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Since the implementation of China's open-door policy in 1978, the number, structure, and environmental conditions of rural settlements have changed dramatically. This study examined the changes in rural settlements and the factors behind rural change in Guangdong Province using land-use datasets from 1980, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015, a digital elevation model, and data for transport networks and physical characteristics. Different stages of change in the rural settlements became evident: there was expansion from 1980 to 2000 and rapid decline from 2000 to 2010. Urban growth was facilitated by converting high-production cropland. The density of rural settlements was highest in areas with medium-level development: the density was highest in eastern and western parts of the province, lower in the center, and lowest in the north. The patterns and changes in rural settlements were most strongly related to water sources and transport systems; however, some physical variables (terrain, precipitation, and temperature) were significantly associated with the probability of occurrence of rural settlements. We argue that comprehensive, systematic planning systems should be established for rural areas and that it is necessary to recognize the value of the cultural heritage of southern Guangdong. To ensure the success of a rural revitalization strategy, it is important to introduce regional development schemes that resolve inequalities between less and more economically developed areas.

Domestic water purifiers (WPs) are becoming very popular for refining drinking water in the home. There is no disputing that water becomes scarce, and available water sources are under significant strain. Even though most groundwater resources are readily polluted, it is vital to have a water filter at home. When it comes to water filtration, RO water purifiers are fantastic. This analysis presents a simple multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodology based on the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method to choose a household water purifier (WP). The importance of weights was calculated using the Entropy weight method (EWM) considering objective preferences. The TOPSIS-Entropy technique was used to determine the ranking order. The findings revealed that MCDM approaches for selecting WPs are beneficial. The study’s peculiarity is that it uses TOPSIS-Entropy MCDM approaches to prioritize WP selection.

Plastics impact our daily lives. Unfortunately, it is the disuse and disposal of these items that may affect us the greatest. Plastic, micro- and nano-sized particles, likely from bulk degradation, have been identified in air pollution and water sources. Recently, plastic particles have also been identified in consumable products. The purpose of this review is to identify the likely routes of human exposure, the toxicological outcomes and concerns currently reported, and provide some considerations for future assessments.

In cities of the Global South, including many African cities, large segments of the population are underserved by the city’s formal water regime. In these situations, informal or hybrid methods of water access emerge, often in the form of small water enterprises (SWEs). Spaces occupied, traveled through, and served by SWEs lead to new spaces of access in cities where they are present. We introduce the concept of hydrosocial routes, or pathways established by human processes involved in linking water sources to consumers. This article examines the routes created by one SWE in Niamey, Niger: that of house-to-house water delivery. It draws from the concept of hydrosocial territories, but extends the discussion to include the pathways that exist within, extend, or connect hydrosocial territories. Using participant observation and geographic information systems to map delivery routes of house-to-house water vendors, we show how cultural norms of the water delivery economy in Niamey create hydrosocial routes. We argue that while hydrosocial territories are often defined by conflict, the hydrosocial routes, in this case, help to prevent conflict and encourage equity among vendors in the hybrid system of water delivery. Understanding the context of how these routes are established and maintained helps us better understand urban water vending and water access challenges in Niamey and elsewhere.

When treatment is required for a herd/flock health concern, a range of factors must be considered to determine the preferred treatment strategy. If a group treatment strategy is pursued, considerations to optimize the likelihood of safe and effective group treatment include taxon-specific pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, the formulation of prescribed medication, the type and amount of food, the number and type of water sources, enclosure design, size and demography of the group, weather conditions, and health status of individuals in the group. In addition, antimicrobial stewardship principles and relevant legislation/regulation must be at the forefront of decision making.

The Tibetan Plateau vortices (TPVs) are the major rain-producing systems over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The activities of TPVs are closely related to TP's water source, which supplies fresh water to millions of people in Asia. Projection of the TPVs can increase understanding about the future of water supply in Asia under global warming. In this study, the possible activities of TPVs under 1.5 °C and 2 °C warming scenarios above the pre-industrial level are evaluated through the NCAR CESM (Community Earth System Model) Low-warming (CESM-LW) Experiments. The results show that the CESM-LW well reproduces the spatio-temporal characteristics of TPVs in the historical run from 1985 to 2000. The CESM-LW suggests TPVs in warm season (May–September) increase by 15% due to the additional 0.5 °C warming by the end of this century (2071–2100). It implies the greater importance of TPVs to the precipitation over the TP in the future. The changes of TPVs are closely related to the large-scale circulations adjustments. The additional 0.5 °C warming strengthens the temperature difference between the TP and its surrounding areas, which results in an enhanced convergence near the TP's surface and divergence in the upper troposphere by about −0.1 × 10−6 and 0.22 × 10−6 s−1, respectively. The assessment of future TPVs provides a synoptic dynamic perspective on the climate change of precipitation and water resources.

River pollution is still a problem in most countries, especially in developing countries, such as Indonesia. Several methods have been used to reduce the level of pollution across these water sources. In West Java Indonesia, Cipeusing is one of the highest polluted rivers that need analysis of pollution index to produce a value for indicating the relative pollution levels of the water quality standard.The study was conducted between 2016 and 2017 at the Cipeusing River, to assess it's pollution levels using the Pollution Index (PI) method. The results showed that the water pollution changed from 2016 to 2017. In terms of physical, chemical and microbiological analysis using the PI method in 2016, Cipeusing River gave a value of 5.05–7.07 (moderately polluted), and in 2017, this value was 15.65–17.65 (severelly polluted). The highest pollution index was at the downstream area of the river. Thus, efforts are needed in order to control the water pollution levels at the Cipeusing River.

