design of high power RFQ structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, N.K.; Joshi, S.C.

2009-01-01

RRCAT has taken up the development of 3 MeV RFQ structure for the low energy part of 100 MeV H - ion injector linac. RFQ is a precision machined resonating structure designed for high rf duty factor. RFQ structural stability during high rf power operation is an important design issue. The thermal analysis of RFQ has been performed using ANSYS finite element analysis software and optimization of various parameters is attempted using Search Method optimization technique. It is an effective optimization technique for the systems governed by a large number of independent variables. The method involves examining a number of combinations of values of independent variables and drawing conclusions from the magnitude of the objective function at these combinations. In these methods there is a continuous improvement in the objective function throughout the course of the search and hence these methods are very efficient. The method has been employed in optimization of various parameters (called independent variables) of RFQ like cooling water flow rate, cooling water inlet temperatures, cavity thickness etc. involved in RFQ thermal design. The temperature rise within RFQ structure is the objective function during the thermal design. Using ANSYS Programming Development Language (APDL), various multiple iterative programmes are written and the analysis are performed to minimize the objective function. The dependency of the objective function on various independent variables is established and the optimum values of the parameters are evaluated. The results of the analysis are presented in the paper. (author)

Metagenomic analysis of bacterial diversity of Siloam hot water ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The bacterial diversity of Siloam hot water spring was determined using 454 pyrosequencing of two 16S rRNA variable regions V1-3 and V4-7. Analysis of the community DNA revealed that the phyla Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Bacteriodetes, Planctomycetes, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi and Verrucomicrobia were the most ...

Maintaining healthy rivers and lakes through water diversion from Yangtze River to Taihu Lake in Taihu Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wu Haoyun

2008-09-01

Full Text Available On the basis of the Taihu water resources assessment, an analysis of the importance and rationality of the water diversion from the Yangtze River to Taihu Lake in solving the water problem and establishing a harmonious eco-environment in the Taihu Basin is performed. The water quantity and water quality conjunctive dispatching decision-making support system, which ensures flood control, water supply and eco-aimed dispatching, is built by combining the water diversion with flood control dispatching and strengthening water resources monitoring and forecasting. With the practice and effect assessment, measures such as setting the integrated basin management format, further developing water diversion and improving the hydraulic engineering projects system and water monitoring system are proposed in order to maintain healthy rivers and guarantee the development of the economy and society in the Taihu Basin.

Towards robust optimal design of storm water systems

Science.gov (United States)

Marquez Calvo, Oscar; Solomatine, Dimitri

2015-04-01

In this study the focus is on the design of a storm water or a combined sewer system. Such a system should be capable to handle properly most of the storm to minimize the damages caused by flooding due to the lack of capacity of the system to cope with rain water at peak times. This problem is a multi-objective optimization problem: we have to take into account the minimization of the construction costs, the minimization of damage costs due to flooding, and possibly other criteria. One of the most important factors influencing the design of storm water systems is the expected amount of water to deal with. It is common that this infrastructure is developed with the capacity to cope with events that occur once in, say 10 or 20 years - so-called design rainfall events. However, rainfall is a random variable and such uncertainty typically is not taken explicitly into account in optimization. Rainfall design data is based on historical information of rainfalls, but many times this data is based on unreliable measures; or in not enough historical information; or as we know, the patterns of rainfall are changing regardless of historical information. There are also other sources of uncertainty influencing design, for example, leakages in the pipes and accumulation of sediments in pipes. In the context of storm water or combined sewer systems design or rehabilitation, robust optimization technique should be able to find the best design (or rehabilitation plan) within the available budget but taking into account uncertainty in those variables that were used to design the system. In this work we consider various approaches to robust optimization proposed by various authors (Gabrel, Murat, Thiele 2013; Beyer, Sendhoff 2007) and test a novel method ROPAR (Solomatine 2012) to analyze robustness. References Beyer, H.G., & Sendhoff, B. (2007). Robust optimization - A comprehensive survey. Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Engrg., 3190-3218. Gabrel, V.; Murat, C., Thiele, A. (2014

Genetic diversity and temporal variation of the marine Synechococcus community in the subtropical coastal waters of Hong Kong.

Science.gov (United States)

Jing, Hongmei; Zhang, Rui; Pointing, Stephen B; Liu, Hongbin; Qian, Peiyuan

2009-03-01

The phylogenetic diversity of the marine Synechococcus community in the subtropical coastal waters of Hong Kong, China, was examined through intergenic transcribed spacer clone libraries. All the sequences obtained fell within both marine cluster A (MC-A) and B (MC-B), with MC-A phylotypes dominating throughout the year. Distinct phylogenetic lineages specific to Hong Kong waters were detected from both MC-A and MC-B. The highest Synechococcus community diversity occurred in December, but the highest Synechococcus abundance occurred in August. On the other hand, both the abundance and diversity of Synechococcus showed a minimum in February. The remarkable seasonal variations of Synechococcus diversity observed were likely the result of the changes of hydrographic condition modulated by monsoons. Principal component analysis revealed that the in situ abiotic water characteristics, especially salinity and water turbidity, explained much of the variability of the marine Synechococcus population diversity in Hong Kong coastal waters. In addition, the temporal changes of Synechococcus abundance were largely driven by water temperature.

Experimental techniques for characterising water in wood covering the range from dry to fully water-saturated

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thybring, Emil Engelund; Kymäläinen, Maija; Rautkari, Lauri

2018-01-01

focuses on selected experimental techniques that can give deeper insights into various aspects of water in wood in the entire moisture domain from dry to fully water-saturated. These techniques fall into three broad categories: (1) gravimetric techniques that determine how much water is absorbed, (2...

Application of ion torrent sequencing to the assessment of the effect of alkali ballast water treatment on microbial community diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujimoto, Masanori; Moyerbrailean, Gregory A; Noman, Sifat; Gizicki, Jason P; Ram, Michal L; Green, Phyllis A; Ram, Jeffrey L

2014-01-01

The impact of NaOH as a ballast water treatment (BWT) on microbial community diversity was assessed using the 16S rRNA gene based Ion Torrent sequencing with its new 400 base chemistry. Ballast water samples from a Great Lakes ship were collected from the intake and discharge of both control and NaOH (pH 12) treated tanks and were analyzed in duplicates. One set of duplicates was treated with the membrane-impermeable DNA cross-linking reagent propidium mono-azide (PMA) prior to PCR amplification to differentiate between live and dead microorganisms. Ion Torrent sequencing generated nearly 580,000 reads for 31 bar-coded samples and revealed alterations of the microbial community structure in ballast water that had been treated with NaOH. Rarefaction analysis of the Ion Torrent sequencing data showed that BWT using NaOH significantly decreased microbial community diversity relative to control discharge (pPCoA) plots and UPGMA tree analysis revealed that NaOH-treated ballast water microbial communities differed from both intake communities and control discharge communities. After NaOH treatment, bacteria from the genus Alishewanella became dominant in the NaOH-treated samples, accounting for microbial community structure between PMA-processed and non-PMA samples occurred in intake water samples, which exhibited a significantly higher amount of PMA-sensitive cyanobacteria/chloroplast 16S rRNA than their corresponding non-PMA total DNA samples. The community assembly obtained using Ion Torrent sequencing was comparable to that obtained from a subset of samples that were also subjected to 454 pyrosequencing. This study showed the efficacy of alkali ballast water treatment in reducing ballast water microbial diversity and demonstrated the application of new Ion Torrent sequencing techniques to microbial community studies.

Genetic diversity of Escherichia coli isolates from surface water and groundwater in a rural environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Gambero, Maria Laura; Blarasin, Monica; Bettera, Susana; Giuliano Albo, Jesica

2017-10-01

The genetic characteristics among Escherichia coli strains can be grouped by origin of isolation. Then, it is possible to use the genotypes as a tool to determine the source of water contamination. The aim of this study was to define water aptitude for human consumption in a rural basin and to assess the diversity of E. coli water populations. Thus, it was possible to identify the main sources of fecal contamination and to explore linkages with the hydrogeological environment and land uses. The bacteriological analysis showed that more than 50% of samples were unfit for human consumption. DNA fingerprinting analysis by BOX-PCR indicated low genotypic diversity of E. coli isolates taken from surface water and groundwater. The results suggested the presence of a dominant source of fecal contamination. The relationship between low genotypic diversity and land use would prove that water contamination comes from livestock. The genetic diversity of E. coli isolated from surface water was less than that identified in groundwater because of the different hydraulic features of both environments. Furthermore, each one of the two big strain groups identified in this basin is located in different sub-basins, showing that hydrological dynamics exerts selective pressure on bacteria DNA.

Uncertainties in the Forecasted Performance of Sediment Diversions Associated with Differences Between "Optimized" Diversion Design Criteria and the Natural Crevasse-Splay Sub-Delta Life-Cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, G.

2017-12-01

Sediment diversions have been proposed as a crucial component of the restoration of Coastal Louisiana. They are generally characterized as a means of creating land by mimicking natural crevasse-splay sub-delta processes. However, the criteria that are often promoted to optimize the performance of these diversions (i.e. large, sand-rich diversions into existing, degraded wetlands) are at odds with the natural processes that govern the development of crevasse-splay sub-deltas (typically sand-lean or sand-neutral diversions into open water). This is due in large part to the fact that these optimization criteria have been developed in the absence of consideration for the natural constraints associated with fundamental hydraulics: specifically, the conservation of mechanical energy. Although the implementation of the aforementioned optimization criteria have the potential to greatly increase the land-building capacity of a given diversion, the concomitant widespread inundation of the existing wetlands (an unavoidable consequence of diverting into a shallow, vegetated embayment), and the resultant stresses on existing wetland vegetation, have the potential to dramatically accelerate the loss of these existing wetlands. Hence, there are inherent uncertainties in the forecasted performance of sediment diversions that are designed according to the criteria mentioned above. This talk details the reasons for these uncertainties, using analytic and numerical model results, together with evidence from field observations and experiments. The likelihood that, in the foreseeable future, these uncertainties can be reduced, or even rationally bounded, is discussed.

The degradation behaviour of nine diverse contaminants in urban surface water and wastewater prior to water treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Cormier, Guillaume; Barbeau, Benoit; Arp, Hans Peter H; Sauvé, Sébastien

2015-12-01

An increasing diversity of emerging contaminants are entering urban surface water and wastewater, posing unknown risks for the environment. One of the main contemporary challenges in ensuring water quality is to design efficient strategies for minimizing such risks. As a first step in such strategies, it is important to establish the fate and degradation behavior of contaminants prior to any engineered secondary water treatment. Such information is relevant for assessing treatment solutions by simple storage, or to assess the impacts of contaminant spreading in the absence of water treatment, such as during times of flooding or in areas of poor infrastructure. Therefore in this study we examined the degradation behavior of a broad array of water contaminants in actual urban surface water and wastewater, in the presence and absence of naturally occurring bacteria and at two temperatures. The chemicals included caffeine, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, atrazine, 17β-estradiol, ethinylestradiol, diclofenac, desethylatrazine and norethindrone. Little information on the degradation behavior of these pollutants in actual influent wastewater exist, nor in general in water for desethylatrazine (a transformation product of atrazine) and the synthetic hormone norethindrone. Investigations were done in aerobic conditions, in the absence of sunlight. The results suggest that all chemicals except estradiol are stable in urban surface water, and in waste water neither abiotic nor biological degradation in the absence of sunlight contribute significantly to the disappearance of desethylatrazine, atrazine, carbamazepine and diclofenac. Biological degradation in wastewater was effective at transforming norethindrone, 17β-estradiol, ethinylestradiol, caffeine and sulfamethoxazole, with measured degradation rate constants k and half-lives ranging respectively from 0.0082-0.52 d(-1) and 1.3-85 days. The obtained degradation data generally followed a pseudo-first-order-kinetic model

Maintaining healthy rivers and lakes through water diversion from Yangtze River to Taihu Lake in Taihu Basin

OpenAIRE

Wu Haoyun; Hu Yan

2008-01-01

On the basis of the Taihu water resources assessment, an analysis of the importance and rationality of the water diversion from the Yangtze River to Taihu Lake in solving the water problem and establishing a harmonious eco-environment in the Taihu Basin is performed. The water quantity and water quality conjunctive dispatching decision-making support system, which ensures flood control, water supply and eco-aimed dispatching, is built by combining the water diversion with flood control dispat...

Alternating current techniques for corrosion monitoring in water reactor systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isaacs, H.S.; Weeks, J.R.

1977-01-01

Corrosion in both nuclear and fossil fueled steam generators is generally a consequence of the presence of aggressive impurities introduced into the coolant system through condenser leakage. The impurities concentrate in regions of the steam generator protected from coolant flow, in crevices or under deposited corrosion products and adjacent to heat transfer surfaces. These three factors, the aggressive impurity, crevice type areas and heat transfer surfaces appear to be the requirements for the onset of rapid corrosion. Under conditions where coolant impurities do not concentrate the corrosion rates are low, easily measured and can be accounted for by allowances in the design of the steam generator. Rapid corrosion conditions cannot be designed for and must be suppressed. The condition of the surfaces when rapid corrosion develops must be markedly different from those during normal operation and these changes should be observable using electrochemical techniques. This background formed the basis of a design of a corrosion monitoring device, work on which was initiated at BNL. The basic principles of the technique are described. The object of the work is to develop a corrosion monitoring device which can be operated with PWR steam generator secondary coolant feed water

Tools and techniques for product design

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lutters, Diederick; Houten, Fred J.A.M.; Bernard, Alain; Mermoz, Emmanuel; Schutte, Corné S.L.

2014-01-01

For product designers, tools and techniques are essential in driving the design cycle. Nevertheless, their employment usually is implicit, while passing over e.g. the design and project environments empowering their adequate use. This publication presents an overview of approaches in structuring and

Using turbidity for designing water networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Castaño, J A; Higuita, J C

2016-05-01

Some methods to design water networks with minimum fresh water consumption are based on the selection of a key contaminant. In most of these "single contaminant methods", a maximum allowable concentration of contaminants must be established in water demands and water sources. Turbidity is not a contaminant concentration but is a property that represents the "sum" of other contaminants, with the advantage that it can be cheaper and easily measured than biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, dissolved solids, among others. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate that turbidity can be used directly in the design of water networks just like any other contaminant concentration. A mathematical demonstration is presented and in order to validate the mathematical results, the design of a water network for a guava fudge production process is performed. The material recovery pinch diagram and nearest neighbors algorithm were used for the design of the water network. Nevertheless, this water network could be designed using other single contaminant methodologies. The maximum error between the expected and the real turbidity values in the water network was 3.3%. These results corroborate the usefulness of turbidity in the design of water networks. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Research of water resources allocation of South-to-North Water Diversion East Route Project in Jiangsu Province ,Eastern China

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, C.

2015-12-01

Optimized allocation of water resources is the important means of solving regional water shortage and can improve the utilization of water resources. Water resources allocation in the large-scale water diversion project area is the current research focus. This research takes the east route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project in Jiangsu province as the research area, based on the hydrological model, agricultural irrigation quota model, and water project scheduling model, a water resources allocation model was constructed. The research carried on generalized regional water supply network, simulated the water supply, water demand and water deficit in agriculture, industry, life, ecology and lock under the status quo and planning engineering conditions. According to the results, the east route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project is helpful to improve regional water shortage situation. The results showed that pump output increase by 2.8 billion cubic meters of water. On the conditions of P = 95%, 75% and 50%, compared with the benchmark year, water demand increases slightly due to the need of social and economic development in planning years, and water supply increased significantly because of new diversion ability. Water deficit are greatly reduced by 74.9% especially in the commonly drought condition because of the new project operation and optimized allocation of water resources.

Field soil-water properties measured through radiation techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-07-01

This report shows a major effort to make soil physics applicable to the behaviour of the field soils and presents a rich and diverse set of data which are essential for the development of effective soil-water management practices that improve and conserve the quality and quantity of agricultural lands. This piece of research has shown that the neutron moisture meter together with some complementary instruments like tensiometers, can be used not only to measure soil water contents but also be extremely handy to measure soil hydraulic characteristics and soil water flow. It is, however, recognized that hydraulic conductivity is highly sensitive to small changes in soil water content and texture, being extremely variable spatially and temporally

Water Vapor Remote Sensing Techniques: Radiometry and Solar Spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Somieski, A.; Buerki, B.; Cocard, M.; Geiger, A.; Kahle, H.-G.

The high variability of atmospheric water vapor content plays an important role in space geodesy, climatology and meteorology. Water vapor has a strong influence on transatmospheric satellite signals, the Earth's climate and thus the weather forecasting. Several remote sensing techniques have been developed for the determination of inte- grated precipitable water vapor (IPWV). The Geodesy and Geodynamics Lab (GGL) utilizes the methods of Water Vapor Radiometry and Solar Spectrometry to quantify the amount of tropospheric water vapor and its temporal variations. The Water Vapor Radiometer (WVR) measures the radiation intensity of the atmosphere in a frequency band ranging from 20 to 32 GHz. The Solar Atmospheric MOnitoring Spectrome- ter (SAMOS) of GGL is designed for high-resolution measurements of water vapor absorption lines using solar radiation. In the framework of the ESCOMPTE (ExpÊrience sur Site pour COntraindre les Mod- Éles de Pollution atmosphÊrique et de Transport d'Emissions) field campaign these instruments have been operated near Marseille in 2001. They have aquired a long time series of integrated precipitable water vapor content (IPWV). The accuracy of IPWV measured by WVR and SAMOS is 1 kg/m2. Furthermore meteorological data from radiosondes were used to calculate the IPWV in order to provide comparisons with the results of WVR and SAMOS. The methods of Water Vapor Radiometry and So- lar Spectrometry will be discussed and first preliminary results retrieved from WVR, SAMOS and radiosondes during the ESCOMPTE field campaign will be presented.

Design considerations for a transparent mode group diversity multiplexing link

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tsekrekos, C.; Martinez, A.; Huijskens, Frans; Koonen, A.M.J.

2006-01-01

Mode group diversity multiplexing (MGDM) is an optical multiple-input-multiple-output technique that aims at creating independent communication channels over a multimode fiber, using subsets of propagating modes. This letter deals with the analysis of an MGDM point-to-point link, transparent to the

Experimental design techniques in statistical practice a practical software-based approach

CERN Document Server

Gardiner, W P

1998-01-01

Provides an introduction to the diverse subject area of experimental design, with many practical and applicable exercises to help the reader understand, present and analyse the data. The pragmatic approach offers technical training for use of designs and teaches statistical and non-statistical skills in design and analysis of project studies throughout science and industry. Provides an introduction to the diverse subject area of experimental design and includes practical and applicable exercises to help understand, present and analyse the data Offers technical training for use of designs and teaches statistical and non-statistical skills in design and analysis of project studies throughout science and industry Discusses one-factor designs and blocking designs, factorial experimental designs, Taguchi methods and response surface methods, among other topics.

8. Algorithm Design Techniques

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 2; Issue 8. Algorithms - Algorithm Design Techniques. R K Shyamasundar. Series Article Volume 2 ... Author Affiliations. R K Shyamasundar1. Computer Science Group, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai 400 005, India ...

Effects of Water Diversion from Yangtze River to Lake Taihu on the Phytoplankton Habitat of the Wangyu River Channel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiangyu Dai

2018-06-01

Full Text Available To reveal the effects of water diversion from the Yangtze River to Lake Taihu on the phytoplankton habitat of the main water transfer channel of the Wangyu River, we investigated the water’s physicochemical parameters and phytoplankton communities during the water diversion and non-diversion periods over the winters between 2014–2016, respectively. During the water diversion periods in the winter of 2014 and 2015, the nutrients and organic pollutant contents of the Wangyu River channel were significantly lower than those during the non-diversion period in 2016. Moreover, the phytoplankton diversities and relative proportions of Bacillariophyta during the diversion periods evidently increased during the water diversion periods in winter. The increase in the water turbidity content, the decrease in the contents of the permanganate index, and the total phosphorus explained only 21.4% of the variations in the phytoplankton communities between the diversion and non-diversion periods in winter, which revealed significant contributions of the allochthonous species from the Yangtze River and tributaries of the Wangyu River to phytoplankton communities in the Wangyu River. The increasing gradient in the contents of nutrients and organic pollutants from the Yangtze River to Lake Taihu indicated the potential allochthonous pollutant inputs along with the Wangyu River. Further controlling the pollutants from the tributaries of the Wangyu River is critical in order to improve the phytoplankton habitats in river channels and Lake Taihu.

Waveform Diversity and Design for Interoperating Radar Systems

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

University Di Pisa Department Di Ingegneria Dell Informazione Elettronica, Informatica , Telecomunicazioni Via Girolamo Caruso 16 Pisa, Italy 56122...NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) University Di Pisa Department Di Ingegneria Dell Informazione Elettronica, Informatica ...DIPARTIMENTO DI INGEGNERIA DELL’INFORMAZIONE ELETTRONICA, INFORMATICA , TELECOMUNICAZIONI WAVEFORM DIVERSITY AND DESIGN FOR INTEROPERATING

A reduced scale two loop PWR core designed with particle swarm optimization technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima Junior, Carlos A. Souza; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A; Lapa, Celso M.F.; Cunha, Joao J.; Alvim, Antonio C.M.

2007-01-01

Reduced scale experiments are often employed in engineering projects because they are much cheaper than real scale testing. Unfortunately, designing reduced scale thermal-hydraulic circuit or equipment, with the capability of reproducing, both accurately and simultaneously, all physical phenomena that occur in real scale and at operating conditions, is a difficult task. To solve this problem, advanced optimization techniques, such as Genetic Algorithms, have been applied. Following this research line, we have performed investigations, using the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) Technique, to design a reduced scale two loop Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) core, considering 100% of nominal power and non accidental operating conditions. Obtained results show that the proposed methodology is a promising approach for forced flow reduced scale experiments. (author)

Engaging Gatekeepers, Optimizing Decision Making, and Mitigating Bias: Design Specifications for Systemic Diversity Interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Vinkenburg, Claartje J

2017-06-01

In this contribution to the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science Special Issue on Understanding Diversity Dynamics in Systems: Social Equality as an Organization Change Issue, I develop and describe design specifications for systemic diversity interventions in upward mobility career systems, aimed at optimizing decision making through mitigating bias by engaging gatekeepers. These interventions address the paradox of meritocracy that underlies the surprising lack of diversity at the top of the career pyramid in these systems. I ground the design specifications in the limited empirical evidence on "what works" in systemic interventions. Specifically, I describe examples from interventions in academic settings, including a bias literacy program, participatory modeling, and participant observation. The design specifications, paired with inspirational examples of successful interventions, should assist diversity officers and consultants in designing and implementing interventions to promote the advancement to and representation of nondominant group members at the top of the organizational hierarchy.

Technique for designing a domain ontology

OpenAIRE

Palagin, A. V.; Petrenko, N. G.; Malakhov, K. S.

2018-01-01

The article describes the technique for designing a domain ontology, shows the flowchart of algorithm design and example of constructing a fragment of the ontology of the subject area of Computer Science is considered.

Design and operation problems related to water curtain system for underground water-sealed oil storage caverns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhongkui Li

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The underground water-sealed storage technique is critically important and generally accepted for the national energy strategy in China. Although several small underground water-sealed oil storage caverns have been built in China since the 1970s, there is still a lack of experience for large-volume underground storage in complicated geological conditions. The current design concept of water curtain system and the technical instruction for system operation have limitations in maintaining the stability of surrounding rock mass during the construction of the main storage caverns, as well as the long-term stability. Although several large-scale underground oil storage projects are under construction at present in China, the design concepts and construction methods, especially for the water curtain system, are mainly based on the ideal porosity medium flow theory and the experiences gained from the similar projects overseas. The storage projects currently constructed in China have the specific features such as huge scale, large depth, multiple-level arrangement, high seepage pressure, complicated geological conditions, and high in situ stresses, which are the challenging issues for the stability of the storage caverns. Based on years' experiences obtained from the first large-scale (millions of cubic meters underground water-sealed oil storage project in China, some design and operation problems related to water curtain system during project construction are discussed. The drawbacks and merits of the water curtain system are also presented. As an example, the conventional concept of “filling joints with water” is widely used in many cases, as a basic concept for the design of the water curtain system, but it is immature. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the conventional concept are pointed out, with respect to the long-term stability as well as the safety of construction of storage caverns. Finally, new concepts and principles

Use of Isotopes in Assessing the Response of Groundwater to Cross-Catchments Water Diversion in the Tarim Basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pang, Z.; Huang, T.; Kong, Y. [Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)

2013-07-15

Since 2000, more than 2 billion m{sup 3} of water has been diverted from the Peacock River to the neighbouring Lower Tarim River in NW China via a 900 km canal for ecosystem rescue by cross-catchment water diversion. Isotope techniques have been used in the riparian groundwater- river interactions along the 350 km long river channel through sampling of monitoring wells and river stream as well as soil profiles. Stable isotopes ({delta}{sup 2}H, {delta} {sup 18}O) show that groundwater is enriched in heavy isotopes, attributed to evaporation during recharge. Tritium data show that the extent of modern recharge is limited to 600-1500 m from the riverbank in the middle reaches and 200-600 m in the lower reaches. The salinity of groundwater is affected by river recharge, residence time and evapotranspiration. The zone of appropriate water table for arid plants is confined to a narrow scope. The assessment calls for a more favourable water allocation and management scheme catchment wide. (author)

Reliability analysis techniques in power plant design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, N.E.

1981-01-01

An overview of reliability analysis techniques is presented as applied to power plant design. The key terms, power plant performance, reliability, availability and maintainability are defined. Reliability modeling, methods of analysis and component reliability data are briefly reviewed. Application of reliability analysis techniques from a design engineering approach to improving power plant productivity is discussed. (author)

Species Diversity of Shallow Water Zoanthids (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia in Florida

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Davis Reimer

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Shallow water zooxanthellate zoanthids are a common component of the coral reef ecosystems of the Caribbean. Despite this, their species diversity remains poorly understood. In this study, collected Palythoa, Zoanthus, Isaurus, and Terrazoanthus specimens from the waters of Florida were phylogenetically examined to obtain a better understanding of zoanthid species diversity in the Caribbean. Surprisingly, the results from analyses utilizing three DNA markers (mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA, cytochrome oxidase subunit I, and the internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA showed the presence of at least eleven species, of which up to four appear undescribed. Additionally, the presence of the genus Terrazoanthus in the Caribbean was confirmed for the first time. Attempts to match phylogenetic species or clades with original literature were hampered by vague and short original descriptions, and it is clear that for Atlantic Palythoa and Zoanthus species an in-depth and multidisciplinary investigation is needed to reconcile recent phylogenetic results such as in this study with traditional taxonomy. Furthermore, most shallow water zoanthid species from Florida were observed to have close, sister-species relationships with previously investigated species in the Pacific Ocean. These results indicate that many brachycnemic zoanthid species likely had a Caribbean-Pacific distribution until the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. However, due to inadvertent redescriptions, overall species diversity in these two common genera is likely much lower than literature indicates.

Fade Mitigation Techniques at Ka-Band

Science.gov (United States)

Dissanayake, Asoka (Editor)

1996-01-01

Rain fading is the dominant propagation impairment affecting Ka-band satellite links and rain fade mitigation is a key element in the design of Ka-band satellite networks. Some of the common fade mitigation techniques include: power control, diversity, adaptive coding, and resource sharing. The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) provides an excellent opportunity to develop and test Ka-band rain impairment amelioration techniques. Up-link power control and diversity are discussed in this paper.

Domestic wash water reclamation for reuse as commode water supply using filtration: Reverse-osmosis separation technique

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, J. B., Jr.; Batten, C. E.; Wilkins, J. R.

1974-01-01

A combined filtration-reverse-osmosis water recovery system has been evaluated to determine its capability to reclaim domestic wash water for reuse as a commode water supply. The system produced water that met all chemical and physical requirements established by the U.S. Public Health Service for drinking water with the exception of carbon chloroform extractables, methylene blue active substances, and phenols. It is thought that this water is of sufficient quality to be reused as commode supply water. The feasibility of using a combined filtration and reverse-osmosis technique for reclaiming domestic wash water has been established. The use of such a technique for wash-water recovery will require a maintenance filter to remove solid materials including those less than 1 micron in size from the wash water. The reverse-osmosis module, if sufficiently protected from plugging, is an attractive low-energy technique for removing contaminants from domestic wash water.

Isotope techniques in water resources development 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

Water resources are scarce in many parts of the world. Often, the only water resource is groundwater. Overuse usually invites a rapid decline in groundwater resources which are recharged insufficiently, or not at all, by prevailing climatic conditions. These and other problems currently encountered in hydrology and associated environmental fields have prompted an increasing demand for the utilization of isotope methods. Such methods have been recognized as being indispensable for solving problems such as the identification of pollution sources, characterization of palaeowater resources, evaluation of recharge and evaporative discharge under arid and semi-arid conditions, reconstruction of past climates, study of the interrelationships between surface and groundwater, dating of groundwater and validation of contaminant transport models. Moreover, in combination with other hydrogeological and geochemical methods, isotope techniques can provide useful hydrological information, such as data on the origin, replenishment and dynamics of groundwater. It was against this background that the International Atomic Energy Agency, in co-operation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, organized this symposium on the Use of Isotope Techniques in Water Resources Development, which took place in Vienna from 11 to 15 March 1991. The main themes of the symposium were the use of isotope techniques in solving practical problems of water resources assessment and development, particularly with respect to groundwater protection, and in studying environmental problems related to water, including palaeohydrological and palaeoclimatological problems. A substantial part of the oral presentations was concerned with the present state and trends in groundwater dating, and with some methodological aspects. These proceedings contain the papers of 37 oral and the extended synopses of 47 poster

How diversity gets lost: Age and gender in design practices of information and communication technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Oudshoorn, Nelly; Neven, Louis; Stienstra, Marcelle

2016-01-01

This article adopts an intersectional approach to investigate how age, gender, and diversity are represented, silenced, or prioritized in design. Based on a comparative study of design practices of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for young girls and older people, this article describes differences and similarities in the ways in which designers tried to cope with diversity. Ultimately diversity was neglected, and the developers relied on hegemonic views of gender and age, constructed older people and young girls as an "other," and consequently their input was neglected. These views were thus materialized in design and reinforce such views in powerful yet unobtrusive ways.

Discussion on Stochastic Analysis of Hydraulic Vibration in Pressurized Water Diversion and Hydropower Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianxu Zhou

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic vibration exists in various water conveyance projects and has resulted in different operating problems, but its obvious effects on system’s pressure head and stable operation have not been definitively addressed in the issued codes for engineering design, especially considering the uncertainties of hydraulic vibration. After detailed analysis of the randomness in hydraulic vibration and the commonly used stochastic approaches, in the basic equations for hydraulic vibration analysis, the random parameters and the formed stochastic equations were discussed for further probabilistic characteristic analysis of the random variables. Furthermore, preliminary investigation of the stochastic analysis of hydraulic vibration in pressurized pipelines and possible self-excited vibration in pumped-storage systems was presented for further consideration. The detailed discussion indicates that it is necessary to conduct further and systematic stochastic analysis of hydraulic vibration. Further, with the obtained frequencies and amplitudes in the form of a probability statement, the stochastic characteristics of various hydraulic vibrations can be investigated in detail and these solutions will be more reasonable for practical applications. Eventually, the stochastic analysis of hydraulic vibration will provide a basic premise to introduce its effect into the engineering design of water diversion and hydropower systems.

Waste Water Disposal Design And Management I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Sang Hyeon; Lee, Jung Su

2004-04-01

This book gives descriptions of waste water disposal, design and management, which includes design of waterworks and sewerage facility such as preparatory work and building plan, used waste water disposal facilities, waste water disposal plant and industrial waste water disposal facilities, water use of waste water disposal plant and design of pump and pump facilities such as type and characteristic, selection and plan, screening and grit.

Microbial Species Diversity, Community Dynamics, and Metabolite Kinetics of Water Kefir Fermentation

Science.gov (United States)

Laureys, David

2014-01-01

Water kefir is a sour, alcoholic, and fruity fermented beverage of which the fermentation is started with water kefir grains. These water kefir grains consist of polysaccharide and contain the microorganisms responsible for the water kefir fermentation. In this work, a water kefir fermentation process was followed as a function of time during 192 h to unravel the community dynamics, the species diversity, and the kinetics of substrate consumption and metabolite production. The majority of the water kefir ecosystem was found to be present on the water kefir grains. The most important microbial species present were Lactobacillus casei/paracasei, Lactobacillus harbinensis, Lactobacillus hilgardii, Bifidobacterium psychraerophilum/crudilactis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Dekkera bruxellensis. The microbial species diversities in the water kefir liquor and on the water kefir grains were similar and remained stable during the whole fermentation process. The major substrate, sucrose, was completely converted after 24 h of fermentation, which coincided with the production of the major part of the water kefir grain polysaccharide. The main metabolites of the fermentation were ethanol and lactic acid. Glycerol, acetic acid, and mannitol were produced in low concentrations. The major part of these metabolites was produced during the first 72 h of fermentation, during which the pH decreased from 4.26 to 3.45. The most prevalent volatile aroma compounds were ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and ethyl decanoate, which might be of significance with respect to the aroma of the end product. PMID:24532061

Microbial species diversity, community dynamics, and metabolite kinetics of water kefir fermentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Laureys, David; De Vuyst, Luc

2014-04-01

Water kefir is a sour, alcoholic, and fruity fermented beverage of which the fermentation is started with water kefir grains. These water kefir grains consist of polysaccharide and contain the microorganisms responsible for the water kefir fermentation. In this work, a water kefir fermentation process was followed as a function of time during 192 h to unravel the community dynamics, the species diversity, and the kinetics of substrate consumption and metabolite production. The majority of the water kefir ecosystem was found to be present on the water kefir grains. The most important microbial species present were Lactobacillus casei/paracasei, Lactobacillus harbinensis, Lactobacillus hilgardii, Bifidobacterium psychraerophilum/crudilactis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Dekkera bruxellensis. The microbial species diversities in the water kefir liquor and on the water kefir grains were similar and remained stable during the whole fermentation process. The major substrate, sucrose, was completely converted after 24 h of fermentation, which coincided with the production of the major part of the water kefir grain polysaccharide. The main metabolites of the fermentation were ethanol and lactic acid. Glycerol, acetic acid, and mannitol were produced in low concentrations. The major part of these metabolites was produced during the first 72 h of fermentation, during which the pH decreased from 4.26 to 3.45. The most prevalent volatile aroma compounds were ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and ethyl decanoate, which might be of significance with respect to the aroma of the end product.

Soft computing techniques toward modeling the water supplies of Cyprus.

Science.gov (United States)

Iliadis, L; Maris, F; Tachos, S

2011-10-01

This research effort aims in the application of soft computing techniques toward water resources management. More specifically, the target is the development of reliable soft computing models capable of estimating the water supply for the case of "Germasogeia" mountainous watersheds in Cyprus. Initially, ε-Regression Support Vector Machines (ε-RSVM) and fuzzy weighted ε-RSVMR models have been developed that accept five input parameters. At the same time, reliable artificial neural networks have been developed to perform the same job. The 5-fold cross validation approach has been employed in order to eliminate bad local behaviors and to produce a more representative training data set. Thus, the fuzzy weighted Support Vector Regression (SVR) combined with the fuzzy partition has been employed in an effort to enhance the quality of the results. Several rational and reliable models have been produced that can enhance the efficiency of water policy designers. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design and Development of Low-Cost Water Tunnel for Educational Purpose

Science.gov (United States)

Zahari, M.; Dol, S. S.

2015-04-01

The hydrodynamic behaviour of immersed body is essential in fluid dynamics study. Water tunnel is an example of facility required to provide a controlled condition for fluid flow research. The operational principle of water tunnel is quite similar to the wind tunnel but with different working fluid and higher flow-pumping capacity. Flow visualization in wind tunnel is more difficult to conduct as turbulent flows in wind dissipate quickly whilst water tunnel is more suitable for such purpose due to higher fluid viscosity and wide variety of visualization techniques can be employed. The present work focusses on the design and development of open flow water tunnel for the purpose of studying vortex-induced vibration from turbulent vortex shedding phenomenon. The water tunnel is designed to provide a steady and uniform flow speed within the test section area. Construction details are discussed for development of low-cost water tunnel for quantitative and qualitative fluid flow measurements. The water tunnel can also be used for educational purpose such as fluid dynamics class activity to provide quick access to visualization medium for better understanding of various turbulence motion learnt in class.

Techniques for internal water curing of concrete

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Ole Mejlhede; Pietro, Lura

2003-01-01

This paper gives an overview of different techniques for incorporation of internal curing water in concrete. Internal curing can be used to mitigate self-desiccation and self-desiccation shrinkage. Some concretes may need 50 kg/m3 of internal curing water for this purpose. The price of the internal...

Analysis and Construction of Full-Diversity Joint Network-LDPC Codes for Cooperative Communications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Capirone Daniele

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Transmit diversity is necessary in harsh environments to reduce the required transmit power for achieving a given error performance at a certain transmission rate. In networks, cooperative communication is a well-known technique to yield transmit diversity and network coding can increase the spectral efficiency. These two techniques can be combined to achieve a double diversity order for a maximum coding rate on the Multiple-Access Relay Channel (MARC, where two sources share a common relay in their transmission to the destination. However, codes have to be carefully designed to obtain the intrinsic diversity offered by the MARC. This paper presents the principles to design a family of full-diversity LDPC codes with maximum rate. Simulation of the word error rate performance of the new proposed family of LDPC codes for the MARC confirms the full diversity.

