A heuristic approach to predicting water beetle diversity in temporary and fluctuating waters

An understanding of the causal mechanisms and processes that shape macroinvertebrate communities at a local scale has important implications for the management and conservation of freshwater biodiversity. Here we compare the performance of linear and non-linear statistics to explore diversity-environment relationships using data from 76 temporary and fluctuating ponds in two regions of southern England. We focus on aquatic beetle assemblages, which have been shown to be excellent surrogates of wider freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity. Ponds in the region contained a rich coleopteran fauna, totaling 68 species, which provided an excellent model system with which to compare the performance of two non-linear procedures (artificial neural networks—ANNs and generalised additive models—GAMs) and one more traditional linear approach (Multiple linear regression—MLR) to modelling diversity-environment relationships. Of all approaches employed, the best fit was obtained using an ANN model with only four input variables (conductivity, turbidity, magnesium concentration and depth). This model accounted for 82% of the observed variability in Shannon diversity index across ponds. In contrast, the best GAM and MLR models only explained 50% and 14% of this variation, respectively. Contribution profile analysis of conductivity, turbidity, magnesium concentration and depth, obtained from the best fit ANN through a hierarchical cluster analysis, allowed the identification of direct and proxy effects in relation to the environmental variables measured in this study. In each case, distinct clusters of ponds were identified in contribution profile analysis, suggesting that ponds across the two regions fall into a number of discrete groups, whose beetle faunas respond in subtly yet significantly different ways to key environmental variables. Aquatic coleopteran diversity in ponds in the two regions appears to be driven at a local scale by changes in relatively few physicochemical gradients, which are related to diversity in a clearly non-linear manner.     

Bioreduction of nitrate in groundwater using a pilot-scale hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor

A long-term pilot-scale H₂-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) was tested for removal of nitrate from actual groundwater. A key feature of this second-generation pilot MBfR is that it employed lower cost polyester hollow fibers and still achieved high loading rate. The steady-state maximum nitrate surface loading at which the effluent nitrate and nitrite concentrations were below the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) was at least 5.9 g·N·(m²·d)^?1, which corresponds to a maximum volumetric loading of at least 7.7 kg·N·(m³·d) ^?1. The steady-state maximum nitrate surface area loading was higher than the highest nitrate surface loading reported in the first-generation MBfRs using composite fibers (2.6 g·N·(m²·d)^?1). This work also evaluated the H₂-utilization efficiency in MBfR. The measured H₂ supply rate was only slightly higher than the stoichiometric H₂-utilization rate. Thus, H₂ utilization was controlled by diffusion and was close to 100% efficiency, as long as biofilm accumulated on the polyester-fiber surface and the fibers had no leaks.     

The Impact of Biodegradable Plastics in the Properties of Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Since biodegradable materials are unwittingly mixed with synthetic materials, this work aimed to study the feasibility of reliably identifying some...     

Ergonomic Program Effectiveness: Ergonomic and Medical Intervention

The implementation of a successful ergonomic and medical intervention program designed to reduce the number and severity of injuries and illnesses and the associated levels of discomfort in the workplace is presented. Because of the recent activity concerning the on-again-off-again Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Ergonomic Program Standard questions have been raised as to the value and effectiveness of an organization’s ergonomics program. In light of these concerns, the immense cost associated with work-related injury and illness, and the related pain and suffering associated with such injuries and illnesses, it is important to present a workable and effective ergonomic and medical intervention program. The results of this applied study demonstrate that through the application of an ergonomic and medical intervention program, workplace-related injuries and illnesses can be reduced or eliminated.     

Handheld-Assisted Field Data Collection for Occupational Risk Assessment

A computerized handheld procedure is presented in this paper. It is intended as a database complementary tool, to enhance prospective risk analysis in the field of occupational health. The Pendragon forms software (version 3.2) has been used to implement acquisition procedures on Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and to transfer data to a computer in an MS-Access format. The data acquisition strategy proposed relies on the risk assessment method practiced at the Institute of Occupational Health Sciences (IST). It involves the use of a systematic hazard list and semi-quantitative risk assessment scales. A set of 7 modular forms has been developed to cover the basic need of field audits. Despite the minor drawbacks observed, the results obtained so far show that handhelds are adequate to support field risk assessment and follow-up activities. Further improvements must still be made in order to increase the tool effectiveness and field adequacy.     

