The dynamic flowgraph methodology as a safety analysis tool: programmable electronic system design and verification

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the use of the Dynamic Flowgraph Methodology (DFM) during the design and verification of programmable electronic safety-related systems. The safety system consists of hardware as well as software. This paper explains and demonstrates the use of DFM, and how DFM can be used to verify the hardware and application software design. DFM is used not only to analyze newly developed software but also to verify existing software. The outcome of the design verification of the safety system is used to define the necessary diagnostic capabilities that are essential to guarantee the correct functioning of the safety functions.     

Comparison of periphytic biofilm and filter-feeding bivalve metal bioaccumulation (Cd and Zn) to monitor hydrosystem restoration after industrial remediation: a year of biomonitoring

Despite a significant decrease in the metallic waste emissions from an industrial site and a remediation process initiated in 2007, the Riou-Mort watershed (southwest France) still exhibits high Cd and Zn concentrations. Metal wastes have long been proven to significantly disturb aquatic communities. In this study, bioaccumulation capacities and responses to the chemical improvement of the hydrosystem were assessed for a year along the contamination gradient through the comparison of two biological models: Corbicula fluminea and periphytic biofilms, both considered as good bioindicators. Bioaccumulation results confirmed the persistence of water contamination in Corbicula fluminea and biofilms with, respectively, maximum Cd concentrations reaching 80.6 and 861.2 μg gDW(-1), and Zn concentrations 2.0 and 21.3 mg gDW(-1). Biofilms exhibited bioaccumulation in close correlation with water contamination, while Corbicula fluminea presented Cd bioaccumulation clearly regulated by water temperature and metal concentrations, affecting the ventilatory activity, as revealed by condition indices measurements. Also, a linear regression using Cd bioaccumulation and temperature () showed that below approximately 6 °C Corbicula fluminea did not appear to accumulate metals. Bioconcentration factors (BCFs) were higher in biofilms in comparison with Corbicula fluminea and showed the great accumulation capacity of suspended particulate matter in biofilms. However, bioaccumulation capacities are known to be influenced by many factors other than metal concentrations, such as temperature, water oxygenation or plankton and nutrient concentrations. Thus, this study demonstrates the power of a combined assessment using both Corbicula fluminea and biofilms as bioindicators to give a more integrated view of water quality assessment. Finally, when comparing our results with previous studies, the start of hydrosystem restoration could be shown by decreasing bioaccumulation in organisms.     

Incomplete mixing in a small, urban stream

Conservative solute tracer experiments were conducted in Indian Creek, a small urban stream located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Estimated flow rates were between 46 Ls(-1) and 81 Ls(-1), average stream width was 5.5m and average stream depth was 0.2m. Given these dimensions, most researchers would think it reasonable to assume that the stream is completely mixed vertically and horizontally. However, we found that the stream was not vertically completely mixed in a 1.0m deep, 30 m long pool. The limited mixing was demonstrated by the vertical stratification of a tracer cloud which was completely mixed both laterally and vertically across the stream prior to entering the pool. We suggest that the cause of limited mixing is due to a balance between groundwater inflow and transverse dispersion at the cross-section. We show that the unsupported assumption of complete mixing may result in a wide range, and thus increased uncertainty, of the values of stream flow and longitudinal dispersion coefficient estimated from these data. We conclude that the assumption of complete mixing and one-dimensional modeling must be checked against actual field conditions, even in small streams.     

The combined effects of on-road and simulator training with feedback on older drivers' on-road performance: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial

Objective: A number of training programs that seek to improve driving performance among older drivers are available accompanied by a growing interest in their effectiveness. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the combined effect of (1) basic in-class training (BT); (2) on-road training with individualized feedback (OR); and (3) training on a driving simulator (S).

Methods: Using a randomized controlled trial study design, 78 older drivers were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups (BT, BT + OR, or BT + OR + S). All participants completed a pre- and postintervention on-road driving evaluation on a standardized route. The driving evaluations were recorded using video and Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment and were scored by a blind assessor.