Dissolved solids can negatively impact livestock drinking water. To characterize dissolved solid concentrations in the northern Great Plains, we studied 45 water sources over 11 yr. Ca, F, Mg, Na, and total solids sometimes exceeded recommended levels but rarely reached levels empirically shown to negatively impact livestock. Fe often attained concentrations that reduce water consumption, which can reduce feed intake and weight gain. Excessive Fe was likeliest in creeks and reservoirs. SO4 sometimes reached concentrations that reduce weight gain but rarely reached concentrations causing health problems. Excessive SO4 was least likely in reservoirs. A safeguard against water quality problems is ensuring livestock can access multiple water source types (e.g., wells and reservoirs) so that they can use taste and smell to choose acceptable water. Where this is impossible, water quality monitoring is of greater importance. Inexpensive electrical conductivity meters roughly estimate water quality and can identify watering locations requiring more detailed monitoring.

This study integrates isotopic analyses of 279 animal (domestic and wild) skeletal remains from the site of Arslantepe (Eastern Anatolia). The O, C and N isotopic analyses provide multiple information on husbandry strategies and on climatic variation from Late Chalcolithic to Iron Age (4700-712 BCE). Significantly, the study indicates that goats and sheep are the species that give the best information in terms of variation of climatic conditions. Pigs and cattle give complementary information mainly related to breading practices. This is because they are obliged drinkers, needing to be watered in the driest periods. Our analyses point out that, even when the climate was more arid, water sources were always present in the area. Cattle isotope values also indicate that fertilization of fields was already practiced during the Chalcolithic and that, in the period of stable occupation of the site, agriculture and stock farming were carried out in the same fields. This information, combined with the historical events and characters of the settlement in the different investigated periods, provide an invaluable and new point of view on the influence that political, social, and economic dynamics and organization had on the strategies of animal economy.

An analysis on the presence of uranium in drinking water sources of five districts in Kerala, Southern India has been carried out. 830 Samples from different sources during pre and post-monsoon seasons were subjected to the analysis for uranium and 11 other water quality parameters. The concentration of uranium was found to be varying from

Trace metals are essential for human survival; however, careless intake of these nutrients can be injurious to human health or even fatal, when consumed in large quantities. The principal objective of this investigation was to assess the changes in trace metal concentrations in groundwater sources, due to the impact of extreme climatic variations and environmentally unfriendly anthropogenic activities, in Alappuzha District, Kerala. An ancillary objective was to evaluate their repercussions on water delivery systems. The main drinking water sources were analyzed for trace elements such as Copper, Zinc, Manganese and Arsenic. Water distribution networks and their delivery outlets can contribute to unsafe levels in contamination of drinking water. While this study has shown minimal spatiotemporal variability of these trace metals, slight changes from the water delivery processes were noted. This unveils an interesting result that can lead to future policy change in water management.

Clean and ample supplies of water for better health, society, economy, and environment are crucial. Industrial revolutions have substantially polluted the environment and we are facing intimidating challenges in meeting rising demands of potable and safe water for society and the environment. One of the stern causes for pollution of water bodies is the dumping of industrial effluents without proper treatment in water reservoirs and has become a concern for the whole world and international bodies. Amid, the dumping of effluent containing different dyes by textile, dyeing, printing, and paper industries are threatening. Nanotechnology plays a crucial role in using its remarkable applications to keep the environment safe and clean by eradicating venomous and unsafe materials from nature. Nanotechnology is an excellent tool to degrade the unwanted and harmful materials extant in essential water sources used by humans and animals. There are various kinds of nanomaterials explored for the successful removal of pollutant from water very effectively due to their unique properties like greater surface area, shapes, and ability to work at low concentrations, etc. The nanostructured catalytic membranes, nanosorbents and nanophotocatalyst based approaches to remove pollutants from wastewater are eco-friendly and efficient. In this review article, attempt was made to congregate the various reports on green synthesis of Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) using extract of various parts of plant, their characterizations using different spectroscopic, microscopic techniques and applications for removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from the solution.

Summary Desalination technologies, which remove solutes from water, are essential to the purification of water for agricultural and industrial purposes and for potable use. While a variety of desalination technologies exist, their performance and durability need improvements to meet future clean water demands. This challenge is particularly complex as a variety of feed water sources exists, which contain various amounts of salt, dissolved organic matter, suspended particulates, and other contaminants. Hence, predictive knowledge of the underlying physics and chemistry at the atomic and molecular scale is crucial for designing improved desalination materials and processes. In this Perspective, we outline how advanced characterization techniques, including X-ray, neutron, electron-based, and positron-based methods can be advantageously applied to water desalination technologies to provide detailed molecular insight, especially when combined with computational modeling. We summarize some of the scientific challenges in two prominent desalination techniques, membrane reverse osmosis and capacitive deionization, and lay out some specific approaches toward solving these challenges. With these developments, we anticipate that the use of advanced characterization can help advance the field of water desalination in much the same way that these have aided progress in energy storage and conversion science over the last decades.

Objectives This study aimed to analyze the factors related to stunting in children aged 0–59 months. Methods This cross-sectional study involved a total sampling of 285 children Results The results showed that age, exclusive breastfeeding, MUAC, the availability of family latrine were significantly related with the incidence of stunting (P Conclusions The strongest risk factors for stunting are non-exclusive breastfeeding, poor family's latrines, and the sex of the children. It is recommended that to strengthen multisectoral interventions to reduce stunting.

