Evaluation and Avoidance of False Alarm by Controlling Rhine Water with Continuously Working Biotests

1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Puzicha

Effluents from point sources (industries, communities) and diffuse inputs introduce pollutants into the water of the river Rhine and cause a basic contaminant load. The aim is to establish a biological warning system to detect increased toxicity in addition to the already existing chemical-physical monitoring system. To cover a wide range of biocides, continuous working biotests at different trophic levels (bacteria, algae, mussels, water fleas, fishes) have been developed and proved. These are checked out for sensitivity against toxicants, reaction time, validity of data and practical handling under field conditions at the river. Test-specific appropriate methods are found to differentiate between the normal range of variation and true alarm signals.

2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. 225-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Ladds ◽  
MH Pinkerton ◽  
E Jones ◽  
LM Durante ◽  
MR Dunn

Marine food webs are structured, in part, by predator gape size. Species found in deep-sea environments may have evolved such that they can consume prey of a wide range of sizes, to maximise resource intake in a low-productivity ecosystem. Estimates of gape size are central to some types of ecosystem model that determine which prey are available to predators, but cannot always be measured directly. Deep-sea species are hypothesized to have larger gape sizes than shallower-water species relative to their body size and, because of pronounced adaptive foraging behaviour, show only a weak relationship between gape size and trophic level. Here we present new data describing selective morphological measurements and gape sizes of 134 osteichthyan and chondrichthyan species from the deep sea (200-1300 m) off New Zealand. We describe how gape size (height, width and area) varied with factors including fish size, taxonomy (class and order within a class) and trophic level estimated from stable isotopes. For deep-sea species, there was a strong relationship between gape size and fish size, better predicted by body mass than total length, which varied by taxonomic group. Results show that predictions of gape size can be made from commonly measured morphological variables. No relationship between gape size and trophic level was found, likely a reflection of using trophic level estimates from stable isotopes as opposed to the commonly used estimates from FishBase. These results support the hypothesis that deep-sea fish are generalists within their environment, including suspected scavenging, even at the highest trophic levels.


1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 95-106
Author(s):  
Alfred P. Benoist ◽  
Gerard H. Broseliske

For priority pollutants, the international Rhine Action Programme (RAP) aims to meet the quality objectives for the Rhine, set by the International Rhine Commission (IRC), by the year 2000. An assessment must be carried out to define additional measures exceeding best available technology (BAT) for point sources and best environmental practice (BEP) for diffuse sources for those priority pollutants still violating the quality objectives of the Rhine after implementing BAT and BEP only. To carry out the required assessments, an excessive amount of work and money is needed, including the application of sophisticated calculation models. For prioritizing reasons, the Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment (RIZA) initiated a project called EVER, which was conducted by DHV Water BV. EVER is the abbreviation of the Dutch equivalent for Effective Distribution of Emission Reductions (Effective Verdeling van Emissie Reducties). The aim of this project is to carry out a first and crude evaluation of the impact of abatement measures (BAT and BEP), as set by the IRC for the period 1985-1995. For those pollutants still showing a violation of the quality objectives for the Rhine in the year 1995, a range finding method is used, to predict the costs and impact of abatement measures exceeding BAT and BEP on the water quality of the Rhine. So, EVER is a management tool to prioritize the work to be done within the frame-work of the IRC, triggering the application of e.g. sophisticated calculation models for a selected number of priority pollutants. In EVER, the prognosis of the reduction of specific discharge rates for approximately forty priority pollutants is given for twelve sub-catchment areas for the year 1995. This prognosis is used to predict concentrations at eight international monitoring locations in the Rhine basin, using the discharges and concentrations of the year 1985 as a reference. The predicted concentrations for the year 1995 are compared with the (preliminary) water quality objectives as set by the IRC. The results indicate, that for six of the selected pollutants the number of available data is too small for sound predictions. Fifteen of the selected pollutants will satisfy the water quality objectives in 1995. Twenty (half) of the selected pollutants will still violate the quality objectives at several monitoring locations. These twenty pollutants are the basis for priorities to be set within the frame-work of the IRC for phase 3 (1995-2000) of the RAP. For these pollutants, additional abatement measures exceeding BAT and BEP are selected in EVER for the manageable groups of sources (anthropogenic non-point sources, industrial sources and municipal sources). Each measure is analyzed separately for costs and effectiveness. Finally the results of this project are integrated into a matrix system which will enable us to select the most effective mix of pollution abatement measures at the lowest costs. The result of the selected additional measures exceeding BAT and BEP shows that 17 pollutants will still violate the quality objectives.


