Cryptosporidium Source Tracking in the Potomac River Watershed

Tree community composition was compared across areas of different types of land use within an abandoned Ma'ohi settlement in the 'Opunohu valley of Mo'orea, French Polynesia. Focusing on three tree species (Inocarpus fagifer, Aleurites moluccana, Neonauclea forsteri), differences in tree communities on seven archaeological complexes were used to make retrospective inferences about the arboricultural practices of pre-European Ma'ohi culture. Differences in community were quantified with density, diameter, and distribution relative to archaeological structures. Data from this study suggest that different types of prehistoric land use in the 'Opunohu valley have left distinct and lasting impacts on forest composition on a small scale, and imply the following about Ma'ohi arboricultural practice: 1) Inocarpus cultivation was associated with residential areas; 2) Aleurites and Neonauclea were cultivated or preserved in ritual complexes and areas dedicated to craft production; 3) Aleurites and Neonauclea were not cultivated in areas dedicated to agriculture. These results indicate that modern biological communities have the potential to provide insight into pre-European land use patterns even after long periods of succession, which plays into a larger argument calling for the further integration between archaeological and ecological disciplines.

A soundscape approach to analyze traffic noise in the city of Taipei, Taiwan

The Amazon River Delta-Estuary region presents a scenario of high annual precipitation totals, governed by large- and meso-scale hydrometeorological events. Intense precipitation can lead to significant erosive susceptibility in the region, depending on hydrometeorological influences and different types of land use and cover. This study aimed to assess rainfall erosivity risk in a time series spanning from 1985 to 2022, with the hypothesis that hydrometeorological events, as well as land use and cover, influence this factor. The dynamics of erosivity were evaluated from the perspective of the influence of hydrometeorological events and land use and cover types. Rainfall erosivity (R) ranged from 10078.7 to 13975.16 MJ·mm−1·ha−1·h−1·year−1, classified as very high erosivity in all years of the study period. The erosive potential showed climatic variability according to the positive and negative phases of the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM), and the warm (El Niño) and cold (La Niña) phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The R-factor is positively related to natural non-forest formation, agriculture, non-vegetated area, and wetland ecosystems; being influenced by hydrometeorological events and spatially by different types of land use and cover, confirming the hypothesis raised.

For a long time, spring water was considered pure and clean due to the natural filtration that occurs during the infiltration and movement of spring water through deep and shallow aquifers. However, due to the increase in anthropogenic activities, spring water has shown contamination problems. Various methods for spring recovery are found in the literature, especially in rural areas where spring water is used to supply the population. In the southeast region of the state of Paraná, Brazil, farmers have been applying the soil-cement method to improve the quality of spring water. However, there are few studies on the efficiency of this method. The objective of this article is to evaluate whether there has been an improvement in water quality after three years of using the soil-cement method in springs located in different types of land use (pasture, faxinal, forest, agriculture, and urban). Water samples were collected before the recovery, one year after, and three years after the recovery. At the end of the research, we observed an improvement in water quality, with areas with grazing animals showing the best recovery indices. Some parameters indicated significant improvement, such as E. coli, total coliforms, and turbidity.

This study was carried out to evaluate the diversity in reptile communities in wetland landscapes located in the Mediterranean region. For this, the status of the reptile populations linked to different Mediterranean wetlands in relation to the different types of land use established in the nearby drainage basins (500 m around the wetlands perimeter) was determined. The different types of land use were determined together with the presence/absence, abundance and size class of the different reptile species. The results showed that areas with high anthropic pressure had a lower diversity of species, as well as a less balanced community structure, that could put at risk the effective recruitment and hence the maintenance of the reptile populations in these areas. The reasons behind the decline in the reptile community are similar to those put forward for explaining the decline in amphibians in the same area.