The presence of high levels of E. coli in Lake St. Clair is a significant concern for millions of people, in Canada and the United States, who rely on that water source for drinking, fishing and recreational purposes. A combination of mathematical modelling and monitoring techniques in the lake can provide an efficient and cost-effective framework for management of microbial pollution of beach waters, as well as serving as a timely reporting tool to communicate associated human health risks from recreational use. Here, a high resolution 3D hydrodynamic model is developed and applied to assess the flow and microbial contribution of major Lake St. Clair tributaries during the Summer of 2010. The model skill in reproducing water temperature is in good agreement with the observed data ( γ 2 , NRMSE, R2 and WS values of 0.12, 0.37, 0.88 and 0.96, respectively). Assuming E. coli input estimates to be conservative, the model results show that the maximum predicted fecal concentrations from the combined input of the major tributaries to be

This study has led to changes in the Dez Dam water basin area in recent decades. Non-parametric Mann-Kendal trend test and two shift change point detection tests of Pettit and Buishand were applied to the discharge time-series at the outlet of Tire, Marbore, Sazar, and Bakhtiari sub-basins to identify monotonic and abrupt changes. The Mann-Kendall test showed a significant negative (decreasing) trend of the flow in three sub-basins. Investigation of the flow of Dez Basin in the past decades shows significant monotonic and abrupt changes, which are mostly toward decreasing the basin’s potential runoff. Considering this evidences, it is likely that the basin faces discharge reduction, and results emphasize on modification of water management strategies to adapt to climate change.

A comparative study is conducted to understand the hydrochemistry of Beas and Parbati valley Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh, India. Twenty hot spring, sixteen cold spring and twenty four groundwater samples were collected and analysed for physico-chemical parameters. Hot spring samples were slightly acidic to alkaline in nature whereas cold spring and groundwater samples are alkaline type for Beas and Parbati valleys for December 2017 and June 2018.All the three water sources are moderately hard to hard type. Based on LL-diagram, the dominant facies identified for hot spring samples of Beas valley is Na++K+-Cl− + SO42− type while for cold spring and groundwater sample, it is Ca2++Mg2+–HCO3– type for both the seasons. For Parbati valley, the dominant facies identified for hot spring sample is Na++K+-Cl− + SO42− type in December 2017 and Ca2++Mg2+–HCO3– and Na++ K++ HCO3− type in June 2018. For cold spring and groundwater sample of Parbati valley, it is Ca2++Mg2+–HCO3– type in both the seasons.

A reduction of graphene oxide is generally involves the application of toxic and poisonous substance which unfortunately may hinder the potential of this process for mass production of graphene. The utilization of reducing agent such as hydrazine even though can result into a higher rate of deoxygenation of graphene oxide, may not only expose the user to the health risk but also significantly will create serous environmental issues if the applied solvent from a reduction step is accidently released into a water source or ground without a pre-outlined disposal waste system. To counter this challenge, a numerous researches that have been working on the plant extracts for reduction of graphene oxide has emerged with the aim is to replace the hydrazine as a main reducing agent. Plant extracts is considered as the sustainable solution for future reduction of graphene oxide due to the low economical cost possess by a plant, is renewable and with a proper optimization of synthesis process, may offer a comparable or higher reduction rate than the conventional hydrazine. In this short review, a progress on the application of plant extracts for the reduction of graphene oxide has been discussed with an overview of the process effect on the properties of reduced graphene oxide and major surface characterization of reduced graphene oxide such as Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photon spectroscopy has also been included. It is wished that the presented review study in this paper will assist current and potential researcher into a discovery of new and novel plant extract-based reductant for future synthesis of the reduced graphene.

The global mobility theory was used to evaluate the experimental results of oil displacement with water of different salinities. The results of scanning electron microscopy, X diffraction of clay minerals, nonlinear seepage and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments and particle migration inhibition experiments before and after water flooding were compared to determine the mechanisms of water sensitive damage and enhanced water flooding mechanism of low permeability sandy conglomerate reservoirs in Wushi region of Beibuwan Basin, China. A production equation of the oil-water two phase flow well considering low-speed non-Darcy seepage and reservoir stress sensitivity was established to evaluate the effect of changes in reservoir properties and oil-water two-phase seepage capacity on reservoir productivity quantitatively, and injection water source suitable for the low permeability sandy conglomerate reservoirs in Wushi region was selected according to dynamic compatibility experimental results of different types of injected water. The seepage capacity of reservoir is the strongest when the injected water is formation water of 2 times salinity. The water-sensitive damage mechanisms of the reservoirs in Wushi region include hydration of clay minerals and particle migration. By increasing the content of cations (especially K+ and Mg2+) in the injected water, the water-sensitive damage of the reservoir can be effectively inhibited. The formation water of Weizhou Formation can be used as the injection water source of low permeability sandy conglomerate reservoirs in the Wushi region. Key words: Beibuwan Basin, low permeability reservoir, sandy conglomerate reservoir, water-sensitive damage, enhanced water flooding, effective driving coefficient, global mobility, water flooding

Coastal wetlands are in decline globally because of climatic and/or hydrological changes, and anthropogenic activities. Deltaic wetlands are complex environments formed by different water sources, particularly when ionically rich soda water and freshwater and converge and influence the presence and diversity of biological activity. Lake Van is a terminal lake, 1650 meters above the sea level, surrounded by high mountains. Because of its alkaline water, vegetation and biological activity are generally rich in the deltaic areas. In this study, geological evolution of Bendimahi River Delta System, located on northeastern part of the Lake Van, is assessed as to constructive and destructive temporal factors, determined with satellite images and field studies. Bendimahi river channel is significantly deformed by regional tectonic activity and this deformation has caused migration of deltaic wetland. That migration process has resulted in abandoned deltaic area and a new delta formation. Hydrological and biological results of the migration of the Bendimahi River Delta System clearly indicate the importance of wetlands on coastal ecology, especially alkaline lakes.