DEVELOPMENT OF RAPID TECHNIQUE FOR DETERMINATION OF THE TOTAL MINERALIZATION OF NATURAL WATERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. A. Kuchmenko

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A new approach has been proposed for rapid and easy evaluation of a indicator of quality and properties of natural water - soluble salt content (mineralization. The method of quartz crystal microbalance is employed at load of the mass-sensitive resonator electrode (BAW-type with investigated water. The degree of correlation between the various indicators related to the contents of salts and insoluble compounds and the level of mineralization obtained by the standard method (gravimetry has been studied. A procedure for salt weighing by single sensor at unilateral load with small sample of natural water has been developed. The optimal conditions for measurement is established using the design of experiment by model 23 . The possibilities of quartz crystal microbalance for determination of non-volatile compounds in the water are described. The calibration of piezosensor is produced by standard solution NaCl (c = 1.000 g / dm3 at optimal conditions of experiment. The adequacy and accuracy of proposed technique is assessed by the correlation between the results of quartz crystal microbalance and conductometry. The correlation between indicators of mineralization established by quartz crystal microbalance and gravimetry is found. It has been obtained an equation that can be used to calculate the standard indicator of the mineralization by the results of a quartz crystal microbalance using single sensor. The approaches to enhance the analytical capabilities of the developed technique for water with low and high mineralization are proposed. The metrological characteristics of quartz crystal microbalance of insoluble compounds in natural water are estimated. A new technique of determination of the mass concentration of the dry residue in water with a conductivity of 0.2 mS or above has been developed, which can be used for rapid analysis of the water at nonlaboratory conditions and in the laboratory for rapid obtaining the information about a sample.

Application of ion torrent sequencing to the assessment of the effect of alkali ballast water treatment on microbial community diversity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masanori Fujimoto

Full Text Available The impact of NaOH as a ballast water treatment (BWT on microbial community diversity was assessed using the 16S rRNA gene based Ion Torrent sequencing with its new 400 base chemistry. Ballast water samples from a Great Lakes ship were collected from the intake and discharge of both control and NaOH (pH 12 treated tanks and were analyzed in duplicates. One set of duplicates was treated with the membrane-impermeable DNA cross-linking reagent propidium mono-azide (PMA prior to PCR amplification to differentiate between live and dead microorganisms. Ion Torrent sequencing generated nearly 580,000 reads for 31 bar-coded samples and revealed alterations of the microbial community structure in ballast water that had been treated with NaOH. Rarefaction analysis of the Ion Torrent sequencing data showed that BWT using NaOH significantly decreased microbial community diversity relative to control discharge (p<0.001. UniFrac distance based principal coordinate analysis (PCoA plots and UPGMA tree analysis revealed that NaOH-treated ballast water microbial communities differed from both intake communities and control discharge communities. After NaOH treatment, bacteria from the genus Alishewanella became dominant in the NaOH-treated samples, accounting for <0.5% of the total reads in intake samples but more than 50% of the reads in the treated discharge samples. The only apparent difference in microbial community structure between PMA-processed and non-PMA samples occurred in intake water samples, which exhibited a significantly higher amount of PMA-sensitive cyanobacteria/chloroplast 16S rRNA than their corresponding non-PMA total DNA samples. The community assembly obtained using Ion Torrent sequencing was comparable to that obtained from a subset of samples that were also subjected to 454 pyrosequencing. This study showed the efficacy of alkali ballast water treatment in reducing ballast water microbial diversity and demonstrated the application of new

Architectural design influences the diversity and structure of the built environment microbiome.

Science.gov (United States)

Kembel, Steven W; Jones, Evan; Kline, Jeff; Northcutt, Dale; Stenson, Jason; Womack, Ann M; Bohannan, Brendan Jm; Brown, G Z; Green, Jessica L

2012-08-01

Buildings are complex ecosystems that house trillions of microorganisms interacting with each other, with humans and with their environment. Understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes that determine the diversity and composition of the built environment microbiome--the community of microorganisms that live indoors--is important for understanding the relationship between building design, biodiversity and human health. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene to quantify relationships between building attributes and airborne bacterial communities at a health-care facility. We quantified airborne bacterial community structure and environmental conditions in patient rooms exposed to mechanical or window ventilation and in outdoor air. The phylogenetic diversity of airborne bacterial communities was lower indoors than outdoors, and mechanically ventilated rooms contained less diverse microbial communities than did window-ventilated rooms. Bacterial communities in indoor environments contained many taxa that are absent or rare outdoors, including taxa closely related to potential human pathogens. Building attributes, specifically the source of ventilation air, airflow rates, relative humidity and temperature, were correlated with the diversity and composition of indoor bacterial communities. The relative abundance of bacteria closely related to human pathogens was higher indoors than outdoors, and higher in rooms with lower airflow rates and lower relative humidity. The observed relationship between building design and airborne bacterial diversity suggests that we can manage indoor environments, altering through building design and operation the community of microbial species that potentially colonize the human microbiome during our time indoors.

Cost-effective ERT technique for oil-in-water measurement for offshore hydrocyclone installations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Durdevic, Petar; Hansen, Leif; Mai, Christian

2015-01-01

The goal of this paper is to introduce and design a cost-effective Oil-in-Water (OiW) measuring instrument, which will be investigated for its value in increasing the efficiency of a deoiling hydrocyclone. The technique investigated is based on Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), which basic...... principle is to measure the resistivity of substances from multiple electrodes and from these measurements create a 2-D image of the oil and gas component in the water. This technique requires the measured components to have different electrical resistances, such as seawater which has a lower electrical...... resistance than hydrocarbon oil and gas. This work involves construction of a pilot plant, for testing the feasibility of ERT for OiW measurements, and further exploring if this measured signal can be applied as a reliable feedback signal in optimization of the hydrocyclone's efficiency. Different algorithms...

Cost-Effective ERT Technique for Oil-in-Water Measurement for Offshore Hydrocyclone Installations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Løhndorf, Petar Durdevic; Hansen, Leif; Mai, Christian

2015-01-01

The goal of this paper is to introduce and design a cost-effective Oil-in-Water (OiW) measuring instrument, which will be investigated for its value in increasing the efficiency of a deoiling hydrocyclone. The technique investigated is based on Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), which basic...... principle is to measure the resistivity of substances from multiple electrodes and from these measurements create a 2-D image of the oil and gas component in the water. This technique requires the measured components to have different electrical resistances, such as seawater which has a lower electrical...... resistance than hydrocarbon oil and gas. This work involves construction of a pilot plant, for testing the feasibility of ERT for OiW measurements, and further exploring if this measured signal can be applied as a reliable feedback signal in optimization of the hydrocyclone's efficiency. Different algorithms...

Diversity of Metabolically Active Bacteria in Water-Flooded High-Temperature Heavy Oil Reservoir

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tamara N. Nazina

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The goal of this work was to study the overall genomic diversity of microorganisms of the Dagang high-temperature oilfield (PRC and to characterize the metabolically active fraction of these populations. At this water-flooded oilfield, the microbial community of formation water from the near-bottom zone of an injection well where the most active microbial processes of oil degradation occur was investigated using molecular, cultural, radiotracer, and physicochemical techniques. The samples of microbial DNA and RNA from back-flushed water were used to obtain the clone libraries for the 16S rRNA gene and cDNA of 16S rRNA, respectively. The DNA-derived clone libraries were found to contain bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes and the alkB genes encoding alkane monooxygenases similar to those encoded by alkB-geo1 and alkB-geo6 of geobacilli. The 16S rRNA genes of methanogens (Methanomethylovorans, Methanoculleus, Methanolinea, Methanothrix, and Methanocalculus were predominant in the DNA-derived library of Archaea cloned sequences; among the bacterial sequences, the 16S rRNA genes of members of the genus Geobacillus were the most numerous. The RNA-derived library contained only bacterial cDNA of the 16S rRNA sequences belonging to metabolically active aerobic organotrophic bacteria (Tepidimonas, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, as well as of denitrifying (Azoarcus, Tepidiphilus, Calditerrivibrio, fermenting (Bellilinea, iron-reducing (Geobacter, and sulfate- and sulfur-reducing bacteria (Desulfomicrobium, Desulfuromonas. The presence of the microorganisms of the main functional groups revealed by molecular techniques was confirmed by the results of cultural, radioisotope, and geochemical research. Functioning of the mesophilic and thermophilic branches was shown for the microbial food chain of the near-bottom zone of the injection well, which included the microorganisms of the carbon, sulfur, iron, and nitrogen cycles.

Evaluation of Modern Irrigation Techniques with Brackish Water

OpenAIRE

Aboulila, Tarek Selim

2012-01-01

Modern irrigation techniques are becoming increasingly important in water-scarce countries especially in arid and semiarid regions. Higher crop production and better water use efficiency are usually achieved by drip irrigation as compared to other irrigation methods. Furthermore, by using drip irrigation simultaneously with brackish irrigation water, some of the water stress due to shortage of fresh water resources can be managed. The objective of the current study was to investigate the infl...

Inclusive college teaching: universal design for instruction and diverse learners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joan M. McGuire

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Shifts in enrollment patterns are affecting college classrooms and elements of teaching ranging from options for delivering course materials online to multiple methods of assessing learning. With the enrollment of more diverse college learners comes a call to intentionally design instruction that is more inclusive and responsive to multiple learning styles. The notion of Universal Design for Instruction (UDI is examined from its roots in the architectural field to its application as a model for teaching that anticipates diversity including students with disabilities. Principles of UDI are defined, and pedagogical examples are provided. Several implementation projects based on the UDI concept are described as are preliminary results regarding outcomes. Substantive issues are identified that have bearing on the direction this innovative idea will take over the next several years.

Solar water heater design package

Science.gov (United States)

1981-01-01

Package describes commercial domestic-hot-water heater with roof or rack mounted solar collectors. System is adjustable to pre-existing gas or electric hot-water house units. Design package includes drawings, description of automatic control logic, evaluation measurements, possible design variations, list of materials and installation tools, and trouble-shooting guide and manual.

Investigation for Water Propagation at PEMFC with Single Channel by Neutron Imaging Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Tae Joo; Sim, Cheul Muu; Kim, Jong Rok; Kim, Moo Hwan

2008-01-01

Effective water management increases performance and durability of the Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel cell(PEMFC). The membrane in PEMFC must be sufficiently hydrated because its conductivity relies primarily on the humidity state of the membrane. Since water is generated as a by-product when the fuel cell is generating power, this water source can be said to be a 'disturbance' to any water management system, which is trying to maintain proper humidity level without flooding. Since water is generated throughout the active area, the downstream area can be flooded even when the upstream area is under-saturated. This creates a challenging environment for water management, which adversely affects the efficiency and reliability in the operation of the PEMFC. Although there are many researches for the water management, their interests are limited on the performance. However, the fundamental information of water propagation characteristics is needed to make a scheme for water management. In this study, we used specially designed PEMFC with only single channel, and the water propagation was investigated according to the channel location by neutron imaging technique

Filamentous cyanoprokaryotes (Cyanoprokaryota/Cyanobacteria in standing waters of Bulgaria: diversity and ecology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PLAMEN STOYANOV

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Cyanoprokaryotes are widespread organisms, which dominate in different water basins. In the present study, we have investigated the diversity of this group and related physicochemical parameters in 35 standing water basins in Bulgaria. We found 29 cyanoprokaryotic species, which belong to 13 genera from the orders Synechococcales, Spirulinales and Oscillatoriales. The frequency quotient of each species was calculated. Information about the distribution of the identified species and typology of the water basins is also provided.

Decision support toolkit for integrated analysis and design of reclaimed water infrastructure.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Eun Jung; Criddle, Craig S; Geza, Mengistu; Cath, Tzahi Y; Freyberg, David L

2018-05-01

Planning of water reuse systems is a complex endeavor. We have developed a software toolkit, IRIPT (Integrated Urban Reclaimed Water Infrastructure Planning Toolkit) that facilitates planning and design of reclaimed water infrastructure for both centralized and hybrid configurations that incorporate satellite treatment plants (STPs). The toolkit includes a Pipeline Designer (PRODOT) that optimizes routing and sizing of pipelines for wastewater capture and reclaimed water distribution, a Selector (SelWTP) that assembles and optimizes wastewater treatment trains, and a Calculator (CalcBenefit) that estimates fees, revenues, and subsidies of alternative designs. For hybrid configurations, a Locator (LocSTP) optimizes siting of STPs and associated wastewater diversions by identifying manhole locations where the flowrates are sufficient to ensure that wastewater extracted and treated at an adjacent STP can generate the revenue needed to pay for treatment and delivery to customers. Practical local constraints are also applied to screen and identify STP locations. Once suitable sites are selected, System Integrator (ToolIntegrator) identifies a set of centralized and hybrid configurations that: (1) maximize reclaimed water supply, (2) maximize reclaimed water supply while also ensuring a financial benefit for the system, and (3) maximize the net financial benefit for the system. The resulting configurations are then evaluated by an Analyst (SANNA) that uses monetary and non-monetary criteria, with weights assigned to appropriate metrics by a decision-maker, to identify a preferred configuration. To illustrate the structure, assumptions, and use of IRIPT, we apply it to a case study for the city of Golden, CO. The criteria weightings provided by a local decision-maker lead to a preference for a centralized configuration in this case. The Golden case study demonstrates that IRIPT can efficiently analyze centralized and hybrid water reuse configurations and rank them

Rational design of nanomaterials for water treatment

KAUST Repository

Li, Renyuan

2015-08-26

The ever-increasing human demand for safe and clean water is gradually pushing conventional water treatment technologies to their limits and it is now a popular perception that the solutions to the existing and future water challenges will highly hinge upon the further development of nanomaterial sciences. The concept of rational design emphasizes ‘design-for-purpose’ and it necessitates a scientifically clear problem definition to initiate the nanomaterial design. The field of rational design of nanomaterials for water treatment has experienced a significant growth in the past decade and is poised to make its contribution in creating advanced next-generation water treatment technologies in the years to come. Within the water treatment context, this review offers a comprehensive and in-depth overview of the latest progress of the rational design, synthesis and applications of nanomaterials in adsorption, chemical oxidation and reduction reactions, membrane-based separation, oil/water separation, and synergistic multifunctional all-in-one nanomaterials/nanodevices. Special attention is paid on chemical concepts of the nanomaterial designs throughout the review.

Simultaneous analysis for water- and fat-soluble vitamins by a novel single chromatography technique unifying supercritical fluid chromatography and liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Taguchi, Kaori; Fukusaki, Eiichiro; Bamba, Takeshi

2014-10-03

Chromatography techniques usually use a single state in the mobile phase, such as liquid, gas, or supercritical fluid. Chromatographers manage one of these techniques for their purpose but are sometimes required to use multiple methods, or even worse, multiple techniques when the target compounds have a wide range of chemical properties. To overcome this challenge, we developed a single method covering a diverse compound range by means of a "unified" chromatography which completely bridges supercritical fluid chromatography and liquid chromatography. In our method, the phase state was continuously changed in the following order; supercritical, subcritical and liquid. Moreover, the gradient of the mobile phase starting at almost 100% CO2 was replaced with 100% methanol at the end completely. As a result, this approach achieved further extension of the polarity range of the mobile phase in a single run, and successfully enabled the simultaneous analysis of fat- and water-soluble vitamins with a wide logP range of -2.11 to 10.12. Furthermore, the 17 vitamins were exceptionally separated in 4min. Our results indicated that the use of dense CO2 and the replacement of CO2 by methanol are practical approaches in unified chromatography covering diverse compounds. Additionally, this is a first report to apply the novel approach to unified chromatography, and can open another door for diverse compound analysis in a single chromatographic technique with single injection, single column and single system. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Testing Universal Design of a Public Media Website with Diverse Users.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Weiqin; Kessel, Siri; Sanderson, Norun C; Tatara, Naoe

2016-01-01

Testing with users can identify more issues than other testing methods. Many researchers have argued for the importance of user testing in Universal Design. However, testing Universal Design with diverse users poses many challenges. In this paper we will share our experience with testing the Universal Design of a public media website with real users. We discuss the challenges faced and lessons learned in the process.

Advanced analytical techniques for boiling water reactor chemistry control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alder, H P; Schenker, E [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

1997-02-01

The analytical techniques applied can be divided into 5 classes: OFF-LINE (discontinuous, central lab), AT-LINE (discontinuous, analysis near loop), ON-LINE (continuous, analysis in bypass). In all cases pressure and temperature of the water sample are reduced. In a strict sense only IN-LINE (continuous, flow disturbance) and NON-INVASIVE (continuous, no flow disturbance) techniques are suitable for direct process control; - the ultimate goal. An overview of the analytical techniques tested in the pilot loop is given. Apart from process and overall water quality control, standard for BWR operation, the main emphasis is on water impurity characterization (crud particles, hot filtration, organic carbon); on stress corrosion crackling control for materials (corrosion potential, oxygen concentration) and on the characterization of the oxide layer on austenites (impedance spectroscopy, IR-reflection). The above mentioned examples of advanced analytical techniques have the potential of in-line or non-invasive application. They are different stages of development and are described in more detail. 28 refs, 1 fig., 5 tabs.

Expert System Techniques and Applications in AEC-Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Tom

This part of a book presents expert system techniques applicable to building design and construction, and it reports and evaluates on systems developed in thar domain.......This part of a book presents expert system techniques applicable to building design and construction, and it reports and evaluates on systems developed in thar domain....

Spectrometric techniques 2

CERN Document Server

Vanasse, George A

2013-01-01

Spectrometric Techniques, Volume II provides information pertinent to vacuum ultraviolet techniques to complete the demonstration of the diversity of methods available to the spectroscopist interested in the ultraviolet visible and infrared spectral regions. This book discusses the specific aspects of the technique of Fourier transform spectroscopy.Organized into five chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the large number of systematic effects in the recording of an interferogram. This text then examines the design approach for a Fourier transform spectrometer with focus on optics.

Selected techniques in water resources investigations, 1965

Science.gov (United States)

Mesnier, Glennon N.; Chase, Edith B.

1966-01-01

Increasing world activity in water-resources development has created an interest in techniques for conducting investigations in the field. In the United States, the Geological Survey has the responsibility for extensive and intensive hydrologic studies, and the Survey places considerable emphasis on discovering better ways to carry out its responsibility. For many years, the dominant interest in field techniques has been "in house," but the emerging world interest has led to a need for published accounts of this progress. In 1963 the Geological Survey published "Selected Techniques in Water Resources Investigations" (Water-Supply Paper 1669-Z) as part of the series "Contributions to the Hydrology of the United States."The report was so favorably received that successive volumes are planned, of which this is the first. The present report contains 25 papers that represent new ideas being tested or applied in the hydrologic field program of the Geological Survey. These ideas range from a proposed system for monitoring fluvial sediment to how to construct stream-gaging wells from steel oil drums. The original papers have been revised and edited by the compilers, but the ideas presented are those of the authors. The general description of the bubble gage on page 2 has been given by the compilers as supplementary information.

Potential applications of plasma science techniques for water treatment systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlik, D.

1994-01-01

The historical evolution of water treatment techniques and their impact on man and his environment are presented. Ancient man recognized the relationship between good water and good health. However, it was not until the late 1800's that man's own contribution to the pollution of water via biological and chemical contamination of the water stream was recognized as having adverse affects on water quality. Since that time virtually every nation has adopted laws and regulations to ensure that safe sources of unpolluted water are available to its citizens. In the United States, water quality is governed by the Clean Water Act of 1972 administered at the federal level by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Further, each state has established its equivalent agency which administers its own laws and regulations. Different biological and chemical biohazards present in the water system are discussed. Biological contaminants include various types of viruses, bacteria, fungii, molds, yeasts, algae, amoebas, and parasites. Chemical contaminates include elemental heavy metals and other organic and inorganic compounds which interfere with normal biological functions. Conventional water treatments for both consumption and sewage effluent commonly employ four different principals: mechanical filtration, quiescent gravity settling, biological oxidation, and chemical treatment. Although these techniques have greatly reduced the incidence of water-borne disease recent studies suggest that more effective means of eliminating biohazards are needed. Regulatory requirements for more aggressive treatment and elimination of residual contaminants present a significant opportunity for the application of various forms of electromagnetic radiation techniques. A comparison between conventional techniques and more advanced methods using various forms of electromagnetic radiation is discussed

Simulation and prediction for energy dissipaters and stilling basins design using artificial intelligence technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mostafa Ahmed Moawad Abdeen

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Water with large velocities can cause considerable damage to channels whose beds are composed of natural earth materials. Several stilling basins and energy dissipating devices have been designed in conjunction with spillways and outlet works to avoid damages in canals’ structures. In addition, lots of experimental and traditional mathematical numerical works have been performed to profoundly investigate the accurate design of these stilling basins and energy dissipaters. The current study is aimed toward introducing the artificial intelligence technique as new modeling tool in the prediction of the accurate design of stilling basins. Specifically, artificial neural networks (ANNs are utilized in the current study in conjunction with experimental data to predict the length of the hydraulic jumps occurred in spillways and consequently the stilling basin dimensions can be designed for adequate energy dissipation. The current study showed, in a detailed fashion, the development process of different ANN models to accurately predict the hydraulic jump lengths acquired from different experimental studies. The results obtained from implementing these models showed that ANN technique was very successful in simulating the hydraulic jump characteristics occurred in stilling basins. Therefore, it can be safely utilized in the design of these basins as ANN involves minimum computational and financial efforts and requirements compared with experimental work and traditional numerical techniques such as finite difference or finite elements.

Onsite nondestructive examination techniques for irradiated water-cooled power reactor fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-03-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency, in response to the recommendations from several Member States, has prepared this Guidebook on Onsite Non-Destructive Techniques for Irradiated Water-Cooled Power Reactor Fuel with the assistance of a number of experts and organizations in this field. During the preparation of this report it became evident that a comparison between different techniques is a most difficult task and depends on a number of factors related to fuel design, plant characteristics and operating conditions. Consequently the emphasis of the report is on the survey of different techniques presently available. It is also to be noted that because the degree of development for any given technique varies significantly among organizations, it is understood that the report should not be used as consensus standard of the minimum capabilities for each class of techniques, nor does it give recommendations in the regulatory sense. Furthermore, the inclusion of some commercial pieces of equipment, services and other products are for illustrative purposes only and neither implies any preference by the Agency nor can the Agency be liable for any material presented in the report

[Correlative analysis of the diversity patterns of regional surface water, NDVI and thermal environment].

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Jin-Long; Zhang, Xue-Lei

2012-10-01

Taking Zhengzhou City, the capital of Henan Province in Central China, as the study area, and by using the theories and methodologies of diversity, a discreteness evaluation on the regional surface water, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and land surface temperature (LST) distribution was conducted in a 2 km x 2 km grid scale. Both the NDVI and the LST were divided into 4 levels, their spatial distribution diversity indices were calculated, and their connections were explored. The results showed that it was of operability and practical significance to use the theories and methodologies of diversity in the discreteness evaluation of the spatial distribution of regional thermal environment. There was a higher overlap of location between the distributions of surface water and the lowest temperature region, and the high vegetation coverage was often accompanied by low land surface temperature. In 1988-2009, the discreteness of the surface water distribution in the City had an obvious decreasing trend. The discreteness of the surface water distribution had a close correlation with the discreteness of the temperature region distribution, while the discreteness of the NDVI classification distribution had a more complicated correlation with the discreteness of the temperature region distribution. Therefore, more environmental factors were needed to be included for a better evaluation.

Rural water tanks with HFB technique: technical guide

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Solsona, F

1991-03-01

Full Text Available This technical guide describes a very simple technique for water tank construction called H-F-B (heart filled blocks). The technique makes use of a simple mould (which can be made even in rural areas) for the manufacture of concrete building blocks...

Sustainable power and scenic beauty: The Niagara River Water Diversion Treaty and its relevance today

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sedoff, Andrei; Schott, Stephan; Karney, Bryan

2014-01-01

Niagara Falls and the Niagara River have always attracted great public interest due to their natural beauty, their enormous potential for electricity generation, their recreational value and as an important ecosystem. There have been simultaneous efforts to preserve this unique natural wonder and harness its power through hydroelectric development projects by both the United States and Canada. This paper explores the evolution of these efforts that culminated with the signing of the 1950 Niagara River Water Diversion Treaty that established minimum water flow rates to protect the “scenic beauty” of the falls, allowing the remaining water to be diverted for power production. We examine the rationale that led to specific water flow restrictions and question to what extent they are relevant today, as water intake capacity on the Canadian side has just been extended by around 25%. We find that current restrictions under the Niagara River Water Treaty (that expired in 2000) are not based on sound scientific evidence and estimate the upper limit of potential foregone benefits from clean electricity generation and greenhouse gas reductions. We identify a number of important issues that emerged in the last decades and that would justify an exploration of new treaty rules. - Highlights: • We examine the history of water diversion at Niagara Falls. • We examine the rationale that led to water flow restrictions over Niagara Falls and its relevance today. • We estimate the opportunity cost of foregone energy generation with the new Canadian intake capacity. • Water flow stipulations were not based on the sound scientific or ecosystem analysis. • A renegotiation of the 1950 Niagara River Water Diversion Treaty is overdue

Distribution and Diversity of Microbial Eukaryotes in Bathypelagic Waters of the South China Sea.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Dapeng; Jiao, Nianzhi; Ren, Rui; Warren, Alan

2017-05-01

Little is known about the biodiversity of microbial eukaryotes in the South China Sea, especially in waters at bathyal depths. Here, we employed SSU rDNA gene sequencing to reveal the diversity and community structure across depth and distance gradients in the South China Sea. Vertically, the highest alpha diversity was found at 75-m depth. The communities of microbial eukaryotes were clustered into shallow-, middle-, and deep-water groups according to the depth from which they were collected, indicating a depth-related diversity and distribution pattern. Rhizaria sequences dominated the microeukaryote community and occurred in all samples except those from less than 50-m deep, being most abundant near the sea floor where they contributed ca. 64-97% and 40-74% of the total sequences and OTUs recovered, respectively. A large portion of rhizarian OTUs has neither a nearest named neighbor nor a nearest neighbor in the GenBank database which indicated the presence of new phylotypes in the South China Sea. Given their overwhelming abundance and richness, further phylogenetic analysis of rhizarians were performed and three new genetic clusters were revealed containing sequences retrieved from the deep waters of the South China Sea. Our results shed light on the diversity and community structure of microbial eukaryotes in this not yet fully explored area. © 2016 The Author(s) Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology © 2016 International Society of Protistologists.

Impact of enumeration method on diversity of Escherichia coli genotypes isolated from surface water.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, E C; Gentry, T J

2016-11-01

There are numerous regulatory-approved Escherichia coli enumeration methods, but it is not known whether differences in media composition and incubation conditions impact the diversity of E. coli populations detected by these methods. A study was conducted to determine if three standard water quality assessments, Colilert ® , USEPA Method 1603, (modified mTEC) and USEPA Method 1604 (MI), detect different populations of E. coli. Samples were collected from six watersheds and analysed using the three enumeration approaches followed by E. coli isolation and genotyping. Results indicated that the three methods generally produced similar enumeration data across the sites, although there were some differences on a site-by-site basis. The Colilert ® method consistently generated the least diverse collection of E. coli genotypes as compared to modified mTEC and MI, with those two methods being roughly equal to each other. Although the three media assessed in this study were designed to enumerate E. coli, the differences in the media composition, incubation temperature, and growth platform appear to have a strong selective influence on the populations of E. coli isolated. This study suggests that standardized methods of enumeration and isolation may be warranted if researchers intend to obtain individual E. coli isolates for further characterization. This study characterized the impact of three USEPA-approved Escherichia coli enumeration methods on observed E. coli population diversity in surface water samples. Results indicated that these methods produced similar E. coli enumeration data but were more variable in the diversity of E. coli genotypes observed. Although the three methods enumerate the same species, differences in media composition, growth platform, and incubation temperature likely contribute to the selection of different cultivable populations of E. coli, and thus caution should be used when implementing these methods interchangeably for

FAULT-TOLERANT DESIGN FOR ADVANCED DIVERSE PROTECTION SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YANG GYUN OH

2013-11-01

Full Text Available For the improvement of APR1400 Diverse Protection System (DPS design, the Advanced DPS (ADPS has recently been developed to enhance the fault tolerance capability of the system. Major fault masking features of the ADPS compared with the APR1400 DPS are the changes to the channel configuration and reactor trip actuation equipment. To minimize the fault occurrences within the ADPS, and to mitigate the consequences of common-cause failures (CCF within the safety I&C systems, several fault avoidance design features have been applied in the ADPS. The fault avoidance design features include the changes to the system software classification, communication methods, equipment platform, MMI equipment, etc. In addition, the fault detection, location, containment, and recovery processes have been incorporated in the ADPS design. Therefore, it is expected that the ADPS can provide an enhanced fault tolerance capability against the possible faults within the system and its input/output equipment, and the CCF of safety systems.

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project: effect of the water diversion pattern on transmission of Oncomelania hupensis, the intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, You-Sheng; Wang, Wei; Li, Hong-Jun; Shen, Xue-Hui; Xu, Yong-Liang; Dai, Jian-Rong

2012-03-20

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) is the largest national water conservancy project in China. However, the Eastern Route Project (ERP) of SNWDP will refer to the habitats of Oncomelania hupensis, the intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum. The present study was aimed at investigating the effects of some factors relating to the water diversion pattern on the spread north of O. hupensis and transmission of S. japonicum. Marked snails were attached to the floating debris, and then placed on the water surface, the passage of snails through water pumps was observed. Some marked living adult snails were placed under water in the 5 spots, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days later, their survival and transfer under water were investigated. 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and 128 juvenile snails, with a male: female ratio of about 1, were caged, 1 year later, their reproductions were calculated. The snails attached on the floating debris at 100-, 50- and 20-cm-distance from the inlet pipe of the big pump (with a diameter of 80 cm), could be absorbed into the pumps, with passing rates of 2.45%, 3.93% and 43.46%, respectively, compared with 72.07% and 91.00% for the snails at 20 cm and 10 cm-distance from the inlet pipe of the small pump (with a diameter of 20 cm). A total of 36,600 marked living snails were put into 5 ponds and ditches, with the water depths of 1-1.6 m, 15-120 days later, no marked ones were found along the ponds and ditches or in the straw packages. The juvenile snails did not reproduce until their density reached up to 8 snails (ratio of male: female of 1)/0.16 m2. During the construction of ERP of SNWDP, the risk of northward spread of schistosomiasis japonica will be decreased or eliminated as long as long-term reliable interventions for snail control are implemented.

Techniques and materials for internal water curing of concrete

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Ole Mejlhede; Lura, Pietro

2006-01-01

This paper gives an overview of different techniques for incorporation of internal curing water in concrete. Internal water curing can be used to mitigate self-desiccation and selfdesiccation shrinkage. Some concretes may need 50 kg/m3 of internal curing water for this purpose. The price...

Design and analysis of the DII-D radiative divertor water-cooled structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollerbach, M.A.; Smith, J.P.; Baxi, C.B.; Bozek; Chin, E.; Phelps, R.D.; Redler, K.M.; Reis, E.E.

1995-10-01

The Radiative Divertor is a major modification to the divertor of DIII-D and is being designed and fabricated for installation in late 1996. The Radiative Divertor Program (RDP) will enhance the dissipative processes in the edge and divertor plasmas to reduce the heat flux and plasma erosion at the divertor target. This approach will have major implications for the heat removal methods used in future devices. The divertor is of slot-type configuration designed to minimize the flow of sputtered and injected impurities back to the core plasma. The new divertor will be composed of toroidally continuous, Inconel 625 water-cooled rings of sandwich construction with an internal water channel, incorporating seam welding to provide the water-to-vacuum seal as well as structural integrity. The divertor structure is designed to withstand electromagnetic loads as a result of halo currents and induced toroidal currents. It also accommodates the thermal differences experienced during the 400 degrees C bake used on DIII-D. A low Z plasma-facing surface is provided by mechanically attached graphite tiles. Water flow through the rings will inertially cool these tiles which will be subjected to 38 MW, 10 second pulses. Current schedules call for detailed design in 1996 with installation completed in March 1997. A full size prototype, one-quarter of one ring, is being built to validate manufacturing techniques, machining, roll-forming, and seam welding. The experience and knowledge gained through the fabrication of the prototype is discussed. The design of the electrically isolated (5 kV) vacuum-to-air water feedthroughs supplying the water-cooled rings is also discussed

Design and analysis of the DIII-D radiative divertor water-cooled structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollerbach, M.A.; Smith, J.P.; Baxi, C.B.; Bozek, A.S.; Chin, E.; Phelps, R.D.; Redler, K.M.; Reis, E.E.

1995-01-01

The Radiative Divertor is a major modification to the divertor of DIII-D and is being designed and fabricated for installation in late 1996. The Radiative Divertor Program (RDP) will enhance the dissipative processes in the edge and divertor plasmas to reduce the heat flux and plasma erosion at the divertor target. This approach will have major implications for the heat removal methods used in future devices. The divertor is of slot-type configuration designed to minimize the flow of sputtered and injected impurities back to the core plasma. The new divertor will be composed of toroidally continuous, Inconel 625 water-cooled rings of sandwich construction with an internal water channel, incorporating seam welding to provide the water-to-vacuum seal as well as structural integrity. The divertor structure is designed to withstand electro-magnetic loads as a result of halo currents and induced toroidal currents. It also accommodates the thermal differences experienced during the 400 C bake used on DIII-D. A low Z plasma-facing surface is provided by mechanically attached graphite tiles. Water flow through the rings will inertially cool these tiles which will be subjected to 38 MW, 10 second pulses. Current schedules call for detailed design in 1996 with installation completed in March 1997. A full size prototype, one-quarter of one ring, is being built to validate manufacturing techniques, machining, roll-forming, and seam welding. The experience and knowledge gained through the fabrication of the prototype is discussed. The design of the electrically isolated (5 kV) vacuum-to-air water feedthroughs supplying the water-cooled rings is also discussed

Post-Irradiation Examination and In-Pile Measurement Techniques for Water Reactor Fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-12-01

Today nuclear technology plays an increasingly important role in our everyday lives, i.e. in energy, industry, medical and environmental applications. Faced with the immediate world's problems of economics, greenhouse gas emissions and water scarcity, as well as the future demand for electricity, nuclear power would provide a long term solution. However better reactor design is required to fulfil such objectives. Therefore, after its stagnation, nuclear engineering has been going through a revival which is reflected in the start of such international projects as Generation IV, INPRO, GNEP and others. These development programs include consideration of a wide range of nuclear reactors of different types and purposes, from high temperature gas cooled and fast reactors with different coolant options to thermal water cooled ones which have both enhanced operating safety and efficient operation due to the optimal design and coolant parameters, etc. Requirements for enhanced reactor safety and efficiency make it necessary to perform precise in- and post-reactor experiments and, consequently, to use more up-to-date measurement equipment and analysis techniques, thus developing hot labs and research reactor facilities. Application of new techniques for measurement and analysis is also related to the consideration of advanced materials for future innovative nuclear reactors with challenging operational conditions that differ greatly from those of the existing nuclear reactors. The necessity to use the most up-to-date precise equipment follows from the necessity to prolong the operating lifetime of the existing NPPs. The designed lifetime of units of many NPPs under operation is practically over. Since these units are in satisfactory condition and the construction of new NPPs is very expensive, it is reasonable to justify their lifetime more precisely and prolong it. However, it requires additional in- and post-reactor examinations. The majority of the hot labs were designed

Mini Heme-Proteins: Designability of Structure and Diversity of Functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Rai, Jagdish

2017-08-30

Natural heme proteins may have heme bound to poly-peptide chain as a cofactor via noncovalent forces or heme as a prosthetic group may be covalently bound to the proteins. Nature has used porphyrins in diverse functions like electron transfer, oxidation, reduction, ligand binding, photosynthesis, signaling, etc. by modulating its properties through diverse protein matrices. Synthetic chemists have tried to utilize these molecules in equally diverse industrial and medical applications due to their versatile electro-chemical and optical properties. The heme iron has catalytic activity which can be modulated and enhanced for specific applications by protein matrix around it. Heme proteins can be designed into novel enzymes for sterio specific catalysis ranging from oxidation to reduction. These designed heme-proteins can have applications in industrial catalysis and biosensing. A peptide folds around heme easily due to hydrophobic effect of the large aromatic ring of heme. The directional property of co-ordinate bonding between peptide and metal ion in heme further specifies the structure. Therefore heme proteins can be easily designed for targeted structure and catalytic activity. The central aromatic chemical entity in heme viz. porphyrin is a very ancient molecule. Its presence in the prebiotic soup and in all forms of life suggests that it has played a vital role in the origin and progressive evolution of living organisms. Porphyrin macrocycles are highly conjugated systems composed of four modified pyrrole subunits interconnected at their α -carbon atoms via methine (=CH-) bridges. Initial minimalist models of hemoproteins focused on effect of heme-ligand co-ordinate bonding on chemical reactivity, spectroscopy, electrochemistry and magnetic properties of heme. The great sensitivity of these spectroscopic features of heme to its surrounding makes them extremely useful in structural elucidation of designed heme-peptide complexes. Therefore heme proteins are

The ``hydro-wired``: more than a technique, a global concept; ``L`hydrocable``: plus qu`une technique, un concept global

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1998-09-01

The ``hydro-wired`` technique consists in the use of small diameter synthetic pipes for the water supply of hot or cold water to space heating or cooling appliances. This new technique has several advantages regarding the thermal comfort and the realization of installations. However cares must be taken during the application of this technique and the design of installations. This paper describes: the French potential market for this technique (heating and cooling floors, traditional heating, sanitary hot water distribution), the characteristics of this technique with respect to traditional techniques (the sheathing of pipes, the specificities of the `octopus`-type distribution), and the design of installations (the different steps: preliminary thermal analysis, realization, start-up and tests). (J.S.)

Progress in strategies for sequence diversity library creation for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

As the simplest technique of protein engineering, directed evolution has been ... An experiment of directed evolution comprises mutant libraries creation and ... evolution, sequence diversity creation, novel strategy, computational design, ...

Modelling the impact of Water Sensitive Urban Design technologies on the urban water cycle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Locatelli, Luca

Alternative stormwater management approaches for urban developments, also called Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), are increasingly being adopted with the aims of providing flood control, flow management, water quality improvements and opportunities to harvest stormwater for non-potable uses....... To model the interaction of infiltration based WSUDs with groundwater. 4. To assess a new combination of different WSUD techniques for improved stormwater management. 5. To model the impact of a widespread implementation of multiple soakaway systems at the catchment scale. 6. Test the models by simulating...... the hydrological performance of single devices relevant for urban drainage applications. Moreover, the coupling of soakaway and detention storages is also modeled to analyze the benefits of combining different local stormwater management systems. These models are then integrated into urban drainage network models...

