Tellus regional stream water geochemistry: environmental and mineral exploration applications

Regional stream water geochemistry acquired as part of the Tellus programme in Ireland has been analysed to assess its potential for application to environmental assessment and mineral exploration. Interpolated geochemical maps and multivariate statistical analysis, including principal component analysis and random forest classification, demonstrate broad geogenic control of stream water chemistry, with both bedrock and subsoil contributing to the patterns observed. Surface water regulations set Environmental Quality Standard values for individual Priority Substances and Specific Pollutants that may depend on background concentrations and/or water hardness. The high resolution of Tellus stream water data and their location on low-order streams have allowed estimation of background concentrations and water hardness in the survey area, with significant implications for water monitoring programmes. Anthropogenic inputs to stream water in the survey area come mainly from agricultural sources and Tellus data suggest few catchments are unaffected. Comparison of Tellus stream water geochemistry with stream sediment and topsoil geochemistry suggest that stream water geochemistry has strong potential for use in mineral exploration, with the same base metal and gold pathfinder anomalies apparent in all three data sets. Cluster analysis indicates that base metals in stream water are associated with organic matter but statistical analysis may be employed to distinguish mineralization-related signatures.Supplementary material: Comparison of cation/anion associations using Piper plots and principal component analysis is available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5683094Thematic collection: This article is part of the Hydrochemistry related to exploration and environmental issues collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/hydrochemistry-related-to-exploration-and-environmental-issues

Commune-level civil servants’ work capability in Vietnam

Commune-level civil servants are those who work at the lowest level of government in the Vietnamese administrative system. They directly deal with the people's requests and protect their legitimate rights and interests prescribed by the law. Civil servants and government agencies' performance depends much on their qualities and capabilities, including work capability, sense of responsibility for work, the attitude of serving the people. In this study, the author focuses on analyzing the commune-level civil servants' work capability under some contents like the ability to operate independently and the ability to operate jointly. He created a survey form and conducted a poll of 300 people on commune-level public employees' work capability at their residence based on the theoretical framework of criteria for commune-level civil servants' work capability. The survey area includes six provinces representing three regions of Vietnam such as Thai Binh, Nam Dinh (Northern); Nghe An, Quang Nam (Central); Binh Duong, and Ca Mau (Southern). The survey is performed carefully, with only those who have transacted with the commune government at least five times in the previous five years interviewed.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A Search for Planet 9

We use Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) observations at 98 GHz (2015–2019), 150 GHz (2013–2019), and 229 GHz (2017–2019) to perform a blind shift-and-stack search for Planet 9. The search explores distances from 300 au to 2000 au and velocities up to 6.′3 per year, depending on the distance (r). For a 5 Earth-mass Planet 9 the detection limit varies from 325 au to 625 au, depending on the sky location. For a 10 Earth-mass planet the corresponding range is 425 au to 775 au. The predicted aphelion and most likely location of the planet corresponds to the shallower end of these ranges. The search covers the whole 18,000 square degrees of the ACT survey. No significant detections are found, which is used to place limits on the millimeter-wave flux density of Planet 9 over much of its orbit. Overall we eliminate roughly 17% and 9% of the parameter space for a 5 and 10 Earth-mass Planet 9, respectively. These bounds approach those of a recent INPOP19a ephemeris-based analysis, but do not exceed it. We also provide a list of the 10 strongest candidates from the search for possible follow-up. More generally, we exclude (at 95% confidence) the presence of an unknown solar system object within our survey area brighter than 4–12 mJy (depending on position) at 150 GHz with current distance 300 au < r < 600 au and heliocentric angular velocity 1 .′ 5 yr − 1 < v · 500 au r < 2 .″ 3 yr − 1 , corresponding to low-to-moderate eccentricities. These limits worsen gradually beyond 600 au, reaching 5–15 mJy by 1500 au.

Seasonal variation in fish school spatial distribution and abundance under the Kuroshio regular pattern and the large meander in Suzu coastal waters

The Kuroshio Current can take two paths; usually it follows the regular pattern but occasionally it follows a pattern known as the large meander. In this study, we investigated the abundance of fish that migrate to coastal waters and the spatial distribution of fish schools under both Kuroshio patterns in Suzu district, Kochi prefecture, where the set net is the main fishery industry. We clarified the seasonal variation in the density and distribution of fish schools using a quantitative echo sounder. The effects of the Kuroshio large meander (LM) depended on the season. There was no effect of current pattern in summer or autumn, but in winter and spring the LM altered the marine environment and fish distributions. Cold water masses were formed in the survey area during winter and spring during the LM, and the water temperature dropped significantly compared with during the Kuroshio non-large meander (NLM). This altered the fish species and the distribution of fish schools in the survey area. The catches of Japanese horse mackerels (Trachurus japonicus) and Yellowtails (Seriola quinqueradiata) were much higher during the LM compared with those during the NLM. Unlike these two species, the small-sized pelagic fishes in spring has decreased significantly during the LM.

Evaluation of Groundwater in Udi L.G.A. in Enugu State, Nigeria

Groundwater has remained indispensable in Enugu state Nigeria owing to industrialization, lack of surface water, and significant depth to aquifer in the area. A geophysical investigation involving vertical electrical soundings was conducted in order to evaluate groundwater potential at some locations in the Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State. With the aid of resistivity instrument ABEM Terrameter, four (4) Vertical Electrical Sounding using Schlumberger configuration were conducted, and the data acquired was interpreted using WINRESIST software. Information obtains from the survey shows that the underlying geological formation in those areas has between 5 – 7 layers. The apparent resistivity obtained in all the layers of the locations ranges from 47.1 – 6956.8 Ωm, while the aquifer was interpreted to exist at a depth between 90 – 120m. Result obtained from this geophysical investigation has shown that the survey area possesses a good groundwater potential which will go a long way in cushioning the effect associated with water scarcity in the area if exploited.