A promising approach to increasing freshwater availability is the effective desalination of widely available and abundant low-salinity water sources. Here we report a new approach to desalinate low-salinity water sources using inexpensive ion exchange resins (IER) which are commonly used for water softening and require regular chemical regeneration. We incorporate IER into a functional composite material that enables electrical regeneration of IER, eliminating the need for regular use of corrosive chemicals. These proof-of-concept results demonstrate reliable regeneration of IER-composite electrodes using a lab-scale prototype device. With further characterization and development, this new approach offers a path to sustainable use of conventional IER for desalination of low-salinity water sources.

The existing data for wells in the Weyburn-Midale Field were used in conjunction with publicly available data to create an updated well integrity risk assessment as an aid in establishing CO 2 containment risk and developing a guide to selection of monitoring technologies for risk management. The assessment built upon an existing assessment to rank 1424 wells on 13 categories used as a proxy for likelihood of CO 2 migration and four categories used as a proxy for severity of impact of migration. The results of the assessment were used to show that both the risk posed by individual wells and risk posed by categories may be significant with respect to CO 2 migration. The location of the top of cement, quality of the casing, and type of well categories were ranked high throughout the distribution of wells with respect to likelihood of migration. The assessment of casing integrity and setting of casing through the Midale Evaporite was a differentiating factor between higher-likelihood and lower-likelihood well scores. The aquifer protection category used in assessing the severity of impact ranked high across the distribution of wells. The proximity to a water source category was a differentiating factor between higher-severity and lower-severity rankings. The wells scores and ranking categories were used to assess the value of specific monitoring tools for managing containment risks. The outcome of the study showed that both high risk wells and high-risk categories can be identified and that a monitoring program should be adopted to address both through point and area monitoring.

Bacteriological contamination of water sources is a major challenge that has a detrimental impact on both the environment and human health. This imposes the search for the most efficient disinfectant. Despite their antibacterial efficiency, traditional methods can often form disinfection byproducts through their reaction with organic and inorganic compounds. Substitutes for conventional bacterial inactivation methods should not produce harmful byproducts and must also be cost effective. Nanotechnology is an attractive option that is suited for surface reactions as nanostructures offer large surface to volume ratios. Technologies using chitosan-modified nanocomposites and carbon nanotubes have proven to offer promising alternatives for bacterial inactivation. To enhance their antibacterial efficiency, such technologies have been modified chemically and physically and have as well been associated with other treatment techniques. However, despite their high bacterial disinfection efficacy and lack of treatment byproducts, the vagueness in bacterial inactivation mechanisms and complexity in materials preparation have often obscured their wide scale application. The aim of this manuscript is to review the recent advances in bacterial disinfection using nanomaterials, in the form of chitosan and carbon nanotubes. The rapid rate of research and the notable progress in this area dictate the frequent compilation and dissemination of recent introductions to this field. Existing gaps in the literature are thus also highlighted and reported discrepancies are pinpointed so that roadmaps for future studies may be figured.

In urban slums – home to approximately 1 billion people worldwide - access to clean drinking water is woefully inadequate despite the United Nations' declaration that access to safe water is a fundamental human right. Households in slums are frequently forced to rely on multiple drinking water sources to meet their needs. Numerous factors influence choice of water source, including water quality, availability, reliability, and affordability. These factors are not temporally static, but instead vary over multiple timescales (from sub-daily changes to annual changes and beyond) in response to changes in the water source itself and changes in the household's ability to use that source. For example, the cost of water can may change over time in response to water availability (e.g. rainy season versus dry season) and a slum household's ability to pay for water may change over time in response to changes in household income. However, existing national and global monitoring of safe water access, including Sustainable Development Goal 6, overlook these temporal dynamics of water access, quality and health risk in slums. This paper proposes a research agenda for exploring temporal changes in drinking water access and quality in urban slums and their potential influence on health risk. It argues that in the design of research studies, policy interventions, and drinking water monitoring aimed at improving access and health in urban slums, temporal dynamics should be considered over at least three interlinked time scales: short-term (from sub-daily to week-to-week), medium-term (from month-to-month to season-to-season) and long-term (from year-to-year). The paper concludes with recommendations for future research on temporal dynamics of drinking water and health in slums.

In recent years, water pollution accidents have become major ecological environmental pollution ones in China, and bring potential risk to urban drinking water safety. The research aimed to develop a water quality safety prediction model for drinking water source areas in Three Gorges Reservoir and simulate pollutant distribution in water bodies under pollution accident conditions. In this study, a new algorithm of two-dimensional water quantity model was proposed, which incorporated Digital Elevation Model as a computational grid into the Geographic Information System. By comparing the water quality observed values with the predicted values of the study area in 2014, the relative error was less than 6%, the model can be applied in a reasonable range. Furthermore, this study assumed a pollution accident that the Huangjuedu drinking water source area was polluted by TP pollution (level V) of 0.4 mg/L. Based on the statistical annual date of Zhutuo hydrological station in 2016 (as blank group), dispatching test that was conducted by increasing discharge flow of Xiangjia Dam Reservoir. The results shows that the water velocity of intake increased with discharge flow of Xiangjia Dam Reservoir, and that the maximum water velocity was 2.051 m/s. The pollutant concentration of HDWSA intake decreased rapidly with the increase of the discharge flow. When the discharge flow was 0 m3/s, the concentration of intake reached the level III water quality standard after 127.8 min. When the discharge flow was 12,000 m3/s, the concentration of intake reached the level III water quality standard after 116.7 min. In the dispatching test, the rate of migration and diffusion of the pollutant to the lower reaches was greatly affected by the discharge flow of Xiangjia Dam Reservoir. The model could predict the water velocity and pollutant concentrations at the intake, as well as temporal-spatial distributions of pollutants in the whole water source area. Prediction results of the model were helpful for management departments to predict grasp the change of pollutions timely and accurately, and make corresponding plans under accident conditions.

