42 CFR 71.45 - Food, potable water, and waste: U.S. seaports and airports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Food, potable water, and waste: U.S. seaports and airports. 71.45 Section 71.45 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES QUARANTINE, INSPECTION, LICENSING FOREIGN QUARANTINE Requirements Upon Arrival at U.S. Ports: Sanitary Inspection § 71.45 Food, potable water,...

42 CFR 71.45 - Food, potable water, and waste: U.S. seaports and airports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Food, potable water, and waste: U.S. seaports and airports. 71.45 Section 71.45 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES QUARANTINE, INSPECTION, LICENSING FOREIGN QUARANTINE Requirements Upon Arrival at U.S. Ports: Sanitary Inspection § 71.45 Food, potable water,...

76 FR 69271 - Notice of Inquiry; U.S. Inland Containerized Cargo Moving Through Canadian and Mexican Seaports

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-08

... incentivize container cargo to shift from U.S. West Coast ports to those located in Canada and Mexico. These... FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION [Docket No. 11-19] Notice of Inquiry; U.S. Inland Containerized Cargo... containerized cargo destined for U.S. inland points from U.S. to Canadian and Mexican seaports. DATES: Comments...

33 CFR 100.121 - Swim Across the Sound, Long Island Sound, Port Jefferson, NY to Captain's Cove Seaport...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Swim Across the Sound, Long Island Sound, Port Jefferson, NY to Captain's Cove Seaport, Bridgeport, CT. 100.121 Section 100.121... SAFETY OF LIFE ON NAVIGABLE WATERS § 100.121 Swim Across the Sound, Long Island Sound, Port Jefferson, NY...

SmartPort: A Platform for Sensor Data Monitoring in a Seaport Based on FIWARE

PubMed Central

Fernández, Pablo; Santana, José Miguel; Ortega, Sebastián; Trujillo, Agustín; Suárez, José Pablo; Domínguez, Conrado; Santana, Jaisiel; Sánchez, Alejandro

2016-01-01

Seaport monitoring and management is a significant research area, in which infrastructure automatically collects big data sets that lead the organization in its multiple activities. Thus, this problem is heavily related to the fields of data acquisition, transfer, storage, big data analysis and information visualization. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria port is a good example of how a seaport generates big data volumes through a network of sensors. They are placed on meteorological stations and maritime buoys, registering environmental parameters. Likewise, the Automatic Identification System (AIS) registers several dynamic parameters about the tracked vessels. However, such an amount of data is useless without a system that enables a meaningful visualization and helps make decisions. In this work, we present SmartPort, a platform that offers a distributed architecture for the collection of the port sensors’ data and a rich Internet application that allows the user to explore the geolocated data. The presented SmartPort tool is a representative, promising and inspiring approach to manage and develop a smart system. It covers a demanding need for big data analysis and visualization utilities for managing complex infrastructures, such as a seaport. PMID:27011192

Evidences for the view of the importance of Hepu seaport in ancient China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Yongjing; Xiong, Zhaoming; Ruan, Xiangdong; Wang, Huijuan; Terrasi, Filippo

2013-01-01

Two ancient tombs considered belonging to the Han Dynasty (206 BC to AD 220), were excavated in Hepu, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. According to the style of cultural relics, some excavated artifacts did not come from the region. If the age of the tombs can be confirmed as belonging to the Han Dynasty, the exotic artifacts present significant evidence to suggest that that Hepu is one of the oldest seaports on China’s ancient maritime trading route. Two wood samples were sent for 14C dating at CIRCE, Italy. The results of these measurements are presented and the related chronology is discussed. Considering the previous results from a pottery workshop and an excavated sea wharf, the interpretation of Hepu as one of the oldest seaports in ancient China and the important role it played is presented.

Environmental Factors' Consideration at Industrial Transportation Organization in the «Seaport - Dry port» System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muravev, Dmitri; Rakhmangulov, Aleksandr

2016-11-01

Currently, container shipping development is directly associated with an increase of warehouse areas for containers' storage. One of the most successful types of container terminal is an intermodal terminal called a dry port. Main pollution sources during the organization of intermodal transport are considered. A system of dry port parameters, which are recommended for the evaluation of different scenarios for a seaport infrastructure development at the stage of its strategic planning, is proposed in this paper. The authors have developed a method for determining the optimal values of the main dry port parameters by simulation modeling in the programming software Any- Logic. Dependencies thatwere obtained as a result of modeling experiments prove the adequacy of main selected dry port parameters for the effective scenarios' evaluation of throughput and handling capacity at existing seaports at the stage of strategic planning and a rational dry port location, allowed ensuring the improvement of the ecological situation in a port city.

An integrated risk assessment of the environmental hazards influence on Kazakhstan section (from Khorgas and Dostyk dry ports to Aktau seaport) of the international transport corridor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akiyanova, F. Zh; Arykbayeva, Z. K.; Atalikhova, A. M.; Dauilbayev, B. A.; Zinabdin, N. B.; Kubeyev, A. B.; Tkach, K. A.

2018-01-01

The article outlines research results on the assessment of natural hazards impact risk on the international transport corridors’ Kazakhstan section (from Khorgas and Dostyk dry ports to the seaport of Aktau) functioning. Based on the component-by-stage analysis of physical and geographical conditions with the use of qualimetric approach, the areas with different risk levels of natural disasters were identified. To minimize the risk of natural problems exposure, a set of environmental recommendations has been developed.

Sustainable development of deep-water seaport: the case of Lithuania.

PubMed

Burskyte, Vilma; Belous, Olga; Stasiskiene, Zaneta

2011-06-01

In 2003, the Japan International Cooperation Agency carried out a development feasibility study of Klaipeda Seaport (Lithuania). The focus in this study was the evaluation of environmental impacts of the port expansion because it is located in an ecologically sensitive area. While the Japanese researchers focused on the environmental impact analysis, they did not provide unambiguous conclusions. The problems remained unresolved and required further, more detailed consideration and deeper analysis. Environmental sustainability in seaports is an issue of timely importance in many countries given the rapid increase in port-to-port traffic and harbor capacity. This paper explores the situation in Klaipeda Seaport (Lithuania) which is the northernmost ice-free port on the Eastern coast of the Baltic Sea and its challenges in terms of environmental aspects and current pollution situation. This port plays an important role in the economic development of the region and in creating a sustainable society, i.e., a society that continues to develop economically without increasing its impact on our living environment and where the possible reduction of its current impact can be huge due to the fact that the seaport is a place where transport and logistics intersect and constitute large-scale industrial estates. Increasingly, they also turn towards sustainability. Society faces the need for radical change because of increasing technological progress and increasing environmental impact. Environmental and public issues must be addressed by a systemic approach to find harmony among all the subsystems. Therefore, the authors of the article performed an assessment of the deep-water port of Klaipeda sustainable development opportunities tackling the following tasks: (1) Assessing Klaipeda port and the projected deep-water port of the current environment state; (2) Assessing the impact of the water quality of Klaipeda port, depending on the intensity of activity; (3) Assessing the projected impact of the deep-water port on the environment. The results of the performed research allowed: (a) to reveal strengths and weaknesses of Klaipeda port development and the potential conflicts of interest among different stakeholders, (b) to identify the set of problem solutions seeking sustainable Klaipeda port development; (c) to develop the set of sustainability indicators to monitor the efficiency of the development.

The evaluation and enhancement of quality, environmental protection and seaport safety by using FAHP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tadic, Danijela; Aleksic, Aleksandar; Popovic, Pavle; Arsovski, Slavko; Castelli, Ana; Joksimovic, Danijela; Stefanovic, Miladin

2017-02-01

The evaluation and enhancement of business processes in any organization in an uncertain environment presents one of the main requirements of ISO 9000:2008 and has a key effect on competitive advantage and long-term sustainability. The aim of this paper can be defined as the identification and discussion of some of the most important business processes of seaports and the performances of business processes and their key performance indicators (KPIs). The complexity and importance of the treated problem call for analytic methods rather than intuitive decisions. The existing decision variables of the considered problem are described by linguistic expressions which are modelled by triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs). In this paper, the modified fuzzy extended analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is proposed. The assessment of the relative importance of each pair of performances and their key performance indicators are stated as a fuzzy group decision-making problem. By using the modified fuzzy extended analytic hierarchy process, the fuzzy rank of business processes of a seaport is obtained. The model is tested through an illustrative example with real-life data, where the obtained data suggest measures which should enhance business strategy and improve key performance indicators. The future improvement is based on benchmark and knowledge sharing.

Towards a Comparative Index of Seaport Climate-Risk: Development of Indicators from Open Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McIntosh, R. D.; Becker, A.

2016-02-01

Seaports represent an example of coastal infrastructure that is at once critical to global trade, constrained to the land-sea interface, and exposed to weather and climate hazards. Seaports face impacts associated with projected changes in sea level, sedimentation, ocean chemistry, wave dynamics, temperature, precipitation, and storm frequency and intensity. Port decision-makers have the responsibility to enhance resilience against these impacts. At the multi-port (regional or national) scale, policy-makers must prioritize adaptation efforts to maximize the efficiency of limited physical and financial resources. Prioritization requires comparing across seaports, and comparison requires a standardized assessment method, but efforts to date have either been limited in scope to exposure-only assessments or limited in scale to evaluate one port in isolation from a system of ports. In order to better understand the distribution of risk across ports and to inform transportation resilience policy, we are developing a comparative assessment method to measure the relative climate-risk faced by a sample of ports. Our mixed-methods approach combines a quantitative, data-driven, indicator-based assessment with qualitative data collected via expert-elicitation. In this presentation, we identify and synthesize over 120 potential risk indicators from open data sources. Indicators represent exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity for a pilot sample of 20 ports. Our exploratory data analysis, including Principal Component Analysis, uncovered sources of variance between individual ports and between indicators. Next steps include convening an expert panel representing the perspectives of multiple transportation system agencies to find consensus on a suite of robust indicators and metrics for maritime freight node climate risk assessment. The index will be refined based on expert feedback, the sample size expanded, and additional indicators sought from closed data sources. Developing standardized indicators from available data is an essential step in risk assessment, as robust indicators can help policy-makers monitor resilience strategy implementation, target and justify resource expenditure for adaptation schemes, communicate adaptation to stakeholders, and benchmark progress.

76 FR 59125 - 2011 Fall Meeting of the Ozone Transport Commission

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-23

... security/energy efficiency; architectural industrial and maintenance coatings; consumer products... storage tanks; seaports; aftermarket catalysts; lightering and non-road idling. DATES: The meeting will be...

75 FR 58378 - 2010 Fall Meeting of the Ozone Transport Commission

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-24

... efficiency, architectural industrial and maintenance coatings, consumer products, institution [[Page 58379..., seaports, aftermarket catalysts, lightering, and non-road idling. DATES: The meeting will be held on...

78 FR 25265 - 2013 Annual Meeting of the Ozone Transport Commission

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-30

... efficiency, architectural industrial and maintenance coatings, consumer products, institution commercial and..., seaports, aftermarket catalysts, lightering, and non-road idling. DATES: The meeting will be held on June...

49 CFR 1572.103 - Disqualifying criminal offenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... controlled substance. (viii) Arson. (ix) Kidnapping or hostage taking. (x) Rape or aggravated sexual abuse. (xi) Assault with intent to kill. (xii) Robbery. (xiii) Fraudulent entry into a seaport as described...

49 CFR 1572.103 - Disqualifying criminal offenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... controlled substance. (viii) Arson. (ix) Kidnapping or hostage taking. (x) Rape or aggravated sexual abuse. (xi) Assault with intent to kill. (xii) Robbery. (xiii) Fraudulent entry into a seaport as described...

EPA Partnership Agreement with Broward County's Port Everglades

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The U.S. EPA announced that it was seeking to partner with a seaport to coordinate research and modeling covering port-related operations, technologies, and growth scenarios. Broward County's Port Everglades submitted a letter of interest.

19. Main deck just forward of fish batch, portion of ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

19. Main deck just forward of fish batch, portion of fish hatch cover has been opened to show the ventilation grate below. - Schooner "Lettie G. Howard", South Street Seaport Museum, New York County, NY

Port resilience: overcoming threats to maritime infrastructure and operations from climate change : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

In the coastal zone, seaports and their intermodal connectors are key types of infrastructure that support the global : supply chain, provide regional economic activity, local transportation system services, and community jobs. The : protection of co...

Ocean passenger vessels : migrating south for the winter

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

In response to consumer demand, the passenger vessels that operate from seaports along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts alternate between north and south. Passenger vessels that sail out of ports such as New York, Baltimore and Seattle in the s...

Middle East Composite

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-04-16

... and farming are prevalent. Wending its way through eastern Egypt is the Nile. In the south is Lake Nasser and the Aswan Dam; continuing ... coast, west of the delta, is the ancient city of Alexandria, Egypt's main seaport. "MISR", as it turns out, is the transliteration of ...

Characteristics of drayage operations at the Port of Houston.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-09-01

Port drayage, defined as a container truck pickup to or from a seaport terminal with both the trip : origin and destination in the same urban area, is a critical yet comparatively understudied link in the : intermodal supply chain. Because port dray ...

Tokyo, Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Tokyo, (35.5N, 140.0E) the capital city of Japan, Tokyo Bay and the neighboring cities of Yokohama, Kawasaki and Chiba are seen in this view of Japan. This great international seaport facility covers almost all of the bayfront and is home to over thirty million people.

America's freight transportation gateways : connecting our nation to places and markets abroad : [2004

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-01-01

Transportation gateways - seaports, airports, and land border crossings - are the entry and exit points for international merchandise trade between the United States and countries around the world. During the past decade, the leading U.S. gateways ha...

Maximizing port and transportation system productivity by exploring alternative port operation strategies.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-01

Seaports are a critical transportation component that supports the nations economy. Many U.S. : ports are now experiencing significant truck congestion at the gate, which decreases the productivity of : ports and truck fleets (e.g. truck wait time...

Ciguatera fish poisoning in industrial ship crewmembers: a retrospective study in a seaport general practice in Trinidad and Tobago.

PubMed

Poon-King, C M; Chen, A; Poon-King, T

2004-09-01

The objective of this study was to outline the epidemiology of Ciguatera fish poisoning as seen in a general practice serving two industrial seaports in Trinidad and Tobago, in order to highlight the potential public health implications. A retrospective study was undertaken of all the cases of Ciguatera fish poisoning identified between November 1, 1992 and October 31, 1998 in a seaport general practice to identify signs, symptoms and treatment. An investigation of one outbreak was undertaken. Four outbreaks affecting 42 male ship crewmembers were identified. The suspect fish were caught in northern Caribbean waters en route to Trinidad and Tobago. The most common early symptoms were diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, pruritus and tiredness. In the third outbreak, dysaesthesia was common. Progression to muscular weakness, ataxic gait, unsteadiness and other neurotoxic signs were seen in moderate to severe disease. Hypotension was an important prognostic sign in the initial case. Treatment was symptomatic and supportive and included vitamins B12 and BCO, folic acid, prostigmine, steroids and antihistamines as indicated. In the investigation of the second outbreak, the relative risk of 'eating fish meat' was 5 (95% CI 1.45, 17.27, p < 0.0001). Abdominal symptoms, pruritus, and muscle weakness with a history of consuming a fish-meal were diagnostic indicators of 'ciguatera fish poisoning.' All cases were industrial ship crewmembers. It is suggested that increased clinician awareness with early and appropriate treatment, and focussed public health intervention may help limit the potential public health impact of ciguatera poisoning in industrial ship crewmembers and other fish-consuming communities in the future.

Metagenomic analysis of sediments under seaports influence in the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean.

PubMed

Tavares, Tallita Cruz Lopes; Normando, Leonardo Ribeiro Oliveira; de Vasconcelos, Ana Tereza Ribeiro; Gerber, Alexandra Lehmkuhl; Agnez-Lima, Lucymara Fassarella; Melo, Vânia Maria Maciel

2016-07-01

Maritime ports are anthropogenic interventions capable of causing serious alterations in coastal ecosystems. In this study, we examined the benthic microbial diversity and community structure under the influence of two maritime ports, Mucuripe (MUC) and Pecém (PEC), at Equatorial Atlantic Ocean in Northeast Brazil. Those seaports differ in architecture, time of functioning, cargo handling and contamination. The microbiomes from MUC and PEC were also compared in silico to 11 other globally distributed marine microbiomes. The comparative analysis of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) retrieved by PCR-DGGE showed that MUC presents greater richness and β diversity of Bacteria and Archaea than PEC. In line with these results, metagenomic analysis showed that MUC and PEC benthic microbial communities share the main common bacterial phyla found in coastal environments, although can be distinguish by greater abundance of Cyanobacteria in MUC and Deltaproteobacteria in PEC. Both ports differed in Archaea composition, being PEC port sediments dominated by Thaumarchaeota. The microbiomes showed little divergence in their potential metabolic pathways, although shifts on the microbial taxonomic signatures involved in nitrogen and sulphur metabolic pathways were observed. The comparative analysis of different benthic marine metagenomes from Brazil, Australia and Mexico grouped them by the geographic location rather than by the type of ecosystem, although at phylum level seaport sediments share a core microbiome constituted by Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Tenericuteres, Firmicutes, Bacteriodetes and Euryarchaeota. Our results suggest that multiple physical and chemical factors acting on sediments as a result of at least 60years of port operation play a role in shaping the benthic microbial communities at taxonomic level, but not at functional level. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

U.S.-China trade growth and America's transportation system

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-04-01

The growth in U.S.- China trade over the last two decades has impacted the U.S. transportation system by increasing traffic at air cargo hubs and seaports. The highway and rail infrastructure that supports the movement of cargo to and from these faci...

Production and cost functions and their application to the port sector : a literature survey

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-08-25

Seaports provide multiple services to ships, cargo, and passengers. These services can be performed by a combination of public and private initiatives. Usually, the role of public sector institutions is to regulate and supervise private firms. In per...

NNSA B-Roll: Second Line of Defense

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2010-05-21

The NNSA Office of Second Line of Defense (SLD) works to prevent illicit trafficking in nuclear and radiological materials by securing international land borders, seaports and airports that may be used as smuggling routes for materials needed for a nuclear device or a radiological dispersal device.

Water management in the framework of environmental management systems in Bulgarian seaports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quynh, Le Xuan; Hens, Luc; Stoyanov, Stoyan

Seaports or harbours are major hub of economic activities, connecting sea routes with the hinterland via rail, road and inland waterway. At the same time, they are hubs of environmental issues, resulting from its diversified operations involving vessels, machines, vehicles and industries. The Black Sea Commission in 2007 pointed out that water pollution at the ports around Black Sea, including the ports of Bourgas and Varna, poses a great threat to the overall water quality of the Black Sea and the quality of the Mediterranean Sea. The two ports, and their facilities, are the black spots of pollution that need immediate intervention to safeguard the Black Sea. The first steps of an environmental management system were implemented at both ports. Environmental protection objectives are identified and initial actions are being implemented. However, assessment of the environmental performance of both ports based on concrete indicators was not done. Further efforts are needed to advance the environmental management system to contribute more to the protection of the Mediterranean and Black Sea region.

Geographic distribution: Boiga irregularis (Brown treesnake)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knox, Adam; Holldorf, Elden; Reed, Robert N.; Igisomar, Sylvan; Gotte, Steve W.

2015-01-01

Rota: Rota Seaport (14.136502°N, 145.135351°E; WGS84). 3 September 2014. Shelwyn Taisacan, Robert Ulloa. Verified by G. Zug. USNM 581745. Snake (42 g, 810 mm SVL, 1020 mm total length) captured in a mouse-baited trap hung on the fence perimeter of the Rota Seaport. Because the Northern Marianas Islands are historically snake-free, these traps are used around ports and airports for early detection of snakes that may stow away in vessels or aircraft from Guam (60 km to the south), possibly evading quarantine detections. Necropsy revealed no prey items in stomach or gas- trointestinal tract. Dissection at USNM confirmed the snake was female. To our knowledge, this is the first incursion of a live Boiga irregularis on Rota. Brown Treesnakes previously observed on the island (N = 3) arrived in cargo already dead. The USGS Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team mobilized 4 September–20 Oc- tober 2014 to search the focal and surrounding areas for evidence of a possible incipient population; no additional snakes were found during this search effort.

Putting price tags on international trade use of state infrastructure : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-03-01

As a major gateway to the entire U.S. for international trade both through seaports and land ports of entry, Texas pays the bills for the construction and maintenance of the infrastructure required to move the freight which benefits other parts of th...

Seaport Protection Against chemical and Biological Attacks

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

Breaux, MAJ, USA B.A., Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, 1991 M.A., Texas A& M , Commerce, Texas, 2001 Fort... Crichton . ―The Ships that Died of Shame.‖ Fairfax Digital (2003). http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/13/1041990234498.html (accessed June 21

An analysis of the value of Texas seaports in an environment of increasing global trade.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

This study undertook an economic impact exercise for all Texas ports, updated a similar study done a decade : earlier, and so assisted TxDOT with incorporating the most recent marine port impacts into their state : transportation planning. The study ...

Development of an exposure model for diesel locomotive emissions near the Alameda Corridor.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-02-01

The present investigation is part of a program of study at the Center for Energy and Environmental Research and Services (CEERS) at CSULB to assess the exposure risks of the particulate matter (PM) in the outdoor environment related to the seaport op...

Characteristics of Deepwater Seaports within the Continental United States.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-09-01

Distribution/ Availabilit ? Co09 Avail and/or Dist speolal -V’. UNCLASSIFIED SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OP THIS PAGItUM Dae Eeffes~d) TABLE OF CONTENTS...depth (at mean low water ) alongside the terminal Vessel type served** The type of vessel accommodated by the terminal Cargo types*** The types of

Building Collaborative Capacity for Biosecurity at the Georgia Seaports

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

mission and roles of each agency. A democratic leadership style of the members of the core work group contributed to the success of this collaborative...driving the process forward was a critical factor in the success of this endeavor. The democratic leadership style of the core work group members

Transportation Challenges in the Hampton Roads, VA, Region

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

ORDERS ( PPO ) ...........................................................11 J. HIGHWAYS FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE (HND) ...................................12 K... PPO Port Planning Orders RND Railroads for National Defense SDDCTEA Surface Deployment and Distribution Command Transportation Engineering...important Continental United States (CONUS) port infrastructure in both peacetime and wartime. Strategic Seaports and Port Planning Orders ( PPOs ) were

The Role of Awareness for Complex Planning Task Performance: A Microgaming Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lukosch, Heide; Groen, Daan; Kurapati, Shalini; Klemke, Roland; Verbraeck, Alexander

2016-01-01

This study introduces the concept of microgames to support situated learning in order to foster situational awareness (SA) of planners in seaport container terminals. In today's complex working environments, it is often difficult to develop the required level of understanding of a given situation, described as situational awareness. A container…

Maritime security report. April 1997 [Maritime smuggling of drugs and contraband goods through Haiti adversely impacting legitimate commerce and development; Partnering : a key to growing challenges confronting maritime security

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-04-01

Haiti is a significant transshipment conduit for South American cocaine destined for the United States. This smuggling is facilitated by Haitis system of seaports which remain largely unmonitored. Smuggling and trafficking contraband merchandise aver...

20 CFR Appendix A to Subpart F of... - U.S. Seaports

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Port, LA New Orleans, LA Beaumont, TX Brownsville, TX Corpus Christi, TX Freeport, TX Galveston, TX..., MA Fall River, MA New Bedford, MA Providence, RI Bridgeport, CT New Haven, CT New London, CT Albany, NY New York, NY/NJ Camden, NJ Gloucester City, NJ Paulsboro, NJ Chester, PA Marcus Hook, PA...

Israel: A Resource Guide for Teachers of Social Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruderman, Jerome L.

This pamphlet provides teachers with a brief overview of topics about Israel and suggests how they can be incorporated into the elementary and secondary social studies curriculum. There are five main sections. Section one describes geographical features of Israel including its principal cities, seaports, water resources, and the Negev. Section two…

A resolution commemorating the relaunching of the 172-year-old Charles W. Morgan by Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea.

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT

2013-06-24

Senate - 07/17/2013 Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

46 CFR 196.05-1 - Duty of officers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Lakes. These notices may be obtained free of charge, by making application to Commander, 9th Coast Guard...) as published by the Commander, 9th Coast Guard District, contains announcements and information on... major seaports in the United States and are also on file in the U.S. Consulates where they may be...

Cost Efficiency of Sea Freight and Lowering Cost of Consumption Goods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rum, Muh

2018-05-01

The subject of this research are administrative processes related to loading and unloading costin term of a ship’s arrival and departure to seaports,typically attributed to elevated levels of cost of labor, handling cost, dwelling time, and port fee which required to complete the related administrative tasks. Research design by comparative method in administrative way, which compare with many way implemented of previous practitioner export and import. In the previous phases of the research, an average expected cost of the administrative labor cost in traditional seaport clusters in eastern Indonesia was identified and quantified on an hourly basis. This research continues in its aim by using the results of the previous research as a starting point, and Find that enterprise resource planning and improvement, transactional due diligence and merger integration, positively affect and not associated with cost reduction. Moreover variable of reducing inventory cost affect and associated with reducing cost. The main hypothesis is that the usage of such a new model will result in a measurable decrease of the required freight cost in sea port, which indirectly reduce the consumption goods.

EXPLORING THE POSITION OF OLD SEMARANG SEA PORT: Based on Javanese City Pattern

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siti Rukayah, R.; Sri Susilo, Endang; Abdullah, Muhammad; Saputro, Siddhi

2018-02-01

According to the world traveller that have visited the old cities on the Java Island in the 15th century, the cities have a seaport. The sea port became a place for transit and stay until grown as a coastal city, Unfortunately, some of these cities have disappeared due to the process of secretions. Semarang in the 14th century also had a sea port as a landing area in Kampung Melayu. Recently the village no longer located in the coastal but in the middle of the city. How to prove that the area was a coastal area? By tracing some architectural remains, toponimy and comparing with the Javanese urban design pattern revealed the old phenomena in the past. Architectural sketches will make a clearly information about the old coastal line of Semarang. It is estimated that the seaport directly connected to the alun-alun / traditional square as central government. The city founders in Java puts the center of government using the same city spatial structure as waterfront city. The architecture remaining as a landmark of coastal city should be conserved.

Ecotoxicological risk assessment linked to infilling quarries with treated dredged seaport sediments.

PubMed

Perrodin, Yves; Donguy, Gilles; Bazin, Christine; Volatier, Laurence; Durrieu, Claude; Bony, Sylvie; Devaux, Alain; Abdelghafour, Mohammed; Moretto, Robert

2012-08-01

The dredged sediments of polluted seaports now raise complex management problems since it is no longer possible to discharge them into the sea. This results in the need to manage them on land, raising other types of technical, economic and environmental problems. Regarding the technical and economic dimensions, traditional waste treatment methods have proved to be poorly adapted, due to very high costs and low absorbable volumes. In this context, filling quarries in coastal areas with treated sediments could represent an interesting alternative for these materials. Nevertheless, for the environmental dimension, it is necessary to demonstrate that this possibility is harmless to inland ecosystems. Consequently, a specific ecotoxicological risk assessment methodology has been formulated and tested on three sediments taken from seaboards of France, in view to providing an operational and usable tool for the prior validation of any operation to fill quarries with treated seaport sediments. This method incorporates the formulation of a global conceptual model of the scenario studied and the definition of protocols for each of its steps: the characterisation of exposures (based on a simulation of sediment deposit), the characterisation of effects (via the study of sediments ecotoxicity), and the final ecotoxicological risk assessment performed as a calculation of a risk quotient. It includes the implementation in parallel of two types of complementary approach: the "substances" approach derived from the European methodology for assessing new substances placed on the market, and the "matrix" approach which is similar to methods developed in France to assess ecological risks in other domains (waste management, polluted site management, …). The application of this dual approach to the three sediments tested led to conclude with reliability that the project to deposit sediments "1" and "2" presented a low risk for the peripheral aquatic ecosystems while sediment "3" presented a high risk. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Panama Canal expansion : the effect of imports and exports diverted from California seaports on the Port of New York and New Jersey : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-01

In 2006, the Panama Canal Authority decided to expand the Canal by investing more than $5 billion to accommodate bigger vessels than now to traverse the current facility. Along with the Nicaragua Canal construction that is optimally expected to finis...

33 CFR 100.121 - Swim Across the Sound, Long Island Sound, Port Jefferson, NY to Captain's Cove Seaport...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY REGATTAS AND MARINE PARADES... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Swim Across the Sound, Long... the Federal Register, separate marine broadcasts and local notice to mariners. [USCG-2009-0395, 75 FR...

20 CFR Appendix A to Subpart F of... - U.S. Seaports

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Guanica, PR Guayanilla, PR Humacao, PR Jobos, PR Mayaguez, PR Ponce, PR San Juan, PR Vieques, PR Yabucoa... Port Costa, CA Port Hueneme, CA Port San Luis, CA Redwood City, CA Richmond, CA Sacramento, CA San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Selby, CA Stockton, CA Vallejo, CA Ventura, CA Barbers Point, HI Hilo, HI...