Results: The results indicated a significant reduction of approximately 30% in overall number of driving errors/omissions among participants in the BT + OR and the BT + OR + S groups in comparison to participants in the BT group.

Conclusions: This study adds to the mounting evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of individualized driver training in improving safe driving among older adults.     

Modeling oil dispersion under breaking waves. Part II: Coupling Lagrangian particle tracking with population balance model

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - Oil dispersion under a deep-water plunging breaker of height 0.15 m was studied by coupling the Lagrangian particle tracking code (NEMO3D) with the...     

Thymol as an alternative to pesticides: persistence and effects of Apilife Var on the phototactic behavior of the honeybee Apis mellifera

Thymol is a natural substance increasingly used as an alternative to pesticides in the fight against the Varroa destructor mite. Despite the effectiveness of this phenolic monoterpene against Varroa, few articles have covered the negative or side effects of thymol on bees. In a previous study, we have found an impairment of phototaxis in honeybees following application of sublethal doses of thymol—lower or equal to 100 ng/bee—under laboratory conditions. The present work shows the same behavioral effects on bees from hives treated with Apilife Var®, a veterinary drug containing 74 % thymol, with a decrease in phototactic behavior observed 1 day after treatment. Thus, thymol causes disruption of bee phototactic behavior both under laboratory conditions as well as in beehives. The bee exposure dose in treated hives was quantified using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS), giving a median value of 4.3 μg per body 24 h after treatment, with 11 ng in the brain. The thymol level in 20 organic waxes from hives treated with Apilife Var® was also measured and showed that it persists in waxes (around 10 mg/kg) 1 year after treatment. Thus, in the light of (1) behavioral data obtained under laboratory conditions and in beehives, (2) the persistence of thymol in waxes, and (3) the high load on bees, it would appear important to study the long-term effects of thymol in beehives.     

Resilience and Challenges of Marine Social–Ecological Systems Under Complex and Interconnected Drivers

In this paper, we summarize the contributions made by an interdisciplinary group of researchers from different disciplines (biology, ecology, economics, and law) that deal with key dimensions of marine social–ecological systems. Particularly, the local and global seafood provision; the feasibility and management of marine protected areas; the use of marine ecosystem services; the institutional dimension in European fisheries, and the affordable models for providing scientific advice to small-scale fisheries. This Special Issue presents key findings from selected case studies around the world available to educators, policy makers, and the technical community. Together, these papers show that a range of diverse ecological, economic, social, and institutional components often mutually interact at spatial and temporal scales, which evidence that managing marine social–ecological systems needs a continuous adaptability to navigate into new governance systems.     

Spatial trends of organochlorinated pesticides,polychlorinated biphenyls,and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Atlantic Anguillid eels

The bioaccumulation of lipophilic contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) can result in a reduction in fitness and spawner quality in eels and may be a factor in Anguillid sp. population declines. Contaminant concentrations in eels have been studied extensively in Europe, but data for American eels are severely lacking. Concentrations of PCBs, OCPs, and PBDEs were determined in American eel from eastern Canada and New York, USA, along with European eel from Belgium. Principal component analysis revealed that eels captured in the St. Lawrence estuary were a mixture of upstream migrants from the St. Lawrence River watershed, and fish captured in local tributaries. Contaminant concentrations were dependent on origin, related to the local environment, and were lower than historic values. In Canada, concentrations of OCPs and PCBs in eel tissues were below the Canadian human consumption guidelines for contaminants in fish, indicating that the current risk to consumers is low. However, concentrations of PCBs, total DDT, and mirex in eels from L. Ontario and the upper St. Lawrence R. were above Great Lakes guidelines for the protection of piscivorous predators. Concentrations of penta-BDE homologs exceeded the Canadian guideline for environmental quality in over half of the eels in this study, but concentrations of the other homolog groups were below the guideline.