Modeling Effectiveness of Low Impact Development on Runoff Volume in the Tan Brook Watershed

The Tan Brook is a heavily channelized stream that runs through an urbanized watershed in Amherst, MA. It poses a stormwater management problem for the University of Massachusetts Amherst due to flooding of soccer fields and erosion of a drainage ditch. The purpose of this study was to estimate reductions in runoff volume to the Tan Brook based on the hypothetical implementation of permeable pavements in various combinations of parking lots, driveways, roadways, and sidewalks, which cover 26% of the watershed area. A spreadsheet model-based approach utilized the Watershed Treatment Model to estimate runoff volume. The percent imperviousness of various land uses was altered to model permeable pavements. Total replacement of parking lots, roadways, sidewalks, and driveways were found to reduce runoff by 18%, 15%, 12%, and 3%, respectively. Recommendations were made to begin replacing parking lots on the UMass Amherst campus and Town of Amherst property

ETHOXOFUME 1000 (EtO): methyl bromide alternative update

Ethylene oxide (C2H4O = EtO) is made from the oxidation of ethylene and over 15 million tonnes are produced annually. For over 80 years EtO has been used as a sterilant / fumigant. EtO is lethal to bacteria, viruses, moulds, insects and their eggs. Historically EtO was used in the fumigation of bulk grain. EtO is still widely used in “cold” sterilization of medical devices and instruments. With the precondition of destroying vented EtO at the completion of fumigation, EtO could be a niche methyl bromide (CH3Br = MeBr) alternative. EtO is toxic by inhalation with an LD50 of 330 mg.kg-1 EtO is classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Occupational Limits: TLV-TWA (1 ppm); OEL (UK)-LTEL (5 ppm). EtO is a colourless, highly flammable gas (Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) = 3 vol% in air) which liquefies at 10.9oC. To reduce flammability EtO is mixed 12 vol% EtO in carbon dioxide (CO2). Onsite mixing of EtO and Air is an option, however the EtO must be kept below 54 g.m-3 (3 vol%) – higher doses of EtO would require on-site mixing with CO2 or N2. Quarantine fumigations using ETHOXOFUME 1000 are carried out using vacuum chambers to treat non-food import and export commodities. On completion of the fumigation the EtO/Air mixture can be exhausted using a high pressure fan and destroyed in a “burner” where it is converted to CO2 and H2O. The Ct product for the control of various species of insects show that EtO on a weight basis (g.m-3) has better efficacy than MeBr. A conservative recommended dose rate of 48 g.m-3 results in a concentration of 1.2 vol% for MeBr and 2.7 vol% for EtO (this is less than the LEL of 3 vol%). Keywords: Ethylene oxide, Fumigant, Sterilant, Insecticide, Incineratio

Improving estimates of growth for pearl perch (Glaucosoma scapulare) in Queensland, Australia

The pearl perch (Glaucosoma scapulare) is endemic to the east coast of Australia in depths to 150 m. The species has a long history of exploitation, and the stock is currently depleted. Previous research indicated the species is long lived and slow growing based on fishery-dependent sampling undertaken in the late 1990s and early 2000s on traditional fishing grounds at the southern end of the species’ range. Increasing fishing power has facilitated the expansion of the fishery to areas to the north and east of traditional grounds, which has resulted in the appearance of older fish (>10 yr) in fishery-dependent samples not previously observed. The current study estimated the growth parameters using 1153 length-at-age observations from fish collected in Queensland between January 2020 and December 2021. The lack of significant numbers of individuals at either end of the age frequency distribution necessitated the estimation of growth in a Bayesian framework with informative priors for length-at-age-zero and maximum length using a multi-model approach. The von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF) was found to best fit the observed length-at-age data and the estimated VBGF parameters were L∞ = 562 mm FL, L0 = 2.02 mm FL and k = 0.295 yr−1. The high proportion of older fish in samples, combined with prior information on relevant parameters, improves growth parameter estimation by reducing bias and facilitating improved model fits to observed length-at-age data

Improving estimates of growth for pearl perch (Glaucosoma scapulare) in Queensland, Australia

Abstract The pearl perch (Glaucosoma scapulare) is endemic to the east coast of Australia in depths to 150 m. The species has a long history of exploitation, and the stock is currently depleted. Previous research indicated the species is long lived and slow growing based on fishery-dependent sampling undertaken in the late 1990s and early 2000s on traditional fishing grounds at the southern end of the species’ range. Increasing fishing power has facilitated the expansion of the fishery to areas to the north and east of traditional grounds, which has resulted in the appearance of older fish (>10 yr) in fishery-dependent samples not previously observed. The current study estimated the growth parameters using 1153 length-at-age observations from fish collected in Queensland between January 2020 and December 2021. The lack of significant numbers of individuals at either end of the age frequency distribution necessitated the estimation of growth in a Bayesian framework with informative priors for length-at-age-zero and maximum length using a multi-model approach. The von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF) was found to best fit the observed length-at-age data and the estimated VBGF parameters were L∞ = 562 mm FL, L0 = 2.02 mm FL and k = 0.295 yr−1. The high proportion of older fish in samples, combined with prior information on relevant parameters, improves growth parameter estimation by reducing bias and facilitating improved model fits to observed length-at-age data

Reduction in ionic permeability of a silicone hydrogel contact lenses after one month of daily wear