The protease activity of powdery carbonate chernozems (Haplic Chernozem Hypocalcic) was studied under various types of land use – arable land, virgin land, fallow. The research area is located in the Tugnui basin, Mukhorshibirsky district, Republic of Buryatia. The activity of the protease enzyme was determined by application using photographic film, which was laid in a layer of 0–20 cm of soil. Observations of protease activity in the first year of the study showed that the maximum activity occurred at the end of July–beginning of August. On arable land, the indicator was 35–39%, on fallow land – 34– 36%, on virgin land – 33–39%. In the 2nd year of the study, proteolytic activity increased from the beginning of the growing season. The first peak of activity was observed in the 2nd half of July, which amounted to 44% in arable land, 43% in fallow, and 47% in virgin lands. The second peak of protease activity occurred in the 2nd half of August and amounted to 30% in arable land, 35% in fallow and 37% in virgin lands. In chernozems, proteolytic activity was higher in virgin lands, its intensity decreased from arable land to fallow lands. This indicated an average proteolytic activity in powdery carbonate chernozems under various types of land use. Focality and mosaic character were noted during gelatin hydrolysis as a result of 10-day exposure in all variants. This indicated an uneven distribution of enzyme systems in the soil column and the presence of separate microzones with different protease activity. Statistical processing of the data showed that the activity of proteases depended on hydrothermal conditions.

Megacity regions where human activities are intensive are key areas for CVD prevention and control in China. Optimizing land-use patterns has been widely recognized as an important public health intervention. Ecological space, agricultural space, and construction space are three basic management objects in China’s new land-use management system. Given that most existing studies focused on a single type of land use, this study treats them as a whole and not only explores the impact of each type, but also systematically investigates the effects of the interactions between any two types of land use and the whole land-use pattern. Specifically, this study first constructs a hierarchical index system, then uses spatial error models (SEM) to explore the global associations between each index and age-standardized CVD mortality rates (ASMRs) and uses the multiple geographical weighted regression model (MGWR) to explore the spatial heterogeneity of factor effects. The possible association between land-use patterns and CVD mortality is then explored, and recommendations for policy formulation are provided. The analysis results show that the overall pattern of moderately decentralized and organically combined land use can control CVD mortality to a certain extent, but the specific influence mechanisms show significant differences according to different land-use types, relationships, and location conditions. First, in terms of single-type land-use distribution, the concentration of ecological space has positive health benefits, while a too high concentration of agricultural space has negative effects. Second, the combination of different types of land use has a significant association with CVD, in which the mixed layout of ecological and agricultural space helps to suppress CVD, while ecological and construction space need to be appropriately regularized and should not be too interspersed. Third, the same index may have different effects in different regions, suggesting that policy makers need to tailor their policies to local conditions.

Ketersediaan pakan yang cukup menjamin keberhasilan usaha budi daya lebah tanpa sengat. Salah satu pakan yang dimanfaatkan oleh lebah tanpa sengat adalah serbuk sari. Serbuk sari merupakan sumber utama protein, vitamin, dan mineral yang dibutuhkan oleh lebah. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah melihat preferensi dan pencarian pakan lebah tanpa sengat melalui identifikasi jenis serbuk sari yang ada di dalam stup dan memelajari jarak terbang lebah tanpa sengat dalam mencari pakan. Penelitian ini dilakukan di 26 desa di 4 kabupaten di Pulau Lombok dari bulan November 2017 sampai Februari 2018. Penentuan sampel dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode snowball information hingga mendapatkan 26 pembudidaya dan 1,57% stup diambil sebagai sampel pada 3 tipe penggunaan lahan yang berbeda, yaitu agroekosistem, hutan, dan pemukiman. Sampel serbuk sari diambil secara langsung dan dianalisis dengan metode asetolisis hingga didapatkan preparat kering untuk diidentifikasi di laboratorium. Data potensi pakan diamati secara langsung melalui identifikasi jenis tanaman yang berada pada radius 500 m dari sarang lebah tanpa sengat. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa lebah tanpa sengat memanfaatkan pakan dari tanaman Famili Bromeliaceae dan Cyperaceae pada semua tipe penggunaan lahan. Famili Liliaceae menjadi pakan yang potensial pada agroekosistem, sedangkan Asteraceae menjadi pakan yang potensial di tipe lahan pemukiman dan hutan. Lebah tanpa sengat yang dibudidayakan pada tipe agroekosistem cenderung mencari pakan di sekitar radius 500 meter, pada tipe hutan mencari pakan diluar radius dan pada tipe pemukiman mempunyai kecenderungan 50% mencari pakan di dalam radius. Informasi ini diharapkan dapat bermanfaat bagi usaha budi daya lebah tanpa sengat khususnya di Pulau Lombok.

