bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rapid, Sensitive, and Accurate Point-of-Care Detection of Lethal Amatoxins in Urine
Authors: Bever Candace S. , Swanson Kenneth D. , Hamelin Elizabeth I. , Filigenzi Michael , Poppenga Robert H. , Kaae Jennifer , Cheng Luisa W. , Stanker Larry H.
Published: February 2020

Globally, mushroom poisonings cause about 100 human deaths each year, with thousands of people requiring medical assistance. Dogs are also susceptible to mushroom poisonings and require medical assistance. Cyclopeptides, and more specifically amanitins (or amatoxins, here), are the mushroom poison that causes the majority of these deaths. Current methods (predominantly chromatographic, as well as antibody-based) of detecting amatoxins are time-consuming and require expensive equipment. In this work, we demonstrate the utility of the lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for the rapid detection of amatoxins in urine samples. The LFIA detects as little as 10 ng/mL of α-amanitin (α-AMA) or γ-AMA, and 100 ng/mL of β-AMA in urine matrices. To demonstrate application of this LFIA for urine analysis, this study examined fortified human urine samples and urine collected from exposed dogs. Urine is sampled directly without the need for any pretreatment, detection from urine is completed in 10 min, and the results are read by eye, without the need for specialized equipment. Analysis of both fortified human urine samples and urine samples collected from intoxicated dogs using the LFIA correlated well with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods.
Comparing the Efficacy of OnabotulinumtoxinA, Sacral Neuromodulation, and Peripheral Tibial Nerve Stimulation as Third Line Treatment for the Management of Overactive Bladder Symptoms in Adults: Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis
Authors: Lo Chi-Wen , Wu Mei-Yi , Yang Stephen Shei-Dei , Jaw Fu-Shan , Chang Shang-Jen
Published: February 2020

The American Urological Association guidelines for the management of non-neurogenic overactive bladder (OAB) recommend the use of OnabotulinumtoxinA, sacral neuromodulation (SNM), and peripheral tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) as third line treatment options with no treatment hierarchy. The current study used network meta-analysis to compare the efficacy of these three modalities for managing adult OAB syndrome. We performed systematic literature searches of several databases from January 1995 to September 2019 with language restricted to English. All randomized control trials that compared any dose of OnabotulinumtoxinA, SNM, and PTNS with each other or a placebo for the management of adult OAB were included in the study. Overall, 17 randomized control trials, with a follow up of 3–6 months in the predominance of trials (range 1.5–24 months), were included for analysis. For each trial outcome, the results were reported as an average number of episodes of the outcome at baseline. Compared with the placebo, all three treatments were more efficacious for the selected outcome parameters. OnabotulinumtoxinA resulted in a higher number of complications, including urinary tract infection and urine retention. Compared with OnabotulinumtoxinA and PTNS, SNM resulted in the greatest reduction in urinary incontinence episodes and voiding frequency. However, comparison of their long-term efficacy was lacking. Further studies on the long-term effectiveness of the three treatment options, with standardized questionnaires and parameters are warranted.
Contamination of Pet Food with Mycobiota and Fusarium Mycotoxins—Focus on Dogs and Cats
Authors: Witaszak Natalia , Waśkiewicz Agnieszka , Bocianowski Jan , Stępień Łukasz
Published: February 2020

A wide range of pet food types are available on the market; the dominant type is dry food formulated in croquets. One of the most common ingredients of dry food are cereals—vectors of harmful mycotoxins posing the risk to pet health. In this study, 38 cat and dog dry food samples available on the Polish market were investigated. Morphological and molecular methods were applied to identify fungal genera present in pet food. Quantification of ergosterol and Fusarium mycotoxins: Fumonisin B1, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, and zearalenone were performed using high performance liquid chromatography. Obtained results indicated five genera of mycotoxigenic fungi: Alternaria sp., Aspergillus sp., Cladosporium sp., Penicillium sp., and Fusarium sp., including Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium proliferatum. Ergosterol and mycotoxins of interest were detected in both cat and dog food samples in the amounts ranging from 0.31 to 4.05 µg/g for ergosterol and 0.3–30.3, 1.2–618.4, 29.6–299.0, and 12.3–53.0 ng/g for zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, and fumonisin B1, respectively. The conclusion is the presence of mycotoxins in levels much lower than recommended by EU regulations does not eliminate the risk and caution is advised concerning that long-term daily intake of even small doses of mycotoxins can slowly damage pet’s health.
Varespladib (LY315920) and Methyl Varespladib (LY333013) Abrogate or Delay Lethality Induced by Presynaptically Acting Neurotoxic Snake Venoms
Authors: Gutiérrez José María , Lewin Matthew R. , Williams David. J. , Lomonte Bruno
Published: February 2020

