XANES spectroscopic analysis of phosphorus speciation in alum-amended poultry litter

Aluminum sulfate (alum; Al(2)(SO(4))(3).14H(2)O) is used as a chemical treatment of poultry litter to reduce the solubility and release of phosphate, thereby minimizing the impacts on adjacent aquatic ecosystems when poultry litter is land applied as a crop fertilizer. The objective of this study was to determine, through the use of X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and sequential extraction, how alum amendments alter P distribution and solid-state speciation within the poultry litter system. Our results indicate that traditional sequential fractionation procedures may not account for variability in P speciation in heterogeneous animal manures. Analysis shows that NaOH-extracted P in alum amended litters is predominantly organic ( approximately 80%), whereas in the control samples, >60% of NaOH-extracted P was inorganic P. Linear least squares fitting (LLSF) analysis of spectra collected of sequentially extracted litters showed that the P is present in inorganic (P sorbed on Al oxides, calcium phosphates) and organic forms (phytic acid, polyphosphates, and monoesters) in alum- and non-alum-amended poultry litter. When determining land application rates of poultry litter, all of these compounds must be considered, especially organic P. Results of the sequential extractions in conjunction with LLSF suggest that no P species is completely removed by a single extractant. Rather, there is a continuum of removal as extractant strength increases. Overall, alum-amended litters exhibited higher proportions of Al-bound P species and phytic acid, whereas untreated samples contained Ca-P minerals and organic P compounds. This study provides in situ information about P speciation in the poultry litter solid and about P availability in alum- and non-alum-treated poultry litter that will dictate P losses to ground and surface water systems.     

Dissolution of a CO2 lake, modeled by using an advanced vertical turbulence mixing scheme

The dissolution of CO₂ from a CO₂ lake with and without a hydrate layer, located at a flat bottom at 3000 m depth has been modeled using the MIT General Circulation Model coupled with the General Ocean Turbulence Model (GOTM). The vertical turbulent mixing scheme takes into account density effects and should give more realistic results for the CO₂ plume than previously used constant eddy diffusivity models. The introduction of a third direction gives qualitatively different results for the spreading of the CO₂ plume than previous 2D results. The dissolution rate and near field dissolved CO₂ concentrations approach a steady state for a given far field ocean current within less than a day. The dissolution rate is highly dependent on the velocity of the ambient current and is reduced with 1.6 when a hydrate layer is introduced.     

Restoration Scaling Approaches to Addressing Ecological Injury: The Habitat-Based Resource Equivalency Method

Environmental Management - Natural resource trustee agencies must determine how much, and what type of environmental restoration will compensate for injuries to natural resources that result from...     

Fatal crash between a car operating with automated control systems and a tractor-semitrailer truck

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the interaction between an SAE level 2 automated vehicle and the driver, including the limitations imposed by the vehicle on the driver.

Methods: A case study of the first fatal crash involving a vehicle operating with an automated control system was performed using scene evidence, vehicle damage, and recorded data available from the vehicle, and information from both drivers, including experience, phone records, computer systems, and medical information, was reviewed.

Results: System performance data downloaded from the car indicated that the driver was operating it using the Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer lane-keeping systems, which are automated vehicle control systems within Tesla’s Autopilot suite. As the car crested the hill, a tractor trailer began its left turn onto a crossing roadway. Although reconstruction of the crash determined that there was sufficient sight distance for both drivers to see each other and take action, neither responded to the circumstances leading to the collision. Further, based on the speeds of the vehicles and simulations of the truck’s path, the car driver had at least 10.4?s to detect the truck and take evasive action. Neither the car driver nor the Autopilot system changed the vehicle’s velocity.

?At the time of the crash, the system performance data indicated that the last driver interaction with the system was 1?min 51?s prior when the cruise control speed was set to 74?mph. The driver was operating the vehicle using the Autopilot system for 37 of the 41?min in the last trip. During this period, the vehicle detected the driver’s hands on the steering wheel for a total of 25?s; each time his hands were detected on the wheel was preceded by a visual alert or auditory warning.

Conclusions: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the Williston, Florida, crash was the truck driver’s failure to yield the right of way to the car, combined with the car driver’s inattention due to overreliance on vehicle automation, which resulted in the car driver’s lack of reaction to the presence of the truck. Contributing to the car driver’s overreliance on the vehicle automation was the car’s operational design, which permitted the driver’s prolonged disengagement from the driving task and his use of the automation in ways inconsistent with guidance and warnings from the manufacturer.     

Integration of solid phase extraction with HILIC-MS/MS for analysis of free amino acids in source water

Amino acids (AAs) are prevalent in source water, particularly during spring run-off. Monitoring of amino acids in source water is desirable for water treatment plants (WTP) to indicate changes in source water quality. The objective of this study was to establish analytical procedures for reliable monitoring of amino acids in source water. Therefore, we examined two different methods, large volume inject (LVI) and solid phase extraction (SPE), for sample preparation prior to HILIC-MS/MS. The LVI-HILIC-MS/MS method can provide fast and sensitive detection for clean samples, but suffers from matrix effects, resulting in irreproducible separation and shortening column lifetime. We have demonstrated that SPE was necessary prior to HILIC-MS/MS to achieve reproducible and reliable quantification of AAs in source water. A natural heterocyclic amine 1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline-3-carboxylic acid (MTCCA) was also included in the method to indicate changes in other natural nitrogenous compounds in source water. The SPE-HILIC-MS/MS method was able to achieve limits of detection from 2.6-3400 ng/L for the amino acids and MTCCA with RSDs (n=3) of 1.1%-4.8%. As well, retention times (RT) of the analytes were reproducible with variation less than 0.01 min (n=3) through the entire project. We further applied the SPE-HILIC-MS/MS method to determine AAs in authentic source water samples collected from two drinking water treatment plants (WTPs) during the 2021 spring run-off season. The results support that the SPE-HILIC-MS/MS method does not require derivatization and can provide reliable, accurate, and robust analysis of AAs and MTCCA in source water, supporting future monitoring of source water quality.     

