Period Of Intense Activity Research Articles

Ashfall characteristics and development of the ash monitoring network during three decades of the long-lived eruption of Popocatépetl Volcano, México

A long-lived eruption of Popocatépetl volcano in central México has produced almost continuous ash fall on the populated areas for 30 years. The eruptive phase that began in 1994, has been characterized since 1996 by the growth of about 90 subsequent crater domes and their destruction that has produced most of the ongoing ash emissions. Since the beginning of the ash emission in 1994, we designed, established, and maintained an ash-sampling network of more than 200 sites around the volcano. This sampling network has been improved over the years and there are currently also 19 automated samplers, that we describe in this manuscript. This ash sampling network is part of the Popocatépetl monitoring system run by Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). The sampling sites that are distributed over an area of ∼8000 km2 where ash fall occurs, involve collection of ash over 0.4 cm2 and 1 m2 areas during ash emission events associated with plumes over 1 km high. Community participation has greatly enhanced both, ash sample collection efficiency and public awareness.Growth and destruction of lava domes are variable over time, with growth times that could last up to weeks and residence times ranging from days to months, producing frequent ash emissions. There have been about 1225 ash emissions >1 km high, of these, 110 have been identified with ash columns from 3 to 13 km high above the crater (8.5–18.5 km asl), some of which has produced abundant ash fall in nearby populations. Ashfall has been distributed in all directions around the volcano up to 2 50 km from the crater but dominantly in the east and northeast direction. The total minimum volume of non-compacted ash emitted over these three decades is >149 × 106 m3 while the estimated total volume of lava emitted in the form of domes is >70 × 106 m3.The average ash mass load is 32 g/m2 and the ash is commonly deposited <30 km from the crater and up to 250 g/m2 have been deposited in periods of intense activity. Ash grainsizes range from coarse to extremely fine (MdPhi 1–6) with up to 37% of particles smaller than 10 μm and up to 10% smaller than 2.5 μm. Medium lapilli (MdPhi −3) was ejected during a sub Plinian event in 2001.Ash emission is common in both dome growth and destruction phases, as well as in the clearing of the conduits during explosive phases in the absence of domes. Vitreous lithic fragments are produced by fragmentation of the degassed lava domes in the vent. Higher amounts of vesicular clasts, individual glass particles and crystals, on the other hand, are associated with magma ascent into a more open vent. The higher percentage of accidental lithic particles is linked to clearing of the vent.

Changing magma recharge/discharge dynamics during the 2020–22 lava fountaining activity at Mt. Etna revealed by tilt deformation and volcanic tremor

Mt. Etna exhibited 62 lava fountaining events between December 13, 2020 and February 21, 2022. We analyzed tilt deformations and volcanic tremor amplitude time series, to characterize both eruptions and the preceding preparatory phases in terms of magnitude and speed of development of the volcanic phenomena, as well as to reconstruct the processes that took place inside the plumbing system and drove this intense period of activity. Based on deflation amplitudes associated with lava fountains and according with other retrieved parameters (i.e., magnitude of inflations, inflation and deflation velocities and volcanic tremor amplitudes), three periods have been distinguished. Period I displays higher values of all the aforementioned parameters, interpreted as conspicuous volumes of volatile-rich magma transferred towards the surface. Period II shows lower values evidencing lack of important new injections of magma from depth, whereas period III reveals a general increasing trend possibly related to gas flushing from magma residing in deeper portions of the plumbing system. Detailed elaborations of tilt signals allowed the identification of short-lived inflations accompanying the early stages of lava fountains during period II. Our results reveal significant correlations between amplitude and velocity of tilt and volcanic tremor signals associated with lava fountains and evidence the crucial role of gas in the inflation-deflation cycles.

Supporting tactical harvest planning decisions of major fruits through a multi-objective modeling approach by using exact methods