Isotopic methods of studying the geographic and seasonal movements of herd animals provide new data pertinent to ongoing scholarly re-consideration of the relationships between pastoralist mobility and the development of new forms of political organization. Radiogenic strontium and mass-dependent oxygen and carbon isotope analysis on a large sample of herd animals (sheep, goats, and cattle) from Late Bronze Age (1500–1100 BC) sites in the Tsaghkahovit Plain, Armenia indicate that long-distance movements across geological zones were not common, but that animals were drinking from a range of water sources. Connecting this variation to movement is complicated by limited intra-tooth variation in δ13C values. Data from the study provide preliminary evidence for foddering. These results reveal a gap between the emphasis on mobility in theoretical models of pastoralism and political organization and the way that animal diets mediate isotopic proxies for movement. These interpretive difficulties emphasize the need to consider herds’ seasonal and geographic movement within a wider range of pastoralist practices. These findings also highlight the need for large sample sizes in isotopic investigations of pastoralist mobility, in order to accurately identify and evaluate the diversity in both geographic and seasonal movements within a single ancient pastoralist system.

The Pampas is a natural flat region that covers 750 000 km2 in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. The driest part of the Argentinean Pampas is occupied by thorny forests dominated by Fabaceae species, mainly by caldén (Prosopis caldenia Burkart). The caldén's area was affected by large human immigration processes that started in the 18th century up to the last century. Semiarid climate in caldén's area has made water a critical source for the development of biotic communities and human settlements. Native people dug wells, lined by wooden poles, commonly named jagüeles, in order to have access to drinkable groundwater. Such poles, preserved in the subsoil, were submitted to wood anatomical and dendrochronological analysis, and 18 were collected from three archeological sites. Because the poles were undated, they were compared with two master chronologies of P. caldenia that belong to the area. Anatomical studies determined that the poles belonged to P. caldenia and Prosopis flexuosa. Poles of one of the sampling sites had their last tree rings between 1799 and 1838, which coincided with indigenous occupation period. On the contrary, the samples from the other two sites were placed chronologically between 1885 and 1918, which coincided with the first creole and European occupation. These results show the use of native people's traditional building strategies by other cultural groups such as the creole and European settlers since the strategies were useful in the semiarid environments. Fil: Bogino, Stella Marys. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Económico Sociales. Departamento de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina Fil: Cangiano, María Laura. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Económico Sociales. Departamento de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina Fil: Dussart y de la Iglesia, Esteban. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Agronomía; Argentina Fil: Medina, Andrea Alejandra. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Asentamiento Universidad San Martín de Los Andes; Argentina Fil: Pineau, Virginia Giselle. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Arqueología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Landa, Carlos Gilberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Arqueología; Argentina Fil: Montanari, Emanuel Guillermo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Arqueología; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Arqueología; Argentina Fil: Doval, Jimena. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Arqueología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Tapia, Alicia Haydee. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Arqueología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Luján; Argentina

Summary Background Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous and important opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised or critically ill patients. Nosocomial P. aeruginosa outbreaks have been associated with hospital water sources. Aim To describe engineering interventions to minimize contamination of water outlets and the subsequent clinical impact. Methods New tap outlets were fitted at selected outlets across the intensive care unit (ICU). Laboratory testing demonstrated that, following artificial contamination with P. aeruginosa, these taps could be effectively decontaminated using a thermal washer-disinfector. Water samples were collected weekly from new outlets on the ICU over an eight-month period and tested for the enumeration of P. aeruginosa via membrane filtration. Surveillance of P. aeruginosa from clinical specimens was routinely undertaken. Findings Prior to the interventions, water sampling on ICU indicated that 30% of the outlets were positive for P. aeruginosa at any one time, and whole genome sequencing data suggested at least 30% transmission from water to patient. Since their installation, weekly sampling of the new tap outlets has been negative for P. aeruginosa, and the number of P. aeruginosa clinical isolates has fallen by 50%. Conclusion Installation and maintenance of tap outlets free of P. aeruginosa can substantially reduce the number of P. aeruginosa clinical isolates in an ICU.

This paper describes the impacts of urbanisation on the water sources of the residents of Mukteshwar in the Kumaon hills of North India. It uses a periurban conceptual lens to understand the changing flows of people and natural resources between Mukteshwar and connecting urban centres. Following land use change, it traces the impacts of these processes on water sources and institutions, and employs a political ecology framing to illustrate how water resources are (re) appropriated. Further demonstrating how the effects of these changes are aggravated by climatic change and variability it describes how these processes impact gender relations around natural resource collection. The paper concludes with identifying some key areas for further research on periurbanisation processes in mountain contexts, focusing on important ideas and concepts that can be relevant in capturing the processes underway.

