Consecutive Days In May Research Articles

Dietary risk of donated food at an Australian food bank: an audit protocol

BackgroundSufficient, safe and nutritious food is unattainable for many people experiencing severe food insecurity, putting them at dietary risk. Food banks, a growing part of the charitable food system (CFS), are the main source of food relief in developed countries. Donations of surplus, unsalable food from supermarkets, producers and manufacturers is the main source of the food supply, and this can be unpredictable, insufficient and inappropriate. The universal performance indicator of food-banking success is a weight-based measure, complemented by various initiatives to track the nutritional quality of food provided. There is currently no method that assesses the dietary risk of donated food related to nutrition and food safety. This protocol describes a method developed to identify and assess the dietary risk of donated food at an Australian food bank including the type, amount, nutrition quality, and food safety.MethodsAn audit of all food donated to a food bank servicing one Australian state was conducted over five consecutive days in May 2022. The audit process used a mobile device to take photographs of all incoming deliveries to the food bank. The images were manually annotated to document the type of food, product information (brand and product name, variety), the donor’s name, weight (kilograms), and date-marking details. Data was extracted from the photographs and assessed against pre-determined dietary risk criterion for food safety (date marking, damaged packaging, visible food spoilage) and nutrition quality according to the principles of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, and the NOVA classification of level of processing.DiscussionFifteen hundred images were required to assess the dietary risk of 86,050 kg of donated food. There were 72 separate donations, largely from supermarkets and food manufacturers. Data analysis will enable identification of dietary risk, particularly for nutrition quality and food safety. This is important given the absence of food regulation for CFS donations, and the vulnerability of the client group. This protocol highlights the need for more transparency and accountability from food donors, about the food they donate.

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT WINDOWS’ GLAZING TYPES ON ENERGY CONSUMPTION OF A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING IN A HOT-ARID CLIMATE “Case Study: Residential Building in New Cairo City”

The increasing energy consumption of residential buildings in Egypt which reached about 42% of total energy consumption in latest energy statistics, affirms the need for energy conscious design of buildings. Many researches aim at guiding new buildings design to be energy-efficient, however, retrofitting existing buildings can result in significant reductions in energy consumption. This paper outlined different window glass types led to a reduction in cooling loads via the building envelope for the existing building. This paper aims to evaluate the effect of changing windows glass types to reduce energy consumption in the hot arid climate of greater Cairo. The energy analysis carried out by employing advanced simulation via DesignBuilder software for a residential building located in Cairo; this case study analyzed the performance of seven different window glass types in a residential building facade in the different cardinal orientations. The model was validated by taking a field measurement to measure and quantify the temperature of a selected room taken within three consecutive days in May and June 2019 and compared to the simulation tool results, the average error percentage was 2.15%. The results of the simulation showed that changing glass type can reduce energy consumption by up to 18.8%, indicating the significance of energy efficient retrofitting of existing residential buildings.

Micro-arcsecond structure of Sagittarius A∗ revealed by high-sensitivity 86 GHz VLBI observations

