Alpha and beta radioactivity in groundwater of the hickory,mid‐cambrian and ellenburger‐san saba aquifers,central texas,USA

Gross alpha and beta activity in sandstone and limestone aquifers of central Texas locally exceed drinking water standards. The Hickory (sandstone), Mid‐Cambrian (sandstone) and Ellenburger‐San Saba (ESS) (limestone) Aquifers registered median alpha levels of 13, 17 and 4 pCi/l, and median beta levels of 18, 17 and 4.5 pCi/l, respectively. Several observations, 46% (Hickory), 67% (Mid‐Cambrian) and 16% (ESS), exceeded the 15 pCi/l maximum contaminant level (MCL) for alpha activity. Fewer observations, 18% (Hickory), 0% (Mid‐Cambrian) and 10% (ESS), exceeded the 50 pCi/l level of concern for beta activity. There were significant positive correlations between alpha and beta activity in each aquifer, alpha activity and well depth in the ESS Aquifer, and beta activity and well depth in the Hickory and ESS Aquifers. Constituents of sandstone aquifers derived from underlying granite and groundwater moving through weathered zones in granite and overlying shale likely contribute to the radioactivity trends outlined above.     

Assessment of treatment options of recycling urban stormwater recycling via aquifers to produce drinking water quality

With the release of the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling: Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), aquifers are now being considered as a treatment barrier when assessing the human health risk of recycled water systems. An MAR research site recharging urban stormwater in a confined aquifer was used in conjunction with a quantitative microbial risk assessment to assess the microbial pathogen risk in the recovered water for drinking. The assessment involved undertaking a detailed assessment of the treatment steps and exposure controls, including the aquifer, to achieve the microbial health-based targets.     

Analytic Prioritization of Indoor Routes for Search and Rescue Operations in Hazardous Environments

Applications to prioritize indoor routes for emergency situations in a complex built facility have been restricted to building simulations and network approaches. These types of applications often failed to account for the complexity and trade‐offs needed to select the optimal indoor path during an emergency situation. In this article, we propose a step change for finding the optimal routes for Search And Rescue (SAR) teams in a building, where a multi‐epicenter extreme event is occurring. We have developed an algorithm that is based on a novel approach integrating the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), statistical characteristics, the propagation of hazard, Duckham–Kulik's adapted algorithm, Dijkstra's classical algorithm, and the binary search with three criteria: hazard proximity, distance/travel time, and route complexity. The sub‐criteria for the route complexity are validated in the context of SAR using a real‐life building (Doha World Trade Centre). The important feature of the algorithm is its ability to generate an optimal route depending on user's needs. The findings revealed that the generated optimal routes are indeed the “best” trade‐off among distance/travel time, hazard proximity, and route complexity. The test results also demonstrated the robustness of the algorithm with respect to different parameters, and its insensitivity to different scenarios of uncontrolled evacuation.     

Salt‐leaching effect of drip irrigation in Elaeagnus angustifolia shelterbelt extremely arid area

Soil salinity level in shelterbelts under different emitter distance and different planting years was compared using 3 years of monitoring data from a typical oasis located in an extremely arid area in northwest China. The variation trend of salinity level during the whole growing season and in nonirrigation season was analysed. The results indicate that: (1) under narrow emitter distance (1.5 m), the soil layer with the highest salinity level was located deepest (50–85 cm). Under wide emitter distance (3 m), the soil layer with the highest salinity level was located shallower (45–80 cm); (2) drip irrigation effectively decreased the soil salinity level. With the increased in irrigating years, the salt‐leaching effect was better. Most of the soil salts were brought downward to the soil layer below 30 cm, 50 cm and 70 cm, respectively, in shelterbelts that have been irrigating for 1 year, 2 years and 3 years; (3) soil salinity level presented an increasing trend during the growing season. The largest change of soil salinity level fore‐and‐aft the irrigation was found in 20‐cm depth, followed by the 40‐cm depth and then the 60‐cm depth; (4) in nonirrigation season, salt was accumulating at the surface in shelterbelts. Among all the shelterbelts with different forest age, the salinity level on the surface was the highest in the 2‐year‐old shelterbelt.     