The lack of access to safe drinking water is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity in the 21th century. Despite the collective global effort that has been made, the drinking water sources of at least 2 billion people are faecally contaminated, resulting in more than half a million diarrhoeal deaths each year, with the majority occurring in developing countries. Technologies for the inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms in water are therefore of great significance for human health and well-being. However, conventional technologies to provide drinking water, although effective, present limitations that impede their global application. These treatment methods often have high energy and chemical demands, which limits their application for the prevention of waterborne diseases in the most vulnerable regions. These shortcomings have led to rapid research and development of advanced alternative technologies. One of these alternative methods is solar disinfection, which is recognised by the World Health Organization as one of the most appropriate methods for producing drinkable water in developing countries. This study reviews conventional technologies that are being applied at medium to large scales to purify water and emerging technologies currently in development. In addition, this paper describes the merits, demerits, and limitations of these technologies. Finally, the review focuses on solar disinfection, including a novel technology recently developed in this field.

Inhaled radon and its progenies induce health concern due to high activity-concentration in selected thermal spas of Boyaca region. Hydrogeothermal water sources in a high risk seismic area, are studied to determine by water bubbling method radon concentration values; their occurrence is between few hundreds and 2000 Bq dm−3. Deposits, existing in this area, reach at the surface soil gas radon concentration up to 210 kBq m−3. Maintenance workers, health tourists and visitor's possible detrimental health effects, are discussed in relation to radon balneotherapy beneficial aspects.

In the first 3602 m tunnelling of TBM1 section at water conveyance tunnel of Lanzhou Water Source Construction Engineering, the lithology is composed of quartz diorite and quartz schist. 409 disc cutters and cutter rings are replaced in the TBM1 section, which is very high compared to other tunnel project. Based on data of disc cutter replacement at different installation locations, the consumption law and its reason are analyzed and the standard for disc cutter replacement is put forward. The disc cutter consumption and its influence on TBM tunnelling efficiency under different surrounding rock conditions are analyzed. Countermeasures of the control of tunnelling parameters, inspection and treatment of cutter and the daily management are proposed to reduce the cutter replacement. The consumption of the disc cutter was reduced to a certain degree after practice. Finally, suggestions for the optimization of the strength and toughness of the cutter ring, the secondary wear rule, and auto analysis system for the disc cutter management in the TBM cutter consumption are proposed. Related methods can provide reference for similar projects.

Water disinfection is used in drinking water treatment to protect public health by controlling microbial pathogens that cause waterborne diseases. Water disinfectants also react with natural organic matter found in source waters to unintentionally produce disinfection byproducts (DBPs). However, with increasing populations and climate change, water sources are receiving anthropogenic inputs that differ from natural organic matter. These changes trigger the formation of a new suite of DBPs with unknown formation mechanisms. This review provides an overview of recent research on DBP formation mechanisms and analytical methods of priority DBPs including N-halamines, organic and inorganic amines, nitrosamines, total organic halogen, and DBPs derived from advanced oxidation processes including combined UV/chlorine processes. Key intermediates responsible for DBP formation which were previously unnoticed and new analytical method developments are also highlighted.

Petroleum contamination is a significant contributor of elevated level of toxic heavy metals, which are of great concern to human health, due to their non-biodegradable nature. Agaye community has experienced frequent gasoline spills due to pipeline vandalisation, resulting in the contamination of soil and water sources. The concentrations of metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) in groundwater, surface-water and soil were determined from a total of 216 samples acquired bi-monthly for two years by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) to evaluate the impact of oil spills. Multivariate analyses using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were also used to study the interactions between metals and identify the possible sources of contamination. The concentrations of heavy metals in soil and water samples (surface and groundwater) were in decreasing order of Mn > Ni > Zn > Cu > V > Cr > Pb > Cd and Ni > Zn > V > Cu > Mn > Pb > Cr > Cd respectively. Ni concentration ranged from 0.42–8.05 mg kg−1 and 0.10–2.85 mg L−1 for soil and groundwater respectively. Ni and V were more enhanced (P

Contamination of drinking water sources by cyanotoxins, including microcystins (MCs), nodularins (NOD), cylindrospermopsin (CYN), anatoxin-a (ANA), homoanatoxin-a (HANA) and beta-N-methylamino- l -alanine (BMAA), produced during harmful algal blooms is a serious threat to human health. The detection, quantitation, and monitoring of cyanotoxins is essential to ensure public safety. A variety of indirect methods including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), antibody-based techniques, and molecular approaches are available for cyanotoxin detection. While robust and simple, the indirect methods often lack selectivity and sensitivity. Direct detection using chromatographic techniques coupled to a mass spectrometer provide excellent selectivity and sensitivity, but require costly equipment and skilled operation. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry coupled to a bioaccumulator, toxin chemical derivatization, electrochemical immunosensors, quantitative polymerase chain reaction of toxigenic genes, and specific aptamer recognition have also been demonstrated for cyanotoxin analysis.

Decreasing amounts of precipitation and more frequent dry periods will challenge temperate European forests in the future. During such dry periods, short drought-intermitting rainfall events might be the only renewing water source for trees. We investigated the effects of short drought-intermitting rainfall events on the water relations of mature individuals of six different tree species in a near-natural temperate forest during the exceptionally dry summer of 2015. We found the trees to strongly respond to short drought-intermitting rainfall events: maximum daily sap flow recovered already at precipitation amounts of 1.5 mm by up to 20%, and tree water deficit (TWD) and midday shoot water potential (Ψmidday) improved by up to 60% from rainfall amounts of >4.5 mm. We speculate that a mix of foliar and root water uptake as well as relaxation of canopy VPD and thus stomatal water control lead to the observed recoveries. Hydraulic conductivity was found to partly explain the differences in TWD recovery among species. Duration of the rainfall-facilitated recovery of tree water relations was on average 3 days in the coniferous species and Q. petraea but distinctly longer in C. betulus and F. sylvatica for which it reached 9 days. These results show that drought-intermitting short rainfall events strongly facilitate the relaxation of water stress in temperate tree species during drought events and possibly contribute as such to the ability of temperate trees to withstand longer periods of drought.