Advanced investigation on the change in the streamflow into the water source of the middle route of China's water diversion project

Science.gov (United States)

She, Dunxian; Xia, Jun; Shao, Quanxi; Taylor, John A.; Zhang, Liping; Zhang, Xiang; Zhang, Yanjun; Gu, Huanghe

2017-07-01

To alleviate water shortage in northern China, the middle route of the South to North Water Diversion Project (MRP) was constructed by the Chinese government. A dramatic reduction in the annual streamflow into Danjiangkou Reservoir (ASDR), the water source of MRP, during 1990 has raised some concerns on the MRP's operation. This paper employed an advanced segmented regression model with more recent data to have a clear picture and understand the changing pattern of the ASDR. Our study first revealed a zigzag changing pattern (decreasing-increasing-decreasing-increasing) of ASDR during 1960-2013, which was supported by statistical criteria compared with a monotonic or single abrupt change. Particularly, the significantly decreasing trend from 1990s was reversed after 2000, and such change may relieve the concern about the water availability in the future. Sensitivity analysis showed that changes in streamflow were largely influenced by the combined effects of precipitation (P) and potential evapotranspiration (ET0) and were more sensitive to P than ET0. As ET0 is estimated from other primary variables, further analysis was conducted to understand the sensitivities of ET0 to its primary driving variables (wind speed, actual vapor pressure, temperature, and sunshine duration) and indicated that ET0 is mostly sensitive to actual vapor pressure during 1960-2013. The findings will assist the MRP's operation and management. Moreover, the results in this study also indicate that an adaptive water diversion plan, rather than the current plan with a constant annual amount of diversion water, might be a better option in the MRP's operation.

Bacterial diversity and ecological function in lake water bodies

OpenAIRE

Lijuan Ren; Dan He; Peng Xing; Yujing Wang; Qinglong Wu

2013-01-01

The healthy development of lake ecosystems is a global issue. Bacteria are not only an integral component of food webs, but also play a key role in controlling and regulating water quality in lake ecosystems. Hence, in order to provide some suggestions for maintaining the long-term and healthy development of lake ecosystems, this review discusses and analyses concepts and assessment of bacterial diversity, the distribution of bacteria communities, mechanisms of formation, and the ecological f...

Occurrence and ecological risk assessment of organic micropollutants in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China: A case study of water diversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Zhenhua; Yang, Haohan; Dong, Huike; Ma, Binni; Sun, Hongwei; Pan, Ting; Jiang, Runren; Zhou, Ranran; Shen, Jie; Liu, Jianchao; Lu, Guanghua

2018-08-01

Water diversion has been increasingly applied to improve water quality in many water bodies. However, little is known regarding pollution by organic micropollutants (OMPs) in water diversion projects, especially at the supplier, and this pollution may threaten the quality of transferred water. In the present study, a total of 110 OMPs belonging to seven classes were investigated in water and sediment collected from a supplier of the Yangtze River within four water diversion projects. A total of 69 and 58 target OMPs were detected in water and sediment, respectively, at total concentrations reaching 1041.78 ng/L and 5942.24 ng/g dry weight (dw). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pharmaceuticals were the predominant pollutants identified. When preliminarily compared with the pollution in the receiving water, the Yangtze River generally exhibited mild OMPs pollution and good water quality parameters, implying a clean water source in the water diversion project. However, in Zongyang and Fenghuangjing, PAHs pollution was more abundant than that in the corresponding receiving water in Chaohu Lake. Ammonia nitrogen pollution in the Wangyu River was comparable to that in Taihu Lake. These findings imply that water diversion may threaten receiving waters in some cases. In addition, the risks of all detected pollutants in both water and sediment were assessed. PAHs in water, especially phenanthrene and high-molecular-weight PAHs, posed high risks to invertebrates, followed by the risks to fish and algae. Pharmaceuticals, such as antibiotics and antidepressants, may also pose risks to algae and fish at a number of locations. To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first to describe OMPs pollution in water diversion projects, and the results provide a new perspective regarding the security of water diversion projects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of uranium in ground water using different analytical techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahu, S.K.; Maity, Sukanta; Bhangare, R.C.; Pandit, G.G.; Sharma, D.N.

2014-10-01

The concern over presence of natural radionuclides like uranium in drinking water is growing recently. The contamination of aquifers with radionuclides depends on number of factors. The geology of an area is the most important factor along with anthropogenic activities like mining, coal ash disposal from thermal power plants, use of phosphate fertilizers etc. Whatever may be the source, the presence of uranium in drinking waters is a matter of great concern for public health. Studies show that uranium is a chemo-toxic and nephrotoxic heavy metal. This chemotoxicity affects the kidneys and bones in particular. Seeing the potential health hazards from natural radionuclides in drinking water, many countries worldwide have adopted the guideline activity concentration for drinking water quality recommended by the WHO (2011). For uranium, WHO has set a limit of 30μgL-1 in drinking water. The geological distribution of uranium and its migration in environment is of interest because the element is having environmental and exposure concerns. It is of great interest to use an analytical technique for uranium analysis in water which is highly sensitive especially at trace levels, specific and precise in presence of other naturally occurring major and trace metals and needs small amount of sample. Various analytical methods based on the use of different techniques have been developed in the past for the determination of uranium in the geological samples. The determination of uranium requires high selectivity due to its strong association with other elements. Several trace level wet chemistry analytical techniques have been reported for uranium determination, but most of these involve tedious and pain staking procedures, high detection limits, interferences etc. Each analytical technique has its own merits and demerits. Comparative assessment by different techniques can provide better quality control and assurance. In present study, uranium was analysed in ground water samples

Isotope techniques in water resources development and management. Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

The 10th International Symposium on Isotope Techniques in Water Resources Development and Management was organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency in co-operation with UNESCO, WMO and International Association of Hydrological Sciences and was held at IAEA Headquarters, Vienna, during 10-14 May 1999. The symposium provided an international forum for assessing the status and recent advances in isotope applications to water resources and an exchange of information on the following main themes: processes at the interface between the atmosphere and hydrosphere; investigations in surface waters and groundwaters: their origin, dynamics, interrelations; problems and techniques for investigating sedimentation; water resources issues: pollution, source and transport of contaminants, salinization, water-rock interaction and processes in geothermal systems; isotope data interpretation and evaluation methodologies: modelling approaches. The proceedings contain the 46 papers presented and extended synopses of poster presentations; each of them was indexed individually

A proposed scalable design and simulation of wireless sensor network-based long-distance water pipeline leakage monitoring system.

Science.gov (United States)

Almazyad, Abdulaziz S; Seddiq, Yasser M; Alotaibi, Ahmed M; Al-Nasheri, Ahmed Y; BenSaleh, Mohammed S; Obeid, Abdulfattah M; Qasim, Syed Manzoor

2014-02-20

Anomalies such as leakage and bursts in water pipelines have severe consequences for the environment and the economy. To ensure the reliability of water pipelines, they must be monitored effectively. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have emerged as an effective technology for monitoring critical infrastructure such as water, oil and gas pipelines. In this paper, we present a scalable design and simulation of a water pipeline leakage monitoring system using Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) and WSN technology. The proposed design targets long-distance aboveground water pipelines that have special considerations for maintenance, energy consumption and cost. The design is based on deploying a group of mobile wireless sensor nodes inside the pipeline and allowing them to work cooperatively according to a prescheduled order. Under this mechanism, only one node is active at a time, while the other nodes are sleeping. The node whose turn is next wakes up according to one of three wakeup techniques: location-based, time-based and interrupt-driven. In this paper, mathematical models are derived for each technique to estimate the corresponding energy consumption and memory size requirements. The proposed equations are analyzed and the results are validated using simulation.

A Proposed Scalable Design and Simulation of Wireless Sensor Network-Based Long-Distance Water Pipeline Leakage Monitoring System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdulaziz S. Almazyad

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Anomalies such as leakage and bursts in water pipelines have severe consequences for the environment and the economy. To ensure the reliability of water pipelines, they must be monitored effectively. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs have emerged as an effective technology for monitoring critical infrastructure such as water, oil and gas pipelines. In this paper, we present a scalable design and simulation of a water pipeline leakage monitoring system using Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID and WSN technology. The proposed design targets long-distance aboveground water pipelines that have special considerations for maintenance, energy consumption and cost. The design is based on deploying a group of mobile wireless sensor nodes inside the pipeline and allowing them to work cooperatively according to a prescheduled order. Under this mechanism, only one node is active at a time, while the other nodes are sleeping. The node whose turn is next wakes up according to one of three wakeup techniques: location-based, time-based and interrupt-driven. In this paper, mathematical models are derived for each technique to estimate the corresponding energy consumption and memory size requirements. The proposed equations are analyzed and the results are validated using simulation.

Cleaning of polluted water using biological techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nielsen, M.

1992-01-01

Ground-water at many Danish locations has been polluted by organic substances. This pollution has taken place in relation to leaks or spills of, for example, petrol from leaky tanks or oil separators. The article describes a new biological technique for the purification of ground-water polluted by petrol and diesel oils leaked at a petrol station. The technique involves decompostion by bacteria. During decompostion the biomass in the filter increases and carbon dioxide and water is produced, so there is no waste product from this process. The two units consist of an oil-separator which separates the diesel oil and petrol from the water, and a bio-filter which is constructed as an aired-through inverted filter to which nutrient salts are continually added. The filter-material used is in the form of plastic rings on which the oil-decomposing bacteria grow and reproduce themselves. The system is further described. It is claimed that the bio-filter can decompose 7 kg of petrol and diesel oil in one week, larger ones decompose more. The servicelife of the system is expected to be 4-6 years. Current installation costs are 20.000 - 100.000 Danish kroner, according to size. (AB)

Use of isotope techniques in water resources inventory planning and development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

The seminar, sponsored jointly by the IAEA, UNESCO, and WHO, was organized by the Isotope Hydrology Section for hydrologists and hydrogeologists from English-speaking African countries who have primary administrative and technical responsibility in planning, implementing, and supervising programmes in the field of water resources in their countries. The aim of the seminar was to discuss and to inform the participants of both the theoretical and applied aspects of isotope techniques in hydrology and their potential use in studies dealing with water resources inventory, planning, and development. A similar regional seminar was organized in 1973 by the IAEA in Mexico City for Latin- American countries. In 1979, such a seminar will be held for French-speaking African countries. The Nairobi seminar was held at the East African Institute for Meteorological Training and Research. It was opened by the Minister for Water Development of the Kenyan Government, Dr. Gikonyo Kiano, who stressed the importance of water development problems in the African region and who appreciated the IAEA/UNESCO/WHO initiative in holding the seminar on isotope techniques in water resources in Nairobi. The programme of seminar lectures and discussions included the following topics. 1 Basic principles of radioisotope techniques and stable isotope ratios in hydrology 2. Tritium and radiocarbon as environmental tracers for dating water bodies 3 Isotope techniques in studying the origin of groundwater, recharge, and flow of groundwater. 4. Isotope techniques for identification of surface and groundwater relationships. 5 Surface water studies including lake dynamics, discharge measurements and sediment transport 6. Isotope methods in aquifer characteristics. 7 Isotope methods in geothermal resources prospecting. 8. Isotope techniques in hydraulics engineering. Each topic was illustrated with detailed descriptions of case studies During discussions, participants presented important problems (of water

Factors Influencing Bacterial Diversity and Community Composition in Municipal Drinking Waters in the Ohio River Basin, USA.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee F Stanish

Full Text Available The composition and metabolic activities of microbes in drinking water distribution systems can affect water quality and distribution system integrity. In order to understand regional variations in drinking water microbiology in the upper Ohio River watershed, the chemical and microbiological constituents of 17 municipal distribution systems were assessed. While sporadic variations were observed, the microbial diversity was generally dominated by fewer than 10 taxa, and was driven by the amount of disinfectant residual in the water. Overall, Mycobacterium spp. (Actinobacteria, MLE1-12 (phylum Cyanobacteria, Methylobacterium spp., and sphingomonads were the dominant taxa. Shifts in community composition from Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria to Firmicutes and Gammaproteobacteria were associated with higher residual chlorine. Alpha- and beta-diversity were higher in systems with higher chlorine loads, which may reflect changes in the ecological processes structuring the communities under different levels of oxidative stress. These results expand the assessment of microbial diversity in municipal distribution systems and demonstrate the value of considering ecological theory to understand the processes controlling microbial makeup. Such understanding may inform the management of municipal drinking water resources.

Temporal and Spatial Diversity of Bacterial Communities in Coastal Waters of the South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Jikun; Xiao, Kai; Li, Li; Ding, Xian; Liu, Helu; Lu, Yongjun; Zhou, Shining

2013-01-01

Bacteria are recognized as important drivers of biogeochemical processes in all aquatic ecosystems. Temporal and geographical patterns in ocean bacterial communities have been observed in many studies, but the temporal and spatial patterns in the bacterial communities from the South China Sea remained unexplored. To determine the spatiotemporal patterns, we generated 16S rRNA datasets for 15 samples collected from the five regularly distributed sites of the South China Sea in three seasons (spring, summer, winter). A total of 491 representative sequences were analyzed by MOTHUR, yielding 282 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) grouped at 97% stringency. Significant temporal variations of bacterial diversity were observed. Richness and diversity indices indicated that summer samples were the most diverse. The main bacterial group in spring and summer samples was Alphaproteobacteria, followed by Cyanobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria, whereas Cyanobacteria dominated the winter samples. Spatial patterns in the samples were observed that samples collected from the coastal (D151, D221) waters and offshore (D157, D1512, D224) waters clustered separately, the coastal samples harbored more diverse bacterial communities. However, the temporal pattern of the coastal site D151 was contrary to that of the coastal site D221. The LIBSHUFF statistics revealed noticeable differences among the spring, summer and winter libraries collected at five sites. The UPGMA tree showed there were temporal and spatial heterogeneity of bacterial community composition in coastal waters of the South China Sea. The water salinity (P=0.001) contributed significantly to the bacteria-environment relationship. Our results revealed that bacterial community structures were influenced by environmental factors and community-level changes in 16S-based diversity were better explained by spatial patterns than by temporal patterns. PMID:23785512

Automation of fusion first wall design using artificial intelligence technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshimura, Shinobu; Yagawa, Genki; Mochizuki, Yoshihiko

1990-01-01

This paper describes the application of artificial intelligence techniques to a design automation of the fusion first wall to be operated in the complex environment where huge electromagnetic and thermal loading as well as heavy neutron irradiation occur. As a basic strategy of designing structure shape considering many coupled phenomena, an ordinary design procedure based on the generate and test strategy is adopted because of its simplicity and broad applicability. To automate the design procedure with maintaining its flexibility, extensibility and efficiency, artificial intelligence techniques are utilized in the following. An object-oriented knowledge representation technique is adopted to store knowledge modules, that is, objects, related to the first wall design, while a data-flow processing technique is utilized as an inference mechanism among the knowledge modules. These techniques realize the flexibility and extensibility of the system. Moreover, as an efficient design modification mechanism, which is essential in a design process, an empirical approach based on experts' empirical knowledge and a mathematical approach based on a kind of numerical sensitivity analysis are introduced. The developed system is applied to a simple example of the design of a two-dimensional model of the first wall with a cooling channel, and its fundamental performance is clearly demonstrated. (author)

Connectivity between surface and deep waters determines prokaryotic diversity in the North Atlantic Deep Water.

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, Alexander H; Garcia, Juan A L; Herndl, Gerhard J; Reinthaler, Thomas

2016-06-01

To decipher the influence of depth stratification and surface provincialism on the dark ocean prokaryotic community composition, we sampled the major deep-water masses in the eastern North Atlantic covering three biogeographic provinces. Their diversity was evaluated using ordination and canonical analysis of 454 pyrotag sequences. Variance partitioning suggested that 16% of the variation in the bacterial community composition was based on depth stratification while 9% of the variation was due to geographic location. General linear mixed effect models showed that the community of the subsurface waters was connected to the dark ocean prokaryotic communities in different biogeographic provinces. Cluster analysis indicated that some prokaryotic taxa are specific to distinct regions in bathypelagic water masses. Taken together, our data suggest that the dark ocean prokaryotic community composition of the eastern North Atlantic is primed by the formation and the horizontal transport of water masses. © 2016 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comparison of automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) techniques for analysing the influence of diet on ruminal bacterial diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Saro, Cristina; Molina-Alcaide, Eduarda; Abecia, Leticia; Ranilla, María José; Carro, María Dolores

2018-04-01

The objective of this study was to compare the automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) techniques for analysing the effects of diet on diversity in bacterial pellets isolated from the liquid (liquid-associated bacteria (LAB)) and solid (solid-associated bacteria (SAB)) phase of the rumen. The four experimental diets contained forage to concentrate ratios of 70:30 or 30:70 and had either alfalfa hay or grass hay as forage. Four rumen-fistulated animals (two sheep and two goats) received the diets in a Latin square design. Bacterial pellets (LAB and SAB) were isolated at 2 h post-feeding for DNA extraction and analysed by ARISA and DGGE. The number of peaks in individual samples ranged from 48 to 99 for LAB and from 41 to 95 for SAB with ARISA, and values of DGGE-bands ranged from 27 to 50 for LAB and from 18 to 45 for SAB. The LAB samples from high concentrate-fed animals tended (p forage-fed animals with ARISA, but no differences were identified with DGGE. The SAB samples from high concentrate-fed animals had lower (p forage diets with ARISA, but only a trend was noticed for these parameters with DGGE (p forage type on LAB diversity was detected by any technique. In this study, ARISA detected some changes in ruminal bacterial communities that were not detected by DGGE, and therefore ARISA was considered more appropriate for assessing bacterial diversity of ruminal bacterial pellets. The results highlight the impact of the fingerprinting technique used to draw conclusions on dietary factors affecting bacterial diversity in ruminal bacterial pellets.

Simulation Programs for Ph.D. Study of Analysis, Modeling and Optimum Design of Solar Domestic Hot Water Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Qin, Lin

1999-01-01

The design of solar domestic hot water system is a complex process, due to characteristics inherent in solar heating technology. Recently, computer simulation has become a widely used technique to improve the understanding of the thermal processes in such systems. This report presents the detaile...... programs or units that were developed in the Ph.D study of " Analysis, Modeling and Optimum Design of Solar Domestic Hot Water Systems"....

Review of geotechnical measurement techniques for a nuclear waste repository in bedded salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-12-01

This report presents a description of geotechnical measurement techniques that can provide the data necessary for safe development - i.e., location, design, construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment - of a radioactive waste repository in bedded salt. Geotechnical data obtained by a diversity of measurement techniques are required during all phases of respository evolution. The techniques discussed in this report are grouped in the following categories: geologic, geophysical and geodetic; rock mechanics; hydrologic, hydrogeologic and water quality; and thermal. The major contribution of the report is the presentation of extensive tables that provide a review of available measurement techniques for each of these categories. The techniques are also discussed in the text to the extent necessary to describe the measurements and associated instruments, and to evaluate the applicability or limitations of the method. More detailed discussions of thermal phenomena, creep laws and geophysical methods are contained in the appendices; references to detailed explanations of measurement techniques and instrumentation are inluded throughout the report

Review of geotechnical measurement techniques for a nuclear waste repository in bedded salt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-12-01

This report presents a description of geotechnical measurement techniques that can provide the data necessary for safe development - i.e., location, design, construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment - of a radioactive waste repository in bedded salt. Geotechnical data obtained by a diversity of measurement techniques are required during all phases of respository evolution. The techniques discussed in this report are grouped in the following categories: geologic, geophysical and geodetic; rock mechanics; hydrologic, hydrogeologic and water quality; and thermal. The major contribution of the report is the presentation of extensive tables that provide a review of available measurement techniques for each of these categories. The techniques are also discussed in the text to the extent necessary to describe the measurements and associated instruments, and to evaluate the applicability or limitations of the method. More detailed discussions of thermal phenomena, creep laws and geophysical methods are contained in the appendices; references to detailed explanations of measurement techniques and instrumentation are inluded throughout the report.

222Rn Determination In Drinking Waters - RAD7 And LSC Technique Comparison

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Todorovic, N.; Stojkovic, I.; Nikolov, J.; Tenjovic, B.

2015-01-01

A procedure for the determination of 222Rn in environmental water samples using liquid scintillation counting (LSC) was applied and optimized. For radon determination in drinking water from groundwater and surface water sources by LSC, the EPA Method 913.0 was used. A minimum detectable activity of 0.029 Bq L-1 in a 20 mL glass vial (10 mL water sample mixed with 10 mL of liquid scintillation cocktail) has been achieved during 300 minutes of measurement time. The procedure was compared with RAD7 radon detector measurements. Factors that affect the measurement accuracy and precision of RAD7 radon detector are the sampling technique, sample concentration, sample size, counting time, temperature, relative humidity and background effects. The minimal detectable activity (MDA) for RAD7 technique was found to be 0.1 Bq/L. From obtained results of 222Rn measurements in 15 water samples with different 222Rn activities, correlation between the two techniques applied for measurements of 222Rn in water samples (A less than 400 Bq/L) was determined. There is reasonable agreement (within statistical uncertainties) between the various techniques in most cases, while disagreements most likely come from systematic uncertainties associated with sampling procedures. Discrepancy in determined activities between the two techniques becomes more evident with increased 222Rn activities in water. LSC technique gives in general higher activity concentrations for about 30 percent than RAD7 spectrometer. The interpretation of shown results could be that RAD7 is not properly calibrated for higher activities, since USA reference level of 222Rn concentrations in water is only 11.1 Bq/L (US EPA, Proposed Radon in Drinking Water Regulation). (author).

Hydrological-niche models predict water plant functional group distributions in diverse wetland types.

Science.gov (United States)

Deane, David C; Nicol, Jason M; Gehrig, Susan L; Harding, Claire; Aldridge, Kane T; Goodman, Abigail M; Brookes, Justin D

2017-06-01

Human use of water resources threatens environmental water supplies. If resource managers are to develop policies that avoid unacceptable ecological impacts, some means to predict ecosystem response to changes in water availability is necessary. This is difficult to achieve at spatial scales relevant for water resource management because of the high natural variability in ecosystem hydrology and ecology. Water plant functional groups classify species with similar hydrological niche preferences together, allowing a qualitative means to generalize community responses to changes in hydrology. We tested the potential for functional groups in making quantitative prediction of water plant functional group distributions across diverse wetland types over a large geographical extent. We sampled wetlands covering a broad range of hydrogeomorphic and salinity conditions in South Australia, collecting both hydrological and floristic data from 687 quadrats across 28 wetland hydrological gradients. We built hydrological-niche models for eight water plant functional groups using a range of candidate models combining different surface inundation metrics. We then tested the predictive performance of top-ranked individual and averaged models for each functional group. Cross validation showed that models achieved acceptable predictive performance, with correct classification rates in the range 0.68-0.95. Model predictions can be made at any spatial scale that hydrological data are available and could be implemented in a geographical information system. We show the response of water plant functional groups to inundation is consistent enough across diverse wetland types to quantify the probability of hydrological impacts over regional spatial scales. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Enterococcus faecalis Isolates from Mineral Water and Spring Water in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Wei

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Enterococcus faecalis is an important opportunistic pathogen which is frequently detected in mineral water and spring water for human consumption and causes human urinary tract infections, endocarditis and neonatal sepsis. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, virulence genes, antimicrobial resistance and genetic diversity of E. faecalis from mineral water and spring water in China. Of 314 water samples collected from January 2013 to January 2014, 48 samples (15.3% were contaminated E. faecalis. The highest contamination rate occurred in activated carbon filtered water of spring water (34.5%, followed by source water of spring water (32.3% and source water of mineral water (6.4%. The virulence gene test of 58 E. faecalis isolates showed that the detection rates of asa1, ace, cylA, gelE and hyl were 79.3, 39.7, 0, 100, 0%, respectively. All 58 E. faecalis isolates were not resistant to 12 kinds of antibiotics (penicillin, ampicillin, linezolid, quinupristin/dalfopristin, vancomycin, gentamicin, streptomycin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, norfloxacin, nitrofurantoin, and tetracycline. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-PCR classified 58 isolates and three reference strains into nine clusters with a similarity of 75%. This study is the first to investigate the prevalence of E. faecalis in mineral water and spring water in China. The results of this study suggested that spring water could be potential vehicles for transmission of E. faecalis.

Pipe rupture and steam/water hammer design loads for dynamic analysis of piping systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strong, B.R. Jr.; Baschiere, R.J.

1978-01-01

The design of restraints and protection devices for nuclear Class I and Class II piping systems must consider severe pipe rupture and steam/water hammer loadings. Limited stress margins require that an accurate prediction of these loads be obtained with a minimum of conservatism in the loads. Methods are available currently for such fluid transient load development, but each method is severely restricted as to the complexity and/or the range of fluid state excursions which can be simulated. This paper presents a general technique for generation of pipe rupture and steam/water hammer design loads for dynamic analysis of nuclear piping systems which does not have the limitations of existing methods. Blowdown thrust loadings and unbalanced piping acceleration loads for restraint design of all nuclear piping systems may be found using this method. The technique allows the effects of two-phase distributed friction, liquid flashing and condensation, and the surrounding thermal and mechanical equipment to be modeled. A new form of the fluid momentum equation is presented which incorporates computer generated fluid acceleration histories by inclusion of a geometry integral termed the 'force equivalent area' (FEA). The FEA values permit the coupling of versatile thermal-hydraulic programs to piping dynamics programs. Typical applications of the method to pipe rupture problems are presented and the resultant load histories compared with existing techniques. (Auth.)

Quality by Design (QbD) Approach for Development of Co-Processed Excipient Pellets (MOMLETS) By Extrusion-Spheronization Technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Hetal; Patel, Kishan; Tiwari, Sanjay; Pandey, Sonia; Shah, Shailesh; Gohel, Mukesh

2016-01-01

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is an excellent excipient for the production of pellets by extrusion spheronization. However, it causes slow release rate of poorly water soluble drugs from pellets. Co-processed excipient prepared by spray drying (US4744987; US5686107; WO2003051338) and coprecipitation technique (WO9517831) are patented. The objective of present study was to develop co-processed MCC pellets (MOMLETS) by extrusion-spheronization technique using the principle of Quality by Design (QbD). Co-processed excipient core pellets (MOMLETS) were developed by extrusion spheronization technique using Quality by Design (QbD) approach. BCS class II drug (telmisartan) was layered onto it in a fluidized bed processor. Quality Target Product Profile (QTPP) and Critical Quality Attributes (CQA) for pellets were identified. Risk assessment was reported using Ishikawa diagram. Plackett Burman design was used to check the effect of seven independent variables; superdisintegrant, extruder speed, ethanol: water, spheronizer speed, extruder screen, pore former and MCC: lactose; on percentage drug release at 30 min. Pareto chart and normal probability plot was constructed to identify the significant factors. Box-Behnken design (BBD) using three most significant factors (Extruder screen size, type of superdisintegrant and type of pore former) was used as an optimization design. The control space was identified in which desired quality of the pellets can be obtained. Co-processed excipient core pellets (MOMLETS) were successfully developed by QbD approach. Versatility, Industrial scalability and simplicity are the main features of the proposed research. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Entropy Applications to Water Monitoring Network Design: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jongho Keum

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Having reliable water monitoring networks is an essential component of water resources and environmental management. A standardized process for the design of water monitoring networks does not exist with the exception of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO general guidelines about the minimum network density. While one of the major challenges in the design of optimal hydrometric networks has been establishing design objectives, information theory has been successfully adopted to network design problems by providing measures of the information content that can be deliverable from a station or a network. This review firstly summarizes the common entropy terms that have been used in water monitoring network designs. Then, this paper deals with the recent applications of the entropy concept for water monitoring network designs, which are categorized into (1 precipitation; (2 streamflow and water level; (3 water quality; and (4 soil moisture and groundwater networks. The integrated design method for multivariate monitoring networks is also covered. Despite several issues, entropy theory has been well suited to water monitoring network design. However, further work is still required to provide design standards and guidelines for operational use.

[Phylogenetic diversity of microorganisms associated with the deep-water sponge Baikalospongia intermedia].

Science.gov (United States)

Kalyzhnaya, O V; Itskovich, V B

2014-07-01

The diversity of bacteria associated with deep-water sponge Baikalospongia intermedia was evaluated by sequence analysis of 16S rRNA genes from two sponge samples collected in Lake Baikal from depths of 550 and 1204 m. A total of 64 operational taxonomic units, belonging to nine bacterial phyla, Proteobacteria (classes Alphaproteobacteria,. Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Deltaproteobacteria), Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Cloroflexi, Verrucomicrobia, Acidobacteria, Chlorobi, and Nitrospirae, including candidate phylum WS5, were identified. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the examined communities contained phylotypes exhibiting homology to uncultured bacteria from different lake ecosystems, freshwater sediments, soil and geological formations. Moreover, a number of phylotypes were relative to psychrophilic, methane-oxidizing, sulfate-reducing bacteria, and to microorganisms resistant to the influence of heavy metals. It seems likely that the unusual habitation conditions of deep-water sponges contribute to the taxonomic diversity of associated bacteria and have an influence on the presence of functionally important microorganisms in bacterial communities.

Techniques for the design of highly damped structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, F.C.

1975-01-01

This paper discusses several techniques for the design of highly damped structures, techniques which have proven successful for large scale, low frequency steel and concrete structures which are typical of nuclear power reactors and their components. The ability to augment structural damping can be useful in increasing the seismic withstandability of structures. Seismic excitation is broadband in its frequency content and will excite many strutural resonances. Broadband damping will limit these resonant responses and thereby reduce the seismic load on structures and their components. This paper discusses three techniques: the design of structural joints and interfaces to promote damping; the use of layers of viscoelastic material; and the employment of damping links. The emphasis is on explaining the ways in which these techniques work and in describing the ways in which they have been used. (Auth.)

Application of energy dispersive x-ray techniques for water analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Funtua, I. I.

2000-07-01

Energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) is a class of emission spectroscopic techniques that depends upon the emission of characteristic x-rays following excitation of the atomic electron energy levels by tube or isotopic source x-rays. The technique has found wide range of applications that include determination of chemical elements of water and water pollutants. Three EDXRF systems, the isotopic source, secondary target and total reflection (TXRF) are available at the Centre for Energy research and Training. These systems have been applied for the analysis of sediments, suspensions, ground water, river and rainwater. The isotopic source is based on 55 Fe, 109 Cd and 241 Am excitations while the secondary target and the total reflection are utilizing a Mo x-ray tube. Sample preparation requirements for water analysis range from physical and chemical pre-concentration steps to direct analysis and elements from Al to U can be determined with these systems. The EDXRF techniques, TXRF in particular with its multielement capability, low detection limit and possibility of direct analysis for water have competitive edge over the traditional methods of atomic absorption and flame photometry

Comparison of the NPL water calorimeter with other dosimetric techniques for high energy photon beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosser, K.E.; Williams, A.J.

1999-01-01

At present, the primary standard of absorbed dose to water at NPL in high energy photon beams is a graphite calorimeter. However the quantity of interest in radiation dosimetry is absorbed dose to water. Therefore, a new absorbed dose to water standard based on water calorimetry is being developed at NPL. The calorimeter operates at 4 deg. C, with temperature control being provided by a combination of liquid and air cooling. The sealed glass inner vessel of the calorimeter has been designed to minimise the effect of non-water materials on the measurement of absorbed dose. Measurements of absorbed dose to water made in 6, 10 and 19 MV photon beams agreed within the measurement uncertainties with those determined using the primary standard graphite calorimeter. Also the absorbed dose to water measured using the water calorimeter agrees with that based on the air kerma standards for 60 Co γ-radiation within the uncertainties. The development of the water calorimeter will lead to a very robust dosimetry system at NPL, where the absorbed dose to water can be determined using three independent techniques. (author)

The Art of Hardware Architecture Design Methods and Techniques for Digital Circuits

CERN Document Server

Arora, Mohit

2012-01-01

This book highlights the complex issues, tasks and skills that must be mastered by an IP designer, in order to design an optimized and robust digital circuit to solve a problem. The techniques and methodologies described can serve as a bridge between specifications that are known to the designer and RTL code that is final outcome, reducing significantly the time it takes to convert initial ideas and concepts into right-first-time silicon.� Coverage focuses on real problems rather than theoretical concepts, with an emphasis on design techniques across various aspects of chip-design.�� Describes techniques to help IP designers get it right the first time, creating designs optimized in terms of power, area and performance; Focuses on practical aspects of chip design and minimizes theory; Covers chip design in a consistent way, starting with basics and gradually developing advanced concepts, such as electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) design techniques and low-power design techniques such as dynamic voltage...

An integrated sensing technique for smart monitoring of water pipelines

Science.gov (United States)

Bernini, Romeo; Catapano, Ilaria; Soldovieri, Francesco; Crocco, Lorenzo

2014-05-01

Lowering the rate of water leakage from the network of underground pipes is one of the requirements that "smart" cities have to comply with. In fact, losses in the water supply infrastructure have a remarkable social, environmental and economic impact, which obviously conflicts with the expected efficiency and sustainability of a smart city. As a consequence, there is a huge interest in developing prevention policies based on state-of-art sensing techniques and possibly their integration, as well as in envisaging ad hoc technical solutions designed for the application at hand. As a contribution to this framework, in this communication we present an approach aimed to pursue a thorough non-invasive monitoring of water pipelines, with both high spatial and temporal resolution. This goal is necessary to guarantee that maintenance operations are performed timely, so to reduce the extent of the leakage and its possible side effects, and precisely, so to minimize the cost and the discomfort resulting from operating on the water supply network. The proposed approach integrates two sensing techniques that work at different spatial and temporal scales. The first one is meant to provide a continuous (in both space and time) monitoring of the pipeline and exploits a distributed optic fiber sensor based on the Brillouin scattering phenomenon. This technique provides the "low" spatial resolution information (at meter scale) needed to reveal the presence of a leak and call for interventions [1]. The second technique is based on the use of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and is meant to provide detailed images of area where the damage has been detected. GPR systems equipped with suitable data processing strategies [2,3] are indeed capable of providing images of the shallow underground, where the pipes would be buried, characterized by a spatial resolution in the order of a few centimeters. This capability is crucial to address in the most proper way maintenance operations, by for

Investigating the diversity of Pseudomonas spp. in soil using culture dependent and independent techniques

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Lili; Abu Al-Soud, Waleed; Bergmark, Lasse

2013-01-01

Less than 1% of bacterial populations present in environmental samples are culturable, meaning that cultivation will lead to an underestimation of total cell counts and total diversity. However, it is less clear whether this is also true for specific well-defined groups of bacteria for which sele...... selective culture media is available. In this study, we use culture dependent and independent techniques to describe whether isolation of Pseudomonas spp. on selective nutrient-poor NAA 1: 100 agar-medium can reflect the full diversity, found by ...

Generative Algorithmic Techniques for Architectural Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Niels Martin

2012-01-01

Architectural design methodology is expanded through the ability to create bespoke computational methods as integrated parts of the design process. The rapid proliferation of digital production techniques within building industry provides new means for establishing seamless flows between digital...... form-generation and the realisation process. A tendency in recent practice shows an increased focus on developing unique tectonic solutions as a crucial ingredient in the design solution. These converging trajectories form the contextual basis for this thesis. In architectural design, digital tools....... The principles are further developed to form new modes of articulation in architectural design. Certain methods are contributions, which suggest a potential for future use and development. Thus, a method is directed towards bottom-up generation of surface topology through the use of an agentbased logic. Another...

Design data brochure: Solar hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

A design calculation is detailed for a single-family residence housing a family of four in a nonspecific geographical area. The solar water heater system is designed to provide 80 gallons of 140 F hot water per day.

Research on Water Resources Design Carrying Capacity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guanghua Qin

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Water resources carrying capacity (WRCC is a recently proposed management concept, which aims to support sustainable socio-economic development in a region or basin. However, the calculation of future WRCC is not well considered in most studies, because water resources and the socio-economic development mode for one area or city in the future are quite uncertain. This paper focused on the limits of traditional methods of WRCC and proposed a new concept, water resources design carrying capacity (WRDCC, which incorporated the concept of design. In WRDCC, the population size that the local water resources can support is calculated based on the balance of water supply and water consumption, under the design water supply and design socio-economic development mode. The WRDCC of Chengdu city in China is calculated. Results show that the WRDCC (population size of Chengdu city in development modeI (II, III will be 997 ×104 (770 × 104, 504 × 104 in 2020, and 934 × 104 (759 × 104, 462 × 104 in 2030. Comparing the actual population to the carrying population (WRDCC in 2020 and 2030, a bigger gap will appear, which means there will be more and more pressure on the society-economic sustainable development.

Some techniques used in the treatment of phenolic waters residual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alzate S, Rafael A.; Botero, Carlos Andre

2000-01-01

The current state of the diverse processes of treatment of phenolic waters residual is presented, beginning with the methods traditionally employees, until finishing with those but recent innovations, which have been derived of the necessity of increasing the removal of these pollutants without increasing the costs of such processes in excessive form

Late Permian marine ecosystem collapse began in deeper waters: evidence from brachiopod diversity and body size changes.

Science.gov (United States)

He, W-H; Shi, G R; Twitchett, R J; Zhang, Y; Zhang, K-X; Song, H-J; Yue, M-L; Wu, S-B; Wu, H-T; Yang, T-L; Xiao, Y-F

2015-03-01

Analysis of Permian-Triassic brachiopod diversity and body size changes from different water depths spanning the continental shelf to basinal facies in South China provides insights into the process of environmental deterioration. Comparison of the temporal changes of brachiopod diversity between deepwater and shallow-water facies demonstrates that deepwater brachiopods disappeared earlier than shallow-water brachiopods. This indicates that high environmental stress commenced first in deepwater settings and later extended to shallow waters. This environmental stress is attributed to major volcanic eruptions, which first led to formation of a stratified ocean and a chemocline in the outer shelf and deeper water environments, causing the disappearance of deep marine benthos including brachiopods. The chemocline then rapidly migrated upward and extended to shallow waters, causing widespread mass extinction of shallow marine benthos. We predict that the spatial and temporal patterns of earlier onset of disappearance/extinction and ecological crisis in deeper water ecosystems will be recorded during other episodes of rapid global warming. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Optimization and coordination of South-to-North Water Diversion supply chain with strategic customer behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhi-song Chen

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The South-to-North Water Diversion (SNWD Project is a significant engineering project meant to solve water shortage problems in North China. Faced with market operations management of the water diversion system, this study defined the supply chain system for the SNWD Project, considering the actual project conditions, built a decentralized decision model and a centralized decision model with strategic customer behavior (SCB using a floating pricing mechanism (FPM, and constructed a coordination mechanism via a revenue-sharing contract. The results suggest the following: (1 owing to water shortage supplements and the excess water sale policy provided by the FPM, the optimal ordering quantity of water resources is less than that without the FPM, and the optimal profits of the whole supply chain, supplier, and external distributor are higher than they would be without the FPM; (2 wholesale pricing and supplementary wholesale pricing with SCB are higher than those without SCB, and the optimal profits of the whole supply chain, supplier, and external distributor are higher than they would be without SCB; and (3 considering SCB and introducing the FPM help increase the optimal profits of the whole supply chain, supplier, and external distributor, and improve the efficiency of water resources usage.