1999 ◽  
Vol 40 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Botterweg ◽  
D. W. Rodda

An Internationally funded Programme, involving the European Commission, the Global Environment Facility managed by UN Development Programme, the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, is addressing river basin problems in a unique situation. The solution of these should lead to the prevention of pollution and better water quality, protected ecosystems, sustainable water resources and more efficient sewerage and waste water treatment facilities for the 90 million population living in the region and the reduction of pollution impact on the Black Sea into which the Danube River flows. The paper introduces current Programme activities, the challenges being met and progress. Work is described for implementing a monitoring strategy, an accident emergency warning system and implementation of the 1994 Strategic Action Plan. The applied research activity is explained. The Programme is a major activity with many elements addressing a wide range of environmental problems in the catchment of a major international waterway.


Parasitology ◽  
1915 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. E. Robinson

Variability in the size and, in a lesser degree, the taxonomic features of male ticks, has arrested the attention of all who have had occasion to examine moderately large numbers of examples of the same species. In the case of the female tick, this variability, though doubtless coextensive with that of the male, is more or less obscured by the wide range of variation in size, depending upon the degree of engorgement; and, also, by the fact that in the female tick the taxonomic characters are, as a rule, less pronounced. The present note is only concerned with variability in the size of the male.


2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A18 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. H. A. Logan ◽  
B. J. Maughan ◽  
M. N. Bremer ◽  
P. Giles ◽  
M. Birkinshaw ◽  
...  

Context. The XMM-XXL survey has used observations from the XMM-Newton observatory to detect clusters of galaxies over a wide range in mass and redshift. The moderate PSF (FWHM ~ 6″ on-axis) of XMM-Newton means that point sources within or projected onto a cluster may not be separated from the cluster emission, leading to enhanced luminosities and affecting the selection function of the cluster survey. Aims. We present the results of short Chandra observations of 21 galaxy clusters and cluster candidates at redshifts z > 1 detected in the XMM-XXL survey in X-rays or selected in the optical and infra-red. Methods. With the superior angular resolution of Chandra, we investigate whether there are any point sources within the cluster region that were not detected by the XMM-XXL analysis pipeline, and whether any point sources were misclassified as distant clusters. Results. Of the 14 X-ray selected clusters, 9 are free from significant point source contamination, either having no previously unresolved sources detected by Chandra or with less than about 10% of the reported XXL cluster flux being resolved into point sources. Of the other five sources, one is significantly contaminated by previously unresolved AGN, and four appear to be AGN misclassified as clusters. All but one of these cases are in the subset of less secure X-ray selected cluster detections and the false positive rate is consistent with that expected from the XXL selection function modelling. We also considered a further seven optically selected cluster candidates associated with faint XXL sources that were not classed as clusters. Of these, three were shown to be AGN by Chandra, one is a cluster whose XXL survey flux was highly contaminated by unresolved AGN, while three appear to be uncontaminated clusters. By decontaminating and vetting these distant clusters, we provide a pure sample of clusters at redshift z > 1 for deeper follow-up observations, and demonstrate the utility of using Chandra snapshots to test for AGN in surveys with high sensitivity but poor angular resolution.