An important stage of the agri-food supply chain is production (agricultural practices and harvesting), where relevant decisions are made in a short period of intensive activity. Regarding the major fruit supply chain, the complexity of these decisions increases because most fruit export companies manage several orchards with different fruit species and varieties. Moreover, the amount of labor and resources must be estimated at least two months in advance of the harvest so that they can be relied upon during the harvest season. In this study, a multi-objective modeling approach for supporting tactical harvest planning decisions of major fruits is developed, aiming to evidence its adequacy and to identify different harvest plans according to the prioritized objectives. Therefore, a multi-objective linear programming (MOLP) model, which considers three conflicting objectives, is proposed. The three objectives correspond to minimizing harvest costs, fruit loss and harvest days. For solving the MOLP model, five a posteriori multi-objective exact methods are compared using a synthetic instance based on a real case. The Pareto frontiers obtained by these methods are analyzed using three metrics related to accuracy, cardinality, and diversity criteria, so that the most suitable method can be selected. Thus, the selected method is applied to an actual case study of a Chilean fruit export company. In addition, the ε-constraint method is used in this case study to compare the obtention of non-dominated solutions in the convex and non-convex regions of the Pareto frontier. The results show that harvest plans vary significantly according to the prioritization of the objective functions. Thus, the percentage difference between each objective function’s worst and best values is around 497% when the harvest costs are minimized, around 1,448% when the fruit loss is minimized, and around 18% when the number of harvest days is minimized. In addition, the adequacy of the multi-objective approach rather than the mono-objective approach to support tactical harvest planning decisions is demonstrated. Furthermore, a scenario analysis for considering changes in the harvest periods is carried out by considering three possible scenarios. This analysis is required because these periods can change every year due to different factors, such as weather conditions and agricultural practices, among others. The results show that the harvest costs and fruit loss increase, on average, 87% and 100%, respectively, when the harvest period is short, that is, one day. Finally, managerial insights about the information obtained by the MOLP model are discussed.

OS Scheduling

In any system that multiplexes resources, the problem of scheduling what computations run where and when is perhaps the most fundamental. Yet, like many other essential problems in computing (e.g., query optimization in databases), academic research in scheduling moves like a pendulum, with periods of intense activity followed by periods of dormancy when it is considered a "solved" problem. These three papers make significant contributions to an ongoing effort to develop better scheduling policies for modern computing systems. The papers highlight the need for better, more efficient, and more flexible OS schedulers; open up new areas of research; and demonstrate the importance of continued development and innovation in OS scheduling policies.

Male blue wildebeest increase activity during the rut, but not at the expense of rest

Rest is a state of adaptive inactivity that increases the efficiency of activity by regulating its timing and reducing energy use when activity is not beneficial. Thus, animals can go without rest when specific demands, such as mating, favour being awake. Sexually active male blue wildebeest (bulls) are typically territorial, and it has been reported that when a bull is protecting a harem during the mating season (rut), he neither eats nor rests. We examined the daily activity and inactivity patterns of dominant bulls by means of actigraphy for 3 months, which included the rut. We also measured faecal androgen metabolite (fAM) levels and subcutaneous temperature, both of which have variances known to delineate the rut. During the rut, wildebeest bulls experienced higher levels of activity, fAM, and a greater daily range of subcutaneous temperature. Despite previous reports, the male blue wildebeest rested daily during the rut, and while the amount of rest was low, it was not substantially lower than prior to the rut. The amount of time spent inactive increased substantially after the rut. The timing of daily activity and inactivity patterns did not vary substantially across the recording period. Across the recording period, the average daily ambient temperatures decreased (seasonality), and the subcutaneous temperature followed this pattern, although it was not as marked. It appears that in the post-rut period a substantive increase in time spent at rest occurs, potentially allowing the wildebeest bulls time to recover following a period of intense activity.

The Islamic Conquest or Flooding? Sasanian Settlements and Irrigation Systems Collapse in Mughan, Iranian Azerbaijan

ABSTRACT Contrary to the earlier notions that attributed the transformation of the Near East in the mid-7th century a.d. to war and the Islamic Arab conquest, recently the role of the climate is also being underscored. Archaeological investigation of the Sasanian landscape in the Mughan Steppe, Iranian Azerbaijan, contributes to a growing body of data documenting the urban collapse affected by environmental factors during Late Antiquity. Using results from surveys and excavations at Ultan Qalası, we focus on the possible correlation between flooding and settlement collapse during the Sasanian era in the Mughan Steppe. In addition, we draw on available CORONA imagery. The results from archaeological investigations indicate that almost all of the Sasanian settlements and irrigation systems were abandoned after a period of intense activity. We argue that the flooding and further riverbed incisions of the Aras River was one of the causes of the abandonment.

The distinct roles of calcium in rapid control of neuronal glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle.