International audience; Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are ubiquitous emerging contaminants that have been used in many applications since the 1950s. They have been detected in many drinking water sources, sometimes at μg/L level in water impacted by point sources. Following growing concerns on adverse ecological and human health effects, in the early 2000s several countries established regulations on the PFASs of most concern. Fluorinated alternatives were consequently developed by manufacturers, resulting in the release of novel PFASs that have recently been detected in water resources. Like legacy PFASs, most of them are recalcitrant to conventional drinking water treatments. Governments face the challenge of defining guideline values for water often containing a mixture of several PFASs with little conclusive toxicological and epidemiological evidence. Around 3000 PFASs have been available on the global market, so the other key challenge is to identify the main ones in contaminated water resources, and to detect novel PFASs quicker than was the case for legacy PFASs.

As the source of water for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project of China, the water quality of the Danjiangkou Reservoir (DJKR) is related to the safety of drinking water for billions of residents. Consequently, microplastics in surface water and sediment samples of the DJKR were investigated in this study. Microplastics were observed in all water and sediment samples with abundances varying from 467 to 15,017 n/m3 and 15 to 40 n/kg wet weight, respectively. Microplastics were rich in colour and dominated by fibrous items. Small-sized particles (< 2 mm) were more frequently observed than other sizes. Analysis by micro-Raman spectroscopy showed that polypropylene was the major polymer type. These systematic results demonstrated that the DJKR is suffering from the pollution of microplastics, which should be paid more attention based on its potential threat to the aquatic organisms and residents impacted by the drinking water source pollution.

Mycobacterium avium is an environmental microorganism found in soil and water sources worldwide. It is the most prevalent species of nontuberculous mycobacteria that causes infectious diseases, especially in immunocompromised individuals. This review discusses and highlights key topics about M. avium, such as epidemiology, pathogenicity, glycopeptidolipids, laboratory identification, genotyping, antimicrobial therapy and antimicrobial resistance. Additionally, the main comorbidities associated with M. avium infection are discussed.

In this work, florfenicol removal via two kinds Chlorella sp. (UTEX1602 and L38) was investigated. The experimental results indicated that FF could be removed by biodegradation associated with microalgae growth. Compared to Chlorella sp. UTEX1602, L38 had a good self-adjustment capacity at the condition of high initial FF concentration. The biodegradation of FF followed the first order kinetic model with half-lives ranged from 3.53 to 7.63 days at different initial concentration. The removal efficiency of FF could achieve 97% when the FF concentration was set at 46 mg·L−1. While the FF concentration in the medium increased to 159 mg·L−1, more than 74% FF could still be purified via Chlorella sp. L38. Therefore, Chlorella sp. L38 could be promising alternative algae to be used for FF removal from different water sources.

High concentration of nitrate in water either in surface or groundwater is an effect from agricultural activities, domestic use and industrial activities. Hence, removing enormous nitrate from water is necessary because it can be hazardous to the human health and aquatic life. The ion exchange resin is the most widely used technology in removing nitrate from water source. In this study, commercial strong anion exchange resin, Amberlite IRA 958-Cl was used to study the efficiency of nitrate removal from aqueous solution in a fixed-bed column experiment. The influence of resin dosage (0.05 to 0.20 g), contact time (1 to 4 hours) and initial nitrate concentration (20, 50, 100 and 200 mg/L) were examined. More than 87% of nitrate removal achieved at 0.1 g (2 g/L) of resin dosage, 3 hours of contact time and 20 mg/L of initial nitrate concentration. This promising result make that Amberlite IRA 958-Cl can become an attractive candidate as adsorbent for nitrate removal.

The study investigates the content of microplastic particles in freshwater and drinking water. Specifically, three water treatment plants (WTPs) supplied by different kinds of water bodies were selected and their raw and treated water was analysed for microplastics (MPs). Microplastics were found in all water samples and their average abundance ranged from 1473 ± 34 to 3605 ± 497 particles L−1 in raw water and from 338 ± 76 to 628 ± 28 particles L−1 in treated water, depending on the WTP. This study is one of very few that determine microplastics down to the size of 1 μm, while MPs smaller than 10 μm were the most plentiful in both raw and treated water samples, accounting for up to 95%. Further, MPs were divided into three categories according to their shape. Fragments clearly prevailed at two of the WTPs and fibres together with fragments predominated at one case. Despite 12 different materials forming the microplastics being identified, the majority of the MPs (>70%) comprised of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PP (polypropylene) and PE (polyethylene). This study contributes to fill the knowledge gap in the field of emerging microplastic pollution of drinking water and water sources, which is of concern due to the potential exposure of microplastics to humans.

Palladium is one of the important elements used in various industries, such as fuel cells, automobile, dental crowns and catalysts in drug synthesis. Its extensive use and waste produced have raised pollution emissions to water sources and soils, and have severe effects on plants, animals and humans. As a result, many methods have been developed to assess the levels of palladium in drug chemicals, food and crops. The dietary intake per person is limited to CN bond cleavage, oxidative cyclization and cross coupling reactions. The basic principles involved in the design of chemosensors for the selective analysis of palladium, problems and challenges in the field as well as possible future research directions are presented.