The irrigation suitability potential of an effluent treated by a pseudo-natural wetland

The performance of a pseudo-natural wetland to purify wastewater for irrigation potential was explored in this study. To study the system's performance and the hazard level of the raw wastewater and treated effluent, several water quality parameters were chosen, including electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium (Na⁺), calcium (Ca²⁺) and magnesium (Mg²⁺). Four different sampling points (inlet, two intermediate points, and the outlet) were investigated in the study. According to the electrical conductivity, wastewater flowing to the wetland was classified as category four (C4), ‘extremely high salinity’ and thus unfit for irrigation. Both intermediate sampling points were in C3, whereas the outlet sampling point was in C1. According to SAR, 20% of the samples collected at the inlet were classified as ‘very high sodium hazard’ (S4), 45% as ‘high sodium hazard’ (S3) and 35% as ‘medium sodium hazard’ (S2). The findings of this study also demonstrated that the pseudo-natural wetland can be significantly effective in reducing pollution and providing suitable water for irrigation. Furthermore, the findings raise greater awareness of the importance of protecting and conserving these valuable resources, particularly in urban areas.     

Estimation of inorganic and organic pollutants in Kuwait groundwaters used in irrigation: a study after the gulf war

Kuwait was invaded on August 2, 1990. Around 700 oil wells were destroyed during the Iraqi aggression. Many septic tanks and drainage systems were destroyed. One of the major concerns following the Iraqi invasion is the possibility of ground water contamination. A study of underground water in Kuwait during the period June to December 1993 with regard to irrigation is presented. Water from four different aquifers were analysed for organics and inorganics. A hydrochemical study of these waters indicated that water from (Su‐123), (E‐15) and (PW‐1OL) are suitable for irrigation. The boron concentration in these plants is less than 1 ppm, making it suitable for sensitive and semisensitive crops. Nickel and vanadium are the major inorganics found in crude oil. No appreciable rise in the concentration of these elements was observed. The concentration of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and total organic carbon (TOC) is found to vary from 0.01 to 0.07 ppm and 0.21 to 0.9 ppm. PAH is found to vary with location while TOC is found to vary with time.     

The baby and the bathwater: research methods in construction management

This note is written in response to Seymour, D., Crook, D. and Rooke, J. (1997) Construction Management and Economics, 15 (1), 117-19. We argue against their narrow focus on the interpretative approach. Also, Seymour et al. are incorrect in implying that the ‘rationalist approach’ is necessarily quantitative. Our contention is that the choice of research approach in construction management depends on the nature of the problem. However, whatever choice of approach is adopted, it is important that the problem and associated key concepts are defined clearly and that the methods used, underlying assumptions and limitations are transparent and defensible. It is difficult to argue in favour of any single approach based purely on epistemological grounds as what constitutes knowledge is still an unsolved philosophical issue. Since construction management is a practical subject, we suggest that the choice of approach should be a pragmatic one: the approach that is likely to generate practical solutions should be adopted. Seymour et al.'s suggestion serves only to limit our choice of research tools. Furthermore, a lot of the research issues in construction management are practical problems which involve generalization of experience and formulation of hypothesis that can generate empirically testable implications. For problems of this nature, testability of hypothesis and reproducibility of results are important, and the naturalist approach (which is labelled ‘rationalist paradigm’ in Seymour et al.) of discovering causal relationship is more likely to produce general practical solutions. However, this does not deny the value of the interpretative approach, as it may be more suitable for certain types of problem. Moreover, in practice, an understanding of human behaviour ‘from within’ often provides useful insights for formulation of empirically testable hypotheses, despite the philosophical incompatibility of the interpretative and naturalist approaches.     

The salt water intrusion problem and water conservation practices in southeast Georgia, USA

This paper presents the results of investigations into the attitudes to the environmental risk posed by salt water intrusion into underground aquifers in the south‐eastern United States. Also investigated is whether individuals have adopted water conservation practices in light of the salt water intrusion threat. Both bivariate analysis and results from logistic regression are presented. It is shown that while a majority of respondents agree that salt water intrusion is a serious threat to the region's water supply, only a small proportion of residents practise conservation on a regular basis. It is suggested that state and local government provide incentives for residents to change their water‐use technology, which might be more effective than price mechanisms.     

The impact of wastewater irrigation on the chemical quality of groundwater

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the groundwater impact of irrigation with industrial wastewater (baker's yeast wastewater, BYW) and to determine if agricultural reuse can be considered as an efficient wastewater treatment method. The impact of the irrigation and the status of the groundwater quality were determined using chemical parameters that are typical contaminants of BYW and characterise the content of total suspended solids (TSSs), organic matter (biochemical and chemical oxygen demands), nutrients (N_org, N‐NH₄, N‐NO₃, N_total, P_total and K), salts (Cl, SO₄ and Na) and pH. The study revealed that BYW irrigation did not cause a significant increase in the content of these parameters in groundwater at a low water table region (WTR). However, at a high WTR, the irrigation had an extremely significant (P < 0.001) impact on the chemical status of groundwater that has been demonstrated by substantially high values of COD, N‐NH₄, Cl, SO₄ and Na.     