Context. The compact radio source Sagittarius A∗ (Sgr A∗) in the Galactic centre is the primary supermassive black hole candidate. General relativistic magnetohydrodynamical (GRMHD) simulations of the accretion flow around Sgr A∗ predict the presence of sub-structure at observing wavelengths of ∼3 mm and below (frequencies of 86 GHz and above). For very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of Sgr A∗ at this frequency the blurring effect of interstellar scattering becomes sub-dominant, and arrays such as the high sensitivity array (HSA) and the global mm-VLBI array (GMVA) are now capable of resolving potential sub-structure in the source. Such investigations help to improve our understanding of the emission geometry of the mm-wave emission of Sgr A∗, which is crucial for constraining theoretical models and for providing a background to interpret 1 mm VLBI data from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). Aims. Following the closure phase analysis in our first paper, which indicates asymmetry in the 3 mm emission of Sgr A∗, here we have used the full visibility information to check for possible sub-structure. We extracted source size information from closure amplitude analysis, and investigate how this constrains a combined fit of the size-frequency relation and the scattering law for Sgr A∗. Methods. We performed high-sensitivity VLBI observations of Sgr A∗ at 3 mm using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) and the Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT) in Mexico on two consecutive days in May 2015, with the second epoch including the Greenbank Telescope (GBT). Results. We confirm the asymmetry for the experiment including GBT. Modelling the emission with an elliptical Gaussian results in significant residual flux of ∼10 mJy in south-eastern direction. The analysis of closure amplitudes allows us to precisely constrain the major and minor axis size of the main emission component. We discuss systematic effects which need to be taken into account. We consider our results in the context of the existing body of size measurements over a range of observing frequencies and investigate how well-constrained the size-frequency relation is by performing a simultaneous fit to the scattering law and the size-frequency relation. Conclusions. We find an overall source geometry that matches previous findings very closely, showing a deviation in fitted model parameters less than 3% over a time scale of weeks and suggesting a highly stable global source geometry over time. The reported sub-structure in the 3 mm emission of Sgr A∗ is consistent with theoretical expectations of refractive noise on long baselines. However, comparing our findings with recent results from 1 mm and 7 mm VLBI observations, which also show evidence for east-west asymmetry, we cannot exclude an intrinsic origin. Confirmation of persistent intrinsic substructure will require further VLBI observations spread out over multiple epochs.

Challenges and opportunities in using wastewater analysis to measure drug use in a small prison facility.

Wastewater analysis (WWA) is intended to be a direct and objective method of measuring substance use in large urban populations. It has also been used to measure prison substance use in two previous studies. The application of WWA in this context has raised questions as to how best it might be used to measure illicit drug use in prisons, and whether it can also be used to measure prescription misuse. We applied WWA to a small regional prison to measure the use of 12 licit and illicit substances. We attempted to measure the non-medical use of methadone and buprenorphine and to compare our findings with the results of the prison's mandatory drug testing (MDT). Representative daily composite samples were collected for two periods of 12 consecutive days in May to July 2013 and analysed for 18 drug metabolites. Prescription data and MDT results were obtained from the prison and compared with the substance use estimates calculated from WWA data. Daily use of methamphetamine, methadone, buprenorphine and codeine was detected, while sporadic detection of ketamine and methylone was also observed. Overall buprenorphine misuse appeared to be greater than methadone misuse. Compared with MDT, WWA provides a more comprehensive picture of prison substance use. WWA also has the potential to measure the misuse of medically prescribed substances. However, a great deal of care must be exercised in quantifying the usage of any substance in small populations, such as in prisons.

Use of Neutral Red in short-term sediment traps to distinguish between zooplankton swimmers and carcasses

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 505:107-117 (2014) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10775 Use of Neutral Red in short-term sediment traps to distinguish between zooplankton swimmers and carcasses Jami A. Ivory1, Kam W. Tang1,2,*, Kazutaka Takahashi3 1Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062, USA 2Department of Biosciences and Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research (CSAR), Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK 3Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan *Corresponding author: k.w.tang@swansea.ac.uk ABSTRACT: The presence of zooplankton swimmers and carcasses in sediment trap samples has long been a concern in particle flux studies. We successfully developed a protocol using the vital stain Neutral Red to distinguish between copepod swimmers and carcasses in conventional cylindrical sediment traps. Swimmers were stained red whereas carcasses were pale or unstained. The color distinction allowed easy quantification of the two. We subsequently used the protocol in Otsuchi Bay, Japan, on 4 consecutive days in May and again in July 2013. Carcasses were present in the sediment traps on all occasions, and calanoid and cyclopoid copepods accounted for 60.0-93.6% of all carcasses. Swimmers were 1-2 orders of magnitude more abundant than carcasses, with cyclopoid copepods accounting for up to 75.6% of all swimmers. Copepod carcass flux was negatively related to current velocity at the trap depth. Overall, inclusion of copepod carcasses added no more than 10% to the total particulate organic flux, whereas inclusion of swimmers increased the particulate carbon flux by as much as 87.4%. The low C:N ratio of the other trap materials suggests that sinking particles were a high-quality food source for the benthos in Otsuchi Bay. KEY WORDS: Swimmers · Carcasses · Sediment traps · Neutral Red · Particle flux Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Ivory JA, Tang KW, Takahashi K (2014) Use of Neutral Red in short-term sediment traps to distinguish between zooplankton swimmers and carcasses. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 505:107-117. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10775 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 505. Online publication date: May 28, 2014 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2014 Inter-Research.