Measurements of diversity gain and radiation efficiency of the eleven antenna by using different measurement techniques

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Jian; Pivnenko, Sergey; Laitinen, Tommi

2010-01-01

This paper presents measurement results of diversity gain and radiation efficiency by using three different measurement techniques: reverberation chamber, spherical near-field anechoic chamber, and multi-probe anechoic chamber. The results are measured over a large 2–8 GHz bandwidth which...

Code of practice for the temporary diversion of water from hydrostatic testing of pipelines: Water Act - Water (Ministerial) Regulation No. 205

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

A series of administrative procedures are described in this regulation regarding the temporary diversion of water for hydrostatic testing of pipelines in Alberta. These include the notification and timing of the release of water, where the test will occur and the possible effect of water release on the environment. The requirements of a hydrostatic test plan are described in point form. In accordance with the regulation, a person responsible for the testing must ensure that the testing does not cause a significant adverse effect on the aquatic environment or on any household user. Should this occur, all adverse effects on the aquatic environment should be fully mitigated. The reporting schedule and record keeping information are also covered. 2 tabs., 1 figs

Design refinement of multilayer optical thin film devices with two optimization techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Apparao, K.V.S.R.

1992-01-01

The design efficiency of two different optimization techniques of designing multilayer optical thin film devices is compared. Ten different devices of varying complexities are chosen as design examples for the comparison. The design refinement efficiency and the design parameter characteristics of all the sample designs obtained with the two techniques are compared. The results of the comparison demonstrate that the new method of design developed using damped least squares technique with indirect derivatives give superior and efficient designs compared to the method developed with direct derivatives. (author). 23 refs., 4 tabs., 14 figs

Diversity-based acoustic communication with a glider in deep water.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, H C; Howe, Bruce M; Brown, Michael G; Andrew, Rex K

2014-03-01

The primary use of underwater gliders is to collect oceanographic data within the water column and periodically relay the data at the surface via a satellite connection. In summer 2006, a Seaglider equipped with an acoustic recording system received transmissions from a broadband acoustic source centered at 75 Hz deployed on the bottom off Kauai, Hawaii, while moving away from the source at ranges up to ∼200 km in deep water and diving up to 1000-m depth. The transmitted signal was an m-sequence that can be treated as a binary-phase shift-keying communication signal. In this letter multiple receptions are exploited (i.e., diversity combining) to demonstrate the feasibility of using the glider as a mobile communication gateway.

A test section design to simulate horizontal two-phase air-water flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faccini, Jose Luiz H.; Cesar, Silvia B.G.; Coutinho, Jorge A.; Freitas, Sergio Carlos; Addor, Pedro N.

2002-01-01

In this work an air-water two-phase flow horizontal test section assembling at Nuclear Engineering Institute (IEN) is presented. The test section was designed to allow four-phase flow patterns to be simulated: bubble flow, stratified flow, wave flow and slug flow. These flow patterns will be identified by non-conventional ultrasonic techniques which have been developed to meet this particular application. Based on the separated flow and drift-flux models the test section design steps are shown. A description of the test section and its instrumentation and data acquisition system is also provided. (author)

Receding Water Line and Interspecific Competition Determines Plant Community Composition and Diversity in Wetlands in Beijing

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhengjun; Gong, Huili; Zhang, Jing

2015-01-01

Climate and human-induced wetland degradation has accelerated in recent years, not only resulting in reduced ecosystem services but also greatly affecting the composition and diversity of wetland plant communities. To date, the knowledge of the differences in community parameters and their successional trends in degraded wetlands remains scarce. Here based on remote sensing images, geographic information system technology, and statistical methods, we produced a successional gradient map of the Yeyahu Wetland Nature Reserve in Beijing, which has experienced a steady decline in water level in recent decades. In addition, we analyzed community composition and diversity along with each identified gradient. The results showed that community diversity decreases while dominance increases with the progress of succession, with the highest diversity occurring during the early stage of succession. Moreover, the community demonstrates greater similarity among subareas during later successional stages, and the similarity coefficients calculated from the important value (IV) of each species are more accurate. Correlation analysis showed that the impact of soil factors on diversity was not significant at a subarea scale, although these nutrients showed an increasing trend with the community succession. Furthermore, the IVs of the dominant species had a particularly significant impact on diversity, showing a significantly negative correlation with diversity indices and a significantly positive correlation with dominance indices. Further analysis showed that the retreat of water level resulted from sustained drought and local human activities was a major extrinsic driving force resulting in observed differences in the community successional stages, which resulted in differences in community composition and diversity. On the other hand, interspecific competition was the main intrinsic mechanism, which significantly influenced the IVs of the dominant species and community diversity

Comammox Nitrospira are key nitrifiers in diverse groundwater-fed drinking water filters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fowler, Jane; Palomo, Alejandro; Smets, Barth F.

Nitrification is a dominant process in groundwater-fed rapid sand filters (RSFs) used for drinking water purification. Near complete removal of ammonium and nitrite is required in the EU and Denmark due to strict regulatory limits that enable high water stability in the distribution system. RSFs...... this work provides a new assay for the simultaneous detection of clade A and B comammox Nitrospira and expands our current knowledge of the diversity of comammox Nitrospira, while attempting to explain the success of comammox Nitrospira in these groundwater-fed filters....

Distribution and Diversity of Pathogenic Leptospira Species in Peri-domestic Surface Waters from South Central Chile.

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, Meghan R; Encina, Carolina; Sreevatsan, Srinand; Muñoz-Zanzi, Claudia

2016-08-01

Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonosis affecting animals and humans caused by infection with Leptospira. The bacteria can survive outside of hosts for long periods of time in soil and water. While identification of Leptospira species from human cases and animal reservoirs are increasingly reported, little is known about the diversity of pathogenic Leptospira species in the environment and how surveillance of the environment might be used for monitoring and controlling disease. Water samples (n = 104) were collected from the peri-domestic environment of 422 households from farms, rural villages, and urban slums participating in a broader study on the eco-epidemiology of leptospirosis in the Los Rios Region, Chile, between October 2010 and April 2012. The secY region of samples, previously detected as pathogenic Leptospira by PCR, was amplified and sequenced. Sequences were aligned using ClustalW in MEGA, and a minimum spanning tree was created in PHYLOViZ using the goeBURST algorithm to assess sequence similarity. Sequences from four clinical isolates, 17 rodents, and 20 reference strains were also included in the analysis. Overall, water samples contained L. interrogans, L. kirschneri, and L. weilii, with descending frequency. All species were found in each community type. The distribution of the species differed by the season in which the water samples were obtained. There was no evidence that community-level prevalence of Leptospira in dogs, rodents, or livestock influenced pathogen diversity in the water samples. This study reports the presence of pathogenic Leptospira in the peri-domestic environment of households in three community types and the differences in Leptospira diversity at the community level. Systematic environmental surveillance of Leptospira can be used for detecting changes in pathogen diversity and to identify and monitor contaminated areas where an increased risk of human infection exists.

Distribution and Diversity of Pathogenic Leptospira Species in Peri-domestic Surface Waters from South Central Chile.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meghan R Mason

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonosis affecting animals and humans caused by infection with Leptospira. The bacteria can survive outside of hosts for long periods of time in soil and water. While identification of Leptospira species from human cases and animal reservoirs are increasingly reported, little is known about the diversity of pathogenic Leptospira species in the environment and how surveillance of the environment might be used for monitoring and controlling disease.Water samples (n = 104 were collected from the peri-domestic environment of 422 households from farms, rural villages, and urban slums participating in a broader study on the eco-epidemiology of leptospirosis in the Los Rios Region, Chile, between October 2010 and April 2012. The secY region of samples, previously detected as pathogenic Leptospira by PCR, was amplified and sequenced. Sequences were aligned using ClustalW in MEGA, and a minimum spanning tree was created in PHYLOViZ using the goeBURST algorithm to assess sequence similarity. Sequences from four clinical isolates, 17 rodents, and 20 reference strains were also included in the analysis. Overall, water samples contained L. interrogans, L. kirschneri, and L. weilii, with descending frequency. All species were found in each community type. The distribution of the species differed by the season in which the water samples were obtained. There was no evidence that community-level prevalence of Leptospira in dogs, rodents, or livestock influenced pathogen diversity in the water samples.This study reports the presence of pathogenic Leptospira in the peri-domestic environment of households in three community types and the differences in Leptospira diversity at the community level. Systematic environmental surveillance of Leptospira can be used for detecting changes in pathogen diversity and to identify and monitor contaminated areas where an increased risk of human infection exists.

Waste Water Disposal Design And Management II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Sang Hyeon; Lee, Jung Su

2004-04-01

This book is written about design and management of waste water disposal like settling, floating, aeration and filtration. It explains in detail solo settling, flocculant settling, zone settling, multi-level settling, floating like PPI oil separator, structure of skimming tank and design of skimming tank, water treatment and aeration, aeration device, deaeration like deaeration device for disposal processing of sewage, filtration such as structure and design of Micro-floc filtration, In-line filtration and design of slow sand filter bed.

Bacterial community diversity and variation in spray water sources and the tomato fruit surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Telias, Adriana; White, James R; Pahl, Donna M; Ottesen, Andrea R; Walsh, Christopher S

2011-04-21

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) consumption has been one of the most common causes of produce-associated salmonellosis in the United States. Contamination may originate from animal waste, insects, soil or water. Current guidelines for fresh tomato production recommend the use of potable water for applications coming in direct contact with the fruit, but due to high demand, water from other sources is frequently used. We sought to describe the overall bacterial diversity on the surface of tomato fruit and the effect of two different water sources (ground and surface water) when used for direct crop applications by generating a 454-pyrosequencing 16S rRNA dataset of these different environments. This study represents the first in depth characterization of bacterial communities in the tomato fruit surface and the water sources commonly used in commercial vegetable production. The two water sources tested had a significantly different bacterial composition. Proteobacteria was predominant in groundwater samples, whereas in the significantly more diverse surface water, abundant phyla also included Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. The fruit surface bacterial communities on tomatoes sprayed with both water sources could not be differentiated using various statistical methods. Both fruit surface environments had a high representation of Gammaproteobacteria, and within this class the genera Pantoea and Enterobacter were the most abundant. Despite the major differences observed in the bacterial composition of ground and surface water, the season long use of these very different water sources did not have a significant impact on the bacterial composition of the tomato fruit surface. This study has provided the first next-generation sequencing database describing the bacterial communities living in the fruit surface of a tomato crop under two different spray water regimes, and therefore represents an important step forward towards the development of science

Bacterial community diversity and variation in spray water sources and the tomato fruit surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ottesen Andrea R

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum consumption has been one of the most common causes of produce-associated salmonellosis in the United States. Contamination may originate from animal waste, insects, soil or water. Current guidelines for fresh tomato production recommend the use of potable water for applications coming in direct contact with the fruit, but due to high demand, water from other sources is frequently used. We sought to describe the overall bacterial diversity on the surface of tomato fruit and the effect of two different water sources (ground and surface water when used for direct crop applications by generating a 454-pyrosequencing 16S rRNA dataset of these different environments. This study represents the first in depth characterization of bacterial communities in the tomato fruit surface and the water sources commonly used in commercial vegetable production. Results The two water sources tested had a significantly different bacterial composition. Proteobacteria was predominant in groundwater samples, whereas in the significantly more diverse surface water, abundant phyla also included Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. The fruit surface bacterial communities on tomatoes sprayed with both water sources could not be differentiated using various statistical methods. Both fruit surface environments had a high representation of Gammaproteobacteria, and within this class the genera Pantoea and Enterobacter were the most abundant. Conclusions Despite the major differences observed in the bacterial composition of ground and surface water, the season long use of these very different water sources did not have a significant impact on the bacterial composition of the tomato fruit surface. This study has provided the first next-generation sequencing database describing the bacterial communities living in the fruit surface of a tomato crop under two different spray water regimes, and therefore represents an

High bacterial diversity of biological soil crusts in water tracks over permafrost in the high arctic polar desert.

Science.gov (United States)

Steven, Blaire; Lionard, Marie; Kuske, Cheryl R; Vincent, Warwick F

2013-01-01

In this study we report the bacterial diversity of biological soil crusts (biocrusts) inhabiting polar desert soils at the northern land limit of the Arctic polar region (83° 05 N). Employing pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes this study demonstrated that these biocrusts harbor diverse bacterial communities, often as diverse as temperate latitude communities. The effect of wetting pulses on the composition of communities was also determined by collecting samples from soils outside and inside of permafrost water tracks, hill slope flow paths that drain permafrost-affected soils. The intermittent flow regime in the water tracks was correlated with altered relative abundance of phylum level taxonomic bins in the bacterial communities, but the alterations varied between individual sampling sites. Bacteria related to the Cyanobacteria and Acidobacteria demonstrated shifts in relative abundance based on their location either inside or outside of the water tracks. Among cyanobacterial sequences, the proportion of sequences belonging to the family Oscillatoriales consistently increased in relative abundance in the samples from inside the water tracks compared to those outside. Acidobacteria showed responses to wetting pulses in the water tracks, increasing in abundance at one site and decreasing at the other two sites. Subdivision 4 acidobacterial sequences tended to follow the trends in the total Acidobacteria relative abundance, suggesting these organisms were largely responsible for the changes observed in the Acidobacteria. Taken together, these data suggest that the bacterial communities of these high latitude polar biocrusts are diverse but do not show a consensus response to intermittent flow in water tracks over high Arctic permafrost.

Modeling and design techniques for RF power amplifiers

CERN Document Server

Raghavan, Arvind; Laskar, Joy

2008-01-01

The book covers RF power amplifier design, from device and modeling considerations to advanced circuit design architectures and techniques. It focuses on recent developments and advanced topics in this area, including numerous practical designs to back the theoretical considerations. It presents the challenges in designing power amplifiers in silicon and helps the reader improve the efficiency of linear power amplifiers, and design more accurate compact device models, with faster extraction routines, to create cost effective and reliable circuits.

Introduction. [usefulness of modern remote sensing techniques for studying components of California water resources

Science.gov (United States)

Colwell, R. N.

1973-01-01

Since May 1970, personnel on several campuses of the University of California have been conducting investigations which seek to determine the usefulness of modern remote sensing techniques for studying various components of California's earth resources complex. Emphasis has been given to California's water resources as exemplified by the Feather River project and other aspects of the California Water Plan. This study is designed to consider in detail the supply, demand, and impact relationships. The specific geographic areas studied are the Feather River drainage in northern California, the Chino-Riverside Basin and Imperial Valley areas in southern California, and selected portions of the west side of San Joaquin Valley in central California. An analysis is also given on how an effective benefit-cost study of remote sensing in relation to California's water resources might best be made.

Nearshore marine fish diversity in southern California using trawl information from the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project.

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This is a point file of mean fish diversity within 5 minute grid cells. The Shannon Index of diversity was calculated from Southern California Coastal Water Research...

Improving mine-mill water network design by reducing water and energy requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gunson, A.J.; Klein, B.; Veiga, M. [British Columbia Univ., Vancouver, BC (Canada). Norman B. Keevil Inst. of Mining Engineering

2010-07-01

Mining is an energy-intensive industry, and most processing mills use wet processes to separate minerals from ore. This paper discussed water reduction, reuse and recycling options for a mining and mill operation network. A mine water network design was then proposed in order to identify and reduce water and system energy requirements. This included (1) a description of site water balance, (2) a description of potential water sources, (3) a description of water consumers, (4) the construction of energy requirement matrices, and (5) the use of linear programming to reduce energy requirements. The design was used to determine a site water balance as well as to specify major water consumers during mining and mill processes. Potential water supply combinations, water metering technologies, and recycling options were evaluated in order to identify the most efficient energy and water use combinations. The method was used to highlight potential energy savings from the integration of heating and cooling systems with plant water systems. 43 refs., 4 tabs., 3 figs.

Innovative Technique for High-Accuracy Remote Monitoring of Surface Water

Science.gov (United States)

Gisler, A.; Barton-Grimley, R. A.; Thayer, J. P.; Crowley, G.

2016-12-01

Lidar (light detection and ranging) provides absolute depth and topographic mapping capability compared to other remote sensing methods, which is useful for mapping rapidly changing environments such as riverine systems and agricultural waterways. Effectiveness of current lidar bathymetric systems is limited by the difficulty in unambiguously identifying backscattered lidar signals from the water surface versus the bottom, limiting their depth resolution to 0.3-0.5 m. Additionally these are large, bulky systems that are constrained to expensive aircraft-mounted platforms and use waveform-processing techniques requiring substantial computation time. These restrictions are prohibitive for many potential users. A novel lidar device has been developed that allows for non-contact measurements of water depth down to 1 cm with an accuracy and precision of shallow to deep water allowing for shoreline charting, measuring water volume, mapping bottom topology, and identifying submerged objects. The scalability of the technique opens up the ability for handheld or UAS-mounted lidar bathymetric systems, which provides for potential applications currently unavailable to the community. The high laser pulse repetition rate allows for very fine horizontal resolution while the photon-counting technique permits real-time depth measurement and object detection. The enhanced measurement capability, portability, scalability, and relatively low-cost creates the opportunity to perform frequent high-accuracy monitoring and measuring of aquatic environments which is crucial for monitoring water resources on fast timescales. Results from recent campaigns measuring water depth in flowing creeks and murky ponds will be presented which demonstrate that the method is not limited by rough water surfaces and can map underwater topology through moderately turbid water.

Computational Intelligence Techniques for New Product Design

CERN Document Server

Chan, Kit Yan; Dillon, Tharam S

2012-01-01

Applying computational intelligence for product design is a fast-growing and promising research area in computer sciences and industrial engineering. However, there is currently a lack of books, which discuss this research area. This book discusses a wide range of computational intelligence techniques for implementation on product design. It covers common issues on product design from identification of customer requirements in product design, determination of importance of customer requirements, determination of optimal design attributes, relating design attributes and customer satisfaction, integration of marketing aspects into product design, affective product design, to quality control of new products. Approaches for refinement of computational intelligence are discussed, in order to address different issues on product design. Cases studies of product design in terms of development of real-world new products are included, in order to illustrate the design procedures, as well as the effectiveness of the com...

Homeostasis of Complementary Pair Theory: Ecological Comparisons in Diverse Universal Design for Learning Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Ianneo, Brittany

2014-01-01

Accommodation~assimilation relations were theorized by Kelso and Engstrom (2006) as independent and dependent complementary pairs. This study defined relationships between organisms that experienced complementary interactions of accommodation~assimilation in diverse ecologies designed with universal design for learning environments (UDLE) compared…

Evaluation of significantly modified water bodies in Vojvodina by using multivariate statistical techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vujović Svetlana R.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper illustrates the utility of multivariate statistical techniques for analysis and interpretation of water quality data sets and identification of pollution sources/factors with a view to get better information about the water quality and design of monitoring network for effective management of water resources. Multivariate statistical techniques, such as factor analysis (FA/principal component analysis (PCA and cluster analysis (CA, were applied for the evaluation of variations and for the interpretation of a water quality data set of the natural water bodies obtained during 2010 year of monitoring of 13 parameters at 33 different sites. FA/PCA attempts to explain the correlations between the observations in terms of the underlying factors, which are not directly observable. Factor analysis is applied to physico-chemical parameters of natural water bodies with the aim classification and data summation as well as segmentation of heterogeneous data sets into smaller homogeneous subsets. Factor loadings were categorized as strong and moderate corresponding to the absolute loading values of >0.75, 0.75-0.50, respectively. Four principal factors were obtained with Eigenvalues >1 summing more than 78 % of the total variance in the water data sets, which is adequate to give good prior information regarding data structure. Each factor that is significantly related to specific variables represents a different dimension of water quality. The first factor F1 accounting for 28 % of the total variance and represents the hydrochemical dimension of water quality. The second factor F2 accounting for 18% of the total variance and may be taken factor of water eutrophication. The third factor F3 accounting 17 % of the total variance and represents the influence of point sources of pollution on water quality. The fourth factor F4 accounting 13 % of the total variance and may be taken as an ecological dimension of water quality. Cluster analysis (CA is an

Design Diversity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dankl, Kathrina

2014-01-01

. The exhibition is oriented along disciplines such as inclusive design, which calls for products to be designed in such a way that they are equally attractive to people of all ages. Despite the existence of innovative design concepts, the number of well-designed products available on the market is low. While many...... courageous projects for "best agers" and "golden agers" never get beyond the prototype stage, products that paint a more "beige" picture of everyday life can be found in large numbers. This fact raises some key questions: Does the existing product culture reflect today's views on old age? Do contemporary...

Approaches to Improvement of Crop Genotypes with High Water and Nutrient Use Efficiency for Water Scarce Environments. Final Report of a Coordinated Research Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-12-01

Projected global population increase and the impacts of climate change on agriculture highlight the importance of the use of improved crop varieties coupled with better soil, water and fertilizer management practices designed to protect the natural resource base. This publication is the outcome of a coordinated research project (CRP) and focuses on the practical application of nuclear and related techniques, such as mutation induction and the use of stable isotopes of nitrogen [N-15] and carbon [C-13]. The use of such techniques can improve crop productivity with mutant varieties and best-fit soil management practices in diverse agro-ecological zones affected by drought, high temperatures, water scarcity, soil acidity and soil salinity. The findings of the CRP will be highly valuable to agricultural scientists and laboratory technicians of national agricultural research organizations in Member States as a resource for improving soil and crop productivity.

Linking diverse nutrient patterns to different water masses within anticyclonic eddies in the upwelling system off Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Saranga José, Yonss; Dietze, Heiner; Oschlies, Andreas

2017-03-01

Ocean eddies can both trigger mixing (during their formation and decay) and effectively shield water encompassed from being exchanged with ambient water (throughout their lifetimes). These antagonistic effects of eddies complicate the interpretation of synoptic snapshots typically obtained by ship-based oceanographic measurement campaigns. Here we use a coupled physical-biogeochemical model to explore biogeochemical dynamics within anticyclonic eddies in the eastern tropical South Pacific Ocean. The goal is to understand the diverse biogeochemical patterns that have been observed at the subsurface layers of the anticyclonic eddies in this region. Our model results suggest that the diverse subsurface nutrient patterns within eddies are associated with the presence of water masses of different origins at different depths.

Wind and sunlight shape microbial diversity in surface waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.

Science.gov (United States)

Bryant, Jessica A; Aylward, Frank O; Eppley, John M; Karl, David M; Church, Matthew J; DeLong, Edward F

2016-06-01

Few microbial time-series studies have been conducted in open ocean habitats having low seasonal variability such as the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG), where surface waters experience comparatively mild seasonal variation. To better describe microbial seasonal variability in this habitat, we analyzed rRNA amplicon and shotgun metagenomic data over two years at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA. We postulated that this relatively stable habitat might reveal different environmental factors that influence planktonic microbial community diversity than those previously observed in more seasonally dynamic habitats. Unexpectedly, the data showed that microbial diversity at 25 m was positively correlated with average wind speed 3 to 10 days prior to sampling. In addition, microbial community composition at 25 m exhibited significant correlations with solar irradiance. Many bacterial groups whose relative abundances varied with solar radiation corresponded to taxa known to exhibit strong seasonality in other oceanic regions. Network co-correlation analysis of 25 m communities showed seasonal transitions in composition, and distinct successional cohorts of co-occurring phylogenetic groups. Similar network analyses of metagenomic data also indicated distinct seasonality in genes originating from cyanophage, and several bacterial clades including SAR116 and SAR324. At 500 m, microbial community diversity and composition did not vary significantly with any measured environmental parameters. The minimal seasonal variability in the NPSG facilitated detection of more subtle environmental influences, such as episodic wind variation, on surface water microbial diversity. Community composition in NPSG surface waters varied in response to solar irradiance, but less dramatically than reported in other ocean provinces.

The Design and Development of a Simulation to Teach Water Conservation to Primary School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Lee

2004-01-01

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) plays a dominant role in enhancing teaching and learning. Similar advances have been made in the use of multimedia in the classroom. These advances are coupled with newer developmental tools and techniques. This paper examines the design and development of a simulation on water conservation. Science…

System design package for SIMS Prototype System 4, solar heating and domestic hot water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-11-01

This report is a collation of documents and drawings that describe a prototype solar heating and hot water system using air type solar energy collection techniques. The system consists of a modular designed prepackaged solar unit containing solar collctors, a rock storage container, blowers, dampers, ducting, air-to-water heat exchanger, DHW preheat tank, piping and system controls. The system was designed to be installed adjacent to a small single family dwelling. The description, performance specification, subsystem drawings, verification plan/procedure, and hazard analysis of the system are packaged for evaluation of the system with inforation sufficient to assemble a similar system. The prepackage solar unit has been installed at the Mississippi Power and Light Company, Training Facilities, Clinton, Mississippi.

Computing payment for ecosystem services in watersheds: an analysis of the Middle Route Project of South-to-North Water Diversion in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Zhengju; Yan, Yan; Duan, Jing; Fu, Xiao; Zhou, Qingrong; Huang, Xiang; Zhu, Xiangen; Zhao, Jingzhu

2011-01-01

Payment for ecosystem services (PES) has attracted considerable attention as an economic incentive for promoting natural resource management recently. As emphasis has been placed on using the incentive-based mechanism by the central government, rapid progress on PES research and practice has been achieved. However PES still faces many difficulties. A key issue is the lack of a fully-fledged theory and method to clearly define the design scope, accounting and feasibility of PES criteria. An improved watershed criteria model was developed in light of research on PES practices in China, investigations on the water source area for the Middle Route Project of South-to-North Water Diversion and ecosystem services outflows theory. The basic principle of assessment is the direct and opportunity cost for ecological conservation and environmental protection in the water source area deduct nationally-financed PES and internal effect. Then the scope and the criteria methods were determined, and internal effect was put forward to define benefits brought from water source area. Finally, Shiyan City, which is the main water source area for the Project of Water Diversion, was analyzed by this model and its payment was calculated. The results showed that: (1) during 2003-2050, the total direct cost and opportunity cost would reach up to 262.70 billion and 256.33 billion Chinese Yuan (CNY, 2000 constant prices), i.e., 50.61% and 49.38% of total cost, respectively; (2) Shiyan City would gain 0.23, 0.06 and 0.03 CNY/m3 in 2014-2020, 2021-2030, and 2031-2050, respectively.

Diversity and constructive conflict in stakeholder dialogue : Considerations for design and methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cuppen, E.H.W.J.

2011-01-01

Diversity is generally recognized as a key issue for learning in stakeholder dialogue on wicked sustainability issues. Yet the question on how design of stakeholder dialogue and supporting methods actually enhance learning in stakeholder dialogue deserves more attention. This paper presents

Improved techniques for fluid diversion in oil recovery. Second annual report, October 1, 1993--September 30, 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seright, R.S.

1995-03-01

This project is directed at reducing water production and increasing oil recovery efficiency. Today, the cost of water disposal is typically between $0.25 and $0.50 per bbl. Therefore, there is a tremendous economic incentive to reduce water production if that can be accomplished without sacrificing hydrocarbon production. Environmental considerations also provide a significant incentive to reduce water production during oilfield operations. This three-year project has two technical objectives. The first objective is to compare the effectiveness of gels in fluid diversion (water shutoff) with those of other types of processes. Several different types of fluid-diversion processes are being compared, including those using gels, foams, emulsions, and particulates. The ultimate goals of these comparisons are to (1) establish which of these processes are most effective in a given application and (2) determine whether aspects of one process can be combined with those of other processes to improve performance. Analyses and experiments are being performed to verify which materials are the most effective in entering and blocking high-permeability zones. The second objective of the project is to identify the mechanisms by which materials (particularly gels) selectively reduce permeability to water more than to oil. Topics covered in this report include (1) comparisons of the use of gels, foams, emulsions, and particulates as blocking agents; (2) propagation of aluminum-citrate-HPAM gels through porous rock; (3) gel properties in fractured systems; (4) gel placement in unfractured anisotropic flow systems; and (5) an investigation of why some gels can reduce water permeability more than oil permeability.

Comparative approach to capture bacterial diversity in coastal waters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Na, Hyunsoo; Kim, Ok-Sun; Yoon, Suk-hwan

2011-01-01

Despite the revolutionary advancements in DNA sequencing technology and cultivation techniques, few studies have been done to directly compare these methods. In this study, a 16S rRNA gene-based, integrative approach combining culture-independent techniques with culture-dependent methods was taken...... to investigate the bacterial community structure of coastal seawater collected from the Yellow Sea, Korea. For culture-independent studies, we used the latest model pyrosequencer, Roche/454 Genome Sequencer FLX Titanium. Pyrosequencing captured a total of 52 phyla including 27 candidate divisions from the water...

Water spray cooling technique applied on a photovoltaic panel: The performance response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nižetić, S.; Čoko, D.; Yadav, A.; Grubišić-Čabo, F.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • An experimental study was conducted on a monocrystalline photovoltaic panel (PV). • A water spray cooling technique was implemented to determine PV panel response. • The experimental results showed favorable cooling effect on the panel performance. • A feasibility aspect of the water spray cooling technique was also proven. - Abstract: This paper presents an alternative cooling technique for photovoltaic (PV) panels that includes a water spray application over panel surfaces. An alternative cooling technique in the sense that both sides of the PV panel were cooled simultaneously, to investigate the total water spray cooling effect on the PV panel performance in circumstances of peak solar irradiation levels. A specific experimental setup was elaborated in detail and the developed cooling system for the PV panel was tested in a geographical location with a typical Mediterranean climate. The experimental result shows that it is possible to achieve a maximal total increase of 16.3% (effective 7.7%) in electric power output and a total increase of 14.1% (effective 5.9%) in PV panel electrical efficiency by using the proposed cooling technique in circumstances of peak solar irradiation. Furthermore, it was also possible to decrease panel temperature from an average 54 °C (non-cooled PV panel) to 24 °C in the case of simultaneous front and backside PV panel cooling. Economic feasibility was also determined for of the proposed water spray cooling technique, where the main advantage of the analyzed cooling technique is regarding the PV panel’s surface and its self-cleaning effect, which additionally acts as a booster to the average delivered electricity.

A Comparison of Microbial Water Quality and Diversity for Ballast and Tropical Harbor Waters.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Charmaine; Le, Thai-Hoang; Goh, Shin Giek; Liang, Liang; Kim, Yiseul; Rose, Joan B; Yew-Hoong, Karina Gin

2015-01-01

Indicator organisms and antibiotic resistance were used as a proxy to measure microbial water quality of ballast tanks of ships, and surface waters in a tropical harbor. The survival of marine bacteria in ballast tanks appeared to diminish over longer water retention time, with a reduction of cell viability observed after a week based on heterotrophic plate counts. Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes showed distinct differences in microbial composition of ballast and harbor waters. The harbor waters had a higher abundance of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) assigned to Cyanobacteria (Synechococcus spp.) and α-proteobacteria (SAR11 members), while marine hydrocarbon degraders such as γ-proteobacteria (Ocenspirillaes spp., Thiotrchales spp.) and Bacteroidetes (Flavobacteriales spp.) dominated the ballast water samples. Screening of indicator organisms found Escherichia coli (E. coli), Enterococcus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) in two or more of the ballast and harbor water samples tested. Vibrio spp. and Salmonella spp. were detected exclusively in harbor water samples. Using quantitative PCR (qPCR), we screened for 13 antibiotic resistant gene (ARG) targets and found higher abundances of sul1 (4.13-3.44 x 102 copies/mL), dfrA (0.77-1.80 x10 copies/mL) and cfr (2.00-5.21 copies/mL) genes compared to the other ARG targets selected for this survey. These genes encode for resistance to sulfonamides, trimethoprim and chloramphenicol-florfenicol antibiotics, which are also known to persist in sediments of aquaculture farms and coastal environments. Among the ARGs screened, we found significant correlations (Pwater quality survey, quantitatively assessing indicators of antibiotic resistance, potentially pathogenic organisms and a broad-brush description of difference in microbial composition and diversity between open oceans and tropical coastal environments through the use of next generation sequencing technology.

Abundance and diversity of Odonata in temporary water bodies of Coimbatore and Salem districts in Tamil Nadu

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Arulprakash

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Odonata diversity was assessed in 13 temporary water bodies of Coimbatore and Salem districts in Tamil Nadu. Assessment revealed the presence of 21 species of Odonata (14 species of Anisoptera and seven species of Zygoptera belonging to 17 genera under four families. Libellulidae (Anisoptera was represented by the maximum number of species and individuals. Pantala flavescens (Libellulidae was the most abundant among 21 species. Among the temporary water bodies, the maximum number of individuals as well as species was recorded from Utkulam tank (Coimbatore district. Odonata diversity was higher in Kamalapuram tanks 1 and 2 (Salem district and lower in Ukkadam tank (Coimbatore District. Diplacodes trivialis (Rambur, Orthetrum sabina (Drury and Pantala flavescens (Fabricius were identified as temporary water body specialists because of their presence in all the 13 temporary water bodies sampled.

Applications of Graph Spectral Techniques to Water Distribution Network Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Armando di Nardo

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Cities depend on multiple heterogeneous, interconnected infrastructures to provide safe water to consumers. Given this complexity, efficient numerical techniques are needed to support optimal control and management of a water distribution network (WDN. This paper introduces a holistic analysis framework to support water utilities on the decision making process for an efficient supply management. The proposal is based on graph spectral techniques that take advantage of eigenvalues and eigenvectors properties of matrices that are associated with graphs. Instances of these matrices are the adjacency matrix and the Laplacian, among others. The interest for this application is to work on a graph that specifically represents a WDN. This is a complex network that is made by nodes corresponding to water sources and consumption points and links corresponding to pipes and valves. The aim is to face new challenges on urban water supply, ranging from computing approximations for network performance assessment to setting device positioning for efficient and automatic WDN division into district metered areas. It is consequently created a novel tool-set of graph spectral techniques adapted to improve main water management tasks and to simplify the identification of water losses through the definition of an optimal network partitioning. Two WDNs are used to analyze the proposed methodology. Firstly, the well-known network of C-Town is investigated for benchmarking of the proposed graph spectral framework. This allows for comparing the obtained results with others coming from previously proposed approaches in literature. The second case-study corresponds to an operational network. It shows the usefulness and optimality of the proposal to effectively manage a WDN.

Emerging Dynamic Design Techniques for Mechanical and ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Emerging Dynamic Design Techniques for Mechanical ... through this school to bring about an awareness of the state-of-art of the software and ... those mentioned above, cannot be ensured on the basis of approaches involving numerical.

Simulation programs for ph.D. study of analysis, modeling and optimum design of solar domestic hot water systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin Qin

1998-12-31

The design of solar domestic hot water (DHW) systems is a complex process, due to characteristics inherent in the solar heating technology. Recently, computer simulation has become a widely used technique to improve the understanding of the thermal processes in such systems. One of the main objects of the Ph.D. study of `Analysis, Modelling and optimum Design of Solar Domestic Hot Water Systems` is to develop and verify programs for carrying out the simulation and evaluation of the dynamic performance of solar DHW systems. During this study, simulation programs for hot water distribution networks and for certain types of solar DHW systems were developed. (au)

Improved techniques for fluid diversion in oil recovery. First annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seright, R.S.

1993-12-01

This three-year project has two general objectives. The first objective is to compare the effectiveness of gels in fluid diversion with those of other types of processes. Several different types of fluid-diversion processes are being compared, including those using gels, foams, emulsions, and particulates. The ultimate goals of these comparisons are to (1) establish which of these processes are most effective in a given application, and (2) determine whether aspects of one process can be combined with those of other processes to improve performance. Analyses and experiments are being performed to verify which materials are the most effective in entering and blocking high-permeability zones. Another objective of the project is to identify the mechanisms by which materials (particularly gels) selectively reduce permeability to water more than to oil. This report describes work performed during the first year of the project. Following the introduction, Chapters 2 through 5 present several surveys concerning field applications of gel treatments. Based on the results of the surveys, guidelines are proposed in Chapter 5 for the selection of candidates for gel treatments (both injection wells and production wells). Chapters 6, 7, 8, and 11 discuss theoretical work that was performed during the project. Chapter 6 examines whether Hall plots indicated selectivity during gelant placement. Chapter 7 discusses several important theoretical aspects of gel treatments in production wells with water-coning problems. Chapter 8 considers exploitation of density differences during gelant placement. Chapter 11 presents a preliminary consideration of the use of precipitates as blocking agents. Chapters 9 and 10 detail the experimental work for the project. Chapter 9 describes an experimental investigation of gelant placement in fractured systems. Chapter 10 describes experiments that probe the mechanisms for disproportionate permeability reduction by gels.

Water in agriculture: The roles of nuclear techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heng, L.; Nguyen, L.