The phospholipase A2 (PLA2) inhibitor Varespladib (LY315920) and its orally bioavailable prodrug, methyl-Varespladib (LY333013) inhibit PLA2 activity of a wide variety of snake venoms. In this study, the ability of these two forms of Varespladib to halt or delay lethality of potent neurotoxic snake venoms was tested in a mouse model. The venoms of Notechis scutatus, Crotalus durissus terrificus, Bungarus multicinctus, and Oxyuranus scutellatus, all of which have potent presynaptically acting neurotoxic PLA2s of variable quaternary structure, were used to evaluate simple dosing regimens. A supralethal dose of each venom was injected subcutaneously in mice, followed by the bolus intravenous (LY315920) or oral (LY333013) administration of the inhibitors, immediately and at various time intervals after envenoming. Control mice receiving venom alone died within 3 h of envenoming. Mice injected with O. scutellatus venom and treated with LY315920 or LY333013 survived the 24 h observation period, whereas those receiving C. d. terrificus and B. multicinctus venoms survived at 3 h or 6 h with a single dose of either form of Varespladib, but not at 24 h. In contrast, mice receiving N. scutatus venom and then the inhibitors died within 3 h, similarly to the control animals injected with venom alone. LY315920 was able to reverse the severe paralytic manifestations in mice injected with venoms of O. scutellatus, B. multicinctus, and C. d. terrificus. Overall, results suggest that the two forms of Varespladib are effective in abrogating, or delaying, neurotoxic manifestations induced by some venoms whose neurotoxicity is mainly dependent on presynaptically acting PLA2s. LY315920 is able to reverse paralytic manifestations in severely envenomed mice, but further work is needed to understand the significance of species-specific differences in animal models as they compare to clinical syndromes in human and for potential use in veterinary medicine.
Human Mycotoxin Biomonitoring: Conclusive Remarks on Direct or Indirect Assessment of Urinary Deoxynivalenol
Authors: Vidal Arnau , Bouzaghnane Nabila , De Saeger Sarah , De Boevre Marthe
Published: February 2020

Deoxynivalenol is one of the most ubiquitous mycotoxins in the Western diet through its presence in cereals and cereal products. A vast amount of studies indicate the worrying level of exposure to this toxin, while even high percentages of the population exceed the tolerable daily intake. To evaluate and assess dietary exposure, analysis of urinary levels of deoxynivalenol and its glucuronides has been proposed as a reliable methodology. An indirect preliminary method was used based on the cleavage of deoxynivalenol glucuronides through the use of enzymes (β-glucuronidase) and subsequent determination of "total deoxynivalenol" (sum of free and released mycotoxins by hydrolysis). Next, a direct procedure for quantification of deoxynivalenol-3-glucuronide and deoxynivalenol-15-glucuronide was developed. As deoxynivalenol glucuronides reference standards are not commercially available, the indirect method is widely applied. However, to not underestimate the total deoxynivalenol exposure in urine, the direct and indirect methodologies need to be compared. Urinary samples (n = 96) with a confirmed presence of deoxynivalenol and/or deoxynivalenol glucuronides were analysed using both approaches. The indirect method clarified that not all deoxynivalenol glucuronides were transformed to free deoxynivalenol during enzymatic treatment, causing an underestimation of total deoxynivalenol. This short communication concludes on the application of direct or indirect assessment of urinary deoxynivalenol.
Relationship between the Water Quality Elements of Water Bodies and the Hydrometric Parameters: Case Study in Lithuania
Authors: Česonienė Laima , Šileikienė Daiva , Dapkienė Midona
Published: February 2020

The larger and deeper lakes and ponds are, the better the conditions for spontaneous water purification, slower hydrobiological processes and slower accumulation of sediment. The goal of this research was to assess the ecological status of selected Lithuanian lentic water bodies and the impact of morphometric indicators on water quality. Multiple studies were conducted on 29 lakes and 10 ponds located throughout Lithuania in 2014–2018. The study proved that higher maxima and average depths of lakes correlate with lower Ptotal, Ntotal yield and macrophyte taxonomic composition values, indicating higher ecological status class. Higher chlorophyll a EQR, ichthyofauna taxonomic composition indicator for Lithuanian fish index LFI and Lithuanian lakes’ macroinvertebrate index indicates a higher ecological class. Larger lake areas contain smaller amounts of Ptotal and Ntotal, indicating better ecological status class; higher ichthyophane taxonomic composition in LFI, zoobenthos taxonomic composition indicator for Lithuanian lakes’ macroinvertebrates index (LLMI) and taxonomic composition of macrophytes MRI indicate better ecological status class. Larger lake areas contain lower chlorophyll a EQR values. Rapid water exchange improves the condition of the lake in addition to nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll a EQR values. The faster the water exchange in the lake is, the lower the Ptotal and Ntotal values; faster water exchange in the lake also means higher chlorophyll a EQR values. However, slower water exchange indicates better ecological status of the macrophytic taxonomic composition of the MRI, the ichthyofauna taxonomic composition and the Lithuanian lakes’ macroinvertebrates index indicator of zoobenthos.
Short-Term GIS Analysis for the Assessment of the Recent Active-Channel Planform Adjustments in a Widening, Highly Altered River: The Scrivia River, Italy
Authors: Mandarino Andrea , Pepe Giacomo , Maerker Michael , Cevasco Andrea , Brandolini Pierluigi
Published: February 2020