Temporal and environmental effects on the behavior of Flightless Cormorants

Abstract Flightless Cormorants (Phalacrocorax harrisi), the only flightless members of their 27-member genus, are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The world population of <1,000 breeding pairs is restricted to scattered small colonies along the coastlines of Isla Fernandina and Isla Isabela, Galapagos, Ecuador. No previous study has systematically examined daily activity patterns by these birds in relation to environmental variables. We made half-hourly behavior scan counts at a colony of Flightless Cormorants at Cabo Douglas, Isla Fernandina during the daylight hours of 7 consecutive days in May 2011. We used generalized linear models and multi-model inference to examine the response of colony occupancy and behaviors to hour of day, height of tide, temperature, humidity, wind speed, barometric pressure, solar elevation, and solar flux. We show that the behavior of Flightless Cormorants during our period of study was shaped primarily by time of da...

Egg wash wastewater: Estrogenic risk or environmental asset?

Commercial production of eggs and egg products requires the washing of eggs to remove urinary-fecal material and broken egg residue. In the case of one Ohio farming facility, 1.6 million birds produce 1.4 million eggs per day, using approximately 50 mL of wash water/egg or approximately 70,000 L per day. The aqueous waste stream was evaluated for estrogenicity to determine if potential for endocrine disruption would result from agricultural application of such wastewater. Samples collected the Fall (October) of 2010 included: water from 2 egg washers operating in series, inlet pipe to the treatment lagoon, a lagoon composite, and products used within the facility in the cleaning of equipment and treatment of the waste. In February 2011, the treatment lagoon was fitted with an extensive aeration system and subsequent sample sets were collected on 3 consecutive days in May and November. Samples were extracted by solid phase extraction and assayed for estrogenic activity using the in vitro E-Screen assay. Raw untreated wastewater from the egg washers contained 17β-estradiol equivalents (E2 Eqs) ranging from 9 to 18 ng/L, pipe grab samples entering into the treatment lagoon ranged from <0.14 to 4.4 ng/L (variability related to time of emptying of egg wash tanks), whereas treatment lagoon water contained 0.3 to 4.0 ng/L E2 Eq. Addition of an aeration system to the treatment lagoon eliminated surface "frothing," reduced noxious odor emission, and E2 Eqs were lower than the pre-aeration concentrations (4 ng/L [n = 1, no statistical comparison possible] vs 0.3 to 1.4 ng/L in 2011). Because of matrix effects, estrogens were not quantifiable by LC-MS2 in even egg washwater extracts, at concentrations in which internal deuterated estrogen standards were quantifiable. Estrone and E2 parent ions were detected in egg washwater samples only, and confirmatory ion fragments were detected in only one of these samples. Estrogenicity of the wastewater from the treatment lagoon was already at the proposed aquatic no effect concentration for 17β-E2 and would be expected to decrease further as wastewater passes through 2 consecutive storage ponds before application on field crops for irrigation. The original project plan was to follow the wastewater as it was applied by aerial irrigation and concomitant surface runoff, but based on the consistent and extremely low concentration of estrogenic activity of the wastewater from the treatment lagoon, it was concluded that activity would be below limits of quantitation by E-Screen in water used for irrigation from the storage ponds. Use of egg wash wastewater--or gray water--to irrigate crops removes the cost and burden of wastewater treatment by the local wastewater plant, poses little to no potential threat of estrogenic endocrine disruption, and supports the conservation of water resources through the use of wastewater irrigation.