When neurons engage in intense periods of activity, the consequent increase in energy demand can be met by the coordinated activation of glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. However, the trigger for glycolytic activation is unknown and the role for Ca2+ in the mitochondrial responses has been debated. Using genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors and NAD(P)H autofluorescence imaging in acute hippocampal slices, here we find that Ca2+ uptake into the mitochondria is responsible for the buildup of mitochondrial NADH, probably through Ca2+ activation of dehydrogenases in the TCA cycle. In the cytosol, we do not observe a role for the Ca2+/calmodulin signaling pathway, or AMPK, in mediating the rise in glycolytic NADH in response to acute stimulation. Aerobic glycolysis in neurons is triggered mainly by the energy demand resulting from either Na+ or Ca2+ extrusion, and in mouse dentate granule cells, Ca2+ creates the majority of this demand.

Production of high-protein biscuits for people with increased physical activity

People whose professional activity is associated with high energy consumption have a completely different lifestyle, unusual for the average person engaged in mental activity. They are directly related to one thing in common - high levels of physical activity. This leads to a large expenditure of the body's own energy and the breakdown of muscle tissue. To maintain the optimal state of a person during a period of intense activity, it is necessary to replenish energy costs in order to avoid the development of an extreme state, which is characterized by a severe state of the body, which develops under the influence of extreme emergency factors of the external and internal environments and is characterized by significant disorders of the body's vital functions. The article discusses issues related to rations for people with increased physical activity in extreme situations. Despite the fact that on the food market for people with increased physical activity there is a wide range of various snacks that are part of pocket and dry rations, one of the important tasks is to develop a modern food product that provides an increase in nutritional value. The existing rations are of insufficient nutritional value. The solution to this problem is possible through new technologies. The most promising are finely ground mixtures of various vegetables and fruits in combination with grain products. The creation of a new product in the form of a mixture for biscuits will expand the range of functional products and increase the profit of enterprises, since sales of such products in 2019 amounted to 274 billion rubles, which is 16 billion rubles more than in 2018. Biscuits from a multicomponent mixture with a high-grade protein in the composition will allow you to quickly restore the energy consumption of highly active people.

Endocrine regulation of periparturient behaviour in pigs

Pigs begin behavioural preparations for birth about 1-2 days before parturition. Prepartum sows wander to select a suitable site and then construct a maternal nest. The signal that initiates this behavioural cascade probably results from fetal maturation but is unknown. However, endogenous PGF2a appears to be involved early on in an endocrine pathway that projects to the brain and can generate most of the prepartum behavioural components. This period of intense activity is followed by a quiescent phase of lying in the nest for some hours before fetal ejection occurs. Feedback from a completed nest or abdominal discomfort may both contribute to the end of nest building. In the postpartum phase, sows have to deal with the apparently conflicting drives of remaining passive to reduce accidental or deliberate damage to piglets, while at the same time responding actively to their needs. In commercial environments, animals frequently fail in this task. Although environmental influences on piglet survival have received much experimental attention, the genetic, social and endocrine drives that control sow behaviour after parturition remain poorly understood and their clarification is a major challenge for the future

Optimizing tactical harvest planning for multiple fruit orchards using a metaheuristic modeling approach

In a fruit harvest season, the fruit must be collected during a relatively short period of intense activity. Moreover, large fruit export companies commonly manage multiple orchards where the resources and labor are shared, making the decision process more complex. In this study, we address this harvest problem by proposing a mixed integer linear programming model for supporting tactical decisions during the harvest season in order to reduce total costs. This includes costs related to the fruit not reaching maturity and the number of harvest days. Due to the difficulty of solving this model optimally when real cases are considered, we developed a GRASP metaheuristic method. We compared the GRASP metaheuristic solution to the best integer solution obtained by an exact method using a real case. We observed that the metaheuristic produced a solution in less computational time than the best integer solution. The total costs obtained by the GRASP metaheuristic were two percent greater than the total cost obtained by the best integer solution. Additionally, we analyzed two scenarios to establish if the joint resource planning of the orchards would allow a cost reduction. The GRASP metaheuristic provides orchard managers with a harvest plan in a timely manner and adds greater flexibility to the decision process. The proposed model can be used to plan the harvesting of a variety of fresh fruits.

