Hydrogeology and hydrogeochemistry of an alkaline volcanic area: the NE Mt. Meru slope (East African Rift – Northern Tanzania)

Abstract. The objective of this study is to analyze the geochemical conditions associated with the presence of fluoride (F−) in the groundwater of an area of Northern Tanzania. The studied aquifers are composed of volcanic rocks such as phonolitic and nephelinitic lavas, basalts, lahars of various ages and mantling ash. Sedimentary rocks consisting of fine-grained alluvial and lacustrine deposits occur as well. Samples collected from springs, borehole and surface water, during two monitoring surveys, were analyzed for the various physico-chemical and isotopic parameters. The geochemical composition of water is typically sodium bicarbonate. High values of F− (up to 68 mg l−1) were recorded. The highest values of fluoride agreed with the highest values of pH, sodium and bicarbonate. Dissolution of major ions, exchange processes and precipitation of Ca2+ from super-saturated solutions joined with the local permeability and hydraulic gradients, control the fluoride mobilization and the contamination of the area

Gravitational wave background from Standard Model physics: complete leading order

We compute the production rate of the energy density carried by gravitational waves emitted by a Standard Model plasma in thermal equilibrium, consistently to leading order in coupling constants for momenta k ∼ πT. Summing up the contributions from the full history of the universe, the highest temperature of the radiation epoch can be constrained by the so-called Neff parameter. The current theoretical uncertainty ∆Neff≤ 10−3 corresponds to Tmax≤ 2 × 1017 GeV. In the course of the computation, we show how a subpart of the production rate can be determined with the help of standard packages, even if subsequently an IR subtraction and thermal resummation need to be implemented

Sustainable water resources management to combat desertification in the Nurra region, northwestern Sardinia, Italy

Sustainable water management plays an important role in the frame of the multidisciplinary research activities aiming to combat or to mitigate the desertification processes. The study activities have been carried out by RIADE Research Project (Integrated Research for Applying new technologies and processes for combating Desertification, www.riade.net. RIADE was co-financed by MIUR within the National Operative Programme 2000-2006. The primary objective was to explore and to develop models and strategies for innovative and sustainable solutions of water resources management, adopting a multidisciplinary approach, at the catchment and hydrogeological basin scale in a Mediterranean context, using a case history of a pilot area in NW Sardinia (Italy). The high concentration of population in this coastal zone and the intense agricultural activity have determined a relevant increase of water demand. This demand is generally satisfied by surface water, but, in some peculiar dry periods, it exceeds the available quantities. In these critical periods, groundwater are the only alternative source constituting a strategic water resource. The groundwater chemical properties are then correlated with the effects of the anthropogenic pressures. The used approach shows the application of groundwater protection criteria, in accordance with EU policies, and it was aimed to develop a methodological tool which can be applied to different scenarios

Application of Octacalcium Phosphate with an Innovative Household-scale Defluoridator Prototype and Behavioral Determinants of its Adoption in Rural Communities of the East African Rift Valley

Natural fluoride contamination of drinking water is a serious issue that affects several countries of the world. Its negative health impact is well documented in the East African Rift Valley, where water consumption with fluoride ((Formula presented.)) concentration greater than 1.5 mg/L can cause fluorosis to people. Within the framework of the European Union (EU) Horizon 2020 FLOWERED project, we first designed an effective defluoridation device based on innovative application of octacalcium phosphate (OCP) and then explored its acceptance within rural communities. The prototype (FLOWERED Defluoridator Device [FDD]) essentially is composed of a 20-L tank and a recirculating pump that guarantees the interaction between water and OCP. The device is powered by a car battery for a fixed pumping working time using a fixed amount of OCP for every defluoridation cycle. The results of tests performed in the rural areas of Tanzania show that a standardized use of the prototype can lower the dissolved (Formula presented.) from an initial concentration of 21 mg/L to below the World Health Organization (WHO) drinkable limit of 1.5 mg/L in 2 h without secondary negative effects on water quality. The approximate cost of this device is around US$220, whereas that of OCP is about$0.03/L of treated water. As with any device, acceptance requires a behavioral change on behalf of rural communities that needed to be investigated. To this end, we piloted a survey to explore how psychological and socioeconomic factors influence the consumption of fluoride-free water. Results show that the adoption of FDD and OCP is more appealing to members of the rural communities who are willing to pay more and have a high consumption of water. Moreover, we suggest that given the low level of knowledge about fluorosis diseases, the government should introduce educational programs to make rural communities aware of the negative health consequences. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;00:1–15. © 2020 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)

Exploring Consumers’ Attitudes of Smart TV Related Privacy Risks

A number of privacy risks are inherent in the Smart TV ecosystem. It is likely that many consumers are unaware of these privacy risks. Alternatively, they might be aware but consider the privacy risks acceptable. In order to explore this, we carried out an online survey with 200 participants to determine whether consumers were aware of Smart TV related privacy risks. The responses revealed a meagre level of awareness. We also explored consumers’ attitudes towards specific Smart TV related privacy risks. We isolated a number of factors that influenced rankings and used these to develop awareness-raising messages. We tested these messages in an online survey with 155 participants. The main finding was that participants were generally unwilling to disconnect their Smart TVs from the Internet because they valued the Smart TV’s Internet functionality more than their privacy. We subsequently evaluated the awareness-raising messages in a second survey with 169 participants, framing the question differently. We asked participants to choose between five different Smart TV Internet connection options, two of which retained functionality but entailed expending time and/or effort to preserve privacy