20 CFR Appendix A to Subpart F of... - U.S. Seaports

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Guanica, PR Guayanilla, PR Humacao, PR Jobos, PR Mayaguez, PR Ponce, PR San Juan, PR Vieques, PR Yabucoa... Port Costa, CA Port Hueneme, CA Port San Luis, CA Redwood City, CA Richmond, CA Sacramento, CA San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Selby, CA Stockton, CA Vallejo, CA Ventura, CA Barbers Point, HI Hilo, HI...

20 CFR Appendix A to Subpart F of... - U.S. Seaports

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Guanica, PR Guayanilla, PR Humacao, PR Jobos, PR Mayaguez, PR Ponce, PR San Juan, PR Vieques, PR Yabucoa... Port Costa, CA Port Hueneme, CA Port San Luis, CA Redwood City, CA Richmond, CA Sacramento, CA San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Selby, CA Stockton, CA Vallejo, CA Ventura, CA Barbers Point, HI Hilo, HI...

20 CFR Appendix A to Subpart F of... - U.S. Seaports

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... Guanica, PR Guayanilla, PR Humacao, PR Jobos, PR Mayaguez, PR Ponce, PR San Juan, PR Vieques, PR Yabucoa... Port Costa, CA Port Hueneme, CA Port San Luis, CA Redwood City, CA Richmond, CA Sacramento, CA San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Selby, CA Stockton, CA Vallejo, CA Ventura, CA Barbers Point, HI Hilo, HI...

The Field Use Of The EURITRACK Tagged Neutron Inspection System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viesti, G.; Fabris, D.; Lunardon, M.; Moretto, S.; Nebbia, G.; Pesente, S.

2011-06-01

The EURITRACK portal makes use of the tagged neutron technique to inspect suspect regions of cargo containers identified in preliminary x-ray inspections. The portal has been in operation at the Rijeka seaport during the last three years. The performances of sub-systems, with particular interest on the sealed tube neutron generator, is presented.

46 CFR 167.65-45 - Notice to mariners; aids to navigation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

.... These notices may be obtained free of charge, by making application to Commander, 9th Coast Guard...), published by the Commander, 9th Coast Guard District, contain announcements and information on changes in... major seaports in the United States and are also on file in the U.S. Consulates where they may be...

75 FR 16700 - Special Local Regulation, Swim Across the Sound, Long Island Sound, Port Jefferson, NY to Captain...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-02

...-AA08 Special Local Regulation, Swim Across the Sound, Long Island Sound, Port Jefferson, NY to Captain... permanent Special Local Regulation on the navigable waters of Long Island Sound between Port Jefferson, NY and Captain's Cove Seaport, Bridgeport, CT due to the annual Swim Across the Sound event. The proposed...

Simulating Operations at a Spaceport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nevins, Michael R.

2007-01-01

SPACESIM is a computer program for detailed simulation of operations at a spaceport. SPACESIM is being developed to greatly improve existing spaceports and to aid in designing, building, and operating future spaceports, given that there is a worldwide trend in spaceport operations from very expensive, research- oriented launches to more frequent commercial launches. From an operational perspective, future spaceports are expected to resemble current airports and seaports, for which it is necessary to resolve issues of safety, security, efficient movement of machinery and people, cost effectiveness, timeliness, and maximizing effectiveness in utilization of resources. Simulations can be performed, for example, to (1) simultaneously analyze launches of reusable and expendable rockets and identify bottlenecks arising from competition for limited resources or (2) perform what-if scenario analyses to identify optimal scenarios prior to making large capital investments. SPACESIM includes an object-oriented discrete-event-simulation engine. (Discrete- event simulation has been used to assess processes at modern seaports.) The simulation engine is built upon the Java programming language for maximum portability. Extensible Markup Language (XML) is used for storage of data to enable industry-standard interchange of data with other software. A graphical user interface facilitates creation of scenarios and analysis of data.

FUTURE OF BANGLADESH-INDIA RELATIONSHIP-A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

boundary disputes during this period with its neighbors India and Myanmar . “Bangladesh got 19,467 square kilometers out of 25,602 square kilometers...cooperation connectivity project like Bangladesh, India, Myanmar , Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) has recently been established...This maritime connectivity will facilitate India and Bangladesh exploiting seaports of Myanmar and Thailand to the east and Sri Lanka to the west for

33 CFR 165.161 - Safety zones: Coast Guard Captain of the Port New York annual fireworks displays.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... of the Port New York annual fireworks displays. 165.161 Section 165.161 Navigation and Navigable... Coast Guard District § 165.161 Safety zones: Coast Guard Captain of the Port New York annual fireworks... from 6 p.m. (e.s.t.) to 1 a.m. (e.s.t.) on the first Monday in October. (6) Seaport New Year's Eve...

Ancient harbour infrastructure in the Levant: tracking the birth and rise of new forms of anthropogenic pressure.

PubMed

Marriner, Nick; Morhange, Christophe; Kaniewski, David; Carayon, Nicolas

2014-07-03

Beirut, Sidon and Tyre were major centres of maritime trade from the Bronze Age onwards. This economic prosperity generated increased pressures on the local environment, through urbanization and harbour development. Until now, however, the impact of expanding seaport infrastructure has largely been neglected and there is a paucity of data concerning the environmental stresses caused by these new forms of anthropogenic impacts. Sediment archives from Beirut, Sidon and Tyre are key to understanding human impacts in harbour areas because: (i) they lie at the heart of ancient trade networks; (ii) they encompass the emergence of early maritime infrastructure; and (iii) they enable human alterations of coastal areas to be characterized over long timescales. Here we report multivariate analyses of litho- and biostratigraphic data to probe human stressors in the context of their evolving seaport technologies. The statistical outcomes show a notable break between natural and artificial sedimentation that began during the Iron Age. Three anchorage phases can be distinguished: (i) Bronze Age proto-harbours that correspond to natural anchorages, with minor human impacts; (ii) semi-artificial Iron Age harbours, with stratigraphic evidence for artificial reinforcement of the natural endowments; and (iii) heavy human impacts leading to completely artificial Roman and Byzantine harbours.

Ancient harbour infrastructure in the Levant: tracking the birth and rise of new forms of anthropogenic pressure

PubMed Central

Marriner, Nick; Morhange, Christophe; Kaniewski, David; Carayon, Nicolas

2014-01-01

Beirut, Sidon and Tyre were major centres of maritime trade from the Bronze Age onwards. This economic prosperity generated increased pressures on the local environment, through urbanization and harbour development. Until now, however, the impact of expanding seaport infrastructure has largely been neglected and there is a paucity of data concerning the environmental stresses caused by these new forms of anthropogenic impacts. Sediment archives from Beirut, Sidon and Tyre are key to understanding human impacts in harbour areas because: (i) they lie at the heart of ancient trade networks; (ii) they encompass the emergence of early maritime infrastructure; and (iii) they enable human alterations of coastal areas to be characterized over long timescales. Here we report multivariate analyses of litho- and biostratigraphic data to probe human stressors in the context of their evolving seaport technologies. The statistical outcomes show a notable break between natural and artificial sedimentation that began during the Iron Age. Three anchorage phases can be distinguished: (i) Bronze Age proto-harbours that correspond to natural anchorages, with minor human impacts; (ii) semi-artificial Iron Age harbours, with stratigraphic evidence for artificial reinforcement of the natural endowments; and (iii) heavy human impacts leading to completely artificial Roman and Byzantine harbours. PMID:24989979

Straddle carrier radiation portal monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersen, Eric S.; Samuel, Todd J.; Mullen, O. Dennis

2005-05-01

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the primary enforcement agency protecting the nation"s ports of entry. CBP is enhancing its capability to interdict the illicit import of nuclear and radiological materials and devices that may be used by terrorists. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is providing scientific and technical support to CBP in their goal to enable rapid deployment of nuclear and radiation detection systems at U. S. ports of entry to monitor 100% of the incoming international traffic and cargo while not adversely impacting the operations or throughput of the ports. The U.S. ports of entry include the following vectors: land border crossings, seaports, airports, rail crossings, and mail and express consignment courier facilities. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) determined that a screening solution was needed for Seaport cargo containers being transported by Straddle Carriers (straddle carriers). A stationary Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) for Straddle Carriers (SCRPM) is needed so that cargo containers can be scanned while in transit under a Straddle Carrier. The Straddle Carrier Portal operational impacts were minimized by conducting a time-motion study at the Port, and adaptation of a Remotely Operated RPM (RO-RPM) booth concept that uses logical lighting schemes for traffic control, cameras, Optical Character Recognition, and wireless technology.

Straddle Carrier Radiation Portal Monitoring

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Andersen, Eric S.; Samuel, Todd J.; Mullen, O Dennis

2005-08-01

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the primary enforcement agency protecting the nation’s ports of entry. CBP is enhancing its capability to interdict the illicit import of nuclear and radiological materials and devices that may be used by terrorists. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is providing scientific and technical support to CBP in their goal to enable rapid deployment of nuclear and radiation detection systems at U. S. ports of entry to monitor 100% of the incoming international traffic and cargo while not adversely impacting the operations or throughput of the ports. The U.S. ports of entry include themore » following vectors: land border crossings, seaports, airports, rail crossings, and mail and express consignment courier facilities. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) determined that a screening solution was needed for Seaport cargo containers being transported by Straddle Carriers (straddle carriers). A stationary Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) for Straddle Carriers (SCRPM) is needed so that cargo containers can be scanned while in transit under a Straddle Carrier. The Straddle Carrier Portal operational impacts were minimized by conducting a time-motion study at the Port, and adaptation of a Remotely Operated RPM (RO-RPM) booth concept that uses logical lighting schemes for traffic control, cameras, Optical Character Recognition, and wireless technology.« less

Ancient harbour infrastructure in the Levant: tracking the birth and rise of new forms of anthropogenic pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marriner, Nick; Morhange, Christophe; Kaniewski, David; Carayon, Nicolas

2014-07-01

Beirut, Sidon and Tyre were major centres of maritime trade from the Bronze Age onwards. This economic prosperity generated increased pressures on the local environment, through urbanization and harbour development. Until now, however, the impact of expanding seaport infrastructure has largely been neglected and there is a paucity of data concerning the environmental stresses caused by these new forms of anthropogenic impacts. Sediment archives from Beirut, Sidon and Tyre are key to understanding human impacts in harbour areas because: (i) they lie at the heart of ancient trade networks; (ii) they encompass the emergence of early maritime infrastructure; and (iii) they enable human alterations of coastal areas to be characterized over long timescales. Here we report multivariate analyses of litho- and biostratigraphic data to probe human stressors in the context of their evolving seaport technologies. The statistical outcomes show a notable break between natural and artificial sedimentation that began during the Iron Age. Three anchorage phases can be distinguished: (i) Bronze Age proto-harbours that correspond to natural anchorages, with minor human impacts; (ii) semi-artificial Iron Age harbours, with stratigraphic evidence for artificial reinforcement of the natural endowments; and (iii) heavy human impacts leading to completely artificial Roman and Byzantine harbours.

Build-up of toxic metals on the impervious surfaces of a commercial seaport.

PubMed

Ziyath, Abdul M; Egodawatta, Prasanna; Goonetilleke, Ashantha

2016-05-01

In the context of increasing threats to the sensitive marine ecosystem by toxic metals, this study investigated the metal build-up on impervious surfaces specific to commercial seaports. The knowledge generated from this study will contribute to managing toxic metal pollution of the marine ecosystem. The study found that inter-modal operations and main access roadway had the highest loads followed by container storage and vehicle marshalling sites, while the quay line and short term storage areas had the lowest. Additionally, it was found that Cr, Al, Pb, Cu and Zn were predominantly attached to solids, while significant amount of Cu, Pb and Zn were found as nutrient complexes. As such, treatment options based on solids retention can be effective for some metal species, while ineffective for other species. Furthermore, Cu and Zn are more likely to become bioavailable in seawater due to their strong association with nutrients. Mathematical models to replicate the metal build-up process were also developed using experimental design approach and partial least squares regression. The models for Cr and Pb were found to be reliable, while those for Al, Zn and Cu were relatively less reliable, but could be employed for preliminary investigations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Coast Guard Proceedings. Volume 71, Number 1, Spring 2014

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

convention also delineates limits and regulations for the territorial sea, archipelagic waters, and the continental shelf. 1 While the authority of the...to be searched is at the functional equivalent of the border. 14 This doctrine is remarkable, because it allows customs personnel to exer- cise broad...such as an airport or seaport. The doctrine applies so long as three elements are met: • a reasonable certainty an object or person had crossed a

RDS-SL VS Communication System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

2012-09-12

The RDS-SL VS Communication System is a component of the Radiation Detection System for Strategic, Low-Volume Seaports. Its purpose is to acquire real-time data from radiation portal monitors and cameras, record that data in a database, and make it available to system operators and administrators via a web interface. The software system contains two components: a standalone data acquisition and storage component and an ASP.NETweb application that implements the web interface.

Analysis of the Global Maritime Transportation System and Its Resilience

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

shortest/cheapest available route. • We establish re-routing strategies that apply, if a part of a route becomes impassable for container ships. We...The currently available throughput data is mostly from 2011, with few exceptions of 2010 and 2012. In total, there are 94 container seaports from 58...port or to the next available container port for further transportation by sea. Figure 3.5. The road layer visualized in Google Earth. Because our

Scanning Cargo Containers with Tagged Neutrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viesti, G.; Botosso, C.; Fabris, D.; Lunardon, M.; Moretto, S.; Nebbia, G.; Pesente, S.; Zenoni, A.; Donzella, A.; Perot, B.; Carasco, C.; Bernard, S.; Mariani, A.; Szabo, J.-L.; Sannie, G.; Valkovic, V.; Sudac, D.; Nad, K.; Peerani, P.; Sequeira, V.; Salvato, M.; Moszynski, M.; Gierlik, M.; Klamra, W.; Le Tourneur, P.; Lhuissier, M.; Colonna, A.; Tintori, C.

2007-10-01

A new Tagged Neutron Inspection System (TNIS) able to detect illicit materials such as explosives and narcotics in cargo containers has been developed within the EURopean Illicit TRAfficing Countermeasures Kit (EURITRACK) project. After the R&D phase, the inspection portal has been installed and commissioned at the Rijeka seaport in Croatia, where it has been operated in connection with the existing X-ray scanner for a first two-month demonstration campaign. Results obtained are presented and discussed in this paper.

Towards a Homeland Security Strategy for the United States Virgin Islands: The Terrorism and Natural Disasters Planning Group

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-01

economy because the economy is almost exclusively dependent upon tourism . A nationwide port shutdown will stop the flow of goods, including food ... industries support systems for food , fuel, entertainment, etc. The VI is at risk also because it is vitally dependent upon seaports. If mainland...aspect of life in the Virgin Islands relies upon water and power. In addition to the tourism industry (hotels, guest houses, restaurants and those

Cholera studies*

PubMed Central

Swaroop, S.; Pollitzer, R.

1955-01-01

In this study, figures relating to cholera deaths occurring in individual countries, from 1900 to 1952, are recorded as well as the incidence of the disease from 1923 up to the present time. The mode of spread of cholera from its endemic home in India to outside countries is described in relation to favourable seasons, main routes followed by the infection, and the role played by large religious gatherings. The incidence of the disease in the various seaports infected within recent years is discussed. PMID:14364186

Naval Reserve Forces throughout the World.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-02-01

structures run the risk of an apples to oranges comparisons./ T Our lookCsuggests that the U.S. Navy has a richer mix of active to reserves than do...PP26 About Political end military Environmental Factors." 30 Pp., Thompson, Jap S.. "Seaport Dasaneence and inter-Statef Apr 1960. AG A069 099...Chemical Physics IhaMeon, Jes. Oep40enwca Risk , and ftinorablilty,’ 72(10), is May 1960) 43 OR.. Jun 1961, AD A102 09" PP 294 PP 300 pRorts, Stephen

Port and Navigation Infrastructure Development to Support U.S. Strategic Interests

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-01

recipients of U.S. cargo, receiving 9.6 million TEUs by 2038. Other Asian countries, Latin America and Europe will also be large importers of U.S. goods... impact of trade is much more than just the value of materials and products shipped. More than 13.3 million U.S. workers are supported by seaports...by air are significantly more costly and movement by ground only supports trade within the Americas . Because shipping by sea is the predominant

United States Seaport Security: Protection Against a Nuclear Device Attack Delivered in a Shipping Cargo Container

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-13

exploded due to an initial fire discovered at the pier warehouse. Fragments from the blast were sent as far as Galveston ten miles away. Approximately...the 2009 attempt on Christmas Day involving Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (the “ underwear bomber”) led to the installation of full-body scanners in nearly...States, such as the Christmas Day 2009 “ underwear bomber” and the 2010 plot to send explosive packages utilizing printer ink cartridges. Acting DHS

Assessment of airborne soy-hull allergen (Gly m 1) in the Port of Ancona, Italy.

PubMed

Antonicelli, L; Ruello, M L; Monsalve, R I; González, R; Fava, G; Bonifazi, F

2010-10-01

Epidemic asthma outbreaks are potentially a very high-risk medical situation in seaport towns where large volumes of soybean are loaded and unloaded Airborne allergen assessment plays a pivotal role in evaluating the resulting environmental pollution. The aim of this study was to measure the airborne Gly m 1 allergen level in the seaport of Ancona in order assess the soybean-specific allergenic risk for the city. Allergen and PM10 were evaluated at progressive distances from the port area. Allergen analysis was performed by monoclonal antibody-based immunoassay on the sampled filters. Daily meteorological data were obtained from the local meteorological station. For estimating the assimilative capacity of the atmosphere, an approach based on dispersive ventilation coefficient was tried. The allergen concentrations detected were low (range = 0.4-171 ng/m3). A decreasing gradient of the airborne allergen from the unloading area (22.1 +/- 41.2 ng/m3) to the control area (0.6 +/- 0.7 ng/m3) was detected. The concentration of the airborne Gly m 1 was not coupled with the presence of the soy-carrying ships in the port. A statistically significant relationship between airborne allergen, PM10 and local meteorological parameters quantifies the association with the atmospheric condition. Airborne Gly m 1 is part of the atmospheric dust of Ancona. The low level of this allergen seems consistent with the absence of asthma epidemic outbreak.

Natural and artificial landscape change in a Dutch estuary: partially monitored with low budget method (a study in the fourth dimension).

PubMed

Zonneveld, Isaak

2003-03-01

This study includes some aspects of the shift in the Dutch attitude in relation to water during the past millennia from defense to attack to keeping the balance ("co-evolution"). It has a special focus on the freshwater tidal part, which embraces the largest seaport of the world: Rotterdam, as well as the largest national park of The Netherlands. It reports especially about a young mans endeavor in half a century real time monitoring of some land(scape) units with simple means.

An Illustrative Case Study for Twentieth Century Defense Planners: The Technology and Politics of United States Coastal Defense, 1880-1898.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-04-24

plunging fire on the armored decks of attacking ships. Some inventors and technicians would propose increased use of submarine mines and torpedoes for...and mines , see "The Defense of Our Sea-Ports," Harper’s Weekly 71 (November 1885): 928-930 and the "Endicott Report," p. 97; for the Navy’s role, see...urgently re- quired, the character and kind of defenses best adapted for each, with reference to armament [and] the utilization of torpedoes, mines

Advanced uncertainty modelling for container port risk analysis.

PubMed

Alyami, Hani; Yang, Zaili; Riahi, Ramin; Bonsall, Stephen; Wang, Jin

2016-08-13

Globalization has led to a rapid increase of container movements in seaports. Risks in seaports need to be appropriately addressed to ensure economic wealth, operational efficiency, and personnel safety. As a result, the safety performance of a Container Terminal Operational System (CTOS) plays a growing role in improving the efficiency of international trade. This paper proposes a novel method to facilitate the application of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) in assessing the safety performance of CTOS. The new approach is developed through incorporating a Fuzzy Rule-Based Bayesian Network (FRBN) with Evidential Reasoning (ER) in a complementary manner. The former provides a realistic and flexible method to describe input failure information for risk estimates of individual hazardous events (HEs) at the bottom level of a risk analysis hierarchy. The latter is used to aggregate HEs safety estimates collectively, allowing dynamic risk-based decision support in CTOS from a systematic perspective. The novel feature of the proposed method, compared to those in traditional port risk analysis lies in a dynamic model capable of dealing with continually changing operational conditions in ports. More importantly, a new sensitivity analysis method is developed and carried out to rank the HEs by taking into account their specific risk estimations (locally) and their Risk Influence (RI) to a port's safety system (globally). Due to its generality, the new approach can be tailored for a wide range of applications in different safety and reliability engineering and management systems, particularly when real time risk ranking is required to measure, predict, and improve the associated system safety performance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sea Basing Platforms for the 21st Century - An Evaluation of Maritime Prepositioning Force (Future) [MPF(F)] and the Mobile Offshore Base (MOB) to Perform Sea Basing

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

Large, Medium Speed , Roll-On/Roll-Off (LMSR) ships . The BLA sea base ships share a common hull, a common propulsion plant, and internal design from...would have the propulsion capable of maintaining a speed of 25 knots. Cargo fuel is stored in either the centerline tanks or in the deep tanks in the...for the Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) [MEF(FWD)]. The ships required a seaport to offload cargo , an airfield to be the aerial port of

Engaging Local Organizations in Science-Driven Oceanographic Data Collection: Summer 2015 in Norwalk and Westport, CT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, S. R.; Whitney, M. M.

2016-02-01

There are many challenges to data collection in the ocean sciences. There are both monetary and time constraints that can frequently limit the temporal and spatial coverage of the data being collected. Aside from the initial cost of equipment and materials, the amount of work hours required for continued deployment and operation are also a key concern (particularly for measurements made at sea). While the need for precise scientific instruments can be a barrier to effective public participation, the general public's accessibility to coastal waters can provide opportunities to overcome these challenges. The key, we found, is to incorporate public participation in the research plan from the onset. We present a program designed to understand the temporal and spatial variability of water properties in western Long Island Sound. During the spring and summer of 2015, temperature, salinity, pressure, and weather data were collected with the help and participation of local businesses and organizations in Norwalk and Westport, CT. Shipboard observations were collected on vessels operated by U.S Coast Guard Auxiliary, Harbor Watch at Earthplace, and the Norwalk Seaport Association using scientific apparatus designed at UCONN. Data at fixed locations were collected at several sites through cooperation with the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium, the Saugatuck Rowing Club, Rowayton Market, and the Norwalk Seaport Association. This effort resulted in the successful collection of several months' worth of data that covered all parts of the tidal cycle and different river flow regimes. The organizing and operation of this volunteer-based network, the resultant dataset, and the possible application of the methods used to other locations will be discussed.

Pupal-productivity surveys to identify the key container habitats of Aedes aegypti (L.) in Barranquilla, the principal seaport of Colombia.

PubMed

Romero-Vivas, C M E; Arango-Padilla, P; Falconar, A K I

2006-04-01

Surveys were conducted in three neighbourhoods of Barranquilla, the main seaport of Colombia, to identify, using counts of pupae in water containers during the wet and dry seasons, the most productive Aedes aegypti breeding sites. Overall, 3,433 premises were investigated in the wet season and 3,563 in the dry, representing, respectively, 82.3% and 84.6% of the total numbers of premises in the study areas. Despite a reasonably reliable supply of piped water, there were still some large storage containers for domestic water (cement ground tanks and plastic, metal and cement drums) in the area. Although such containers represented only 1.8%-16.3% of the total number of containers observed, they contributed 72.0%-78.2% and 65.0%-95.8% of the total Ae. aegypti pupal population in the three study neighbourhoods during the wet and dry seasons, respectively. In contrast, bottles represented 23.0%-88.9% of the total number of containers but produced no more than 0.1% of the total Ae aegypti pupal populations in these neighbourhoods. Other containers (tyres, vases, 'other discarded' and 'other used') generally produced only low numbers of pupae. In some settings, however, containers in the 'other discarded' category could contribute up to 19% of the total pupal population, and in one survey of one neighbourhood a single container in this category held 9.1% of all the pupae collected. These results, from a city where dengue fever is endemic, will help to focus local campaigns for Ae. aegypti source-reduction on the most productive categories of container.

Quinto Tiberio Angelerio and New Measures for Controlling Plague in 16th-Century Alghero, Sardinia

PubMed Central

Benedictow, Ole Jørgen; Fornaciari, Gino; Giuffra, Valentina

2013-01-01

Plague, a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, has been responsible for at least 3 pandemics. During 1582–1583, a plague outbreak devastated the seaport of Alghero in Sardinia. By analyzing contemporary medical texts and local documentation, we uncovered the pivotal role played by the Protomedicus of Alghero, Quinto Tiberio Angelerio (1532–1617), in controlling the epidemic. Angelerio imposed rules and antiepidemic measures new to the 16th-century sanitary system of Sardinia. Those measures undoubtedly spared the surrounding districts from the spread of the contagion. Angelerio seems to have been an extremely successful public health officer in the history of plague epidemics in Sardinia. PMID:23968598

Earth observations taken from Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-78 mission

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-06-30

STS078-752-050 (20 June - 7 July 1996) --- A large portion of southeastern France is depicted in this view. The pictured area extends from the port of Marseilles northeastward over the Alps to Lake Geneva in the upper right hand corner. Marseilles is the second largest city proper (population in 1990 was 807,726) and the largest commercial seaport of France and since 1970 it has rivaled Rotterdam as a transit port for all of Europe. It is situated on the Mediterranean's Gulf of Lion within a semicircle of limestone hills. Settled by Greeks from Asia Minor during the 7th century BC, Marseilles is the oldest of France's major cities.

Texas-Mexico multimodal transportation: developments in Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boske, Leigh B.

1994-03-01

This presentation highlights the results of a recently completed study that examines the Texas- Mexico multimodal transport system already in place, current plans for improvements or expansion, and opportunities and constraints faced by each transport mode -- motor carriage, rail, maritime, and air. Particular emphasis is given to findings regarding transportation developments in Mexico. The study concludes that in Mexico, all modes are working at establishing new services and strategic alliances, intermodal arrangements are on the rise, and private-sector participation in infrastructure improvements is growing daily at Mexican seaports and airports as well as within that nation's highway and rail systems. This presentation looks at developments that concern privatization, deregulation, infrastructure improvements, financing arrangements, and new services in Mexico.

Enhanced Logistics Intra-theater Support Tool

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Van Groningen, Charles N.; Braun, Mary Duffy; Widing, Mary Ann

2004-01-27

Developed for use by Department of Defense deployment analysts to perform detailed Reception, Staging, Onward movement and Integration (RSO&I) analyses. ELIST requires: o Vehicle characteristics for ships, planes, trucks, railcars, buses, and helicopters. o Network (physical) characteristics defining the airport, seaport, road, rail, waterway and pipeline infrastructure available in a theater of operations. o Assets available for moving the personnel, equipment and supplies over the infrastructure network. o Movement requirements plan defining the deployment requirements of a military force. This includes defining each unit, its cargo (at various levels of resolution) , where it must move from and to, whatmore » modes it is required to travel by, and when it must be delivered through each phase of deployment.« less

Advection fog formation and aerosols produced by combustion-originated air pollution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.; Liaw, G. S.; Vaughan, O. H., Jr.

1980-01-01

The way in which pollutants produced by the photochemical reaction of NO(X) and SO(X) affect the quality of the human environment through such phenomena as the formation of advection fog is considered. These pollutants provide the major source of condensation nuclei for the formation of fog in highways, airports and seaports. Results based on the monodisperse, multicomponent aerosol model show that: (1) condensation nuclei can grow and form a dense fog without the air having attained supersaturation; (2) the mass concentration range for NO(X) is one-third that of SO(X); and (3) the greater the mass concentration, the particle concentration, and the radius of condensation nuclei, the denser the fog that is formed.

Plague reappearance in Algeria after 50 years, 2003.

PubMed

Bertherat, Eric; Bekhoucha, Souad; Chougrani, Saada; Razik, Fathia; Duchemin, Jean B; Houti, Leila; Deharib, Larbi; Fayolle, Corinne; Makrerougrass, Banaouda; Dali-Yahia, Radia; Bellal, Ramdan; Belhabri, Leila; Chaieb, Amina; Tikhomirov, Evgueni; Carniel, Elisabeth

2007-10-01

An outbreak of plague occurred in the region of Oran, Algeria, from June to July 2003. Algeria had not reported this disease for >50 years. Eighteen bubonic cases were identified, and Yersinia pestis was isolated from 6 patients. Except for the index case-patient, all patients recovered. Targeted chemoprophylaxis, sanitation, and vector control played a crucial role in controlling the outbreak. Epidemiologic and biomolecular findings strongly suggested the existence of a local animal reservoir during this period, but its origin (resurgence or re-importation) could not be determined. This sudden and unexpected reemergence of plague, close to an important commercial seaport, is a textbook illustration of a public health event of international importance. It also demonstrates that the danger of plague reoccurrence is not limited to the currently indexed natural foci.