From the 1990s onwards several Italian rivers have experienced a recent phase characterized by active-channel widening and, generally, by bed-level stability or slight aggradation. However, its triggering factors and its diffusion, along with the relationship between active-channel planform dynamics and vertical adjustments, are still quite debated and only few studies are available. This research deals with the active-channel planform changes occurred along the Scrivia River floodplain reach (NW Italy) over the period 1999–2019 and it aims at investigating in detail the ongoing geomorphological processes under the river management perspective. The study is based on a quantitative multitemporal analysis of aerial photographs and satellite images performed in a GIS environment and supported by field surveys. The outcomes revealed a generalized trend of gentle active-channel widening together with widespread bank instability and several (26% of total banks) intense and localized bank retreats involving both the modern floodplain and the recent terrace. In the investigated 20-year period, the active-channel area has increased by 22.7% (from 613.6 to 753.0 ha), its mean width by 25% (from 151.5 to 189.3 m), whereas no relevant length variations have been noticed. These morphological dynamics have been more or less pronounced both at reach scale and over time. The extreme floods occurred in the investigated period can be considered the most important triggering factor of the active-channel planform changes, most probably together with an increase of the reach-scale unit stream power due to changes in the channel geometry occurred over the 20th century.
It Is Not Easy Being Green: Recognizing Unintended Consequences of Green Stormwater Infrastructure
Authors: Taguchi Vinicius , Weiss Peter , Gulliver John , Klein Mira , Hozalski Raymond , Baker Lawrence , Finlay Jacques , Keeler Bonnie , Nieber John
Published: February 2020

Green infrastructure designed to address urban drainage and water quality issues is often deployed without full knowledge of potential unintended social, ecological, and human health consequences. Though understood in their respective fields of study, these diverse impacts are seldom discussed together in a format understood by a broader audience. This paper takes a first step in addressing that gap by exploring tradeoffs associated with green infrastructure practices that manage urban stormwater including urban trees, stormwater ponds, filtration, infiltration, rain gardens, and green roofs. Each green infrastructure practice type performs best under specific conditions and when targeting specific goals, but regular inspections, maintenance, and monitoring are necessary for any green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) practice to succeed. We review how each of the above practices is intended to function and how they could malfunction in order to improve how green stormwater infrastructure is designed, constructed, monitored, and maintained. Our proposed decision-making framework, using both biophysical (biological and physical) science and social science, could lead to GSI projects that are effective, cost efficient, and just.
Modeling of River Channel Shading as a Factor for Changes in Hydromorphological Conditions of Small Lowland Rivers
Authors: Kałuża Tomasz , Sojka Mariusz , Wróżyński Rafał , Jaskuła Joanna , Zaborowski Stanisław , Hämmerling Mateusz
Published: February 2020

The ecological water quality in rivers and streams is influenced both by the morphological factors (within the watercourse channel and by the dynamic factors associated with flow), as well as biological factors (connected with the flora and fauna characteristic of its specific area). This paper presents an analysis of the effect of river channel shading by trees and shrubs on hydromorphological changes in a selected reach of the Wełna River, Poland. The analysis was conducted on two adjacent cross-sections (one in a reach lined with trees, the other in an open area with no tree or shrub vegetation). Data were collected during field surveys in the years 2014 and 2019. According to the Water Framework Directive, the Wełna River represents a watercourse with small and average-sized watershed areas, with sand being the dominant substrate of the river bottom. Flow volume, distributions of velocity in the sections, as well as substrate grain-size characteristics and river bottom morphology, were determined based on field measurements. In the study, the leaf area index (LAI) of vegetation was measured in the reach lined with trees, while the number and species composition of macrophytes were determined in the investigated river reaches. Moreover, a digital surface model (DSM) and Geoinformation Information System GIS tools were used to illustrate variability in shading within the tree-lined reach. The DSM model was based on Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data. The results of this study enable us to establish the relationship between river shading by vegetation covering the bank zone, and changes in hydromorphological parameters of the river channel.
Enhancing Physical Similarity Approach to Predict Runoff in Ungauged Watersheds in Sub-Tropical Regions
Authors: Narbondo Santiago , Gorgoglione Angela , Crisci Magdalena , Chreties Christian
Published: February 2020

Regionalization techniques have been comprehensively discussed as the solution for runoff predictions in ungauged basins (PUB). Several types of regionalization approach have been proposed during the years. Among these, the physical similarity one was demonstrated to be one of the most robust. However, this method cannot be applied in large regions characterized by highly variable climatic conditions, such as sub-tropical areas. Therefore, this study aims to develop a new regionalization approach based on an enhanced concept of physical similarity to improve the runoff prediction of ungauged basins at country scale, under highly variable-weather conditions. A clustering method assured that watersheds with different hydrologic and physical characteristics were considered. The novelty of the proposed approach is based on the relationships found between rainfall-runoff model parameters and watershed-physiographic factors. These relationships were successively exported and validated at the ungauged basins. From the overall results, it can be concluded that the runoff prediction in the ungauged basins was very satisfactory. Therefore, the proposed approach can be adopted as an alternative method for runoff prediction in ungauged basins characterized by highly variable-climatic conditions.
Assessment of the Soil Erosion Response to Land Use and Slope in the Loess Plateau—A Case Study of Jiuyuangou
Authors: Huang Chenlu , Yang Qinke , Cao Xiayu , Li Yuru
Published: February 2020

