Social dimensions of forestry road management : a study of Wawa district residents

This study explores the social dimension of forestry road access management in the Ontario Ministry ofNatural Resource's Wawa District (northern Ontario). Road access restrictions in the District are often implemented for the protection of remote tourism values, and many recreationists have expressed strong opposition to these restrictions. This study examines the issue from two perspectives. First, it determines residents' satisfaction levels with current forestry road management, and explores how satisfaction varies with user characteristics. Second, it determines residents' evaluations of the desirability of specific road access tools and controls, such as signs, gates, and physical impediments, and explores how these evaluations vary. The user characteristics considered include age, community of residence, use frequency, familiarity, environmental beliefs, and recreational activities pursued. The results provided varying degrees of evidence for the relationships between the user characteristics and satisfaction and management tool evaluations. However, although all user characteristics considered were shown to have some predictive ability, there was low support for all models and much variation was left unexplained for both satisfaction and management tool evaluations, suggesting that there remain other unidentified factors influencing these social dimensions of forestry road management

Analyzing impacts of brush saw and herbicide treatments on branching and stem quality in northern Ontario jack pine plantations

In an industry where new science is ever-evolving, forest managers must constantly look towards research to guide best practices in achieving the highest quality forest product. Three common silvicultural treatments (aerial spray of Vision® herbicide, motor manual brush saw, and complete removal with repeated applications of Vision® herbicide) were used on two separate sites located in eastern and western Ontario. This study was conducted in order to determine the effect of both treatment and site (as well as the combination of the two factors) on both stem and branch quality of jack pine crop trees. When consideration of tree mortality was included in the analysis, it was found that aerial spray yielded best overall results for both branch and stem quality and that the difference in treatment means can be considered statistically significant (p < 0.05). When dead stems were removed from the analysis however, it was found that treatment type did not have a significant effect on stem quality. This did not remain true for branching quality, where tests of the remaining live trees showed a significant difference in values among the various treatments, with control providing best average branching quality scores. Finally, a significant difference was found to exist in stem quality between the two sites, with the E.B. Eddy site proving better average vales. Average stem mortality was also investigated, and it was found that the addition of herbicide treatments yielded better stem survival of the jack pine crop trees, with the worst average stem survival occurring in the untreated sites

Engine oil acidity detection using solid state ion selective electrodes

Initial results from oil acidity measurements using thick film electrodes are presented. The results suggest that as the oil degrades, its pH/acidity follows a specific trend. Furthermore, an investigation into the feasibility of detecting changes in oil acidity (i.e. TAN value) using ion selective electrodes fabricated utilising thick film technology is presented. The thick-film (screen printing) technique is a decent means for the mass production of rugged, compact and disposable sensors as many such devices can be printed at the same time making them very cost effective to manufacture. Thick-Film ion selective and reference electrodes were fabricated, calibrated and tested in different oil samples varying its acidity. Ruthenium oxide (RuO2) pH sensitive electrodes were screen printed and were used against silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) reference electrodes as well as a commercial glass Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The potentiometric sets of electrodes were calibrated in pH 4, 7 and 10 buffers in a cyclic manner and the voltage was recorded using a high input impedance voltmete

Desperate and Opportunistic: CBRN Terrorists and Civilian Radiological Material

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) terrorism has long been a threat that has concerned policy makers. This paper highlights the factors which determine when a group is likely to use CBRN weapons given the numerous constraints on their use. A group which is desperate, small, and innovative is most likely to resort to their use as the taboos which constrain groups under normal circumstances become an incentive. These characteristics also determine what type of CBRN weapon will be used, a basic radiological weapon. A radiological weapon is relatively easy to develop compared to other options, and the material for it can be easily acquired. Using International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports, this research explores numerous shortcomings in sectors using radiological material both past and present. Significant failures have occurred in, and continue to occur in the medical, scrap metal, energy, and industrial practices. These are shown to provide ample opportunity to a resource poor group to carry out a successful CBRN attack