The aim of the present paper is to develop a spatial analysis methodology with an inference fuzzy system using the geoprocessing techniques to generate an anthropic pressure indicator (API) based on two other indicators: Circularity Index (CI) and Edge Effects Index (EEI). This new methodology could indicate the remaining forest fragments exposition level after the anthropic action, considering the relationship between the geometry (CI) and the type of land use around the area (EEI) as the main factors. The studied area is located in the southwest part of Sao Paulo state, Brazil. The obtained results show that rivers are often found as limits between fragments, demonstrating the importance of the preservation and conservation of riparian forest. In total, 846 forest fragments were identified, occupying 6.19 % of the study area, totalizing 2775.7 ha. Out of the total fragments 48.7 % were in medium and advanced successional stage of regeneration presenting elongated shapes and 16 % were in a high fragility interval, consequence of the edge effects. Moreover, the map of API showed that 16.2 % forest fragments were in a moderate high anthropic pressure interval, which deserve special attention for being very elongated, limited and pressured in an intense way by different types of land use which affect its surroundings. Thereby, the study demonstrated that the understanding of pressure types imposed on the remaining forest fragments through an indicator can contribute to management programs and territorial planning, giving conditions to the forest restoration in areas of strong anthropic pressure, and that the employment of fuzzy logics and geoprocessing could contribute significantly to diagnosis and trouble characterizations.

The occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria in surface waters and their impact on drinking water treatment plants (WTPs) is a growing, global concern. The main objective of this paper was to assess the presence of cyanobacteria in surface water sources and associated cell removal efficiency in full-scale WTPs across the world. Previously unpublished data was collected from WTPs experiencing cyanobacterial blooms in either their managed surface waters or recreational waters. In total, data were collected from 31 surface water sources and 21 WTPs in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The most commonly detected species were identified in both the surface waters, including Microcystis, Anabaena, Nostoc, Oscillatoria, and Planktolyngbya, and water treatment plant intakes, including Microcystis, Cylindrospermopsis, Anabaena, Pseudanabaena, and Aphanizomenon. In the intakes, cyanotoxins and taste and odor (T&O) compounds frequently co-occurred (80%) as did multiple cyanotoxins (39%). Conventional treatment saw a wide range of removal depending on the density of cells, species, and metabolites. Although more than 28% of sampling events displayed negligible or even negative removals of metabolites or cells due to accumulation within the clarifier, filtration, or water recycling, the presence of multiple treatment barriers, particularly advanced treatments like granular activated carbon and nanofiltration, allowed for the cells and their metabolites of concern to be removed to below guideline values. During treatment, total microcystins were often removed without releasing their intracellular fraction, whereas cylindrospermopsin, geosmin, and 2-MIB were commonly detected as entirely extracellular at the plant's intake. The maximum tolerable cell (MTC) counts for cyanotoxin- or T&O-producing cells were calculated using guideline values, average removal efficiency, and the average cell quota derived from data. The 21 WTPs in this work were found to be able to tolerate approximately 74,000 cells/mL for microcystins, 8,000 cells/mL for cylindrospermopsin, and 1,200 cells/mL for geosmin and 2-MIB before exceeding guideline values. These levels provide guidance for water treatment plant operators to assess the potential risk associated with cells capable of producing cyanotoxins or T&O compounds.

A comprehensive study was conducted at two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and one water treatment plant (WTP) in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The occurrence of 220 emerging and legacy compounds, their removal efficiencies by the existing treatment processes, and their potential environmental impacts were studied. The results are reported in a two part paper. In this part (I), the occurrence and removal efficiencies are presented. Three of the 47 target pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) contributed 89–96% of the total concentration of PhACs/EDCs in the WWTP influents. They were acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen. The existing treatment processes successfully removed between 95 and 98% of ‘all’ PhACs/EDCs, primarily due to the high removal rates of these three analgesics. Concentrations of PhACs/EDCs detected at the WTP intake were two to three orders of magnitude lower than those in the effluent of the upstream WWTP. These concentrations remained relatively unchanged in the finished drinking water, indicating the WTP's low removal efficiency for trace amounts of them. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were detected at concentrations as high as 150 ng/L (for PBDE-209) in the WWTPs’ influent, and removed at 86–96% efficiency. PDBE effluent concentrations were mostly below 1 ng/L at both WWTPs, with a maximum of 9 ng/L for PBDE-209. Octylphenol, nonylphenol, and nonylphenol ethoxylates concentrations were monitored in one WWTP's effluent, and ranged between undetectable and 286 ng/L (LoDs varied between 1.3 and 15.2 ng/L).