Multiwavelength VLBI observations of Sagittarius A*

The compact radio source Sgr\,A*, associated with the super massive black hole at the center of the Galaxy, has been studied with VLBA observations at 3 frequencies (22, 43, 86\,GHz) performed on 10 consecutive days in May 2007. The total VLBI flux density of Sgr\,A* varies from day to day. The variability is correlated at the 3 observing frequencies with higher variability amplitudes appearing at the higher frequencies. For the modulation indices, we find 8.4\,% at 22\,GHz, 9.3\,% at 43\,GHz, and 15.5\,% at 86\,GHz. The radio spectrum is inverted between 22 and 86\,GHz, suggesting inhomogeneous synchrotron self-absorption with a turnover frequency at or above 86\,GHz. The radio spectral index correlates with the flux density, which is harder (more inverted spectrum) when the source is brighter. The average source size does not appear to be variable over the 10-day observing interval. However, we see a tendency for the sizes of the minor axis to increase with increasing total flux, whereas the major axis remains constant. Towards higher frequencies, the position angle of the elliptical Gaussian increases, indicative of intrinsic structure, which begins to dominate the scatter broadening. At cm-wavelength, the source size varies with wavelength as $\lambda^{2.12\pm0.12}$, which is interpreted as the result of interstellar scatter broadening. After removal of this scatter broadening, the intrinsic source size varies as $\lambda^{1.4 ... 1.5}$. The VLBI closure phases at 22, 43, and 86\,GHz are zero within a few degrees, indicating a symmetric or point-like source structure. In the context of an expanding plasmon model, we obtain an upper limit of the expansion velocity of about 0.1\,c from the non-variable VLBI structure. This agrees with the velocity range derived from the radiation transport modeling of the flares from the radio to NIR wavelengths.}

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome and Postoperative Complications

To determine whether high risk scores on preoperative STOP-BANG (Snoring, Tiredness during daytime, Observed apnea, high blood Pressure, Body mass index, Age, Neck circumference, Gender) questionnaires during preoperative evaluation correlated with a higher rate of complications of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Historical cohort study. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Adult patients undergoing elective surgery at a tertiary care center who were administered the STOP-BANG questionnaire for 3 consecutive days in May 2008. Number and types of complications. A total of 135 patients were included in the study, of whom 56 (41.5%) had high risk scores for OSAS. The mean (SD) age of patients was 57.9 (14.4) years; 60 (44.4%) were men. Patients at high risk of OSAS had a higher rate of postoperative complications compared with patients at low risk (19.6% vs 1.3%; P < .001). Age, American Society of Anesthesiologists class of 3 or higher, and obesity were associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications. On multivariate analysis, high risk of OSAS and American Society of Anesthesiologists class 3 or higher were associated with higher odds of complications. The STOP-BANG questionnaire is useful for preoperative identification of patients at higher than normal risk for surgical complications, probably because it identifies patients with occult OSAS.