Who’s in Charge: Role Clarity in a Midwestern Watershed Group

Studies of collaborative watershed groups show that effective leadership is an important factor for success. This research uses data from in-depth interviews and meeting observation to qualitatively examine leadership in a Midwestern collaborative watershed group operating with government funding. One major finding was a lack of role definition for volunteer steering-committee members. Lack of role clarity and decision-making processes led to confusion regarding project management authority among the group, paid project staff members, and agency personnel. Given the important role of government grants for funding projects to protect water quality, this study offers insight into leadership issues that groups with Clean Water Act Section 319 (h) funds may face and suggestions on how to resolve them.     

Antler asymmetry and immunity in reindeer

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) measures an individual's ability to undergo identical development in bilaterally symmetrical characters and may indicate sensitivity to environmental stress. FA in ornamental characters is often positively related to parasite intensities, which are important environmental stressors. Parasites affect and are affected by several parts of the immune system, and the ability to resist parasites may be signalled via FA in ornaments. In this study we examined reindeer antlers, which show FA, demonstrated to be caused by parasite infections. We measured antler FA, immune parameters (i.e. densities of different classes of leukocytes, IgG levels and abomasal lymph node numbers) and intensity of abomasal nematodes in free-ranging 1.5-year-old male reindeer slaughtered in the early part of their rutting period. We found a relationship between parasite intensity and immune parameters suggesting that our measures of immune activity reflect density of current parasite infections. More important, these immune parameters were associated with FA in both the main beam length and numbers of antler tines. The immune parameters were, however, only weakly correlated to antler size. This indicates that FA, but not size, of antlers grown during exposure to a multitude of environmental stressors may reveal information about individual immunity that can be important for host-parasite interactions. Antler FA may therefore communicate an individual's quality during the rut in reindeer. Received: 30 March 1998 / Accepted after revision: 15 August 1998     

斜坡区和隆起区断裂密集带差异性及其对油气分布的控制作用

此文以霸县凹陷文安斜坡和饶阳凹陷留楚构造为研究对象,对比了斜坡区和隆起区断裂密集带的特征及其对不同构造部位油气分布的控制作用。在三维地震资料、钻井资料和已发现油气藏特征的基础上,利用断裂密集带识别方法和分类方案,识别出文安斜坡和留楚构造的断裂密集带,并对其进行了分类。对比两种构造部位断裂密集带发育的差异性及对油气分布的控制作用,认为隆起区(留楚构造)相对于斜坡区(文安斜坡)断裂密集带发育数量较少,规模大,斜坡区断裂密集带主要以顺向背形断裂密集带为主,而隆起区主要以屋脊背形断裂密集带为主,隆起区油气主要分布在顺向背形断裂密集带内,斜坡区主要分布在屋脊背形断裂密集带内部及靠近生烃中心的边部。     

HIV Infection in Pregnant Women: A 2020 Update

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first described in 1981, and continues to be one of the worst global health pandemics in recorded history. Concerted international efforts have helped to increase awareness of human immunodeficiency (HIV) status, improve access to treatment and continuation of therapy to achieve viral suppression with a goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. The clinical outcomes for patients living with HIV on combined antiretroviral therapy are considerably improved with prolonged life expectancy and superior quality of life. Further, perinatal transmission rates have dramatically decreased with elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV in a growing number of countries worldwide. However, there have been significant reductions in the pace of progress in treatment expansion for pregnant women with failure to meet global targets in 2018. In this review, we will highlight recent advances and challenges ahead in 2020 for three areas of perinatal care for women with HIV in developed countries: (a) pregnancy planning considerations, (b) impact of antiviral medications on perinatal outcomes, and (c) infant feeding practices. The promise of a HIV-free generation is on the horizon and continued international efforts in preventing perinatal transmission are an important component of this achievement.     

Institutional responses to development pressures: Resilience of social-ecological systems in Himachal Pradesh,India

In the Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh, India, economic and urban growth, and diversification have increased pressure on forests and forest-based social-ecological systems. As in many Himalayan regions, livelihood sustainability is linked to forest resources, products and services. Recent development in the region, to which these systems may be vulnerable, brings into question environmental and livelihood sustainability. This paper examines the resilience of integrated systems of people and nature, or social-ecological systems, in the face of development pressures by evaluating a number of local and state-level institutional responses. Resilience, which describes the ability of the social-ecological systems to adapt to change by buffering shocks, improving self-organization and increasing capacity for learning, is an essential quality for sustainable development. Institutional responses which positively contribute to resilience and sustainability include the work of mahila mandals in forest management, adoption of Joint Forest Management (JFM) policies and practices, upholding rules, strengthening local institutions, establishing firewood depots and adopting alternative energy sources. Institutional failures brought about by the lack of rule enforcement and corruption erode resilience. The analysis of institutional responses helps to identify areas where capacity exists and areas in which capacity building is needed to produce resilient social-ecological systems and therefore, sustainable development.