The impact of lead-zinc mining on the quality and ecology of surface waters in Southeast Missouri

Student supported: 1 Student AssistantThis study was initiated to determine the background concentrations of copper, lead, and zinc in the streams of the Viburnum Trend or New Lead Belt of southeast Missouri. Analytical methods were developed for atomic absorption spectroscopy. These methods initially consisted of coextraction of copper, lead, and zinc using the APDC/MIBK system, and finally of extraction of copper by APDC/MIBK and direct analysis of lead and zinc using the newly developed 'Sampling Boat' technique. The data obtained from these analyses were arranged in histograms and critically analyzed. The background concentrations were established to be 4-6 ppb for all three elements. Methods are presented for identifying both short term and long term contamination by using the data distributions. Short term contamination of a factor of 2-3 was determined to occur on the Bee Fork below the St. Joseph Lead Company's Fletcher Mine. The data distributions were not useful for geochemical prospecting under the studied geological conditions. It is recommended that future studies be initiated in order to establish the degree of long-term contamination introduced by the industrialization of this beautiful area.Project # B-021-MO Agreement # 14-01-0001-152

Water geochemistry of mining and milling retention ponds in the 'New Lead Belt' of Southeast Missouri

Student supported: 1 Student AssistantThe heavy metal content and other geochemical data of the mine and mill waters of two mining operations in the 'New Lead Belt' of southeastern Missouri were determined and the efficiency of retention ponds in reducing high metal concentrations was investigated. The mine waters from two mines of this mining district, which is the largest lead producer in the world, showed a heavy metal content of less than 6 ppb copper, 66 ppb lead and 37 ppb zinc. They do not constitute a major source of pollution to the unspoiled streams of the region. The heavy metal content from the mill effluents was reduced to values similar to mine water, when the pond sizes were large enough. This refers to effluent flows of up to 10,000 gallons per minute and pond sizes of about 20 acres and up to twenty feet of depths. When the pond size was reduced to about 6 acres, copper and lead concentrations were still reduced sharply, but high zinc concentrations were lowered only slightly. The concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium and the pH of the mine water are similar to their concentrations in the streams. However, their concentrations are several times higher in the mill water. These elements can therefore be used to trace mine water in the streams. High zinc concentrations in streams caused by mill water are sharply reduced within 4 miles of stream flow. The retention ponds are not entirely efficient in preventing transport of metal rich rockflower into the streams.Project # A-032-MO Agreement # 14-31-0001-322

The Environmental Effects of Uranium Exploration and Mining

Uranium exploration and mining is increasing as the Nation\u27s demand for energy grows. The environmental impacts associated with this exploration and mining are not severe and compare favorably with impacts from the production of other energy resources

Pollution from mines in the 'New Lead Belt' of South Eastern Missouri

Students supported: 2 Research AssistantsIn the south eastern part of Missouri, the Clark National Forest straddles the Ozark Plateau and contains the headwaters of some of the most beautiful rivers in the state. This scenic part of Missouri annually attracts large numbers of people to enjoy the recreational benefits of the cool springs and clear rivers. However, in 1955, rich mineral deposits were discovered in this area and by 1962 a rich lead-zinc ore belt was found to extend for approximately thirty-six miles almost due south from Viburnum, Missouri, through Iron and Reynolds Counties. The name given this new ore district was the Viburnum Trend or the 'New Lead Belt'.Project # A-021-MO and B-021-M

Designing medical technology for developing countries

Resource-poor countries have markedly different healthcare systems. Many developed nations donate medical supplies to these countries, but this often does not meet the needs of the recipients. Our goal is to develop simple healthcare solutions that can be produced in-country so the developing area does not depend on outside sources for its supplies. Our group works on many projects, including sustainable woven grass neck braces and a variety of low-cost sensors. Our designs do not require frequent donations, minimize the use of consumables, and provide better detection and/or treatment of prevalent medical concerns. Our baby monitor will detect skin temperature and control a heating element based on the needs of the infant. Our low-cost glucometer operates with the use of test strips that can be printed for a penny with a standard inkjet printer. This will allow the hospital or clinic to print the strips themselves rather than depend on donated strips. Our bacterial sensor will measure resistance to quickly detect the quantity of bacteria in a sample. We seek sustainable solutions for in-house manufacturing to advance more self-sufficient healthcare systems

Business model innovation and transition to a sustainable food system: A case study in the Lisbon metropolitan area

The food systems’ transition towards a sustainable involves structural changes, namely the emphasis on local production, short supply chains, and the preference for organic products. The shift in the agri-food system is taking place through the creation of entirely new businesses and individual farms moving towards organic production. In both cases, the enterprises use a combination of well-established agricultural knowledge and techniques, new scientific knowledge on productive methods and new technological platforms for commercialization. These mixed sources permit the creation of innovative business models (BMs). They exemplify how traditional industries can absorb/generate innovation at technological and organizational levels, and become part of the new knowledge-based era. The study has three objectives: to analyse the emerging agri-food businesses in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA); to characterize innovative sustainable BMs within the transition dynamics; to reflect on the challenges that the characteristics of the food system pose for the emergence of these BMs. The study is part of an interdisciplinary project on Spatial Planning for Change (SPLACH). The analysis addresses the food system transition in a specific territory, namely the LMA. The paper presents results of the research conducted, focusing on the case of an organic food initiative, Quinta do Oeste.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