1970 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-85
Author(s):  
ZN Tahmida Begum ◽  
Dilara Khanam

Phytoplankton from a part of the Shitalakhya river receiving effluents from a pharmaceutical industry have been studied. A total of 78 taxa were identified of which 14 belonged to Cyanophyceae, 11 Chlorophyceae, 20 Euglenophyceae and 33 Bacillariophyceae. The water body was mostly alkaline (6.6 - 8.0) and showed a wide range of variation in conductivity (135 - 4768 μS/cm), DO (anoxia to 15 mg/l), free- CO2 (3 - 29 mg/l), bicarbonate alkalinity (49 - 355 mg/l), BOD (8 - 1800 mg/l) at different locations. Pharmaceutical effluents appeared to affect diversity of phytoplankton. Three diatoms namely Fragilaria brevistriata Grun., F. construens (Ehr.) Grun. and Navicula oblonga Kütz. present in the area, are described as new for Bangladesh. Keywords: Phytoplankton; Pharmaceutical effluents; Shitalakhya River; Bangladesh DOI: 10.3329/bjb.v38i1.5127 Bangladesh J. Bot. 38(1): 77-85, 2009 (June)


2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 3077-3098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Rocha ◽  
Cristina Veiga-Pires ◽  
Jan Scholten ◽  
Kay Knoeller ◽  
Darren R. Gröcke ◽  
...  

Abstract. Natural radioactive tracer-based assessments of basin-scale submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) are well developed. However, SGD takes place in different modes and the flow and discharge mechanisms involved occur over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Quantifying SGD while discriminating its source functions therefore remains a major challenge. However, correctly identifying both the fluid source and composition is critical. When multiple sources of the tracer of interest are present, failure to adequately discriminate between them leads to inaccurate attribution and the resulting uncertainties will affect the reliability of SGD solute loading estimates. This lack of reliability then extends to the closure of local biogeochemical budgets, confusing measures aiming to mitigate pollution.Here, we report a multi-tracer study to identify the sources of SGD, distinguish its component parts and elucidate the mechanisms of their dispersion throughout the Ria Formosa – a seasonally hypersaline lagoon in Portugal. We combine radon budgets that determine the total SGD (meteoric + recirculated seawater) in the system with stable isotopes in water (δ2H, δ18O), to specifically identify SGD source functions and characterize active hydrological pathways in the catchment. Using this approach, SGD in the Ria Formosa could be separated into two modes, a net meteoric water input and another involving no net water transfer, i.e., originating in lagoon water re-circulated through permeable sediments. The former SGD mode is present occasionally on a multi-annual timescale, while the latter is a dominant feature of the system. In the absence of meteoric SGD inputs, seawater recirculation through beach sediments occurs at a rate of  ∼  1.4  ×  106 m3 day−1. This implies that the entire tidal-averaged volume of the lagoon is filtered through local sandy sediments within 100 days ( ∼  3.5 times a year), driving an estimated nitrogen (N) load of  ∼  350 Ton N yr−1 into the system as NO3−. Land-borne SGD could add a further  ∼  61 Ton N yr−1 to the lagoon. The former source is autochthonous, continuous and responsible for a large fraction (59 %) of the estimated total N inputs into the system via non-point sources, while the latter is an occasional allochthonous source capable of driving new production in the system.


1970 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-127
Author(s):  
AKM Ashraful Alam ◽  
Md Mokbul Hossain