Soil erosion is a serious environmental problem in the Loess Plateau, China. Therefore, it is important to understand and evaluate soil erosion process in a watershed. In this study, the Chinese Soil Loss Equation (CSLE) is developed to evaluate the soil loss and analyze the impact of land use and slope on soil erosion in Jiuyuangou (JYG) watershed located in the hilly-gullied loess region of China 1970–2015. The results show that the quantities of soil erosion decreased clearly from 1977 to 2015 in the study area, which from 2011 (t/km²·a) in 1977 to 164 (t/km²·a) in 2004 and increased slowly to 320 (t/km²·a) in 2015. No significant soil erosion (<300 t/km²·a) changed in JYG watershed, which increased dramatically from 8.93% to 69.34% during 1977–2015. The area of farmland in this study area has been reduced drastically. Noting that the annual average soil erosion modulus of grassland was also showing a dropped trend from 1977 to 2015. In addition, the study shows that the annual average soil erosion modulus varied with slope gradient and the severe soil erosion often existed in the slope zone above 25°, which accounted for 4657 (t/km²·a) in 1977 and 382.27 (t/km²·a) in 2015. Meanwhile, soil erosion of different land-use types presented the similar changing trend (declined noticeably and then increased slowly) with the change of slope gradient from 1977 to 2015. Combined the investigations of extreme rainfall on 26 July 2015 for JYG watershed, the study provides the scientific support for the implementation of soil and water conservation measures to reduce the soil erosion and simplify Yellow River management procedures.
Quantitative PCR Detection of Enteric Viruses in Wastewater and Environmental Water Sources by the Lisbon Municipality: A Case Study
Authors: Teixeira Pedro , Costa Sílvia , Brown Bárbara , Silva Susana , Rodrigues Raquel , Valério Elisabete
Published: February 2020

Current regulations and legislation require critical revision to determine safety for alternative water sources and water reuse as part of the solution to global water crisis. In order to fulfill those demands, Lisbon municipality decided to start water reuse as part of a sustainable hydric resources management, and there was a need to confirm safety and safeguard for public health for its use in this context. For this purpose, a study was designed that included a total of 88 samples collected from drinking, superficial, underground water, and wastewater at three different treatment stages. Quantitative Polimerase Chain Reaction (PCR) detection (qPCR) of enteric viruses Norovirus (NoV) genogroups I (GI) and II (GII) and Hepatitis A (HepA) was performed, and also FIB (E. coli, enterococci and fecal coliforms) concentrations were assessed. HepA virus was only detected in one untreated influent sample, whereas NoV GI/ NoV GI were detected in untreated wastewater (100/100%), secondary treated effluent (47/73%), and tertiary treated effluent (33/20%). Our study proposes that NoV GI and GII should be further studied to provide the support that they may be suitable indicators for water quality monitoring targeting wastewater treatment efficiency, regardless of the level of treatment.
Sound Velocity in a Thin Shallowly Submerged Terrestrial-Marine Quaternary Succession (Northern Adriatic Sea)
Authors: Novak Ana , Šmuc Andrej , Poglajen Sašo , Celarc Bogomir , Vrabec Marko
Published: February 2020

Estimating sound velocity in seabed sediment of shallow near-shore areas submerged after the Last Glacial Maximum is often difficult due to the heterogeneous sedimentary composition resulting from sea-level changes affecting the sedimentary environments. The complex sedimentary architecture and heterogeneity greatly impact lateral and horizontal velocity variations. Existing sound velocity studies are mainly focused on the surficial parts of the seabed sediments, whereas the deeper and often more heterogeneous sections are usually neglected. We present an example of a submerged alluvial plain in the northern Adriatic where we were able to investigate the entire Quaternary sedimentary succession from the seafloor down to the sediment base on the bedrock. We used an extensive dataset of vintage borehole litho-sedimentological descriptions covering the entire thickness of the Quaternary sedimentary succession. We correlated the dataset with sub-bottom sonar profiles in order to determine the average sound velocities through various sediment types. The sound velocities of clay-dominated successions average around 1530 m/s, while the values of silt-dominated successions extend between 1550 and 1590 m/s. The maximum sound velocity of approximately 1730 m/s was determined at a location containing sandy sediment, while the minimum sound velocity of approximately 1250 m/s was calculated for gas-charged sediments. We show that, in shallow areas with thin Quaternary successions, the main factor influencing average sound velocity is the predominant sediment type (i.e. grain size), whereas the overburden influence is negligible. Where present in the sedimentary column, gas substantially reduces sound velocity. Our work provides a reference for sound velocities in submerged, thin (less than 20 m thick), terrestrial-marine Quaternary successions located in shallow (a few tens of meters deep) near-shore settings, which represent a large part of the present-day coastal environments.
Uncertainty Analysis of a 1D River Hydraulic Model with Adaptive Calibration
Authors: Bessar Mohammed Amine , Matte Pascal , Anctil François
Published: February 2020

