Sources, lability and solubility of Pb in alluvial soils of the River Trent catchment, U.K.

Alluvial soils are reservoirs of metal contaminants such as Pb that originate from many different sources and are integrated temporally and spatially through erosional and depositional processes. In this study the source, lability and solubility of Pb was examined in a range of alluvial soils from the middle and lower River Trent and its tributary the River Dove using Pb isotope apportionment and isotopic dilution. All samples were collected within 10 m of the river bank to represent the soil that is most likely to be remobilised during bank erosion. Paired samples were taken from the topsoil (0-15 cm) and subsoil (35-50 cm) to assess differences with depth. Lead concentrations in soil ranged from 43 to 1282 mg/kg. The lability of soil Pb varied between 9-56% of total metal concentration whilst Pb concentrations in pore water varied between 0.2 and 6.5 µg/L. There was little difference in the % Pb lability between paired top and sub soils, possibly because soil characteristics such as pH, iron oxides and clay content were generally similar; a result of the recycling of eroded and deposited soils within the river system. Soil pH was found to be negatively correlated with % Pb lability. Source apportionment using 206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb ratios showed that the isotopic ratios of Pb in the total, labile and solution pools fitted along a mixing line between Broken Hill Type (‘BHT’) Pb, used as an additive in UK petrol, and the local coal/Sourthern Pennine ore Pb. Various anomalies were found in the Pb isotopes of the bankside alluvial soils which were explained by point source pollution. Statistically significant differences were found between (i) the isotopic composition of Pb in the total soil pool and the labile/solution pools and (ii) the isotopic composition of Pb in the labile and solution pools, suggesting an enrichment of recent non-Pennine sources of Pb entering the soils in the labile and solution pools

Ribbon homology cobordisms

We study 4-dimensional homology cobordisms without 3-handles, showing that they interact nicely with Thurston geometries, character varieties, and instanton and Heegaard Floer homologies. Using these, we derive obstructions to such cobordisms, with topological applications.Comment: 50 pages, 6 figures. Major reorganization of sections for improved exposition. Result on Dehn surgery extended from Seifert fibered homology spheres to rational homology sphere

The right to roam. A review of policy and management of public access to land

This report presents an international review of policy and management regarding public recreational access to land of varying tenure. This is an increasingly important issue in Australia with a growing population and the associated pressure on natural resources to provide a range of services and needs. Reviewing policy and management in regions where recreation access rights have been established across tenures will inform a strategic research direction for managing public recreational access to land in WA. The report is based on a desktop exercise and collaboration with WA Government representatives to source information relating to recreational access to land legislation in the UK, New Zealand and Western Australia. Information was sourced from published material, official websites and personal communications. The objectives were to: review the various elements that form the current legislative context for recreational access in UK and New Zealand; identify the various elements that form the current context in WA for outdoor recreational access; and develop a summary of implications resulting from comparisons of the WA, UK and NZ contexts

The right to roam: a review of policy and management of public access to land

This report presents an international review of policy and management regarding public recreational access to land of varying tenure. This is an increasingly important issue in Australia with a growing population and the associated pressure on natural resources to provide a range of services and needs. Reviewing policy and management in regions where recreation access rights have been established across tenures will inform a strategic research direction for managing public recreational access to land in WA. The report is based on a desktop exercise and collaboration with WA Government representatives to source information relating to recreational access to land legislation in the UK, New Zealand and Western Australia. Information was sourced from published material, official websites and personal communications. The objectives were to: review the various elements that form the current legislative context for recreational access in UK and New Zealand; identify the various elements that form the current context in WA for outdoor recreational access; and develop a summary of implications resulting from comparisons of the WA, UK and NZ contexts

Cyber event artifact investigation training in a virtual environment

The Internet has created many new technology advances that make everyday life easier and more efficient. However, technology has also enabled new attack capabilities and platforms that have the potential to cripple Department of Defense (DOD) and civilian information systems and cyber infrastructure. In order to minimize damages these threats could cause, the DOD needs well-trained operators and skilled cyber incident first responders at the helm. The first portion of this research focused on identifying operating system artifacts that give first responders the best information with which to identify if a cyber incident has occurred, or is occurring, and to determine the type of incident. The second portion of this research focused on developing virtual environments where students can participate in guided training and challenge labs. These labs can train system operators to recognize incident indicators and allow first responders to focus on collecting necessary information quickly. The Training Lab focuses on leading the student through an investigation of each designated artifact, while the Challenge Lab provides less guidance in order to test the students' acquired skills. This partnered learning experience should lead to more proficient cyber incident reporting and should decrease the response delay between detection and recovery.http://archive.org/details/cybereventrtifac1094556767Outstanding ThesisLieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

The Sensitivity of Cosmogenic Radionuclide Analysis to Soil Bulk Density:Implications for Soil Formation Rates

Improving our knowledge of soil formation is critical so that we can better understand the first-order controls on soil thickness and more effectively inform land-management decisions. Cosmogenic radionuclide analysis has allowed soil scientists to more accurately constrain the rates at which soils form from bedrock. In such analysis, the concentration of an isotope, such as Beryllium-10, is measured from a sample of bedrock. Because this concentration is partly governed by the lowering of the bedrock-soil interface, a cosmogenic depth-profile model can be fitted to infer the bedrock and surface lowering rates compatible with the measured concentrations. Given that the bedrock-soil interface is shielded by soil, the cosmic rays responsible for the in-situ production of the radionuclide are attenuated, with attenuation rates dependent on the density profile of this soil. Many studies have assumed that soil bulk density is either equal to that of the bedrock or constant with depth. The failure to acknowledge the variations in soil bulk density means that cosmogenically derived soil formation rates previously published may be under- or overestimates. Here, we deploy a new model called "CoSOILcal" to a global compilation of cosmogenic analyses of soil formation and, by making use of estimated bulk density profiles, recalculate rates of soil formation to assess the sensitivity to this important parameter. We found that where a soil mantle >0.25 m overlies the soil-bedrock interface, accounting for the soil bulk density profile brings about a significantly slower rate of soil formation than that previously published. Moreover, the impact of using bulk density profiles on cosmogenically derived soil formation rates increases as soil thickens. These findings call into question the accuracy of our existing soil formation knowledge and we suggest that future cosmogenic radionuclide analysis must consider the bulk density profile of the overlying soil. Highlights The effect of heterogeneities in soil bulk density on cosmogenically derived soil formation rates is unknown. Soil formation rates are recalculated using a new model to analyse the effect of density variations. Accounting for density in soils >0.25 m thickness brings about significantly slower soil formation rates. Measuring soil bulk density is essential when cosmogenically deriving soil formation rates

Architecture, physical activity and a capability evaluative framework: satisfaction is not enough

Despite recognition that building design can contribute to human health by facilitating increased incidental physical activity, knowledge of how building design can enable this is underdeveloped. Further, there is evidence that design features introduced to support routine physical activity and improve occupant satisfaction may not necessarily lead to increases in actual physical activity. Evaluative frameworks encompassing a range of individual, organisational and built environment factors that contribute to shaping occupant behaviour may provide insight into how buildings can support greater levels of routine physical activity. This paper argues that capability theory can inform our understandings of the dynamic interrelationship between building design and building use. In this paper we describe our approach to developing a framework for capabilities-based evaluation of buildings and building occupant physical activity. Based on a capability perspective we consider the intersection of building ‘domains’ and ‘functionings’ that influence occupant physical activity; and question how such evaluations could account for a range of occupants. The research is of relevance to those engaged in the production of architectural environments and evaluation tools that support physical activity—inclusive of building designers, procurers, managers and occupants