Group decision-making for leakage management strategy of water network

The problem of leakage is complex and requires actions drawn from different aspects of water network management. Inadequate maintenance has serious consequences, both financial and environmental. This paper proposes a group decision-making model based on PROMETHEE V method to aim a leakage management strategy, which takes into account the points of view of four stakeholders, selecting feasible options, and considering the available budget as constraint. Thus, this strategy is the combination of options that will efficiently meet technical, socio-economic and environmental criteria to achieve sustainable development.     

Sexual and asexual reproduction of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coscinasterias</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">tenuispina</Emphasis> (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) from Rio de Janeiro,Brazil

An intertidal population of the fissiparous sea star Coscinasterias tenuispina (Lamarck, 1816) was sampled over a 1 year period at Ponta de Itaipu, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro. Gonadal indices revealed an annual reproductive cycle. Spawning occurred in the late winter and early spring between August and November. Pyloric caecal indices did not show a clear annual cycle or a reciprocal relationship with gonadal indices. The population appears to be sustained only by fission, as only males were found. Fission occurred throughout the year, but was most frequent in the winter (July, August and September). Incidence of fission was correlated with the occurrence of the extremely low tides during daytime that exposes many specimens to air. Austral winter tides are low by day and high by night, while the austral summer tides are low by night and high by day. The most extreme annual deviation in seawater temperature is about 5°C. Larval recruitment seems to be negligible, since very small individuals were not found.     

In situ functionalization of a cellulosic-based activated carbon with magnetic iron oxides for the removal of carbamazepine from wastewater

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The main goal of this work was to produce an easily recoverable waste-based magnetic activated carbon (MAC) for an efficient removal of the...     

Diversity of free-living marine nematodes (Enoplida) from Baja California assessed by integrative taxonomy

We used morphological and molecular approaches to evaluate the diversity of free-living marine nematodes (order Enoplida) at four coastal sites in the Gulf of California and three on the Pacific coast of Baja California, Mexico. We identified 22 morphological species belonging to six families, of which Thoracostomopsidae and Oncholaimidae were the most diverse. The genus Mesacanthion (Thoracostomopsidae) was the most widespread and diverse. Five allopatric species, genetically and morphologically differentiated, were found in two localities in the Gulf of California (M. sp1 and M. sp2) and three in the Pacific coast (M. sp3, M. sp4 and M. sp5). Overall, we produced 19 and 20 sequences for the 18S and 28S genes, respectively. Neither gene displayed intraspecific polymorphisms, which allowed us to establish that some morphological variation was likely either ontogenetic or due to phenotypic plasticity. Although 18S and 28S phylogenies were topologically congruent (incongruence length difference test, P > 0.05), divergences between species were much higher in the 28S gene. Moreover, this gene possessed a stronger phylogenetic signal to resolve relationships involving Rhabdodemania and Bathylaimus. On the other hand, the close relationship of Pareurystomina (Enchilidiidae) with oncholaimids warrants further study. The 28S sequences (D2D3 domain) may be better suited for DNA barcoding of marine nematodes than those from the 18S rDNA, particularly for differentiating closely related or cryptic species. Finally, our results underline the relevance of adopting an integrative approach encompassing morphological and molecular analyses to improve the assessment of marine nematode diversity and advance their taxonomy.     

Trophic and reproductive biochemistry of a deep-sea gelatinous octopus, Opisthoteuthis calypso

The present study provides a comprehensive analysis of the biochemical composition (proximate composition, amino acids and fatty acids in gonad, digestive gland and muscle) of the cirrate octopod, Opisthoteuthis calypso, collected off the coast of Portugal. Protein and energy contents of O. calypso were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those observed for coastal octopods, suggesting that the gelatinous musculature of the cirrate octopus may not be a direct consequence of food limitation, but rather associated with reduced selective pressure for strong swimming ability in the deep sea. Moreover, principal component analyses of fatty acid (FA) data clearly separated coastal octopods from O. calypso. Saturated FA biomarkers (namely 16:0, 17:0, 18:0) and monounsaturated FA 22:1 suggest a higher phytodetrital influence on diet of O. calypso. A clear separation between groups was also observed with amino acid (AA) data. However, essential AA and non-essential AA designations (based on the flow of carbon through biochemical systems) do not necessarily provide an accurate picture of the origins of amino nitrogen in the deep-sea environment. Consequently, the interpretation of the present data is a challenging task but opens a new window of opportunity to unravel new trophic biomarkers in the deep sea.     

Heavy metal concentration in soil and woody plants in a quarry

This study determined the concentration of three heavy metals zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) in soil and in a woody plant species, Milicia excelsa, at Ishiagu quarry, Nigeria. The highest soil concentrations of Zn, Pb, and Cd in soil were obtained at 1?m from the quarry site. In M. excelsa, the highest concentrations of Zn, Pb, and Cd were 3.12–9.1, 3.9–6.01, and 0.51–1.12?mg?kg^?1, respectively. There were significant positive correlations between Cd and Zn (r?=?0.963) and Cd and Pb (r?=?0.974) in plants as well as between Cd and Pb (r?=?9.84) in soil. The level of Cd in soil reflected significant pollution compared to average global concentrations in soils.     

Groundwater quality in the major industrial area of Thessaloniki,Greece part 1: Chemical composition‐geochemical processes

Adsorption rates of Sb(V) ions on an activated alumina (AA) were analyzed by batchwise experiments, while the continuous adsorption, desorption, regeneration of AA, and multiple reuse cycles were studied by flow column tests. The adsorption rates increased quickly with the increases of shaking speed and operation temperature. The adsorbed Sb(V) ions were desorbed easily by a 50 mM NaOH solution, and a 41–90 times concentrated Sb(V) solution was yielded correspondingly. AA was effectively regenerated by desorption operation and ca. 93% of the initial adsorption capacity was retained after six times adsorption/desorption cycles.     

Impacts of multidisciplinary actions on environmental lead exposure in Uruguay

Environmental lead contamination in Uruguay became a matter of public concern in 2001, when cases of children with blood lead levels (BLL) higher than 20 μg/dl appeared in some low-income neighborhoods of Montevideo, being 10 μg/dl the intervention reference BLL. The aim of this paper is to show the results of multidisciplinary actions taken by decisions makers in social, environmental and healthcare aspects, to minimize lead exposure risks. We evaluated changes in blood lead levels of different children and non-exposed adult populations before and after the actions were taken, from 2001 on. For children populations and non-exposed adults, we found a significant decrease of almost 50% in BLL compared with studies done before the actions were taken. The main action to consider was the phasing out process of leaded gasoline in our country among other. We conclude that the integration of inter and multidisciplinary actions promoted was of high impact on the population, bringing about a public sensitization and growing awareness of the lead environmental risks.     

Novel Whey Protein Isolate/Polyvinyl Biocomposite for Packaging: Improvement of Mechanical and Water Barrier Properties by Incorporation of Nano-silica

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - The current global proposal for withdrawing polymers with high resistance to degradation and from fossil sources from disposable appliances, as well as the...