A Study to Correlate the Vertical Jump Test and Wingate Cycle Test as a Method to Assess Anaerobic Power in Football Players

Background and Objectives: Anaerobic energy production is extremely important in football as it provides energy at a very high rate during periods of intense activity in a match. The Wingate cycle ergometer test and vertical jump tests have been used to assess anaerobic power in athletes for the purpose of providing vital information regarding anaerobic performance of athletes for given sports. The objective was to correlate vertical jump test with Wingate anaerobic test as a method to assess anaerobic power in football players. Method: 100 football athletes with mean age of 17.18 +1.95 (SD) years were selected. Anthropometric measurements, the vertical jump test and Wingate cycle ergometer test were performed. Peak and mean anaerobic power were determined. Results: Data were analyzed by using SPSS software 14.00 by Pearson Correlation coefficient which showed significant moderately positive correlation between peak power (r = 0.220, p< 0.05) & mean power (r = 0.263, p < 0.05) of vertical jump test and Wingate test. Conclusion: The result suggested that vertical jump tests can be accept as field measures of anaerobic power instead of laboratory-based Wingate anaerobic test in football players.

Spiritual Injuries—An Australian Defence Force Experience

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has recently completed a significant two-decade long series of major international deployments. With this has come a much greater awareness of the post deployment impact on veterans of operational service. This period of intense activity has also brought into focus, the emerging impact of Spiritual Injuries on personnel. Whilst this is sometimes addressed under the broader heading of Moral Injuries, there are range of distinct issues that require further attention. Not all veterans have a religious affiliation, faith and spiritual beliefs. For those that do, unresolved challenges to this schema can lead to mental health issues and broader affects to their overall well-being. This area is not currently being addressed by the ADF, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or indeed any of the major church or faith organisations within Australia. As such veterans are leaving the ADF and entering what is effectively a spiritual “grey zone” where there is little to no guidance and help available in spiritual or faith issues.

Trend and prospect of the magnetic surgery

Reviewing the development history of magnetic surgery in the past 40 years, it has obtained plentiful achievements. By means of the magnetic surgery, a number of sophisticated clinical problems are solved, and some basic surgical operations are optimized, showing good development prospect. The theoretical knowledge system of magnetic surgery has been established, and it enriches the surgical system, and cultivates a group of medical-engineering professionals. The representative achievements of the magnetic surgery are as below. The related basic researches and clinical researches are becoming more comprehensive in breadth and depth, and the rate of transformation of the research achievements is gradually increasing. Additionally, the magnetic surgery practically serves the clinic and benefits the patients. With the deepening of the basic research and the expansion of medical-engineering cross, magnetic surgery has shown huge development space and has accumulated the potential to lead several surgical techniques to change. At present, global scientific and technological innovation has entered an unprecedented period of intensive activity, and a new round of technological revolution and industrial change is restructuring the global innovation landscape and reshaping the global economic structure. Today, the concept of precision surgery, that safe, efficient, minimally invasive, and maximum benefits for patients, has put forward higher requirements for surgical instruments and equipment. Although the surgical energy equipment and instruments, especially original instruments and equipment, has not achieved tremendous development yet, magnetic surgery pays more attention to original innovation and integrated innovation. It is expected to follow the trend driven by innovation and become an emerging branch of surgery. Therefore, this article aims to briefly review the history of the development of magnetic surgery, focusing on the future development trends and directions of magnetic surgery. In the history of the development of magnetic surgery for more than 40 years, the achievements of magnetic surgery research was observed chronologically. We have concluded that the current development of magnetic surgery has the following four trends. Firstly, the basic research on magnetic surgery and research on magnetic materials are getting more thorough. Secondly, the applied research on magnetic surgery is getting deeper. Thirdly, the cross of science and technology related to magnetic medicine is getting closer. Fourthly, the transformation of achievement of magnetic surgery research is getting faster and faster. In addition, we discusse and summarize three potential development directions of magnetic surgery in the next few years. Firstly, new magnetic materials lead to new applications on surgery, such as magnetic hydrogel software robot used in interventional operation and the application of light-curable magnetic materials used in the endoscopic surgery. Secondly, magnetic materials can be combined with other elements to solve complex surgical problems. For instance, magnet and gel will be combined to achieve rapid liver transplantation, and hard magnet combined with soft magnetic solution for treating the refractory constipation. Thirdly, the new application scenarios of magnetic surgery will be discovered and expanded. For example, the magnetic damping technique used to treat nystagmus. In summary, magnetic surgery shows a good development trend, and there are still huge development prospects and directions in the future. We hope that the magnetic surgery will continue to develop and achieve great achievements in the future.