Plague Reappearance in Algeria after 50 Years, 2003

PubMed Central

Bekhoucha, Souad; Chougrani, Saada; Razik, Fathia; Duchemin, Jean B.; Houti, Leila; Deharib, Larbi; Fayolle, Corinne; Makrerougrass, Banaouda; Dali-Yahia, Radia; Bellal, Ramdan; Belhabri, Leila; Chaieb, Amina; Tikhomirov, Evgueni; Carniel, Elisabeth

2007-01-01

An outbreak of plague occurred in the region of Oran, Algeria, from June to July 2003. Algeria had not reported this disease for >50 years. Eighteen bubonic cases were identified, and Yersinia pestis was isolated from 6 patients. Except for the index case-patient, all patients recovered. Targeted chemoprophylaxis, sanitation, and vector control played a crucial role in controlling the outbreak. Epidemiologic and biomolecular findings strongly suggested the existence of a local animal reservoir during this period, but its origin (resurgence or re-importation) could not be determined. This sudden and unexpected reemergence of plague, close to an important commercial seaport, is a textbook illustration of a public health event of international importance. It also demonstrates that the danger of plague reoccurrence is not limited to the currently indexed natural foci. PMID:18257987

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Worldwide Marine Transportation Network: Efficiency and Container Throughput

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Wei-Bing; Guo, Long; Li, Wei; Cai, Xu

2009-11-01

Through empirical analysis of the global structure of the Worldwide Marine Transportation Network (WMTN), we find that the WMTN, a small-world network, exhibits an exponential-like degree distribution. We hereby investigate the efficiency of the WMTN by employing a simple definition. Compared with many other transportation networks, the WMTN possesses relatively low efficiency. Furthermore, by exploring the relationship between the topological structure and the container throughput, we find that strong correlations exist among the container throughout the degree and the clustering coefficient. Also, considering the navigational process that a ship travels in a real shipping line, we obtain that the weight of a seaport is proportional to the total probability contributed by all the passing shipping lines.

Radiation dose equivalent to stowaways in vehicles.

PubMed

Khan, Siraj M; Nicholas, Paul E; Terpilak, Michael S

2004-05-01

The U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection has deployed a large number of non-intrusive inspection (NII) systems at land border crossings and seaports throughout the United States to inspect cars, trucks, and sea containers. These NII systems use x rays and gamma rays for the detection of contraband. Unfortunately, undocumented aliens infrequently stow away in these same conveyances to illegally enter the United States. It is extremely important that the radiation dose equivalent imparted to these stowaways be within acceptable limits. This paper discusses the issues involved and describes a protocol the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection has used in a study to measure and document these levels. The results of this study show that the radiation dose equivalent to the stowaways from the deployed NII systems is negligibly small and does not pose a health hazard.

Community Near-Port Modeling System (C-PORT): Briefing for ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

What C-PORT is: Screening level tool for assessing port activities and exploring the range of potential impacts that changes to port operations might have on local air quality; Analysis of decision alternatives through mapping of the likely pattern of potential pollutant dispersion and an estimated change in pollutant concentrations for user-designated scenarios; Designed primarily to evaluate the local air quality impacts of proposed port expansion or modernization, as well as to identify options for mitigating any impacts; Currently includes data from 21 US seaports and features a map-based interface similar to the widely used Google Earth; Still under development, C-PORT is designed as an easy-to-use computer modeling tool for users, such as state air quality managers and planners. This is part of our product outreach prior to model public release and to solicit for additional beta testers.

Nuclear resonance fluorescence imaging in non-intrusive cargo inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertozzi, William; Ledoux, Robert J.

2005-12-01

Nuclear resonance fluorescence is able to non-intrusively interrogate a region space and measure the isotopic content of the material in that space for any element with atomic number greater than that of helium. The technique involves exposing material to a continuous energy distribution of photons and detecting the scattered photons that have a discrete energy distribution unique to an isotope. The interrogating photons, which range from 2 to 8 MeV, are the most penetrating probes and can "see" through many inches of steel. Determination of the chemical components of the material occupying a region of space greatly enhances the identification of threats such as explosives, fissile materials, toxic materials and weapons of mass destruction. Systems can be designed to involve minimal operator intervention, to minimize dose to the sample, and to provide high throughput at commercial seaports, airports and other entry points.

Analysis of matters associated with the transferring of object-oriented applications to platform .Net using C# programming language

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarsimbayeva, S. M.; Kospanova, K. K.

2015-11-01

The article provides the discussion of matters associated with the problems of transferring of object-oriented Windows applications from C++ programming language to .Net platform using C# programming language. C++ has always been considered to be the best language for the software development, but the implicit mistakes that come along with the tool may lead to infinite memory leaks and other errors. The platform .Net and the C#, made by Microsoft, are the solutions to the issues mentioned above. The world economy and production are highly demanding applications developed by C++, but the new language with its stability and transferability to .Net will bring many advantages. An example can be presented using the applications that imitate the work of queuing systems. Authors solved the problem of transferring of an application, imitating seaport works, from C++ to the platform .Net using C# in the scope of Visual Studio.

Hydraulic and Wave Aspects of Novorossiysk Bora

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shestakova, Anna A.; Moiseenko, Konstantin B.; Toropov, Pavel A.

2018-02-01

Bora in Novorossiysk (seaport on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus) is one of the strongest and most prominent downslope windstorms on the territory of Russia. In this paper, we evaluate the applicability of the hydraulic and wave hypotheses, which are widely used for downslope winds around the world, to Novorossiysk bora on the basis of observational data, reanalysis, and mesoscale numerical modeling with WRF-ARW. It is shown that mechanism of formation of Novorossiysk bora is essentially mixed, which is expressed in the simultaneous presence of gravity waves breaking and a hydraulic jump, as well as in the significant variability of the contribution of wave processes to the windstorm dynamics. Effectiveness of each mechanism depends on the elevated inversion intensity and mean state critical level height. Most favorable conditions for both mechanisms working together are moderate or weak inversion and high or absent critical level.

Science and Technology Review May 2004

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Henson, V E

2004-04-02

This month's issue has the following articles: (1) ''A Multidisciplinary Attack on Bioterrorism''--Commentary by Tomas Diaz de la Rubia. (2) ''Life at the Nanoscale''--Livermore researchers are exploring the molecules of life at the nanoscale to fight bioterrorism, improve human health, and understand how proteins function. (3) ''Screening Cargo Containers to Remove a Terrorist Threat''--A detection system for cargo containers will search for hidden nuclear materials that terrorists might try to ship to U.S. seaports. (4) ''Improved Algorithms Speed It Up for Codes''--Recent changes to the algorithms used in Monte Carlo calculations are reducing the time needed to run the high-fidelitymore » simulations being developed for the nation's supercomputers. (5) ''The Siren Call of the Seas: Sequestering Carbon Dioxide''--Scientists at Livermore evaluate possible methods for removing carbon dioxide from Earth's atmosphere and storing it in the planet's waters.« less

On the optimisation of the use of 3He in radiation portal monitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomanin, Alice; Peerani, Paolo; Janssens-Maenhout, Greet

2013-02-01

Radiation Portal Monitors (RPMs) are used to detect illicit trafficking of nuclear or other radioactive material concealed in vehicles, cargo containers or people at strategic check points, such as borders, seaports and airports. Most of them include neutron detectors for the interception of potential plutonium smuggling. The most common technology used for neutron detection in RPMs is based on 3He proportional counters. The recent severe shortage of this rare and expensive gas has created a problem of capacity for manufacturers to provide enough detectors to satisfy the market demand. In this paper we analyse the design of typical commercial RPMs and try to optimise the detector parameters in order either to maximise the efficiency using the same amount of 3He or minimise the amount of gas needed to reach the same detection performance: by reducing the volume or gas pressure in an optimised design.

Fast-neutron/gamma-ray radiography scanner for the detection of contraband in air cargo containers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eberhardt, J.; Liu, Y.; Rainey, S.; Roach, G.; Sowerby, B.; Stevens, R.; Tickner, J.

2006-05-01

There is a worldwide need for efficient inspection of cargo containers at airports, seaports and road border crossings. The main objectives are the detection of contraband such as illicit drugs, explosives and weapons. Due to the large volume of cargo passing through Australia's airports every day, it is critical that any scanning system should be capable of working on unpacked or consolidated cargo, taking at most 1-2 minutes per container. CSIRO has developed a fast-neutron/gamma-ray radiography (FNGR) method for the rapid screening of air freight. By combining radiographs obtained using 14 MeV neutrons and 60Co gamma-rays, high resolution images showing both density and material composition are obtained. A near full-scale prototype scanner has been successfully tested in the laboratory. With the support of the Australian Customs Service, a full-scale scanner has recently been installed and commissioned at Brisbane International Airport.

Low Energy Accelerators for Cargo Inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Chuanxiang

Cargo inspection by X-rays has become essential for seaports and airports. With the emphasis on homeland security issues, the identification of dangerous things, such as explosive items and nuclear materials, is the key feature of a cargo inspection system. And new technologies based on dual energy X-rays, neutrons and monoenergetic X-rays have been studied to achieve sufficiently good material identification. An interpretation of the principle of X-ray cargo inspection technology and the features of X-ray sources are presented in this article. As most of the X-ray sources are based on RF electron linear accelerators (linacs), we give a relatively detailed description of the principle and characteristics of linacs. Cargo inspection technologies based on neutron imaging, neutron analysis, nuclear resonance fluorescence and computer tomography are also mentioned here. The main vendors and their products are summarized at the end of the article.

Variability in environmental impacts of Brazilian soybean according to crop production and transport scenarios.

PubMed

da Silva, Vamilson Prudêncio; van der Werf, Hayo M G; Spies, Airton; Soares, Sebastião Roberto

2010-09-01

Soybean production and its supply chain are highly dependent on inputs such as land, fertilizer, fuel, machines, pesticides and electricity. The expansion of this crop in Brazil in recent decades has generated concerns about its environmental impacts. To assess these impacts, two representative chains supplying soybeans to Europe were identified: Center West (CW) and Southern (SO) Brazil. Each supply chain was analyzed using Life Cycle Assessment methodology. We considered different levels of use of chemical and organic fertilizers, pesticides and machinery, different distances for transportation of inputs and different yield levels. Because transportation contributed strongly to environmental impacts, a detailed study was performed to identify the routes used to transport soybeans to seaports. Additionally, we considered different levels of land occupation and land transformation to represent the impact of deforestation in the CW region. Environmental impacts were calculated for 1000 kg of soybean up to and including the delivery to Europe at the seaport in Rotterdam, at 13% humidity. Overall results showed that the impacts are greater for CW than for SO for all impact categories studied, including acidification (7.7 and 5.3 kg SO(2) eq., respectively), climate change (959 and 510 kg CO(2) eq.), cumulative energy demand (12,634 and 6,999 MJ) and terrestrial ecotoxicity (4.9 and 3.1 kg 1,4-DCB eq.), except eutrophication and land occupation. The same trend was observed for the crop-production stage. Efforts to reduce chemical fertilizers and diesel consumption can reduce CO(2) emissions. Although deforestation for crop production has decreased in recent years, the contribution of deforestation to climate change and cumulative energy demand remains significant. In the CW scenario deforestation contributed 29% to climate change and 20% to cumulative energy demand. Results also showed that although there are different transportation options in Brazil, the current predominance of road transport causes severe environmental impacts. In CW, road transport contributed 19% to climate change and 24% to cumulative energy demand, while in SO it contributed 12% and 15% to these impacts, respectively. Improvements in the logistics of transportation, giving priority to rail and river transports over road transport, can contribute significantly to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing energy use. Future studies involving Brazilian soybeans should take into account the region of origin as different levels of environmental impact are predicted. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vessel traffic patterns in the Port of Kaohsiung and the management implications for preventing the introduction of non-indigenous aquatic species.

PubMed

Liu, Ta-Kang; Tsai, Tzung-Kuen

2011-03-01

Data on shipping traffic in one of the busiest seaports in the world, the Port of Kaohsiung, were analyzed to evaluate the implications for ballast water management. Results show that 67% of the arriving vessels were registered to a flag of convenience, which typically have a lower degree of environmental records. The top five donor countries historically suffer from harmful algal bloom problems. The short journey and busy trading between these countries and Taiwan lead to a higher risk of inoculation. In addition, only 1.4% of all vessels visited more than once every year during the 9-year span, indicating that the port authority encounters many new vessels each year. These findings could influence the design and application of ballast water management strategies as well as highlight the challenges in their implementation. We suggest that an analysis of vessel traffic patterns should be coupled with other useful vessel information to make risk assessment successful. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Identification and selection of Environmental Performance Indicators for sustainable port development.

PubMed

Puig, Martí; Wooldridge, Chris; Darbra, Rosa Mari

2014-04-15

In this paper an identification and selection of Environmental Performance Indicators (EPIs) in port areas has been conducted. A comprehensive inventory of existing EPIs in use in the seaport sector has been identified for monitoring performance of operational (e.g. dust, noise, dredging, and waste), managerial (e.g. certification, compliance, and complaints) and environmental condition (e.g. air, water, sediment and ecosystems). These indicators have been filtered against specific criteria and have been assessed and evaluated by port stakeholders in order to obtain a final set of indicators suitable to be implemented at EU level. A user friendly tool has been developed specifically to assist port authorities in calculating and reporting the proposed indicators. This study has drawn on major research projects to blend academic research with input from marine professionals in order to identify, select, evaluate and validate EPIs that are acceptable and feasible to the sector, and practicable in their application and implementation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SPace Radar Image of Fort Irwin, California

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-05-01

This is an X-SAR image spanning an area of approximately 20 kilometers by 40 kilometers (12 miles by 25 miles) of the island of Hong Kong, the Kowloon Peninsula and the new territories in southern China, taken by the imaging radar on board the space shuttle Endeavour on October 4, 1994. North is toward the top left corner of the image. The Kaitak Airport runway on Kowloon Peninsula (center right of image) was built on reclaimed land and extends almost 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) into Victoria Harbor. To the south of the harbor lies the island of Hong Kong. The bright areas around the harbor are the major residential and business districts. Housing more than six million residents, Hong Kong is the most densely populated area in the world. The large number of objects visible in the harbor and surrounding waters are a variety of sea-going vessels, anchored in one of the busiest seaports in the Far East. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01750

Space Radar Image of Hong Kong, China

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-05-01

This is an X-SAR image spanning an area of approximately 20 kilometers by 40 kilometers (12 miles by 25 miles) of the island of Hong Kong, the Kowloon Peninsula and the new territories in southern China, taken by the imaging radar on board the space shuttle Endeavour on October 4, 1994. North is toward the top left corner of the image. The Kaitak Airport runway on Kowloon Peninsula (center right of image) was built on reclaimed land and extends almost 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) into Victoria Harbor. To the south of the harbor lies the island of Hong Kong. The bright areas around the harbor are the major residential and business districts. Housing more than six million residents, Hong Kong is the most densely populated area in the world. The large number of objects visible in the harbor and surrounding waters are a variety of sea-going vessels, anchored in one of the busiest seaports in the Far East. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01750

Challenges in undertaking mosquito surveillance at UK seaports and airports to prevent the entry and establishment of invasive vector species.

PubMed

Murphy, Gai; Vaux, Alex; Medlock, Jolyon

2013-01-01

Port health authorities have played an important role in the control of infectious diseases worldwide. The International Health Regulations (2005) further clarifies this role and provides a legal statutory instrument that aims to assist the international community to prevent and respond to global public health risks. Eleven UK sea and airports participated in a pilot, investigating the challenges ports could face in attempting to monitor for mosquitoes. The study also examined the types of habitat that could support mosquitoes. There is a concern that exotic vector species, such as Aedes albopictus, could invade and become established in the UK. Environments in and around the ports differed, and this was reflected in the species of mosquitoes caught. Ports used different methods to collect mosquitoes and developed a range of techniques for surveying, which suited the conditions at their port. This paper discusses the implications of invasive mosquito surveillance to UK port health authorities.

A new paradigm for quarantine and public health activities at land borders: opportunities and challenges.

PubMed

Waterman, Stephen H; Escobedo, Miguel; Wilson, Todd; Edelson, Paul J; Bethel, Jeffrey W; Fishbein, Daniel B

2009-01-01

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Quarantine Stations at Ports of Entry: Protecting the Public's Health focused almost exclusively on U.S. airports and seaports, which served 106 million entries in 2005. IOM concluded that the primary function of these quarantine stations (QSs) should shift from providing inspection to providing strategic national public health leadership. The large expanse of our national borders, large number of crossings, sparse federal resources, and decreased regulation regarding conveyances crossing these borders make land borders more permeable to a variety of threats. To address the health challenges related to land borders, the QSs serving such borders must assume unique roles and partnerships to achieve the strategic leadership and public health research roles envisioned by the IOM. In this article, we examine how the IOM recommendations apply to the QSs that serve the land borders through which more than 319 million travelers, immigrants, and refugees entered the U.S. in 2005.

A web-based screening tool for near-port air quality assessments

PubMed Central

Isakov, Vlad; Barzyk, Timothy M.; Smith, Elizabeth R.; Arunachalam, Saravanan; Naess, Brian; Venkatram, Akula

2018-01-01

The Community model for near-PORT applications (C-PORT) is a screening tool with an intended purpose of calculating differences in annual averaged concentration patterns and relative contributions of various source categories over the spatial domain within about 10 km of the port. C-PORT can inform decision-makers and concerned citizens about local air quality due to mobile source emissions related to commercial port activities. It allows users to visualize and evaluate different planning scenarios, helping them identify the best alternatives for making long-term decisions that protect community health and sustainability. The web-based, easy-to-use interface currently includes data from 21 seaports primarily in the Southeastern U.S., and has a map-based interface based on Google Maps. The tool was developed to visualize and assess changes in air quality due to changes in emissions and/or meteorology in order to analyze development scenarios, and is not intended to support or replace any regulatory models or programs. PMID:29681760

Detection of Illicit Drugs with the EURITRACK System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perot, B.; Carasco, C.; Valkovic, V.; Sudac, D.; Franulovic, A.

2009-03-01

The EURopean Illicit TRAfficking Countermeasures Kit (EURITRACK) inspection system has been developed within the 6th EU Framework Program to complement X-ray scanners in the detection of explosives and other illicit materials hidden in cargo containers. Gamma rays are produced inside the cargo materials by 14 MeV tagged neutron beams, which yields information about the chemical composition of the transported goods. In the beginning of year 2007, the EURITRACK system was implemented in the Seaport of Rijeka, Croatia, primarily to carry out a demonstration using real containers to conduct a series of detection tests. This article reports tests performed with real samples of illicit drugs hidden in a metallic cargo with an average density of 0.2 g/cm3. Heroin and cocaine have been distinguished from benign substances based on their chemical composition. Marijuana, which chemical composition is similar to benign materials, cannot be distinguished from common organic goods. However, the detection of an unexpected organic substance inside the metallic cargo indicates that a suspicious object has been hidden in the container.

Ecological and Economic Prerequisites for the Extraction of Solid Minerals from the Bottom of the Arctic Seas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myaskov, Alexander; Gonchar, Alexander

2017-11-01

The world ocean has huge reserves of minerals that are contained directly in the water, as well as on the surface of its bottom and in its subsoils. The deposits of solid minerals on the surface of the bottom of the World Ocean are considered the most promising for industrial extraction. The deposits of ferromanganese nodules, cobalt-manganese crusts and polymetallic sulphides are considered as an object of extracting more often than others. There are the largest deposits of ferromanganese nodules in the central and southern parts of the Pacific Ocean, in the central part of the Indian Ocean, and in the seas of the Arctic Ocean near Russia. The deposits of ferromanganese nodules are a serious alternative to deposits of manganese ore on land. However, there are many factors influencing the efficiency of the development of ferromanganese deposits, the most significant are: the content of the useful component in the ore, the depth of the bottom and the distance from the seaports. It is also necessary to take into account the possible environmental consequences of underwater mining.

Safety on Earth From MARSS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

ENSCO, Inc., developed the Meteorological and Atmospheric Real-time Safety Support (MARSS) system for real-time assessment of meteorological data displays and toxic material spills. MARSS also provides mock scenarios to guide preparations for emergencies involving meteorological hazards and toxic substances. Developed under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract with Kennedy Space Center, MARSS was designed to measure how safe NASA and Air Force range safety personnel are while performing weather sensitive operations around launch pads. The system augments a ground operations safety plan that limits certain work operations to very specific weather conditions. It also provides toxic hazard prediction models to assist safety managers in planning for and reacting to releases of hazardous materials. MARSS can be used in agricultural, industrial, and scientific applications that require weather forecasts and predictions of toxic smoke movement. MARSS is also designed to protect urban areas, seaports, rail facilities, and airports from airborne releases of hazardous chemical substances. The system can integrate with local facility protection units and provide instant threat detection and assessment data that is reportable for local and national distribution.

A review of potential tsunami impacts to the Suez Canal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finkl, C.; Pelinovsky, E.

2012-04-01

Destructive tsunamis in the eastern Mediterranean and Red seas, induced by earthquakes and/or volcanic activity, pose potential hazards to docked seaport shipping and fixed harbor infrastructure as well as to in-transit international shipping within the Suez Canal. Potential vulnerabilities of the Suez Canal to possible tsunami impacts are reviewed by reference to geological, historical, archaeoseismological, and anecdotal data. Tsunami catalogues and databases compiled by earlier researchers are perused to estimate potential return periods for tsunami events that could affect directly the Suez Canal and its closely associated operational infrastructures. Analysis of these various records indicates a centurial return period, or multiples thereof, for long-wave repetition that could generally affect the Nile Delta. It is estimated that tsunami waves 2 m high would have a breaking length about 5 km down Canal whereas a 10 m wave break would occur about 1 km into the Canal. Should a tsunami strike the eastern flanks of the Nile Delta, it would damage Egypt's maritime infrastructure and multi-national commercial vessels and military ships then using the Canal.

A decade of plague in Mahajanga, Madagascar: insights into the global maritime spread of pandemic plague.

PubMed

Vogler, Amy J; Chan, Fabien; Nottingham, Roxanne; Andersen, Genevieve; Drees, Kevin; Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M; Wagner, David M; Chanteau, Suzanne; Keim, Paul

2013-02-12

A cluster of human plague cases occurred in the seaport city of Mahajanga, Madagascar, from 1991 to 1999 following 62 years with no evidence of plague, which offered insights into plague pathogen dynamics in an urban environment. We analyzed a set of 44 Mahajanga isolates from this 9-year outbreak, as well as an additional 218 Malagasy isolates from the highland foci. We sequenced the genomes of four Mahajanga strains, performed whole-genome sequence single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery on those strains, screened the discovered SNPs, and performed a high-resolution 43-locus multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis of the isolate panel. Twenty-two new SNPs were identified and defined a new phylogenetic lineage among the Malagasy isolates. Phylogeographic analysis suggests that the Mahajanga lineage likely originated in the Ambositra district in the highlands, spread throughout the northern central highlands, and was then introduced into and became transiently established in Mahajanga. Although multiple transfers between the central highlands and Mahajanga occurred, there was a locally differentiating and dominant subpopulation that was primarily responsible for the 1991-to-1999 Mahajanga outbreaks. Phylotemporal analysis of this Mahajanga subpopulation revealed a cycling pattern of diversity generation and loss that occurred during and after each outbreak. This pattern is consistent with severe interseasonal genetic bottlenecks along with large seasonal population expansions. The ultimate extinction of plague pathogens in Mahajanga suggests that, in this environment, the plague pathogen niche is tenuous at best. However, the temporary large pathogen population expansion provides the means for plague pathogens to disperse and become ecologically established in more suitable nonurban environments. Maritime spread of plague led to the global dissemination of this disease and affected the course of human history. Multiple historical plague waves resulted in massive human mortalities in three classical plague pandemics: Justinian (6th and 7th centuries), Middle Ages (14th to 17th centuries), and third (mid-1800s to the present). Key to these events was the pathogen's entry into new lands by "plague ships" via seaport cities. Although initial disease outbreaks in ports were common, they were almost never sustained for long and plague pathogens survived only if they could become established in ecologically suitable habitats. Although plague pathogens' ability to invade port cities has been essential for intercontinental spread, these regions have not proven to be a suitable long-term niche. The disease dynamics in port cities such as Mahajanga are thus critical to plague pathogen amplification and dispersal into new suitable ecological niches for the observed global long-term maintenance of plague pathogens.

[Detection of Salmonella and Mycobacterium species in seagulls captured in Talcahuano, Chile].

PubMed

López-Martín, Juana; Junod, Tania; Riquelme, Fredy; Contreras, Cecilia; González-Acuña, Daniel

2011-11-01

Salmonella can be isolated from the feces of seagulls. Therefore these birds can be a vector for dissemination of this pathogen. To evaluate the possible role of gulls as vectors of two important human and animal pathogens (My-cobacteria and Salmonella). One hundred twenty three Kelp gull (Larus dominicanus) and 60 Franklin gulls (Leucophaeus pipixcan) captured off the coast of the seaport of Talcahuano, were analyzed. Using traditional microbiological methods, the presence of Mycobacteria in cloacal swabs and feet lavages, was analyzed in both types of gulls. To detect the presence of Salmonella, feces, fecal and tracheal swabs, and feet lavage were analyzed from Franklin gulls. Feces, feet lavage, intestine, spleen, liver, kidney and lung, were examined in Kelp gulls. All Mycobacteria cultures were negative. Salmonella enterica cultures were positive in 25 % of Kelp gulls and 6.7 % of Franklin gulls. Four serovars were identified by serotyping. Enteritidis and Senfteberg serovars were found in both types of gulls. Anatum and Infantis serovars were found only in Kelp gulls. Feces of gulls captured during the winter had the highest yield of positive cultures (36.1%). Seagulls are an important Salmonella vector in Chile.

[Determination of alkylphenol and alkylphenolpolyethoxylates in brine by solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Wang, Jincheng; Xiong, Li; Zhang, Haijun; Chen, Jiping

2011-12-01

A simple method based on solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) was developed for the determination of octylphenol (OP), nonylphenol (NP), octylphenol ethoxylates (OPEOs) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) in brine. The extraction and cleanup of brine samples were performed on C18 solid-phase extraction cartridges. The complete separation among OP, NP, OPEOs and NPEOs was achieved on a Hypersil GOLD analytical column with methanol-water as the mobile phase. The determination was achieved using HPLC-MS with electrospray ionization (ESI) in selected ion monitoring mode. The results showed that the average recoveries of target compounds were 59.6% - 104.4% and the corresponding relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 3) were 1.0% - 13.5%. The instrumental limits of detection for the compounds were 0.08 - 3 microg/L. This method was applied to the analysis of the samples of seawater near Dalian coast. The results showed that both NP and NPEOs were detected in all samples and their concentrations in seaport and oil port were much higher than those in other sampling sites.

Currency notes and coins as a possible source of transmitting fungal pathogens of man and plants.

PubMed

Wanule, Dinesh; Jalander, Vaghmare; Gachande, B D; Sirsikar, A N

2011-10-01

Currency (notes and coins) handling by people during transaction is one of the most mobile objects within the community, which has a potential of transmitting pathogens. A survey carried out recently in Nanded city (Maharashtra) revealed heavy contamination of currency notes and coins by important fungal pathogens of plants and man, i.e. Aspergillus niger (60.37%), A. flavus (3.98%), A.nidulans (0.2%), Penicillium citrinum (17.80%), Alternaria tenuis (0.20%), Curvularia pallescens (0.20%), Cladosporium cladosporioides (10.69%), Rhizopus stolonifer (1.04%), an unidentified Aspergillus species .1 (0.20%) and another unidentified Aspergillus species.2 (3.14%), Fusarium sp. (0.20%), Trichoderma viride (0.20%),white sterile mycelium (0.62%) and brown sterile mycelium (0.62%). The study highlights the importance of preventing and controlling fungal contamination of currency notes and coins in public health and plant protection. Currency notes or coins are rarely suspected as infection sources and often not quarantined at airport or seaport terminal. Possible transmission of pathogens or "alien", invasive species through currency across borders or across countries needs to be taken into consideration especially under circumstances of serious outbreak of important disease or when there is a threat of biological warfare.

Comparison of green algae Cladophora sp. and Enteromorpha sp. as potential biomonitors of chemical elements in the southern Baltic.

PubMed

Zbikowski, Radosław; Szefer, Piotr; Latała, Adam

2007-11-15

The contents of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Mn, K, Na, Ca and Mg were determined in the green algae Cladophora sp. from coastal and lagoonal waters of the southern Baltic. Factor analysis demonstrated spatial differences between concentration of chemical elements. The algae from the southern Baltic contained more Na and K while the anthropogenic impact of Cu, Pb and Zn was observed in the case of Cladophora sp. and Enteromorpha sp. from the Gulf of Gdansk at the vicinity of Gdynia. This area is exposed to emission of heavy metals from municipal and industrial sources with the main contribution of shipbuilding industry and seaport. The statistical evaluation of data has demonstrated that there exists a correlation between concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn in both green algae collected at the same time and sampling sites of the Gulf of Gdansk. Our results show that in the case of absence of one species in the investigated area it is still possible to continue successfully the biomonitoring studies with its replacing by second one, i.e. Cladophora sp. by Enteromorpha sp. and vice versa; in consequence reliable results may be obtained.