The State-of-Play of Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) Research

Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) is a component of diffuse Galactic radiation observed at frequencies in the range $\approx 10$-60 GHz. AME was first detected in 1996 and recognised as an additional component of emission in 1997. Since then, AME has been observed by a range of experiments and in a variety of environments. AME is spatially correlated with far-IR thermal dust emission but cannot be explained by synchrotron or free-free emission mechanisms, and is far in excess of the emission contributed by thermal dust emission with the power-law opacity consistent with the observed emission at sub-mm wavelengths. Polarization observations have shown that AME is very weakly polarized ($\lesssim 1$%). The most natural explanation for AME is rotational emission from ultra-small dust grains ("spinning dust"), first postulated in 1957. Magnetic dipole radiation from thermal fluctuations in the magnetization of magnetic grain materials may also be contributing to the AME, particularly at higher frequencies ($\gtrsim 50$ GHz). AME is also an important foreground for Cosmic Microwave Background analyses. This paper presents a review and the current state-of-play in AME research, which was discussed in an AME workshop held at ESTEC, The Netherlands, June 2016.Comment: Accepted for publication in New Astronomy Reviews. Summary of AME workshop held at ESTEC, The Netherlands, June 2016, 40 pages, 18 figures. Updated to approximately match published versio

The geometry of the magnetic field in the central molecular zone measured by PILOT

We present the first far infrared (FIR) dust emission polarization map covering the full extent of Milky Way’s central molecular zone (CMZ). The data, obtained with the PILOT balloon-borne experiment, covers the Galactic center region − 2° < ℓ < 2°, − 4° < b < 3° at a wavelength of 240 μm and an angular resolution of 2.2′. From our measured dust polarization angles, we infer a magnetic field orientation projected onto the plane of the sky (POS) that is remarkably ordered over the full extent of the CMZ, with an average tilt angle of ≃22° clockwise with respect to the Galactic plane. Our results confirm previous claims that the field traced by dust polarized emission is oriented nearly orthogonally to the field traced by GHz radio synchrotron emission in the Galactic center region. The observed field structure is globally compatible with the latest Planck polarization data at 353 and 217 GHz. Upon subtraction of the extended emission in our data, the mean field orientation that we obtain shows good agreement with the mean field orientation measured at higher angular resolution by the JCMT within the 20 and 50 km s−1 molecular clouds. We find no evidence that the magnetic field orientation is related to the 100 pc twisted ring structure within the CMZ. The low polarization fraction in the Galactic center region measured with Planck at 353 GHz combined with a highly ordered projected field orientation is unusual. This feature actually extends to the whole inner Galactic plane. We propose that it could be caused by the increased number of turbulent cells for the long lines of sight towards the inner Galactic plane or to dust properties specific to the inner regions of the Galaxy. Assuming equipartition between magnetic pressure and ram pressure, we obtain magnetic field strength estimates of the order of 1 mG for several CMZ molecular clouds

Correlates of HCV seropositivity among familial contacts of HCV positive patients

BACKGROUND: Determinants of intrafamilial HCV transmission are still being debated. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlates of HCV seropositivity among familial contacts of HCV positive patients in Italy. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 175 HCV positive patients (index cases), recruited from Policlinico Gemelli in Rome as well as other hospitals in Central Italy between 1995 and 2000 (40% female, mean age 57 ± 15.2 years), and 259 familial contacts. Differences in proportions of qualitative variables were tested with non-parametric tests (χ(2), Yates correction, Fisher exact test), and a p value < 0.05 was considered significant. A multivariate analysis was conducted using logistic regression in order to verify which variables statistically have an influence on HCV positivity in contact individuals. RESULTS: Seropositivity for HCV was found in 8.9% of the contacts. From the univariate analysis, risk factors significantly associated to HCV positivity in the contacts were: intravenous drug addiction (p = 0.004) and intercourse with drug addicts (p = 0.005). The only variables associated significantly and independently to HCV seropositivity in patients' contacts were intercourse with drug addicts (OR = 19.28; 95% CI: 2.01 – 184.94), the retirement status from work (OR = 3.76; 95% CI: 1.17 – 11.98), the time of the relationship (OR = 1.06; 95% CI: 1.00 – 1.11) and tattoos (OR = 7.68; 95% CI: 1.00 – 60.20). CONCLUSION: The present study confirms that having intercourse with a drug addict is the most significant risk factor for intrafamilial HCV transmission. The association with retirement status from work could be related to both a long-term relationship with an index case and past exposure to common risk factors