2006-01-01

Agriculture accounts for nearly seventy percent of the world's demand for fresh water. Improper management of this resource has contributed extensively to the current water scarcity and pollution problems in many parts of the world, and is a serious challenge to future food security and environmental sustainability. Addressing these issues requires an integrated approach to soilwater- plant-nutrient management at the plant-rooting zone, where water use for food and agriculture and farm management can significantly modify the quantity and quality of both surface and ground water. Nuclear technologies can contribute significantly to alleviate constraints/limitations to agricultural productivity and thus fight hunger and poverty by providing quantitative, precise, specific and dynamic information about the key components of productivity and sustainability (sources, availability, uptake and losses) of major nutrients and water. The Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition (SWMCN) sub-programme is assisting Member States to develop and promote the adoption of nuclear-based technologies for optimising water and nutrient management practices, which support intensification of crop production and the preservation of natural resources. To ensure food security and sustainable water management for agriculture, there is a need to produce more food per drop of water used in the agricultural sector. That is to increase both the Crop Water Productivity (CWP) and Water Use Efficiency (WUE) without any negative impact on downstream water quantity and quality. The IAEA is currently conducting CWP studies in various parts of the world (China, Kenya, Turkey and Uzbekistan) using nuclear and associated techniques to assess soil and water management and water-saving technologies to increase crop productivity and reduce crop failure for the farmers. One of these technologies is fertigation, which is the direct application of water and nutrients to plants through a drip irrigation

MR-based Water Content Estimation in Cartilage: Design and Validation of a Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shiguetomi Medina, Juan Manuel; Kristiansen, Maja Sofie; Ringgaard, Steffen

2012-01-01

Objective Design and validation of an MR-based method that allows the calculation of the water content in cartilage tissue. Material and Methods We modified and adapted to cartilage tissue T1 map based water content MR sequences commonly used in the neurology field. Using a 37 Celsius degree stable...... was costumed and programmed. Finally, we validated the method after measuring and comparing 3 more cartilage samples in a living animal (pig). The obtained data was analyzed and the water content calculated. Then, the same samples were freeze-dried (this technique allows to take out all the water that a tissue...... contains) and we measured the water they contained. Results We could reproduce twice the 37 Celsius degree system and could perform the measurements in a similar way. We found that the MR T1 map based water content sequences can provide information that, after being analyzed with a special software, can...

Analysis of the functional diversity of the microbial communities in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Biolog method was thus evaluated in a paper-mill water system. The influence of the production of various paper grades, biocide combinations and monthly maintenance shut-downs on the functional diversity of the microbial communities were determined using the Biolog technique. The communities in the planktonic ...

Soil volumetric water content measurements using TDR technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Vincenzi

1996-06-01

Full Text Available A physical model to measure some hydrological and thermal parameters in soils will to be set up. The vertical profiles of: volumetric water content, matric potential and temperature will be monitored in different soils. The volumetric soil water content is measured by means of the Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR technique. The result of a test to determine experimentally the reproducibility of the volumetric water content measurements is reported together with the methodology and the results of the analysis of the TDR wave forms. The analysis is based on the calculation of the travel time of the TDR signal in the wave guide embedded in the soil.

Compact Cities Are Complex, Intense and Diverse but: Can We Design Such Emergent Urban Properties?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hye Kyung Lim

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Compact cities are promoted by global and local policies in response to environmental, economic and social challenges. It is argued that increased density and diversity of urban functions and demographics are expected to deliver positive outcomes. ‘Emerged’ urban area which have developed incrementally seem to exhibit such dense and diverse characteristics, acquired through adaptation by multiple actors over time and space. Today, ‘design-based’ planning approaches aim to create the same characteristics here and now. An example of such is the City of Gothenburg, Sweden, which strives to involve multiple actors to ‘design’ urban density and mixed use, but with unsatisfactory outcomes. There is reason to investigate in what way current planning approaches need modification to better translate policy goals into reality. This paper studied which type of planning approach appears to best deliver the desired urban characteristics. Two cities are studied, Gothenburg and Tokyo. Today, these cities operate under different main planning paradigms. Tokyo applies a rule-based approach and Gothenburg a design-based approach. Five urban areas were studied in each city, representing outcomes of three strategic planning approaches that have been applied historically in both cities: 1 emergent compact urban form; 2 designed dispersed urban form; and 3 designed compact urban form. Planning outcomes in the form of density, building scales and diversity were analysed to understand if such properties of density and diversity are best achieved by a specific planning approach. The results show that different planning approaches deliver very different outcomes when it comes to these qualities. To better support ambitions for compact cities in Gothenburg, the prevailing mix of ‘planning by design’ and ‘planning by developmental control’ needs to be complemented by a third planning strategy of ‘planning by coding’ or ‘rule-based planning�

Identity, Diversity and Diversity Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holck, Lotte; Muhr, Sara Louise; Villeseche, Florence

2016-01-01

– The work can encourage policy makers, diversity and HR managers to question their own practices and assumptions leading to more theoretical informed diversity management practices. Originality/value – The theoretical connections between identity and diversity literature have so far not been reviewed......The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the identity and diversity literatures and discuss how a better understanding of the theoretical connections between the two informs both diversity research and diversity management practices. Design/methodology/approach – Literature...... and limitations – is crucial for successful diversity management research and practice. Research limitations/implications – The authors argue for a better understanding of differences, overlaps and limits of different identity perspectives, and for a stronger engagement with practice. Practical implications...

The diversity and distribution of Holothuroidea in shallow waters of Baluran National Park, Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ARIF MOHAMMAD SIDDIQ

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract. Siddiq AM, Atmowidi T, Qayim I. 2015. The diversity and distribution of Holothuroidea in shallow waters of Baluran National Park, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 17: 55-60. A study of the diversity and distribution of sea cucumber (Holothuroidea in shallow waters at Baluran National Park, East Java, Indonesia was carried out from July until September 2015. The method used in this study was systematic transect in low tide condition. Samples were collected by hands at intertidal sites. Identification of sea cucumber species based on morphological ossicles. Twenty one species of Holothuroidea belonging two orders and four families were found in this study. The most dominant family found was Holothuriidae (16 species, followed by Stichopodidae (2 species, Synaptidae (2 species, and Chiridotidae (1 spesies. Four species (Holothuria olivacea, H. verrucosa, Labidodemas rugosum, and Chiridota smirnovi are new record for Java waters and one species (H. papillifera is a new record for Indonesian waters. Two morphospecies (H. aff. macroperona and Stichopus cf. monotuberculatus need reconfirmation to species level. The highest abundance species of Holothuroidea was found at under rock with 15 species. Whereas, the highest number of individuals was found in seagrass areas with 5457 individuals. H. atra has extensive habitat distribution, such as seagrass, macroalgae, coral reef, dead coral, sand, and under rock.

Trends in Design of Water Hydraulics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Conrad, Finn

2005-01-01

ordinary tap water and the range of application areas are illustrated with examples, in particular within the food processing industry, humidification operations, water mist systems for fire fighting, high water pressure cleaners, water moisturising systems for wood processing, lumber drying process...... operate with pure water from the tap without additives of any kind. Hence water hydraulics takes the benefit of pure water as fluid being environmentally friendly, easy to clean sanitary design, non-toxic, non-flammable, inexpensive, readily available and easily disposable. The low-pressure tap water...... and accessories running with sea-water as fluid are available. A unique solution is to use reverse osmosis to generate drinking water from sea-water, and furthermore for several off-shore applications. Furthermore, tap water hydraulic components of the Nessie® family and examples of measured performance...

Design techniques for large scale linear measurement systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Candy, J.V.

1979-03-01

Techniques to design measurement schemes for systems modeled by large scale linear time invariant systems, i.e., physical systems modeled by a large number (> 5) of ordinary differential equations, are described. The techniques are based on transforming the physical system model to a coordinate system facilitating the design and then transforming back to the original coordinates. An example of a three-stage, four-species, extraction column used in the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel elements is presented. The basic ideas are briefly discussed in the case of noisy measurements. An example using a plutonium nitrate storage vessel (reprocessing) with measurement uncertainty is also presented

Cooling water systems design using process integration

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Gololo, KV

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Cooling water systems are generally designed with a set of heat exchangers arranged in parallel. This arrangement results in higher cooling water flowrate and low cooling water return temperature thus reducing cooling tower efficiency. Previous...

Risk Assessment of Pollution Emergencies in Water Source Areas of the Hanjiang-to-Weihe River Diversion Project

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Luyao; Feng, Minquan

2018-03-01

[Objective] This study quantitatively evaluated risk probabilities of sudden water pollution accidents under the influence of risk sources, thus providing an important guarantee for risk source identification during water diversion from the Hanjiang River to the Weihe River. [Methods] The research used Bayesian networks to represent the correlation between accidental risk sources. It also adopted the sequential Monte Carlo algorithm to combine water quality simulation with state simulation of risk sources, thereby determining standard-exceeding probabilities of sudden water pollution accidents. [Results] When the upstream inflow was 138.15 m3/s and the average accident duration was 48 h, the probabilities were 0.0416 and 0.0056 separately. When the upstream inflow was 55.29 m3/s and the average accident duration was 48 h, the probabilities were 0.0225 and 0.0028 separately. [Conclusions] The research conducted a risk assessment on sudden water pollution accidents, thereby providing an important guarantee for the smooth implementation, operation, and water quality of the Hanjiang-to-Weihe River Diversion Project.

Optimal Pipe Size Design for Looped Irrigation Water Supply System Using Harmony Search: Saemangeum Project Area

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ho Min; Sadollah, Ali

2015-01-01

Water supply systems are mainly classified into branched and looped network systems. The main difference between these two systems is that, in a branched network system, the flow within each pipe is a known value, whereas in a looped network system, the flow in each pipe is considered an unknown value. Therefore, an analysis of a looped network system is a more complex task. This study aims to develop a technique for estimating the optimal pipe diameter for a looped agricultural irrigation water supply system using a harmony search algorithm, which is an optimization technique. This study mainly serves two purposes. The first is to develop an algorithm and a program for estimating a cost-effective pipe diameter for agricultural irrigation water supply systems using optimization techniques. The second is to validate the developed program by applying the proposed optimized cost-effective pipe diameter to an actual study region (Saemangeum project area, zone 6). The results suggest that the optimal design program, which applies an optimization theory and enhances user convenience, can be effectively applied for the real systems of a looped agricultural irrigation water supply. PMID:25874252

Optimal Pipe Size Design for Looped Irrigation Water Supply System Using Harmony Search: Saemangeum Project Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Do Guen Yoo

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Water supply systems are mainly classified into branched and looped network systems. The main difference between these two systems is that, in a branched network system, the flow within each pipe is a known value, whereas in a looped network system, the flow in each pipe is considered an unknown value. Therefore, an analysis of a looped network system is a more complex task. This study aims to develop a technique for estimating the optimal pipe diameter for a looped agricultural irrigation water supply system using a harmony search algorithm, which is an optimization technique. This study mainly serves two purposes. The first is to develop an algorithm and a program for estimating a cost-effective pipe diameter for agricultural irrigation water supply systems using optimization techniques. The second is to validate the developed program by applying the proposed optimized cost-effective pipe diameter to an actual study region (Saemangeum project area, zone 6. The results suggest that the optimal design program, which applies an optimization theory and enhances user convenience, can be effectively applied for the real systems of a looped agricultural irrigation water supply.

Spatial Analysis for Potential Water Catchment Areas using GIS: Weighted Overlay Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Awanda, Disyacitta; Anugrah Nurul, H.; Musfiroh, Zahrotul; Dinda Dwi, N. P.

2017-12-01

The development of applied GIS is growing rapidly and has been widely applied in various fields. Preparation of a model to obtain information is one of the benefits of GIS. Obtaining information for water resources such as water catchment areas is one part of GIS modelling. Water catchment model can be utilized to see the distribution of potential and ability of a region in water absorbing. The use of overlay techniques with the weighting obtained from the literature from previous research is used to build the model. Model builder parameters are obtained through remote sensing interpretation techniques such as land use, landforms, and soil texture. Secondary data such as rock type maps are also used as water catchment model parameters. The location of this research is in the upstream part of the Opak river basin. The purpose of this research is to get information about potential distribution of water catchment area with overlay technique. The results of this study indicate the potential of water catchment areas with excellent category, good, medium, poor and very poor. These results may indicate that the Upper river basin is either good or in bad condition, so it can be used for better water resources management policy determination.

Measurement of water absorption capacity in wheat flour by a headspace gas chromatographic technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Wei-Qi; Yu, Kong-Xian; Gong, Yi-Xian

2018-04-17

The purpose of this work is to introduce a new method for quantitatively analyzing water absorption capacity in wheat flour by a headspace gas chromatographic technique. This headspace gas chromatographic technique was based on measuring the water vapor released from a series of wheat flour samples with different contents of water addition. According to the different trends between the vapor and wheat flour phase before and after the water absorption capacity in wheat flour, a turning point (corresponding to water absorption capacity in wheat flour) can be obtained by fitting the data of the water gas chromatography peak area from different wheat flour samples. The data showed that the phase equilibrium in the vial can be achieved in 25 min at desired temperature (35°C). The relative standard deviation of the reaction headspace gas chromatographic technique in water absorption capacity determination was within 3.48%, the relative differences has been determined by comparing the water absorption capacity obtained from this new analytical technique with the data from the reference technique (i.e., the filtration method), which are less than 8.92%. The new headspace gas chromatographic method is automated, accurate and be a reliable tool for quantifying water absorption capacity in wheat flour in both laboratory research and mill applications. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Impacts of the Anomalous Mississippi River Discharge and Diversions on Phytoplankton Blooming in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico in August 2010

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Brendan Sean

On April 20, 2010 a tragic explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) drilling rig marked the beginning of one of the worst environmental disasters in history. For 87 days oil and gas were released into the Gulf of Mexico. In August 2010, anomalous phytoplankton activity was identified in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico, using the Fluorescence Line Height (FLH) ocean color product. The FLH anomaly was bound by approximately 30--28° North and 90--86° West and there was a suggestion that this anomaly may have occurred due to the presence of oil. This study was designed to examine alternative explanations and to determine what influence the Mississippi River and the freshwater diversions, employed in the response efforts, may have had on the development of the FLH anomaly. The combination of the anomalously high flow rate in the Mississippi River observed in June-August 2010, the use of freshwater diversions, and three severe storms increased the flow of water through the adjoining marshes. We propose that these conditions reduced the residence time of water and nutrients on the wetlands, and likely mobilized nutrients leading to increased fresh water and nutrients being discharge to the coasts around the Mississippi Delta. Salinity contour maps created from data collected by ships operating in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico showed that the 31 isohaline was upwards of 250km east of the Mississippi River Birds Foot Delta in August 2010. The American Seas (AmSeas) numerical circulation model was used to examine the dispersal and distribution of water parcels from the Mississippi River and freshwater diversions. Two virtual particle seeding locations were used to trace particles to obtain a measure of the percentage of particles entering a Region of Interest (ROI) located in the center of the FLH anomaly, i.e. 150 km east of the Mississippi Delta. All environmental data examined suggest that the eastward dispersal of the Mississippi River water including that

Field Test Design Simulations of Pore-Water Extraction for the SX Tank Farm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Truex, Michael J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Oostrom, Martinus [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2013-09-01

A proof of principle test of pore water extraction is being performed by Washington River Protection Solutions for the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of River Protection. This test is being conducted to meet the requirements of Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (HFFACO) (Ecology et al. 1989) Milestone M 045-20, and is described in RPP-PLAN-53808, 200 West Area Tank Farms Interim Measures Investigation Work Plan. To support design of this test, numerical simulations were conducted to help define equipment and operational parameters. The modeling effort builds from information collected in laboratory studies and from field characterization information collected at the test site near the Hanford Site 241-SX Tank Farm. Numerical simulations were used to evaluate pore-water extraction performance as a function of the test site properties and for the type of extraction well configuration that can be constructed using the direct-push installation technique. Output of simulations included rates of water and soil-gas production as a function of operational conditions for use in supporting field equipment design. The simulations also investigated the impact of subsurface heterogeneities in sediment properties and moisture distribution on pore-water extraction performance. Phenomena near the extraction well were also investigated because of their importance for pore-water extraction performance.

Forecasting and prevention of water inrush during the excavation process of a diversion tunnel at the Jinping II Hydropower Station, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Tian-Xing; Yang, Xing-Guo; Xing, Hui-Ge; Huang, Kang-Xin; Zhou, Jia-Wen

2016-01-01

Estimating groundwater inflow into a tunnel before and during the excavation process is an important task to ensure the safety and schedule during the underground construction process. Here we report a case of the forecasting and prevention of water inrush at the Jinping II Hydropower Station diversion tunnel groups during the excavation process. The diversion tunnel groups are located in mountains and valleys, and with high water pressure head. Three forecasting methods are used to predict the total water inflow of the #2 diversion tunnel. Furthermore, based on the accurate estimation of the water inrush around the tunnel working area, a theoretical method is presented to forecast the water inflow at the working area during the excavation process. The simulated results show that the total water flow is 1586.9, 1309.4 and 2070.2 m(3)/h using the Qshima method, Kostyakov method and Ochiai method, respectively. The Qshima method is the best one because it most closely matches the monitoring result. According to the huge water inflow into the #2 diversion tunnel, reasonable drainage measures are arranged to prevent the potential disaster of water inrush. The groundwater pressure head can be determined using the water flow velocity from the advancing holes; then, the groundwater pressure head can be used to predict the possible water inflow. The simulated results show that the groundwater pressure head and water inflow re stable and relatively small around the region of the intact rock mass, but there is a sudden change around the fault region with a large water inflow and groundwater pressure head. Different countermeasures are adopted to prevent water inrush disasters during the tunnel excavation process. Reasonable forecasting the characteristic parameters of water inrush is very useful for the formation of prevention and mitigation schemes during the tunnel excavation process.

Conceptual designing of reduced-moderation water reactor with heavy water coolant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hibi, Kohki; Shimada, Shoichiro; Okubo, Tsutomu E-mail: okubo@hems.jaeri.go.jp; Iwamura, Takamichi; Wada, Shigeyuki

2001-12-01

The conceptual designing of reduced-moderation water reactors, i.e. advanced water-cooled reactors using plutonium mixed-oxide fuel with high conversion ratios more than 1.0 and negative void reactivity coefficients, has been carried out. The core is designed on the concept of a pressurized water reactor with a heavy water coolant and a triangular tight lattice fuel pin arrangement. The seed fuel assembly has an internal blanket region inside the seed fuel region as well as upper and lower blanket regions (i.e. an axial heterogeneous core). The radial blanket fuel assemblies are introduced in a checkerboard pattern among the seed fuel assemblies (i.e. a radial heterogeneous core). The radial blanket region is shorter than the seed fuel region. This study shows that the heavy water moderated core can achieve negative void reactivity coefficients and conversion ratios of 1.06-1.11.

Innovative Sustainable Water Management Practices in Solar Residential Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Jason Mabry

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This paper communicates the results of an architectural research project which sought innovative design strategies for achieving energy and resource efficiencies in water management systems traditionally used in single-family housing. It describes the engineering of an efficient, multifaceted, and fully integrated water management system for a domesticenvironment of 800 sq. ft., entirely powered by solar energy. The four innovations whose details are conveyed include the use of alternate materials for piping distribution and collection, the use of water in solar energy generation, the design of a building skin which capitalizes on water’s capacity to store heat as well as the design of a ecological groundscape which re-usesand filters waste water and rain water.Keywords: energy, plumbing, home design

Mechanical Design Optimization Using Advanced Optimization Techniques

CERN Document Server

Rao, R Venkata

2012-01-01

Mechanical design includes an optimization process in which designers always consider objectives such as strength, deflection, weight, wear, corrosion, etc. depending on the requirements. However, design optimization for a complete mechanical assembly leads to a complicated objective function with a large number of design variables. It is a good practice to apply optimization techniques for individual components or intermediate assemblies than a complete assembly. Analytical or numerical methods for calculating the extreme values of a function may perform well in many practical cases, but may fail in more complex design situations. In real design problems, the number of design parameters can be very large and their influence on the value to be optimized (the goal function) can be very complicated, having nonlinear character. In these complex cases, advanced optimization algorithms offer solutions to the problems, because they find a solution near to the global optimum within reasonable time and computational ...

Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM): from Design to Implementation through European Projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magdaleno Mas, F.; Dalacamara Andres, G.

2015-01-01

The Centre for Applied Technique Studies (CETA) of CEDEX has been working over the last few years in different European projects related with the design and development of natural water retention measures (NWRM). These are a number of measures, boosted by the Water Unit of the Environment Directorate-General of the European Commission. with close links to green infrastructures, which try to integrate, from a multifunctional approach, different legal and technical requirements aimed at a better adaptation to extreme hydro meteorological events, environmental protection and conservation, and maintenance of ecosystem services. This paper reviews the underpinning foundations of the concept and the mechanisms for designing and implementing NWRM. It also shows the way they can be applied, by presenting different initiatives developed by CETA since 2008 in Navarra (Arga-Aragon rivers system). For fulfilling those works, CETA has collaborated with environmental and hydraulic authorities of Navarra. It has also actively cooperated with research centres, such as the Institute IMDEA Water. specifically in a European project devoted to the diffusion, assessment, and presentation of NWRM within the context of the EU River Basin Districts. (Author)

An Introduction to Risk with a Focus on Design Diversity in the Stockpile

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noone, Bailey C [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2012-08-13

The maintenance and security of nuclear weapons in the stockpile involves decisions based on risk analysis and quantitative measures of risk. Risk is a factor in all decisions, a particularly important factor in decisions of a large scale. One example of high-risk decisions we will discuss is the risk involved in design diversity within the stockpile of nuclear weapons arsenal. Risk is defined as 'possibility of loss or injury' and the 'degree of probability of such loss' (Kaplan and Garrick 12). To introduce the risk involved with maintaining the weapons stockpile we will draw a parallel to the design and maintenance of Southwest Airlines fleet of Boeing 737 planes. The clear benefits for cost savings in maintenance of having a uniform fleet are what historically drove Southwest to have only Boeing 737s in their fleet. Less money and resources are need for maintenance, training, and materials. Naturally, risk accompanies those benefits. A defect in a part of the plane indicates a potential defect in that same part in all the planes of the fleet. As a result, safety, business, and credibility are at risk. How much variety or diversity does the fleet need to mitigate that risk? With that question in mind, a balance is needed to accommodate the different risks and benefits of the situation. In a similar way, risk is analyzed for the design and maintenance of nuclear weapons in the stockpile. In conclusion, risk must be as low as possible when it comes to the nuclear weapons stockpile. Design and care to keep the stockpile healthy involves all aspects of risk management. Design diversity is a method that helps to mitigate risk, and to help balance options in stockpile stewardship.

A Comparison of Microbial Water Quality and Diversity for Ballast and Tropical Harbor Waters.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charmaine Ng

Full Text Available Indicator organisms and antibiotic resistance were used as a proxy to measure microbial water quality of ballast tanks of ships, and surface waters in a tropical harbor. The survival of marine bacteria in ballast tanks appeared to diminish over longer water retention time, with a reduction of cell viability observed after a week based on heterotrophic plate counts. Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes showed distinct differences in microbial composition of ballast and harbor waters. The harbor waters had a higher abundance of operational taxonomic units (OTUs assigned to Cyanobacteria (Synechococcus spp. and α-proteobacteria (SAR11 members, while marine hydrocarbon degraders such as γ-proteobacteria (Ocenspirillaes spp., Thiotrchales spp. and Bacteroidetes (Flavobacteriales spp. dominated the ballast water samples. Screening of indicator organisms found Escherichia coli (E. coli, Enterococcus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa in two or more of the ballast and harbor water samples tested. Vibrio spp. and Salmonella spp. were detected exclusively in harbor water samples. Using quantitative PCR (qPCR, we screened for 13 antibiotic resistant gene (ARG targets and found higher abundances of sul1 (4.13-3.44 x 102 copies/mL, dfrA (0.77-1.80 x10 copies/mL and cfr (2.00-5.21 copies/mL genes compared to the other ARG targets selected for this survey. These genes encode for resistance to sulfonamides, trimethoprim and chloramphenicol-florfenicol antibiotics, which are also known to persist in sediments of aquaculture farms and coastal environments. Among the ARGs screened, we found significant correlations (P<0.05 between ereA, ermG, cfr and tetO genes to one or more of the indicator organisms detected in this study, which may suggest that these members contribute to the environmental resistome. This study provides a baseline water quality survey, quantitatively assessing indicators of antibiotic resistance, potentially pathogenic organisms and a

SOLUBILITY AND BIOAVAILABILITY ENHANCEMENT STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE DELIVERY OF POORLY WATER SOLUBLE DRUGS BY NANO FORMULATIONS AND SOLID DISPERSIONS

OpenAIRE

Rayapolu Ranga Goud*, Gunnala Krishnaveni, Girija Prasad Patro

2018-01-01

For the ancient few years, there has been a substantial research done on diverse methodologies for poorly water soluble and lipophilic drugs. More in modern times voluminous molecules cannot be distributed due to low solubility. Now a day frequently, particulate vesicle systems such as nanoparticles, liposomes, microspheres, niosomes, pronisomes, ethosomes, and proliposomes have been used as drug carriers. Drug delivery designates the technique and methodology to conveying medications or drug...

A differential absorption technique to estimate atmospheric total water vapor amounts

Science.gov (United States)

Frouin, Robert; Middleton, Elizabeth

1990-01-01

Vertically integrated water-vapor amounts can be remotely determined by measuring the solar radiance reflected by the earth's surface with satellites or aircraft-based instruments. The technique is based on the method by Fowle (1912, 1913) and utilizes the 0.940-micron water-vapor band to retrieve total-water-vapor data that is independent of surface reflectance properties and other atmospheric constituents. A channel combination is proposed to provide more accurate results, the SE-590 spectrometer is used to verify the data, and the effects of atmospheric photon backscattering is examined. The spectrometer and radiosonde data confirm the accuracy of using a narrow and a wide channel centered on the same wavelength to determine water vapor amounts. The technique is suitable for cloudless conditions and can contribute to atmospheric corrections of land-surface parameters.

Using an inverse modelling approach to evaluate the water retention in a simple water harvesting technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Verbist

2009-10-01

Full Text Available In arid and semi-arid zones, runoff harvesting techniques are often applied to increase the water retention and infiltration on steep slopes. Additionally, they act as an erosion control measure to reduce land degradation hazards. Nevertheless, few efforts were observed to quantify the water harvesting processes of these techniques and to evaluate their efficiency. In this study, a combination of detailed field measurements and modelling with the HYDRUS-2D software package was used to visualize the effect of an infiltration trench on the soil water content of a bare slope in northern Chile. Rainfall simulations were combined with high spatial and temporal resolution water content monitoring in order to construct a useful dataset for inverse modelling purposes. Initial estimates of model parameters were provided by detailed infiltration and soil water retention measurements. Four different measurement techniques were used to determine the saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_sat independently. The tension infiltrometer measurements proved a good estimator of the K_sat value and a proxy for those measured under simulated rainfall, whereas the pressure and constant head well infiltrometer measurements showed larger variability. Six different parameter optimization functions were tested as a combination of soil-water content, water retention and cumulative infiltration data. Infiltration data alone proved insufficient to obtain high model accuracy, due to large scatter on the data set, and water content data were needed to obtain optimized effective parameter sets with small confidence intervals. Correlation between the observed soil water content and the simulated values was as high as R²=0.93 for ten selected observation points used in the model calibration phase, with overall correlation for the 22 observation points equal to 0.85. The model results indicate that the infiltration trench has a

Designing on-line analyzer for coal on belt conveyor using neutron activation technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rony Djokorayono; Agus Cahyono

2014-01-01

Basic design of on-line analyzer for coal on belt conveyor using neutron activation technique has been carried out. Compared with sampling technique, this neutron activation technique has some advantages in term of analysis accuracy and time. The design activities performed include the establishment of design requirements, functional requirements, technical requirements, technical specification, detection sub-system design, data acquisition subsystem design, and operator computer console design. This program will use Nal(Tl) scintillation detector to detect gamma-rays emitted by elements in coal due to neutron activation of a neutron source, "2"5"2Cf (Californium-252). This basic design of on-line analyzer for coal on belt conveyor using neutron activation technique should be followed up with the development of detailed design, prototype construction, and field testing. (author)

Application of BIM Technology in Building Water Supply and Drainage Design

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Tianyun; Chen, Guiqing; Wang, Junde

2017-12-01

Through the application of BIM technology, the idea of building water supply and drainage designers can be related to the model, the various influencing factors to affect water supply and drainage design can be considered more comprehensively. BIM(Building information model) technology assist in improving the design process of building water supply and drainage, promoting the building water supply and drainage planning, enriching the building water supply and drainage design method, improving the water supply and drainage system design level and building quality. Combined with fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to analyze the advantages of BIM technology in building water supply and drainage design. Therefore, application prospects of BIM technology are very worthy of promotion.

Developing DIVE, a design-led futures technique for SMEs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mejia Sarmiento, J.R.; Pasman, G.J.; Hultink, H.J.; Stappers, P.J.; Vogel, C.; Muratovski, G.

2017-01-01

Futures techniques have long been used in large enterprises as designerly means to explore the future and guide innovation. In the automotive industry, for instance, the development of concept cars is a technique which has repeatedly proven its value. However, while big companies have broadly

Design measures to facilitate implementation of safeguards at future water cooled nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

The report is intended to present guidelines to the State authorities, designers and prospective purchasers of future water cooled power reactors which, if taken into account, will minimize the impact of IAEA safeguards on plant operation and ensure efficient and effective acquisition of safeguards data to the mutual benefit of the Member State, the plant operator and the IAEA. These guidelines incorporate the IAEA's experience in establishing and carrying out safeguards at currently operating nuclear power plants, the ongoing development of safeguards techniques and feedback of experience from plant operators and designers on the impact of IAEA safeguards on plant operation. The following main subjects are included: The IAEA's safeguards function for current and future nuclear power plants; summary of the political and legal foundations of the IAEA's safeguards system; the technical objective of safeguards and the supply and use of required design information; safeguards approaches for nuclear power plants; design implications of experience in safeguarding nuclear power plants and guidelines for future water cooled reactors to facilitate the implementation of safeguards

Design Drivers of Water Data Services

Science.gov (United States)

Valentine, D.; Zaslavsky, I.

2008-12-01

The CUAHSI Hydrologic Information System (HIS) is being developed as a geographically distributed network of hydrologic data sources and functions that are integrated using web services so that they function as a connected whole. The core of the HIS service-oriented architecture is a collection of water web services, which provide uniform access to multiple repositories of observation data. These services use SOAP protocols communicating WaterML (Water Markup Language). When a client makes a data or metadata request using a CUAHSI HIS web service, these requests are made in standard manner, following the CUAHSI HIS web service signatures - regardless of how the underlying data source may be organized. Also, regardless of the format in which the data are returned by the source, the web services respond to requests by returning the data in a standard format of WaterML. The goal of WaterML design has been to capture semantics of hydrologic observations discovery and retrieval and express the point observations information model as an XML schema. To a large extent, it follows the representation of the information model as adopted by the CUASHI Observations Data Model (ODM) relational design. Another driver of WaterML design is specifications and metadata adopted by USGS NWIS, EPA STORET, and other federal agencies, as it seeks to provide a common foundation for exchanging both agency data and data collected in multiple academic projects. Another WaterML design principle was to create, in version 1 of HIS in particular, a fairly rigid and simple XML schema which is easy to generate and parse, thus creating the least barrier for adoption by hydrologists. WaterML includes a series of elements that reflect common notions used in describing hydrologic observations, such as site, variable, source, observation series, seriesCatalog, and data values. Each of the three main request methods in the water web services - GetSiteInfo, GetVariableInfo, and GetValues - has a

Comparison of computational performance of GA and PSO optimization techniques when designing similar systems - Typical PWR core case

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Souza Lima, Carlos A. [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear - Divisao de Reatores/PPGIEN, Rua Helio de Almeida 75, Cidade Universitaria - Ilha do Fundao, P.O. Box: 68550 - Zip Code: 21941-972, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Instituto Politecnico, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Pos-Graduacao em Modelagem Computacional, Rua Alberto Rangel - s/n, Vila Nova, Nova Friburgo, Zip Code: 28630-050, Nova Friburgo (Brazil); Lapa, Celso Marcelo F.; Pereira, Claudio Marcio do N.A. [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear - Divisao de Reatores/PPGIEN, Rua Helio de Almeida 75, Cidade Universitaria - Ilha do Fundao, P.O. Box: 68550 - Zip Code: 21941-972, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia de Reatores Nucleares Inovadores (INCT) (Brazil); Cunha, Joao J. da [Eletronuclear Eletrobras Termonuclear - Gerencia de Analise de Seguranca Nuclear, Rua da Candelaria, 65, 7 andar. Centro, Zip Code: 20091-906, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Alvim, Antonio Carlos M. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, COPPE/Nuclear, Cidade Universitaria - Ilha do Fundao s/n, P.O.Box 68509 - Zip Code: 21945-970, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia de Reatores Nucleares Inovadores (INCT) (Brazil)

2011-06-15

Research highlights: > Performance of PSO and GA techniques applied to similar system design. > This work uses ANGRA1 (two loop PWR) core as a prototype. > Results indicate that PSO technique is more adequate than GA to solve this kind of problem. - Abstract: This paper compares the performance of two optimization techniques, particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA) applied to the design a typical reduced scale two loop Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) core, at full power in single phase forced circulation flow. This comparison aims at analyzing the performance in reaching the global optimum, considering that both heuristics are based on population search methods, that is, methods whose population (candidate solution set) evolve from one generation to the next using a combination of deterministic and probabilistic rules. The simulated PWR, similar to ANGRA 1 power plant, was used as a case example to compare the performance of PSO and GA. Results from simulations indicated that PSO is more adequate to solve this kind of problem.

Methods and techniques for decontamination design and construction of facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Augustin, X.; Cohen, S.

1986-01-01

TECHNICATOME and STMI have jointly solved a wide range of problems specific to decontamination from the very design studies up to operation. TECHNICATOME has brought its expertise in the design and construction of nuclear facilities concerned in particular with decontamination and radwaste management. STMI is an experienced operator with expertise in designing tools and developing advanced techniques in the same fields. The expertise of both companies in this field cumulated for many years has resulted in developing techniques and tools adapted to most of the decontamination problems including specific cases [fr

High frequency magnetic field technique: mathematical modelling and development of a full scale water fraction meter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cimpan, Emil

2004-09-15

This work is concerned with the development of a new on-line measuring technique to be used in measurements of the water concentration in a two component oil/water or three component (i.e. multiphase) oil/water/gas flow. The technique is based on using non-intrusive coil detectors and experiments were performed both statically (medium at rest) and dynamically (medium flowing through a flow rig). The various coil detectors were constructed with either one or two coils and specially designed electronics were used. The medium was composed by air, machine oil, and water having different conductivity values, i.e. seawater and salt water with various conductivities (salt concentrations) such as 1 S/m, 4.9 S/m and 9.3 S/m. The experimental measurements done with the different mixtures were further used to mathematically model the physical principle used in the technique. This new technique is based on measuring the coil impedance and signal frequency at the self-resonance frequency of the coil to determine the water concentration in the mix. By using numerous coils it was found, experimentally, that generally both the coil impedance and the self-resonance frequency of the coil decreased as the medium conductivity increased. Both the impedance and the self-resonance frequency of the coil depended on the medium loss due to the induced eddy currents within the conductive media in the mixture, i.e. water. In order to detect relatively low values of the medium loss, the self-resonance frequency of the coil and also of the magnetic field penetrating the media should be relatively high (within the MHz range and higher). Therefore, the technique was called and referred to throughout the entire work as the high frequency magnetic field technique (HFMFT). To practically use the HFMFT, it was necessary to circumscribe an analytical frame to this technique. This was done by working out a mathematical model that relates the impedance and the self-resonance frequency of the coil to the

Isotope techniques in a water survey

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1959-10-15

The circulation of water is one of the most interesting of natural phenomena. Exact knowledge of fluctuations in precipitation and other factors in water circulation is extremely important for areas which have a very limited water supply. The information about the circulation of water is also important for the disposal of radioactive wastes on land and in the sea. Before satisfactory methods of disposal can be devised, it is essential to know precisely whether and to what extent the wastes can be transferred from one place to another as a result of the circulation of water. One of the most efficient ways of gathering such information is to study the isotopic ratios of hydrogen and oxygen in water in different areas. Tritium can serve a s a tracer in the study of water circulation. A variety of information can be obtained by measurements of isotopic composition of water, e.g. the average age of the water molecule in a lake or age, size, storage time and flow rate of a groundwater body. The modern tools of hydrological research cannot be employed by every country, because measurements of the isotopic composition of water require great technical skill and scientific knowledge. Besides, interpretation of isotope data in terms of hydrology and climatology requires the knowledge of certain basic data for the whole world or at least for large areas. A more complete knowledge of the worldwide variations in the isotopic composition of water would greatly facilitate the interpretation of local conditions. Guided by these considerations, the International Atomic Energy Agency has decided to initiate a study to determine the world-wide distribution of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in water. On the basis of this study, it will be possible to make available basic data for the use of any country that wishes to apply isotope techniques for hydrological and climatological research. Under this project, it is proposed to collect samples of rain, river and ocean water in different

Re-designating water bodies in Denmark bypasses the Water Framework Directive objectives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baaner, Lasse

2015-01-01

Despite the initially ambitious provisions of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) when it first entered into force, thousands of kilometres of Danish watercourses have now lost their legal protection through the application of the WFD’s provisions concerning the designation of water bodies....... This article describes the designation process and concludes that it does not conform to the obligation carefully to assign an environmental objective to discrete and significant water bodies as set out in the WFD. Neither does it ensure the same level of protection that existed prior to the implementation...

Re-designating water bodies in Denmark bypasses the Water Framework Directive objectives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baaner, Lasse

2017-01-01

Despite the initially ambitious provisions of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) when it first entered into force, thousands of kilometres of Danish watercourses have now lost their legal protection through the application of the WFD’s provisions concerning the designation of water bodies....... This article describes the designation process and concludes that it does not conform to the obligation carefully to assign an environmental objective to discrete and significant water bodies as set out in the WFD. Neither does it ensure the same level of protection that existed prior to the implementation...