Dairying in the Wairarapa: A Socio-Economic Survey Interpreted in Terms of Historical Small Farm Settlement

<p>The term "Wairarapa" is often used today to define all the area east of the North Island axis ranges, from Woodville southwards to Palliser Bay, but this is not the historical context in which the name is used in this essay. Being in large measure an historical interpretation of dairying in terms of small farm settlement, the present work refers to the Wairarapa as that area in which small farm settlements had been established prior to 1873 and which was known at the time as the Wairarapa. On this basis the Wairarapa is defined as that area east of the Tararua and Rimutaka Ranges from Mauriceville south. Since most dairying within this delimited zone has traditionally been located on the "Wairarapa Lowland", the unity of the survey area is established by all except the northernmost portion of the "Mauriceville Settlement", being within the catchment of the Ruamahunga River. The Mauriceville Settlement has been included because, although one of the "Forty Mile Bush" Settlements, its historical associations have traditionally been with the Wairarapa Lowland rather than with the other "Bush Settlements" further to the north.</p>

Dairying in the Wairarapa: A Socio-Economic Survey Interpreted in Terms of Historical Small Farm Settlement

<p>The term "Wairarapa" is often used today to define all the area east of the North Island axis ranges, from Woodville southwards to Palliser Bay, but this is not the historical context in which the name is used in this essay. Being in large measure an historical interpretation of dairying in terms of small farm settlement, the present work refers to the Wairarapa as that area in which small farm settlements had been established prior to 1873 and which was known at the time as the Wairarapa. On this basis the Wairarapa is defined as that area east of the Tararua and Rimutaka Ranges from Mauriceville south. Since most dairying within this delimited zone has traditionally been located on the "Wairarapa Lowland", the unity of the survey area is established by all except the northernmost portion of the "Mauriceville Settlement", being within the catchment of the Ruamahunga River. The Mauriceville Settlement has been included because, although one of the "Forty Mile Bush" Settlements, its historical associations have traditionally been with the Wairarapa Lowland rather than with the other "Bush Settlements" further to the north.</p>

Activities of a Mine Surveyor and a Geologist at Design Bases in a Limestone Quarry

At the beginning of this article, the main historical milestones of Povážská cementáreň (cement plant) Ladce, a.s. (PCLA) are presented. The main parameters of the Butkov quarry are also specified (sources of the mineral resources) such as the size of the protected deposit area, the mining area, etc. Another part of the article is devoted to proposals for future mining process. There are two projects in connection with the basic investment plan for PCLA modernization. The first one is the preparation of the survey area for limestone - the stages above the current E15 and the other one is the preparation of the survey area for marl - the Moskové locality. Both of these projects were realized in association with Považskň cementáreň, a.s., Ladce and VŠB - Technical University of Ostrava. An integral part of this article based on the project are also simulation of graphic models and diagrams. The last part of the article documents ways of the cooperation of Butkov Quarry and Považskň cementáreň, a.s., Ladce with the public. The management of the Butkov Quarry and Považskň cementáreň, a.s. have come to realize that their cooperation with the public on cultural and social activities helps both, the public and the quarry (include cement plant).

A simulation to identify the optimal area to survey in the early stage of invasion by Solenopsis invicta

Efforts to eradicate invasive alien species commonly use simulations to calculate the cost-effectiveness of surveys. Although eradication of Solenopsis invicta in the early stages of an invasion is important, few simulations are available to calculate the cost-effectiveness of surveys when a single colony has been detected. In the case of S. invicta, it is difficult to determine from the status of the detected colony whether new queens have dispersed, so it is necessary to consider dispersal as a probabilistic event and calculate its probability. We therefore first constructed a mathematical model in which we used Bayesian statistics to estimate the probability of dispersal as a function of the results of the survey. This mathematical model revealed that the efficacy of the survey and the associated cost differed greatly between cases depending on whether dispersal was or was not confirmed. Next, we developed a simulation that incorporated this mathematical model to inform the determination of the survey area when a single colony had been detected. The simulation showed how ecological parameters and geographical information could be used to identify an efficacious survey area, even in heterogeneous landscapes such as international ports where invasions occur sporadically. Finally, we used this simulation to assess the efficacy of a survey in the case of an S. invicta outbreak at the Port of Tokyo, Japan. The results suggested that the survey covered a sufficiently wide area but that it could have been designed in a more efficacious manner.

Estimating the parameters of simple models from two-component on-time airborne electromagnetic data

The horizontal and vertical components of the on-time electromagnetic (EM) response can be used to estimate the parameters of simple models like thin sheets, half-spaces, thin sheets over a lower half-space and a two-layer model. The formulae used in these methods are valid in areas where the on-time response is essentially proportional to the conductivity or conductance, the so called "resistive limit". The half-space and thin-sheet over a lower half-space models can be combined to give an estimate of the conductivity for a lower half-space below a thick sheet that might be reasonable for the whole of the survey area. With this estimation an equation solver can be used to estimate the thickness and conductivity of the overlying thick sheet over the whole survey area. This latter approach seemed most appropriate for the Russell South area in the Athabasca Basin, Canada, where GEOTEM data has been collected. The output of the algorithm was generally stable. Although it did not always reliably reproduce the overburden thicknesses as measured in a set of reference drill holes, it did give an estimate that was reasonable in the relatively conductive areas.