Lifting Bodies of Minimum Drag in Hypersonic Flow

Variational calculus methods for drag reduction of lifting bodies in hypersonic flo

Aquatic community response to volcanic eruptions on the Ecuadorian Andean flank: evidence from the palaeoecological record

Aquatic ecosystems in the tropical Andes are under increasing pressure from human modification of the landscape (deforestation and dams) and climatic change (increase of extreme events and 1.5 °C on average temperatures are projected for AD 2100). However, the resilience of these ecosystems to perturbations is poorly understood. Here we use a multi-proxy palaeoecological approach to assess the response of aquatic ecosystems to a major mechanism for natural disturbance, volcanic ash deposition. Specifically, we present data from two Neotropical lakes located on the eastern Andean flank of Ecuador. Laguna Pindo (1°27.132′S–78°04.847′W) is a tectonically formed closed basin surrounded by a dense mid-elevation forest, whereas Laguna Baños (0°19.328′S–78°09.175′W) is a glacially formed lake with an inflow and outflow in high Andean Páramo grasslands. In each lake we examined the dynamics of chironomids and other aquatic and semi-aquatic organisms to explore the effect of thick (> 5 cm) volcanic deposits on the aquatic communities in these two systems with different catchment features. In both lakes past volcanic ash deposition was evident from four large tephras dated to c.850 cal year BP (Pindo), and 4600, 3600 and 1500 cal year BP (Baños). Examination of the chironomid and aquatic assemblages before and after the ash depositions revealed no shift in composition at Pindo, but a major change at Baños occurred after the last event around 1500 cal year BP. Chironomids at Baños changed from an assemblage dominated by Pseudochironomus and Polypedilum nubifer-type to Cricotopus/Paratrichocladius type-II, and such a dominance lasted for approximately 380 years. We suggest that, despite potential changes in the water chemistry, the major effect on the chironomid community resulted from the thickness of the tephra being deposited, which acted to shallow the water body beyond a depth threshold. Changes in the aquatic flora and fauna at the base of the trophic chain can promote cascade effects that may deteriorate the ecosystem, especially when already influenced by human activities, such as deforestation and dams, which is frequent in the high Andes

It's not too Late for the Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja): High Levels Of Genetic Diversity and Differentiation Can Fuel Conservation Programs

Article on the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) and how high levels of genetic diversity and differentiation can fuel conservation programs

How to use the world's scarce selenium resources efficiently to increase the selenium concentration in food

The world's rare selenium resources need to be managed carefully. Selenium is extracted as a by-product of copper mining and there are no deposits that can be mined for selenium alone. Selenium has unique properties as a semi-conductor, making it of special value to industry, but it is also an essential nutrient for humans and animals and may promote plant growth and quality. Selenium deficiency is regarded as a major health problem for 0.5 to 1 billion people worldwide, while an even larger number may consume less selenium than required for optimal protection against cancer, cardiovascular diseases and severe infectious diseases including HIV disease. Efficient recycling of selenium is difficult. Selenium is added in some commercial fertilizers, but only a small proportion is taken up by plants and much of the remainder is lost for future utilization. Large biofortification programmes with selenium added to commercial fertilizers may therefore be a fortification method that is too wasteful to be applied to large areas of our planet. Direct addition of selenium compounds to food (process fortification) can be undertaken by the food industry. If selenomethionine is added directly to food, however, oxidation due to heat processing needs to be avoided. New ways to biofortify food products are needed, and it is generally observed that there is less wastage if selenium is added late in the production chain rather than early. On these bases we have proposed adding selenium-enriched, sprouted cereal grain during food processing as an efficient way to introduce this nutrient into deficient diets. Selenium is a non-renewable resource. There is now an enormous wastage of selenium associated with large-scale mining and industrial processing. We recommend that this must be changed and that much of the selenium that is extracted should be stockpiled for use as a nutrient by future generations

Nothing Lasts Forever: Environmental Discourses on the Collapse of Past Societies

The study of the collapse of past societies raises many questions for the theory and practice of archaeology. Interest in collapse extends as well into the natural sciences and environmental and sustainability policy. Despite a range of approaches to collapse, the predominant paradigm is environmental collapse, which I argue obscures recognition of the dynamic role of social processes that lie at the heart of human communities. These environmental discourses, together with confusion over terminology and the concepts of collapse, have created widespread aporia about collapse and resulted in the creation of mixed messages about complex historical and social processes

Uptake and fate of phenol and aniline in rainbow trout and daphnids during single-compound and complex-mixture exposures

Studies were conducted of the potential for uptake and mobilization of phenol and aniline when presented as single compounds to the biouptake of these compounds within a complex water-soluble fraction (WSF) of a coal liquid. Estimated bioconcentration factors (BCF) of phenol-only exposures differed from BCFs obtained in the presence of the WSF. Differences in uptake could be due to competitive interactions among similar molecules for uptake and absorption, since phenolic compounds comprised nearly 90% of the soluble components in the complex mixture. Observed differences in unextractable /sup 14/C residues suggested selective binding of phenol or metabolites to trout tissue storage sites. Differences in potential for bioaccumulation of phenol in complex mixtures were not consistent with estimates of BCF as determined by measured octanol/water coefficient values. In contrast to phenol, presence of coal-liquid water solubles did not significantly influence either the uptake or elimination of /sup 14/C aniline by daphnids or trout. Identification of metabolites would provide useful information on potential differences in biotransformation and elimination mechanisms in complex organic mixtures. 15 references, 2 figures, 6 tables

Ecotoxicity of materials from integrated two-stage liquefaction and Exxon Donor Solvent processes

Coal-derived materials from two coal conversion processes were screened for potential ecological toxicity. We examined the toxicity of materials from different engineering or process options to an aquatic invertebrate and also related potential hazard to relative concentration, composition, and stability of water soluble components. For materials tested from the Integrated Two-Stage Liquefaction (ITSL) process, only the LC finer (LCF) 650/sup 0/F distillate was highly soluble in water at 20/sup 0/C. The LCF feed and Total Liquid Product (TLP) were not in liquid state at 20/sup 0/C and were relatively insoluble in water. Relative hazard to daphnids from ITSL materials was as follows: LCF 650/sup 0/F distillate greater than or equal to LCF feed greater than or equal to TLP. For Exxon Donor Solvent (EDS) materials, process solvent produced in the bottoms recycle mode was more soluble in water than once-through process solvent and, hence, slightly more acutely toxic to daphnids. When compared to other coal liquids or petroleum products, the ITSL or EDS liquids were intermediate in toxicity; relative hazard ranged from 1/7 to 1/13 of the Solvent Refined Coal (SRC)-II distillable blend, but was several times greater than the relative hazard for No. 2 diesel fuel oil or Prudhoe Bay crude oil. Although compositonal differences in water-soluble fractions (WSF) were noted among materials, phenolics were the major compound class in all WSFs and probably the primary contributor to acute toxicity