Biochemical fingerprinting of water coliform bacteria, a new method for measuring phenotypic diversity and for comparing different bacterial populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kühn, I; Allestam, G; Stenström, T A; Möllby, R

1991-01-01

A simple, automated microplate system for biochemical characterization of water isolates can be used to obtain fingerprints of the bacterial flora from various water samples. Mathematical models for calculating the diversities and similarities between bacterial populations are described for such fingerprints. The diversity may give information on whether an indigenous or allochthonous flora is present, and the similarities between bacterial populations, as calculated by using a population similarity coefficient (Sp), may indicate contaminations between different water samples. The system was demonstrated on coliform bacterial populations from various water samples, with or without suspected intercontamination. For unrelated water samples, the Sps were close to 0, whereas repeated samples of the same source showed Sps of 0.64 to 0.74. The Sp values from several water samples were also clustered to form a dendrogram, thus indicating the relative similarities between the bacterial populations to confirm suspected common sources of pollution. PMID:1781680

How diversity gets lost: Age and gender in design practices of information and communication technologies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oudshoorn, Nelly E.J.; Neven, Louis; Stienstra, Marcelle

2016-01-01

This article adopts an intersectional approach to investigate how age, gender, and diversity are represented, silenced, or prioritized in design. Based on a comparative study of design practices of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for young girls and older people, this article

On diversity performance of two-element coupling element based antenna structure for mobile terminal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Al-Hadi, Azremi Abdullah; Toivanen, Juha; Laitinen, Tommi

2010-01-01

.1 and the diversity gain is equal to 10.2 dB at 99% reliability level using selection combining technique across simulation and both measurement methods. The measurement techniques are compared to show how accurately the diversity performance of a mobile terminal antenna can be estimated.......In wireless communication systems, multipath interference has a significant impact on system design and performance. Fast fading is caused by the coherent summation of one or more echoes from many reflection points reaching the receive antenna. Antenna diversity can be used to mitigate multipath...... fading. The main challenge of antenna diversity in practical application is the integration of multiple antennas on a small ground plane. Two-element antenna structure based on coupling element antenna concept for diversity application has been studied in previous work and it has shown to be feasible...

Design and Performance of Cyclic Delay Diversity in UWB-OFDM Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tarasak Poramate

2008-01-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses cyclic delay diversity (CDD in an ultra-wideband communication system based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM technique. Symbol error rate and outage probability have been derived. It is shown that with only two transmit antennas, CDD effectively improves SER performance and reduces outage probability significantly especially when the channel delay spread is short. Both simulation and analytical results agree well in all considered cases. The selection of delay times for CDD is also addressed for some special cases.

Design of diverse safety rod and its drive mechanism of PFBR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vijayashree, R.; Govindarajan, S.; Chetal, S.C.

1997-01-01

In Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), there are two types of absorber rods for control and shutdown of the reactor in the event of any abnormal event. They are: (i) Control and Safety Rod (CSR) and (ii) the Diverse Safety Rod (DSR). Of these, the former (CSR) caters to the control function of the reactor during normal operating conditions and to the shutdown during abnormal situations. The DSR, on the other hand is meant essentially for the reactor shutdown to take care of any abnormal transient. It is rather important to note that functionally the DSR is independent of CSR in the sense, that it can bring the reactor to a cold shutdown state and maintain it even under the hypothetical condition of the failure of CSR. From the design point of view, this stipulates a failure probability of less than 10 -4 per demand. The DSR is normally parked above the core by the Diverse Safety Rod Drive Mechanism (DSRDM). On receiving a scram signal it gets released from the holding electromagnet and falls under the gravity into the core. Diverse features are incorporated both in the absorber rods and in the drive mechanisms to avoid common mode failures. This paper discusses the salient features of DSR and DSRDM. A brief account of detailed design, analysis and development of two important subassemblies viz. electromagnet and sodium dash pot is also presented. In addition, a brief comparison between CSR and DSR including their drive mechanisms is also provided. (author)

Managing water resources in Malaysia: the use of isotope technique and its potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keizrul Abdullah

2006-01-01

This keynote address discusses the following subjects; state of Malaysia water resources, water related problem i.e floods, water shortage (droughts), water quality, river sedimentation, water resources management and the ongoing and potential application of isotope techniques in river management

Factors shaping bacterial phylogenetic and functional diversity in coastal waters of the NW Mediterranean Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Boras, Julia A.; Vaqué, Dolors; Maynou, Francesc; Sà, Elisabet L.; Weinbauer, Markus G.; Sala, Maria Montserrat

2015-03-01

To evaluate the main factors shaping bacterioplankton phylogenetic and functional diversity in marine coastal waters, we carried out a two-year study based on a monthly sampling in Blanes Bay (NW Mediterranean). We expected the key factors driving bacterial diversity to be (1) temperature and nutrient concentration, together with chlorophyll a concentration as an indicator of phytoplankton biomass and, hence, a carbon source for bacteria (here called bottom-up factors), and (2) top-down pressure (virus- and protist-mediated mortality of bacteria). Phylogenetic diversity was analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rRNA. Functional diversity was assessed by using monomeric carbon sources in Biolog EcoPlates and by determining the activity of six extracellular enzymes. Our results indicate that the bacterial phylogenetic and functional diversity in this coastal system is shaped mainly by bottom-up factors. A dendrogram analysis of the DGGE banding patterns revealed three main sample clusters. Two clusters differed significantly in temperature, nitrate and chlorophyll a concentration, and the third was characterized by the highest losses of bacterial production due to viral lysis detected over the whole study period. Protistan grazing had no effect on bacterial functional diversity, since there were no correlations between protist-mediated mortality (PMM) and extracellular enzyme activities, and utilization of only two out of the 31 carbon sources (N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and α-cyclodextrin) was correlated with PMM. In contrast, virus-mediated mortality correlated with changes in the percentage of use of four carbon sources, and also with specific leu-aminopeptidase and β-glucosidase activity. This suggests that viral lysate provides a pool of labile carbon sources, presumably including amino acids and glucose, which may inhibit proteolytic and glucosidic activity. Our results indicate that bottom-up factors play a more important role than

Explore the impacts of river flow and quality on biodiversity for water resources management by AI techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Fi-John; Tsai Tsai, Wen-Ping; Chang, Li-Chiu

2016-04-01

Water resources development is very challenging in Taiwan due to her diverse geographic environment and climatic conditions. To pursue sustainable water resources development, rationality and integrity is essential for water resources planning. River water quality and flow regimes are closely related to each other and affect river ecosystems simultaneously. This study aims to explore the complex impacts of water quality and flow regimes on fish community in order to comprehend the situations of the eco-hydrological system in the Danshui River of northern Taiwan. To make an effective and comprehensive strategy for sustainable water resources management, this study first models fish diversity through implementing a hybrid artificial neural network (ANN) based on long-term observational heterogeneity data of water quality, stream flow and fish species in the river. Then we use stream flow to estimate the loss of dissolved oxygen based on back-propagation neural networks (BPNNs). Finally, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) is established for river flow management over the Shihmen Reservoir which is the main reservoir in this study area. In addition to satisfying the water demands of human beings and ecosystems, we also consider water quality for river flow management. The ecosystem requirement takes the form of maximizing fish diversity, which can be estimated by the hybrid ANN. The human requirement is to provide a higher satisfaction degree of water supply while the water quality requirement is to reduce the loss of dissolved oxygen in the river among flow stations. The results demonstrate that the proposed methodology can offer diversified alternative strategies for reservoir operation and improve reservoir operation strategies for producing downstream flows that could better meet both human and ecosystem needs as well as maintain river water quality. Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI), Artificial neural networks (ANNs), Non

Pulsating potentiometric titration technique for assay of dissolved oxygen in water at trace level.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahoo, P; Ananthanarayanan, R; Malathi, N; Rajiniganth, M P; Murali, N; Swaminathan, P

2010-06-11

A simple but high performance potentiometric titration technique using pulsating sensors has been developed for assay of dissolved oxygen (DO) in water samples down to 10.0 microg L(-1) levels. The technique involves Winkler titration chemistry, commonly used for determination of dissolved oxygen in water at mg L(-1) levels, with modification in methodology for accurate detection of end point even at 10.0 microg L(-1) levels DO present in the sample. An indigenously built sampling cum pretreatment vessel has been deployed for collection and chemical fixing of dissolved oxygen in water samples from flowing water line without exposure to air. A potentiometric titration facility using pulsating sensors developed in-house is used to carry out titration. The power of the titration technique has been realised in estimation of very dilute solution of iodine equivalent to 10 microg L(-1) O(2). Finally, several water samples containing dissolved oxygen from mg L(-1) to microg L(-1) levels were successfully analysed with excellent reproducibility using this new technique. The precision in measurement of DO in water at 10 microg L(-1) O(2) level is 0.14 (n=5), RSD: 1.4%. Probably for the first time a potentiometric titration technique has been successfully deployed for assay of dissolved oxygen in water samples at 10 microg L(-1) levels. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pulsating potentiometric titration technique for assay of dissolved oxygen in water at trace level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahoo, P.; Ananthanarayanan, R.; Malathi, N.; Rajiniganth, M.P.; Murali, N.; Swaminathan, P.

2010-01-01

A simple but high performance potentiometric titration technique using pulsating sensors has been developed for assay of dissolved oxygen (DO) in water samples down to 10.0 μg L -1 levels. The technique involves Winkler titration chemistry, commonly used for determination of dissolved oxygen in water at mg L -1 levels, with modification in methodology for accurate detection of end point even at 10.0 μg L -1 levels DO present in the sample. An indigenously built sampling cum pretreatment vessel has been deployed for collection and chemical fixing of dissolved oxygen in water samples from flowing water line without exposure to air. A potentiometric titration facility using pulsating sensors developed in-house is used to carry out titration. The power of the titration technique has been realised in estimation of very dilute solution of iodine equivalent to 10 μg L -1 O 2 . Finally, several water samples containing dissolved oxygen from mg L -1 to μg L -1 levels were successfully analysed with excellent reproducibility using this new technique. The precision in measurement of DO in water at 10 μg L -1 O 2 level is 0.14 (n = 5), RSD: 1.4%. Probably for the first time a potentiometric titration technique has been successfully deployed for assay of dissolved oxygen in water samples at 10 μg L -1 levels.

Fruit cuticle lipid composition and water loss in a diverse collection of pepper (capsicum)

Science.gov (United States)

Pepper (Capsicum spp.) fruits are covered by a relatively thick coating of cuticle that limits fruit water loss, a trait previously associated with maintenance of post-harvest fruit quality during commercial marketing. We’ve examined the fruit cuticles from 50 diverse pepper genotypes from a world c...

Optical techniques for the determination of nitrate in environmental waters: Guidelines for instrument selection, operation, deployment, maintenance, quality assurance, and data reporting

Science.gov (United States)

Pellerin, Brian A.; Bergamaschi, Brian A.; Downing, Bryan D.; Saraceno, John Franco; Garrett, Jessica D.; Olsen, Lisa D.

2013-01-01

The recent commercial availability of in situ optical sensors, together with new techniques for data collection and analysis, provides the opportunity to monitor a wide range of water-quality constituents on time scales in which environmental conditions actually change. Of particular interest is the application of ultraviolet (UV) photometers for in situ determination of nitrate concentrations in rivers and streams. The variety of UV nitrate sensors currently available differ in several important ways related to instrument design that affect the accuracy of their nitrate concentration measurements in different types of natural waters. This report provides information about selection and use of UV nitrate sensors by the U.S. Geological Survey to facilitate the collection of high-quality data across studies, sites, and instrument types. For those in need of technical background and information about sensor selection, this report addresses the operating principles, key features and sensor design, sensor characterization techniques and typical interferences, and approaches for sensor deployment. For those needing information about maintaining sensor performance in the field, key sections in this report address maintenance and calibration protocols, quality-assurance techniques, and data formats and reporting. Although the focus of this report is UV nitrate sensors, many of the principles can be applied to other in situ optical sensors for water-quality studies.

A Comparison of Soil-Water Sampling Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Tindall, J. A.; Figueroa-Johnson, M.; Friedel, M. J.

2007-12-01

The representativeness of soil pore water extracted by suction lysimeters in ground-water monitoring studies is a problem that often confounds interpretation of measured data. Current soil water sampling techniques cannot identify the soil volume from which a pore water sample is extracted, neither macroscopic, microscopic, or preferential flowpath. This research was undertaken to compare values of extracted suction lysimeters samples from intact soil cores with samples obtained by the direct extraction methods to determine what portion of soil pore water is sampled by each method. Intact soil cores (30 centimeter (cm) diameter by 40 cm height) were extracted from two different sites - a sandy soil near Altamonte Springs, Florida and a clayey soil near Centralia in Boone County, Missouri. Isotopically labeled water (O18? - analyzed by mass spectrometry) and bromide concentrations (KBr- - measured using ion chromatography) from water samples taken by suction lysimeters was compared with samples obtained by direct extraction methods of centrifugation and azeotropic distillation. Water samples collected by direct extraction were about 0.25 ? more negative (depleted) than that collected by suction lysimeter values from a sandy soil and about 2-7 ? more negative from a well structured clayey soil. Results indicate that the majority of soil water in well-structured soil is strongly bound to soil grain surfaces and is not easily sampled by suction lysimeters. In cases where a sufficient volume of water has passed through the soil profile and displaced previous pore water, suction lysimeters will collect a representative sample of soil pore water from the sampled depth interval. It is suggested that for stable isotope studies monitoring precipitation and soil water, suction lysimeter should be installed at shallow depths (10 cm). Samples should also be coordinated with precipitation events. The data also indicate that each extraction method be use to sample a different

Developing new understanding of photoelectrochemical water splitting via in-situ techniques: A review on recent progress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiajie Cen

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Photoelectrochemical (PEC water splitting is a promising technology for solar hydrogen production to build a sustainable, renewable and clean energy economy. Given the complexity of the PEC water splitting processes, it is important to note that developing in-situ techniques for studying PEC water splitting presents a formidable challenge. This review is aimed at highlighting advantages and disadvantages of each technique, while offering a pathway of potentially combining several techniques to address different aspects of interfacial processes in PEC water splitting. We reviewed recent progress in various techniques and approaches utilized to study PEC water splitting, focusing on spectroscopic and scanning-probe methods. Keywords: In-situ, Water splitting, IMPS, TAS, SPM

Laser and infrared techniques for water pollution control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geraci, A.L.; Landolina, F.; Pantani, L.; Cecchi, G.

1993-01-01

A remote sensing application for the control of oil pollution and water quality was developed by the National Council of Research at Florence, and the University of Catania, both in Italy. The application is based on the simultaneous use of active antipassive remote sensing systems (lidar and flir systems) from a helicopter. Water pollution characteristics were determined with the lidar system, in polluted areas of water detected, on a larger scale, by the flir system. Pollution characteristics detected included type of pollutant, type of oil, and oil thickness. The experiment, named LIRA, was carried out using an Italian Navy helicopter over sea areas around Sicily having a high risk of pollution. The results proved the effectiveness and usefulness of the techniques proposed

Minimum Energy Dwelling (MED) workbook: an investigation of techniques and materials for energy conscious design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1977-12-01

This workbook is based upon information gathered during the design phase of the Minimum Energy Dwelling. The objective of the project, sponsored by the Southern California Gas Co., Department of Energy, and Mission Viejo is to substantially reduce energy use by the incorporation of energy conservation and solar techniques in a single-family detached dwelling. The Project will demonstrate to builders, as well as to the general public, a number of technological innovations that can, at reasonable cost, be included in a dwelling design. The problem facing Southern California Gas Co., along with most other gas utilities, is ever-decreasing amounts of gas at increasing prices. The dwelling designed has approximately 1,150 ft/sup 2/, consistent with current home-building trends. Through the optimum use of energy-conserving appliances, insulation, window and wall shading, exterior coloring, and thermal mass, the yearly energy usage has been reduced by over 50%. Of the remaining 50% of the energy required for heating, cooling, and domestic hot water, the majority is supplied by the solar-energy system. Three hundred twenty square feet (270 effective) of evacuated tube collector are incorporated into the building structure. The hot water provided by the collectors is used to run an absorption chiller for cooling, the domestic hot water, and the heating system. The remaining energy requirements are met by an auxiliary natural gas energy system and a cool-air-economizer cycle.

Circuit design techniques for non-crystalline semiconductors

CERN Document Server

Sambandan, Sanjiv

2012-01-01

Despite significant progress in materials and fabrication technologies related to non-crystalline semiconductors, fundamental drawbacks continue to limit real-world application of these devices in electronic circuits. To help readers deal with problems such as low mobility and intrinsic time variant behavior, Circuit Design Techniques for Non-Crystalline Semiconductors outlines a systematic design approach, including circuit theory, enabling users to synthesize circuits without worrying about the details of device physics. This book: Offers examples of how self-assembly can be used as a powerf

Does plant diversity affect the water balance of established grassland systems?

Science.gov (United States)

Leimer, Sophia; Bischoff, Sebastian; Blaser, Stefan; Boch, Steffen; Busch, Verena; Escher, Peter; Fischer, Markus; Kaupenjohann, Martin; Kerber, Katja; Klaus, Valentin; Michalzik, Beate; Prati, Daniel; Schäfer, Deborah; Schmitt, Barbara; Schöning, Ingo; Schwarz, Martin T.; Siemens, Jan; Thieme, Lisa; Wilcke, Wolfgang

2017-04-01

The water cycle drives nutrient cycles and plant productivity. The impact of land use on the water cycle has been extensively studied and there is experimental evidence that biodiversity modifies the water cycle in grasslands. However, the combined influences of land-use and associated biodiversity on the water cycle in established land-use systems are unclear. Therefore, we investigated how evapotranspiration (ETa), downward water flux (DF), and capillary rise (CR) in topsoil and subsoil are related to land-use and plant diversity in established, commercially managed grassland and compared these results to findings from experiments where plant diversity was manipulated. In three Central European regions ("Biodiversity Exploratories"), we studied 29 grassland plots (50 m x 50 m; 9-11 plots per region) from 2010 to 2015. The land-use types cover pasture, mown pasture, and meadow in at least triplicate per region. On each plot, we measured soil water contents, meteorological data (hourly resolution), cumulative precipitation (biweekly), plant species richness, the number of plants in the functional groups of grasses, herbs, and legumes (annually), and root biomass (once). Potential evapotranspiration (ETp) was calculated from meteorological data per plot. Missing data points of ETp and soil water contents were estimated with Bayesian hierarchical models. ETa, DF, and CR were calculated for two soil layers with a soil water balance model. The model is based on changes in soil water storage between subsequent observation dates and ETp, which was partitioned between soil layers according to root distribution. Water fluxes in annual resolution were statistically analyzed for land-use and biodiversity effects using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Land-use type did not affect water fluxes. Species richness did not influence DF and CR. DF from topsoil was higher on plots with more grass species, which is opposite to the results from a manipulative

Contextualising Water Use in Residential Settings: A Survey of Non-Intrusive Techniques and Approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davide Carboni

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Water monitoring in households is important to ensure the sustainability of fresh water reserves on our planet. It provides stakeholders with the statistics required to formulate optimal strategies in residential water management. However, this should not be prohibitive and appliance-level water monitoring cannot practically be achieved by deploying sensors on every faucet or water-consuming device of interest due to the higher hardware costs and complexity, not to mention the risk of accidental leakages that can derive from the extra plumbing needed. Machine learning and data mining techniques are promising techniques to analyse monitored data to obtain non-intrusive water usage disaggregation. This is because they can discern water usage from the aggregated data acquired from a single point of observation. This paper provides an overview of water usage disaggregation systems and related techniques adopted for water event classification. The state-of-the art of algorithms and testbeds used for fixture recognition are reviewed and a discussion on the prominent challenges and future research are also included.

Fungal Genetics and Functional Diversity of Microbial Communities in the Soil under Long-Term Monoculture of Maize Using Different Cultivation Techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Gałązka

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Fungal diversity in the soil may be limited under natural conditions by inappropriate environmental factors such as: nutrient resources, biotic and abiotic factors, tillage system and microbial interactions that prevent the occurrence or survival of the species in the environment. The aim of this paper was to determine fungal genetic diversity and community level physiological profiling of microbial communities in the soil under long-term maize monoculture. The experimental scheme involved four cultivation techniques: direct sowing (DS, reduced tillage (RT, full tillage (FT, and crop rotation (CR. Soil samples were taken in two stages: before sowing of maize (DSBS-direct sowing, RTBS-reduced tillage, FTBS-full tillage, CRBS-crop rotation and the flowering stage of maize growth (DSF-direct sowing, RTF-reduced tillage, FTF-full tillage, CRF-crop rotation. The following plants were used in the crop rotation: spring barley, winter wheat and maize. The study included fungal genetic diversity assessment by ITS-1 next generation sequencing (NGS analyses as well as the characterization of the catabolic potential of microbial communities (Biolog EcoPlates in the soil under long-term monoculture of maize using different cultivation techniques. The results obtained from the ITS-1 NGS technique enabled to classify and correlate the fungi species or genus to the soil metabolome. The research methods used in this paper have contributed to a better understanding of genetic diversity and composition of the population of fungi in the soil under the influence of the changes that have occurred in the soil under long-term maize cultivation. In all cultivation techniques, the season had a great influence on the fungal genetic structure in the soil. Significant differences were found on the family level (P = 0.032, F = 3.895, genus level (P = 0.026, F = 3.313 and on the species level (P = 0.033, F = 2.718. This study has shown that: (1 fungal diversity was changed

Demonstration of laser processing technique combined with water jet technique for retrieval of fuel debris at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanari, Toshihide; Takebe, Toshihiko; Yamada, Tomonori; Daido, Hiroyuki; Ishizuka, Ippei; Ohmori, Shinya; Kurosawa, Koichi; Sasaki, Go; Nakada, Masahiro; Sakai, Hideaki

2017-01-01

In decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, a retrieval process of fuel debris in the Primary Containment Vessel by a remote operation is one of the key issues. In this process, prevention of spreading radioactive materials is one of the important considerations. Furthermore, an applicable technique to the process requires keeping of reasonable processing-efficiency. We propose to use the combined technique including a laser light and a water jet as a retrieval technique of the fuel debris. The laser processing technique combined with a repetitive pulsed water jet could perform an efficient retrieval processing. Our experimental result encourages us to promote further development of the technique towards a real application at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. (author)

Identifying the sources of produced water in the oil field by isotopic techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Minh Quy; Hoang Long; Le Thi Thu Huong; Luong Van Huan; Vo Thi Tuong Hanh

2014-01-01

The objective of this study is to identify the sources of the formation water in the Southwest Su-Tu-Den (STD SW) basement reservoir. To achieve the objective, isotopic techniques along with geochemical analysis for chloride, bromide, strontium dissolved in the water were applied. The isotopic techniques used in this study were the determination of water stable isotopes signatures (δ 2 H and (δ 18 O) and of the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of strontium in rock cutting sample and that dissolved in the formation water. The obtained results showed that the stable isotopes compositions of water in the Lower Miocene was -3‰ and -23‰ for (δ 18 O and (δ 2 H, respectively indicating the primeval nature of seawater in the reservoir. Meanwhile, the isotopic composition of water in the basement was clustered in a range of alternated freshwater with (δ 18 O and (δ 2 H being -(3-4)‰ and -(54-60)‰, respectively). The strontium isotopes ratio for water in the Lower Miocene reservoir was lower compared to that for water in the basement confirming the different natures of the water in the two reservoirs. The obtained results are assured for the techniques applicability, and it is recommended that studies on identification of the flow-path of the formation water in the STD SW basement reservoir should be continued. (author)

Discriminating sediment and clear water over coastal water using GD technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amin Abd Rahman Mat

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Currently two algorithms are being used routinely by the MODIS Atmosphere and Ocean Team in order to distinguish sediment influence and clear water pixels over turbid water area. These two algorithms require complicated computational analyses. In this paper, a simple algorithm based on empirical technique to detect the sediment-influenced pixels over coastal waters is proposed as an alternative to these two algorithms. This study used apparent reflectance acquired from MODIS L1B product. This algorithm is based on the gradient difference of the line connecting the 0.47- and 1.24-μm channels and 0.47- and 0.66-μm channels of a log-log graph of the apparent reflectance values against MODIS wavelengths. Over clear-water areas (deep blue sea, the 0.47-, 0.66- and 1.24-μm channels fitted very well in line with correlation R > 0.99. Over turbid waters, a substantial increase of 0.66 μm in the reflectance leads to a low correlation value. By computing the difference between the gradient of the line connecting 0.47 and 0.66 μm and the gradient of the line connecting 0.47 and 1.24 μm, the threshold to discriminate turbid and shallow coastal waters from clear-water pixels can be obtained. If the gradient difference is greater than 0, the pixels were then marked as sediment-influenced pixels. This proposed algorithm works well for MODIS Terra and Aqua sensor. The comparison of this algorithm with an established algorithm also showed a good agreement.

Design of the US-CRBRP sodium/water reaction pressure relief system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruger, G.B.; Murdock, T.B.; Rodwell, E.; Sane, J.O.

1976-01-01

Protection against intermediate sodium system overpressure from the sodium/water reaction associated with large leaks within the CRBRP Steam Generators is provided by the sodium/water reaction pressure relief system (SWRPRS). This system consists of rupture disks connected to the intermediate sodium piping adjacent to the inlet to the superheater and outlet from the evaporator modules. The rupture discs relieve into piping that leads to reaction produce separator tanks, which in turn are vented to a centrifugal separator and flare stack arranged to burn hydrogen gas exhausting into the atmosphere. Analyses have been conducted using the TRANSWRAP Computer Code to predict the system pressures and flow rates during the large leak event. Experimental tests to be conducted in the large leak test rig (LLTR) will be used to confirm the analysis techniques used in the design

Wood lens design philosophy based on a binary additive manufacturing technique

Science.gov (United States)

Marasco, Peter L.; Bailey, Christopher

2016-04-01

Using additive manufacturing techniques in optical engineering to construct a gradient index (GRIN) optic may overcome a number of limitations of GRIN technology. Such techniques are maturing quickly, yielding additional design degrees of freedom for the engineer. How best to employ these degrees of freedom is not completely clear at this time. This paper describes a preliminary design philosophy, including assumptions, pertaining to a particular printing technique for GRIN optics. It includes an analysis based on simulation and initial component measurement.

Techniques for Conducting Effective Concept Design and Design-to-Cost Trade Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Di Pietro, David A.

2015-01-01

Concept design plays a central role in project success as its product effectively locks the majority of system life cycle cost. Such extraordinary leverage presents a business case for conducting concept design in a credible fashion, particularly for first-of-a-kind systems that advance the state of the art and that have high design uncertainty. A key challenge, however, is to know when credible design convergence has been achieved in such systems. Using a space system example, this paper characterizes the level of convergence needed for concept design in the context of technical and programmatic resource margins available in preliminary design and highlights the importance of design and cost evaluation learning curves in determining credible convergence. It also provides techniques for selecting trade study cases that promote objective concept evaluation, help reveal unknowns, and expedite convergence within the trade space and conveys general practices for conducting effective concept design-to-cost studies.

Evaluation of culture-based techniques and 454 pyrosequencing for the analysis of fungal diversity in potting media and organic fertilizers.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Sadi, A M; Al-Mazroui, S S; Phillips, A J L

2015-08-01

Potting media and organic fertilizers (OFs) are commonly used in agricultural systems. However, there is a lack of studies on the efficiency of culture-based techniques in assessing the level of fungal diversity in these products. A study was conducted to investigate the efficiency of seven culture-based techniques and pyrosequencing for characterizing fungal diversity in potting media and OFs. Fungal diversity was evaluated using serial dilution, direct plating and baiting with carrot slices, potato slices, radish seeds, cucumber seeds and cucumber cotyledons. Identity of all the isolates was confirmed on the basis of the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal RNA (ITS rRNA) sequence data. The direct plating technique was found to be superior over other culture-based techniques in the number of fungal species detected. It was also found to be simple and the least time consuming technique. Comparing the efficiency of direct plating with 454 pyrosequencing revealed that pyrosequencing detected 12 and 15 times more fungal species from potting media and OFs respectively. Analysis revealed that there were differences between potting media and OFs in the dominant phyla, classes, orders, families, genera and species detected. Zygomycota (52%) and Chytridiomycota (60%) were the predominant phyla in potting media and OFs respectively. The superiority of pyrosequencing over cultural methods could be related to the ability to detect obligate fungi, slow growing fungi and fungi that exist at low population densities. The evaluated methods in this study, especially direct plating and pyrosequencing, may be used as tools to help detect and reduce movement of unwanted fungi between countries and regions. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Recovery of diverse microbes in high turbidity surface water samples using dead-end ultrafiltration.

Science.gov (United States)

Mull, Bonnie; Hill, Vincent R

2012-12-01

Dead-end ultrafiltration (DEUF) has been reported to be a simple, field-deployable technique for recovering bacteria, viruses, and parasites from large-volume water samples for water quality testing and waterborne disease investigations. While DEUF has been reported for application to water samples having relatively low turbidity, little information is available regarding recovery efficiencies for this technique when applied to sampling turbid water samples such as those commonly found in lakes and rivers. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a DEUF technique for recovering MS2 bacteriophage, enterococci, Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, and Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in surface water samples having elevated turbidity. Average recovery efficiencies for each study microbe across all turbidity ranges were: MS2 (66%), C. parvum (49%), enterococci (85%), E. coli (81%), and C. perfringens (63%). The recovery efficiencies for MS2 and C. perfringens exhibited an inversely proportional relationship with turbidity, however no significant differences in recovery were observed for C. parvum, enterococci, or E. coli. Although ultrafilter clogging was observed, the DEUF method was able to process 100-L surface water samples at each turbidity level within 60 min. This study supports the use of the DEUF method for recovering a wide array of microbes in large-volume surface water samples having medium to high turbidity. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Design of Pumps for Water Hydraulic Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klit, Peder; Olsen, Stefan; Bech, Thomas Nørgaard

1999-01-01

This paper considers the development of two pumps for water hydraulic applications. The pumps are based on two different working principles: The Vane-type pump and the Gear-type pump. Emphasis is put on the considerations that should be made to account for water as the hydraulic fluid.......KEYWORDS: water, pump, design, vane, gear....

Aerobic rice mechanization: techniques for crop establishment

Science.gov (United States)

Khusairy, K. M.; Ayob, H.; Chan, C. S.; Fauzi, M. I. Mohamed; Mohamad Fakhrul, Z. O.; Shahril Shah, G. S. M.; Azlan, O.; Rasad, M. A.; Hashim, A. M.; Arshad, Z.; E, E. Ibrahim; Saifulizan, M. N.

2015-12-01

Rice being the staple food crops, hundreds of land races in it makes the diversity of rice crops. Aerobic rice production was introduced which requires much less water input to safeguard and sustain the rice production and conserve water due to decreasing water resources, climatic changes and competition from urban and industrial users. Mechanization system plays an important role for the success of aerobic rice cultivation. All farming activities for aerobic rice production are run on aerobic soil conditions. Row seeder mechanization system is developed to replace conventional seeding technique on the aerobic rice field. It is targeted for small and the large scale aerobic rice farmers. The aero - seeder machine is used for the small scale aerobic rice field, while the accord - seeder is used for the large scale aerobic rice field. The use of this mechanization machine can eliminate the tedious and inaccurate seeding operations reduce labour costs and increases work rate. The machine is easy to operate and it can increase crop establishment rate. It reduce missing hill, increasing planting and crop with high yield can be produce. This machine is designed for low costs maintenance and it is easy to dismantle and assemble during maintenance and it is safe to be used.

Factors Influencing Bacterial Diversity and Community Composition in Municipal Drinking Waters in the Ohio River Basin, USA

OpenAIRE

Stanish, Lee F.; Hull, Natalie M.; Robertson, Charles E.; Harris, J. Kirk; Stevens, Mark J.; Spear, John R.; Pace, Norman R.

2016-01-01

The composition and metabolic activities of microbes in drinking water distribution systems can affect water quality and distribution system integrity. In order to understand regional variations in drinking water microbiology in the upper Ohio River watershed, the chemical and microbiological constituents of 17 municipal distribution systems were assessed. While sporadic variations were observed, the microbial diversity was generally dominated by fewer than 10 taxa, and was driven by the amou...

Application of polymerization techniques to the treatment of woods gorged with water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Detanger, B; Ramiere, R; de Tassigny, C; Eymery, R; de Nadaillac, L

1973-05-01

From international conference on application of nuclear data in the field of work of art; Rome-Venice, Italy (24 May 1973). Wooden objects from stagnant or flowing waters have great value for the study of prehistory and protohistory. The preservation of these objects offers great difficulties as the elimination of the water causes them to crack, warp, or sag irreversibly. Ancient water-saturated woods were studied botanically, physicochemically, and biologically in order to develop techniques for their preservation in their original form. The studies showed that the simultaneous use of a technique of liquid-liquid extraction of the water and the polymerization under gamma radiation of the monomer introduced by substitution offers possibilities which merit a more in-depth study. (JSR)

Energy dispersion X-ray fluorescence techniques in water pollution analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holynska, B.

1980-01-01

Advantages and limitations of energy dispersion X-ray fluorescence methods for analysis of pollutants in water are discussed. The necessary equipment for X-ray measurement of insoluble and dissolved trace metals in water is described. Different techniques of enrichment of trace metals are presented: ion exchange on selective Chelex-100 exchanger, precipitation with chelating agents DDTC and APDC, and adsorption on activated carbon. Some results obtained using different preconcentration methods for trace metals determination in different waters are presented. (author)

Preliminary design package for solar heating and hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

1976-01-01

Two prototype solar heating and hot water systems for use in single-family dwellings or commercial buildings were designed. Subsystems included are: collector, storage, transport, hot water, auxiliary energy, and government-furnished site data acquisition. The systems are designed for Yosemite, California, and Pueblo, Colorado. The necessary information to evaluate the preliminary design for these solar heating and hot water systems is presented. Included are a proposed instrumentation plan, a training program, hazard analysis, preliminary design drawings, and other information about the design of the system.

Partitioning taxonomic diversity of aquatic insect assemblages ...

Science.gov (United States)

Biological diversity can be divided into: alpha (α, local), beta (β, difference in assemblage composition among locals), and gamma (γ, total diversity). We assessed the partitioning of taxonomic diversity of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) and of functional feeding groups (FFG) in Neotropical Savanna (southeastern Brazilian Cerrado) streams. To do so, we considered three diversity components: stream site (α), among stream sites (β1), and among hydrologic units (β2). We also evaluated the association of EPT genera composition with heterogeneity in land use, instream physical habitat structure, and instream water quality variables. The percent of EPT taxonomic α diversity (20.7%) was lower than the β1 and β2 diversities (53.1% and 26.2%, respectively). The EPT FFG α diversity (26.5%) was lower than the β1 diversity (55.8%) and higher than the β2 (17.7%) diversity. The collector-gatherer FFG was predominant and had the greatest β diversity among stream sites (β1, 55.8%). Our findings support the need for implementing regional scale conservation strategies in the Cerrado biome, which has been degraded by anthropogenic activities. Using adaptations of the US EPA’s National Aquatic Resource Survey (NARS) designs and methods, Ferreira and colleagues examined the distribution of taxonomic and functional diversity of aquatic insects among basins, stream sites within basins, and within stream sample reaches. They sampled 160 low-order stre

Deep water challenges for drilling rig design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roth, M [Transocean Sedco Forex, Houston, TX (United States)

2001-07-01

Drilling rigs designed for deep water must meet specific design considerations for harsh environments. The early lessons for rig design came from experiences in the North Sea. Rig efficiency and safety considerations must include structural integrity, isolated/redundant ballast controls, triple redundant DP systems, enclosed heated work spaces, and automated equipment such as bridge cranes, pipe handling gear, offline capabilities, subsea tree handling, and computerized drill floors. All components must be designed to harmonize man and machine. Some challenges which are unique to Eastern Canada include frequent storms and fog, cold temperature, icebergs, rig ice, and difficult logistics. This power point presentation described station keeping and mooring issues in terms of dynamic positioning issues. The environmental influence on riser management during forced disconnects was also described. Design issues for connected deep water risers must insure elastic stability, and control deflected shape. The design must also keep stresses within acceptable limits. Codes and standards for stress limits, flex joints and tension were also presented. tabs., figs.

Comparison of multivariate microbial datasets with the Shannon index: An example using enzyme activity from diverse marine environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steen, Andrew; Ziervogel, K.; Arnosti, C.

2010-01-01

Heterotrophic microbial communities contain substantial functional diversity, so studies of community function often generate multivariate data sets. Techniques for data reduction and analysis can help elucidate qualitative differences among sites from multivariate data sets that may be difficult...... of four cases, surface water communities accessed substrates at a more even rate than in deeper waters. The technique could usefully be applied to other types of data obtained in studies of microbial activity and the geochemical effects....

Chipless RFID design procedure and detection techniques

CERN Document Server

Rezaiesarlak, Reza

2015-01-01

This book examines the design of chipless RFID systems. The authors begin with the historical development of wireless identification systems and finally arrive at a representation of the chipless RFID system as a block diagram illustration. Chapter 2 is devoted to the theoretical bases for the design of chipless RFID tags and detection techniques in the reader. A rigorous mathematical formulation is presented based on the singularity expansion method (SEM) and characteristic mode theory (CMT) in order to study the scattered fields from an object in a general form. Th e authors attempt to explain some physical concepts behind the mathematical descriptions of the theories in this chapter. In Chapter 3, two design procedures based on complex natural resonance and CMT are presented for the design of the chipless RFID tag. By studying the effects of structural parameters on radiation and resonant behaviors of the tag, some design conclusions are presented in this chapter. Chapter 4 is dedicated to the time-frequen...