Embedding Intelligence: Architecture and Computation at Grimshaw,NY

Research and development at Grimshaw is concentrated in two groups: Design Technology (DT) and Industrial Design (ID). Seth Edwards from Grimshaw's DT group explains how these dual hubs provide an essential resource for the practice, offering expertise in complex geometry, rapid prototyping and construction. He illustrates three projects, originating in the New York office, that exemplify this approach.     

晚新生代阿尔金山地区构造—地貌演化

为研究阿尔金地区构造—地貌演化过程,在系统分析前人资料基础上,选择盆山相间的索尔库里段阿尔金山为切入点,系统调查了阿尔金断裂新生代晚期活动特征,结合对上新世以来沉积盆地演化的系统分析,讨论了不同期次断裂活动对地貌、沉积的控制作用。结果表明:第四纪以来阿尔金断裂经历北东—南西向双向逆冲、向北正滑、向南逆冲和左形走滑兼向北正滑四期活动。受控于断裂活动,阿尔金山最终隆起定型,铸就了现今独特的长条带状盆山相间地貌格局。北东—南西双向逆冲使新生代盆地下伏基岩与断层同方向呈带状隆起,并分割早期连通的沉积盆地为若干独立小盆地,盆山格局始现;同时,盆地边缘开始充填来自相邻山体的近源堆积,沉积物ESR及古地磁年龄约束了断裂逆冲—山体隆升剥蚀—盆地沉积发生于早更新世中晚期;此后,阿尔金南缘主断裂启动,加剧了南阿尔金山与索尔库里走廊的地貌反差,奠定了研究区现今的盆山格局;晚期向南逆冲对早期地貌略有改造,并掀斜了早中更新世七个泉组,在其上不整合覆盖了上更新统;阿尔金断裂最晚期的左形平移兼及向北正滑控制着现今苦海、乌尊硝湖的沉降中心。该项研究将断裂(多期)活动与盆地充填和地貌变迁作为整体考虑,重建了索尔库里段阿尔金山晚新生代演化过程,为区域构造地貌演化研究提供了新思路和新资料。     

Water resources management in the Jordan River Basin

The Jordan River Basin is under great hydric stress. Increases in population and agricultural demand are contributing to the closure of the basin. This paper analyses the results of integrated water resources planning model (WEAP) by studying the vulnerability of water resources in the lower Jordan River under a changing climate pattern and growing water demands. Water balance models show that all aquifers supplying the city of Amman will be depleted within the next few decades. Mitigation measures should include the introduction of additional water into the basin through the Red Sea–Dead Sea canal, in addition to demand management measures such as water conservation and increase in irrigation efficiency. The findings of this study would provide a useful guide to the co‐riparians for policy formulation, decision making and dispute resolution. Cooperation among the five riparian countries may be improved by building a Geographic Information System (GIS) database that provides access to accurate data for hydrological analysis.     

Marketing through research: William Caudill and Caudill,Rowlett, Scott (CRS)

The partners of Caudill Rowlett Scott (CRS), a post-Second World War architecture firm in Texas, USA, were especially innovative in their professional and business practices. One of their original contributions was the firm's marketing strategy, which was based on promoting not only design achievements but also the CRS ‘research attitude’ by publishing and distributing studies produced by members of the firm. This strategy, which built on a wide-spread American belief in the fundamental role of science and research in the nation's progress and development, was successful in the first two decades of the firm, but was dissolved in the 1970s with the firm's expansion and transformation into a profit-oriented enterprise. This paper describes the firm's research-based marketing strategy and argues that the success of the marketing strategy relied on the CRS partners' ability first, to integrate marketing into the firm's approach to architecture and design and into cultural norms of the time and secondly, to balance the expectations of both their potential clients and their professional peers. The CRS marketing strategy is an important case study for architects today as they respond creatively to similarly competing demands.     

武当山风景名胜区五龙宫景区风景 特质识别研究

风景特质评价(Landscape Character Assessment)作为一种管理风景变化的新工具,近年来受到了广泛关注。目前风景特质评价的研究对象多集中在国土尺度或自然乡野地,对于风景名胜区特质的识别研究尚属空白。介绍了风景特质评价的基本流程,尝试对武当山风景名胜区中的五龙宫景区进行风景特质识别,绘制了武当山风景名胜区的风景特质图,总结了英国风景特质评价作业体系的优缺点及研究局限,提出了今后的研究展望和建议。     

Long-term water quality monitoring of the Sejnane reservoir in northeast Tunisia

The Sejnane reservoir in northeast Tunisia provides drinking and irrigation water. Long-term water quality monitoring data including precipitation, evaporation, temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, total suspended solids, major anions and cations, fluoride, BOD₅, NO₃ ⁻, NO₂ ⁻, NH₄ ⁺, P _tot, fecal coliform bacteria, boron and heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cr and Cd) are reported. The appropriateness for irrigation was estimated by the SAR and Na percentage and the water quality assessed using the Canadian Water Quality Index as good to excellent, which confirmed its suitability for drinking, aquatic life and irrigation purposes.      

