The application of geographic information systems and global positioning systems in humanitarian emergencies: lessons learned,programme implications and future research

Geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems and remote sensing have been increasingly used in public health settings since the 1990s, but application of these methods in humanitarian emergencies has been less documented. Recent areas of application of GIS methods in humanitarian emergencies include hazard, vulnerability, and risk assessments; rapid assessment and survey methods; disease distribution and outbreak investigations; planning and implementation of health information systems; data and programme integration; and programme monitoring and evaluation. The main use of GIS in these areas is to provide maps for decision-making and advocacy, which allow overlaying types of information that may not normally be linked. GIS is also used to improve data collection in the field (for example, for rapid health assessments or mortality surveys). Development of GIS methods requires further research. Although GIS methods may save resources and reduce error, initial investment in equipment and capacity building may be substantial. Especially in humanitarian emergencies, equipment and methodologies must be practical and appropriate for field use. Add-on software to process GIS data needs to be developed and modified. As equipment becomes more user-friendly and costs decrease, GIS will become more of a routine tool for humanitarian aid organisations in humanitarian emergencies, and new and innovative uses will evolve.     

Technical assessment of fuel cell operation on anaerobic digester gas at the Yonkers, NY, wastewater treatment plant

This paper summarizes the results of a 2-year field test to assess the performance of a specially modified commercial phosphoric acid 200-kW fuel cell power plant to recover energy from anaerobic digester gas (ADG) which has been cleansed of contaminants (sulfur and halide compounds) using a patented gas pretreatment unit (GPU). Specific project goals include characterization of the fuel cell power plant emissions and verification of the GPU performance for removing sulfur contaminants. To remove halide contaminants from the ADG, a halide guard, consisting of a vessel with a metal oxide supported on alumina, was incorporated into the fuel cell reactant supply. This first-of-a-kind demonstration was conducted at the Yonkers, NY, wastewater treatment plant, a sewage processing facility owned and operated by Westchester County. Results have demonstrated that the ADG fuel cell power plant can produce electrical output levels close to full power (200 kW) with negligible air emissions of CO, NO(x), and SO(2). The GPU removed virtually 100% of H(2)S and 88% of organic sulfur, bringing the overall sulfur removal efficiency of the GPU to over 99%. The halide guard removed up to 96% of the halides exiting the GPU.     

How to uncoil your partner—“mating songs” in giant pill-millipedes (Diplopoda: Sphaerotheriida)

The stridulation of the giant pill-millipede genus Sphaerotherium from South Africa, one of only three groups of millipedes that produce sounds, was studied. One hundred one stridulation series of a total of nine different species (Sphaerotherium dorsaloide, Sphaerotherium hanstroemi, Sphaerotherium mahaium, Sphaerotherium similare, Sphaerotherium punctulatum, Sphaerotherium convexitarsum, Sphaerotherium dorsale, Sphaerotherium rotundatum, and Sphaerotherium perbrincki) were analyzed. Stridulation sounds are produced only with a special field of ribs on the posterior surface of the posterior telopod, which is actively moved over a field of sclerotized nubs on the inner margin of the anal shield. The Sphaerotherium male usually stridulates only when in contact with a female to initiate mating. This seems to prevent the female from volvating into a ball or stimulate the female to uncoil when already rolled in. The sound analyzes revealed a broad frequency spectrum in all stridulation sounds produced, without obvious differences in frequency distribution among species. However, the temporal pattern of the stridulation varies greatly between species and seems to be species-specific, arguing for a species recognition function of the stridulation during courtship behavior. A single species (S. punctulatum) was found to stridulate during mating while three species also show postcopulatory stridulation. Apparently, pill-millipedes are not capable of acoustic perception, as no hearing organs are known, indicating that the communication is mainly based on perception of temporal vibration patterns, and not of the acoustic signal itself. The need to overcome the rolling-in reflex of the female is developed as a hypothesis why stridulation exists only in millipedes able to coil into a ball, and apparently evolved four times independently in the superorder Oniscomorpha.     

Evaluation of soil flushing potential for clean-up of desert soil contaminated by industrial wastewater

The flushing potential of a desert loess soil contaminated by the flame retardant Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), chloride (Cl(-)) and bromide (Br(-)) was studied in undisturbed laboratory column experiments (20 cm diameter, 45 cm long) and a small field plot (2 x 2 m). While the soluble inorganic ions (Cl(-) and Br(-)) were efficiently flushed from the soil profile after less than three pore volumes (PV) of water, about 50% of the initial amount of TBBPA in the soil was also flushed, despite its hydrophobic nature. TBBPA leaching was made possible due to a significant increase in the pH of the soil solution from 7.5 to 9, which increased TBBPA aqueous solubility. The remaining TBBPA mass in the soil was not mobilized from its initial location in the topsoil due to the decrease in pH at this horizon. In situ soil flushing demonstrated that this method is a feasible treatment for reducing soil contamination at this site.