In-Vehicle Exposures to Particulate Matter and Black Carbon

In-vehicle exposures to particulate matter (PM) and black carbon (BC) can be a significant part of personal total exposure. The purpose of this study was to identify determinants of the in-vehicle pollutant level. This study measured in-vehicle exposure to PM number concentrations using an aerosol spectrometer and BC concentration by an aethalometer. The measurement was repeated 3 times a day for 13 consecutive days in May 2007 while a vehicle was driven on a 1-hr predetermined route in Lexington, KY. The vehicle’s windows were closed, its fan was operated at the lowest setting, and air conditioning and heating were off. The average speed of all runs was 37 ± 5.8 km/hr. Arithmetic mean PM1 (particle sizes ±1 μm in aerodynamic diameter) number and BC concentrations were 286 #/cm3 (morning, 302 #/cm3; afternoon, 270 #/cm3; evening, 287 #/cm3) and 1.9 μg/m3 (morning, 2.5 μg/m3; afternoon, 1.6 μg/m3; evening, 1.5 μg/m3), respectively. Average PM and BC concentrations increased during weekdays and decreased during weekends, and PM1 number and BC concentrations were highest in the morning. Particle size distribution for PM1 did not differ with time of day, but the concentration of PM1-10 (particle sizes between 1 and 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter) was higher in the evening and lower in the morning. Peak PM1 number concentrations were observed when the test vehicle approached busy crossroads. In-vehicle PM and BC concentrations were associated with time of the day and location, whereas the in-vehicle 1-hr PM number concentrations were closely associated with distant ambient PM2.5 (particle sizes ±2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter) concentrations measured at a stationary monitoring site. The findings suggested that in-vehicle exposure is associated with surrounding traffic.

Association of Traffic-Related Air Pollution with Children’s Neurobehavioral Functions in Quanzhou, China

BackgroundWith the increase of motor vehicles, ambient air pollution related to traffic exhaust has become an important environmental issue in China. Because of their fast growth and development, children are more susceptible to ambient air pollution exposure. Many chemicals from traffic exhaust, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and lead, have been reported to show adverse effects on neurobehavioral functions. Several studies in China have suggested that traffic exhaust might affect neurobehavioral functions of adults who have occupational traffic exhaust exposure. However, few data have been reported on the effects on neurobehavioral function in children.ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to explore the association between traffic-related air pollution exposure and its effects on neurobehavioral function in children.MethodsThis field study was conducted in Quanzhou, China, where two primary schools were chosen based on traffic density and monitoring data of ambient air pollutants. School A was located in a clear area and school B in a polluted area. We monitored NO2 and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm as indicators for traffic-related air pollution on the campuses and in classrooms for 2 consecutive days in May 2005. The children from second grade (8–9 years of age) and third grade (9–10 years of age) of the two schools (n = 928) participated in a questionnaire survey and manual-assisted neurobehavioral testing. We selected 282 third-grade children (school A, 136; school B, 146) to participate in computer-assisted neurobehavioral testing. We conducted the fieldwork between May and June 2005. We used data from 861 participants (school A, 431; school B, 430) with manual neurobehavioral testing and from all participants with computerized testing for data analyses.ResultsMedia concentrations of NO2 in school A and school B campus were 7 μg/m3 and 36 μg/m3, respectively (p < 0.05). The ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that, after controlling the potential confounding factors, participants living in the polluted area showed poor performance on all testing; differences in results for six of nine tests (66.7%) achieved statistical significance: Visual Simple Reaction Time with preferred hand and with nonpreferred hand, Continuous Performance, Digit Symbol, Pursuit Aiming, and Sign Register.ConclusionWe found a significant relationship between chronic low-level traffic-related air pollution exposure and neurobehavioral function in exposed children. More studies are needed to explore the effects of traffic exhaust on neurobehavioral function and development.

Amélioration de l’information médicale des patients : intérêt pour un service d’ophtalmologie de disposer d’un site Internet

In order to improve medical information for the patients consulting at the Department of Ophthalmology, an Internet website was set up. We wanted to estimate the rate of patients connecting to this website. Then we evaluated how the patients could draw a benefit from visiting this Internet site. Prospective study of the patients seen in the department of ophthalmology over 4 consecutive days in May 2007. The first questionnaire was distributed to all patients and completed in the department. The second one was given only to the patients equipped with a broadband Internet connection and was to be completed at home after having visited the website. Six hundred twenty-one patients were admitted to the department during the period; 510 (82%) were included in the study. Among them, 382 (74.9%) responded to the first questionnaire. The broadband connection rate was 42.5%, 74.5% of these patients took an interest in our site, and 64.6% thought of visiting it. Forty-two (29%) responded to the second questionnaire. After having visited the site, 61.2% of the patients felt that their medical information was improved, 71.8% rated the quality of the site as good, and 87.9% would recommend this site to their relatives. This type of website is liable to efficiently supplement the information provided by the Ophthalmology Department doctors. It justifies the time and staff investment necessary for its operation.

