Infrastructure for irrigation of grapevines with diluted winery wastewater in a field experiment

Winemaking produces large volumes of poor quality water. The possibility to re-use this water for  vineyard irrigation was investigated in a field trial. For this purpose, winery wastewater had to be diluted  to chemical oxygen demand (COD) levels ranging between 100 and 3 000 mg/L. The relatively simple  infrastructure and procedure required to dilute the winery wastewater in 15 m3 tanks are described. Analyses of the diluted  winery wastewater confirmed that the COD concentrations were reasonably close to the target values.  Furthermore, measuring COD concentrations in the irrigation water while it was being pumped from the tanks confirmed that the concentrations of diluted wastewater within the tanks were fairly homogeneous, and that effective mixing had taken place while tanks were being filled. The COD measurements were more reliable when the oxidation time was standardised at 2 h compared to shorter periods, irrespective of the level of COD in the water. After initial practical problems and sources of error were eliminated, the accuracy of treatment application obtained in terms of the target COD concentrations was acceptable.Keywords: chemical oxygen demand, winery wastewater, re-use, irrigation, grapevine

Measuring group social interactions following acquired brain injury: an inter-rater reliability evaluation

Background: Social communication impairments following acquired brain injury (ABI) are well-documented. There is evidence that group interventions are beneficial but research into validated instruments to measure group outcomes is a new field of investigation. / Aims: This study reports on the inter-rater reliability of three established social communication measures for use with group interaction data: the Profile of Pragmatic Impairment in Communication (PPIC), the Behaviorally Referenced Rating System of Intermediate Social Skills (BRISS-R), the Adapted Measure of Participation in Conversation (MPC). Inter-rater reliability of the Interactional Network Tool (INT), a new digital tool designed for group interactional behaviours, is also evaluated. / Method: Thirty-one video samples of ABI group interactions were independently rated by two rater pairs using the four outcome measures. Inter-rater reliability was calculated using intra-class correlations (ICC). / Results: ICC estimates and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for the different measures. The measures showed differential sensitivity. Rater agreement on the MPC interaction (ICC = 0.77) and transaction (ICC = 0.74) scales was moderate to good. The INT initiation frequencies (ICC = 0.83) were moderate to excellent and the INT response frequencies (ICC = 0.69) were poor to good. Poor to moderate reliability was achieved on the BRISS-R PCSS (ICC = 0.49) and PDBS (ICC = 0.50) scale and PPIC findings were moderate but showed presence of skew. / Conclusion: Acceptable reliability was achieved on two measures of participation (MPC and INT). The INT shows promise as a new method to characterise interactions and detect change in group communication behaviour

Hepatic small vessel neoplasm: not totally benign, not yet malignant

Hepatic small vessel neoplasm (HSVN) is a rare vascular tumor with few reports in the literature. While imaging findings may show characteristic enhancement patterns, limited available literature may not reveal the full potential for image-based diagnosis. Histologically, HSVN mimics other entities, though certain morphologic and immunohistochemical findings provide clues for diagnosis. However, HSVN still provides diagnostic challenges, especially on core biopsies with limited material for morphologic and molecular evaluation. While current recommendations are surgical resection and close observation, the long-term course of the tumor is unknown. We report a case of HSVN in a liver with additional feature of organized lymphoid aggregates necessitating additional hematopathology consultation and workup to rule out concurrent entities

Increasing Multiyear Sea Ice Loss in the Beaufort Sea: A New Export Pathway for the Diminishing Multiyear Ice Cover of the Arctic Ocean

Historically, multiyear sea ice (MYI) covered a majority of the Arctic and circulated through the Beaufort Gyre for years. However, increased ice melt in the Beaufort Sea during the early 2000s was proposed to have severed this circulation. Constructing a regional MYI budget from 1997 to 2021 reveals that MYI import into the Beaufort Sea has increased year-round, yet less MYI now survives through summer and is transported onwards in the Gyre. Annual average MYI loss quadrupled over the study period and increased from ∼7% to ∼33% of annual Fram Strait MYI export, while the peak in 2018 (385,000 km2) was similar in magnitude to Fram Strait MYI export. The ice-albedo feedback coupled with the transition toward younger thinner MYI is responsible for the increased MYI loss. MYI transport through the Beaufort Gyre has not been severed, but it has been reduced so severely to prevent it from being redistributed throughout the Arctic Ocean

S-Phenyl 4-meth­oxy­benzothio­ate

In the mol­ecule of the title thio­ester, C14H12O2S, the dihedral angle between the phenyl and benzene rings is 71.8 (3)°. The meth­oxy group is essentially coplanar with the benezene ring to which it is bonded, with an r.m.s. deviation of 0.0065 (5) Å for the non-H atoms involved. In the crystal, weak C—H⋯π inter­actions are present

Relocating civil society in a politics of civic-driven change

Politics is central to development discourse, yet remains peripheral. Over some twenty years, a civil-society narrative has not fulfilled its potential to 'bring politics back in'. Reasons can be found in conceptual confusion, in selectivity in donor thinking, in policies towards civil society and in the growth-driven political economy of NGO-ism. Remedies for the political lacunae are being sought through a focus on rights, citizenship and leadership that show valuable focused progress. This article examines a comprehensive complement to such efforts referred to as civic-driven change (CDC). Originating in a grounded empirical approach, the constituent principles and elements of CDC offer a lens that can both sharpen and deepen insights and advance analysis of socio-political processes. © The Authors 2013. Development Policy Revie

A fast and versatile method for spectral emissivity measurement at high temperatures

International audienceIn this paper, the development of a new device for high temperature emissivity measurement is described. This device aims at measuring both spectral and total emissivity for a thermal range of 600–1000 °C. The main targeted properties of this device are versatility and simplicity. To achieve this, a rigorous selection of components such as heating systems, heat sources, sample holders, and measuring devices was made. Sample dimensions and the corresponding sample holder were optimized through a ray tracing model computation. Selection of sensors to compute the total emissivity was also discussed. A near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer and two mid-infrared (MIR) cameras equipped with optical filters covering the bandwidth of 3–5 and 7.5–13 μm were chosen for spectral measurements. The major impediment was the separation of the sample signal and various spurious signals emitted by the environment. A specific measurement methodology was then made for each bandwidth to resolve this issue. Platinum was chosen as the reference material for the device validation. Spectral emissivity measurements were then compared to values from a commercial spectrometer. A good agreement was found between NIR and MIR band I measurements, and a higher error rate was seen in MIR band II which is explained by a less favorable signal to noise ratio. Integrated emissivity is then calculated and compared to values found in the literature. A good agreement between these values is found, and similar trends with temperature are observed. The device is then validated for spectral and total emissivity measurements. Device versatility and simplicity allow for an easy adaptation to a large area of applications