Caract��risation de l����volution g��omorphologique de la basse vall��e de la Romanche (Is��re, France) en relation avec les instabilit��s gravitaires de ses versants rocheux

One of the most significant geomorphological consequences of deglaciation in mountainous valleys is the exposure of steepened rock slopes which have been identified as gravitationally unstable areas. Lateral stress release resulting from glacial oversteepening of the valley and ice melting (debuttressing) has been frequently recognized as a major cause triggering rock slope failure in deglaciated areas. A time lag between deglaciation and instabilities?? initiation may however exist and depends on the mechanical characteristics of the rock mass which are controlled by its lithology and structural framework. External factors like tectonic stresses, earthquakes or climatic changes could also trigger them. The present work aims at understanding how geomorphological evolution of a glacial valley is linked to the initiation and localization of gravitational instabilities. To achieve such a goal, I focused on the lower Romanche valley, situated in the Southern part of the Belledonne massif. The Belledonne massif, one of the Paleozoic external crystalline massifs of the French Alps, extends over more than 120?km in a N30 direction. Its basement is constituted by a complex of different metamorphic rocks (gneisses, amphibolites and micaschists). This substratum is covered by non-metamorphic detrital sediments. The Belledonne massif is divided in two major tectonic domains, the external domain to the west and the internal one to the east. These two blocks are separated by a major Late Paleozoic sub-vertical fault so-called Belledonne Middle Fault (BMF). The southern part of the Belledonne massif is carved by the east?Cwest trending lower Romanche River. The slopes of this glacial valley, which went through glaciation and deglaciation phases during Quaternary, show many signs of gravitational destabilization. Of major concern is the large Séchilienne landslide whose more active part corresponds to several million cubic meters. In order to evaluate the main processes controlling the localization and the initiation of the gravitational instabilities in this zone, a multidisciplinary study coupling geological, morphological, geophysical and chronological data was conducted at different spatial scales. The geomorphological and structural study of the massif, performed from surface morphological investigation and from outcrops?? measurements, reveals that all the mass movements are localized in the micaschists which are characterized by lower mechanical properties and by a structural framework differing from the one observed in the amphibolites. Lithological and structural characteristics are thus significant factors in the localization of these instabilities. Moreover, an inherited N80 sinistral strike?Cslip fault zone so-called Séchilienne Fault Zone (SFZ) was identified on the right bank of the amphibolite gorges just upstream Séchilienne village. The extension to the West of the Séchilienne Fault Zone is confirmed by the Belledonne Middle Fault eastward shift determined by electrical tomography. Seismic and electrical data also revealed a significant glacial overdeepening of the valley in the micaschists which mainly results from the Quaternary glacial erosion across a major lithological contrast magnified by the intersection of these two inherited structures. This overdeepening created a major redistribution of stresses within the rock mass where the instabilities are localized, which shows the role of glacial erosive control. However, this erosive process, associated with the debuttressing of the massif and the litho-structural characteristics, has apparently not been sufficient to trigger gravitational instabilities. Indeed, cosmic ray exposure data acquired from vertical sampling profiles along the Séchilienne and Fau Laurent head scarp provide chronological constraints on the failure time of these major alpine landslides. Exposure ages at 1,100?m a.s.l. in the Mont Sec head scarp area indicate that the glacier retreated at least at 16.6?±?0.6 ¹⁰Be?ka and that the onset of theses landslides began between 5.0 and 7.8 ¹⁰Be?ka. Comparing the date of the rock slopes?? failure initiation to the estimated age of total downwastage of the valley yields a minimal pre-failure endurance of 5,400?years. High spatial resolution cosmic ray exposure data collected on vertical profiles also provide an innovative contribution to understand the Séchilienne landslide kinematics during the Holocene. Results show the Séchilienne head scarp exposure to be progressive from failure initiation to present with an increase of the exposure rate between 2.3 and 1?ka up to around 1.1?cm/year. After this acceleration phase, the exposure rates are similar to those obtained by present day monitoring. Moreover, the initiation phase of the Séchilienne and Fau Laurent landslides occurred during the Holocene Climatic Optimum, a warmer and wetter interval. This result suggests that the hydrological external factor seems to have played and still play a significant, triggering or worsening, role on the landslides?? failure in the glacial Romanche Valley.     