The 2004 Australian prison entrants' blood‐borne virus and risk behaviour survey

To assess the prevalence of blood-borne viruses and associated risk factors among prison entrants at seven Australian prisons across four States. Consecutive cross-sectional design. Voluntary confidential testing of all prison entrants for serological markers of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis B (HBV) over 14 consecutive days in May 2004. Demographic data and data related to risks for blood-borne virus transmission, such as sexual activity, body piercing, tattooing, and injecting drug use, were collected. National prevalence for HIV was 1%, hepatitis B core antibody 20%, and hepatitis C antibody 34%. Fifty-nine per cent of participants had a history of injecting drug use. Among injecting drug users, the prevalence of HIV was 1%, hepatitis C antibody 56%, and hepatitis B core antibody 27%. Forty-one per cent of those screened reported a previous incarceration. In the multivariate model, Queensland and Western Australian (WA) prison entrants were significantly less likely to test positive to HCV than those in New South Wales (NSW). Amphetamine was the most commonly injected drug in Queensland, Tasmania and WA. In NSW, heroin was the most common drug injected. In the multivariate analysis a history of injecting drug use, being aged 30 years or more, and a prior incarceration were positively associated with hepatitis C infection. For hepatitis B core antibody, age over 30 years and a history of injecting drug use were associated with an increased risk. The findings support the view that prisoner populations are vulnerable to blood-borne virus infection, particularly hepatitis B and C. Prisoner populations should be included in routine surveillance programs so as to provide a more representative picture of blood-borne virus epidemiology in Australia.

The influence of highway traffic on ambient nitrogen dioxide concentrations beyond the immediate vicinity of highways

The objective of these analyses was to determine whether highways significantly influence ambient concentrations of NO 2 at distances greater than 200 m. NO 2 was sampled for 14 consecutive days in May 2003 at 67 sites across Montréal, Canada. The association between logarithmic concentrations of NO 2 and land-use variables was assessed using multiple regressions. Locations less than 100 m from the nearest highways were excluded, leaving 61 data points. Then, locations less than 200 m were excluded, leaving 55 data points. Excluding sampling locations located less than 100 or 200 m from the nearest highway did not substantially change the regression parameters. NO 2 was still significantly associated with both the distance from nearest highway and the traffic count on the nearest highway. These findings indicate that the negative association found between distance from highways and NO 2 concentration in several land-use regression studies in Europe and North America was not generated solely by the high concentrations found in the immediate vicinity of highways.

Influence of Chronotype, Season, and Sex of Subject on Sleep Behavior of Young Adults

The aim of this study was to investigate whether sex, season, and/or chronotype influence the sleep behavior of university students. Detailed data were collected on activity/rest patterns by wrist actigraphy combined with diaries. Thirty‐four medical students (19 female and 15 male) were monitored by Actiwatch® actometers for 15 consecutive days in May and again in November. The data of a modified Horne and Östberg chronotype questionnaire, which were collected from 1573 female and 1124 male medical school students surveyed in the spring and autumn over an eight‐year period, were evaluated. Actiwatch® sleep analysis software was used to process the activity data with statistical analyses performed with ANOVA. We found no significant sex‐specific differences in sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, or actual sleep‐time duration. However, we did find a difference in sleep efficiency between morning and evening types, with morning types having a higher sleep efficiency (87.9%, SD=1.3) than evening types (84.3%, SD=0.87%; p=0.007). Seasonal differences were also detected: the actual sleep‐time duration in autumn was significantly longer (mean 6.9 h, SD=0.13 h) than in spring (6.6 h, SD=0.1 h; p=0.013). Evaluation of the chronotype questionnaire data showed that individuals with no special preference for morningness or eveningness (i.e., so‐called intermediates) were most common. The distribution of chronotypes was related to the sex of subject. Men displayed eveningness significantly more often than women (28.9% males vs. 20.8% females; p<0.001), while females exhibited greater morningness (20.3% females vs.15.6% males; p<0.001). Sex influences chronotype distribution, but not actual sleep time‐duration, sleep onset latency, or sleep efficiency. The latter, however, differed among chronotypes, while actual sleep‐time duration was affected by season.