[EN] Purpose. To compare the ionic permeability using the ionoflux method of new and worn samples of a silicone hydrogel contact lens material. Methods. An ionoflux experimental setup was established to measure the ionic permeability (NaCl) of soft contact lenses. Samples of a silicone hydrogel lens (Comfilcon A, Coopervision, Pleasanton, CA) with optical powers of -1.00, -1.50 and -4.75 diopters (D) were used in this study. Three samples of each power were measured after being worn for one month on a daily wear basis. Lenses were cleaned and disinfected every night using multipurpose disinfecting solutions. Three samples of new lenses from the same batch and the same optical power were also measured to evaluate the effect of lens wear on the ionic permeability of the lens material. Before measurement, the lenses were equilibrated with a 1 M NaCl solution during one week before of each measurement. Results. Lens power had minimal effect on the ionic permeability of a modern silicone hydrogel contact lens with the -1.00 lens having a 15% lower permeability compared to the other two lenses. After one month of lens wear the apparent ionic permeability for lenses with -1.50 D decreased by 15%. In the case of -1.00 and -4.75 D lenses there was a decrease of 26%. Conclusions. The ionic permeability of silicone hydrogel lenses of different optical powers was not significantly different. Worn lenses present a significant reduction of the ionic permeability after a month of wear. The potential effect this reduction on lens movement and discomfort associated to lens wear should be further evaluated.The authors have no proprietary interest in any of the materials mentioned in this article. This work was funded in part by FEDER through the COMPTETE Program and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of projects PTDC/SAU-BEB/098391/2008, PTDC/SAU-BEB/098392/2008 and the Strategic Project PEST-C/FIS/UI607/2011.Ferreira Da Silva, AR.; Compañ Moreno, V.; Gonzalez-Meijome, JM. (2015). Reduction in ionic permeability of a silicone hydrogel contact lenses after one month of daily wear. Materials Research Express. 2(6). https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/2/6/065007S26Yoon, S. C., & Jhon, M. S. (1982). The transport phenomena of some model solutes through postcrosslinked poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) membranes with different tactic precursors. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 27(8), 3133-3149. doi:10.1002/app.1982.070270834Yasuda, H., Lamaze, C. E., & Ikenberry, L. D. (1968). Die Makromolekulare Chemie, 118(1), 19-35. doi:10.1002/macp.1968.021180102MURPHY, S., HAMILTON, C., & TIGHE, B. (1988). Synthetic hydrogels: 5. Transport processes in 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate copolymers. Polymer, 29(10), 1887-1893. doi:10.1016/0032-3861(88)90407-7Nicolson, P. C., & Vogt, J. (2001). Soft contact lens polymers: an evolution. Biomaterials, 22(24), 3273-3283. doi:10.1016/s0142-9612(01)00165-xMonticelli, M. V., Chauhan, A., & Radke, C. J. (2005). The Effect of Water Hydraulic Permeability on the Settling of a Soft Contact Lens on the Eye. Current Eye Research, 30(5), 329-336. doi:10.1080/02713680590934085Guan, L., Jiménez, M. E. G., Walowski, C., Boushehri, A., Prausnitz, J. M., & Radke, C. J. (2011). Permeability and partition coefficient of aqueous sodium chloride in soft contact lenses. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 122(3), 1457-1471. doi:10.1002/app.33336Cheng, M.-L., & Sun, Y.-M. (2005). Observation of the solute transport in the permeation through hydrogel membranes by using FTIR-microscopy. Journal of Membrane Science, 253(1-2), 191-198. doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2005.01.017CHHABRA, M., PRAUSNITZ, J., & RADKE, C. (2007). A single-lens polarographic measurement of oxygen permeability (Dk) for hypertransmissible soft contact lenses. Biomaterials, 28(30), 4331-4342. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2007.06.024González-Méijome, J. M., López-Alemany, A., Almeida, J. B., & Parafita, M. A. (2009). Surface AFM microscopy of unworn and worn samples of silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials, 88B(1), 75-82. doi:10.1002/jbm.b.31153González-Méijome, J. M., López-Alemany, A., Almeida, J. B., & Parafita, M. A. (2008). Dynamic in vitro dehydration patterns of unworn and worn silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials, 90B(1), 250-258. doi:10.1002/jbm.b.31279Pozuelo, J., Compañ, V., González-Méijome, J. M., González, M., & Mollá, S. (2014). Oxygen and ionic transport in hydrogel and silicone-hydrogel contact lens materials: An experimental and theoretical study. Journal of Membrane Science, 452, 62-72. doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2013.10.010Wolffsohn, J. S., Hunt, O. A., & Basra, A. K. (2009). Simplified recording of soft contact lens fit. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 32(1), 37-42. doi:10.1016/j.clae.2008.12.00

4-(1-Naphth­yl)benzoic acid

In the title mol­ecule, C17H12O2, the dihedral angle between the mean plane of the benzene ring and that of the naphthalene ring system is 49.09 (6)°. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules are linked to form centrosymmetric dimers via inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The hydr­oxy H atom is disordered over two sites with refined occupancies of 0.62 (3) and 0.38 (3)

4,4′-(1,8-Naphthalene-1,8-di­yl)dibenzonitrile

In the title mol­ecule, C24H14N2, the exterior C—C—C angle of the naphthalene ring system involving the two phenyl-substituted C atoms is 126.06 (11)° and the dihedral angles between the mean plane of the naphthalene ring system and those of the benzene rings are 66.63 (5) and 67.89 (5)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked into a ladders by four weak C—H⋯π inter­actions