Serotonin drives striatal synaptic plasticity in a sex-related manner

Introduction: Plasticity at corticostriatal synapses is a key substrate for a variety of brain functions – including motor control, learning and reward processing – and is often disrupted in disease conditions. Despite intense research pointing toward a dynamic interplay between glutamate, dopamine (DA), and serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission, their precise circuit and synaptic mechanisms regulating their role in striatal plasticity are still unclear. Here, we analyze the role of serotonergic raphe-striatal innervation in the regulation of DA-dependent corticostriatal plasticity. Methods: Mice (males and females, 2–6 months of age) were housed in standard plexiglass cages at constant temperature (22 ± 1 °C) and maintained on a 12/12 h light/dark cycle with food and demineralized water ad libitum. In the present study, we used a knock-in mouse line in which the green fluorescent protein reporter gene (GFP) replaced the I Tph2 exon (Tph2GFP mice), allowing selective expression of GFP in the whole 5-HT system, highlighting both somata and neuritis of serotonergic neurons. Heterozygous, Tph2+/GFP, mice were intercrossed to obtain experimental cohorts, which included Wild-type (Tph2+/+), Heterozygous (Tph2+/GFP), and Mutant serotonin-depleted (Tph2GFP/GFP) animals. Results: Using male and female mice, carrying on different Tph2 gene dosages, we show that Tph2 gene modulation results in sex-specific corticostriatal abnormalities, encompassing the abnormal amplitude of spontaneous glutamatergic transmission and the loss of Long Term Potentiation (LTP) in Tph2GFP/GFP mice of both sexes, while this form of plasticity is normally expressed in control mice (Tph2+/+). Once LTP is induced, only the Tph2+/GFP female mice present a loss of synaptic depotentiation. Conclusion: We showed a relevant role of the interaction between dopaminergic and serotonergic systems in controlling striatal synaptic plasticity. Overall, our data unveil that 5-HT plays a primary role in regulating DA-dependent corticostriatal plasticity in a sex-related manner and propose altered 5-HT levels as a critical determinant of disease-associated plasticity defects

Tectonic setting of the kenya rift in the nakuru area, based on geophysical prospecting

In this paper, we present results of tectonic and geophysical investigations in the Kenya Rift valley, in the Nakuru area. We compiled a detailed geological map of the area based on published earlier works, well data and satellite imagery. The map was then integrated with original fieldwork and cross sections were constructed. In key areas, we then performed geophysical survey using Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), Hybrid Source AudioMagnetoTelluric (HSAMT), and single station passive seismic measurements (HVSR). In the study area, a volcano-sedimentary succession of the Neogene-Quaternary age characterized by basalts, trachytes, pyroclastic rocks, and tephra with intercalated lacustrine and fluvial deposits crops out. Faulting linked with rift development is evident and occurs throughout the area crosscutting all rock units. We show a rotation of the extension in this portion of the Kenya rift with the NE-SW extension direction of a Neogene-Middle Pleistocene age, followed by the E-Wextension direction of anUpper Pleistocene-Present age. Geophysical investigations allowed to outline main lithostratigraphic units and tectonic features at depth and were also useful to infer main cataclasites and fractured rock bodies, the primary paths for water flow in rocks. These investigations are integrated in a larger EU H2020 Programme aimed to produce a geological and hydrogeological model of the area to develop a sustainable water management system

Progetto Geosoglie

Il Centro Funzionale Decentrato (CFD) della Regione Sardegna si propone di sviluppare con il Progetto GEOSOGLIE una attività di ricerca e sviluppo sui temi del rischio idrogeologico e in particolare dei processi di innesco dei fenomeni franosi in funzione di specifici valori pluviometrici di soglia e della propensione al dissesto dei versanti. In questo lavoro viene presentata la struttura e lo sviluppo del progetto nelle sue fasi funzionali.The Decentralized Functional Centre (Centro Funzionale Decentrato, CFD) of Regione Autonoma della Sardegna, through the Project GEOSOGLIE, aims to develop research activities on hydrological risk issues and, in particolar, on the trigger processes of landslides according to specific rainfall thresholds. Moreover, the susceptivity to landslide will be mapped. In this paper we present the structure and the operational development of the project describing its functional phases

Dissolved fluoride removal by OCP, a precursor of apatite

The consumption of water with fluoride concentration higher than 1.5 mg/L (WHO recommended limit) is recognized to cause serious diseases. Fluoride removal from natural contaminated waters is a worldwide priority for more than 200 million people. The octacalcium phosphate (OCP), a mineralogical precursor of bio-apatite, is here tested as a fluoride remover. A new two-step method for the synthesis of OCP is proposed; it consists of 1) synthesis of brushite from calcium carbonate and phosphoric acid and, 2) subsequent hydrolysis of brushite. Fluoride removal experiments were performed in batch-mode using 200 mg of OCP in 50 ml solutions with different initial concentrations of fluoride (from 40 to 140 mg/L). Most of fluoride is removed within the first two hours, whereas the WHO limit of 1.5 mg/L is reached within a minimum of 3 hours for a starting Fconcentration of 40 mg/L, and in about 12 hours for a starting F-concentration of 80 mg/L. One gram of OCP can remove up to 26 mg of fluoride. The pH of the solution after the treatment is within the range of drinking water. XRD characterization of the solid phases, before and after the experiments, indicates that OCP transforms into fluorapatite via Fremoval from solution