RATAN-600 Observations of Unusual Inversion of Polarization in Sunspot Associated Microwave Sources

We have discovered unusual inversion of circular polarization in both components of an active region. We have observed the region for six consecutive days in May 96 using the RATAN-600 radio telescope with high polarization accuracy up to 0.5 %. The observations were taken in the range of 1.7 to 30 cm. At short wavelengths the circular polarization scans revealed a bipolar structure, expected since the magnetic field is bipolar. However, for all six days and while the region was moving from the center of the disk to the west limb, the circular polarization dropped practically to zero at 14.5 cm and at longer wavelengths the sense of the polarization was reversed.

Investigation of short‐period gravity waves with the Lindenberg 482 MHz tropospheric wind profiler

AbstractDuring four consecutive days in May 2001, convectively forced short‐period (6–45 min) gravity waves were observed with a 482 MHz wind profiler, which is continuously operated by the Deutscher Wetterdienst (German Weather Service) at the Lindenberg observatory, 60 km south‐east of Berlin. The objective of this campaign was to investigate onset and development of convectively forced gravity waves in the lower and middle troposphere. The wave character could be unambiguously identified by simultaneous vertical wind and temperature measurements and their respective phase shift of π/2. In accordance with previous findings, convection waves were found to be generated at the top of the convective boundary layer. They propagate predominantly horizontally with a slow but clearly recognizable vertical increase of wave activity. The layer with significant wave activity reached the upper detection range at 7.0 km within a couple of hours on each of the observational days. Gravity wave activity started to decay after 16 UTC with a slower rate than the simultaneously decaying forcing convection. Some wave activity remained during the night but at low amplitude levels. The vertical wind energy component of the free atmosphere was found to be about 30% of the corresponding convective boundary layer (CBL) energy, which is much more than previously reported values from numerical simulations. The wavelet analysis of highly resolved wind profiler vertical velocity data (Δt = 16 s, Δz = 250 m) in the boundary layer and free troposphere gives new insights into the temporal and vertical development of very‐short‐period convection waves through the troposphere. At the CBL top, a broad spectrum of wave scales with intrinsic periods between 6 and 45 min is generated. With increasing height, shorter scales (T ≤ 13 min) disappear and only longer ones remain. Wave trapping, which is confirmed by vertically orientated phase lines, is an important mechanism here. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society

Levels and behavior of 2-phenylbenzotoriazole-type mutagens in the effluent of a sewage treatment plant