Genotypic Diversity of Escherichia coli in the Water and Soil of Tropical Watersheds in Hawaii ▿

Science.gov (United States)

Goto, Dustin K.; Yan, Tao

2011-01-01

High levels of Escherichia coli were frequently detected in tropical soils in Hawaii, which present important environmental sources of E. coli to water bodies. This study systematically examined E. coli isolates from water and soil of several watersheds in Hawaii and observed high overall genotypic diversity (35.5% unique genotypes). In the Manoa watershed, fewer than 9.3% of the observed E. coli genotypes in water and 6.6% in soil were shared between different sampling sites, suggesting the lack of dominant fecal sources in the watershed. High temporal variability of E. coli genotypes in soil was also observed, which suggests a dynamic E. coli population corresponding with the frequently observed high concentrations in tropical soils. When E. coli genotypes detected from the same sampling events were compared, limited sharing between the soil and water samples was observed in the majority of comparisons (73.5%). However, several comparisons reported up to 33.3% overlap of E. coli genotypes between soil and water, illustrating the potential for soil-water interactions under favorable environmental conditions. In addition, genotype accumulation curves for E. coli from water and soil indicated that the sampling efforts in the Manoa watershed could not exhaust the overall genotypic diversity. Comparisons of E. coli genotypes from other watersheds on Oahu, Hawaii, identified no apparent grouping according to sampling locations. The results of the present study demonstrate the complexity of using E. coli as a fecal indicator bacterium in tropical watersheds and highlight the need to differentiate environmental sources of E. coli from fecal sources in water quality monitoring. PMID:21515724

Geospatial Techniques for Improved Water Management in Jordan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jawad T. Al-Bakri

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This research shows a case from Jordan where geospatial techniques were utilized for irrigation water auditing. The work was based on assessing records of groundwater abstraction in relation to irrigated areas and estimated crop water consumption in three water basins: Yarmouk, Amman-Zarqa and Azraq. Mapping of irrigated areas and crop water requirements was carried out using remote sensing data of Landsat 8 and daily weather records. The methodology was based on visual interpretation and the unsupervised classification for remote sensing data, supported by ground surveys. Net (NCWR and gross (GCWR crop water requirements were calculated by merging crop evapotranspiration (ETc, calculated from daily weather records, with maps of irrigated crops. Gross water requirements were compared with groundwater abstractions recorded at a farm level to assess the levels of abstraction in relation to groundwater safe yield. Results showed that irrigated area and GCWR were higher than officially recorded cropped area and abstracted groundwater. The over abstraction of groundwater was estimated to range from 144% to 360% of the safe yield in the three basins. Overlaying the maps of irrigation and groundwater wells enabled the Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI to detect and uncover violations and illegal practices of irrigation, in the form of unlicensed wells, incorrect metering of pumped water and water conveyance for long distances. Results from the work were utilized at s high level of decision-making and changes to the water law were made, with remote sensing data being accredited for monitoring water resources in Jordan.

Diverse urban plantings managed with sufficient resource availability can increase plant productivity and arthropod diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathon eMuller

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Buildings structures and surfaces are explicitly being used to grow plants, and these ‘urban plantings’ are typically designed for aesthetic value. Urban plantings also have the potential to contribute significant ‘ecological values’ by increasing urban habitat for animals such as arthropods and by increasing plant productivity. In this study, we evaluated how the provision of these additional ecological values is affected by plant species richness; the availability of essential resources for plants, such as water, light, space; and soil characteristics. We sampled 33 plantings located on the exterior of three buildings in the urban centre of Brisbane, Australia (subtropical climatic region over two, six week sampling periods characterised by different temperature and rainfall conditions. Plant cover was estimated as a surrogate for productivity as destructive sampling of biomass was not possible. We measured weekly light levels (photosynthetically active radiation, plant CO2 assimilation, soil CO2 efflux, and arthropod diversity.Differences in plant cover were best explained by a three-way interaction of plant species richness, management water regime and sampling period. As the richness of plant species increased in a planter, productivity and total arthropod richness also increased significantly - likely due to greater habitat heterogeneity and quality. Overall we found urban plantings can provide additional ecological values if essential resources are maintained within a planter such as water, light and soil temperature. Diverse urban plantings that are managed with these principles in mind can contribute to the attraction of diverse arthropod communities, and lead to increased plant productivity within a dense urban context.

Radon removal using point-of-entry water-treatment techniques. Final report, October 1988-June 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinner, N.E.; Malley, J.P.; Clement, J.A.

1990-10-01

The purpose of the EPA Cooperative Agreement was to evaluate the performance of POE granular activated carbon (GAC), and diffused bubble and bubble place aeration systems treating a ground water supply containing radon (35,620 + or - 6,717 pCi/L). The pattern of loading to the units was designed to simulate daily demand in a household. Each of the systems was evaluated with respect to three primary factors: radon removal efficiency, potential problems, and economics. The radon removal efficiencies of the POE GAC units gradually deteriorated over time from 99.7% to 79% for the GAC without pretreatment and 99.7% to 85% for the units preceded by ion exchange. The bubble plate and diffused bubble POE units were very efficient (99%) at removing radon from the water. The resilience is primarly due to the high air to water ratios supplied by the aeration blowers. One major problem associated with the aeration techniques is iron oxidation/precipitation

Ecological effects and potential risks of the water diversion project in the Heihe River Basin.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Mengmeng; Wang, Shuai; Fu, Bojie; Gao, Guangyao; Shen, Qin

2018-04-01

To curb the severe ecological deterioration in the lower Heihe River Basin (HRB) in northwest China, a water diversion project was initiated in 2000. A comprehensive analysis of the ecological effects and potential risks associated with the project is needed. We assessed the hydrological and ecological achievements, and also analyzed the potential problems after the project was completed. We found that since the project began the hydrological regime has changed, with more than 57.82% of the upstream water being discharged to the lower reaches on average. As a result, the groundwater level in the lower reaches has risen; the terminal lake has gradually expanded to a maximum area in excess of 50km 2 since 2010, and there has been a significant recovery of vegetation in the riparian zone and the Ejin core oases, which represents the initial rehabilitation of the degraded downstream environment. Additionally, the economy of Ejin has developed spectacularly, with an annual growth rate of 28.06%. However, in the middle reaches, the average groundwater level has continuously declined by a total of 5.8m and significant degradation of the vegetation has occurred along the river course. The discrepancy in the water allocation between the middle and lower reaches has intensified. This highlights the inability of the current water diversion scheme to realize further ecological restoration and achieve sustainable development throughout the whole basin. In future water management programs, we recommend that water allocation is coordinated by considering the basin as an integrated entity and to scientifically determine the size of the midstream farmland and downstream oasis; restrict non-ecological water use in the lower reaches, and jointly dispatch the surface water and groundwater. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nitrogenase genes in non-cyanobacterial plankton: prevalence, diversity, and regulation in marine waters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riemann, Lasse; Farnelid, H.; Steward, G.F.

2010-01-01

Marine waters are generally considered to be nitrogen (N) limited and are therefore favourable environments for diazotrophs, i.e. organisms converting atmospheric N2 into ammonium or nitrogen oxides available for growth. In some regions, this import of N supports up to half of the primary...... productivity. Diazotrophic Cyanobacteria appear to be the major contributors to marine N2 fixation in surface waters, whereas the contribution of heterotrophic or chemoautotrophic diazotrophs to this process is usually regarded inconsequential. Culture-independent studies reveal that non......-cyanobacterial diazotrophs are diverse, widely distributed, and actively expressing the nitrogenase gene in marine and estuarine environments. The detection of nifH genes and nifH transcripts, even in N-replete marine waters, suggests that N2 fixation is an ecologically important process throughout the oceans. Because...

Does staff diversity imply openness to diversity?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauring, Jakob; Selmer, Jan

2013-01-01

Purpose – Post-secondary educational organizations are currently some of the most diverse settings to be found. However, few educational studies have dealt with staff diversity and hardly any has looked outside the USA. The purpose of this paper is to present a study of members of international...... university departments in Denmark. The authors set out to investigate the relationship between different types of staff diversity and openness to diversity in terms of linguistic, visible, value, and informational heterogeneity. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses responses from 489 staff members......, was unrelated or negatively associated with positive diversity attitudes. Originality/value – Few studies deal with the role of staff diversity and no prior studies the authors know of have examined the link between diversity types and openness to diversity....

Abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria on granular activated carbon and their fates during drinking water purification process.

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Jia; Kasuga, Ikuro; Kurisu, Futoshi; Furumai, Hiroaki; Shigeeda, Takaaki; Takahashi, Kazuhiko

2016-01-01

Ammonia is a precursor to trichloramine, which causes an undesirable chlorinous odor. Granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration is used to biologically oxidize ammonia during drinking water purification; however, little information is available regarding the abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) associated with GAC. In addition, their sources and fates in water purification process remain unknown. In this study, six GAC samples were collected from five full-scale drinking water purification plants in Tokyo during summer and winter, and the abundance and community structure of AOA and AOB associated with GAC were studied in these two seasons. In summer, archaeal and bacterial amoA genes on GACs were present at 3.7 × 10(5)-3.9 × 10(8) gene copies/g-dry and 4.5 × 10(6)-4.2 × 10(8) gene copies/g-dry, respectively. In winter, archaeal amoA genes remained at the same level, while bacterial amoA genes decreased significantly for all GACs. No differences were observed in the community diversity of AOA and AOB from summer to winter. Phylogenetic analysis revealed high AOA diversity in group I.1a and group I.1b in raw water. Terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of processed water samples revealed that AOA diversity decreased dramatically to only two OTUs in group I.1a after ozonation, which were identical to those detected on GAC. It suggests that ozonation plays an important role in determining AOA diversity on GAC. Further study on the cell-specific activity of AOA and AOB is necessary to understand their contributions to in situ nitrification performance.

Comparison of computational performance of GA and PSO optimization techniques when designing similar systems - Typical PWR core case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Souza Lima, Carlos A.; Lapa, Celso Marcelo F.; Pereira, Claudio Marcio do N.A.; Cunha, Joao J. da; Alvim, Antonio Carlos M.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Performance of PSO and GA techniques applied to similar system design. → This work uses ANGRA1 (two loop PWR) core as a prototype. → Results indicate that PSO technique is more adequate than GA to solve this kind of problem. - Abstract: This paper compares the performance of two optimization techniques, particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA) applied to the design a typical reduced scale two loop Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) core, at full power in single phase forced circulation flow. This comparison aims at analyzing the performance in reaching the global optimum, considering that both heuristics are based on population search methods, that is, methods whose population (candidate solution set) evolve from one generation to the next using a combination of deterministic and probabilistic rules. The simulated PWR, similar to ANGRA 1 power plant, was used as a case example to compare the performance of PSO and GA. Results from simulations indicated that PSO is more adequate to solve this kind of problem.

Optimization Techniques for Design Problems in Selected Areas in WSNs: A Tutorial.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, Ahmed; Alfa, Attahiru

2017-08-01

This paper is intended to serve as an overview of, and mostly a tutorial to illustrate, the optimization techniques used in several different key design aspects that have been considered in the literature of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). It targets the researchers who are new to the mathematical optimization tool, and wish to apply it to WSN design problems. We hence divide the paper into two main parts. One part is dedicated to introduce optimization theory and an overview on some of its techniques that could be helpful in design problem in WSNs. In the second part, we present a number of design aspects that we came across in the WSN literature in which mathematical optimization methods have been used in the design. For each design aspect, a key paper is selected, and for each we explain the formulation techniques and the solution methods implemented. We also provide in-depth analyses and assessments of the problem formulations, the corresponding solution techniques and experimental procedures in some of these papers. The analyses and assessments, which are provided in the form of comments, are meant to reflect the points that we believe should be taken into account when using optimization as a tool for design purposes.

Contact arc metal cutting (CAMC), a young cutting technique has matured. Successful use under water in the demolition of the Karlsruhe multipurpose research reactor (MFZR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stanke, D.; Bienia, H.; Loeb, A.; Thoma, M.; Eisenmann, B.; Prechtl, E.; Suessdorf, W.; Kremer, G.; Ruemenapp, T.

2006-01-01

Dismantling radiologically burdened large components is among the most complex and difficult jobs in the demolition of nuclear installations. The technologies used and their safe operation play a key role in demolition. Dismantling highly activated components as a rule requires shielding by water. As a consequence, the techniques employed must be designed for use under water. A variety of technologies are available for these applications. One established mechanical cutting method is water abrasive suspension jet cutting (WASS). Because of the small cutting nozzle employed, this highly flexible cutting technique can be used nearly anywhere together with different guiding systems. In the course of disassembly under water of the MZFR, plasma cutting has been found to be a reliable and efficient technique for remote operation. Contact arc metal cutting is a thermal cutting technique allowing all electrically conducting materials, including those with claddings, to be cut nearly irrespective of their component geometries. The methods, technology, possible uses, and practical operation of contact arc metal cutting in the demolition of the MZFR are covered in this article. (orig.)

Estimating the Mediterranean Sea Water Budget: impact of RCM design

Science.gov (United States)

Somot, S.; Elguindi, N.; Sanchez-Gomez, E.; Herrmann, M.; Déqué, M.

2009-09-01

scientific questions deal with the RCM design for the following points: Q1. the horizontal resolution Q2. the physics of the RCM Q3. the regional modelling technique (stretched-grid model, limited area model, spectral nudging technique) Q4. the regional air-sea-river coupling Q5. the RCM internal variability Up-to-date observation estimates of the various terms of the MSWB are used to sort out between the different configurations of the RCMs.

Hydrology and water quality of Shell Lake, Washburn County, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of diversion and changes in water level on the water quality of a shallow terminal lake

Science.gov (United States)

Juckem, Paul F.; Robertson, Dale M.

2013-01-01

Shell Lake is a relatively shallow terminal lake (tributaries but no outlets) in northwestern Wisconsin that has experienced approximately 10 feet (ft) of water-level fluctuation over more than 70 years of record and extensive flooding of nearshore areas starting in the early 2000s. The City of Shell Lake (City) received a permit from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in 2002 to divert water from the lake to a nearby river in order to lower water levels and reduce flooding. Previous studies suggested that water-level fluctuations were driven by long-term cycles in precipitation, evaporation, and runoff, although questions about the lake’s connection with the groundwater system remained. The permit required that the City evaluate assumptions about lake/groundwater interactions made in previous studies and evaluate the effects of the water diversion on water levels in Shell Lake and other nearby lakes. Therefore, a cooperative study between the City and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was initiated to improve the understanding of the hydrogeology of the area and evaluate potential effects of the diversion on water levels in Shell Lake, the surrounding groundwater system, and nearby lakes. Concerns over deteriorating water quality in the lake, possibly associated with changes in water level, prompted an additional cooperative project between the City and the USGS to evaluate efeffects of changes in nutrient loading associated with changes in water levels on the water quality of Shell Lake. Numerical models were used to evaluate how the hydrology and water quality responded to diversion of water from the lake and historical changes in the watershed. The groundwater-flow model MODFLOW was used to simulate groundwater movement in the area around Shell Lake, including groundwater/surface-water interactions. Simulated results from the MODFLOW model indicate that groundwater flows generally northward in the area around Shell Lake, with flow locally converging

Comparison of streamflow and water-quality data collection techniques for the Saginaw River, Michigan

Science.gov (United States)

Hoard, C.J.; Holtschlag, D.J.; Duris, J.W.; James, D.A.; Obenauer, D.J.

2012-01-01

In 2009, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Geological Survey developed a plan to compare the effect of various streamgaging and water-quality collection techniques on streamflow and stream water-quality data for the Saginaw River, Michigan. The Saginaw River is the primary contributor of surface runoff to Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, draining approximately 70 percent of the Saginaw Bay watershed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has listed the Saginaw Bay system as an "Area of Concern" due to many factors, including excessive sediment and nutrient concentrations in the water. Current efforts to estimate loading of sediment and nutrients to Saginaw Bay utilize water-quality samples collected using a surface-grab technique and flow data that are uncertain during specific conditions. Comparisons of current flow and water-quality sampling techniques to alternative techniques were assessed between April 2009 and September 2009 at two locations in the Saginaw River. Streamflow estimated using acoustic Doppler current profiling technology was compared to a traditional stage-discharge technique. Complex conditions resulting from the influence of Saginaw Bay on the Saginaw River were able to be captured using the acoustic technology, while the traditional stage-discharge technique failed to quantify these effects. Water-quality samples were collected at two locations and on eight different dates, utilizing both surface-grab and depth-integrating multiple-vertical techniques. Sixteen paired samples were collected and analyzed for suspended sediment, turbidity, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, orthophosphate, nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia. Results indicate that concentrations of constituents associated with suspended material, such as suspended sediment, turbidity, and total phosphorus, are underestimated when samples are collected using the surface-grab technique. The median magnitude of the relative percent difference in concentration based

Outline of design, manufacturing and installation experience of pressure vessel structure for the prototype heavy water moderated boiling light water cooled reactor 'FUGEN'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibato, Eizo; Oguchi, Isao; Kishi, Toshikazu; Kitagawa, Yuji

1977-01-01

After component installation completed in June 1977 and various functional tests to be conducted later, the prototype heavy water moderated, boiling light water cooled reactor ''FUGEN'' is scheduled to reach first criticality in March 1978. Since the pressure vessel of ''FUGEN'' is completely different from that of a light water reactor in structure and materials, through research and development work was carried out prior to fabrication and construction. Based on these studies, installation of the actual pressure vessel was completed. Functional tests are now under way. This article describes examples in which our research and development results are reflected on design, manufacture, and installation of the pressure vessel. Also it introduces noteworthy achievements relevant to production techniques in manufacture and installation. (auth.)

Influence of soil and water conservation techniques on yield of small ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study determined the application of soil and water conservation techniques in relation to yield of small-holder swamp rice farmers in Imo State, Nigeria in 2009. Specifically, the socio-economic characteristics of the farmer were described, their influence on the application of the techniques examined and relationship of ...

Two Years of Site Diversity Measurements in Guam, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Acosta, Roberto J.; Morse, J.; Zemba, M.; Nessel, J.

2012-01-01

As NASA communication networks upgrade to higher frequencies, such as Ka-Band, atmospherically induced attenuation can become significant. This attenuation is caused by rain, clouds and atmospheric gases (oxygen and water vapor), with rain having the most noticeable effects. One technique to circumvent the increase in attenuation is to operate two terminals separated by a distance that exceeds the average rain cell size. The fact that rain cells are of finite size can then be exploited by rerouting the signal to the terminal with the strongest link. This technique, known as site diversity, is best suited for climates that have compact (less than 2km) and intense rain cells such as in Guam. In order to study the potential diversity gain at the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) Remote Ground Terminal (GRGT) complex in Guam a site test interferometer (STI) was installed in May of 2010. The STI is composed of two terminals with a 900m baseline that observe the same unmodulated beacon signal broadcast from a geostationary satellite (e.g., UFO 8). The potential site diversity gain is calculated by measuring the difference in signal attenuation seen at each terminal. Over the two years of data collection the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the site diversity gain shows a better than 3 dB improvement for 90% of the time over standard operation. These results show that the use of site diversity in Guam can be very effective in combating rain fades.

Bacterial diversity in water injection systems of Brazilian offshore oil platforms.

Science.gov (United States)

Korenblum, Elisa; Valoni, Erika; Penna, Mônica; Seldin, Lucy

2010-01-01

Biogenic souring and microbial-influenced corrosion is a common scenario in water-flooded petroleum reservoirs. Water injection systems are continuously treated to control bacterial contamination, but some bacteria that cause souring and corrosion can persist even after different treatments have been applied. Our aim was to increase our knowledge of the bacterial communities that persist in the water injection systems of three offshore oil platforms in Brazil. To achieve this goal, we used a culture-independent molecular approach (16S ribosomal RNA gene clone libraries) to analyze seawater samples that had been subjected to different treatments. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the bacterial communities from the different platforms were taxonomically different. A predominance of bacterial clones affiliated with Gammaproteobacteria, mostly belonging to the genus Marinobacter (60.7%), were observed in the platform A samples. Clones from platform B were mainly related to the genera Colwellia (37.9%) and Achromobacter (24.6%), whereas clones obtained from platform C were all related to unclassified bacteria. Canonical correspondence analyses showed that different treatments such as chlorination, deoxygenation, and biocide addition did not significantly influence the bacterial diversity in the platforms studied. Our results demonstrated that the injection water used in secondary oil recovery procedures contained potentially hazardous bacteria, which may ultimately cause souring and corrosion.

Impacts of surface water diversions for marijuana cultivation on aquatic habitat in four northwestern California watersheds.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scott Bauer

Full Text Available Marijuana (Cannabis sativa L. cultivation has proliferated in northwestern California since at least the mid-1990s. The environmental impacts associated with marijuana cultivation appear substantial, yet have been difficult to quantify, in part because cultivation is clandestine and often occurs on private property. To evaluate the impacts of water diversions at a watershed scale, we interpreted high-resolution aerial imagery to estimate the number of marijuana plants being cultivated in four watersheds in northwestern California, USA. Low-altitude aircraft flights and search warrants executed with law enforcement at cultivation sites in the region helped to validate assumptions used in aerial imagery interpretation. We estimated the water demand of marijuana irrigation and the potential effects water diversions could have on stream flow in the study watersheds. Our results indicate that water demand for marijuana cultivation has the potential to divert substantial portions of streamflow in the study watersheds, with an estimated flow reduction of up to 23% of the annual seven-day low flow in the least impacted of the study watersheds. Estimates from the other study watersheds indicate that water demand for marijuana cultivation exceeds streamflow during the low-flow period. In the most impacted study watersheds, diminished streamflow is likely to have lethal or sub-lethal effects on state- and federally-listed salmon and steelhead trout and to cause further decline of sensitive amphibian species.

Parameter estimation techniques and uncertainty in ground water flow model predictions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmerman, D.A.; Davis, P.A.

1990-01-01

Quantification of uncertainty in predictions of nuclear waste repository performance is a requirement of Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations governing the licensing of proposed geologic repositories for high-level radioactive waste disposal. One of the major uncertainties in these predictions is in estimating the ground-water travel time of radionuclides migrating from the repository to the accessible environment. The cause of much of this uncertainty has been attributed to a lack of knowledge about the hydrogeologic properties that control the movement of radionuclides through the aquifers. A major reason for this lack of knowledge is the paucity of data that is typically available for characterizing complex ground-water flow systems. Because of this, considerable effort has been put into developing parameter estimation techniques that infer property values in regions where no measurements exist. Currently, no single technique has been shown to be superior or even consistently conservative with respect to predictions of ground-water travel time. This work was undertaken to compare a number of parameter estimation techniques and to evaluate how differences in the parameter estimates and the estimation errors are reflected in the behavior of the flow model predictions. That is, we wished to determine to what degree uncertainties in flow model predictions may be affected simply by the choice of parameter estimation technique used. 3 refs., 2 figs

Characterization of uranium in surface-waters collected at the Rocky Flats Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Efurd, D.W.; Rokop, D.J.; Aguilar, R.D.; Roensch, F.R.; Perrin, R.E.; Banar, J.C.

1994-01-01

The Rocky Flats Plant (RFP) is a Department of Energy (DOE) facility where plutonium and uranium components were manufactured for nuclear weapons. During plant operations radioactivity was inadvertently released into the environment. This study was initiated to characterize the uranium present in surface-waters at RFP. Three drainage basins and natural ephemeral streams transverse RFP. The Woman Creek drainage basin traverses and drains the southern portion of the site. The Rock Creek drainage basin drains the northwestern portion of the plant complex. The Walnut Creek drainage basin traverses the western, northern, and northeastern portions of the RFP site. Dams, detention ponds, diversion structures, and ditches have been constructed at RFP to control the release of plant discharges and surface (storm water) runoff. The ponds located downstream of the plant complex on North Walnut Creek are designated A-1 through A-4. Ponds on South Walnut Creek are designated B-1 through B-5. The ponds in the Woman Creek drainage basin are designated C-1 and C-2. Water samples were collected from each pond and the uranium was characterized by TIMS measurement techniques

Environmental Parameters Affecting the Algal Diversity in a Sewage Water Treatment Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammad, D.M.; Tawfik, T.A.; Ismail, G.A.; Abou El-Khair, W.S.; Abou El-Nour, F.

2008-01-01

The present investigation was carried out at a tertiary sewage water treatment plant located at El-Kattameya city, Cairo, Egypt, for a duration period of 12 months during 2004. The present work aimed to study the algal diversity (phyto benthos and phytoplankton) of the different tanks (collector, oxidation, settling and effluent) included in the tertiary sewage treatment system with respect to changes in physico-chemical characteristics of sewage water during the different seasons to be used for golf course irrigation. The treatment system is of the physico-biological type. Representing data of the physico-chemical parameters are air and water temperatures, ph, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended salts (TSS), total alkalinity, nutrients (nitrate, ammonia, phosphate, ortho-phosphorus, phosphorus and silicate), as well as major ions (calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfate and chloride). In addition, the treatment efficiency of the system was evaluated and the suitability of using the effluent in irrigation purposes was discussed

Improved safety of the system 80+TM standard plants design through increased diversity and redundancy of safety systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matzie, Regis A.; Carpentino, Frederick L.; Robertson, James E.

1996-01-01

Safely systems in the System 80+ TM Standard Plant are designed with more redundancy, diversity and simplicity than earlier nuclear power plant designs. These gains were accomplished by an evolutionary process that preserved the desirable and proven features in currently operating nuclear plants, while improving reliability and defense-in-depth. The System 80+ safety systems are the primary contributors to a core damage frequency that is more than 100 times lower than 1980's vintage U. S. designs, including the predecessor System 80 R standard nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) design. The System 80+ design includes significant improvements to the safety injection system, emergency feedwater system, shutdown cooling system, containment spray system, reactor coolant gas vent system, and to their vital support systems. These improvements enhance performance for traditional design basis events and significantly reduce the probability of a severe accident. The System 80+ design also incorporates safety systems to mitigate a severe accident. The added systems include the rapid depressurization system, the in-containment refueling water storage tank, the cavity flooding system. These systems fully address the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (US NRC) severe accident policy. The System 80+ safety systems are integrated with the System 80+ Nuclear Island (NI) design. The NI general arrangement provides quadrant separation of the safety systems for protection from fire and flooding, and large equipment pull spaces and lay down areas for maintenance. This paper will describe the System 80+ safety systems advanced design features, the improved accident prevention and mitigation capabilities, and startup, operating and maintenance benefits

Design and analysis of hydraulic ram water pumping system

Science.gov (United States)

Hussin, N. S. M.; Gamil, S. A.; Amin, N. A. M.; Safar, M. J. A.; Majid, M. S. A.; Kazim, M. N. F. M.; Nasir, N. F. M.

2017-10-01

The current pumping system (DC water pump) for agriculture is powered by household electricity, therefore, the cost of electricity will be increased due to the higher electricity consumption. In addition, the water needs to be supplied at different height of trees and different places that are far from the water source. The existing DC water pump can pump the water to 1.5 m height but it cost money for electrical source. The hydraulic ram is a mechanical water pump that suitable used for agriculture purpose. It can be a good substitute for DC water pump in agriculture use. The hydraulic ram water pumping system has ability to pump water using gravitational energy or the kinetic energy through flowing source of water. This project aims to analyze and develop the water ram pump in order to meet the desired delivery head up to 3 meter height with less operation cost. The hydraulic ram is designed using CATIA software. Simulation work has been done using ANSYS CFX software to validate the working concept. There are three design were tested in the experiment study. The best design reached target head of 3 m with 15% efficiency and flow rate of 11.82l/min. The results from this study show that the less diameter of pressure chamber and higher supply head will create higher pressure.

Correction Technique for Raman Water Vapor Lidar Signal-Dependent Bias and Suitability for Water Wapor Trend Monitoring in the Upper Troposphere

Science.gov (United States)

Whiteman, D. N.; Cadirola, M.; Venable, D.; Calhoun, M.; Miloshevich, L; Vermeesch, K.; Twigg, L.; Dirisu, A.; Hurst, D.; Hall, E.;

Status of advanced technology and design for water cooled reactors: Heavy water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-07-01

In 1987 the IAEA established the International Working Group on Advanced Technologies for Water-Cooled Reactors (IWGATWR). Within the framework of the IWGATWR the IAEA Technical Report on Status of Advanced Technology and Design for Water Cooled Reactors, Part I: Light Water Reactors and Part II: Heavy Water Reactors, has been undertaken to document the major current activities and trends of technological improvement and development for future water reactors. Part I of the report dealing with Light Water Reactors (LWRs) was published in 1988 (IAEA-TECDOC-479). Part II of the report covers Heavy Water Reactors (HWRs) and has now been prepared. This report is based largely upon submissions from Member States. It has been supplemented by material from the presentations at the IAEA Technical Committee and Workshop on Progress in Heavy Water Reactor Design and Technology held in Montreal, Canada, December 6-9, 1988. It is hoped that this part of the report, containing the status of advanced heavy water reactor technology up to 1988 and ongoing development programmes will aid in disseminating information to Member States and in stimulating international cooperation. Refs, figs and tabs

Designing 3ERP to meet use and users - methods to handle cultural diversity and collaborative networking in SMEs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dirckinck-Holmfeld, Lone; Nielsen, Janni

2007-01-01

The purpose is to describe a project the aim of which is to develop and validate the scientific methodological foundation for design of user friendly and usable, flexible and configurable global Enterprise Resource Planning system for Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) which are adoptable ...... to cultural diversity and support the collaborative networking tasks embedded in 3gERP. Focus is on Human Centered Design methods and tools which must be developed to handle cultural diversity....

A review on risk assessment techniques for hydraulic fracturing water and produced water management implemented in onshore unconventional oil and gas production.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, Luisa; Yadav, Om Prakash; Khan, Eakalak

2016-01-01

The objective of this paper is to review different risk assessment techniques applicable to onshore unconventional oil and gas production to determine the risks to water quantity and quality associated with hydraulic fracturing and produced water management. Water resources could be at risk without proper management of water, chemicals, and produced water. Previous risk assessments in the oil and gas industry were performed from an engineering perspective leaving aside important social factors. Different risk assessment methods and techniques are reviewed and summarized to select the most appropriate one to perform a holistic and integrated analysis of risks at every stage of the water life cycle. Constraints to performing risk assessment are identified including gaps in databases, which require more advanced techniques such as modeling. Discussions on each risk associated with water and produced water management, mitigation strategies, and future research direction are presented. Further research on risks in onshore unconventional oil and gas will benefit not only the U.S. but also other countries with shale oil and gas resources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Designing water supplies: Optimizing drinking water composition for maximum economic benefit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rygaard, Martin; Arvin, Erik; Bath, A.

2011-01-01

to water quality aspects, costs of water production, fresh water abstraction and CO2-emissions are integrated into a holistic economic assessment of the optimum share of desalinated water in water supplies. Results show that carefully designed desalination post-treatment can have net benefits up to €0.......3 ± 0.2 per delivered m3 for Perth and €0.4(±0.2) for Copenhagen. Costs of remineralization and green house gas emission mitigation are minor when compared to the potential benefits of an optimum water composition. Finally, a set of optimum water quality criteria is proposed for the guidance of water...... includes modeling of possible water quality blends and an evaluation of corrosion indices. Based on concentration-response relationships a range of impacts on public health, material lifetimes and consumption of soap have been valued for Perth, Western Australia and Copenhagen, Denmark. In addition...

Application of CFD technique for HYFLEX aerodynamic design

OpenAIRE

Yamamoto, Yukimitsu; Watanabe, Shigeya; Ishiguro, Mitsuo; Ogasawara, Ko; 山本 行光; 渡辺 重哉; 石黒 満津夫; 小笠原 宏

1994-01-01

An overview of the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique for the HYFLEX (Hypersonic Flight Experiment) aerodynamic design by using the numerical simulation codes in the supersonic and hypersonic speed ranges is presented. Roles of CFD required to make up for the short term of development and small amount of the wind tunnel test cases, application in the HYFLEX aerodynamic design and their application methods are described. The procedure of CFD code validation by the expe...

MWH's water treatment: principles and design

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Crittenden, John C

2012-01-01

.... The contents have been updated to cover changes to regulatory requirements, testing methodology, and design approaches, as well as the emergent topics of pharmacological agents in the water supply...

MWH's water treatment: principles and design

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Crittenden, John C

2012-01-01

... with additional worked problems and new treatment approaches. It covers both the principles and theory of water treatment as well as the practical considerations of plant design and distribution...

Design and Testing of an Educational Water Tunnel

Science.gov (United States)

Kosaraju, Srinivas

2017-11-01

A new water tunnel is designed and tested for educational and research purposes at Northern Arizona University. The university currently owns an educational wind tunnel with a test section of 12in X 12in X 24in. However, due to limited size of test section and range of Reynolds numbers, its application is currently limited to very few experiments. In an effort to expand the educational and research capabilities, a student team is tasked to design, build and test a water tunnel as a Capstone Senior Design project. The water tunnel is designed to have a test section of 8in X 8in X 36in. and be able to test up to Re = 50E3. Multiple numerical models are used to optimize the flow field inside the test section before building the physical apparatus. The water tunnel is designed to accommodate multiple experiments for drag and lift studies. The built-in die system can deliver up to three different colors to study the streamlines and vortex shedding from the surfaces. During the first phase, a low discharge pump is used to achieve Re = 4E3 to test laminar flows. In the second phase, a high discharge pump will be used to achieve targeted Re = 50E3 to study turbulent flows.

COCONUT WATER VINEGAR: NEW ALTERNATIVE WITH IMPROVED PROCESSING TECHNIQUE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MUHAMMAD ANAS OTHAMAN

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Vinegar is a condiment made from various sugary and starchy materials by alcoholic and subsequent acetic fermentation. Vinegar can be produced via different methods and from various types of raw material. A new alternative substrate for vinegar production namely mature coconut water has been tested and was compared with 2 common substrates which were coconut sap and pineapple juice. Substrates such as sap and juices have been found to have high amount of total soluble solids which corresponding to high sugar content in the substrates which is more than 14oBrix. Therefore, both substrates could be directly used for vinegar production without requirement of other carbon sources. However, coconut water which showed low Brix value need to be adjusted to 14oBrix by adding sucrose prior to the fermentation process. Substrates fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae have yielded 7-8% of alcohol within 7-10 days aerobic incubation at room temperature. The alcoholic medium were then used as a seed broth for acetic fermentation with Acetobactor aceti as inoculums and fermented for approximately 2 months to obtain at least 4% of acetic acid. Investigation on the effect of inoculum sizes and implementation of back-slopping technique were performed to improve the processing method for coconut water vinegar production. The results show that 10% of inoculum size was the best for acetic acid fermentation and the back-slopping technique has helped to reduce the process time of coconut water vinegar production.

Assessing the influence of climate change and inter-basin water diversion on Haihe River basin, eastern China: a coupled model approach

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Jun; Wang, Qiang; Zhang, Xiang; Wang, Rui; She, Dunxian

2018-04-01

The modeling of changes in surface water and groundwater in the areas of inter-basin water diversion projects is quite difficult because surface water and groundwater models are run separately most of the time and the lack of sufficient data limits the application of complex surface-water/groundwater coupling models based on physical laws, especially for developing countries. In this study, a distributed surface-water and groundwater coupling model, named the distributed time variant gain model-groundwater model (DTVGM-GWM), was used to assess the influence of climate change and inter-basin water diversion on a watershed hydrological cycle. The DTVGM-GWM model can reflect the interaction processes of surface water and groundwater at basin scale. The model was applied to the Haihe River Basin (HRB) in eastern China. The possible influences of climate change and the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) on surface water and groundwater in the HRB were analyzed under various scenarios. The results showed that the newly constructed model DTVGM-GWM can reasonably simulate the surface and river runoff, and describe the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of groundwater level, groundwater storage and phreatic recharge. The prediction results under different scenarios showed a decline in annual groundwater exploitation and also runoff in the HRB, while an increase of groundwater storage and groundwater level after the SNWDP's operation. Additionally, as the project also addresses future scenarios, a slight increase is predicted in the actual evapotranspiration, soil water content and phreatic recharge. This study provides valuable insights for developing sustainable groundwater management options for the HRB.

Use of the doubly labeled water technique in humans during heavy sustained exercise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westerterp, K.R.; Saris, W.H.; van Es, M.; ten Hoor, F.

1986-01-01

We measured energy expenditure with the doubly labeled water technique during heavy sustained exercise in the Tour de France, a bicycle race lasting more than 3 wk. Four subjects were observed for consecutive intervals of 7, 8, and 7 days. Each interval started with an oral isotope dose to reach an excess isotope level of 200 ppm 18O and 130 ppm 2H. The biological half-lives of the isotopes were between 2.25 and 3.80 days. Energy expenditure was compared with simultaneous measurements of energy intake, and body mass and body composition did not change significantly. The doubly labeled water technique gave higher values for energy expenditure than the food record technique. The discrepancy showed a systematic increment from the first to the third interval, being 12.9 +/- 7.9, 21.4 +/- 9.8, and 35.3 +/- 4.4% of the energy expenditure calculated from dietary intake, respectively. Possible explanations for the discrepancy are discussed. The subjects reached an average daily metabolic rate of 3.4-3.9 or 4.3-5.3 times basal metabolic rate based on the food record technique and the doubly labeled water technique, respectively. Thus, when measured with the same technique, the energetic ceiling for performance in humans is comparable with that of animals like birds

Study of water permeability in concrete by neutron and gamma-ray techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abd El-Monem, A.M.M.

2010-01-01

water infiltration in various building materials , namely concrete used for buildings basement and underwater construction is the main concern of the studies performed in this thesis. The studies aim to develop a nuclear techniques for investigation a concrete mixes with different additives capable to decrease concrete porosity and intern resist water propagation inside concrete materials without any deterioration of concrete physical and mechanical properties . These issues were achieved through the preparation of ordinary concrete mixes with different percentages of silica fume. Concrete samples of different shape and geometries were made to study water diffusion when the concrete samples are submerged in water for different periods of time. The concrete samples were first sealed by molten asphalt from all sides expect two opposite faces to ensure water migration only along one direction. Water infiltration in concrete samples with different percentages of silica fume and submerged in tap and seawater for different periods of time was studied by neutrons and gamma techniques. Also, water propagation in mortar samples with different percentages of silica fume was studied by electrical methods based on measuring the variation in electrical conductivity of these samples.

Structural design systems using knowledge-based techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orsborn, K.

1993-01-01

Engineering information management and the corresponding information systems are of a strategic importance for industrial enterprises. This thesis treats the interdisciplinary field of designing computing systems for structural design and analysis using knowledge-based techniques. Specific conceptual models have been designed for representing the structure and the process of objects and activities in a structural design and analysis domain. In this thesis, it is shown how domain knowledge can be structured along several classification principles in order to reduce complexity and increase flexibility. By increasing the conceptual level of the problem description and representation of the domain knowledge in a declarative form, it is possible to enhance the development, maintenance and use of software for mechanical engineering. This will result in a corresponding increase of the efficiency of the mechanical engineering design process. These ideas together with the rule-based control point out the leverage of declarative knowledge representation within this domain. Used appropriately, a declarative knowledge representation preserves information better, is more problem-oriented and change-tolerant than procedural representations. 74 refs

Water NSTF Design, Instrumentation, and Test Planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lisowski, Darius D.; Gerardi, Craig D.; Hu, Rui; Kilsdonk, Dennis J.; Bremer, Nathan C.; Lomperski, Stephen W.; Kraus, Adam R.; Bucknor, Matthew D.; Lv, Qiuping; Farmer, Mitchell T.