Water level modeling is a critical component of flood warning systems. A high-quality forecast requires the development of a hydraulic model that reliably accounts for the main sources of uncertainty. In this paper, a 1D hydraulic model with adaptive flow-based calibration was developed. This calibration resulted in roughness-flow relationships that allow Manning coefficients to be updated as a function of river flow, to limit errors throughout the flood cycle. An uncertainty analysis is then conducted for independent events, considering as the main source of uncertainty the error in the estimated input flows (upstream and lateral), and in the calibrated roughness coefficients. A set of parameters is generated by Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) from the characterization of these errors to evaluate their propagation to the variables of interest, namely water level and flow. These are evaluated by performance metrics (scores) such as the reliability diagram and the continuous rank probability score (CRPS). The adaptive flow-based calibration considerably reduced the error of the 1D model and improved its performance over time and throughout the flood events. The uncertainty analysis resulted in consistent accuracy improvements over a deterministic simulation with gains of 20% to 32%, depending on the combined parameters. Good reliability is also reached for most stations, with resulting spreads and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) close to one another. The proposed methodology has the potential to improve the descriptive capability of 1D river hydraulic models and to increase their reliability when included in forecasting systems.
Social Innovations as A Response to Dispossession: Community Water Management in View of Socio-Metabolic Rift in Chile
Authors: Roose Ilka , Panez Alexander
Published: February 2020

Chile has gone through more than four decades of neoliberalism, inaugurated by the civil–military dictatorship (1973–1990). One of the central aspects of the current model is the neoliberal exploitation of natural commons such as land, water and minerals. In some territories, such as the central-north province of Petorca, the accelerated extractivism of this period has disrupted the reproduction of life cycles, leading to disruptive influences in the form of "socio-metabolic fractures". In this article we highlight aspects of this process as it relates to rural community water management. Based on literature and media analysis we first describe the case of Petorca from a political, ecological point of view. We then use the concept of institutional bricolage (ad hoc construction) to analyze qualitative interviews, allowing us to establish a more in-depth insight into the organizational structures of Petorca. Although we point to the weakening of community organization, we highlight in this article how, in a scenario of profound dispossession, as is taking place in the province of Petorca, ongoing experiences of community organization continue to emerge and challenge the impacts of the socio-metabolic rift. Thereby we shed light upon the often less visible structures of power and the processes of meaning and legitimacy within these social innovations.
Flipped Learning Approach as Educational Innovation in Water Literacy
Authors: Moreno-Guerrero Antonio-José , Romero-Rodríguez José-María , López-Belmonte Jesús , Alonso-García Santiago
Published: February 2020

Water literacy has become a fundamental aspect in today’s society, as its conservation, preservation and management is key to ensuring human survival. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the effectiveness of flipped learning methodology on a traditional training practice in water literacy at the first level of secondary education. The flipped learning method consisted in providing the contents to the students before the class sessions, encouraging an active learning. A descriptive study was adopted with two experimental groups, two control groups and only post-test. An ad hoc questionnaire was used as an instrument to measure the parameters: Socio-educational, Motivation, Interactions, Autonomy, Collaboration; Deepening of contents; Problem solving, Class time and Ratings. The final sample was composed of 120 students, divided into four groups of 30 students each. The application of the treatment in the experimental groups lasted 10 sessions of 55 min. The results indicate that the use of time in class, the autonomy and the deepening of the contents were the aspects that improved most with the flipped learning approach. However, no significant differences in ratings were found. Finally, the main findings and their implications for water literacy are discussed.
Study on Backwater Effect Due to Polavaram Dam Project under Different Return Periods
Authors: C R Amarnath , Thatikonda Shashidhar
Published: February 2020

In this study, we present a scenario to evaluate the backwater impacts on upstream of the Polavaram dam during floods. For this purpose, annual peak discharges across the different gauge stations in river stretch considered for flood frequency analysis. Statistical analysis is carried out for discharge data to estimate probable flood discharge values for 1000 and 10,000 years return period along with 0.1 and 0.14 million m3/s discharge. Furthermore, the resulting flood discharge values are converted to water level forecasts using a steady and unsteady flow hydraulic model, such as HEC-RAS. The water surface elevation at Bhadrachalam river stations with and without dam was estimated for 1000 and 10,000 years discharge. Unsteady 2D flow simulations with and without the dam with full closure and partial closure modes of gate operation were analysed. The results showed that with half of the gates as open and all gates closed, water surface elevation of 62.34 m and 72.34 m was obtained at Bhadrachalam for 1000 and 10,000 years. The 2D unsteady flow simulations revealed that at improper gate operations, even with a flow of 0.1 million m3/s, water levels at Bhadrachalam town will be high enough to submerge built-up areas and nearby villages.
New Methods for Microbiological Monitoring at Riverbank Filtration Sites
Authors: Adomat Yasmin , Orzechowski Gerit-Hartmut , Pelger Marc , Haas Robert , Bartak Rico , Nagy-Kovács Zsuzsanna Ágnes , Appels Joep , Grischek Thomas
Published: February 2020