Ruthenium dioxide thick film pH electrodes

PH sensitive electrodes have been fabricated using thick film screen printing techniques. Powdered ruthenium dioxide hydrate was incorporated in a printable paste by mixing with an uncured polymer precursor. This paste was printed onto alumina tiles which had been previously patterned with conductive tracking which enabled connection to measurement circuitry. The liquid polymer was cured to a resistant solid using either temperature or ultraviolet light treatments. Large numbers of electrodes were fabricated in this way, using ruthenium dioxide with varying levels of hydration.Printed electrodes were tested for pH response using a number of fixed pH buffers. A commercial silver/silver chloride reference electrode was used to complete the potentiometric measurement cell. The response of electrodes was found to be comparable to that of commercial electrodes based upon a pH sensitive glass bulb. Electrodes were tested after prolonged soaking in various solutions, both acidic and alkali. Some types of printed electrode showed signs of chemical attack and failure after storage in acidic media. Charge was passed through electrodes to investigate the possible perturbation of electrochemical equilibria within the oxide.Electrodes were characterised by microscope examination of used and unused samples. The hydration level of the oxide powders used was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis techniques.The electrochemical mechanisms underlying the potentiometric pH response are speculated upon. The experimental evidence could indicate that an ion exchange mechanism involving hydroxide groups on the oxide surface is responsible for pH sensitivity. Results are discussed with respect to this and other mechanisms

AN OVERLAND-HYDROGRAPHICAL SPILL MODEL AND ITS APPLICATION TO PIPELINE CONSEQUENCE MODELING

ABSTRACT Hazardous liquid transmission via large diameter pipelines relies on the integrity of the pipeline system. An accidental loss of containment at any point along the pipeline can result in widely ranging environmental impacts depending on local geography, as well as design and operational parameters. Instead of &quot;Rule of Thumb&quot;, a state-of-the-art consequence assessment may require a robust and comprehensive computer tool to effectively prioritize areas for maintenance and mitigation, as well as to develop an appropriate spill response plan. An approach for quantifying the consequences associated with a liquid spill has been developed and described. The results are used in a consequence analysis by computing the estimated costs for response and environmental damage based on the outflow volumes and environmental factors. This is further incorporated into a risk analysis to provide an illustration of the probability and severity of a failure along the pipeline. The final results may be used as an aid in response training, contingency planning, and prevention and mitigation strategies. The basis of the consequence analysis is a transient threedimensional (3-D) overland-hydrographical spill simulation package, which has been developed to model the trajectory of a liquid spill. The spill simulation package is an in-house VBA extension of ArcGIS TM that uses a digital elevation model to determine the flow path of a spill. The spill model includes three modules: the oil trajectory simulation module, which predicts pooling and the primary direction of oil spreading; the physical module, which determines the transient rate of spreading and pooling, the depth of infiltration into soil, the width of the lateral spread and other parameters that are concerned; and a module that detects the boundaries of land/water transitions. A description is provided of the procedures that were established to programmatically plot the extent of the impact in ArcGIS TM . In addition, a hydrographical flow model is described which determines the amount of contaminant entering any stationary or non-stationary water bodies that may intersect with the spill and which displays the potential impact area over the water within the emergency response time. The paper outlines how the spill simulation package is integrated with a cost analysis module, which is applied to determine the estimated clean-up costs for the contaminated area on land and water. An illustration is provided as to how an iterative calculation procedure can be set up to model spill consequences at each potential failure site along the pipe centerline. Using this procedure, high consequence pipe segments are identified and highlighted and are overlaid on the GIS map to identify those areas where a spill will have the greatest impact. This enables the development of a quantitative consequence profile which may then be used as part of a quantitative risk assessment and/or to aid in proactive engineering design, maintenance, mitigation and response optimization

An investigation of the performance characteristics and operational lifetimes of multi-element thick film sensor arrays used in the determination of water quality parameters

Abstract An investigation of the useful lifetimes of thick film sensors suitable for the measurement of various aqueous parameters is reported. Batches of sensor arrays designed to simultaneously measure temperature, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen and redox potential were investigated. In particular the device to device repeatabilitys of the pH and dissolved oxygen sensor elements were studied as it was found to be the characteristics of these elements that limit the device lifetimes. Errors of less than 5% for pH sensors and 10% for dissolved oxygen sensors were observed over periods of several months continuous immersion in water. An assessment of useful continuous immersion lifetimes was made for the sensors and possible sensor failure mechanisms are postulated