Biogeochemical study of water and bottom sediments from the Khai river - Nha Trang Bay estuarine system, South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shulga, Natalia; Lobys, Nikolay; Drozdova, Anastasia; Peresypkin, Valery

2014-05-01

The present study was carried out in Nha Trang Bay (Southern Vietnam, the South China Sea). The samples of water, suspended matter and bottom sediments were collected in summer 2010-2012 in section from the estuary of the Khai River to the marine part of the bay. The samples were analyzed in the stationary lab of IO RAS, Moscow, by TOC-V-CPH, GC/MS and pirolysis methods. We report here the novel data on sources, transformation and burial of OM coming from the Khai river waters. The investigation is focused on ontent and distribution of suspended matter (SM) in the estuary, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulated organic carbon (POC); molecular and group composition of hydrocarbons (n-alkanes, steranes, hopanes) and mercury content in water, SM and bottom sediments. It was found that concentration of POC and SM decrease in the Nha Trang Bay waters from estuary to the open part of the bay. However, major changes in the concentration of SM and POC belong to the zone of salinity gradient.DOC behavior is more stable throughout the study area. Organic-geochemical indicators estimation allowed recognition of genesis and transformation degree of organic matter in the study area. The estuary is characterized by mixed genesis of SM with a predominance of allochthonous organic matter whereas outlying parts of the Nha Trang bay are characterized by autochthonous OM. Composition of OM in sediments reflects regularities identified above, despite of the interannual and seasonal variability in the study area. The investigation reveals a predominance of terrestrial organic matter in the silt sediments of the estuary, transported by the Khai river. Distribution of OM in sediments of marine part of the bay is mosaic, with a predominance of planktonogenic, bacterial or terrestrial input at their complex combination. Local anthropogenic pollution as well as an impact of industrial city effluents are found in river- and seaport areas. According to obtained data sedimentation rate in Nha Trang bay area is 36-118 g/m^2/day in summer season. Sedimentary TOC (%) in samples varies in the range 0.50 - 1.95 in 2010, 0.22 - 1.84 in 2011 and 0.27 - 1.94 in 2012. This variations associated with differences in grain size distribution of sediments and intensity of anthropogenic influence. Mercury (Hg) concentration in the bottom sediments of aquatic systems varies from 2 to 108 ng/g of dry weight. Low concentration of the metal is typical for sediments, where OM is mainly represented by remains of aquatic organisms, while high concentration are common for river- and seaport areas with mainly terrestrial origin. Our study shows terrigenous organic matter is an important agent in the transfer of mercury from land to water ecosystems and Hg migrates in dissolved forms mainly. The reported study was supported by RFBR, research project No:14-05-31059-mol_a.

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 14 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-30

ISS014-E-10547 (30 Dec. 2006) --- Barcelona, Spain is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 14 crewmember on the International Space Station. Barcelona occupies a low plateau along the Mediterranean coastal plain. The city is the second largest in Spain (after the capital of Madrid), and hosts the country's largest seaport (portions of which are visible at lower right). This detailed view captures several notable features of the Barcelona urban landscape. The architectural design of the Eixample district (center) displays a grid pattern distinctive for Barcelona. Built during the 19th and 20th centuries, the district was built with octagonal city blocks -- originally intended to be open structures of only two or three sides surrounding gardens and open space. While the original street grid pattern remains, today many of the octagonal blocks are completely built up. The adjacent Cuitat Vella, or old city, presents a much denser building pattern which dates from Roman times. Also visible at lower right is the 173-meter high Montjuic Mountain -- historically the location of fortresses due to its strategic position overlooking the city's harbor. Light tan and orange structures visible at the crest of the mountain include the stadium and other buildings used in the 1992 Summer Olympic Games at Barcelona.

Radiation exposure related to the shipment of fertilisers to and from commercial ports: the case study of the seaport of Ravenna (Italy).

PubMed

Righi, Serena; Lucialli, Patrizia; Pollini, Elisa

2014-03-01

This paper presents the results of a study of radiological impacts related to the shipment of fertilisers to and from the commercial port of Ravenna (NE Italy). In particular, the effective doses to the port workers and members of the population surrounding the port area have been estimated. The study has included different types of measurement and assessment. First, the natural radioactivity of different fertilisers moving through the port has been determined: (40)K, (226)Ra, (210)Pb, (228)Ra and (228)Th concentrations have been analysed using γ-ray spectrometry, while (238)U and (232)Th concentrations have been determined by ICP-MS. At the same time, a dose rate meter and electret ion chambers were used to measure the external irradiation and the radon concentrations, respectively. Then, air pollutant dispersion models have been applied in order to assess particulate matter concentration in the port site and the surrounding residential areas, and consequently the inhalation doses. Finally, the annual effective doses to workers and local residents have been estimated. The effective doses to workers and the population have been estimated to be 0.9 mSv yr(-1) and 0.07 μSv yr(-1), respectively.

Cooperative Monitoring Center Occasional Paper/16: The Potential of Technology for the Control of Small Weapons: Applications in Developing Countries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

ALTMANN, JURGEN

2000-07-01

For improving the control of small arms, technology provides many possibilities. Present and future technical means are described in several areas. With the help of sensors deployed on the ground or on board aircraft, larger areas can be monitored. Using tags, seals, and locks, important objects and installations can be safeguarded better. With modern data processing and communication systems, more information can be available, and it can be more speedily processed. Together with navigation and transport equipment, action can be taken faster and at greater range. Particular considerations are presented for cargo control at roads, seaports, and airports, for monitoringmore » designated lines, and for the control of legal arms. By starting at a modest level, costs can be kept low, which would aid developing countries. From the menu of technologies available, systems need to be designed for the intended application and with an understanding of the local conditions. It is recommended that states start with short-term steps, such as acquiring more and better radio transceivers, vehicles, small aircraft, and personal computers. For the medium term, states should begin with experiments and field testing of technologies such as tags, sensors, and digital communication equipment.« less

Local Wisdom of The Native Settlement as A Main Gate in The Northern Axis of Javanese City Center In Semarang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siti Rukayah, R.; Respati Puguh, Dhanang, Dr; Sri Susilo, Endang; Sahid Indraswara, Mohammad

2018-05-01

Similar to the city structure of Islamic cities in Java, Semarang also has multi-ethnic kampongs located around alun-alun / traditional square. There is a uniqueness kampong ethnic village that was located in the coastal city of Semarang. Now there are no longer in coastal area. Based on historical method using some old maps and the old images and field study resulted that the old city centre of Semarang had a north axis connecting the seaport (Kampung Darat - 14th century) to the alun-alun as administrative city centre (16th century). The axis was once a commercial corridor with settlements arrays behind the commercial corridor. There is some local wisdom in the settlement arrangement. The economic and religious harmonies live together along the corridor. The ethnic Chinese and Arabs as a merchant set up shop houses in the corridor that had a strategic value. Meanwhile, Malay, Arab, Cirebon and Banjar settlements located behind commercial corridors. This corridor present that the economic activity dominated done by Arabic and Chinese trader. Local wisdom in urban design heritage along North axis functioned as main gate to traditional city centre. The local wisdom is potential to be integrated with recent situation and replicated in another region

Detection of fissionable material in cargo containers using active neutron interrogation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Church, Jennifer

2006-10-01

Roughly 6 million cargo containers will be shipped to U.S. seaports in a single year, each container carrying up to 30 tons of freight in varied configurations. Highly enriched uranium and other fissionable material concealed inside these containers is a challenge for existing portal monitors, due in part to the attenuation of signals in the cargo. A system is currently being developed to overcome these challenges without slowing the flow of commerce through the port, keeping the likelihood of false-negative and false- positive detections to a minimum. The technique utilizes a neutron beam to induce fission, and a wall of plastic scintillators to detect subsequent delayed high-energy γ- rays after β-decay of the fission products Decay curves utilizing these delayed γ-rays with energies above 3 MeV are an efficient diagnostic. New experimental work using a 3-7 MeV broad spectrum neutron source will be presented and compared to simulations and past experimental results. This work is performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory contract No. W-7405-Eng-4, UCRL-ABS-219231. E.B.,orman et al., Nucl. Instr. Methods Phys. Res. A, 521, 608 (2004).

Fuel saving and emissions cut through shore-side power concept for high-speed crafts at the red sea in egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seddiek, Ibrahim S.; Mosleh, Mosaad A.; Banawan, Adel A.

2013-12-01

The progress of economic globalization, the rapid growth of international trade, and the maritime transportation has played an increasingly significant role in the international supply chain. As a result, worldwide seaports have suffered from a central problem, which appears in the form of massive amounts of fuel consumed and exhaust gas fumes emitted from the ships while berthed. Many ports have taken the necessary precautions to overcome this problem, while others still suffer due to the presence of technical and financial constraints. In this paper, the barriers, interconnection standards, rules, regulations, power sources, and economic and environmental analysis related to ships, shore-side power were studied in efforts to find a solution to overcome his problem. As a case study, this paper investigates the practicability, costs and benefits of switching from onboard ship auxiliary engines to shore-side power connection for high-speed crafts called Alkahera while berthed at the port of Safaga, Egypt. The results provide the national electricity grid concept as the best economical selection with 49.03 percent of annual cost saving. Moreover, environmentally, it could achieve an annual reduction in exhaust gas emissions of CO2, CO, NO x , P.M, and SO2 by 276, 2.32, 18.87, 0.825 and 3.84 tons, respectively.

Multisensor system for the protection of critical infrastructure of a seaport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kastek, Mariusz; Dulski, Rafał; Zyczkowski, Marek; Szustakowski, Mieczysław; Trzaskawka, Piotr; Ciurapinski, Wiesław; Grelowska, Grazyna; Gloza, Ignacy; Milewski, Stanislaw; Listewnik, Karol

2012-06-01

There are many separated infrastructural objects within a harbor area that may be considered "critical", such as gas and oil terminals or anchored naval vessels. Those objects require special protection, including security systems capable of monitoring both surface and underwater areas, because an intrusion into the protected area may be attempted using small surface vehicles (boats, kayaks, rafts, floating devices with weapons and explosives) as well as underwater ones (manned or unmanned submarines, scuba divers). The paper will present the concept of multisensor security system for a harbor protection, capable of complex monitoring of selected critical objects within the protected area. The proposed system consists of a command centre and several different sensors deployed in key areas, providing effective protection from land and sea, with special attention focused on the monitoring of underwater zone. The initial project of such systems will be presented, its configuration and initial tests of the selected components. The protection of surface area is based on medium-range radar and LLTV and infrared cameras. Underwater zone will be monitored by a sonar and acoustic and magnetic barriers, connected into an integrated monitoring system. Theoretical analyses concerning the detection of fast, small surface objects (such as RIB boats) by a camera system and real test results in various weather conditions will also be presented.

Final Report, Next-Generation Mega-Voltage Cargo-Imaging System for Cargo Conainer Inspection, March 2007

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dr. James Clayton, Ph.D., Varian Medical Systems-Security & Inspection Products; Dr. Emma Regentova, Ph.D, University of Nevada Las Vegas; Dr. Evangelos Yfantis, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The UNLV Research Foundation, as the primary award recipient, teamed with Varian Medical Systems-Security & Inspection Products and the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) for the purpose of conducting research and engineering related to a "next-generation" mega-voltage imaging (MVCI) system for inspection of cargo in large containers. The procurement and build-out of hardware for the MVCI project has been completed. The K-9 linear accelerator and an optimized X-ray detection system capable of efficiently detecting X-rays emitted from the accelerator after they have passed through the device is under test. The Office of Science financial assistance award has made possiblemore » the development of a system utilizing a technology which will have a profound positive impact on the security of U.S. seaports. The proposed project will ultimately result in critical research and development advances for the "next-generation" Linatron X-ray accelerator technology, thereby providing a safe, reliable and efficient fixed and mobile cargo inspection system, which will very significantly increase the fraction of cargo containers undergoing reliable inspection as the enter U.S. ports. Both NNSA/NA-22 and the Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office are collaborating with UNLV and its team to make this technology available as soon as possible.« less

Assessment of 226Ra, 238U, 232Th, 137Cs and 40K activities from the northern coastline of Oman Sea (water and sediments).

PubMed

Darabi-Golestan, F; Hezarkhani, A; Zare, M R

2017-05-15

Water and sediment samples were collected from northern coast of Oman Sea covering from Goatr to Hormoz canyon seaport. Water and sediment quality assessment for naturally or anthropogenic radionuclides at Oman Sea as a main strategic golf for trade and transit, is an important issue. Correspondence analysis (CA) by R-mode analysis represents that sigma(T)-temperature-conductivity-O 2 parameters are well-correlated with 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K. Accordingly Q-mode analysis revealed an indicator samples of ST13W for different radionuclides, ST03W for O 2 , and simultaneously ST34W-ST21W-ST08W-ST04W for sigma(T) parameters. The CA results overlapped with factor and cluster analysis results that explained 85.8% of total variance of water samples. Descriptive analysis of sediments indicates more significant variation than water samples. The 232 Th and 226 Ra generally showing that ST13D to ST25D sediments that restricted to Pi Bashk coastline are concentrated from 137 Cs and 40 K. By comparison with reference-values from Iran and other parts of the world, they are acceptable with respect to environmental and radioisotope hazards. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Chile: Standing up again].

PubMed

Reyes B, Humberto

2010-03-01

One of the biggest earthquakes recorded in human history has recently devastated a large part of the Chilean territory and, followed by a Tsunami, destroyed cities, seaports, fishermen's coves, bridges, and countryside houses. This cataclysm affected a large proportion of our population, leaving homeless families, no working tools for work places, hospitals, schools, public buildings, museums. However, the loss of human Uves was small compared to similar disasters. It destroyed part of the national heritage as well as damaged people's living conditions. A national movement started immediately to help and recover, and international resources, both human and technological were also set in motion. As after previous earthquakes in Chile, young M.D.'s and medical students were organized in voluntary groups backed by institutions or by their own organizations and went from large cities as Santiago and others to provide medical and psychological care to those in most need. Young members and students of other health professions (nurses, physical therapists, etc.) were included in these groups or worked in their own ones. National and international experience indicates that the forthcoming months require special care of psychological reactions and sequel (posttraumatic stress symptoms) and health consequences after water pollution, restrictions in housing and deteriorated sanitary conditions. Nevertheless, our country will stand up once more.

Environmental policy in the north-eastern sector of the Black sea coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosyan, Ruben; Godin, Evgenii; Kosyan, Alisa

2015-04-01

Active economic development of the Black Sea East coastal zone has started in the beginning of 20-th century. Those days the pebble taken from beaches was used for construction of buildings, rail and motor roads. Active consumption of pebble from the beaches and river banks had caused a sharp increase of sea shores abrasion and washout rate, number of landslides had also increased. Contemporary Caucasian shores of Black Sea are being developed under increasing man-caused load. Favorable natural conditions, their variety and uniqueness determine the exceptional role of these shores as very important recreational zone of Russian South. Waste urbanized areas, agricultural territories and National Parks are located in immediate neighborhood with the sea. Important industrial facilities and federal and international communi- cations, including major seaports are located in the shore zone. At present time major gas and oil transportation facilities are commissioned and being constructed in the area. Due to the change of geopolitical situation the Russian shoreline had significantly reduced in comparison with Soviet period, especially in most developed regions. Large resort complexes in Georgia, Crimea and Baltic area were lost. Russia had also lost many major seaports that, under conditions of structural change of economy and export growth, had caused the necessity of building new industrial facilities in the Black Sea coastal zone, and, consequently, had stimulated active human invasion into natural coastal processes. At the time being, a major part (three hundred nine kilometers) of Black Sea coast within Russian sector is subject to abrasion and landslide processes. Abrasion process and beaches wash-out, landslides cause destruction of industrial and transport facilities, living and public buildings, resort complexes and valuable agricultural areas. In this light, the challenge of estimation of effective methods of shores protection against wave-induced erosion becomes crucial. For a long period of time the coast protective activity was concentrated on elimination of localized zones of washout, without consideration of lithodynamic system in which the protected area is located, that led to disturbance of sediments flows, and, consequently, to acceleration of abrasion on the related parts of the shore. Main technical solutions regarding coast protection constructions for creation of artificial beaches, are borrowed from the experience of coast protection (construction of bunas, breakwaters and wave walls) at Caucasus and Crimean shores of the Black Sea. Application of bunas and breakwaters is formally divided by the steepness of the underwater slope equal to 0.03. However, this division did not and does not have any physical grounds and is not confirmed by materials of study of surf zone's hydro- and lithodynamics. Types of constructions and their composition in the coastal protective complexes were assigned subjectively. Because of general deficit of the sediments, the free beaches with big length were difficult to create. It was neces- sary to build the sediment retaining constructions like bunas, on the landslide sections - underwater breakwaters. Thus, the beaches in the coast protective complexes were having a primary role, and the constructions - secondary.

Global Squeeze: Assessing Climate-Critical Resource Constraints for Coastal Climate Adaptation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chase, N. T.; Becker, A.; Schwegler, B.; Fischer, M.

2014-12-01

The projected impacts of climate change in the coastal zone will require local planning and local resources to adapt to increasing risks of social, environmental, and economic consequences from extreme events. This means that, for the first time in human history, aggregated local demands could outpace global supply of certain "climate-critical resources." For example, construction materials such as sand and gravel, steel, and cement may be needed to fortify many coastal locations at roughly the same point in time if decision makers begin to construct new storm barriers or elevate coastal lands. Where might adaptation bottlenecks occur? Can the world produce enough cement to armour the world's seaports as flood risks increase due to sea-level rise and more intense storms? Just how many coastal engineers would multiple such projects require? Understanding such global implications of adaptation requires global datasets—such as bathymetry, coastal topography, local sea-level rise and storm surge projections, and construction resource production capacity—that are currently unavailable at a resolution appropriate for a global-scale analysis. Our research group has identified numerous gaps in available data necessary to make such estimates on both the supply and demand sides of this equation. This presentation examines the emerging need and current availability of these types of datasets and argues for new coordinated efforts to develop and share such data.

Heavy Metals in Marine Pollution Perspective-A Mini Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ansari, T. M.; Marr, I. L.; Tariq, N.

Anthropogenic inputs of pollutants such as heavy metals into the marine environment have increased their levels to large extents within past a few decades. These pollutants tend to accumulate in the bottom sediments. As a result, ecosystems such as seaports or other industrialized coastal areas that have chronic inputs of metals have highly contaminated sediments. This characteristic has led to concerns over the ecological effects that may be associated with sediment quality. Of particular concern are toxic effects and the potential for bioaccumulation of metals in biota exposed to the sediments. The availability of heavy metals to the biomass of a polluted region is the prime concern both in terms of the prediction of the effects of metal pollution on an ecosystem and in terms of possible human health risks. With growing interest on environmental issues, several intriguing questions related to heavy metals are often raised. This review addresses the basic concepts, sources, speciation, mode of action, levels, analytical measurement, bioavailability, bioaccumulation, biological role and toxicity of heavy metals in the marine environment. Lead, Cadmium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Iron, Mercury, Arsenic and Barium are selected because these metals are common and are often at measurable levels in marine samples. An attempt has been made to answer the queries presented by the environmentalists working on various aspects of heavy metal pollution in the marine environment

Plant Invasions in China – Challenges and Chances

PubMed Central

Axmacher, Jan C.; Sang, Weiguo

2013-01-01

Invasive species cause serious environmental and economic harm and threaten global biodiversity. We set out to investigate how quickly invasive plant species are currently spreading in China and how their resulting distribution patterns are linked to socio-economic and environmental conditions. A comparison of the invasive plant species density (log species/log area) reported in 2008 with current data shows that invasive species were originally highly concentrated in the wealthy, southeastern coastal provinces of China, but they are currently rapidly spreading inland. Linear regression models based on the species density and turnover of invasive plants as dependent parameters and principal components representing key socio-economic and environmental parameters as predictors indicate strong positive links between invasive plant density and the overall phytodiversity and associated climatic parameters. Principal components representing socio-economic factors and endemic plant density also show significant positive links with invasive plant density. Urgent control and eradication measures are needed in China's coastal provinces to counteract the rapid inland spread of invasive plants. Strict controls of imports through seaports need to be accompanied by similarly strict controls of the developing horticultural trade and underpinned by awareness campaigns for China's increasingly affluent population to limit the arrival of new invaders. Furthermore, China needs to fully utilize its substantial native phytodiversity, rather than relying on exotics, in current large-scale afforestation projects and in the creation of urban green spaces. PMID:23691164

A GIS Inventory of Critical Coastal Infrastructure Land Use in Caribbean Island Small Island Developing States: Classification and Criteria Methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'aversa, N.; Becker, A.; Bove, G.

2017-12-01

Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face significant natural hazard risks, as demonstrated by recent Hurricanes Jose, Irma, and Maria. Scientists project storms to become more intense and sea level rise to increase over the next century. As a result, the Inter-American Development Bank projections suggest that Caribbean nations could face climate-related losses in excess of $22 billion annually by 2050. Critical infrastructure that supports island economies, such as airports, seaports, cruise ports, and energy facilities, are typically located in the coastal zone with high exposure to natural hazards. Despite the increasing danger from climate driven natural hazards in coastal zones in the region, there is very little data available to identify how much land and associated infrastructure is at risk. This work focuses on the criteria and data standards developed for this new region-wide GIS database, which will then be used to formulate a risk assessment. Results will be integrated into a single, comprehensive source for data of lands identified as critical coastal infrastructure and used to address such questions as: How much of the Caribbean SIDS infrastructure lands are at risk from sea level rise? How might demand for such lands change in the future, based on historical trends? Answers to these questions will help decision makers understand how to prioritize resilience investment decisions in the coming decades.

Hurricanes and the U.S. Gulf Coast: Science and Sustainable Rebuilding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-06-01

The knowledge available among AGU members provides scientific expertise on nearly all of the physical environment of the dynamic Gulf Coast ecosystem complex. Intelligently rebuilding features such as fisheries, oil fields, seaports, farms, and wetlands after hurricanes Katrina and Rita will require ``a well-constructed collaborative effort to maximize the role of science in decisions made about the rebuilding,'' wrote Charles Groat, former director of the U.S. Geological Survey, in a news article published in Eos that simulated an AGU meeting of experts. As a step toward developing a scientific basis for safer communities along the Florida-Alabama-Mississippi-Louisiana-Texas coastline, AGU convened an interdisciplinary `Conference of Experts' on 11-12 January 2006 to discuss what we, as Earth and space scientists, know about the present and projected environment in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast areas affected by the hurricanes of 2005. Twenty scientists, all experts in the fields of science relevant to the Gulf Coast, met to consider ideas for a coordinated effort to integrate science into the decision-making processes necessary for the area's sustainable rebirth. Political, economic, and social issues were intentionally not discussed. Nevertheless, it was recognized that these issues are intertwined with science and are of paramount importance. This report contains a summary of the discussion and is intended to be helpful in providing scientific understanding useful in redevelopment of the affected area.

Thallium-201 for cardiac stress tests: residual radioactivity worries patients and security.

PubMed

Geraci, Matthew J; Brown, Norman; Murray, David

2012-12-01

A 47-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department (ED) in duress and stated he was "highly radioactive." There were no reports of nuclear disasters, spills, or mishaps in the local area. This report discusses the potential for thallium-201 (Tl-201) patients to activate passive radiation alarms days to weeks after nuclear stress tests, even while shielded inside industrial vehicles away from sensors. Characteristics of Tl-201, as used for medical imaging, are described. This patient was twice detained by Homeland Security Agents and searched after he activated radiation detectors at a seaport security checkpoint. Security agents deemed him not to be a threat, but they expressed concern regarding his health and level of personal radioactivity. The patient was subsequently barred from his job and sent to the hospital. Tl-201 is a widely used radioisotope for medical imaging. The radioactive half-life of Tl-201 is 73.1h, however, reported periods of extended personal radiation have been seen as far out as 61 days post-administration. This case describes an anxious, but otherwise asymptomatic patient presenting to the ED with detection of low-level personal radiation. Documentation should be provided to and carried by individuals receiving radionuclides for a minimum of five to six half-lives of the longest-lasting isotope provided. Patients receiving Tl-201 should understand the potential for security issues; reducing probable tense moments, confusion, and anxiety to themselves, their employers, security officials, and ED staff. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical characterisation of dredged sediments in relation to their potential use in civil engineering.

PubMed

Zuliani, Tea; Mladenovič, Ana; Ščančar, Janez; Milačič, Radmila

2016-04-01

During capital and/or maintenance dredging operations, large amounts of material are produced. Instead of their discharge, dredged sediments may be a valuable natural resource if not contaminated. One of the possible areas of application is civil engineering. In the present work, the environmental status of seaport dredged sediment was evaluated in order to investigate its potential applicability as a secondary raw material. Sediments were analysed for element concentrations in digested samples, aqueous extracts and fractions from sequential extraction; for fluoride, chloride and sulphate concentrations in aqueous extracts; and for tributyltin (TBT). Granulometric and mineralogical compositions were also analysed. The elemental impact was evaluated by calculation of the enrichment factors. The total element concentrations determined showed moderate contamination of the dredged sediments as was confirmed also by their moderate enrichment factors, presumably as a result of industrial and port activities. Elemental concentrations in the aqueous extract were very low and therefore do not represent any hazard for the environment. The water-soluble element concentrations were under the threshold levels set by the EU Directive on the landfill of waste, on the basis of which the applicability of dredged sediments in civil engineering is evaluated, while the content of chloride and sulphate were above the threshold levels. It was found out that due to the large amounts of sediment available, civil engineering applications such as the construction of embankments and backfilling is the most beneficial recycling solution at present.

Predictors and outcome of tetanus in newborns in slum areas of Karachi City: a case control study.

PubMed

Sohaila, Arjumand; Shafiq, Yasir; Azim, Shazia; Baloch, Benazir; Akhtar, Ali Syed Muhammad; Tikmani, Shiyam Sunder; Brown, Nick

2015-08-07

Tetanus in newborns, is an under-reported public health problem and a major cause of mortality in developing countries. This study aimed to determine the predictors and outcome of tetanus in newborn infants in the slums of Bin-Qasim town, Karachi, Pakistan. We conducted a case-control study at primary health care centers of slums of Bin-Qasim town, area located adjacent to Bin Qasim seaport in Karachi, from January 2003 to December 2013. Cases were infants aged ≤30 days with tetanus, as defined by the World Health Organization. Controls were newborn infants aged ≤30 days without Tetanus, who were referred for a checkup or minor illnesses. The case to control ratio was 1:2. We analyzed 26 cases and 52 controls. The case fatality was 70.8%. We identified four independent predictors of Tetanus in newborns: maternal education (only religious education with no formal education OR 51.95; 95% CI 3.69-731), maternal non-vaccination (OR 24.55; 95% CI 1.01-131.77), lack of a skilled birth attendant (OR 44.00; 95% CI 2.30-840.99), and delivery at home (OR 11.54; 95% CI 1.01-131.77). We identified several potentially modifiable socio-demographic risk factors for Tetanus in newborns, including maternal education and immunization status, birth site, and lack of a skilled birth attendant. Prioritization of these risk factors could be useful for planning preventive and cost-effective measures.

Incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Germany 2009-2013.

PubMed

Lehnert, Martin; Kraywinkel, Klaus; Heinze, Evelyn; Wiethege, Thorsten; Johnen, Georg; Fiebig, Julia; Brüning, Thomas; Taeger, Dirk

2017-02-01

The malignant mesothelioma is a rare malignancy and mainly caused by occupational exposure to asbestos. German cancer registries are providing a national database to investigate temporal and regional patterns of mesothelioma incidence. These may be of interest for healthcare planning and for surveillance programs aiming at the formerly exposed workforce. We analyzed population-based incidence data of malignant mesothelioma by site, type, sex, age, as well as district and state of patient's residence. Age-standardized incidence rates (AIRs40+) were calculated according to the European standard population truncated to the age of 40 years and older. We present rates at national, state, and district level and trends of incidence of northern states of Germany. In total, 7,547 malignant mesotheliomas were reported to German cancer registries diagnosed between 2009 and 2013-90% located to the pleura. On average, 1,198 men and 312 women were affected each year. We estimated AIR40+ of 4.77 in 100,000 German men and 0.98 in 100,000 German women. Regional clusters were predominantly located to the seaports of West Germany. The highest regional AIR40+ was 20 per 100,000 men. Corresponding rates in northeast Germany were between 2 and 4 per 100,000 men. Regional clusters of high incidence indicate districts with former shipyards and steel industry, but predominantly in the western part of Germany. The West-to-East difference corresponds to patterns of mortality. Twenty years after banning asbestos in Germany, Bremen and Hamburg are presenting the highest mesothelioma incidence but show steadily decreasing trends.

Coastal microbial quality of surface sediments in different environments along the Italian coast.