Water suppliers aim to achieve microbiological stability throughout their supply system by regular monitoring of water quality. Monitoring temporal biomass dynamics at high frequency is time consuming due to the labor-intensive nature and limitations of conventional, cultivation-based detection methods. The goal of this study was to assess the value of new rapid monitoring methods for quantifying and characterizing dynamic fluctuations in bacterial biomass. Using flow cytometry and two precise enzymatic detection methods, bacterial biomass-related parameters were monitored at three riverbank filtration sites. Additionally, the treatment capacity of an ultrafiltration pilot plant was researched using online flow-cytometry. The results provide insights into microbiological quality of treated water and emphasize the value of rapid, easy and sensitive alternatives to traditional bacterial monitoring techniques.
Predicting the Trend of Dissolved Oxygen Based on the kPCA-RNN Model
Authors: Zhang Yi-Fan , Fitch Peter , Thorburn Peter J.
Published: February 2020

Water quality forecasting is increasingly significant for agricultural management and environmental protection. Enormous amounts of water quality data are collected by advanced sensors, which leads to an interest in using data-driven models for predicting trends in water quality. However, the unpredictable background noises introduced during water quality monitoring seriously degrade the performance of those models. Meanwhile, artificial neural networks (ANN) with feed-forward architecture lack the capability of maintaining and utilizing the accumulated temporal information, which leads to biased predictions in processing time series data. Hence, we propose a water quality predictive model based on a combination of Kernal Principal Component Analysis (kPCA) and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) to forecast the trend of dissolved oxygen. Water quality variables are reconstructed based on the kPCA method, which aims to reduce the noise from the raw sensory data and preserve actionable information. With the RNN’s recurrent connections, our model can make use of the previous information in predicting the trend in the future. Data collected from Burnett River, Australia was applied to evaluate our kPCA-RNN model. The kPCA-RNN model achieved R 2 scores up to 0.908, 0.823, and 0.671 for predicting the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the upcoming 1, 2 and 3 hours, respectively. Compared to current data-driven methods like Feed-forward neural network (FFNN), support vector regression (SVR) and general regression neural network (GRNN), the predictive accuracy of the kPCA-RNN model was at least 8%, 17% and 12% better than the comparative models in these three cases. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of the kPAC-RNN modeling technique in predicting water quality variables with noisy sensory data.
Visualization Framework for High-Dimensional Spatio-Temporal Hydrological Gridded Datasets using Machine-Learning Techniques
Authors: Mazher Abeer
Published: February 2020

Numerical modelling increasingly generates massive, high-dimensional spatio-temporal datasets. Exploring such datasets relies on effective visualization. This study presents a generic workflow to (i) project high-dimensional spatio-temporal data on a two-dimensional (2D) plane accurately (ii) compare dimensionality reduction techniques (DRTs) in terms of resolution and computational efficiency (iii) represent 2D projection spatially using a 2D perceptually uniform background color map. Machine learning (ML) based DRTs for data visualization i.e., principal component analysis (PCA), generative topographic mapping (GTM), t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) and uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) are compared in terms of accuracy, resolution and computational efficiency to handle massive datasets. The accuracy of visualization is evaluated using a quality metric based on a co-ranking framework. The workflow is applied to an output of an Australian Water Resource Assessment (AWRA) model for Tasmania, Australia. The dataset consists of daily time series of nine components of the water balance at a 5 km grid cell resolution for the year 2017. The case study shows that PCA allows rapid visualization of global data structures, while t-SNE and UMAP allows more accurate representation of local trends. Furthermore, UMAP is computationally more efficient than t-SNE and least affected by the outliers compared to GTM.
Understanding Complexity in Freshwater Management: Practitioners’ Perspectives in The Netherlands
Authors: Rutten Guido , Cinderby Steve , Barron Jennie
Published: February 2020

Ecosystems have been stabilized by human interventions to optimize delivery of certain ecosystem services, while at the same time awareness has grown that these systems are inherently dynamic rather than steady state. Applied research fields have emerged that try to increase adaptive capacity in these ecosystems, using concepts deriving from the theory of complex adaptive systems. How are these concepts of complexity interpreted and applied by practitioners? This study applies a mixed-methods approach to analyze the case of freshwater management in The Netherlands, where a management paradigm promoting nature-fixating interventions is recently being replaced with a new paradigm of nature-based solutions. We find that practitioners have widely varying interpretations of concepts and of how the ecosystems they work in have evolved over time when described with complex system attributes. This study allows for the emergence of key complexity-related considerations among practitioners that are not often discussed in literature: (i) the need for physical and institutional space for self-organization of nature; (ii) the importance of dependency and demand management; and (iii) trade-offs between robustness and flexibility. This study, furthermore, stresses the importance of using practitioners’ views to guide applied research and practice in this field.
Changes in Planktivory and Herbivory Regimes in a Shallow South American Lake (Lake Blanca Chica, Argentina) Over the Last 250 Years
Authors: Carrozzo David , Musazzi Simona , Lami Andrea , Córdoba Francisco E. , González Sagrario María de los Ángeles
Published: February 2020

