6,307 research outputs found
Continuous-flow laboratory simulation of stream water quality changes downstream of an untreated wastewater discharge.
In regions of the world with poor provision of wastewater treatment, raw sewage
is often discharged directly into surface waters. This paper describes an
experimental evaluation of the fate of two organic chemicals under these
conditions using an artificial channel cascade fed with a mix of settled sewage
and river water at its upstream end and operated under continuous steady-state
conditions. The experiments underpin an environmental risk assessment
methodology based on the idea of an “impact zone” (IZ) – the zone downstream of
wastewater emission in which water quality is severely impaired by high
concentrations of unionised ammonia, nitrite and biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD). Radiolabelled dodecane-6-benzene sulphonate (DOBS) and aniline
hydrochloride were used as the model chemical and reference compound
respectively. Rapid changes in 14C counts were observed with flow-time for both
these materials. These changes were most likely to be due to complete
mineralisation. A dissipation half-life of approximately 7.1 h was observed for
the 14C label with DOBS. The end of the IZ was defined as the point at which the
concentration of both unionised ammonia and nitrite fell below their respective
predicted no-effect concentrations for salmonids. At these points in the
cascade, approximately 83 and 90% of the initial concentration of 14C had been
removed from the water column, respectively. A simple model of mineral nitrogen
transformations based on Michaelis–Menten kinetics was fitted to observed
concentrations of NH4, NO2 and NO3. The cascade is intended to provide a
confirmatory methodology for assessing the ecological risks of chemicals under
direct discharge co
Searching for Galactic White Dwarf Binaries in Mock LISA Data using an F-Statistic Template Bank
We describe an F-statistic search for continuous gravitational waves from
galactic white-dwarf binaries in simulated LISA Data. Our search method employs
a hierarchical template-grid based exploration of the parameter space. In the
first stage, candidate sources are identified in searches using different
simulated laser signal combinations (known as TDI variables). Since each source
generates a primary maximum near its true "Doppler parameters" (intrinsic
frequency and sky position) as well as numerous secondary maxima of the
F-statistic in Doppler parameter space, a search for multiple sources needs to
distinguish between true signals and secondary maxima associated with other,
"louder" signals. Our method does this by applying a coincidence test to reject
candidates which are not found at nearby parameter space positions in searches
using each of the three TDI variables. For signals surviving the coincidence
test, we perform a fully coherent search over a refined parameter grid to
provide an accurate parameter estimation for the final candidates. Suitably
tuned, the pipeline is able to extract 1989 true signals with only 5 false
alarms. The use of the rigid adiabatic approximation allows recovery of signal
parameters with errors comparable to statistical expectations, although there
is still some systematic excess with respect to statistical errors expected
from Gaussian noise. An experimental iterative pipeline with seven rounds of
signal subtraction and re-analysis of the residuals allows us to increase the
number of signals recovered to a total of 3419 with 29 false alarms.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figures; submitted to Classical and Quantum Gravit
F-statistic search for white-dwarf binaries in the first Mock LISA Data Challenge
The F-statistic is an optimal detection statistic for continuous gravitational waves, i.e. long-duration (quasi-)monochromatic signals with slowlyvarying intrinsic frequency. This method was originally developed in the context of ground-based detectors, but it is equally applicable to LISA where many signals fall into this class of signals. We report on the application of a LIGO/GEO Fstatistic code to LISA data-analysis using the long-wavelength limit (LWL), and we present results of our search for white-dwarf binary signals in the ¯rst Mock LISA Data Challenge. Somewhat surprisingly, the LWL is found to be su±cient { even at high frequencies { for detection of signals and their accurate localization on the sky and in frequency, while a more accurate modelling of the TDI response only seems necessary to correctly estimate the four amplitude parameters
Accretion-ejection connection in the young brown dwarf candidate ISO-Cha1 217
As the number of observed brown dwarf outflows is growing it is important to
investigate how these outflows compare to the well studied jets from young
stellar objects. A key point of comparison is the relationship between outflow
and accretion activity and in particular the ratio between the mass outflow and
accretion rates (/). The brown dwarf candidate
ISO-ChaI 217 was discovered by our group, as part of a spectro-astrometric
study of brown dwarfs, to be driving an asymmetric outflow with the
blue-shifted lobe having a position angle of 20. The aim here
is to further investigate the properties of ISO-ChaI 217, the morphology and
kinematics of its outflow, and to better constrain
(/). The outflow is spatially resolved in the
lines and is detected out to 1\farcs6
in the blue-shifted lobe and ~ 1" in the red-shifted lobe. The asymmetry
between the two lobes is confirmed although the velocity asymmetry is less
pronounced with respect to our previous study. Using thirteen different
accretion tracers we measure log() [M/yr]= -10.6
0.4. As it was not possible to measure the effect of extinction on the ISO-ChaI
217 outflow was derived for a range of values of A, up to
a value of A = 2.5 mag estimated for the source extinction. The logarithm
of the mass outflow () was estimated in the range -11.7 to -11.1
for both jets combined. Thus / [\Msun/yr] lies
below the maximum value predicted by magneto-centrifugal jet launching models.