100 ЛЕТ БОЛЬШОГО ПУТИ. НИЖЕГОРОДСКИЙ НИИ ЭПИДЕМИОЛОГИИ И МИКРОБИОЛОГИИ ИМ. АКАДЕМИКА И.Н. БЛОХИНОЙ

Academician I.N. Blokhina Nizhny Novgorod Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology is one of the leading scientific institutions focused on obtaining new knowledge about current and socially significant infections and improving methods and means of diagnosing, preventing and treating them and one of the oldest in the country: the institute celebrates the centenary of its Foundation in 2019. Over such a long period of intensive activity for the benefit of the country’s public health, the Institute has done a lot of work to combat such infections as rabies, measles, whooping cough, cholera, various intestinal, wound and other infections, provided assistance to practical health authorities both through direct participation of Institute employees in the elimination of accidents, outbreaks of infectious diseases, and through the introduction of scientific-methodical and information-methodical developments. Today, the Institute’s scientific interests include issues of epidemiology, diagnosis and prevention of current bacterial and viral infections (viral hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, enterovirus infections, acute intestinal infections, HCAI, NGUI, HPVI, opportunistic, neuro-bronchial infections, including community-acquired pneumonia). New samples of probiotics for correction of microbiocenosis are being constructed. The GIS-project «Electronic Epidemiological Atlas of the Volga Federal District» has been developed and introduced into the practice of the bodies and organizations of Rospotrebnadzor and activity has begun on the creation of an «Electronic Epidemiological Atlas of Russia». The effectiveness and safety of vaccination are being studied. Works on design of Express test systems in the format of protein biochips are carried out to identify informative indicators for immuno-dependent risk assessment of various diseases. Having crossed the 100-year timehorizon the Institute is still demanded as a center for scientific-methodical and scientific-practical support for the epidemiological surveillance of the Nizhny Novgorod region, the Volga Federal District and Russia as a whole and successfully executes its noble and necessary work contributing to the protection of people from infectious diseases.

MODELLING IKPOBA RIVER WATER QUALITY USING PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS (PCA) METHOD

This paper examined the effects of brewery wastewater on the quality of water in Ikpoba River which has experienced significant pollution over the years, with the intention of determining the main pollutant in the river water. Samples were recovered from eight (8) different locations covering a total distance of 750 m: one sample from upstream at 150 m from the effluent discharge location, two samples from effluents discharge point and five samples from downstream location at 150 m interval. Samples were taken twice monthly in March, May and July, 2014 during period of intense activity of production. The physcio-chemical analyses of the twenty-five (25) selected parameters were calculated and values obtained were used to calculate the water Quality index of the river. The results indicated that Ikpoba River is severely polluted (WQI = -5429792.89, in SN1, March, 2014) as a result of untreated brewery effluent hence Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to determine the parameter that contributes mainly to the pollution and those that contributed minimally. Evaluation of the PCA results shows that the only reoccurring parameter is Copper hence it is concluded that Copper is the only component factor that influences the river water quality throughout the period under study. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that any proposed treatment method must be targeted at the removal of copper in addition to other factors of high contributory effects.

Effects of ‘pre-fracking’ operations on ambient air quality at a shale gas exploration site in rural North Yorkshire, England

Rural observations of air quality and meteorological parameters (NOx, O3, NMHCs, SO2, PM) were made over a 2.5-year period (2016–2018) before, during and after preparations for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) at a shale gas exploration site near Kirby Misperton, North Yorkshire, England. As one of the first sites to apply for permits to carry out hydraulic fracturing, it has been subject to extensive regulatory and public scrutiny, as well as the focus for a major programme of long-term environmental monitoring. A baseline period of air quality monitoring (starting 2016) established the annual climatology of atmospheric composition against which a 20-week period of intensive activity on the site in preparation for hydraulic fracturing could be compared. During this ‘pre-operational phase’ of work in late 2017, the most significant effect was an increase in ambient NO (3-fold) and NOx (2-fold), arising from a combination of increased vehicle activity and operation of equipment on site. Although ambient NOx increased, air quality limit values for NO2 were not exceeded, even close to the well-site. Local ozone concentrations during the pre-operational period were slightly lower than the baseline phase due to titration with primary emitted NO. The activity on site did not lead to significant changes in airborne particulate matter or non-methane hydrocarbons. Hydraulic fracturing of the well did not subsequently take place and the on-site equipment was decommissioned and removed. Air quality parameters then returned to the original (baseline) climatological conditions. This work highlights the need to characterise the full annual climatology of air quality parameters against which short-term local activity changes can be compared. Based on this study, changes to ambient NOx appear to be the most significant air quality ahead of hydraulic fracturing. However, in rural locations, concentrations at individual sites are expected to be below ambient air quality limit thresholds.