PubMed

Chiaretti, G; Onorati, F; Borrello, P; Orasi, A; Mugnai, C

2014-09-20

In order to improve sediment handling following dredging operations, this study aims to statistically derive ranges of distribution for certain microbiological parameters, according to four environmental types inspired by Italian legislation on seaports: ports of international/national importance, ports of regional importance, port channels in brackish environments, and marine coastal areas. A national database was developed using microbiological data from technical reports available at the Italian Ministry of Environment and National Institute of Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) for the period 1990-2008. The parameters considered were total coliform bacteria, faecal coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, enterococci, sulfite-reducing clostridia (SRC), total bacterial counts at 22 °C and at 37 °C, and fungi. The data were statistically analyzed: (1) to verify the correspondence with the identified environmental types and rank them according to the concentration gradient and (2) to describe the data distribution in order to obtain reference ranges typical for each parameter/environmental type. The four environmental types considered were clearly different for enterococci, SRC, and fungi, highlighting a correspondence with Italian legislation. For the remaining parameters, at least two environmental types were merged. In general, the less contaminated environments were small ports and relatively unimpacted coastal areas. The ranges defined for relatively clean coastal areas can be considered a target for other areas both from an environmental point of view and for the sediment management implications. These values could be used as a comparison in environmental surveys addressing marine or brackish sediment handling and may represent a future line of evidence for the assessment of overall sediment quality.

Water-related occupations and diet in two Roman coastal communities (Italy, first to third century AD): correlation between stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values and auricular exostosis prevalence.

PubMed

Crowe, Fiona; Sperduti, Alessandra; O'Connell, Tamsin C; Craig, Oliver E; Kirsanow, Karola; Germoni, Paola; Macchiarelli, Roberto; Garnsey, Peter; Bondioli, Luca

2010-07-01

The reconstruction of dietary patterns in the two Roman imperial age coastal communities of Portus and Velia (I-III AD) by means of stable isotope analysis of bone remains has exposed a certain degree of heterogeneity between and within the two samples. Results do not correlate with any discernible mortuary practices at either site, which might have pointed to differential social status. The present study tests the hypothesis of a possible connection between dietary habits and occupational activities in the two communities. Among skeletal markers of occupation, external auricular exostosis (EAE) has proved to be very informative. Clinical and retrospective epidemiological surveys have revealed a strong positive correlation between EAE development and habitual exposure to cold water. In this study, we show that there is a high rate of occurrence of EAE among adult males in both skeletal samples (21.1% in Portus and 35.3% in Velia). Further, there is a statistically significant higher prevalence of EAE among those individuals at Velia with very high nitrogen isotopic values. This points to fishing (coastal, low-water fishing) as the sea-related occupation most responsible for the onset of the ear pathology. For Portus, where the consumption of foods from sea and river seems to be more widespread through the population, and where the scenario of seaport and fluvial activities was much more complex than in Velia, a close correlation between EAE and fish consumption by fishermen is less easy to establish. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Humpback Dolphins in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta: Status, Threats and Conservation Challenges.

PubMed

Karczmarski, Leszek; Huang, Shiang-Lin; Or, Carmen K M; Gui, Duan; Chan, Stephen C Y; Lin, Wenzhi; Porter, Lindsay; Wong, Wai-Ho; Zheng, Ruiqiang; Ho, Yuen-Wa; Chui, Scott Y S; Tiongson, Angelico Jose C; Mo, Yaqian; Chang, Wei-Lun; Kwok, John H W; Tang, Ricky W K; Lee, Andy T L; Yiu, Sze-Wing; Keith, Mark; Gailey, Glenn; Wu, Yuping

2016-01-01

In coastal waters of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is thought to number approximately 2500 individuals. Given these figures, the putative PRD population may appear strong enough to resist demographic stochasticity and environmental pressures. However, living in close proximity to the world's busiest seaport/airport and several densely populated urban centres with major coastal infrastructural developments comes with challenges to the long-term survival of these animals. There are few other small cetacean populations that face the range and intensity of human-induced pressures as those present in the PRD and current protection measures are severely inadequate. Recent mark-recapture analyses of the animals in Hong Kong waters indicate that in the past two decades the population parameters have not been well understood, and spatial analyses show that only a very small proportion of the dolphins' key habitats are given any form of protection. All current marine protected areas within the PRD fail to meet a minimum habitat requirement that could facilitate the population's long-term persistence. Demographic models indicate a continuous decline of 2.5% per annum, a rate at which the population is likely to drop below the demographic threshold within two generations and lose 74% of the current numbers within the lifespan of three generations. In Hong Kong, the case of humpback dolphins represents a particularly explicit example of inadequate management where a complete revision of the fundamental approach to conservation management is urgently needed. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 33 crew.

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-16

ISS033-E-014186 (16 Oct. 2012) --- A nighttime view of Baltimore, Maryland is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 33 crew member in the International Space Station. Baltimore is located on the U.S. mid-Atlantic coastline along the terminus of the Patapsco River into Chesapeake Bay, and is the largest seaport along this part of the coast. Like many large U.S. metropolitan areas, the most brightly lit area corresponds to the highest density of buildings and typically indicates the urban core -- in this case, downtown Baltimore at center. Highways and large arterial streets appear as bright yellow-orange lines extending outwards from the downtown area into the surrounding suburban regions (light violet and reddish brown regions of diffuse lighting). Dark areas beyond the suburban zone are rural - or to the southeast, indicate the waters of Chesapeake Bay. Small dark patches within the metropolitan area are open space including parks, cemeteries, and the Baltimore Zoo (top left). Two large, brightly-lit areas along Chesapeake Bay are commercial/industrial regions, and include the major port facilities for Baltimore. The City of Baltimore was incorporated in 1796, after serving as the de facto capital of the nascent United States of America during the Second Continental Congress (from Dec. 20, 1776 to March 4, 1777). Today, the Baltimore metropolitan area (as defined by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council) includes over 2.5 million people and includes six Maryland counties (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, and Howard) in addition to the City of Baltimore. The region is also a focus of urban ecological research through the Baltimore Ecosystem Study.

Exotic mosquito threats require strategic surveillance and response planning.

PubMed

Webb, Cameron E; Doggett, Stephen L

2016-12-14

Mosquito-borne diseases caused by endemic pathogens such as Ross River, Barmah Forest and Murray Valley encephalitis viruses are an annual concern in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. More than a dozen mosquito species have been implicated in the transmission of these pathogens, with each mosquito occupying a specialised ecological niche that influences their habitat associations, host feeding preferences and the environmental drivers of their abundance. The NSW Arbovirus Surveillance and Mosquito Monitoring Program provides an early warning system for potential outbreaks of mosquito-borne disease by tracking annual activity of these mosquitoes and their associated pathogens. Although the program will effectively track changes in local mosquito populations that may increase with a changing climate, urbanisation and wetland rehabilitation, it will be less effective with current surveillance methodologies at detecting or monitoring changes in exotic mosquito threats, where different surveillance strategies need to be used. Exotic container-inhabiting mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus pose a threat to NSW because they are nuisance-biting pests and vectors of pathogens such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. International movement of humans and their belongings have spread these mosquitoes to many regions of the world. In recent years, these two mosquitoes have been detected by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources at local airports and seaports. To target the detection of these exotic mosquitoes, new trapping technologies and networks of surveillance locations are required. Additionally, incursions of these mosquitoes into urban areas of the state will require strategic responses to minimise substantial public health and economic burdens to local communities.

Coral microbial communities, zooxanthellae and mucus along gradients of seawater depth and coastal pollution.

PubMed

Klaus, James S; Janse, Ingmar; Heikoop, Jeffrey M; Sanford, Robert A; Fouke, Bruce W

2007-05-01

The high incidence of coral disease in shallow coastal marine environments suggests seawater depth and coastal pollution have an impact on the microbial communities inhabiting healthy coral tissues. A study was undertaken to determine how bacterial communities inhabiting tissues of the coral Montastraea annularis change at 5 m, 10 m and 20 m water depth in varying proximity to the urban centre and seaport of Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. Analyses of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (TRFLP) of 16S rRNA gene sequences show significant differences in bacterial communities of polluted and control localities only at the shallowest seawater depth. Furthermore, distinct differences in bacterial communities were found with increasing water depth. Comparisons of TRFLP peaks with sequenced clone libraries indicate the black band disease cyanobacterium clone CD1C11 is common and most abundant on healthy corals in less than 10 m water depth. Similarly, sequences belonging to a previously unrecognized group of likely phototrophic bacteria, herein referred to as CAB-I, were also more common in shallow water. To assess the influence of environmental and physiologic factors on bacterial community structure, canonical correspondence analysis was performed using explanatory variables associated with: (i) light availability; (ii) seawater pollution; (iii) coral mucus composition; (iv) the community structure of symbiotic algae; and (v) the photosynthetic activity of symbiotic algae. Eleven per cent of the variation in bacterial communities was accounted for by covariation with these variables; the most important being photosynthetically active radiation (sunlight) and the coral uptake of sewage-derived compounds as recorded by the delta(15)N of coral tissue.

Using social media to communicate during crises: an analytic methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, Marjorie

2011-06-01

The Emerging Media Integration Team at the Department of the Navy Office of Information (CHINFO) has recently put together a Navy Command Social Media Handbook designed to provide information needed to safely and effectively use social media. While not intended to be a comprehensive guide on command use of social media or to take the place of official policy, the Handbook provides a useful guide for navigating a dynamic communications environment. Social media are changing the way information is diffused and decisions are made, especially for Humanitarian Assistance missions when there is increased emphasis on Navy commands to share critical information with other Navy command sites, government, and official NGO (nongovernmental organization) sites like the American Red Cross. In order to effectively use social media to support such missions, the Handbook suggests creating a centralized location to funnel information. This suggests that as the community of interest (COI) grows during a crisis, it will be important to ensure that information is shared with appropriate organizations for different aspects of the mission such as evacuation procedures, hospital sites, location of seaports and airports, and other topics relevant to the mission. For example, in the first 14 days of the U.S. Southern Command's Haiti HA/DR (Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief) mission, the COI grew to over 1,900 users. In addition, operational conditions vary considerably among incidents, and coordination between different groups is often set up in an ad hoc manner. What is needed is a methodology that will help to find appropriate people with whom to share information for particular aspects of a mission during a wide range of events related to the mission. CNA has developed such a methodology and we would like to test it in a small scale lab experiment.

Human-Mediated Marine Dispersal Influences the Population Structure of Aedes aegypti in the Philippine Archipelago

PubMed Central

Fonzi, Eugenio; Higa, Yukiko; Bertuso, Arlene G.; Futami, Kyoko; Minakawa, Noboru

2015-01-01

Background Dengue virus (DENV) is an extraordinary health burden on global scale, but still lacks effective vaccine. The Philippines is endemic for dengue fever, but massive employment of insecticides favored the development of resistance mutations in its major vector, Aedes aegypti. Alternative vector control strategies consist in releasing artificially modified mosquitos in the wild, but knowledge on their dispersal ability is necessary for a successful implementation. Despite being documented that Ae. aegypti can be passively transported for long distances, no study to date has been aimed at understanding whether human marine transportation can substantially shape the migration patterns of this mosquito. With thousands of islands connected by a dense network of ships, the Philippines is an ideal environment to fill this knowledge gap. Methodology/principal findings Larvae of Ae. aegypti from 15 seaports in seven major islands of central-western Philippines were collected and genotyped at seven microsatellite loci. Low genetic structure and considerable gene flow was found in the area. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses suggested that anthropic factors (specifically the amount of processed cargo and human population density) can explain the observed population structure, while geographical distance was not correlated. Interestingly, cargo shipments seem to be more efficient than passenger ships in transporting Ae. aegypti. Bayesian clustering confirmed that Ae. aegypti from busy ports are more genetically similar, while populations from idle ports are relatively structured, regardless of the geographical distance that separates them. Conclusions/significance The results confirmed the pivotal role of marine human-mediated long-range dispersal in determining the population structure of Ae. aegypti. Hopefully corroborated by further research, the present findings could assist the design of more effective vector control strategies. PMID:26039311

Earth observations of Melbourne, Australia taken during the STS-97 mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-12-09

STS097-303-031 (30 Nov. - 11 Dec. 2000) --- This scene of Melbourne in Australia's state of Victoria was photographed with a 35mm camera by one of the STS-97 astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in December 2000. Downtown Melbourne (population 3.2 million people based on year 2000 estimate), is visible in this very detailed city view. Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, capital city and major seaport in the state of Victoria. A tremendous amount of the urban infrastructure can be seen, including the central business district, overall gridded street pattern, numerous highways and railroads, airports, and recreational facilities. Slight color differences throughout the image help to identify residential areas of the city from the commercial zones (clusters of more highly reflective surfaces). Downtown Melbourne can be identified by the concentration of tall buildings and the shadows cast by these buildings immediately northeast of the estuary (linear, dark feature). Several rivers and creeks are visible (dark, meandering lines) as they drain through the city and empty into the large estuary that forms the lower reaches of the Yarra River. Port Melbourne is located along the south side of the broad estuary. Several piers extend eastward from the peninsula that separates Hobson Bay (east) from Alton Bay (west) along the northern edge of Port Phillip Bay (the larger body of water). The dark features scattered throughout the urban built-up area are primarily open spaces such as parks and golf courses. The runways of Moorabbin Airport are located near the southeastern edge of the image, while the runways of a smaller airport are also visible northwest of the downtown area.

Public perception of risk and its consequences: the case of a natural fibrous mineral deposit.

PubMed

Major, G; Vardy, G F

1989-01-01

A public authority building a breakwater and other harbour facilities at a small seaport (population 3000) had short-term requirements for 261,000 tonnes of rock and ultimately for 1,000,000 tonnes. A suitable quarry was found about 11 km from the port but unfortunately the rock was found to be contaminated to a small extent with a fibrous mineral identified with the analytical transmission electron microscope as a non-commercial type of fine amphibole with many long fibres. Quarrying only was intended and there were no plans to crush the rock, but the projected work soon brought complaints from local residents, who expressed fears concerning risks to health from what soon became known as 'the asbestos mine'. These complaints posed a dilemma for both the construction and health authorities; they were forcefully expressed, and residents were supported by local newspapers, municipal authorities and regional politicians. The Land and Environment Court ordered (by consent) that the construction authority 'take all reasonable measures to ensure that no loose asbestos material and no rock with any asbestos material exposed on the surface (is) removed from the site'. Personal monitoring of quarry workmen by the membrane filter method and ambient air monitoring near residents' homes with analysis by electron microscope showed that only insignificant concentrations of airborne fibres were present. The breakwater was ultimately completed after much delay and extra expense. Other and greater risks to health and safety, such as the transport of liquid chlorine through the centre of the town to the fish processing plant and the storage, distribution and transport of petroleum products from the nearby regional facilities, were not perceived as such by the residents.

New perspectives for undoped CaF2 scintillator as a threshold activation neutron detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sibczynski, Pawel; Dziedzic, Andrzej; Grodzicki, Krystian; Iwanowska-Hanke, Joanna; Moszyński, Marek; Swiderski, Lukasz; Syntfeld-Każuch, Agnieszka; Wolski, Dariusz; Carrel, Frédérick; Grabowski, Amélie; Hamel, Matthieu; Laine, Frederic; Sari, Adrien; Iovene, Alessandro; Tintori, Carlo; Fontana, Cristiano; Pino, Felix

2018-01-01

In this paper we present the prompt photofission neutron detection performance of undoped CaF2 scintillator using Threshold Activation Detection (TAD). The study is carried out in the frame of C-BORD Horizon 2020 project, during which an efficient toolbox for high volume freight non-intrusive inspection (NII) is under development. Technologies for radiation monitoring are the part of the project. Particularly, detection of various radiological threats on country borders plays an important significant role in Homeland Security applications. Detection of illegal transfer of Special Nuclear Material (SNM) - 235U, 233U and 239Pu - is particular due to the potential use for production of nuclear weapon as well as radiological dispersal device (RDD) V known also as a "dirty bomb". This technique relies on activation of 19F nuclei in the scintillator medium by fast neutrons and registration of high-energy β particles and γ-rays from the decay of reaction products. The radiation from SNM is detected after irradiation in order to avoid detector blinding. Despite the low 19F(n,α)16N or 19F(n,p)19O reaction cross-section, the method could be a good solution for detection of shielded nuclear material. Results obtained with the CaF2 detector were compared with the previous study done for BaF2 and 3He detector. These experimental results were obtained using 252Cf source and 9 MeV Varian Linatron M9 linear accelerator (LINAC). Finally, performance of the prompt neutron detection system based on CaF2 will be validated at Rotterdam Seaport during field trails in 2018.

Assessment of gamma-emitting radionuclides in sediment cores from the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea.

PubMed

Ababneh, Zaid Q; Al-Omari, Husam; Rasheed, Mohamad; Al-Najjar, Tariq; Ababneh, Anas M

2010-10-01

The Gulf of Aqaba is the only seaport in Jordan which currently has intense activities such as industrial development, phosphate ore exportation, oil importation, shipping, commercial and sport fishing. Most of these activities, especially the phosphate ore exportation, could cause serious radiological effects to the marine environment. Thus, it is essential to investigate the level of the radioactivity concentrations to establish a baseline database, which is not available yet in the Gulf of Aqaba. Radioactivity concentrations of gamma-emitting radionuclides in core and beach sediments of the Gulf of Aqaba were investigated. Core sediments were collected from five representative locations for three different water column depths (5, 15 and 35 m). The results showed that the activity concentrations of 238U, 235U and 226Ra for both seafloor and beach sediments from the phosphate loading berth (PLB) location to be higher than those from other investigated locations and more than twice as high as the worldwide average; the 238U activity concentration was found to vary from 57 to 677 Bq kg(-1). The results also showed that there is little variation of radioactivity concentrations within the core length of 15 cm. The calculated mean values of the radium equivalent activity Ra(eq), the external hazard index, H(ex), the absorbed dose rate and the annual effective dose for the beach sediment in PLB location were 626 Bq kg(-1), 1.69, 263 nGy h(-1) and 614 µSv y(-1), respectively. These values are much higher than the recommended limits that impose potential health risks to the workers in this location. As for other studied locations, the corresponding values were far below the maximum recommended limit and lies within the worldwide range.

Glycomyces sediminimaris sp. nov., a new species of actinobacteria isolated from marine sediment.

PubMed

Mohammadipanah, Fatemeh; Atasayar, Ewelina; Heidarian, Sheida; Wink, Joachim

2018-06-05

A novel Glycomyces strain, designated as MH2460 T , was isolated from marine sediment collected from 12 m depth in Rostami seaport, Bushehr Province in Iran. On International Streptomyces Project 2 medium it produced branching substrate hyphae that developed into a large number of irregularly shaped spores in 8 days. It showed optimal growth at 25-35 °C, pH 6.0-8.0 and in salinity between 2.5-5 % (w/v) NaCl. Chemotaxonomic and molecular characteristics of the isolate matched descriptions for members of the genus Glycomyces. Whole-cell hydrolysates of strain MH2460 T contained meso-diaminopimelic acids along with glucose, ribose and small traces of xylose and galactose. The phospholipids comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol mannosides as well as two unidentified phosphoglycolipids, one unidentified phospholipid and an unidentified aminolipid. The predominant menaquinones were MK-11(H4) and MK-10(H4). The fatty-acid pattern was mainly composed of anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The strain belongs to the genus Glycomyces based on 16S rRNA gene sequence with the highest pairwise sequence identity (98.3 %) with Glycomyces phytohabitans KLBMP 1483 T . The DNA-DNA hybridization value showed 53.9±2.7 % identity when MH2460 T was compared to this reference strain. The G+C content of the DNA was 70.2 mol%. Based on phenotypic, biochemical, chemotaxonomic and genotypic features, strain MH2460 T (DSM 103727 T =UTMC 2460 T =NCCB 100631 T ) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Glycomyces, for which the name Glycomycessediminimaris is proposed.

Ocean Connections with the Historic Whaling Ship Charles W. Morgan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitney, M. M.

2016-02-01

This scientific outreach project involved the Charles W. Morgan, Mystic Seaport's historic whaling ship. We educated K-2 students, trained undergraduate and graduate students, and informed the general public about oceanographic data collection, pathways from coastal to ocean waters, and connections in marine ecosystems. I was aboard the Charles W. Morgan for the Provincetown to Stellwagen Bank leg of the historic 38th voyage in summer 2014. While at sea, our voyager team released several GPS-tracked surface drifters to reveal important flow pathways and how the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is connected to other ocean areas. These drifters were built by graduate and undergraduate students and the drifter artwork was designed by elementary school students. Surface currents dispersed the drifters and carried them much farther offshore than the Charles W. Morgan itself. Many drifters reached Georges Bank, another important biologically productive area. The Charles W. Morgan encountered whales for the first time in decades. Some of the food-chain connections that may explain the abundance of whales at Stellwagen bank that summer are described. This outreach project has been presented in lectures to high school teachers and the general public and also featured in an online interview, a television news story, and a newspaper article. K-2 students at an elementary school math and science day first painted drifters in advance of the voyage, viewed real-time updates in the months following drifter release, and engaged in activities illustrating ocean connectivity and marine habitats at the end of the following academic year. We aimed to convey how sensitive whales are to human activities (on land and water) and to changes in the marine environment. Successes and lessons learned will be discussed. ED003: Creative Ways to Connect Ocean Sciences to the Public

Sources of international migration statistics in Africa.

PubMed

1984-01-01

The sources of international migration data for Africa may be classified into 2 main categories: administrative records and 2) censuses and survey data. Both categories are sources for the direct measurement of migration, but the 2nd category can be used for the indirect estimation of net international migration. The administrative records from which data on international migration may be derived include 1) entry/departure cards or forms completed at international borders, 2) residence/work permits issued to aliens, and 3) general population registers and registers of aliens. The statistics derived from the entry/departure cards may be described as 1) land frontier control statistics and 2) port control statistics. The former refer to data derived from movements across land borders and the latter refer to information collected at international airports and seaports. Other administrative records which are potential sources of statistics on international migration in some African countries include some limited population registers, records of the registration of aliens, and particulars of residence/work permits issued to aliens. Although frontier control data are considered the most important source of international migration statistics, in many African countries these data are too deficient to provide a satisfactory indication of the level of international migration. Thus decennial population censuses and/or sample surveys are the major sources of the available statistics on the stock and characteristics of international migration. Indirect methods can be used to supplement census data with intercensal estimates of net migration using census data on the total population. This indirect method of obtaining information on migration can be used to evaluate estimates derived from frontier control records, and it also offers the means of obtaining alternative information on international migration in African countries which have not directly investigated migration topics in their censuses or surveys.

Boron-coated straws as a replacement for 3He-based neutron detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacy, Jeffrey L.; Athanasiades, Athanasios; Sun, Liang; Martin, Christopher S.; Lyons, Tom D.; Foss, Michael A.; Haygood, Hal B.

2011-10-01

US and international government efforts to equip major seaports with large area neutron detectors, aimed to intercept the smuggling of nuclear materials, have precipitated a critical shortage of 3He gas. It is estimated that the annual demand of 3He for US security applications alone is more than the worldwide supply. This is strongly limiting the prospects of neutron science, safeguards, and other applications that rely heavily on 3He-based detectors. Clearly, alternate neutron detection technologies that can support large sensitive areas, and have low gamma sensitivity and low cost must be developed. We propose a low-cost technology based on long copper tubes (straws), coated on the inside with a thin layer of 10B-enriched boron carbide ( 10B 4C). In addition to the high abundance of boron on Earth and low cost of 10B enrichment, the boron-coated straw (BCS) detector offers distinct advantages over conventional 3He-based detectors, and alternate technologies such as 10BF 3 tubes and 10B-coated rigid tubes. These include better distribution inside moderator assemblies, many-times faster electronic signals, no pressurization, improved gamma-ray rejection, no toxic or flammable gases, and ease of serviceability. We present the performance of BCS detectors dispersed in a solid plastic moderator to address the need for portal monitoring. The design adopts the outer dimensions of currently deployed 3He-based monitors, but takes advantage of the small BCS diameter to achieve a more uniform distribution of neutron converter throughout the moderating material. We show that approximately 63 BCS detectors, each 205 cm long, distributed inside the moderator, can match or exceed the detection efficiency of typical monitors fitted with a 5 cm diameter 3He tube, 187 cm long, pressurized to 3 atm.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure in Steller's eiders (Polysticta stelleri) and harlequin ducks (Histronicus histronicus) in the Eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miles, A.K.; Flint, Paul L.; Trust, K.A.; Ricca, M.A.; Spring, S.E.; Arrieta, D.E.; Hollmen, T.; Wilson, B.W.

2007-01-01

Seaducks may be affected by harmful levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at seaports near the Arctic. As an indicator of exposure to PAHs, we measured hepatic enzyme 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity (EROD) to determine cytochrome P4501A induction in Steller's eiders (Polysticta stelleri) and Harlequin ducks (Histronicus histronicus) from Unalaska, Popof, and Unga Islands (AK, USA) in 2002 and 2003. We measured PAHs and organic contaminants in seaduck prey samples and polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in seaduck blood plasma to determine any relationship to EROD. Using Akaike's information criterion, species and site differences best explained EROD patterns: Activity was higher in Harlequin ducks than in Steller's eiders and higher at industrial than at nonindustrial sites. Site-specific concentrations of PAHs in blue mussels ([Mytilus trossilus] seaduck prey; PAH concentrations higher at Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, than at other sites) also was important in defining EROD patterns. Organochlorine compounds rarely were detected in prey samples. No relationship was found between polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in avian blood and EROD, which further supported inferences derived from Akaike's information criterion. Congeners were highest in seaducks from a nonindustrial or reference site, contrary to PAH patterns. To assist in interpreting the field study, 15 captive Steller's eiders were dosed with a PAH known to induce cytochrome P4501A. Dosed, captive Steller's eiders had definitive induction, but results indicated that wild Steller's eiders were exposed to PAHs or other inducing compounds at levels greater than those used in laboratory studies. Concentrations of PAHs in blue mussels at or near Dutch Harbor (∼1,180–5,980 ng/g) approached those found at highly contaminated sites (∼4,100–7,500 ng/g).

Accurate Modeling of the Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Background for Homeland Security Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandness, Gerald A.; Schweppe, John E.; Hensley, Walter K.

2009-10-24

Abstract–The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has developed computer models to simulate the use of radiation portal monitors to screen vehicles and cargo for the presence of illicit radioactive material. The gamma radiation emitted by the vehicles or cargo containers must often be measured in the presence of a relatively large gamma-ray background mainly due to the presence of potassium, uranium, and thorium (and progeny isotopes) in the soil and surrounding building materials. This large background is often a significant limit to the detection sensitivity for items of interest and must be modeled accurately for analyzing homeland security situations. Calculations ofmore » the expected gamma-ray emission from a disk of soil and asphalt were made using the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP and were compared to measurements made at a seaport with a high-purity germanium detector. Analysis revealed that the energy spectrum of the measured background could not be reproduced unless the model included gamma rays coming from the ground out to distances of at least 300 m. The contribution from beyond about 50 m was primarily due to gamma rays that scattered in the air before entering the detectors rather than passing directly from the ground to the detectors. These skyshine gamma rays contribute tens of percent to the total gamma-ray spectrum, primarily at energies below a few hundred keV. The techniques that were developed to efficiently calculate the contributions from a large soil disk and a large air volume in a Monte Carlo simulation are described and the implications of skyshine in portal monitoring applications are discussed.« less

From laboratory to point of entry: development and implementation of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based genetic identification system to prevent introduction of quarantine insect species.

PubMed

Blaser, Simon; Diem, Hanspeter; von Felten, Andreas; Gueuning, Morgan; Andreou, Michael; Boonham, Neil; Tomlinson, Jennifer; Müller, Pie; Utzinger, Jürg; Frey, Jürg E; Bühlmann, Andreas

2018-06-01

Rapid genetic on-site identification methods at points of entry, such as seaports and airports, have the potential to become important tools to prevent the introduction and spread of economically harmful pest species that are unintentionally transported by the global trade of plant commodities. This paper reports the development and evaluation of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based identification system to prevent introduction of the three most frequently encountered regulated quarantine insect species groups at Swiss borders, Bemisia tabaci, Thrips palmi and several regulated fruit flies of the genera Bactrocera and Zeugodacus. The LAMP primers were designed to target a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene and were generated based on publicly available DNA sequences. Laboratory evaluations analysing 282 insect specimens suspected to be quarantine organisms revealed an overall test efficiency of 99%. Additional on-site evaluation at a point of entry using 37 specimens performed by plant health inspectors with minimal laboratory training resulted in an overall test efficiency of 95%. During both evaluation rounds, there were no false-positives and the observed false-negatives were attributable to human-induced manipulation errors. To overcome the possibility of accidental introduction of pests as a result of rare false-negative results, samples yielding negative results in the LAMP method were also subjected to DNA barcoding. Our LAMP assays reliably differentiated between the tested regulated and non-regulated insect species within <1 h. Hence, LAMP assays represent suitable tools for rapid on-site identification of harmful pests, which might facilitate an accelerated import control process for plant commodities. © 2018 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Socioeconomic development and environmental pollution in Hong Kong--risks and opportunities.