We previously reported on the isolation and structural determination of five 2-phenylbenzotriazole (PBTA)-type mutagens (PBTA-1, PBTA-2, PBTA-3, PBTA-4 and PBTA-6) in blue rayon/cotton adsorbed substances collected from surface waters at sites located downstream of sewage treatment plants. We also noted that PBTA-1 and PBTA-2 were discharged from sewage treatment plants and subsequently diluted or decomposed while moving down the Yodo River system. However, it has not been investigated whether they are commonly discharged from sewage treatment plants into rivers. The main purpose of this study was to make a comprehensive survey of levels and behavior of PBTA-type mutagens in effluents discharged from the sewage treatment plant located along the bank of the Uji River, one tributary of the Yodo River system. Water samples were collected at the outlet of the sewage treatment plant for 16 consecutive days in May 1999 and 11 consecutive days in December 1999. Organic constituents were obtained via sorption to blue rayon and subsequent methanol elution. Extract mutagenic activity was measured using Salmonella typhimurium YG1024 with metabolic activation. PBTA-type mutagens (PBTA-1, PBTA-2, PBTA-3, PBTA-4, PBTA-5 and PBTA-6) were quantified by HPLC with electrochemical detection, followed by HPLC purification on reverse-phase columns. The study showed that PBTA-2, PBTA-3, PBTA-4 and PBTA-6 were detected in most samples. The total contribution of these four PBTA-type mutagens to overall extract mutagenicity is on average 33% for the May 1999 sample and 58% for the December 1999 sample. The individual PBTA compounds that had the largest contribution to the overall mutagenicity were PBTA-3 and PBTA-4, accounting for 11 and 16% in May 1999, and 25 and 26% in December 1999. A further comparative study was done in December 1999 using the blue rayon hanging method and the results were similar to those obtained using the blue rayon column method. In conclusion, the present study showed that PBTA-2, PBTA-3, PBTA-4 and PBTA-6 were commonly discharged from a sewage treatment plant into the Uji River, and they accounted for a substantial portion of the effluent mutagenicity.

Reliability of a single fecal egg per gram determination as a measure of individual and herd values for trichostrongyle nematodes of cattle

Abstract Objectives To determine precision of a single fecal egg count, to evaluate the necessity of repeated testing to ascertain the number of parasite eggs found per gram of fecal material (EPG) of a given animal, and to infer the number of cattle that must be sampled to estimate the mean EPG value of a given herd. Design Calves born in 4 successive years were tested for 3 consecutive days in May, July, and September to determine their fecal EPG value. Results were analyzed to determine important sources of variance in the EPG values. Animals 427 Black Angus calves. Procedures Nematode EPG values were determined by zinc sulfate flotation of fecal samples taken from the rectum. Variance components were estimated by restricted maximal likelihood procedures. Results The largest source of variation in fecal egg counts arose from differences among calves. Variation associated with sampling within calf was larger than that associated with year of sampling or day when samples were taken. Repeatability of EPG determinations was between 0.4 and 0.7. Conclusions Collection of 3 replicate samples reduced variance associated with a single calf mean by 25 to 30%. Additional replication would further reduce the variance, but at a diminishing rate. To accurately estimate mean EPG for a herd, a randomly drawn sample should be similar in composition to the herd and include at least 1 animal from the high EPG group, which often constitutes 15 to 20% of the calves. To ensure that, on average, 95% of the samples drawn contain 1 or more animals with high EPG, the sample must include 15 to 20 animals within the grazing group under study.

An assessment of air quality in Karachi, Pakistan

An atmospheric pollution survey was carried out at 13 sites in Karachi, Pakistan, simultaneously from 0600 h to 2100 h for 15 consecutive days in May 1990 which also included meteorological measurements. The monitoring sites were included along the prevailing wind patterns in Karachi. Carbon monoxide levels in the ambient air were found to reach 9-10 ppm along the busy urban streets whereas CO2 level exceeded 370 ppm in these areas. Our survey indicates that NO2 levels were exceeding U.S. ambient air quality standards. Maxmum NO2 concentrations were observed (0.3-0.5 ppm) during the daytime from 0600 h to 2100 h. The surface ozone maximum around noon at the inland sites reached the levels of 40 ppb and 50 ppb respectively compared to upwind coastal Sites 1 level of 25 ppb. The Pb concentrations were approximately 3- to 7-fold higher than average, which corresponded well to urban air. Fossil fuel SO4 (excess) and NO3 were apportionally based on the assumption that these two anions were present as (NH4)2SO4, and NH4NO3 in the aerosols. In the eastern part of the city atmospheric sulphate (SO4) shows the combustion of coal as its source from the vicinity and downwind of a steel manufacturing plant.