REDUCING THE COSTS FOR CONSUMED ELECTRICITY THROUGH THE SOLAR ENERGY UTILIZATION

The priority development direction of the Rostov region as the largest agricultural producer of Russia is the creation of modern, competitive processing industries. Since the beginning of 2015, despite record harvests of cereals, the wheat flour cost has been steadily increasing and now exceeds the peak values for the previous period from 2008 to 2015. This caused by the high share of payment for consumed electricity in the production costs, which is approximately 30%, and significant increase in tariffs for it in the last 10-12 years due to unjustifiably high costs of equipment maintenance and operation in grid companies, liquidation of cross-subsidizing prices, as well as rising gas prices. Under conditions of the existing high solar energy potential in the territory of the South of the country, the implementation of technologies for its transformation into electricity will reduce energy costs and, consequently, reduce the costs of produced goods and services. The purpose of the presented research was to determine the composition and parameters of the equipment of a solar electrical power plant that provides energy to the lighting system of the flour milling section No. 1 and No. 2 of the processing plant Ltd. "Rostovremagroprom" in Zernograd of the Rostov Region, taking into account the assessment of the solar radiation intensity during the year, the structural features of the building roof and features of the company's load graph. Full solar energy potential (1246.87 kWh / m²) is possible to realize at the facility partly due to the existing technical limitations imposed by the building roof construction. The design and implementation of economically feasible additional power supply system for the lighting system of the flour-milling departments of the enterprise excludes the usage of accumulating devices, allowing to reduce the annual costs for the payment of consumed electricity by approximately 45 thousand rubles by decreasing the cost of each one kilowatt-hour of consumed electricity from 8.1 rubles / kWh to 3.6 rubles / kWh during the period of intense activity of the Sun.Keywords: Solar Energy Potential, Inclination Angle of the Receiving Surface, the Layout of the Solar Power PlantJEL Classifications: O13, O44DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.7201

Drilling into Critical Windows of Exposure: Trimester-Specific Associations between Gas Development and Preterm Birth.

Vol. 126, No. 10 Science SelectionOpen AccessDrilling into Critical Windows of Exposure: Trimester-Specific Associations between Gas Development and Preterm Birthis accompanied byDrilling and Production Activity Related to Unconventional Gas Development and Severity of Preterm Birth Lindsey Konkel Lindsey Konkel Search for more papers by this author Published:1 October 2018CID: 104002https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3762View Article in:中文版AboutSectionsPDF ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InReddit Several studies suggest that living near unconventional gas development during pregnancy may contribute to poor birth outcomes, including low birth weight,1,2 prematurity,3,4 and some birth defects.5 The emissions and activities related to unconventional gas wells (i.e., those that use hydraulic fracturing to release gas from shale rock) vary at each phase of the site’s life. A new proximity study reported in Environmental Health Perspectives takes a first look at phase- and trimester-specific associations between unconventional gas activity and preterm birth.6“[Unconventional gas] activity is a proxy for a multitude of exposures,” says lead study author Kristina Whitworth, an epidemiologist at UTHealth School of Public Health in San Antonio, Texas. These exposures could include chemical stressors, such as potential endocrine disrupters used in fracking fluid7 and air emissions from vehicle exhaust,8 or nonchemical stressors such as noise and light pollution.9 Anxiety and fear are additional nonchemical stressors for people who are worried about fracking’s potential impacts on health or the environment.10“A primary challenge in this research area is moving beyond proximity-based metrics to individual measurements of exposure,” Whitworth says. That type of data is costly and time-consuming to collect, she adds, but it will be key to understanding and preventing any health risks posed by unconventional gas development.Different phases of well development involve the potential for different exposures among the people living, working, or attending school near a rig. Image: © Topher Donohue/Getty Images.Whitworth and colleagues obtained birth records from the Texas Department of State Health Services on all singleton births in the 24-county Barnett Shale region between 2010 and 2012. The study included 13,332 preterm birth cases—defined as birth before 37 weeks’ gestation—and 66,933 term births.The researchers estimated unconventional gas development activity within a half-mile radius of each mother’s residence at the time she gave birth. They differentiated between wells that were still being drilled and those that were already producing gas. Then, they identified when those activities took place during pregnancy. If a well was in either phase in any trimester, it was classified as active.Activities and emissions vary by the phase of well development. During the drilling phase, for instance, heavy diesel-powered equipment is used to drill the well, and large volumes of fracking fluids are injected underground at high pressure. The drilling phase is a relatively short period of intense activity that may involve exposures not only to spilled hydraulic fracturing chemicals but also air pollutants, including benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.11After drilling, the production phase begins. During this phase, which can last for years, natural gas and wastewater flows from the well. Production-related exposures may involve leaks of wastewater that is stored on the site.11In the current study,6 women living near the most drilling and production activity had an estimated 20% and 15% (respectively) higher risk of preterm birth, compared with women with no drilling activity near their homes. In their statistical analysis, the researchers controlled for other factors that could affect preterm birth, including the mother’s education level and prepregnancy weight, whether she smoked during pregnancy, and the number and timing of her prenatal health-care visits.6The researchers observed the greatest proximity-related risk for extremely premature births, meaning those before 28 weeks’ gestation. Women who lived near the densest drilling and production activity were 100% and 53% (respectively) more likely to have extremely premature babies, compared with women who did not live near a well. The authors found only limited evidence of trimester-specific differences in estimated risks.6Preterm babies are at risk of developmental delays and disabilities, asthma, and vision and hearing problems.12 Future studies could focus on interpreting the clinical relevance of the current findings for later-life health outcomes, suggests Bruce Pitt, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Pittsburgh. Pitt was not involved in the research.The new study adds to the evidence that fracking may present some risk to fetal health. However, fracking is just one part of well development. The specific exposure or combination of exposures that could be driving the association between unconventional gas development and prematurity remains unclear; fracking itself may pose less risk than other elements of well activity.Lindsey Konkel is a New Jersey–based journalist who reports on science, health, and the environment.