The global burden of water-based lead (Pb) exposure on children is largely unknown; however, the importance of water sources as a path of Pb exposure is receiving increased attention due to recent prominent exposure events related to corroded plumbing infrastructure in the US. This study investigated the contribution of Pb in household drinking and cooking water to Pb levels in blood (PbB) and urine (PbU) within 353 early school-aged children from Montevideo, Uruguay. Additionally, the analysis considered the child's iron status and the water content of iron (WFe) and zinc (WZn) in relation to water Pb and blood/urine Pb concentrations. Lead concentrations for both PbB and PbU were fairly low (M ± SD: 4.2 ± 2.1 μg/dL; Median [5%, 95%]: 1.9 [0.6, 5.1 μg/L, respectively]); however 21% of the sample had a PbB >5 μg/dL but ≤ 10 μg/dL. Overall, there was little evidence of an association between water metal concentrations and children's PbB/PbU. However, when the sample was stratified by children's iron status, WPb was positively related to PbU, but negatively related to PbB in iron-replete children, even after adjusting for WFe and WZn. In iron-deficient children, there was no elevation in PbU with increasing WPb. In this sample of children with low Pb levels, there were no overwhelming relationships between WPb and either PbB or PbU, however, there was some evidence that iron-replete status promotes excretion of WPb.

Southern Shaanxi is located in one of the water sources of the China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Evaluating ecological vulnerability can effectively supervise environmental changes and master evolving driving forces so as to guide the rational use and protection of ecological environment in regional water sources. Based on meteorological data, remote sensing images and statistical data, this study established an evaluation index system for ecological vulnerability in this special area. Taking advantage of visual expression and data mining capacity of geographical information system and remote sensing, a spatial principal component analysis method was introduced to evaluate the geospatial and temporal features of ecological vulnerability. This study established a feasible method to comprehensively assess the level of ecological vulnerability, and quantitatively analyze the driving forces that affected the ecological vulnerability in study area. The results indicated high levels of ecological vulnerability grade in the urban areas and the adjacent counties. With the accelerated urbanization, the ecological vulnerability index of the three major urban areas and their surrounding areas had gradually increasing ecological vulnerability index. The proportion of III vulnerable areas was always the largest area, which also led to an increase in the instability of the ecological environment. Over time, the most important driving force for ecological vulnerability of evaluation units in different regions was socio-economic factors, and environmental topographic factors were also important secondary factors for ecological vulnerability in Southern Shaanxi.

Low-priced bacterial sensors for testing different water contamination have the potential to save millions of lives. The present study reports a membrane-based kit (strip) that comprises tetrazolium dye and a carbon source for the detection of live bacteria in any kind of water source. Color change is observed on the strip when dipped into water containing bacteria that allows visual detection of contamination without the need of any expensive instruments. The strip efficiently estimated different concentrations of E. coli in the water on the basis of time taken to change the color. The results thus obtained supported that membrane-based strip could quantify live bacteria present in a variety of water samples. The kit also successfully worked in various environmental water samples (pond, sea, ground and municipal water) which may improve its acceptability by different end users such as in aquaculture industry, swimming pool and domestic/municipal water etc. These strips exhibit a feasible manufacturing approach for low-cost bacterial detection in majority of water sources.

Different analytical tools were used to determine the seroprevalence of and risk factors associated with Leptospira spp infection in 192 domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) in Bogotá, Colombia. Using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), a battery of 16 Leptospira serovars were tested. The seroprevalence of Leptospira spp was calculated as 36.46% (95% CI 0.30-0.43). A questionnaire was applied to the dogs’ owners at the time of sampling and the variables “Water sources near home” and “Dog hunting rodents” were identified as risk factors for leptospirosis occurrence in the urban area of Bogotá. Geographical coordinates relating to the dogs’ households were obtained in order to map out the spatial distribution of reactive and unreactive dogs. Additionally, we found that the mean annual precipitation was higher at geographical locations with reactive animals than at those with unreactive dogs (p

Peatland fires in Indonesia have generated significant losses, both economically and environmentally. But mitigation efforts to reduce these impacts, due to the limitation of sophisticated technology, are still in the process of going or not going. This study aims to analyze the forms of fire disaster mitigation carried out by community groups and identify the constraints of land fire mitigation. This research is a qualitative study with in-depth interviews with fire care community groups, firefighting corps, as well as landowners in areas frequently affected by the fires. The results showed that the community and landowners were committed to protecting peatland from fires in their area. The community simply extinguished flames by using boreholes and firefighting facilities. Landowners commit to maintaining their productive agricultural land, but they ignored the unmanaged or abandoned property. Mitigation is still minimal due to scarcity of water sources and technology limitation, which often fails to overcome peatland fires. Utilizing abandoned land prone to fire into productive land is considered useful for keeping land from burning.

Salinity intrusion caused a serious crisis for safe drinking water in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. The situation is even worse for children especially at school. However, information on water services in coastal schools are limited. Here we assess the quality of drinking water and supply infrastructures in the primary schools of a severely saline affected coastal area of Bangladesh. To fulfill the objective, thirty-eight schools were purposively selected and investigated in Dacope Upazila of Khulna district in Bangladesh. Findings revealed that, harvested rainwater (63%), pond (21%) and tube wells (16%) are the only drinking water sources. DO, pH, NO3, SO4 and PO4 concentration of the drinking water satisfied the quality standard. In contrast, total coliform counts exceeded the national standard. Harvested rainwater and pond showed more susceptibility to microbial contaminations as compared that of tube wells which have high salt content. Although 29% schools have installed portable water filtration unit, those are grossly inaccessible for the students. Therefore, students are reportedly consuming unsafe drinking water, and thus are vulnerable to water-borne diseases. The lack of resources and poorly designed infrastructure are the principal challenges of safe drinking water supply at primary schools of coastal Bangladesh.