Interdisciplinary Planning for Healthier Communities: Findings from the Harlem Children's Zone Asthma Initiative

Health disparities that affect whole communities may involve factors like housing quality that lie at least partly within planners' realm of policy influence. This article demonstrates a link between housing and childhood asthma. The magnitude of the childhood asthma epidemic in Harlem in New York City and the commitment of engaged community partners led to an interdisciplinary, participatory, and multifaceted approach to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Harlem Children's Zone Asthma Initiative. Here we present the first year's data on environmental triggers in the homes of program participants, showing that intensive, community-based programs can reduce both home environmental triggers and adverse childhood asthma outcomes. This provides an example of a community-wide public health intervention that informs public policy and planning, and may provide a sustainable model for reducing childhood asthma in impoverished communities.     

The microbial domes of Wadi Muqshin pools,Sultanate of Oman

The paper reports studies on benthic microbial dome‐shaped mats found in hypersaline desert pools in Wadi Muqshin, southern Oman, and details the hydrogeological conditions of the pools, including water quality and recharge features. The upper 1 cm layers of these microbial mats are dominated by cyanobacteria, a phototrophic purple sulphur bacterium and diatoms. The dominant cyanobacterium is Microcoleus chthonoplastes and the purple layer below the upper layer is dominated by the photosynthetic sulphur bacterium Chromatium okenii. It is unusual to find standing water containing microbial domes in such a hyper‐arid, inland site which borders the Rub’ Al Khali (Empty Quarter). The flooding regime here depends largely on ‘fossil’ groundwater (Zone C, L.UER aquifer) mostly derived from the Pleistocene. Attempts to carry out desert agriculture with abstraction of this ‘fossil’ groundwater might cause the extinction of the Muqshin pools.     

Temperature-induced impacts on groundwater quality and arsenic mobility in anoxic aquifer sediments used for both drinking water and shallow geothermal energy production

Aquifers used for the production of drinking water are increasingly being used for the generation of shallow geothermal energy. This causes temperature perturbations far beyond the natural variations in aquifers and the effects of these temperature variations on groundwater quality, in particular trace elements, have not been investigated. Here, we report the results of column experiments to assess the impacts of temperature variations (5°C, 11°C, 25°C and 60°C) on groundwater quality in anoxic reactive unconsolidated sandy sediments derived from an aquifer system widely used for drinking water production in the Netherlands. Our results showed that at 5 °C no effects on water quality were observed compared to the reference of 11°C (in situ temperature). At 25°C, As concentrations were significantly increased and at 60 °C, significant increases were observed pH and DOC, P, K, Si, As, Mo, V, B, and F concentrations. These elements should therefore be considered for water quality monitoring programs of shallow geothermal energy projects. No consistent temperature effects were observed on Na, Ca, Mg, Sr, Fe, Mn, Al, Ba, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Eu, Ho, Sb, Sc, Yb, Ga, La, and Th concentrations, all of which were present in the sediment. The temperature-induced chemical effects were probably caused by (incongruent) dissolution of silicate minerals (K and Si), desorption from, and potentially reductive dissolution of, iron oxides (As, B, Mo, V, and possibly P and DOC), and mineralisation of sedimentary organic matter (DOC and P).     

Harland Bartholomew and Corpus Christi: the faltering pursuit of comprehensive planning in South Texas

In the mid-twentieth century, the prolific St Louis consulting firm Harland Bartholomew and Associates (HBA), played a strategic role in the standardization of planning practices and in the diffusion of professional planning to small and mid-sized cities around the United States. The firm's twenty-year relationship with Corpus Christi, Texas, illustrates the attraction of HBA's approach, as well as reasons for the decline of Bartholomew's style of expert master planning. In two comprehensive city plans, a regional plan, and over a dozen other studies, HBA put forth a vision of a cosmopolitan, thriving Corpus Christi that suited the mindset of the tight group of prominent commercial-civic reformers who sponsored these projects. Bartholomew's first Corpus Christi plan, which appeared as the civic reform movement reached the height of its confidence and authority in the 1950s, met with impressive success. By the late 1960s, the civic reform regime fell apart in the face of a stagnating regional economy and an increasingly pluralistic political climate. HBA's later projects met a tepid reception. As in much of the United States, by the 1970s Corpus Christi abandoned expert master planning in favour of citizen task forces and incremental 'area' plans.