Alternate Solutions to Water Resource Development -- A Case Study

This study was undertaken in an effort to develop procedural methodology for the consideration of alternative solutions for water resources development in a short period of time with a view toward reduction of total costs involved in prefeasibility studies. A review of related literature was made to reveal the status of the need for the development of a comprehensive method to evaluate possible alternatives. Three techniques were developed in this research effort to estimate the investment costs of a reservoir project, a levee project, and a basin conservation reservoir project in an economic region. The application of the methodologies were illustrated by a case study. The cost of a reservoir project in the case study area determined by the method developed in this investigation was in excellent agreement with the Corps of Engineers' estimate using conventional methods. In general, the dependability of all the three methodologies were considered good for use in order-ofmagnitude estimates. Selected solutions for water resources development problems in the Navasota River watershed were analyzed. The cost of water supply by desalination in the service area of the proposed Millican reservoir was computed following the procedure recommended by the Office of Saline Water. The investment costs of the alternatives were compared. The multipurpose reservoir project for flood control, water supply and recreation was found to be the least costly project. However, levees for flood protection in the lower Brazos River basin and desalting for water supply appeared to possess more intangible environmental benefits although the estimated cost of this multipurpose alternative was somewhat higher in comparison to the multipurpose reservoir project. Evaluation of intangible cost factors (environmental, aesthetic, etc.) was not possible in want of scientifically amenable procedures. Total costs (combined tangible and intangible factors) of all alternative plans could not be estimated. As a result, no attempt was made to recommend any specific alternative to the proposed action in the case study area

General Statistical properties of the CMB Polarization field

The distribution of the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) in the sky is determined by the hypothesis of random Gaussian distribution of the primordial density perturbations. This hypotheses is well motivated by the inflationary cosmology. Therefore, the test of consistency of the statistical properties of the CMB polarization field with the Gaussianity of primordial density fluctuations is a realistic way to study the nature of primordial inhomogeneities in the Universe. This paper contains the theoretical predictions of the general statistical properties of the CMB polarization field. All results obtained under assumption of the Gaussian nature of the signal. We pay the special attention to the following two problems. First, the classification and statistics of the singular points of the polarization field where polarization is equal to zero. Second, the topology of contours of the value of the degree of polarization. We have investigated the percolation properties for the zones of ``strong'' and ``weak'' polarization. We also have calculated Minkowski functionals for the CMB polarization field. All results are analytical.Comment: Latex, 22 pages, including 5 figure

The Role of Trait and State Perfectionism in Psychological Detachment From Daily Job Demands

Psychological detachment has been proposed to be a mediator of the relations between an individual's responses to stressful work-related experiences and mid- and long-term health. However, the number of studies that have specifically examined the role that personal characteristics play in these associations is considerably small. One personal characteristic that might specifically interfere with psychological detachment is perfectionism, which has been considered an important vulnerability factor for the development of psychological disorders. Hence, the goal of this registered report was to extend research on psychological detachment by introducing trait and state perfectionism as moderators of the aforementioned relations. We conducted an experience sampling study with three measurement occasions per day over the course of 3 working weeks (N = 158 employees; Mage = 41.6; 67% women). Multilevel path models showed that perfectionistic concerns consistently determined strain responses at between- and within-levels of analyses even after the effects of job demands (i.e., unfinished tasks and role ambiguity) and detachment were accounted for. However, we found no evidence for the proposed moderation effects. The theoretical implications for the understanding of the processes proposed in the stressor-detachment model are discussed

The feasibility of milkfish (Chanos chanos) aquaculture in Solomon Islands

Fish is crucial to food and nutrition security in Solomon Islands, and demand is expected to increase due to a growing population. However, it is projected that current capture fisheries production will not meet this growing demand. Aquaculture has the potential to mitigate the capture fishery shortfall, and the Government of Solomon Islands is prioritizing aquaculture as a solution to meet future food and income needs. Aquaculture in Solomon Islands is still in early development. Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) is farmed for household consumption, but its prolific reproductive rate and resulting slow growth limit its potential as a commercial aquaculture species. More productive fish species that are not indigenous to Solomon Islands but are successfully farmed overseas could be introduced; however, such a decision needs to take into account the potential ecological or social impacts. For land-based pond aquaculture, the only indigenous species that has been farmed extensively elsewhere is milkfish (Chanos chanos). This report presents a feasibility assessment for milkfish farming in Solomon Islands. It synthesizes the current knowledge about milkfish farming and presents results of a 4-year study on the potential for milkfish aquaculture in Solomon Islands

Efficacy and tolerability of four antimalarial combinations in the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Senegal

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In view of the high level of chloroquine resistance in many countries, WHO has recommended the use of combination therapy with artemisinin derivatives in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria due to <it>Plasmodium falciparum</it>. Four antimalarial drug combinations, artesunate plus amodiaquine (Arsucam^®), artesunate plus mefloquine (Artequin^®), artemether plus lumefantrine (Coartem^®; four doses and six doses), and amodiaquine plus sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, were studied in five health districts in Senegal.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a descriptive, analytical, open, randomized study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of these four antimalarial combinations in the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria using the 2002 WHO protocol.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All drug combinations demonstrated good efficacy. On day 28, all combinations resulted in an excellent clinical and parasitological response rate of 100% after correction for PCR results, except for the four-dose artemether-lumefantrine regimen (96.4%). Follow-up of approximately 10% of each treatment group on day 42 demonstrated an efficacy of 100%.</p> <p>The combinations were well tolerated clinically and biologically. No unexpected side-effect was observed and all side-effects disappeared at the end of treatment. No serious side-effect requiring premature termination of treatment was observed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The four combinations are effective and well-tolerated.</p

Absence of Aquaporin-4 in Skeletal Muscle Alters Proteins Involved in Bioenergetic Pathways and Calcium Handling

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is a water channel expressed at the sarcolemma of fast-twitch skeletal muscle fibers, whose expression is altered in several forms of muscular dystrophies. However, little is known concerning the physiological role of AQP4 in skeletal muscle and its functional and structural interaction with skeletal muscle proteome. Using AQP4-null mice, we analyzed the effect of the absence of AQP4 on the morphology and protein composition of sarcolemma as well as on the whole skeletal muscle proteome. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that the absence of AQP4 did not perturb the expression and cellular localization of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex proteins, aside from those belonging to the extracellular matrix, and no alteration was found in sarcolemma integrity by dye extravasation assay. With the use of a 2DE-approach (BN/SDS-PAGE), protein maps revealed that in quadriceps, out of 300 Coomassie-blue detected and matched spots, 19 proteins exhibited changed expression in AQP4−/− compared to WT mice. In particular, comparison of the protein profiles revealed 12 up- and 7 down-regulated protein spots in AQP4−/− muscle. Protein identification by MS revealed that the perturbed expression pattern belongs to proteins involved in energy metabolism (i.e. GAPDH, creatine kinase), as well as in Ca2+ handling (i.e. parvalbumin, SERCA1). Western blot analysis, performed on some significantly changed proteins, validated the 2D results. Together these findings suggest AQP4 as a novel determinant in the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism and better define the role of this water channel in skeletal muscle physiology