In order to assess the variability of yield contributing characters of 50 okra accessions and their interrelation effects on the yield of green pod a field experiment was undertaken at the Horticulture Farm of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from February, 2002 to May, 2002. A wide range of variation was observed in case of weight of green pod per plant (105- 281g), days to first flowering (40-52days) and weight of individual green pod (14-26g). Moderate variation for length of green pod (12-19cm), number of green pods per plant (6-11) and yield of green pod (4-13 t/ha), lesser variation for percent of dry matter content (5-8%), number of ridges per green pod (5-9) and diameter of green pod (1-2cm) was observed. The highest genotypic coefficient of variation was observed in case of yield of green pod (GCV= 23.22%) followed by weight of green pod per plant (22.24%), weight of individual green pod (18.68%), number of ridges per green pod (13.49%), number of green pod per plant (10.84%), dry matter content of green pod (10.48%), diameter of green pod (6.90%) and length of green pod (6.24%). These characters suggested the existence of justifiable genetic distance among different cultivars. Correlation coefficient indicated that yield of green pod had highly significant positive association with weight of green pod per plant and weight of individual green pod. Path coefficient analysis showed that the weight of green pod per plant and weight of individual green pod were directly contributed towards the yield of green pod. Key words: Okra, accession, variability, yield.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor A Ainscoe ◽  
Barbara Hofmann ◽  
Felipe Colon ◽  
Iacopo Ferrario ◽  
Quillon Harpham ◽  
...  

<p>The current increase in the volume and quality of Earth Observation (EO) data being collected by satellites offers the potential to contribute to applications across a wide range of scientific domains. It is well established that there are correlations between characteristics that can be derived from EO satellite data, such as land surface temperature or land cover, and the incidence of some diseases. Thanks to the reliable frequent acquisition and rapid distribution of EO data it is now possible for this field to progress from using EO in retrospective analyses of historical disease case counts to using it in operational forecasting systems.</p><p>However, bringing together EO-based and non-EO-based datasets, as is required for disease forecasting and many other fields, requires carefully designed data selection, formatting and integration processes. Similarly, it requires careful communication between collaborators to ensure that the priorities of that design process match the requirements of the application.</p><p>Here we will present work from the D-MOSS (Dengue forecasting MOdel Satellite-based System) project. D-MOSS is a dengue fever early warning system for South and South East Asia that will allow public health authorities to identify areas at high risk of disease epidemics before an outbreak occurs in order to target resources to reduce spreading of epidemics and improve disease control. The D-MOSS system uses EO, meteorological and seasonal weather forecast data, combined with disease statistics and static layers such as land cover, as the inputs into a dengue fever model and a water availability model. Water availability directly impacts dengue epidemics due to the provision of mosquito breeding sites. The datasets are regularly updated with the latest data and run through the models to produce a new monthly forecast. For this we have designed a system to reliably feed standardised data to the models. The project has involved a close collaboration between remote sensing scientists, geospatial scientists, hydrologists and disease modelling experts. We will discuss our approach to the selection of data sources, data source quality assessment, and design of a processing and ingestion system to produce analysis-ready data for input to the disease and water availability models.</p>


1979 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti Jaakkola ◽  
Johan Korkman ◽  
Tuomo Juvankoski

The aim of the study was to find out to what extent the cadmium contained in fertilizer influences the cadmium content of vegetables. For this purpose, highly cadmium-bearing batches of fertilizer were prepared from selected quantities of raw material with an exceptionally high cadmium content. To one such batch of fertilizer, an extra amount of cadmium was added at the mixing stage. In a two-year field experiment carried out in soil consisting of clayey fine sand and begun in 1977, 1000 kg/ha of NPK fertilizer with a cadmium content of either 57 or 81 mg/kg brought about a clear increase in the cadmium content of radish tops. The cadmium content of radish roots, spinach and lettuce appeared likewise to rise, but the differences registered were not, owing to the unevenness of the field, significant. The cadmium content of the dry matter of rye grass was lower than that of the other experimental plants, and it appeared to rise less with an increase in the cadmium content of the fertilizer. Owing to the wide range of variation, the cadmium uptake of the experimental plants could not be determined reliably, The spinach, however, appeared to have taken up the largest amount of cadmium, and the rye grass the least amount. The increase in the cadmium content of the spinach harvested in 1978 corresponded to 1.5‰ of the cadmium introduced into the ground during the two-year period through application of the fertilizer with the highest content of the metallic element.


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