Spatial justice in public open space planning: Accessibility and inclusivity

SummaryGas and water transport in peat soil are of increasing interest because of their potentially large environmental and climatic effects under different types of land use. In this research, the water retention curve (WRC), gas diffusion coefficient (Dg) and air and water permeabilities (ka and kw) of layers in peat soil from two profiles were measured under different moisture conditions. A two‐region Archie's Law (2RAL)‐type model was applied successfully to the four properties; the reference point was taken at −9.8 kPa of soil‐water matric potential where volume shrinkage typically started to occur. For WRC in the very decomposed peat soil, the 2RAL saturation exponents (n) obtained for both the wetter (nw) and drier regions (nd) were smaller than those for the less decomposed peat. For Dg, the saturation exponent in the wetter region was larger than that in the drier one for all layers, which indicated enhanced blocking effects of water on gas diffusion in the wetter region. For the peat layers within each soil, there was a linear relation between saturation exponents in the drier region for ka and Dg. The larger saturation exponent of the wetter region for kw in peat than in sand suggests a need for specific hydraulic functions for peat soil. The 2RAL model for Dg agreed well with measured data, and performed better than existing unimodal models. To facilitate use of the 2RAL for Dg, we developed a simple predictive expression for Dg at the reference point. The pore‐network tortuosity factor and equivalent pore diameter for gas transport confirmed very different pore structure and mass transport behaviour for peat soil and uniform sand.

Analyzing spatiotemporal changes in land use and land cover could provide basic information for appropriate decision-making and thereby plays an essential role in promoting the sustainable use of land resources, especially in ecologically fragile regions. In this paper, a case study was taken in Zhenlai County, which is a part of the farming-pastoral ecotone of Northern China. This study integrated methods of bitemporal change detection and temporal trajectory analysis to trace the paths of land cover change for every location in the study area from 1954 to 2005, using published land cover data based on topographic and environmental background maps and also remotely sensed images including Landsat MSS (Multispectral Scanner) and TM (Thematic Mapper). Meanwhile, the Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient derived from economic models were also used to study the land use structure changes to gain a better understanding of human impact on this fragile ecosystem. Results of bitemporal change detection showed that the most common land cover transition in the study area was an expansion of arable land at the expense of grassland and wetland. Plenty of grassland was converted to other unused land, indicating serious environmental degradation in Zhenlai County during the past decades. Trajectory analysis of land use and land cover change demonstrated that settlement, arable land, and water bodies were relatively stable in terms of coverage and spatial distribution, while grassland, wetland, and forest land had weak stability. Natural forces were still dominating the environmental processes of the study area, while human-induced changes also played an important role in environmental change. In addition, different types of land use displayed different concentration trends and had large changes during the study period. Arable land was the most decentralized, whereas forest land was the most concentrated. The above results not only revealed notable spatiotemporal features of land use and land cover change in the time series, but also confirmed the applicability and effectiveness of the methodology in our research, which combined bitemporal change detection, temporal trajectory analysis, and a Lorenz curve/Gini coefficient in analyzing spatiotemporal changes in land use and land cover.

Based on the seasonal characteristics of groundwater hydrochemistry and the carbon isotopes (δ13C) of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the Hongjiadu Basin, Guizhou Province, this paper discusses the natural processes and anthropogenic factors affecting the characteristics of δ13CDIC in karst groundwaters under different land use types. The results show that the main sources of DIC in groundwater are carbonate weathering and soil CO2. In winter, the δ13CDIC values for groundwater ranged from -14.8‰ to -4.1‰ with an average of -10.1‰ and, in summer, ranged from -14.5‰ to -6.3‰ with an average of -10.2‰. Sulfuric acid from sulfide oxidation in coal-bearing strata and acid rain is involved in carbonate weathering, resulting in the enrichment of groundwater with heavy carbon isotopes. Due to the soil CO2 effect, the δ13CDIC values of woodland groundwater experiencing less disturbance from human activities are lower in summer than in winter. The degradation of organic matter input from residential areas is a significant contributor of DIC to groundwater. The average values of δ13CDIC in winter and summer were -11.9‰ and -11.6‰, respectively, and the seasonal difference was relatively small in residential areas. During different seasons and for different types of land use, human activities could lead to differences in groundwater δ13CDIC values and hydrochemistry. Therefore, δ13CDIC can reflect the impact of human activities on karst aquifers, which has important ecological significance.