2017-08-01

The following report serves as a formal introduction to the water-based Natural convection Shutdown heat removal Test Facility (NSTF) program at Argonne. Since 2005, this US Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored program has conducted large scale experimental testing to generate high-quality and traceable validation data for guiding design decisions of the Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) concept for advanced reactor designs. The most recent facility iteration, and focus of this report, is the operation of a 1/2 scale model of a water-RCCS concept. Several features of the NSTF prototype align with the conceptual design that has been publicly released for the AREVA 625 MWt SC-HTGR. The design of the NSTF also retains all aspects common to a fundamental boiling water thermosiphon, and thus is well poised to provide necessary experimental data to advance basic understanding of natural circulation phenomena and contribute to computer code validation. Overall, the NSTF program operates to support the DOE vision of aiding US vendors in design choices of future reactor concepts, advancing the maturity of codes for licensing, and ultimately developing safe and reliable reactor technologies. In this report, the top-level program objectives, testing requirements, and unique considerations for the water cooled test assembly are discussed, and presented in sufficient depth to support defining the program’s overall scope and purpose. A discussion of the proposed 6-year testing program is then introduced, which outlines the specific strategy and testing plan for facility operations. The proposed testing plan has been developed to meet the toplevel objective of conducting high-quality test operations that span across a broad range of single- and two-phase operating conditions. Details of characterization, baseline test cases, accident scenario, and parametric variations are provided, including discussions of later-stage test cases that examine the influence of geometric

Joint nonbinary low-density parity-check codes and modulation diversity over fading channels

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Zhiping; Li, Tiffany Jing; Zhang, Zhongpei

2010-09-01

A joint exploitation of coding and diversity techniques to achieve efficient, reliable wireless transmission is considered. The system comprises a powerful non-binary low-density parity-check (LDPC) code that will be soft-decoded to supply strong error protection, a quadratic amplitude modulator (QAM) that directly takes in the non-binary LDPC symbols and a modulation diversity operator that will provide power- and bandwidth-efficient diversity gain. By relaxing the rate of the modulation diversity rotation matrices to below 1, we show that a better rate allocation can be arranged between the LDPC codes and the modulation diversity, which brings significant performance gain over previous systems. To facilitate the design and evaluation of the relaxed modulation diversity rotation matrices, based on a set of criteria, three practical design methods are given and their point pairwise error rate are analyzed. With EXIT chart, we investigate the convergence between demodulator and decoder.A rate match method is presented based on EXIT analysis. Through analysis and simulations, we show that our strategies are very effective in combating random fading and strong noise on fading channels.

Improvement of ground water management and protection through the use of isotope and Nuclear Techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Samad, O.

2009-01-01

To establish nuclear techniques for the study and management of water resources including technology transfer; to develop a national strategy for the use of isotope techniques in water management and development studies; to develop a water mangement framework; to solve problems related to water shortage, overexploitation, management and rapid quality deterioration; to evaluate the sources, recharge rates and renewal of ground water reservoires; to resolve the problems of mixed aquifers, the quantity of mixing and the exchange reactions between groundwater reservoirs and their matrix; to strengthen the role of the CNRS within national instituions and water authorities. (author)

Mastering data warehouse design relational and dimensional techniques

CERN Document Server

Imhoff, Claudia; Geiger, Jonathan G

2003-01-01

A cutting-edge response to Ralph Kimball''s challenge to the data warehouse community that answers some tough questions about the effectiveness of the relational approach to data warehousingWritten by one of the best-known exponents of the Bill Inmon approach to data warehousingAddresses head-on the tough issues raised by Kimball and explains how to choose the best modeling technique for solving common data warehouse design problemsWeighs the pros and cons of relational vs. dimensional modeling techniquesFocuses on tough modeling problems, including creating and maintaining keys and modeling c

Combining Interactive Infrastructure Modeling and Evolutionary Algorithm Optimization for Sustainable Water Resources Design

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, R.; Kasprzyk, J. R.; Zagona, E. A.

2013-12-01

Population growth and climate change, combined with difficulties in building new infrastructure, motivate portfolio-based solutions to ensuring sufficient water supply. Powerful simulation models with graphical user interfaces (GUI) are often used to evaluate infrastructure portfolios; these GUI based models require manual modification of the system parameters, such as reservoir operation rules, water transfer schemes, or system capacities. Multiobjective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) based optimization can be employed to balance multiple objectives and automatically suggest designs for infrastructure systems, but MOEA based decision support typically uses a fixed problem formulation (i.e., a single set of objectives, decisions, and constraints). This presentation suggests a dynamic framework for linking GUI-based infrastructure models with MOEA search. The framework begins with an initial formulation which is solved using a MOEA. Then, stakeholders can interact with candidate solutions, viewing their properties in the GUI model. This is followed by changes in the formulation which represent users' evolving understanding of exigent system properties. Our case study is built using RiverWare, an object-oriented, data-centered model that facilitates the representation of a diverse array of water resources systems. Results suggest that assumptions within the initial MOEA search are violated after investigating tradeoffs and reveal how formulations should be modified to better capture stakeholders' preferences.

Cooling water for SSC experiments: Supplemental Conceptual Design Report (SCDR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doyle, R.E.

1989-01-01

This paper discusses the following topics on cooling water design on the superconducting super collider; low conductivity water; industrial cooling water; chilled water systems; and radioactive water systems

Electrostatic afocal-zoom lens design using computer optimization technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sise, Omer, E-mail: omersise@gmail.com

2014-12-15

Highlights: • We describe the detailed design of a five-element electrostatic afocal-zoom lens. • The simplex optimization is used to optimize lens voltages. • The method can be applied to multi-element electrostatic lenses. - Abstract: Electron optics is the key to the successful operation of electron collision experiments where well designed electrostatic lenses are needed to drive electron beam before and after the collision. In this work, the imaging properties and aberration analysis of an electrostatic afocal-zoom lens design were investigated using a computer optimization technique. We have found a whole new range of voltage combinations that has gone unnoticed until now. A full range of voltage ratios and spherical and chromatic aberration coefficients were systematically analyzed with a range of magnifications between 0.3 and 3.2. The grid-shadow evaluation was also employed to show the effect of spherical aberration. The technique is found to be useful for searching the optimal configuration in a multi-element lens system.

Functional diversity and redundancy across fish gut, sediment and water bacterial communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Escalas, Arthur; Troussellier, Marc; Yuan, Tong; Bouvier, Thierry; Bouvier, Corinne; Mouchet, Maud A; Flores Hernandez, Domingo; Ramos Miranda, Julia; Zhou, Jizhong; Mouillot, David

2017-08-01

This article explores the functional diversity and redundancy in a bacterial metacommunity constituted of three habitats (sediment, water column and fish gut) in a coastal lagoon under anthropogenic pressure. Comprehensive functional gene arrays covering a wide range of ecological processes and stress resistance genes to estimate the functional potential of bacterial communities were used. Then, diversity partitioning was used to characterize functional diversity and redundancy within (α), between (β) and across (γ) habitats. It was showed that all local communities exhibit a highly diversified potential for the realization of key ecological processes and resistance to various environmental conditions, supporting the growing evidence that macro-organisms microbiomes harbour a high functional potential and are integral components of functional gene dynamics in aquatic bacterial metacommunities. Several levels of functional redundancy at different scales of the bacterial metacommunity were observed (within local communities, within habitats and at the metacommunity level). The results suggested a high potential for the realization of spatial ecological insurance within this ecosystem, that is, the functional compensation among microorganisms for the realization and maintenance of key ecological processes, within and across habitats. Finally, the role of macro-organisms as dispersal vectors of microbes and their potential influence on marine metacommunity dynamics were discussed. © 2017 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

1st International Conference on Hydraulic Design in Water Resources Engineering : Channels and Channel Control Structures

CERN Document Server

1984-01-01

The development of water resources has proceeded at an amazing speed around the world in the last few decades. The hydraulic engineer has played his part: in constructing much larger artificial channels than ever before, larger and more sophisticated control structures, and systems of irrigation, drainage and water supply channels in which the flow by its nature is complex and unsteady requiring computer-based techniques at both the design and operation stage. It seemed appropriate to look briefly at some of the developments in hydraulic design resulting from this situation. Hence the idea of the Conference was formed. The Proceedings of the Conference show that hydraulic engineers have been able to acquire a very substantial base of design capability from the experience of the period referred to. The most outstanding development to have occurred is in the combination of physical and mathematical modelling, which in hydraulic engineering has followed a parallel path to that in other branches of engineering sc...

Silver recovery aqueous techniques from diverse sources: Hydrometallurgy in recycling.

Science.gov (United States)

Syed, S

2016-04-01

The demand of silver is ever increasing with the advance of the industrialized world, whereas worldwide reserves of high grade silver ores are retreating. However, there exist large stashes of low and lean grade silver ores that are yet to be exploited. The main impression of this work was to draw attention to the most advance technologies in silver recovery and recycling from various sources. The state of the art in recovery of silver from different sources by hydrometallurgical and bio-metallurgical processing and varieties of leaching, cementing, reducing agents, peeling, electro-coagulants, adsorbents, electro-dialysis, solvent extraction, ion exchange resins and bio sorbents are highlighted in this article. It is shown that the major economic driver for recycling of depleted sources is for the recovery of silver. In order to develop an nature-friendly technique for the recovery of silver from diverse sources, a critical comparison of existing technologies is analyzed for both economic viability and environmental impact was made in this amendment and silver ion toxicity is highlighted. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ActionScript 30 Design Patterns Object Oriented Programming Techniques

CERN Document Server

Sanders, William

2008-01-01

If you're an experienced Flash or Flex developer ready to tackle sophisticated programming techniques with ActionScript 3.0, this hands-on introduction to design patterns takes you step by step through the process. You learn about various types of design patterns and construct small abstract examples before trying your hand at building full-fledged working applications outlined in the book.

SRAM Design for Wireless Sensor Networks Energy Efficient and Variability Resilient Techniques

CERN Document Server

Sharma, Vibhu; Dehaene, Wim

2013-01-01

This book features various, ultra low energy, variability resilient SRAM circuit design techniques for wireless sensor network applications. Conventional SRAM design targets area efficiency and high performance at the increased cost of energy consumption, making it unsuitable for computation-intensive sensor node applications.  This book, therefore, guides the reader through different techniques at the circuit level for reducing   energy consumption and increasing the variability resilience. It includes a detailed review of the most efficient circuit design techniques and trade-offs, introduces new memory architecture techniques, sense amplifier circuits and voltage optimization methods for reducing the impact of variability for the advanced technology nodes.    Discusses fundamentals of energy reduction for SRAM circuits and applies them to energy limitation challenges associated with wireless sensor  nodes; Explains impact of variability resilience in reducing the energy consumption; Describes various...

Diversity and Activity of Diazotrophs in Great Barrier Reef Surface Waters.

Science.gov (United States)

Messer, Lauren F; Brown, Mark V; Furnas, Miles J; Carney, Richard L; McKinnon, A D; Seymour, Justin R

2017-01-01

Discrepancies between bioavailable nitrogen (N) concentrations and phytoplankton growth rates in the oligotrophic waters of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) suggest that undetermined N sources must play a significant role in supporting primary productivity. One such source could be biological dinitrogen (N 2 ) fixation through the activity of "diazotrophic" bacterioplankton. Here, we investigated N 2 fixation and diazotroph community composition over 10° S of latitude within GBR surface waters. Qualitative N 2 fixation rates were found to be variable across the GBR but were relatively high in coastal, inner and outer GBR waters, reaching 68 nmol L -1 d -1 . Diazotroph assemblages, identified by amplicon sequencing of the nifH gene, were dominated by the cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum , γ-proteobacteria from the Gamma A clade, and δ-proteobacterial phylotypes related to sulfate-reducing genera. However, diazotroph communities exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity, correlated with shifts in dissolved inorganic nutrient concentrations. Specifically, heterotrophic diazotrophs generally increased in relative abundance with increasing concentrations of phosphate and N, while Trichodesmium was proportionally more abundant when concentrations of these nutrients were low. This study provides the first in-depth characterization of diazotroph community composition and N 2 fixation dynamics within the oligotrophic, N-limited surface waters of the GBR. Our observations highlight the need to re-evaluate N cycling dynamics within oligotrophic coral reef systems, to include diverse N 2 fixing assemblages as a potentially significant source of dissolved N within the water column.

Robotic radical cystectomy and intracorporeal urinary diversion: The USC technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Abreu, Andre Luis de Castro; Chopra, Sameer; Azhar, Raed A; Berger, Andre K; Miranda, Gus; Cai, Jie; Gill, Inderbir S; Aron, Monish; Desai, Mihir M

2014-07-01

Radical cystectomy is the gold-standard treatment for muscle-invasive and refractory nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer. We describe our technique for robotic radical cystectomy (RRC) and intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD), that replicates open surgical principles, and present our preliminary results. Specific descriptions for preoperative planning, surgical technique, and postoperative care are provided. Demographics, perioperative and 30-day complications data were collected prospectively and retrospectively analyzed. Learning curve trends were analyzed individually for ileal conduits (IC) and neobladders (NB). SAS(®) Software Version 9.3 was used for statistical analyses with statistical significance set at P < 0.05. Between July 2010 and September 2013, RRC and lymph node dissection with ICUD were performed in 103 consecutive patients (orthotopic NB=46, IC 57). All procedures were completed robotically replicating the open surgical principles. The learning curve trends showed a significant reduction in hospital stay for both IC (11 vs. 6-day, P < 0.01) and orthotopic NB (13 vs. 7.5-day, P < 0.01) when comparing the first third of the cohort with the rest of the group. Overall median (range) operative time and estimated blood loss was 7 h (4.8-13) and 200 mL (50-1200), respectively. Within 30-day postoperatively, complications occurred in 61 (59%) patients, with the majority being low grade (n = 43), and no patient died. Median (range) nodes yield was 36 (0-106) and 4 (3.9%) specimens had positive surgical margins. Robotic radical cystectomy with totally ICUD is safe and feasible. It can be performed using the established open surgical principles with encouraging perioperative outcomes.

Solar Water-Heater Design Package

Science.gov (United States)

1982-01-01

Information on a solar domestic-hot water heater is contained in 146 page design package. System consists of solar collector, storage tanks, automatic control circuitry and auxiliary heater. Data-acquisition equipment at sites monitors day-by-day performance. Includes performance specifications, schematics, solar-collector drawings and drawings of control parts.

Design of a new flotation system for industrial waters treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forero, J E; Diaz, J; Blandon V R

1999-01-01

The air flotation is a process of physical separation for the industrial wastewater treatment that removes oils and suspended solids. Although methods different from flotation have been used in petroleum industry, their application is subjected to numerous operational and economic limitations. In this work some comparisons of these flotation techniques are discussed and, a new system for the treatment of residual waters by flotation is the developed. This system is the result of several years of research both in laboratory and in pilot plants. The new design uses characteristics from other techniques, it is based on a modification of a system of induced air flotation as to operate like a system of dissolved air flotation, which improves its performance at lower costs and reduces operational problems associated with equipment maintenance. The developed system has several characteristics that improve its operation, including the use of nozzles for gas injection and dispersion in the liquid phase. As opposed to conventional systems, there is no need to use motorized bubble generating equipment for each flotation cell, diminishing therefore power requirements

Application of Dynamic Mutated Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm to Design Water Distribution Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazem Mohammadi- Aghdam

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes the application of a new version of the heuristic particle swarm optimization (PSO method for designing water distribution networks (WDNs. The optimization problem of looped water distribution networks is recognized as an NP-hard combinatorial problem which cannot be easily solved using traditional mathematical optimization techniques. In this paper, the concept of dynamic swarm size is considered in an attempt to increase the convergence speed of the original PSO algorithm. In this strategy, the size of the swarm is dynamically changed according to the iteration number of the algorithm. Furthermore, a novel mutation approach is introduced to increase the diversification property of the PSO and to help the algorithm to avoid trapping in local optima. The new version of the PSO algorithm is called dynamic mutated particle swarm optimization (DMPSO. The proposed DMPSO is then applied to solve WDN design problems. Finally, two illustrative examples are used for comparison to verify the efficiency of the proposed DMPSO as compared to other intelligent algorithms.

Spatial and seasonal variation in diversity and structure of microbial biofilms on marine plastics in Northern European waters.

Science.gov (United States)

Oberbeckmann, Sonja; Loeder, Martin G J; Gerdts, Gunnar; Osborn, A Mark

2014-11-01

Plastic pollution is now recognised as a major threat to marine environments and marine biota. Recent research highlights that diverse microbial species are found to colonise plastic surfaces (the plastisphere) within marine waters. Here, we investigate how the structure and diversity of marine plastisphere microbial community vary with respect to season, location and plastic substrate type. We performed a 6-week exposure experiment with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in the North Sea (UK) as well as sea surface sampling of plastic polymers in Northern European waters. Scanning electron microscopy revealed diverse plastisphere communities comprising prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequencing analysis revealed that plastisphere microbial communities on PET fragments varied both with season and location and comprised of bacteria belonging to Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and members of the eukaryotes Bacillariophyceae and Phaeophyceae. Polymers sampled from the sea surface mainly comprised polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene particles. Variation within plastisphere communities on different polymer types was observed, but communities were primarily dominated by Cyanobacteria. This research reveals that the composition of plastisphere microbial communities in marine waters varies with season, geographical location and plastic substrate type. © 2014 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel graphical technique for Pinch Analysis applications: Energy Targets and grassroots design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gadalla, Mamdouh A.

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: A new HEN graphical design. - Highlights: • A new graphical technique for heat exchanger networks design. • Pinch Analysis principles and design rules are better interpreted. • Graphical guidelines for optimum heat integration. • New temperature-based graphs provide user-interactive features. - Abstract: Pinch Analysis is for decades a leading tool to energy integration for retrofit and design. This paper presents a new graphical technique, based on Pinch Analysis, for the grassroots design of heat exchanger networks. In the new graph, the temperatures of hot streams are plotted versus those of the cold streams. The temperature–temperature based graph is constructed to include temperatures of hot and cold streams as straight lines, horizontal lines for hot streams, and vertical lines for cold streams. The graph is applied to determine the pinch temperatures and Energy Targets. It is then used to synthesise graphically a complete exchanger network, achieving the Energy Targets. Within the new graph, exchangers are represented by inclined straight lines, whose slopes are proportional to the ratio of heat capacities and flows. Pinch Analysis principles for design are easily interpreted using this new graphical technique to design a complete exchanger network. Network designs achieved by the new technique can guarantee maximum heat recovery. The new technique can also be employed to simulate basic designs of heat exchanger networks. The strengths of the new tool are that it is simply applied using computers, requires no commercial software, and can be used for academic purposes/engineering education

Precedents for diversion-resistant nuclear fuel cycles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Culler, F.L. Jr.

1978-01-01

The urgent need to limit the spread of nuclear weapons and to control the means of production of fissionable material has been the dominant force in the worldwide development of civilian nuclear power. The author follows the historical perspective for institutional control. To improve diversion resistance of the back end of the fuel recycle, the Civex process is proposed. The Civex process does not use new separation process principles or new methods for fuel fabrication. Rather, it is a combination of processes used and partially developed techniques for breeder fuel reprocessing and refabrication. Its characteristics are listed. The process steps and the design knowledge to meet these criteria, and to operate under conditions that provide maximum diversion resistance, can be adaptations of methods studied earlier and, in most cases, used for both military and civilian fuel recycle. The adaptations change the original techniques enough to make the technology different from that used for existing power reactors. The author discusses tried or partially demonstrated techniques from which Civex has been or could be fashioned. Separation processes discussed are bismuth phosphate; Purex; Thorex; fluoride volatility; pyrometallurgy. The Sol--Gel Uranium--Plutonium Spherepak and Pellet Fuels processes are discussed as candidates for Civex fuel-production methods. The author concludes that, in his opinion, the Civex process is as far as technology can go in the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle from illicit diversion of fissile materials

Low Power system Design techniques for mobile computers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Havinga, Paul J.M.; Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria

1997-01-01

Portable products are being used increasingly. Because these systems are battery powered, reducing power consumption is vital. In this report we give the properties of low power design and techniques to exploit them on the architecture of the system. We focus on: min imizing capacitance, avoiding

Investigation of CTBT OSI Radionuclide Techniques at the DILUTED WATERS Nuclear Test Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baciak, James E.; Milbrath, Brian D.; Detwiler, Rebecca S.; Kirkham, Randy R.; Keillor, Martin E.; Lepel, Elwood A.; Seifert, Allen; Emer, Dudley; Floyd, Michael

2012-11-01

Under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), a verification regime that includes the ability to conduct an On-Site Inspection (OSI) will be established. The Treaty allows for an OSI to include many techniques, including the radionuclide techniques of gamma radiation surveying and spectrometry and environmental sampling and analysis. Such radioactivity detection techniques can provide the “smoking gun” evidence that a nuclear test has occurred through the detection and quantification of indicative recent fission products. An OSI faces restrictions in time and manpower, as dictated by the Treaty; not to mention possible logistics difficulties due to the location and climate of the suspected explosion site. It is thus necessary to have a good understanding of the possible source term an OSI will encounter and the proper techniques that will be necessary for an effective OSI regime. One of the challenges during an OSI is to locate radioactive debris that has escaped an underground nuclear explosion (UNE) and settled on the surface near and downwind of ground zero. To support the understanding and selection of sampling and survey techniques for use in an OSI, we are currently designing an experiment, the Particulate Release Experiment (PRex), to simulate a small-scale vent from an underground nuclear explosion. PRex will occur at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The project is conducted under the National Center for Nuclear Security (NCNS) funded by the National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA). Prior to the release experiment, scheduled for Spring of 2013, the project scheduled a number of activities at the NNSS to prepare for the release experiment as well as to utilize the nuclear testing past of the NNSS for the development of OSI techniques for CTBT. One such activity—the focus of this report—was a survey and sampling campaign at the site of an old UNE that vented: DILUTED WATERS. Activities at DILUTED WATERS included vehicle-based survey

An Electronic Engineering Curriculum Design Based on Concept-Mapping Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Toral, S. L.; Martinez-Torres, M. R.; Barrero, F.; Gallardo, S.; Duran, M. J.

2007-01-01

Curriculum design is a concern in European Universities as they face the forthcoming European Higher Education Area (EHEA). This process can be eased by the use of scientific tools such as Concept-Mapping Techniques (CMT) that extract and organize the most relevant information from experts' experience using statistics techniques, and helps a…

Basic design of on-line analyzer for sheet paper using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rony Djokorayono; Ahmad Suntoro; Ikhsan Shobari; Usep Setia Gunawan

2016-01-01

Basic design of on-line analyzer for sheet paper using X-ray fluorescence technique has been carried out. Compared with sampling technique, this X-ray fluorescence technique has some advantages in term of analysis accuracy and time. The design activities performed including the establishment of design requirements, functional requirements, technical requirements, technical specification, detection sub-system design, data acquisition sub-system design, and operator computer console design. This program will use silicon drift or CdTe X-ray detector to detect X-ray fluorescence emitted by elements in sheet paper due to X-ray interaction of a X-ray source, 55 Fe (Ferro-55).This basic design of on-line analyzer for sheet paper using X-ray fluorescence technique should be followed up with the development of detailed design, prototype construction, and field testing. (author)

Applications of the parity space technique to the validation of the water level measurement of pressurizer for steady state and transients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zwingelstein, G.; Bath, L.

1983-01-01

During the design of disturbance analysis and surveillance systems, safety parameter display systems, computerized operator support systems or advanced control rooms, sensor signal validation is commonly considered as the first task to be performed. After an introduction of the anticipated benefits of the signal validation techniques and a brief survey of the methods under current practices, a signal validation technique based upon the parity space methodology is presented. The efficiency of the method applied to the detection and the identification of five types of failures is illustrated with two examples when three water level measurements of a pressurizer of a nuclear plant are redundant. In the first example the use of the analytical redundancy technique is presented when only two identical sensors are available. A detailed description of the dynamic model of the pressurizer is given. In the second example the case of the identical water level sensors is considered. Performances of the software developed on a computer DEC PDP 11 are finally given

Zoujiashan uranium waste water treatment optimizaiton design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Lianjun

2014-01-01

Optimization design follows the decontamination triage, comprehensive management, such as wastewater treatment principle and from easy to difficult. increasing the slurry treatment, optimization design containing ρ (U) > defines I mg/L wastewater for higher uranium concentration wastewater, whereas low uranium concentration wastewater. Through the optimization design, solve the problem of water turbidity 721-15 wastewater treatment station of the lack of capacity and mine. (author)

A triangular fuzzy TOPSIS-based approach for the application of water technologies in different emergency water supply scenarios.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Jianhua; Meng, Xianlin; Yu, Huan; You, Hong

2016-09-01

Because of the increasing frequency and intensity of unexpected natural disasters, providing safe drinking water for the affected population following a disaster has become a global challenge of growing concern. An onsite water supply technology that is portable, mobile, or modular is a more suitable and sustainable solution for the victims than transporting bottled water. In recent years, various water techniques, such as membrane-assisted technologies, have been proposed and successfully implemented in many places. Given the diversity of techniques available, the current challenge is how to scientifically identify the optimum options for different disaster scenarios. Hence, a fuzzy triangular-based multi-criteria, group decision-making tool was developed in this research. The approach was then applied to the selection of the most appropriate water technologies corresponding to the different emergency water supply scenarios. The results show this tool capable of facilitating scientific analysis in the evaluation and selection of emergency water technologies for enduring security drinking water supply in disaster relief.

Waveform design and diversity for advanced radar systems

CERN Document Server

Gini, Fulvio

2012-01-01

In recent years, various algorithms for radar signal design, that rely heavily upon complicated processing and/or antenna architectures, have been suggested. These techniques owe their genesis to several factors, including revolutionary technological advances (new flexible waveform generators, high speed signal processing hardware, digital array radar technology, etc.) and the stressing performance requirements, often imposed by defence applications in areas such as airborne early warning and homeland security.Increasingly complex operating scenarios calls for sophisticated algorithms with the

Developing technique for waste water cleaning of a division for equipment decontamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gromoglasov, A.A.; Solyakov, V.K.; Novikov, V.N.; Pil'shchikov, A.P.; Chekalov, A.G.; Sinyukov, M.A.; Pshenichnykh, V.N.

1989-01-01

Results are described of developing technique for radionuclide cleaning solutions after metal product decontamination. The method is based on the adagulation with usage of quicklime. The conclusion is method permits to consider it as the main technique for waste water decontamination. 3 refs.; 2 figs.; 3 tabs

Design of water and heat recovery networks for the simultaneous minimisation of water and energy consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polley, Graham Thomas; Picon-Nunez, Martin; Lopez-Maciel, Jose de Jesus

2010-01-01

This paper describes procedures for the design of processes in which water and energy consumption form a large part of the operating cost. Good process design can be characterised by a number of properties, amongst the most important are: efficient use of raw materials, low capital cost and good operability. In terms of thermodynamic analysis these processes can be characterised as being either a 'pinch' problem or a 'threshold' problem. This paper concentrates on developing designs for problems of the threshold type. Most of the problems discussed by previous workers have been of this type. With these properties in mind this work looks at the design of integrated water and energy systems that exhibit the following features: 1. minimum water consumption, 2. minimum energy consumption, and 3. simple network structure. The approach applies for single contaminant. It is shown that the water conservation problem and the heat recovery problems can be de-coupled and the water conservation options should be established first. It is then shown that the number of heaters and heat recovery units required for the system, the quantity and type of hot utility needed for the plant and the complexity of the heat recovery network can all be determined without having to design any heat recovery network. This allows the engineer to select the better water conservation option before embarking on the design of the heat recovery network. For this type of problem the design of the heat recovery network itself is usually simple and straightforward.

Diversity and antibiotic resistance of Aeromonas spp. in drinking and waste water treatment plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Figueira, Vânia; Vaz-Moreira, Ivone; Silva, Márcia; Manaia, Célia M

2011-11-01

The taxonomic diversity and antibiotic resistance phenotypes of aeromonads were examined in samples from drinking and waste water treatment plants (surface, ground and disinfected water in a drinking water treatment plant, and raw and treated waste water) and tap water. Bacteria identification and intra-species variation were determined based on the analysis of the 16S rRNA, gyrB and cpn60 gene sequences. Resistance phenotypes were determined using the disc diffusion method. Aeromonas veronii prevailed in raw surface water, Aeromonas hydrophyla in ozonated water, and Aeromonas media and Aeromonas puntacta in waste water. No aeromonads were detected in ground water, after the chlorination tank or in tap water. Resistance to ceftazidime or meropenem was detected in isolates from the drinking water treatment plant and waste water isolates were intrinsically resistant to nalidixic acid. Most of the times, quinolone resistance was associated with the gyrA mutation in serine 83. The gene qnrS, but not the genes qnrA, B, C, D or qepA, was detected in both surface and waste water isolates. The gene aac(6')-ib-cr was detected in different waste water strains isolated in the presence of ciprofloxacin. Both quinolone resistance genes were detected only in the species A. media. This is the first study tracking antimicrobial resistance in aeromonads in drinking, tap and waste water and the importance of these bacteria as vectors of resistance in aquatic environments is discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Status of advanced technology and design for water cooled reactors: Light water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-10-01

Water reactors represent a high level of performance and safety. They are mature technology and they will undoubtedly continue to be the main stream of nuclear power. There are substantial technological development programmes in Member States for further improving the technology and for the development of new concepts in water reactors. Therefore the establishment of an international forum for the exchange of information and stimulation of international co-operation in this field has emerged. In 1987 the IAEA established the International Working Group on Advanced Technologies for Water-Cooled Reactors (IWGATWR). Within the framework of IWGATWR the IAEA Technical Report on Status of Advanced Technology and Design for Water Cooled Reactors, Part I: Light Water Reactors and Part II: Heavy Water Reactors has been undertaken to document the major current activities and different trends of technological improvements and developments for future water reactors. Part I of the report dealing with LWRs has now been prepared and is based mainly on submissions from Member States. It is hoped that this part of the report, containing the status of advanced light water reactor design and technology of the year 1987 and early 1988 will be useful for disseminating information to Agency Member States and for stimulating international cooperation in this subject area. 93 refs, figs and tabs

Highly Adaptive Solid-Liquid Interfacing Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Harvesting Diverse Water Wave Energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xue Jiao; Kuang, Shuang Yang; Wang, Zhong Lin; Zhu, Guang

2018-05-22

Harvesting water wave energy presents a significantly practical route to energy supply for self-powered wireless sensing networks. Here we report a networked integrated triboelectric nanogenerator (NI-TENG) as a highly adaptive means of harvesting energy from interfacing interactions with various types of water waves. Having an arrayed networking structure, the NI-TENG can accommodate diverse water wave motions and generate stable electric output regardless of how random the water wave is. Nanoscaled surface morphology consisting of dense nanowire arrays is the key for obtaining high electric output. A NI-TENG having an area of 100 × 70 mm 2 can produce a stable short-circuit current of 13.5 μA and corresponding electric power of 1.03 mW at a water wave height of 12 cm. This merit promises practical applications of the NI-TENG in real circumstances, where water waves are highly variable and unpredictable. After energy storage, the generated electric energy can drive wireless sensing by autonomously transmitting data at a period less than 1 min. This work proposes a viable solution for powering individual standalone nodes in a wireless sensor network. Potential applications include but are not limited to long-term environment monitoring, marine surveillance, and off-shore navigation.

Evaluating and comparing imaging techniques: a review and classification of study designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freedman, L.S.

1987-01-01

The design of studies to evaluate and compare imaging techniques are reviewed. Thirteen principles for the design of studies of diagnostic accuracy are given. Because of the 'independence principle' these studies are not able directly to evaluate the contribution of a technique to clinical management. For the latter, the 'clinical value' study design is recommended. A classification of study designs is proposed in parallel with the standard classification of clinical trials. Studies of diagnostic accuracy are analogous to Phase II, whereas studies evaluating the contribution to clinical management correspond to the Phase III category. Currently the majority of published studies employ the Phase II design. More emphasis on Phase III studies is required. (author)

Isotope techniques in water resource investigations in arid and semi-arid regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-03-01

The Co-ordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Use of Isotope Techniques in Water Resources Investigations in Arid and Semi-arid Regions was initiated with the aim od contributing to the assessment of groundwater resources in arid areas through the use of environmental isotope techniques, and thereby to help in better management of these valuable fresh groundwater resources. The main emphases identified were in three key areas: (i) the evaluation of water balance components such as recharge rate estimation and recharge and discharge cycles at different spatial scales, (ii) paleohydrology and hydroclimatic change and, (iii) anthropogenic impacts and the assessment of the vulnerability of arid zone ground waters to salinisation and pollution impacts. This publication presents individual projects carried out within the frameworks of the CRP. Each paper has been indexed separately

Using the Continuum of Design Modelling Techniques to Aid the Development of CAD Modeling Skills in First Year Industrial Design Students

Science.gov (United States)

Storer, I. J.; Campbell, R. I.

2012-01-01

Industrial Designers need to understand and command a number of modelling techniques to communicate their ideas to themselves and others. Verbal explanations, sketches, engineering drawings, computer aided design (CAD) models and physical prototypes are the most commonly used communication techniques. Within design, unlike some disciplines,…

Heterotrophic monitoring at a drinking water treatment plant by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry after different drinking water treatments.

Science.gov (United States)

Sala-Comorera, Laura; Blanch, Anicet R; Vilaró, Carles; Galofré, Belén; García-Aljaro, Cristina

2017-10-01

The aim of this work was to assess the suitability of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for routine heterotrophic monitoring in a drinking water treatment plant. Water samples were collected from raw surface water and after different treatments during two campaigns over a 1-year period. Heterotrophic bacteria were studied and isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. Moreover, the diversity index and the coefficient of population similarity were also calculated using biochemical fingerprinting of the populations studied. MALDI-TOF MS enabled us to characterize and detect changes in the bacterial community composition throughout the water treatment plant. Raw water showed a large and diverse population which was slightly modified after initial treatment steps (sand filtration and ultrafiltration). Reverse osmosis had a significant impact on the microbial diversity, while the final chlorination step produced a shift in the composition of the bacterial community. Although MALDI-TOF MS could not identify all the isolates since the available MALDI-TOF MS database does not cover all the bacterial diversity in water, this technique could be used to monitor bacterial changes in drinking water treatment plants by creating a specific protein profile database for tracking purposes.

Phylogeography and pigment type diversity of Synechococcus cyanobacteria in surface waters of the northwestern pacific ocean.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Xiaomin; Partensky, Frédéric; Garczarek, Laurence; Suzuki, Koji; Guo, Cui; Yan Cheung, Shun; Liu, Hongbin

2017-01-01

The widespread unicellular cyanobacteria Synechococcus are major contributors to global marine primary production. Here, we report their abundance, phylogenetic diversity (as assessed using the RNA polymerase gamma subunit gene rpoC1) and pigment diversity (as indirectly assessed using the laterally transferred cpeBA genes, encoding phycoerythrin-I) in surface waters of the northwestern Pacific Ocean, sampled over nine distinct cruises (2008-2015). Abundance of Synechococcus was low in the subarctic ocean and South China Sea, intermediate in the western subtropical Pacific Ocean, and the highest in the Japan and East China seas. Clades I and II were by far the most abundant Synechococcus lineages, the former dominating in temperate cold waters and the latter in (sub)tropical waters. Clades III and VI were also fairly abundant in warm waters, but with a narrower distribution than clade II. One type of chromatic acclimater (3dA) largely dominated the Synechococcus communities in the subarctic ocean, while another (3dB) and/or cells with a fixed high phycourobilin to phycoerythrobilin ratio (pigment type 3c) predominated at mid and low latitudes. Altogether, our results suggest that the variety of pigment content found in most Synechococcus clades considerably extends the niches that they can colonize and therefore the whole genus habitat. © 2016 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Design and Dynamic Characterization of an Orientation Insensitive Microwave Water-Cut Sensor

KAUST Repository

Karimi, Muhammad Akram

2017-06-12

Modern reservoir management in oil and gas industry relies on accurate water fraction measurement which is produced as a by-product with oil. This paper presents a novel and contactless water fraction (also known as water-cut) measurement technique which is independent of geometric distribution of oil and water inside the pipe. The sensor is based on a modified T-resonator implemented directly on the pipe\\'s outer surface and whose resonance frequency decreases by increasing the water content in oil. The E-fields have been made to rotate and distribute well inside the pipe, despite having narrow and curved ground plane. It makes the sensor\\'s reading dependent only on the water fraction and not on the mixture distribution inside the pipe. That is why, the presented design does not require any flow conditioner to homogenize the oil/water mixture unlike many commercial water-cut (WC) sensors. The presented sensor has been realized by using extremely low-cost methods of screen printing and reusable 3-D printed mask. Complete characterization of the proposed WC sensor, both in horizontal and vertical orientations, has been carried out in an industrial flow loop. Excellent repeatability of the sensor\\'s response has been observed in \\'dispersed bubble\\' as well as in \\'stratified wavy\\' flow regimes. The performance test of the sensor confirms that the water fraction measurement is independent of the flow pattern, flow rate or orientation. The measured performance results of the sensor show full range accuracy of $± $2%-3% while tested under random orientations and wide range of flow rates.

How diversity gets lost

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oudshoorn, Nelly; Neven, Louis; Stienstra, M.

2016-01-01

This article adopts an intersectional approach to investigate how age, gender, and diversity are represented, silenced, or prioritized in design. Based on a comparative study of design practices of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for young girls and older people, this article...... describes differences and similarities in the ways in which designers tried to cope with diversity. Ultimately diversity was neglected, and the developers relied on hegemonic views of gender and age, constructed older people and young girls as an “other,” and consequently their input was neglected...

Teams explore water supplies in Latin America: Interest raised in isotope techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonfiantini, R.

1984-01-01