PubMed

Wai, W T

1991-07-01

In the process of industrialization, Hong Kong has created an ever deteriorating environment. The increase in GDP is paralleled by a corresponding surge in the quantity of pollutants generated. Government initiatives to assess the gravity of the problem and to protect the environment began in the 1970s. The fear that too stringent control of the environment may stifle the industrial and business sectors has resulted in ineffective policies and inadequate environmental protection. Presently, Hong Kong is faced with poor air quality in most urban areas, streams polluted by livestock waste, beaches with excessive bacterial and toxic chemical concentrations, land pollution resulting from lack of space for solid waste disposal, and a high noise level from road traffic, construction and, in particular, aircraft traffic because of the location of the airport in the midst of a residential and industrial district. In a recent White Paper, Government outlined the new strategies to combat environmental pollution, which include a restructuring of the policy branch on environmental issues under the scope of planning and land use, upgrading of the sewage system, relocation of the airport, and the reduction of the sulphur content of industrial fuel. In the years ahead, Hong Kong is faced with new challenges. Environmentally, the commissioning of the nuclear plant at Daya Bay poses a risk of ionizing radiation. The construction of the new airport, together with extensive reclamation of the harbour and expansion of seaport facilities, will create changes in the tidal flow and the ecological system. The negative effects on the environment must be considered together with the potentially beneficial effects, economical and environmental. To achieve maximum impact in environmental protection, community participation is essential. To this end, education on the conservation of the environment should be expanded and specially targeted at schoolchildren, in whom environmental education has been neglected.

A heat vulnerability index to improve urban public health management in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

PubMed

Méndez-Lázaro, Pablo; Muller-Karger, Frank E; Otis, Daniel; McCarthy, Matthew J; Rodríguez, Ernesto

2018-05-01

Increased frequency and length of high heat episodes are leading to more cardiovascular issues and asthmatic responses among the population of San Juan, the capital of the island of Puerto Rico, USA. An urban heat island effect, which leads to foci of higher temperatures in some urban areas, can raise heat-related mortality. The objective of this research is to map the risk of high temperature in particular locations by creating heat maps of the city of San Juan. The heat vulnerability index (HVI) maps were developed using images collected by satellite-based remote sensing combined with census data. Land surface temperature was assessed using images from the Thermal Infrared Sensor flown on Landsat 8. Social determinants (e.g., age, unemployment, education and social isolation, and health insurance coverage) were analyzed by census tract. The data were examined in the context of land cover maps generated using products from the Puerto Rico Terrestrial Gap Analysis Project (USDA Forest Service). All variables were set in order to transform the indicators expressed in different units into indices between 0 and 1, and the HVI was calculated as sum of score. The tract with highest index was considered to be the most vulnerable and the lowest to be the least vulnerable. Five vulnerability classes were mapped (very high, high, moderate, low, and very low). The hottest and the most vulnerable tracts corresponded to highly built areas, including the Luis Munoz International Airport, seaports, parking lots, and high-density residential areas. Several variables contributed to increased vulnerability, including higher rates of the population living alone, disabilities, advanced age, and lack of health insurance coverage. Coolest areas corresponded to vegetated landscapes and urban water bodies. The urban HVI map will be useful to health officers, emergency preparedness personnel, the National Weather Service, and San Juan residents, as it helps to prepare for and to mitigate the potential effects of heat-related illnesses.

A heat vulnerability index to improve urban public health management in San Juan, Puerto Rico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Méndez-Lázaro, Pablo; Muller-Karger, Frank E.; Otis, Daniel; McCarthy, Matthew J.; Rodríguez, Ernesto

2018-05-01

Increased frequency and length of high heat episodes are leading to more cardiovascular issues and asthmatic responses among the population of San Juan, the capital of the island of Puerto Rico, USA. An urban heat island effect, which leads to foci of higher temperatures in some urban areas, can raise heat-related mortality. The objective of this research is to map the risk of high temperature in particular locations by creating heat maps of the city of San Juan. The heat vulnerability index (HVI) maps were developed using images collected by satellite-based remote sensing combined with census data. Land surface temperature was assessed using images from the Thermal Infrared Sensor flown on Landsat 8. Social determinants (e.g., age, unemployment, education and social isolation, and health insurance coverage) were analyzed by census tract. The data were examined in the context of land cover maps generated using products from the Puerto Rico Terrestrial Gap Analysis Project (USDA Forest Service). All variables were set in order to transform the indicators expressed in different units into indices between 0 and 1, and the HVI was calculated as sum of score. The tract with highest index was considered to be the most vulnerable and the lowest to be the least vulnerable. Five vulnerability classes were mapped (very high, high, moderate, low, and very low). The hottest and the most vulnerable tracts corresponded to highly built areas, including the Luis Munoz International Airport, seaports, parking lots, and high-density residential areas. Several variables contributed to increased vulnerability, including higher rates of the population living alone, disabilities, advanced age, and lack of health insurance coverage. Coolest areas corresponded to vegetated landscapes and urban water bodies. The urban HVI map will be useful to health officers, emergency preparedness personnel, the National Weather Service, and San Juan residents, as it helps to prepare for and to mitigate the potential effects of heat-related illnesses.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 26 Crewmember

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-12-14

ISS026-E-010155 (14 Dec. 2010) --- Cities at night in northern China are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 26 crew member on the International Space Station. This striking photograph features two of China’s most populous cities—Beijing and Tianjin—both located in the northern part of the country near the Bohai Gulf. The United Nations estimated 2010 population for the Beijing metropolitan area is approximately 12 million, with the population of the Tianjin metropolitan area estimated to be over 7 million. Taken at night time, the image dramatically indicates the developed extent of both metropolitan areas. The smaller city of Langfang, located midway between Beijing and Tianjin, also is clearly visible as are several other smaller developed areas to the northeast. The dark regions surrounding the well-lit urban areas are mainly agricultural fields, with wheat and corn being the major crops. Beijing (also known as Peking) is one of the recognized ancient capital cities—and the current capital—of the People’s Republic of China. The regular grid pattern of the city is clearly visible at lower upper right; concentric rings of major roadways around the city center have been added as the metropolitan area has expanded. Tianjin is a major trade center with connection to seaports on the Bohai Gulf. The city was established following the integration of the Grand Canal of China, a major artificial waterway extending from Beijing southwards to Hangzhou over a distance of 1,176 kilometers. This image was acquired by astronauts onboard the space station when it was located approximately 630 kilometers away (ground distance) over the Yellow Sea near the western coastline of North Korea. The flattened perspective of the urban areas is a result of the viewing angle and distance from the ISS. The city light patterns are very clear, indicating that there was little cloud cover or haze in the region at the time the image was taken.

Evidence of functional cross talk between the Notch and NF-κB pathways in nonneoplastic hyperproliferating colonic epithelium.

PubMed

Ahmed, Ishfaq; Roy, Badal; Chandrakesan, Parthasarathy; Venugopal, Anand; Xia, Lijun; Jensen, Roy; Anant, Shrikant; Umar, Shahid

2013-02-15

The Notch and NF-κB signaling pathways regulate stem cell function and inflammation in the gut, respectively. We investigate whether a functional cross talk exists between the two pathways during transmissible murine colonic hyperplasia (TMCH) caused by Citrobacter rodentium (CR). During TMCH, NF-κB activity and subunit phosphorylation in colonic crypts of NIH Swiss mice at days 6 and 12 were associated with increases in downstream target CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL)-1/keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC) expression. Blocking Notch signaling acutely for 5 days with the Notch blocker dibenzazepine (DBZ) failed to inhibit crypt NF-κB activity or CXCL-1/KC expression. Chronic DBZ administration for 10 days, however, blocked Notch and NF-κB signaling in the crypts and abrogated hyperplasia. Intriguingly, chronic Notch inhibition was associated with significant increases in IL-1α, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, macrophage inflammatory protein 2, and KC in the crypt-denuded lamina propria or whole distal colon, with concomitant increases in myeloperoxidase activity. In core-3(-/-) mice, which are defective in intestinal mucin, DBZ administration replicated the results of NIH Swiss mice; in Apc(Min/+) mice, which are associated with CR-induced elevation of NF-κB-p65(276) expression, DBZ reversed the increase in NF-κB-p65(276), which may have blocked rapid proliferation of the mutated crypts. DBZ further blocked reporter activities involving the NF-κB-luciferase reporter plasmid or the Toll-like receptor 4/NF-κB/SEAPorter HEK-293 reporter cell line, while ectopic expression of Notch-N(ICD) reversed the inhibitory effect. Dietary bael (Aegle marmelos) extract (4%) and curcumin (4%) restored Notch and NF-κB cross talk in NIH Swiss mice, inhibited CR/DBZ-induced apoptosis in the crypts, and promoted crypt regeneration. Thus functional cross talk between the Notch and NF-κB pathways during TMCH regulates hyperplasia and/or inflammation in response to CR infection.

Management and control of varicella on cruise ships: a collaborative approach to promoting public health.

PubMed

Cramer, Elaine H; Slaten, Douglas D; Guerreiro, Adriane; Robbins, Danisha; Ganzon, Andrew

2012-07-01

In most years varicella is the vaccine-preventable disease most frequently reported to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by cruise ships. Since 2005, CDC has received numerous isolated case reports of varicella among crew members and has investigated varicella outbreaks aboard vessels sailing into and from US seaports. CDC investigators reviewed electronic varicella case reports from 2005 to 2009 and outbreak reports from 2009 to characterize the response and control efforts implemented by cruise ships in accordance with CDC protocols. Outbreak reports from 2009 were manually reviewed for details of case identification, contact investigations, isolation and restriction of cases and contacts, respectively, and number of contacts administered varicella vaccine post-exposure by cruise lines. During 2005 to 2009, cruise ships reported 278 cases of varicella to CDC among predominantly male (80%) crew members, three-quarters of whom were residents of Caribbean countries, Indonesia, the Philippines, or India, and whose median age was 29 years. Cases were more commonly reported during spring and winter months. During 2009, cruise ships reported 94 varicella cases among crew members of which 66 (70%) were associated with 18 reported varicella outbreaks. Outbreak response included isolation of 66 (100%) of 66 cases, restriction of 66 (26%) of 255 crew-contacts, and administration of post-exposure vaccine to 522 close contacts and other susceptible crew members per standard CDC recommendations. Most cases reported to CDC during 2005 to 2009 were among non-US resident crew members. Overall, cruise lines sailing into North America have the onboard capability to manage varicella cases and outbreaks and appear responsive to CDC recommendations. Cruise lines should continue to implement CDC-recommended response protocols to curtail outbreaks rapidly and should consider whether pre-placement varicella immunity screening and vaccination of crew members is a cost-effective option for their respective fleet operations. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Remote Sensing and Holocene Vegetation: History of Global Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DAntoni, Hector; Schaebitz, Frank

1995-01-01

Predictions of the future evolution of the earth's atmospheric chemistry and its impact on global circulation patterns are based on Global Climate Models (GCM's) that integrate the complex interactions of the biosphere, atmosphere and the oceans. Most of the available records of climate and environment are shortterm records (from decades to a few hundred years) with convolved information of real trends and short-term fluctuations. GCM's must be tested beyond the short-term record of climate and environment to insure that predictions are based on trends and therefore are appropriate to support long term policy making. An appropriate timeframe should extend over the Holocene period (the last 10,000 years) when most contemporary climate and environmental processes began. Since its inception in 1916, pollen analysis has successfully reconstructed the paleoecology of the last 10,000 years for many sites around the world, thus providing a powerful time-link between short- and long-term processes in the biosphere. However, pollen analytic results cannot be used in physiological models driven by remotely sensed data. Further, modern ecology and climate data are necessary to calibrate pollen analytical models. These are available for extensive regions in the northern hemisphere, particularly for eastern United States and Canada, and western Europe. In other parts of the world, weather stations are scattered, records extend over a period of only few years, and there are no systematic climate records for large portions of the globe. This is the case of Patagonia in Argentina where a few weather stations are located close to the Atlantic seaports, fewer stations are in towns located near the eastern Andean foothill, and fewer still are scattered on the extensive Patagonian plateau. This problem became evident after completion of the Argentine-German Program of Palynology (PROPAL), a cooperative effort of National University of Mar del Plata (Argentina) and University Bamberg (Germany) to produce a modern pollen database for the Pampa and Patagonia regions.

[Preventive measures against plague and the control of Chinese coolies in colonial Korea].

PubMed

Kim, Youngsoo

2014-12-01

This paper aims to examine the preventive measures taken against the plague in colonial Korea, particularly as applied to the control of Chinese coolies in 1911, soon after the annexation. The Government General of Korea began preventive measures with a train quarantine in Shin'uiju and Incheon in response to the spread of the plague to the Southern Manchuria. Shin' uiju had become urbanized due the development of the transportation network, and the seaport of Incheon was the major hub for traffic with China. Examining the transportation routes for the entry and exit of Chinese to and from Korea makes clear the reason why the Korea Government General initiated preventive measures in mid-January, 1911. The Government General of Korea tried to block the entry of Chinese through the land border crossing with China and through ports of entry, primarily Incheon. During the implementation of the preventive measures, quarantine facilities were built, including a quarantine station and isolation facility in Incheon. It was also needed to investigate the population and residential locations of Chinese in Korea to prevent the spread of plague. A certificate of residence was issued to all Chinese in Korea, which they needed to carry when they travelled. The preventive measures against plague which broke out in Manchuria were removed gradually. However, there was no specific measures against Chinese coolies, those who had migrated from China to work in the spring in Korea. Still the Government General of Korea had doubt about an infection of the respiratory system. As a result, the labor market in colonial Korea underwent changes in this period. The Government General recruited Korean laborers, instead of Chinese coolies whose employment had been planned. This move explains the Government General's strong preventive measures against plague and uncertainty in the route of plague infection, which influenced subsequent regulations on the prohibition of Chinese coolies working on the public enterprise sites and the improvement of labor conditions for Korean laborers.

Ground water in the Cul-de-Sac Plain, Haiti

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, George C.; Lemoine, Rémy C.

1949-01-01

The Cul-de-Sac Plain is perhaps the most important agricultural area in Haiti because of its nearness and accessibility to Port-au-Prince, the nation's capital, metropolis, and principal seaport. Most of the agricultural produce consumed in Port-au-Prince as well as a considerable part of that exported from Haiti is grown in the plain.Because of variable and poorly distributed rainfall, high temperature, and high evaporation, semiarid climatic conditions prevail in the plain. Irrigation is, therefore, necessary for successful farming. There are no regulatory or storage facilities on the streams that enter the plain, but the mean and low-water stream flow and the discharge of springs are almost entirely appropriated for irrigation. Ground water has been utilized for irrigation to an increasing extent by the Haitian American Sugar Company, which has put down about 100 wells in the plain since 1919.Outside the existing irrigated areas of the plain are large tracts of potentially irrigable land that are uncultivated and agriculturally unproductive for lack of water. The object of the present study was to determine the possibilities of bringing these lands into cultivation by irrigation from wells. This study was part of a larger program of the Food Supply Division, Institute of Inter-American Affairs, to increase the production of food in Haiti.From September through November 1948 the senior author, a member of the U. S. Geological Survey, spent three months in the field in an investigation of the geology and ground-water resources of the Cul-de-Sac Plain. He was ably assisted by Mr. Rémy C. Lemoine, Haitian engineer-geologist, employed by the Food Supply Division. The field work included principally the geologic mapping of' the plain and the adjacent mountain borders, a ground-water inventory of existing wells and springs, and a general evaluation of significant geologic and hydrologic features.

Engaging the Public in the 38th Voyage Of The Whaling Ship the Charles W. Morgan with Coastal Telepresence Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babb, I.; Coleman, D.; Lawrence, M.

2016-02-01

The world's last remaining sail-powered whaling ship, the Charles W. Morgan, conducted her 38th voyage in 2014 traveling from Mystic, CT to NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) as a symbolic journey to one of the world's premier whale watching sites. This voyage captured the renaissance of the Morgan from a whale hunting ship to an emissary of ocean conservation. Low cost, microwave-based telepresence technology was installed aboard the Morgan, her support ship the M/V Rohan (a fishing vessel) and linked to the Pilgrim Monument to enable ship-to-shore webcasts that featured Sanctuary researchers, historians, artists and authors onboard the Morgan highlighting their research and outreach activities. A partnership NURTEC at UConn, the Inner Space Center at URI, NOAA, SBNMS and the Mystic Seaport developed comprehensive research and historical content that was incorporated into the broadcasts, which were delivered to thousands of viewers. The concept of telepresence as envisioned for the Morgan's voyage was not simply broadcasting a single camera feed, but to turn the Morgan into a mobile "news studio" that allowed multiple cameras onboard to focus on the business of sailing the ship, interviews with experts in maritime history and marine science onboard, and other onboard programming. In addition, an onshore studio was set up at the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown, MA that integrated additional historians, scientists and archaeologists into the webcasts. The public was able to follow the Morgan's visit to the sanctuary on OceansLIVE (oceanslive.org) that broadcast three live shows daily from the vessel and other locations from July 11-13th. Each of the shows featured interviews and commentary with historians, scientists, authors and artists discussing the shift from whale hunting to whale watching in New England. This talk will review the range of science presented and provide an overview of the enabling technologies.

Space Radar Image of Vesuvius, Italy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Mt. Vesuvius, one of the best known volcanoes in the world primarily for the eruption that buried the Roman city of Pompeii, is shown in the center of this radar image. The central cone of Vesuvius is the dark purple feature in the center of the volcano. This cone is surrounded on the northern and eastern sides by the old crater rim, called Mt. Somma. Recent lava flows are the pale yellow areas on the southern and western sides of the cone. Vesuvius is part of a large volcanic zone which includes the Phalagrean Fields, the cluster of craters seen along the left side of the image. The Bay of Naples, on the left side of the image, is separated from the Gulf of Salerno, in the lower left, by the Sorrento Peninsula. Dense urban settlement can be seen around the volcano. The city of Naples is above and to the left of Vesuvius; the seaport of the city can be seen in the top of the bay. Pompeii is located just below the volcano on this image. The rapid eruption in 79 A.D. buried the victims and buildings of Pompeii under several meters of debris and killed more than 2,000 people. Due to the violent eruptive style and proximity to populated areas, Vesuvius has been named by the international scientific community as one of fifteen Decade Volcanoes which are being intensively studied during the 1990s. The image is centered at 40.83 degrees North latitude, 14.53 degrees East longitude. It shows an area 100 kilometers by 55 kilometers (62 miles by 34 miles.) This image was acquired on April 15, 1994 by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. SIR-C/X-SAR, a joint mission of the German, Italian and the United States space agencies, is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth.

Space Radar Image of Vesuvius, Italy

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-04-15

Mt. Vesuvius, one of the best known volcanoes in the world primarily for the eruption that buried the Roman city of Pompeii, is shown in the center of this radar image. The central cone of Vesuvius is the dark purple feature in the center of the volcano. This cone is surrounded on the northern and eastern sides by the old crater rim, called Mt. Somma. Recent lava flows are the pale yellow areas on the southern and western sides of the cone. Vesuvius is part of a large volcanic zone which includes the Phalagrean Fields, the cluster of craters seen along the left side of the image. The Bay of Naples, on the left side of the image, is separated from the Gulf of Salerno, in the lower left, by the Sorrento Peninsula. Dense urban settlement can be seen around the volcano. The city of Naples is above and to the left of Vesuvius; the seaport of the city can be seen in the top of the bay. Pompeii is located just below the volcano on this image. The rapid eruption in 79 A.D. buried the victims and buildings of Pompeii under several meters of debris and killed more than 2,000 people. Due to the violent eruptive style and proximity to populated areas, Vesuvius has been named by the international scientific community as one of fifteen Decade Volcanoes which are being intensively studied during the 1990s. The image is centered at 40.83 degrees North latitude, 14.53 degrees East longitude. It shows an area 100 kilometers by 55 kilometers (62 miles by 34 miles.) This image was acquired on April 15, 1994 by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. SIR-C/X-SAR, a joint mission of the German, Italian and the United States space agencies, is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01780

A heat vulnerability index to improve urban public health management in San Juan, Puerto Rico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Méndez-Lázaro, Pablo; Muller-Karger, Frank E.; Otis, Daniel; McCarthy, Matthew J.; Rodríguez, Ernesto

2017-02-01

Increased frequency and length of high heat episodes are leading to more cardiovascular issues and asthmatic responses among the population of San Juan, the capital of the island of Puerto Rico, USA. An urban heat island effect, which leads to foci of higher temperatures in some urban areas, can raise heat-related mortality. The objective of this research is to map the risk of high temperature in particular locations by creating heat maps of the city of San Juan. The heat vulnerability index (HVI) maps were developed using images collected by satellite-based remote sensing combined with census data. Land surface temperature was assessed using images from the Thermal Infrared Sensor flown on Landsat 8. Social determinants (e.g., age, unemployment, education and social isolation, and health insurance coverage) were analyzed by census tract. The data were examined in the context of land cover maps generated using products from the Puerto Rico Terrestrial Gap Analysis Project (USDA Forest Service). All variables were set in order to transform the indicators expressed in different units into indices between 0 and 1, and the HVI was calculated as sum of score. The tract with highest index was considered to be the most vulnerable and the lowest to be the least vulnerable. Five vulnerability classes were mapped (very high, high, moderate, low, and very low). The hottest and the most vulnerable tracts corresponded to highly built areas, including the Luis Munoz International Airport, seaports, parking lots, and high-density residential areas. Several variables contributed to increased vulnerability, including higher rates of the population living alone, disabilities, advanced age, and lack of health insurance coverage. Coolest areas corresponded to vegetated landscapes and urban water bodies. The urban HVI map will be useful to health officers, emergency preparedness personnel, the National Weather Service, and San Juan residents, as it helps to prepare for and to mitigate the potential effects of heat-related illnesses.

Minor and Trace Element Chemistry of Urban NS-Soot from the Central Valley of CA, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleich, S. J.; Hooper, R.

2017-12-01

During a recent study of metal transport in the Central Valley of California, it was noted that ns-soot (soot) occurred as complex clusters of graphene-like spheres admixed with other aerosols and were usually the dominant component of PM2.5 air particulates. These soot clusters contained a wide variety of metals of environmental concern such as As,Pb,Cr, and Ni. This study reports semi-quantitative results for 20 minor and trace elements (calibrated with Smithsonian microbeam standards) using a 200kV Transmission Electron Microscope, EDS, and SAED. This study also examined the mineralogy and crystallinity of admixed aerosols within composite soot clusters. Samples selected represent three contrasting urban settings in the Central Valley: Woodland, on the western side of the valley (Interstate highway to the east); Stockton, an inland sea-port and land transportation corridor in the center of the valley; and Roseville, a major rail-transport hub to the east. The wet/dry Mediterranean climate of California resulted in pronounced seasonal variations in total metal content. Soot cluster chemistry is highly variable however certain patterns emerged. Soot collected during the wet season is generally more aciniform, less structurally complex, and had lower sulfur (sulfate) concentrations but still had significant levels of transition metals (V,Cr,Mn,Fe,Ni,Zn and Pb) . Dry season soot was predominantly admixed with sulfate aerosols, and enriched in alkalis and alkaline earth metals. Stockton (wet-season) soot had up to 6000ppm of Pb. There is appreciable Pb (210ppm-2600ppm) in 38% of samples from Roseville but no Pb greater than 200ppm in Woodland. The highest overall total metals were found in Roseville soot with appreciable As(670ppm), V(100ppm), Pb(2600ppm), Zn(4000 ppm), Cr(90ppm), and Ni(300ppm). Heavy transport (road/rail/port) correlates with higher metal contents regardless of climate.

Operational analysis for the drug detection problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoopengardner, Roger L.; Smith, Michael C.

1994-10-01

New techniques and sensors to identify the molecular, chemical, or elemental structures unique to drugs are being developed under several national programs. However, the challenge faced by U.S. drug enforcement and Customs officials goes far beyond the simple technical capability to detect an illegal drug. Entry points into the U.S. include ports, border crossings, and airports where cargo ships, vehicles, and aircraft move huge volumes of freight. Current technology and personnel are able to physically inspect only a small fraction of the entering cargo containers. The complexities of how to best utilize new technology to aid the detection process and yet not adversely affect the processing of vehicles and time-sensitive cargo is the challenge faced by these officials. This paper describes an ARPA sponsored initiative to develop a simple, yet useful, method for examining the operational consequences of utilizing various procedures and technologies in combination to achieve an `acceptable' level of detection probability. Since Customs entry points into the U.S. vary from huge seaports to a one lane highway checkpoint between the U.S. and Canadian or Mexico border, no one system can possibly be right for all points. This approach can examine alternative concepts for using different techniques/systems for different types of entry points. Operational measures reported include the average time to process vehicles and containers, the average and maximum numbers in the system at any time, and the utilization of inspection teams. The method is implemented via a PC-based simulation written in GPSS-PC language. Input to the simulation model is (1) the individual detection probabilities and false positive rates for each detection technology or procedure, (2) the inspection time for each procedure, (3) the system configuration, and (4) the physical distance between inspection stations. The model offers on- line graphics to examine effects as the model runs.

Crew Earth Observations (CEO) taken during Expedition 9

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-06-03

ISS009-E-09985 (3 June 2004) --- The Ebro River Delta, located along the eastern coast of Spain, is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 9 crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS). Taken in partial sun glint, this view defines the Ebro’s fresh water lens— the water density boundary between the upper layer of fresh water issuing from the Ebro River mouth and the saltier, denser Mediterranean Sea water. According to NASA geologists studying the ISS imagery, diversion and impoundment of the Ebro River upstream has led to a decrease in water and sediment delivery to the delta. This decrease has led to increased erosion in some areas to the northeast of El Fangar Bay and along the southwestern shoreline of the delta. The Ebro River Delta is one of the largest wetland areas in the western Mediterranean region. The Ebro delta has grown rapidly—the historical rate of growth of the delta is demonstrated by the city of Amposta. This city was a seaport in the 4th Century, and is now located well inland from the current Ebro river mouth. The rounded form of the delta attests to the balance between sediment deposition by the Ebro River and removal of this material by wave erosion. The modern delta is in intensive agricultural use for rice, fruit, and vegetables. White polygonal areas to the north and south of the Ebro River are paddy fields. The Ebro delta also hosts numerous beaches, marshes, and saltpans that provide habitat for over 300 species of birds. A large part of the delta was designated as Parc Natural del Delta de l'Ebre (Ebre Delta National Park) in 1983. A network of canals and irrigation ditches constructed by both agricultural and conservation groups are helping to maintain the ecologic and economic resources of the Ebro Delta.

Partnering and teamwork to create content for spherical display systems to enhance public literacy in earth system and ocean sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaulieu, S. E.; Patterson, K.; Joyce, K.; Silva, T.; Madin, K.; Spargo, A.; Brickley, A.; Emery, M.

2013-12-01

Spherical display systems, also known as digital globes, are technologies that, in person or online, can be used to help visualize global datasets and earth system processes. Using the InterRidge Global Database of Active Submarine Hydrothermal Vent Fields and imagery from deep-sea vehicles, we are creating content for spherical display systems to educate and excite the public about dynamic geophysical and biological processes and exploration in the deep ocean. The 'Global Viewport for Virtual Exploration of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents' is a collaboration between the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Ocean Explorium at New Bedford Seaport, hosting a Magic Planet and Science On a Sphere (SOS), respectively. The main activities in the first year of our project were geared towards team building and content development. Here we will highlight the partnering and teamwork involved in creating and testing the effectiveness of our new content. Our core team is composed of a lead scientist, educators at both institutions, graphic artists, and a professional evaluator. The new content addresses key principles of Earth Science Literacy and Ocean Literacy. We will share the collaborative, iterative process by which we developed two educational pieces, 'Life without sunlight' and 'Smoke and fire underwater' - each focusing on a different set of 3 literacy principles. We will share how we conducted our front-end and formative evaluations and how we focused on 2 NSF Informal Education Impact Categories for our evaluation questionnaire for the public. Each educational piece is being produced as a stand-alone movie and as an interactive, docent-led presentation integrating a number of other datasets available from NOAA's SOS Users Network. The proximity of our two institutions enables a unique evaluation of the learning attained with a stand-alone spherical display vs. live presentations with an SOS.

[Precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix in Pointe-Noire, Congo].

PubMed

Moukassa, D; N'Golet, A; Lingouala, L G; Eouani, M L; Samba, J B; Mambou, J V; Ompaligoli, S; Moukengue, L F; Taty-Pambou, E

2007-02-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the cytological profile and risk factors for intraepithelial precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix in an urban community of Pointe-Noire, an industrialized seaport located in the southeast region of Congo-Brazzaville. A transverse study was carried out over a period of 18 months (January 2003 to July 2004) in the Center for the Study of Human and Animal Diseases (CSHAD) at the General Adolphe Sie Hospital in Pointe-Noire. A total of 1347 files of women benefiting from cervico-vaginal smears were included in the study. Testing was undertaken either at the request of the patient (voluntary screening) or at the request of a health care provider (physician, midwife or nurse) in relation with various gynecological problems. The relative frequency of intraepithelial lesions was estimated to be 15.36% including 9.17% of low-grade intraepithelial lesions (Ig IEL) and 6.19% of high-grade intraepithelial lesions (hg IEL). The mean age of patients with hg IEL was 42.25 years (range, 12 to 17). Study of the interval between actual age at the time of sample collection and age of first sexual relations showed that women presenting IEL had an interval of at least 20 years. This interval probably corresponds to the time necessary for the interaction between human papillomavirus (HPV) and epithelial cells of the uterine cervix to induce intraepithelial lesions that lead to development of cancer of the uterine cervix. Comparative analysis of the number of sexual partners between the group of women with normal smears and the group with smears showing hg IEL indicated a clear predominance of the mean number of partners in the latter group, i.e., 2 +/- 1,2 versus 5 +/- 1,8 (p < 0.05). Most IEL were observed in multigestational women who accounted for 75.39% with a mean of 6.21 for hg IEL. This preliminary study provides a sound factual basis in terms of epidemiological data on these precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix in the Kouilou department of Congo-Brazzaville. These data will serve as benchmarks and guidance for forthcoming screening campaigns for early detection of uterine cervix cancer.