Shallow lakes are vulnerable ecosystems impacted by human activities and climate change. The Cladocera occupy a central role in food webs and are an excellent paleoecological indicator of food web structure and trophic status. We conducted a paleolimnological study in Lake Blanca Chica (Argentina) to detect changes on the planktivory and herbivory regimes over the last 250 years. Generalized additive models were fitted to the time series of fish predation indicators (ephippial abundance and size, mucrone size, fish scales, and the planktivory index) and pheophorbide a concentration. The cladoceran assemblage changed from littoral-benthic to pelagic species dominance and zooplankton switched from large-bodied (Daphnia) to small-bodied grazers (Bosmina) ca. 1900 due to increased predation. The shift in planktivory regime (ca. 1920–1930), indicated by fish scales and the planktivory index, as well as herbivory (ca. 1920–1950), was triggered by eutrophication. Changes in planktivory affected the size structure of Bosmina, reducing its body size. This study describes the baseline for the lake as well as the profound changes in the composition and size structure of the zooplankton community due to increased predation and the shift in the planktivory regime. These findings will provide a reference status for future management strategies of this ecosystem.
Using a Data Driven Approach to Predict Waves Generated by Gravity Driven Mass Flows
Authors: Meng Zhenzhu , Hu Yating , Ancey Christophe
Published: February 2020

When colossal gravity-driven mass flows enter a body of water, they may generate waves which can have destructive consequences on coastal areas. A number of empirical equations in the form of power functions of several dimensionless groups have been developed to predict wave characteristics. However, in some complex cases (for instance, when the mass striking the water is made up of varied slide materials), fitting an empirical equation with a fixed form to the experimental data may be problematic. In contrast to previous empirical equations that specified the mathematical operators in advance, we developed a purely data-driven approach which relies on datasets and does not need any assumptions about functional form or physical constraints. Experiments were carried out using Carbopol Ultrez 10 (a viscoplastic polymeric gel) and polymer–water balls. We selected an artificial neural network model as an example of a data-driven approach to predicting wave characteristics. We first validated the model by comparing it with best-fit empirical equations. Then, we applied the proposed model to two scenarios which run into difficulty when modeled using those empirical equations: (i) predicting wave features from subaerial landslide parameters at their initial stage (with the mass beginning to move down the slope) rather than from the parameters at impact; and (ii) predicting waves generated by different slide materials, specifically, viscoplastic slides, granular slides, and viscoplastic–granular mixtures. The method proposed here can easily be updated when new parameters or constraints are introduced into the model.
Estimation and Mapping of the Transmissivity of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer in the Kharga Oasis, Egypt
Authors: El-Rawy Mustafa , De Smedt Florimond
Published: February 2020

The Nubian sandstone aquifer is the only water source for domestic use and irrigation in the Kharga oasis, Egypt. In this study, 46 pumping tests are analyzed to estimate the transmissivity of the aquifer and to derive a spatial distribution map by geostatistical analysis and kriging interpolation. The resulting transmissivity values are log-normally distributed and spatially correlated over a distance of about 20 km. Representative values for the transmissivity are a geometric average of about 400 m2/d and a 95% confidence interval of 100–1475 m2/d. There is no regional trend in the spatial distribution of the transmissivity, but there are local clusters with higher or lower transmissivity values. The error map indicates that the highest prediction accuracy is obtained along the central north-south traffic route along which most agricultural areas and major well sites are located. This study can contribute to a better understanding of the hydraulic properties of the Nubian sandstone aquifer in the Kharga oasis for an effective management strategy.
Importance of Precipitation on the Upper Ocean Salinity Response to Typhoon Kalmaegi (2014)
Authors: Liu Fu , Zhang Han , Ming Jie , Zheng Jiayu , Tian Di , Chen Dake
Published: February 2020

Using multiple-satellite datasets, in situ observations, and numerical simulations, the influence of typhoon-induced precipitation on the oceanic response to Typhoon Kalmaegi has been discussed. It is found that the convective system and precipitation distribution of Kalmaegi was asymmetric, which leaded to the asymmetric rainfall at observational stations. The sea surface salinity (SSS) of the buoy to the right of storm track increased with a 0.176 practical salinity units (psu) maximal positive anomaly, while the two buoys on the left side underwent several desalination processes, with a maximum decreases of 0.145 psu and 0.278 psu. Numerical simulations with and without precipitation forcing were also performed. Model results showed that typhoon-induced precipitation can weaken sea surface cooling by approximately 0.03–0.40 °C and suppress the SSS increase by approximately 0.074–0.152 psu. The effect of precipitation can be divided into the direct effect and indirect effect. On one hand, freshwater from precipitation directly dilutes the salinity. On the other hand, when salinity decreases, the ocean stratification will be enhanced, the vertical mixing will be restrained, and then the temperature and salinity can be further affected by weakened vertical mixing.
Deriving a Bayesian Network to Assess the Retention Efficacy of Riparian Buffer Zones
Authors: Gericke Andreas , Nguyen Hong Hanh , Fischer Peter , Kail Jochem , Venohr Markus
Published: February 2020