MJO Modulating the Activity of the Leading Mode of Intraseasonal Variability in South America

Intraseasonal (IS) variability in South America is efficiently described through the first empirical orthogonal function of filtered precipitation or outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) anomalies. In the 30–90-day band, the leading OLR pattern between October and April is a dipole with centers of action in the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) and southeastern South America (SESA). The Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) was shown to have an impact on the rainfall in South America, with greater influence during the austral warm season. The aim of this study is therefore to assess the modulation of the MJO in the activity of the leading pattern of variability in South America, named the 3090-Seasonal-Intraseasonal (SIS) pattern. It was found that the most intense periods of activity of the SIS pattern appear to be related to intense MJO events with coherent eastward propagation. Furthermore, positive 3090-SIS phases, associated with enhanced (inhibited) convection over the SESA (SACZ) region generally occur during MJO progression from the eastern Indian Ocean to the Western Pacific (i.e., Maritime Continent sector). On the contrary, negative 3090-SIS phases, associated with enhanced (inhibited) convection over SACZ (SESA) are observed when the MJO active phase locates between the Western Pacific and the western Indian Ocean (African sector). The 3090-SIS pattern modulation by the MJO opens the opportunity to develop skillful subseasonal prediction tools in South America.

Physico-Chemical Characterization of Industrial Liquid Discharges of Soap Factories in Abidjan, C&amp;#244;te D’Ivoire

This work deals with the efficient management of industrial liquid discharges from soap factories (ILDS) in the region of Abidjan. The aim of this work is to evaluate the physico-chemical quality of these discharges as well as the different types of pollution generated. Seventeen (17) industrial soap sources were studied through fourteen (14) global pollution parameters (T, pH, electrical conductivity EC, redox potential EH, suspended matter SM, COD, BOD5, biodegradability factor BF, , , , , total iron and ). A liquid waste collection campaign was done during six weeks from February to March 2016, corresponding to a period of intensive activity of these industries. The samples were analyzed according to the norms of the French Standardization Agency (AFNOR). Results were compared with the Ivorian guide values recommended by the Classified Installations Inspection Service (CIIS). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is allowed to evaluate the pollution induced by these factories’ rejection. In addition, Ascending Hierarchical Classification (AHC) method leads to classify soap factories into three groups according to the physico-chemical quality of their releases. Moreover, the estimation of the biodegradability factor is permitted to know the state of the biodegradability of these effluents.