Finally, both model fitting of the Balmer decrements and spectro-astrometric
analysis of the H line show that the bulk of the H I emission comes
from the accretion flow.Comment: accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic
An Economic Evaluation of Irish Salmon Fishing General Summary of Results. ESRI Memorandum Series No. 99 1974
The purpose of the study was to investigate the economies of salmon fishing in Ireland. Essentially, it set out to answer the question "how valuable was the Irish salmon industry to the economy in 1970?" In order to answer this
question, the study tried to evaluate the economic impact of angling and commercial fishing on the various districts, determine the capacity of the industry for future development and provide information to assist in the more effective marketing of salmon and sea-trout angling. Although the survey was confined to 1970, its findings may be updated for subsequent years by means of the regularly published data on catches and numbers of licences, and by appropriate price indices
An Economic Evaluation of Irish Salmon Fishing, II: The Irish Anglers. General Research Series Paper No. 75, June 1974
The first part of the study, which dealt with salmon
anglers from outside the Republic, has already been completed and the results
published [i]. The terms of reference of the study together with some background
information were given in the latter publication. This second part is
concerned with Irish salmon anglers and particularly with assessing the extent
and regional distribution of the economic effects of their activities. In both
these papers, we attempt to find out what Sort of peoplethe ang!ers are; where
and how Often they fish, and, particularly, how much they spend and where this
expenditure takes place. The concluding part of the study will deal with commercial
fishermen and fishery operators, and in that paper we also hope to
amalgamate our information on angling and on commercial fishing into a
comprehensive picture of Irish salmon fishing
Chemical composition and mixing in giant HII regions: NGC3603, 30Doradus, and N66
We investigate the chemical abundances of NGC3603 in the Milky Way, of
30Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and of N66 in the Small Magellanic
Cloud. Mid-infrared observations with the Infrared Spectrograph onboard the
Spitzer Space Telescope allow us to probe the properties of distinct physical
regions within each object: the central ionizing cluster, the surrounding
ionized gas, photodissociation regions, and buried stellar clusters. We detect
[SIII], [SIV], [ArIII], [NeII], [NeIII], [FeII], and [FeIII] lines and derive
the ionic abundances. Based on the ionic abundance ratio (NeIII/H)/(SIII/H), we
find that the gas observed in the MIR is characterized by a higher degree of
ionization than the gas observed in the optical spectra. We compute the
elemental abundances of Ne, S, Ar, and Fe. We find that the alpha-elements Ne,
S, and Ar scale with each other. Our determinations agree well with the
abundances derived from the optical. The Ne/S ratio is higher than the solar
value in the three giant HII regions and points toward a moderate depletion of
sulfur on dust grains. We find that the neon and sulfur abundances display a
remarkably small dispersion (0.11dex in 15 positions in 30Doradus), suggesting
a relatively homogeneous ISM, even though small-scale mixing cannot be ruled
out.Comment: Accepted for submission to ApJ. The present version replaces the
submitted one. Changes: new title, new figure, the text was modified in the
discussio
An Economic Evaluation of Irish Salmon Fishing, III: The Commercial Fishermen. ESRI General Research Series Paper No. 78, November 1974
This is the third report of a study entitled An Economic Evaluation of Irish Salmon and Sea-Trout Fishing which was sponsored by the Department of Agriculture and Fishseries and conducted by the Economic and Social Research
Institute. The first report was concerned with the visiting anglers (i.e. salmon
anglers from outside the Republic) [I] while the second report dealt with the
Irish anglers [2]. The terms of reference of the study together with some
background information on the life history of the salmon and on methods of
evaluation were given in the previous reports. This third study deals with
commercial salmon fishermen, their methods of operation, the time spent
fishing, their alternative occupations and particularly with the income arising
from salmon fishing. The report also gives information relating to the owners
of angling waters and the opinions of these and of the commercial fishermen
on certain aspects of salmon fishing. In the final section of the paper an attempt
is made to collate the results of the three studies so as to provide some basis
on which policy issues can be considered
National Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management
Bushfires are an inherent part of the Australian environment. We cannot prevent them, but we can minimise the risks they pose to life, property and infrastructure, production systems, and the environment. Australia has a large and very capable force of volunteer and career firefighters, advanced firefighting technologies, and significant firefighting resources. But the geographical scale of our country, the large and expanding rural–urban interface, and the potential for rapid bushfire development and spread under adverse weather conditions mean that individual Australians cannot rely solely on fire agencies to protect their lives and property from bushfires. Bushfires have a fundamental and irreplaceable role in sustaining many of Australia’s natural ecosystems and ecological processes and are a valuable tool for achieving land management objectives. However, if they are too frequent or too infrequent, too severe or too mild, or mistimed, they can erode ecosystem health and biodiversity and compromise other land management goals. We have been learning to live with fire since the first Australians arrived on our continent. We need to continue, and enrich, that learning process in contemporary circumstances and be able to adapt our planning and responses to change. This report seeks to help all Australians meet these challenges
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