Bayesian networks (BN) have increasingly been applied in water management but not to estimate the efficacy of riparian buffer zones (RBZ). Our methodical study aims at evaluating the first BN to predict the RBZ efficacy to retain sediment and nutrients (dissolved, total, and particulate nitrogen and phosphorus) from widely available variables (width, vegetation, slope, soil texture, flow pathway, nutrient form). To evaluate the influence of parent nodes and how the number of states affects prediction errors, we used a predefined general BN structure, collected 580 published datasets from North America and Europe, and performed classification tree analyses and multiple 10-fold cross-validations of different BNs. These errors ranged from 0.31 (two output states) to 0.66 (five states). The outcome remained unchanged without the least influential nodes (flow pathway, vegetation). Lower errors were achieved when parent nodes had more than two states. The number of efficacy states influenced most strongly the prediction error as its lowest and highest states were better predicted than intermediate states. While the derived BNs could support or replace simple design guidelines, they are limited for more detailed predictions. More representative data on vegetation or additional nodes like preferential flow will probably improve the predictive power.
Surfactant Modified Graphite Paste Electrode as an Electrochemical Sensor for the Enhanced Voltammetric Detection of Estriol with Dopamine and Uric acid
Authors: Charithra Madikeri Manjunath , Manjunatha Jamballi Gangadharappa Gowda , Raril Chenthattil
Published: February 2020

Purpose: Estriol (ERL) is a type of hormone among the groups of estrogen hormone that was detected through the voltammetric technique by constructing an electrochemical sensor based on the octoxynol-9 modified graphite paste electrode (OXL-9MGPE). Methods: Using the strategy of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) with a bare graphite paste electrode (BGPE) immobilized with OXL-9, ERL electro-oxidation has been assessed in 0.2 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS) of pH 6.0. The fabricated electrode has substantial electrochemical sensing efficiency, and the ERL oxidation at the OXL-9MGPE was the irreversible process. The surface morphological characteristics of BGPE and OXL-9MGPE were differentiated with the help of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Results: The impact of various factors such as scan rate, pH, reproducibility, repeatability, and stability on the electro-oxidation of ERL was evaluated. Techniques of CV and DPV were utilized to determine ERL, dopamine (DAN), and uric acid (URA) simultaneously with the projected sensor. The peak current was varied with ERL concentration in the range from 4×10-5 to 1.2×10-4 M at OXL-9MGPE. From this, the detection limit 1.4×10-6 M and limit of quantification (LOQ) 4.7×10-6 M have been attained. Conclusion: As a result, OXL-9MGPE was successfully achieved as an electrochemical detector for the electro analysis of ERL via the CV technique.
Helicobacter pylori Recombinant CagA Regulates Th1/Th2 Balance in a BALB/c Murine Model
Authors: Paydarnia Nafiseh , Mansoori Behzad , Esmaeili Davoud , Kazemi Tohid , Aghapour Mahyar , Hajiasgharzadeh Khalil , Alizadeh Nazila , Baradaran Behzad
Published: February 2020

Purpose: Helicobacter pylori is recognized as one of the prevalent causes of human gastricinfection. In the present study, the role of mixed immunization with H. pylori lipopolysaccharide(LPS) and recombinant cytotoxin-associated gene A (rCagA) as a stimulator of host immuneresponses was determined. Methods: BALB/c mice were immunized with different formulations by the systemic administrationat 14-day intervals. The effects of the formulations plus CpG adjuvants were assessed before andpost-immunization in separated studies. Moreover, the expression of Th1/Th2 cytokines wasquantified in sera of immunized mice using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR)test and the protein levels confirmed with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Finally, the specific antibody levels in sera were studied by ELISA and the tendency of cellularresponse was examined by IgG1/IgG2a ratio. Results: Data of Western blotting verified the presence of constructed protein. Analysisof lymphocyte proliferation showed that CpG-conjugated rCagA increases lymphocytesproliferation compared to the control group. Also, it was shown that formulations containing LPSand rCagA promote a Th1 response indicated by interferon-gamma expression and induced Th1/Th2 balance. Additionally, the specific IgG1, total IgG and IgG2a levels elevated in response toall treatments. Ultimately, the IgG2a/IgG1 ratio in the mice immunized with rCagA-containingformulations increased. Conclusion: These results indicated that rCagA protein carried with CpG adjuvant not onlymaintained its antigenicity throughout the experiment but also induced robust Th1-biasedimmune responses. Therefore, it holds promise for the production of an efficient vaccine againstH. pylori infection.