Assessing Storm Vulnerabilities and Resilience Strategies: A Scenario-Method for Engaging Stakeholders of Public/Private Maritime Infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, A.; Burroughs, R.

2014-12-01

This presentation discusses a new method to assess vulnerability and resilience strategies for stakeholders of coastal-dependent transportation infrastructure, such as seaports. Much coastal infrastructure faces increasing risk to extreme events resulting from sea level rise and tropical storms. As seen after Hurricane Sandy, natural disasters result in economic costs, damages to the environment, and negative consequences on resident's quality of life. In the coming decades, tough decisions will need to be made about investment measures to protect critical infrastructure. Coastal communities will need to weigh the costs and benefits of a new storm barrier, for example, against those of retrofitting, elevating or simply doing nothing. These decisions require understanding the priorities and concerns of stakeholders. For ports, these include shippers, insurers, tenants, and ultimate consumers of the port cargo on a local and global scale, all of whom have a stake in addressing port vulnerabilities.Decision-makers in exposed coastal areas need tools to understand stakeholders concerns and perceptions of potential resilience strategies. For ports, they need answers to: 1) How will stakeholders be affected? 2) What strategies could be implemented to build resilience? 3) How effectively would the strategies mitigate stakeholder concerns? 4) What level of time and investment would strategies require? 5) Which stakeholders could/should take responsibility? Our stakeholder-based method provides answers to questions 1-3 and forms the basis for further work to address 4 and 5.Together with an expert group, we developed a pilot study for stakeholders of Rhode Island's critical energy port, the Port of Providence. Our method uses a plausible extreme storm scenario with localized visualizations and a portfolio of potential resilience strategies. We tailor a multi-criteria decision analysis tool and, through a series of workshops, we use the storm scenario, resilience strategies, and decision tool to elicit perceptions and priorities of port stakeholders. Results provide new knowledge to assist decision-makers allocate investments of time, money, and staff resources. We intend for our method to be utilized in other port communities around Rhode Island and in other coastal states.

Population genetics of the invasive cryptogenic anemone, Anemonia alicemartinae, along the southeastern Pacific coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canales-Aguirre, C. B.; Quiñones, A.; Hernández, C. E.; Neill, P. E.; Brante, A.

2015-08-01

One of the most important issues in biological invasions is understanding the factors and mechanisms determining the invasion success of non-native species. Theoretical and empirical works have shown that genetic diversity is a determinant of invasion success; thus, studying spatial patterns of genetic diversity, and exploring how biological and physical factors shape this population trait, are fundamental for understanding this phenomenon. Coastal marine ecosystems are one of the most susceptible habitats to invasion given the complex network of maritime transport. In this work we study the cryptogenic anemone, Anemonia alicemartinae, which has rapidly increased its geographical range southward during the last 50 years (approx. 2000 km) along the southeastern Pacific coast. Based on COI mtDNA sequences we evaluated three main hypotheses: a) the genetic diversity of A. alicemartinae decreases according to the direction of invasion (from north to south); b) there is biogeographic-phylogeographic concordance at the 30°S biogeographic break; and c) the demographic history is coherent with a recent geographic expansion. A total of 161 individual samples of A. alicemartinae were collected along the southeastern Pacific coast range of distribution, covering more than 2000 km, including samples along the 30°S biogeographical break. Results showed low genetic diversity (Hd = 0.253; π = 0.08) and a lack of geographic population genetic structure (FST = - 0.009, p-value = 0.656). The highest genetic diversity was observed in Peru (Chero and Mesas) and at localities close to the main Chilean seaports. We did not observe concordance between biogeographic and phylogeographic patterns or isolation by distance. Demographic indices (D = - 2.604, p < 0.001; Fu's = - 26.619, p < 0.001), as well as a star-like configuration of the haplotype network support recent population expansion of this species. Our results, together with historical field observations, support the idea that the current distribution of A. alicemartinae may be explained by an increase in population size from one small ancestral population probably from the south of Peru, with subsequent human-mediated southward transport, probably associated with regional-scale maritime activities.

Cameroon.

PubMed

1992-06-01

The US profile of Cameroon indicates brief statistics on the population, geography, government, and economy and brief descriptions of the population, the history, government, political conditions, the economy, foreign relations, defense, and relations with the US. Principal government and US officials are furnished. The 1991 estimated population of Cameroon was 11.7 million of which 60% is rural. There are 200 different tribes who speak many African languages and dialects. The French and English languages both have official status. Muslims live in the north and Christians in the south. 80% live in the formerly French east. The growth rate is 3%. There is 65% literacy. Infant mortality is 20%. 70% are agricultural workers, 13% industrial and commercial, and 17% other. The government is an independent republic with an executive and legislative branch. Independence was achieved in 1960. There is 1 ruling party. Traditional courts administer the laws. Traditional rulers are treated as administrative adjuncts. Suffrage is universal adult. The central government budget is 1.4 billion of which 8.7% is for defense. There are 10 provinces and 4 major cities. The seaport city Douala is the largest at 1.5 million. Gross domestic product (GDP) is $12.5 billion with an annual growth rate of 4.3% and an inflation rate of 2%. Growth has been variable since 1988 and reached a low of 2.4% in 1988-89. Oil, natural gas, bauxite, iron core, and timber are natural resources. 27% of the GDP is in agricultural products (cocoa, coffee, cotton, fishing, and forestry). 13% of the GDP is manufacturing and 24% is industry. Exports are valued at $2.9 billion and imports at $2.2 billion. Major markets are France, Netherlands, and the US. Imports include intermediate goods, capital goods, fuel and lubricants, foodstuffs, beverages, and tobacco. Early inhabitants were the Pygmies, followed later by Bantu speakers, and Muslim Fulani. Political consolidation was achieved in 1970 after a period of terrorism. Economic growth was 8% until world prices in Cameroon's major exports of petroleum, coffee, and cocoa collapsed in 1986. The country is agriculturally self-sufficient. US relations with Cameroon are excellent.

Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence FY 2016 Data Analysis Annual Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Enders, Alexander L.; Harris, Tyrone C.; Pope, Thomas C.

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence (NSDD) has facilitated the installation of more than 3,500 radiation portal monitors (RPMs) at 606 sites in 56 countries worldwide. This collection of RPMs represents the world’s largest network of radiation detectors and provides one element in the defense-in-depth approach that supports the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture. These systems support NSDD’s mission to build partner country capability to deter, detect, and interdict the illicit transport of radiological and fissile material through strategic points of entry and exit at seaports, airports, and border crossings. NSDD works collaboratively with partnermore » countries and international organizations to optimize the operation of these RPMs. The large amount of data provided by NSDD partner countries highlights the close cooperation and partnerships NSDD has built with 56 countries around the world. Thirty-seven of these countries shared at least some RPM-related data with NSDD in fiscal year 2016. This significant level of data sharing is a key element that distinguishes the NSDD office as unique among nuclear nonproliferation programs and initiatives: NSDD can provide specific, objective, data-driven decisions and support for sustaining the radiation detection systems it helped deploy. This data analysis report summarizes and aggregates the RPM data provided to the NSDD office for analysis and review in fiscal year 2016. The data can be used to describe RPM performance and characterize the wide diversity of NSDD deployment sites. For example, NSDD deploys detector systems across sites with natural background radiation levels that can vary by a factor of approximately six from site to site. Some lanes have few occupancies, whereas others have approximately 8,000 occupancies per day and the different types of cargo that travel through a site can result in site-wide alarm rates that range from near 0% at some sites to above 3% at others. Based on the data received, the global average uptime for NSDD RPMs was above 96% for fiscal year 2016. NSDD takes all of these factors into account in making recommendations to partner countries on how to most effectively manage and maintain site operations. NSDD utilizes reports and other information products created by data analysts to efficiently allocate the resources needed to detect and ultimately interdict illicit nuclear and radiological material.« less

Estimate of main local sources to ambient ultrafine particle number concentrations in an urban area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Md Mahmudur; Mazaheri, Mandana; Clifford, Sam; Morawska, Lidia

2017-09-01

Quantifying and apportioning the contribution of a range of sources to ultrafine particles (UFPs, D < 100 nm) is a challenge due to the complex nature of the urban environments. Although vehicular emissions have long been considered one of the major sources of ultrafine particles in urban areas, the contribution of other major urban sources is not yet fully understood. This paper aims to determine and quantify the contribution of local ground traffic, nucleated particle (NP) formation and distant non-traffic (e.g. airport, oil refineries, and seaport) sources to the total ambient particle number concentration (PNC) in a busy, inner-city area in Brisbane, Australia using Bayesian statistical modelling and other exploratory tools. The Bayesian model was trained on the PNC data on days where NP formations were known to have not occurred, hourly traffic counts, solar radiation data, and smooth daily trend. The model was applied to apportion and quantify the contribution of NP formations and local traffic and non-traffic sources to UFPs. The data analysis incorporated long-term measured time-series of total PNC (D ≥ 6 nm), particle number size distributions (PSD, D = 8 to 400 nm), PM2.5, PM10, NOx, CO, meteorological parameters and traffic counts at a stationary monitoring site. The developed Bayesian model showed reliable predictive performances in quantifying the contribution of NP formation events to UFPs (up to 4 × 104 particles cm- 3), with a significant day to day variability. The model identified potential NP formation and no-formations days based on PNC data and quantified the sources contribution to UFPs. Exploratory statistical analyses show that total mean PNC during the middle of the day was up to 32% higher than during peak morning and evening traffic periods, which were associated with NP formation events. The majority of UFPs measured during the peak traffic and NP formation periods were between 30-100 nm and smaller than 30 nm, respectively. To date, this is the first application of Bayesian model to apportion different sources contribution to UFPs, and therefore the importance of this study is not only in its modelling outcomes but in demonstrating the applicability and advantages of this statistical approach to air pollution studies.

Prevalence study of Legionella spp. contamination in ferries and cruise ships

PubMed Central

Azara, Antonio; Piana, Andrea; Sotgiu, Giovanni; Dettori, Marco; Deriu, Maria Grazia; Masia, Maria Dolores; Are, Bianca Maria; Muresu, Elena

2006-01-01

Background In the last years, international traffic volume has significantly increased, raising the risk for acquisition of infectious diseases. Among travel-associated infections, increased incidence of legionellosis has been reported among travellers. Aim of our study was: to describe the frequency and severity of Legionella spp. contamination in ferries and cruise ships; to compare the levels of contamination with those indicated by the Italian ministerial guidelines for control and prevention of legionellosis, in order to assess health risks and to adopt control measures. Method A prevalence study was carried out on 9 ships docked at the seaports of northern Sardinia in 2004. Water samples were collected from critical sites: passenger cabins, crew cabins, kitchens, coffee bars, rooms of the central air conditioning system. It was performed a qualitative and quantitative identification of Legionella spp. and a chemical, physical and bacteriological analysis of water samples. Results Forty-two percent (38/90) water samples were contaminated by Legionella spp.. Positive samples were mainly drawn from showers (24/44), washbasins (10/22). L. pneumophila was isolated in 42/44 samples (95.5%), followed by L. micdadei (4.5%). Strains were identified as L. pneumophila serogroup 6 (45.2%; 19 samples), 2–14 (42.9%), 5 (7.1%) and 3 (4.8%). Legionella spp. load was high; 77.8% of the water samples contained > 104 CFU/L. Low residual free chlorine concentration (0–0,2 mg/L) was associated to a contamination of the 50% of the water samples. Conclusion Legionella is an ubiquitous bacterium that could create problems for public health. We identified Legionella spp. in 6/7 ferries. Microbial load was predominantly high (> 104 CFU/L or ranging from 103 to 104 CFU/L). It is matter of concern when passengers are subjects at risk because of Legionella spp. is an opportunist that can survive in freshwater systems; high bacterial load might be an important variable related to disease's occurrence. High level of contamination required disinfecting measures, but does not lead to a definitive solution to the problem. Therefore, it is important to identify a person responsible for health safety in order to control the risk from exposure and to apply preventive measures, according to European and Italian guidelines. PMID:16620388

Prevalence study of Legionella spp. contamination in ferries and cruise ships.

PubMed

Azara, Antonio; Piana, Andrea; Sotgiu, Giovanni; Dettori, Marco; Deriu, Maria Grazia; Masia, Maria Dolores; Are, Bianca Maria; Muresu, Elena

2006-04-18

In the last years, international traffic volume has significantly increased, raising the risk for acquisition of infectious diseases. Among travel-associated infections, increased incidence of legionellosis has been reported among travellers. Aim of our study was: to describe the frequency and severity of Legionella spp. contamination in ferries and cruise ships; to compare the levels of contamination with those indicated by the Italian ministerial guidelines for control and prevention of legionellosis, in order to assess health risks and to adopt control measures. A prevalence study was carried out on 9 ships docked at the seaports of northern Sardinia in 2004. Water samples were collected from critical sites: passenger cabins, crew cabins, kitchens, coffee bars, rooms of the central air conditioning system. It was performed a qualitative and quantitative identification of Legionella spp. and a chemical, physical and bacteriological analysis of water samples. Forty-two percent (38/90) water samples were contaminated by Legionella spp.. Positive samples were mainly drawn from showers (24/44), washbasins (10/22). L. pneumophila was isolated in 42/44 samples (95.5%), followed by L. micdadei (4.5%). Strains were identified as L. pneumophila serogroup 6 (45.2%; 19 samples), 2-14 (42.9%), 5 (7.1%) and 3 (4.8%). Legionella spp. load was high; 77.8% of the water samples contained > 10(4) CFU/L. Low residual free chlorine concentration (0-0.2 mg/L) was associated to a contamination of the 50% of the water samples. Legionella is an ubiquitous bacterium that could create problems for public health. We identified Legionella spp. in 6/7 ferries. Microbial load was predominantly high (> 10(4) CFU/L or ranging from 10(3) to 10(4) CFU/L). It is matter of concern when passengers are subjects at risk because of Legionella spp. is an opportunist that can survive in freshwater systems; high bacterial load might be an important variable related to disease's occurrence. High level of contamination required disinfecting measures, but does not lead to a definitive solution to the problem. Therefore, it is important to identify a person responsible for health safety in order to control the risk from exposure and to apply preventive measures, according to European and Italian guidelines.

Quantifying the impacts of global disasters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, L. M.; Ross, S.; Wilson, R. I.; Borrero, J. C.; Brosnan, D.; Bwarie, J. T.; Geist, E. L.; Hansen, R. A.; Johnson, L. A.; Kirby, S. H.; Long, K.; Lynett, P. J.; Miller, K. M.; Mortensen, C. E.; Perry, S. C.; Porter, K. A.; Real, C. R.; Ryan, K. J.; Thio, H. K.; Wein, A. M.; Whitmore, P.; Wood, N. J.

2012-12-01

The US Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, California Geological Survey, and other entities are developing a Tsunami Scenario, depicting a realistic outcome of a hypothetical but plausible large tsunami originating in the eastern Aleutian Arc, affecting the west coast of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. The scenario includes earth-science effects, damage and restoration of the built environment, and social and economic impacts. Like the earlier ShakeOut and ARkStorm disaster scenarios, the purpose of the Tsunami Scenario is to apply science to quantify the impacts of natural disasters in a way that can be used by decision makers in the affected sectors to reduce the potential for loss. Most natural disasters are local. A major hurricane can destroy a city or damage a long swath of coastline while mostly sparing inland areas. The largest earthquake on record caused strong shaking along 1500 km of Chile, but left the capital relatively unscathed. Previous scenarios have used the local nature of disasters to focus interaction with the user community. However, the capacity for global disasters is growing with the interdependency of the global economy. Earthquakes have disrupted global computer chip manufacturing and caused stock market downturns. Tsunamis, however, can be global in their extent and direct impact. Moreover, the vulnerability of seaports to tsunami damage can increase the global consequences. The Tsunami Scenario is trying to capture the widespread effects while maintaining the close interaction with users that has been one of the most successful features of the previous scenarios. The scenario tsunami occurs in the eastern Aleutians with a source similar to the 2011 Tohoku event. Geologic similarities support the argument that a Tohoku-like source is plausible in Alaska. It creates a major nearfield tsunami in the Aleutian arc and peninsula, a moderate tsunami in the US Pacific Northwest, large but not the maximum in Hawaii, and the largest plausible tsunami in southern California. To support the analysis of global impacts, we begin with the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach which account for >40% of the imports to the United States. We expand from there throughout California for the first level economic analysis. We are looking to work with Alaska and Hawaii, especially on similar economic issues in ports, over the next year and to expand the analysis to consideration of economic interactions between the regions.

Evidence for Tectonic Activity During the Mature Harappan Civilization, 2600-1800 BCE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grijalva, K. A.; Kovach, R. L.; Nur, A. M.

2006-12-01

The mature Harappan civilization located in Pakistan and India dates from 2600 to 1800 BCE. By combining seismic data, three-dimensional elastic dislocation modeling, and archaeological findings we examined the role that earthquakes played in the demise of Harappan settlements. The study focuses on three different geographical regions: Gujarat, the Sarasvati-Ghaggar-Hakra River valley, and the Makran coast of Pakistan. In Gujarat, the fluvial system of the Rann of Kachchh has undergone significant changes. The Rann of Kachchh formed as a delta for three rivers, becoming an inland sea during the time of Alexander the Great, and ultimately a salty marsh. These changes were brought about by a combination of sea level changes, the truncation of the three rivers by tectonic uplift and the deepening of the Rann by earthquake induced subsidence. Events analogous to the 1819 Allah Bund earthquake, which dammed the Puran River for seven years, would have significantly altered the water source for downstream settlements. Data from the recent 2001 Bhuj event shows that Harappan settlements would have suffered considerable shaking damage from an analogous historical event. Archaeological studies to date have found direct evidence for of at least one large earthquake at Dholavira in 2200 BCE. A number of the mature Harappan settlements are located along the dry Sarasvati-Ghaggar-Hakra river system. The decline of these sites coincides with the divergence of the Sarasvati-Ghaggar-Hakra system to the Indus and Ganga river systems. A succession of earthquakes, along with a period of aridity, likely led to the disappearance of the Sarasvati-Ghaggar-Hakra system. Although this region has not had any large earthquakes in historic times, there is archaeological evidence of two large events at the Harappan site of Kalibangan, at 2900 and 2700 BCE. Along the Makran coast two settlements, believed to have been Harappan seaports, are now located tens of kilometers inland. Changes in sea level, along with tectonic uplift from great Makran subduction zone earthquakes, can explain the conundrum of why these sites are now tens of kilometers inland. Dislocation modeling demonstrates that several great subduction earthquakes in the historical past could easily have raised the Harappan settlements to their current inland positions above sea level. The examples presented demonstrate that earthquakes affected the demise of several Harappan sites either by direct shaking damage, altering the water supply, or by changing the relative sea level.

MISR Views the Middle East

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

This image, generated using 16 orbits of MISR data collected between August 16 and August 30, 2000, takes us to the cradle of many civilizations. The data are from the 60-degree aftward-viewing camera. Because the individual orbit swaths are only 400 kilometers wide, they were 'mosaiced' together to form this composite picture, which covers about 2700 kilometers from west to east and 1750 kilometers from north to south. A few discontinuities are present in the mosaic, particularly near clouds, due to changes in the scene which occurred between dates when the individual orbit data were acquired.

At the northern tip of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba frame the sandy deserts and spectacular mountains of the Sinai Peninsula. The highest peaks are Gebel Katherina (Mountain of St. Catherine, 2637 meters) and Gebel Musa (Mountain of Moses, also known as Mount Sinai, 2285 meters). To the northeast, Israel and Jordan flank the Dead Sea, one of the saltiest inland water bodies in the world. At its northern edge is Qumran, where the ancient Scrolls were discovered; the city of Jerusalem lies about 30 kilometers to the west.

Several large rivers are prominent. Flowing southeastward through Iraq are the Tigris and Euphrates. The dark area between the two rivers, northwest of the Persian Gulf, is a very fertile region where fishing and farming are prevalent. Wending its way through eastern Egypt is the Nile. In the south is Lake Nasser and the Aswan Dam; continuing northward the Nile passes the Temple of Luxor as it sharply loops to the east. It then turns west and northward, eventually passing the capital city of Cairo, and finally spreading into a prominent delta as it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. The bright dot just west of the apex of the delta marks the location of the great Pyramids and Sphinx complexes on the Giza Plateau. On the coast, west of the delta, is the ancient city of Alexandria, Egypt's main seaport.

'MISR', as it turns out, is the transliteration of the Arabic name for Egypt.

MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.

An innovative early warning system for floods and operational risks in harbours

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smets, Steven; Bolle, Annelies; Mollaert, Justine; Buitrago, Saul; Gruwez, Vincent

2016-04-01

Early Warning Systems (EWS) are nowadays becoming fairly standard in river flood forecasting or in large scale hydrometeorological predictions. For complex coastal morphodynamic problems or in the vicinity of complex coastal structures, such as harbours, EWS are much less used because they are both technically and computationally still very challenging. To advance beyond the state-of-the-art, the EU FP7 project Risc-KIT (www.risc-kit.eu) is developing prototype EWS which address specifically these topics. This paper describes the prototype EWS which IMDC has developed for the case study site of the harbour of Zeebrugge. The harbour of Zeebrugge is the largest industrial seaport on the coast of Belgium, extending more than 3 km into the sea. Two long breakwaters provide shelter for the inner quays and docks for regular conditions and frequent storms. Extreme storms surges and waves can however still enter the harbour and create risks for the harbour operations and infrastructure. The prediction of the effects of storm surges and waves inside harbours are typically very complex and challenging, due to the need of different types of numerical models for representing all different physical processes. In general, waves inside harbours are a combination of locally wind generated waves and offshore wave penetration at the port entrance. During extreme conditions, the waves could overtop the quays and breakwaters and flood the port facilities. Outside a prediction environment, the conditions inside the harbour could be assessed by superimposing processes. The assessment can be carried out by using a combination of a spectral wave model (i.e. SWAN) for the wind generated waves and a Boussinesq type wave model (i.e. Mike 21 BW) for the wave penetration from offshore. Finally, a 2D hydrodynamic model (i.e. TELEMAC) can be used to simulate the overland flooding inside the port facilities. To reproduce these processes in an EWS environment, an additional challenge is to cope with the limitations of the calculation engines. This is especially true with the Boussinesq model. A model train is proposed that integrates processed based modelling, for wind generated waves, with an intelligent simplification of the Boussinesq model for the wave penetration effects. These wave conditions together with the extreme water levels (including storm surge) can then be used to simulate the overtopping/overflow behaviour for the quays. Finally, the hydrodynamic model TELEMAC is run for the inundation forecast inside the port facilities. The complete model train was integrated into the Deltares Delft FEWS software to showcase the potential for real time operations.

Effects of Gain Changes on RPM Performance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lousteau, Angela L; York, Robbie Lynn; Livesay, Jake

2012-03-01

The mission of the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration's (DOE/NNSA's) Office of the Second Line of Defense (SLD) is to strengthen the capability of foreign governments to deter, detect, and interdict the illicit trafficking of special nuclear and other radioactive materials across international borders and through the global maritime shipping system. The goal of this mission is to reduce the probability of these materials being fashioned into a weapon of mass destruction or radiological dispersal device that could be used against the United States or its international partners. This goal is achieved primarily through the installation and operationmore » of radiation detection equipment at border crossings, airports, seaports, and other strategic locations around the world. In order to effectively detect the movement of radioactive material, the response of these radiation detectors to various materials in various configurations must be well characterized. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) investigated two aspects of Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) settings, based on a preliminary investigation done by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL): source-to-detector distance effect on amplifier gain and optimized discriminator settings. This report discusses this investigation. A number of conclusions can be drawn from the ORNL testing. First, for increased distance between the source and the detector, thus illuminating the entire detector rather than just the center of the detector (as is done during detector alignments), an increase in gain may provide a 5-15% increase in sensitivity (Fig. 4). However, increasing the gain without adjusting the discriminator settings is not recommended as this makes the monitor more sensitive to electronic noise and temperature-induced fluctuations. Furthermore, if the discriminators are adjusted in relation to the increase in gain, thus appropriately discriminating against electronic noise, the sensitivity gains are less than 5% (Fig. 6). ORNL does not consider this slight increase in sensitivity to be a worthwhile pursuit. Second, increasing the ULD will increase sensitivity a few percent (Fig. 7); however, it is not clear that the slight increase in sensitivity is worth the effort required to make the change (e.g., reliability, cost, etc.). Additionally, while the monitor would be more sensitive to HEU, it would also be more sensitive to NORM. Third, the sensitivity of the system remains approximately the same whether it is calibrated to a small source on contact or a large source far away (Fig. 6). This affirms that no changes to the existing calibration procedure are necessary.« less

Water resources of southeastern Bucks County, Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Graham, Jack B.; Mangan, John W.; White, Walter F.

1951-01-01

This report has been prepared as a contribution to the development of southeastern Bucks County, Pa. It summarizes available information on the water resources of this 90-square mile area and evaluates current supplies. Future development of the area may change both the available quantity and the quality of the water supply. The effective development of the area demands a continuing knowledge of the water used and the potential quantity and quality of water available from both underground and surface sources. The area is strategically important to a great industrial section of the Bast. Its eastern boundary is a 26-mile segment of the Delaware River along the extreme southeastern border of Bucks County, Pa. (fig. 1). The present.population of the area is about 40,000, including 24,800 in Bristol Borough and Township and 6,770 in Morrisville. The area is traversed by both the Pennsylvania and the Reading Railroads and also by U.S. Highways 1 and 13. These are main transportation routes connecting the great market outlets of Philadelphia and New York. The Delaware River'is navigable from Morrisville to the sea. The area is only a short distance upstream from the Port of Philadelphia, which ranks second only to New York as the most important seaport in the United States. The area is mostly flat, open land 10 to 60 feet above mean sea level. It contains several large Industries, concentrated chiefly in the Bristol area (pi. 1). There are also scattered industries in the Morrisville, Langhorne, and Bensalem areas. However, Bucks County retains some of the characteristics of a farming region. Truck farming and gardening are still carried on to a considerable extent. Along Delaware River below Morrisville the mining of sand and gravel is an Important industry. The facts summarized in this report have been accumulated over a period of 25 years or more by Federal, State, and local agencies in connection with Investigations for other purposes. Most of the data used in this report have been obtained by the United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, the Pennsylvania Department of Internal Affairs, the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce, and State Planning Board, the City of Philadelphia, the Corps of Engineers, and the Interstate Commission on the Delaware River Basin. This report was prepared in the Water Resources Division of the U.S.Geological Survey by Jack B. Qraham, District Geologist; John W. Mangan, District Engineer; and Walter F. White, Jr., District Chemist, under the general direction of C. G. Paulsen, Chief Hydraulic Engineer.

[Hygiene problems in inland and sea navigation].

PubMed

Goethe, H

1983-09-01

Both waste and sewage disposal are ubiquitous problems which have also affected navigation. Shipping is a very important transport carrier on a worldwide basis which together with the fishing industry employs roughly two million people. The problems associated with waste and sewage disposal obviously present a severe hazard to the coastal areas, narrow sea basins and, in particular, to inland and open-sea waterways. These problems are particularly alarming in large sea-ports, docks without outfall etc. The reduction of the crews aboard the ships operated by the industialised countries has helped to quantitatively ease the problem of waste and sewage disposal caused by the crews. However, passenger steamers with high waste and sewage volumes cause considerable nuisance in small harbours and the same holds for the disposal of technical waste products from ships such as dunnage packing material, ropes, plastic material, oil, etc. The quantity of waste water aboard a sea-going vessel including that from the toilets, washrooms, galley, and cleaning is rather considerable and is estimated at 300 litres per person and day under tropical climates. The volume of waste varies greatly and depends mainly on the type of material used aboard as mentioned above. Passenger liners with a very high volume of kitchen refuse and other solid waste give rise to specially insidious problems. In the past, sea-going vessels as well as ships employed in inland navigation used to throw overboard any type of refuse and sewage. However, during the last few decades the port authorities and also governments have introduced local and national regulations ruling that waste may no longer be thrown into harbour basins, but must be collected and disposed of on shore. Most ships have complied with these provisions, but some of them kept the collected refuse aboard and disposed of it on the open sea outside the harbours. International agreements on the prohibition of emptying oil and oil-containing waste into the sea were reached as early as 1954. The first rigorous provisions on the strict prohibition of discharging sewage and throwing spoilage overboard on the sea were promulgated around 1960 for the Great Lakes (USA and Canada) as well as for some Baltic Sea and Black Sea harbours (USSR). This legislation has been increasingly tightened. The international agreement on the prevention of sea pollution by ships, submitted by the International Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) in 1973 and 1978, strictly bans the throwing overboard or discharging of oil, plastic material, stowing and packing materials etc. as well as unperishable substances.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 14 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-11-04

ISS014-E-07258 (4 Nov. 2006) --- Galveston, Texas is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 14 crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS). Mexico established a port of entry (known as Galveston) in 1825, and following the Texas Revolution it was the capital of the Republic of Texas during 1836. The modern-day city of Galveston was incorporated in 1839, and became the major trading seaport of Texas during the latter half of the 19th century. The city was largely destroyed in early September of 1900 by a powerful hurricane; this, coupled with construction of the Houston Ship Channel and discovery of oil in eastern Texas shifted the center of trade northwest to Houston. Many human footprints are easily observed from the vantage point of low Earth orbit. The eastern half of Galveston Island is dominated by the city of Galveston (gray-white region at center). A large seawall along the Gulf of Mexico (southern coastline of Galveston Island) protects most of the city. To the west of Galveston, coastal wetlands are largely submerged by regional subsidence--a result of ground water withdrawal by the petrochemical industry of Houston and Texas City. The entrance to Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel is located between Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula (upper right). Numerous ship wakes are visible along the Houston Ship Channel. Other visible features of the entrance to Galveston Bay include the five-mile long Texas City Dike, a structure that protects the Texas City channel and includes a fishing pier that extends 600 feet beyond the end of the Dike. Extensive petroleum processing facilities are located to the west of the Dike in Texas City. The Intracoastal Waterway runs through western Galveston Bay; new subdivisions built on dredge spoils are visible along the northern boundary of the Waterway. Geologists studying the ISS collection of down linked still imagery observe that complex estuarine sediment patterns are visible in this image. Dark brown to tan waters adjacent to the Bolivar Peninsula and Texas City Dike reflect increased sediment loads following heavy rains in mid-to-late October, coupled with northerly winds moving Bay water southwards. Turbidity currents to both the northwest and southeast of Galveston Island produce a more chaotic pattern of sediment-laden (light green to tan) and relatively sediment-free (dark green) water leading into the dark green Gulf of Mexico (lower right).