The Indigenous Fisherman Divers of Thailand: Diving-Related Mortality and Morbidity

The Urak Lawoi are indigenous fishermen on Thailand’s west coast. The population includes an estimated 400 divers who dive using surface-supplied compressed air. In a cross-sectional survey conducted among the 6 major communities of Urak Lawoi, questionnaire-based interviews were administered to active divers, ex-divers, and families or colleagues of divers who had died in the previous 5 years. Six deaths resulting from diving-related accidents were identified, indicating a diving-related mortality rate of approximately 300 per 100,000 person-years, while in the same 5-year period 11 divers had been disabled owing to diving-related events, indicating a diving-related disabling event rate of approximately 550 per 100,000 person-years. Among 342 active divers interviewed, one third reported having suffered from decompression illness, although based on reported current symptoms over 50% were classified as suffering from recurring non-disabling decompression illness. Physical examination conducted on a subset of 98 active divers revealed the presence of spinal injury (clonus, raised muscle tone, and heightened reflexes) and of joint damage (pain in one or more joint, crepitus, or restricted movement) in 24 and 30% respectively. Improved primary prevention and medical treatment are needed to reduce mortality and morbidity among this population.     

Security Risk Assessment Methodology for the petroleum and petrochemical industries

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/American Petroleum Institute (API) Standard 780 Security Risk Assessment (SRA) Methodology was published in June 2013 as a U. S. standard for security risk assessments on petroleum and petrochemical facilities. The standard represents a model standard for evaluating all security risks of petroleum and petrochemical infrastructure and operations and assists industries in more thoroughly and consistently conducting SRAs. The 2013 Standard is an update from the previous API/NPRA SRA Methodology (2004) and focuses on expanding functional utility without changing the basic methodology.The methodology can be applied to a wide range of assets even beyond the typical operating facilities of the industry. This includes refining and petrochemical manufacturing operations, pipelines, and transportation operations including truck, marine, and rail, as well as worker and executive security, housing compounds, and remote operational sites. The new standard describes the most efficient and thorough approach for assessing security risks widely applicable to the types of facilities operated by the industry and the security issues they face. It is voluntary but has been adopted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Interior High Commission for Industrial Security as the mandatory security risk assessment methodology for industrial facilities.This paper examines the key elements of the ANSI/API SRA process and discusses how forward thinking organizations may use risk-based performance metrics to systematically analyze facility security postures and identify appropriately scaled and fiscally responsible countermeasures based on current and projected threats. The AcuTech Consulting Group developed the methodology under contract to the API, and the author was the project manager for the project.     

Commerce and cruises: a comparative study of Jamaican waterfront transformations

Caribbean urban waterfronts have been extensively modified in recent decades to encourage business (especially through the development of new commercial districts) and tourism (particularly in the form of cruise shipping). This paper draws on three case studies from Jamaica to explore the processes through which waterfronts have been redeveloped and the ways in which these spaces are used. The transformation and ongoing management of these waterfronts involve the negotiation of a complex set of power relationships between stakeholders operating at a variety of scales, including national governments, the private sector, Jamaican citizens and tourists. The position of waterfronts at the junction of the “urban” and the “natural” environments provides a fruitful nexus for examining the intricacies of society–nature relationships, and illustrates the ways in which ideas of modernity, development, identity and exclusion are incorporated into the local environment.     

Is Nuclear Power Environmentally Sustainable?

The sustainability of nuclear energy is discussed in terms of its environmental impacts and its utilization of resources. The reactors in the present generation of fission reactors extract only a small percentage of the energy available from uranium. A solution to the long-term management of highly radioactive used reactor fuel is also a key factor in fission's sustainability. Recycling used fuel for enhanced energy production in advanced reactors and the mitigation of the long-term management of the remaining wastes, ideally with their ultimate destruction by nuclear transmutation, are technologies that need to be developed in order to ensure the long term sustainability of nuclear fission. In contrast, nuclear fusion, while not yet available for power production, promises to be inherently sustainable.