Modelling the emissions from ships in ports and their impact on air quality in the metropolitan area of Hamburg

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramacher, Martin; Karl, Matthias; Aulinger, Armin; Bieser, Johannes; Matthias, Volker; Quante, Markus

2016-04-01

Exhaust emissions from shipping contribute significantly to the anthropogenic burden of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOX) and particulate matter (PM). Ships emit not only when sailing on open sea, but also when approaching harbors, during port manoeuvers and at berth to produce electricity and heat for the ship's operations. This affects the population of harbor cities because long-term exposure to PM and NOX has significant effects on human health. The European Union has therefore has set air quality standards for air pollutants. Many port cities have problems meeting these standards. The port of Hamburg with around 10.000 ship calls per year is Germany's largest seaport and Europe's second largest container port. Air quality standard reporting in Hamburg has revealed problems in meeting limits for NO2 and PM10. The amount and contribution of port related ship emissions (38% for NOx and 17% for PM10) to the overall emissions in the metropolitan area in 2005 [BSU Hamburg (2012): Luftreinhalteplan für Hamburg. 1. Fortschreibung 2012] has been modelled with a bottom up approach by using statistical data of ship activities in the harbor, technical vessel information and specific emission algorithms [GAUSS (2008): Quantifizierung von gasförmigen Emissionen durch Maschinenanlagen der Seeschiffart an der deutschen Küste]. However, knowledge about the spatial distribution of the harbor ship emissions over the city area is crucial when it comes to air quality standards and policy decisions to protect human health. Hence, this model study examines the spatial distribution of harbor ship emissions (NOX, PM10) and their deposition in the Hamburg metropolitan area. The transport and chemical transformation of atmospheric pollutants is calculated with the well-established chemistry transport model TAPM (The Air Pollution Model). TAPM is a three-dimensional coupled prognostic meteorological and air pollution model with a condensed chemistry scheme including photochemistry. The model was applied to the Hamburg metropolitan area with a setup of 30 x 30 grid cells of 1 km² each and 30 vertical grid levels from 10 to 8,000 m, for a time period of one year. Emission inventories for traffic, industry, households and ships in 2013 were generated. To investigate the dispersion of ship emissions to air pollution two different model runs for 2013 were performed; one model run including land-based emissions and the ship emissions and a model run just including the land-based emissions. The modelling results were evaluated with air quality data from the monitoring station network of Hamburg (luft.hamburg.de). The results are presented in form of spatial distribution maps for the Hamburg metropolitan area highlighting the pollutants (PM and NOX) originating from harbor residential ships.

Assessment of seismic hazards along the northern Gulf of Aqaba

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abueladas, Abdel-Rahman Aqel

Aqaba and Elat are very important port and recreation cities for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Israel, respectively. The two cities are the most susceptible to damage from a destructive future earthquake because they are located over the tectonically active Dead Sea transform fault (DST) that is the source of most of the major historical earthquakes in the region. The largest twentieth century earthquake on the DST, the magnitude Mw 7.2 Nuweiba earthquake of November 22, 1995, caused damage to structures in both cities. The integration of geological, geophysical, and earthquake engineering studies will help to assess the seismic hazards by determining the location and slip potential of active faults and by mapping areas of high liquefaction susceptibility. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) as a high resolution shallow geophysical tool was used to map the shallow active faults in Aqaba, Taba Sabkha area, and Elat. The GPR data revealed the onshore continuation of the Evrona, West Aqaba, Aqaba fault zones, and several transverse faults. The integration of offshore and onshore data confirm the extension of these faults along both sides of the Gulf of Aqaba. A 3D model of GPR data at one site in Aqaba indicates that the NW-trending transverse faults right laterally offset older than NE-trending faults. The most hazardous fault is the Evrona fault which extends north to the Tabs Sabkha. A geographic information system (GIS) database of the seismic hazard was created in order to facilitate the analyzing, manipulation, and updating of the input parameters. Liquefaction potential maps were created for the region based on analysis of borehole data. The liquefaction map shows high and moderate liquefaction susceptibility zones along the northern coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. In Aqaba several hotels are located within a high and moderate liquefaction zones. The Yacht Club, Aqaba, Ayla archaeological site, and a part of commercial area are also situated in a risk area. A part of residential site of the Saraya Development and the southern part of Ayla Oasis Development project area are located within a high susceptibility zone In Elat, the seaport and most hotels are located within a high susceptibility zone. Fortunately most residence areas, schools, and hospitals in both cities are located within zones not susceptible to liquefaction. A setback, or no build zone, is delineated around active faults to allow a suitable level of conservatism or factor of safety, residential, hotels, commercial buildings, schools, and other facilities are located inside this buffer in Aqaba area. These data will help planners, engineer instructions within the rapidly developing the northern Gulf of Aqaba.

Spread, establishment & prevalence of dengue vector Aedes aegypti (L.) in Konkan region, Maharashtra, India.

PubMed

Fulmali, P V; Walimbe, A; Mahadev, P V M

2008-06-01

Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) was surveyed in the residential biotopes of Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Raigadh districts, Maharashtra State during dry (January-May & November- December) and wet (June-October) months in 2002 to update information on its distribution, to analyse post invasion establishment, and to study its prevalence. The survey was designed to unfold Ae. aegypti distributions at landscape, habitat and micro-habitat levels. Risks of distribution and establishment due to differences amongst settlements, households and habitat attributes were analysed by univariate and multivariate methods. Demographic/transport changes were surveyed for its breeding refugia during dry months and prevalence during the wet seasons. Chi square tests for difference and relative risks of container types were applied to assess container habitats preferences for Ae. aegypti breeding, thus contributing to the risk of establishment and prevalence through seasons. Ae. aegypti was present in 16 out of total 28 settlements in dry season and 22 of 25 in wet season; the Breteau index (BI) varied from 1.25 to 57.33 and the container index (CI) was 0.6 to 25.81 in the dry season and BI from 1.25 to 110-00 and CI - 0.2 to 11.37 in the wet season, respectively. At macro-level, rural settlements and ports showed higher odds ratios (OR>1) for presence of Ae. aegypti. At meso-level, OR were 65.8, 24.8 and 4.9 for Ae. aegypti breeding in compact houses, clustered housing and in houses with tap water source respectively. At micro-level the plastic drums and small plastic containers were the important key habitats of its breeding. In the non-residential areas Ae. aegypti breeding was noted in one port during dry season; 10-road transport tyre dumps and scrap, 5 of 7 seaports and none of the two railway station areas during wet season. At macro-geographic level Ae. aegypti distribution increased in 3 settlements, new establishment was seen in 7, new records in ten settlements and two were negative in past and present surveys. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the distribution was found to be more associated with ports and rural areas. At meso-geographic level the house aggregations and household drinking water supplies were of risk even at lower urbanization and rural levels. At micro-level, the site and potability were confounders; outdoor non potable water storage containers posed significant breeding risk, the potable water storage was significant but it contributed little to Ae. aegypti breeding. Further, Ae. aegypti breeding showed high preference to the plastic drums and other plastic miscellany. The results signified an expansion in the risk area of diseases borne by it in the context of urbanization, transport development and changing habitats.

Combining ground penetrating radar and electromagnetic induction for industrial site characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van De Vijver, Ellen; Van Meirvenne, Marc; Saey, Timothy; De Smedt, Philippe; Delefortrie, Samuël; Seuntjens, Piet

2014-05-01

Industrial sites pose specific challenges to the conventional way of characterizing soil and groundwater properties through borehole drilling and well monitoring. The subsurface of old industrial sites typically exhibits a large heterogeneity resulting from various anthropogenic interventions, such as the dumping of construction and demolition debris and industrial waste. Also larger buried structures such as foundations, utility infrastructure and underground storage tanks are frequently present. Spills and leaks from industrial activities and leaching of buried waste may have caused additional soil and groundwater contamination. Trying to characterize such a spatially heterogeneous medium with a limited number of localized observations is often problematic. The deployment of mobile proximal soil sensors may be a useful tool to fill up the gaps in between the conventional observations, as these enable measuring soil properties in a non-destructive way. However, because the output of most soil sensors is affected by more than one soil property, the application of only one sensor is generally insufficient to discriminate between all contributing factors. To test a multi-sensor approach, we selected a study area which was part of a former manufactured gas plant site located in one of the seaport areas of Belgium. It has a surface area of 3400 m² and was the location of a phosphate production unit that was demolished at the end of the 1980s. Considering the long and complex history of the site we expected to find a typical "industrial" soil. Furthermore, the studied area was located between buildings of the present industry, entailing additional practical challenges such as the presence of active utilities and aboveground obstacles. The area was surveyed using two proximal soil sensors based on two different geophysical methods: ground penetrating radar (GPR), to image contrasts in dielectric permittivity, and electromagnetic induction (EMI), to measure the apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) and magnetic susceptibility (MSa). For both methods one of the latest-generation instruments was used. GPR data were collected using a 3d-Radar stepped-frequency system with multi-channel antenna design. For EMI, this was the multi-receiver DUALEM-21S sensor. This sensor contains four different transmitter-receiver coil pair configurations, which allows to record the ECa and MSa for four different soil volumes at the same time, thereby providing information about the vertical variation of these soil properties. Both the EMI and GPR survey were performed in a mobile set-up with real-time georeferencing to obtain a high-resolution coverage of the area. The results of both surveys were validated with conventional site characterization that was conducted for a soil contamination investigation, and ancillary information such as aerial photographs and utility maps. Both methods were compared on their performance in detecting different types of anomalies. We report on the successes and failures with this multi-sensor approach. The authors acknowledge funding by COST Action TU1208 "Civil Engineering Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar"

Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes polynesiensis Marks (Diptera: Culicidae) in Moorea, French Polynesia: a study of adult population structures and pathogen (Wuchereria bancrofti and Dirofilaria immitis) infection rates to indicate regional and seasonal epidemiological risk for dengue and filariasis.

PubMed

Russell, Richard C; Webb, Cameron E; Davies, Neil

2005-11-01

Populations of Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes polynesiensis (Marks) on Moorea Island, French Polynesia, the local vectors of dengue and filariasis, respectively, were sampled by landing/biting collection at nine localities on the east, north, and west coasts, during the late dry season, early and late wet season (September-May) 2003 and 2004, to investigate epidemiologically important features of the populations and compare them between regions and months. Biting rates of both species tended to increase (but not always significantly) for each species in each region each month from the late dry season to the late wet season, and the north coast region had significantly higher biting rates of Ae. aegypti. Insemination rates of Ae. polynesiensis females (94.5-98.8%) were consistently greater than those of Ae. aegypti (87.5-93.5%) throughout the study, but there was no significant difference in the insemination rates of either species between months and regions. Parity rates were generally highest in north coast samples and lowest in west coast samples for both species and generally increased (albeit not always significantly) by month for each species, with a range of 52.9-88.8% for Ae. polynesiensis and 28.6-53.6% for Ae. aegypti, although the high gravid rate (15.8-45.9%) of Ae. aegypti samples (reflecting its feeding more than once in a gonotrophic cycle) confounded both intraspecific and interspecific comparisons. Filarial infection was rare in Ae. aegypti, although both W. bancrofti and D. immitis were recorded, and infection rates in Ae. polynesiensis increased through the study period in each region for both filarias, with up to 4.6% infected and 1.4% infective for W. bancrofti and up to 6.3% infected and 2.5% infective for D. immitis. For W. bancrofti, infection rates were significantly lower on the west coast and also in the dry season, whereas rates for infective stages were significantly greater in the late wet season. For D. immitis there was no significant difference in infection rates between regions, but rates were significantly greater in the late wet season. Rainfall in all months sustains populations of both vectors and explains the relatively few significant differences between seasons; however, the wet season may provide for increased vector abundance and longevity, and present a potentially increased risk for transmission. Although the differences shown between regions also were limited in a statistical sense, there were increased risks for the northern and eastern regions, where both locals and tourists are concentrated and where the seaports and airport are located, and these areas should be priority targets for disease surveillance and vector control.

Non-destructive automated sampling of mycotoxins in bulk food and feed - A new tool for required harmonization.

PubMed

Spanjer, M; Stroka, J; Patel, S; Buechler, S; Pittet, A; Barel, S

2001-06-01

Mycotoxins contamination is highly non-uniformly distributed as is well recog-nized by the EC, by not only setting legal limits in a series of commodities, but also schedule a sampling plan that takes this heterogeneity into account. In practice however, it turns out that it is very difficult to carry out this sampling plan in a harmonised way. Applying the sampling plan to a container filled with pallets of bags (i.e. with nuts or coffee beans) varies from very laborious to almost impossible. The presented non-destructive automated method to sample bulk food could help to overcome these practical problems and to enforcing of EC directives. It is derived from a tested and approved technology for detection of illicit substances in security applications. It has capability to collect and iden-tify ultra trace contaminants, i.e. from a fingerprint of chemical substance in a bulk of goods, a cargo pallet load (~ 1000 kg) with boxes and commodities.The technology, patented for explosives detection, uses physical and chemistry processes for excitation and remote rapid enhanced release of contaminant residues, vapours and particulate, of the inner/outer surfaces of inspected bulk and collect them on selective probes. The process is automated, takes only 10 minutes, is non-destructive and the bulk itself remains unharmed. The system design is based on applicable international regulations for shipped cargo hand-ling and transportation by road, sea and air. After this process the pallet can be loaded on a truck, ship or plane. Analysis can be carried out before the cargo leaves the place of shipping. The potent application of this technology for myco-toxins detection, has been demonstrated by preliminary feasibility experiments. Aflatoxins were detected in pistachios and ochratoxin A in green coffee beans bulk. Both commodities were naturally contaminated, priory found and confirm-ed by common methods as used at routine inspections. Once the contaminants are extracted from a bulk shipment, an appropriate existing analytical method, i.e. a CEN method, can be used to measure the mycotoxins.The system, routinely in use for explosives detection, was able to screen bulk food and feed for mycotoxins, through non-destructive automated sampling of a whole batch/lot/sublot of commodities. The opportunity to sample a whole bulk would provide more effective tools for inspection at seaports, production facili-ties and distri-bution points. It will advance the current process of myco-toxins check because: (i) Checks will be automated and harmonized, (ii) Checks will be non-destructive, (iii) Checks will be faster and allow a greater amount of bulk commodities to be inspected and (iv) The ability to check, with automated equipment, larger portions of lots of a shipment will increase the probability to detect the heterogeneous mycotoxins contamination in bulk foods. The poster provides some results of feasibility experiments indicating the capability of this technology for inspection of commodities bulks for the detection of mycotoxins, at legal limits, in naturally contaminated food.

Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian transport of large debris by tsunamis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conde, Daniel A. S.; Ferreira, Rui M. L.; Sousa Oliveira, Carlos

2016-04-01

Tsunamis are notorious for the large disruption they can cause on coastal environments, not only due to the imparted momentum of the incoming wave but also due to its capacity to transport large quantities of solid debris, either from natural or human-made sources, over great distances. A 2DH numerical model under development at CERIS-IST (Ferreira et al., 2009; Conde, 2013) - STAV2D - capable of simulating solid transport in both Eulerian and Lagrangian paradigms will be used to assess the relevance of Lagrangian-Eulerian coupling when modelling the transport of solid debris by tsunamis. The model has been previously validated and applied to tsunami scenarios (Conde, 2013), being well-suited for overland tsunami propagation and capable of handling morphodynamic changes in estuaries and seashores. The discretization scheme is an explicit Finite Volume technique employing flux-vector splitting and a reviewed Roe-Riemann solver. Source term formulations are employed in a semi-implicit way, including the two-way coupling of the Lagrangian and Eulerian solvers by means of conservative mass and momentum transfers between fluid and solid phases. The model was applied to Sines Port, a major commercial port in Portugal, where two tsunamigenic scenarios are considered: an 8.5 Mw scenario, consistent with the Great Lisbon Earthquake and Tsunami of the 1st November 1755 (Baptista, 2009), and an hypothetical 9.5 Mw worst-case scenario based on the same historical event. Open-ocean propagation of these scenarios were simulated with GeoClaw model from ClawPack (Leveque, 2011). Following previous efforts on the modelling of debris transport by tsunamis in seaports (Conde, 2015), this work discusses the sensitivity of the obtained results with respect to the phenomenological detail of the employed Eulerian-Lagrangian formulation and the resolution of the mesh used in the Eulerian solver. The results have shown that the fluid to debris mass ratio is the key parameter regarding the conservativeness of the model. This way, in highly resolved meshes and high quantities of debris, the model approaches full conservativeness only if the two-way coupling feature is present, an effect that is attenuated in coarse meshes or with small debris quantities. Aknownledgements: This work was partially funded by FEDER, program COMPETE, and by national funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) with project RECI/ECM-HID/0371/2012. References: Baptista M.A. & Miranda, J.M. (2009) Revision of the Portuguese catalog of tsunamis. Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 9, 25-42. Conde, D. A. S.; Baptista, M. A. V.; Sousa Oliveira, C. & Ferreira, R. M. L. (2013) A shallow-flow model for the propagation of tsunamis over complex geometries and mobile beds, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 13, 2533-2542. Conde, D. A. S.; Baptista, M. A. V.; Sousa Oliveira, C. & Ferreira, R. M. L. (2015) Mathematical modelling of tsunami impacts on critical infrastructures: exposure and severity associated with debris transport at Sines port. EGU General Assembly 2015, Vienna, Austria. Ferreira, R. M. L.; Franca, M. J.; Leal, J. G. & Cardoso, A. H. (2009) Mathematical modelling of shallow flows: Closure models drawn from grain-scale mechanics of sediment transport and flow hydrodynamics, Can. J. Civil. Eng., 36, 1604-1621. LeVeque, R. J., George, D. L., & Berger, M. J. (2011) Tsunami modelling with adaptively refined finite volume methods, Acta Numerica, pp. 211-289.

Climatic Action Plan Project for the state of Veracruz (Mexico)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tejeda, A.; Ochoa, C.

2007-05-01

With financing of the British Government and support of the National Institute of Ecology, from April of 2006 to March of 2008 an action plan which intends variability effects and climatic change for the state of Veracruz will be made. This plan will be taken to the state government and will be spread out to manufacturers, industrialists and population. Throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the state of Veracruz is a 745 km coast in length with a width that goes from 156 km in the center to 47 km in the north. The state has large mountains, forests, plains, rivers, cascades, lagoons and coasts. Veracruz is the 10th largest state in Mexico with a 72,420 km2 surface, it is located between 17°00' and 22°28' north latitude and between 93°95' and 98°38' west longitude. Because of the orographic effect, the Sierra Madre Oriental causes the existence of many types of climate, from dry to tropical forest, going through snow on the top of the Pico de Orizaba (5747m of altitude). The wind affects the coasts by not allowing to fish during a hundred days a year (particularly in winter), and on summer tropical waves and occasionally hurricanes affect rivers causing overflow and urban floods in fields. These phenomena do not have a regular affectation; they are subject to climate variability effects. Veracruz is the third state with most population in the country (7.1 million people in 2005), only surpassed by the state of Mexico and Mexico City. Although it occupies 3.7% of the national territory, Veracruz has 6.9% of human population in the country, and is the 6th state of PIB national contribution (240 thousands of millions pesos approximately). Of the possible effects of the climatic change the following can be expected: , , : Most of the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico, low and sandy, less of a meter on the sea level, represent the most vulnerable territory of Veracruz. Towns will be affected, the saline water will infiltrate until the phreatic mantles and the coast electrical power stations (Tuxpan and Laguna Verde) will be affected directly if they're still operating within half century. The lagoons of Alvarado and Tamiahua will be part of the sea. In heavy numbers, more than six hundred kilometers of beaches will be lost (and, of course, good part of the tourist infrastructure including Costa Esmeralda and Veracruz Boca del Río), along with more than two hundred kilometers of routes and around twenty kilometers of seaports. More than three thousand urban hectares will become floodable as two hundred thousand fields and agriculture. Because of all this, a study is proposed that considers a revision of the state's variability and climatic change in Veracruz; an inventory of GEI emissions and its respective scenes; data bases with quality control and analysis of climatic variability; regional climatic scenes (years 2025, 2050 and 2075), and scenes of vulnerability and adaptation measures, mitigation in coast affectations and coastal infrastructure, water availability, biodiversity, agriculture, human establishments and energy consumption by air conditioning of houses. Approaches of the study will be discussed and advances during the first semester of the project will appear in this presentation.

Ecological systems and the water resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leopold, Luna Bergere

1960-01-01

In ancient Sparta there were two principal classes of society, the citizen and the helot. The citizen was trained principally to be a warrior. The helot, a serf, was the tiller of the land but could be called to military duty. The history of Herodotus makes it amply clear that making war was the biggest business of the times. Because the Spartans were always marching off to war with someone, they found the landbound position of their city, located as its is in a small central basin nearly surrounded by mountains, somewhat of a disadvantage. When they were under attack, of course, this situation was a favorable one inasmuch as a seaborne enemy had to march inland to come to grips with the Lacedaemonians. The relatively small size of the independent states meant that the Spartans had no direct access through their own lands to the sea.There is evidence that the Spartans reached an agreement with surrounding states concerning a free corridor. There would be maintained by all the Grecian states of the Peloponnesus an access route stretching essentially from Sparta to Corinth, through which a marching army could have access to a seaport. As a secondary benefit, this no man's land, which in our western lingo might be called a stock driveway, allowed merchants and their caravans to move freely between the flourishing trading port of Corinth and the inland cities to the south and west.Apparently one portion of the agreement between the states with regard to the use of this access zone was that there should be no permanent agricultural or grazing in the driveway. As a result, through several centuries B.C. during which there was high population density in the Aegean area, one strip of land was exempted from the pressures of grazing, lumbering, and agriculture which characterized most of the rest of the landscape. Today this driveway maintains a forest cover. In contrast, mountainsides nearby with an even larger annual rainfall support hardly a tree.It is not entirely apparent why subsequent centuries did not see this area denuded. Even with the scanty details known to me it seems clear that the peculiar history of this one area potentially offers us a greater insight into some aspects of forest and land conditions of classical times than extant written records. The several references to sources of timber and cutting of forests contained in the vivid chronicle of Herodotus are valuable, but they lack species identification for the most part. Though rich in human understanding and psychological insight, his history strongly resembles the travel sagas of the Spanish Conquistadors of our Southwest, who had no real eye for "country." Even a careful reading of the works of early travelers such as Coronado, Garces, and Espejo, gives no picture of the nature of the country, its vegetation, or its rivers.To describe a biota there is no substitute for a sample. It is logical to ask what one might want to know which would require the preservation of a sample. Whether such a question is asked at all is a reflection on the stage of intellectual maturity of a civilization. We take for granted that there is social gain in the erection and maintenance of a museum of fine arts, a museum of natural history, or a historical museum. Sooner or later we should be mature enough to extend this concept to include a "museum" consisting of samples of land types as nearly as possible unaffected by man.

Study of settlement distribution pattern in the Kolkheti lowland (Black Sea coast of Georgia) starting from early Bronze Age - natural and human influence and adaptation to landscape evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elashvili, Mikheil; Akhvlediani, Dimitri; Navrozashvili, Levan; Sukhishvili, Lasha; Kirkitadze, Giorgi; Kelterbaum, Daniel; Laermans, Hannes

2015-04-01

During the past decades the question of a changing environment/nature became crucial. Actually we are trying to understand its nature or to predict future changes and their possible effects represent the main goals of many interdisciplinary studies. Therefore, the study of paleoenvironmental changes delivers key information for a better understanding of the whole process and especially the influence of these changes on human society. The selected research topic is dictated by the fact that the Colchis lowland played an important role in the history of old societies (countries and empires). Especially the interaction between developing human societies under the pressure of a changing environment are most interesting in this context. The Kolkheti valley and the Black Sea shore represent a region involved in many global historical events, starting from the Myth of Argonauts and followed by the ancient greek colonization, the Kingdom of Pontus ending at the Roman and Byzantine empires. River Phasis (present Rioni) was an important segment in trade way between the Mediterranean and India and the East in general. In addition it is the area of the "lost or vanished" city of Phasis, an ancient and early medieval city, founded in the 7th or 6th century BC as a colony of the Milesian Greeks at the mouth of the river Phasis, near the modern-day seaport Poti. Considering the local history of Georgia, this is the area of formation of the Kolkhys (Colchis) culture in late bronze-early iron periods, forming Colchis and later on the Lazika kingdoms. It is important to note that the archaeology and geomorphology of the seashore of Georgia is rather scarcely studied (mainly in the 1970s during soviet era). It is quite clear that the history of the region will not be deciphered without the reconstruction of the paleo and historical environment. The study based on an ongoing collaboration between the University of Cologne and the Ilia State University. Actually, geomorphological and archaeological datasets are collected in the joint-venture project and in addition with known historical and old topographic maps of the region they represent a good start for the research. There are typical ancient settlements in the Kolkheti lowland, called locally "Dikhagudzuba", which are still identifiable on aerial imagery. Their structure, physical dimensions and locations were analyzed from aerial and on site studies. Data from existing archaeological studies and recent field works were analyzed to create a reliable database on the distribution of Bronze Age settlements. Changes in paleoclimate, sea level and river deltas represent the main components to form a paleolandscape of the study area. Based on the results of recent fieldwork and the analyses of regional historical maps in addition with the general geological and geomorphological settings paleogeographical scenarios were constructed. Proposed models of past landscape changes and human settlement pattern were merged and analyzed. From one hand the human settlement distribution (taking into account tells relation with the local landscape of the same period) help us to identify the best suitable scenario from the set of paleolandscape patterns. Moreover, paleogeographical scenarios provide a better understanding on the erection of human settlements in the past, and their influence and adaptation to ongoing changes.

Performance of an RPM based on Gd-lined plastic scintillator for neutron and gamma detection [ANIMMA--2015-IO-372

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fanchini, Erica

A Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) was developed by the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) and Ansaldo Nucleare (ANN) within the FP7 SCINTILLA European project. The system was designed to detect both gamma and neutron radiation with a single technology. It is conceived to monitor vehicle and cargo containers in transits across borders or ports, to find radioactive elements and to avoid illegal trafficking of strategic nuclear materials. The system is based on a {sup 3}He-free neutron detection technology using plastic scintillators coupled to Gadolinium to detect and discriminate gamma from neutron signals. During the 3 years of the SCINTILLAmore » project the construction and test of the first two prototypes drove the definition of the final layout of a full RPM system consisting of two twin pillars as a portal for vehicle and cargo container scan. A custom System Control Software (SCS) manages the electronics of the RPM, the ancillary devices and the data analysis. The combination of the detector layout and of the software functionalities enables both to distinguish neutrons and gammas and to identify the energy range of a detected gamma source. The system was initially characterized via static tests with gamma and neutron sources in the INFN laboratory. These measurements were used to calibrate the detector, evaluate the response of the single pillars as well as of the full system, and optimize the RPM configuration and discrimination algorithm. During this phase, specific tests were performed to study the stability over time of the system, monitoring the measured the neutron and gamma count rates over periods of several weeks. The results allow us to demonstrate the reliability and robustness of the RPM. In a second time the RPM performance was studied via dynamic tests performed during the SCINTILLA test and benchmark campaigns. These measurements took place in the JRC ITRAP+10 facility at Ispra (Varese-Italy). The laboratory is equipped with an experimental set-up for dynamic tests of multiple systems according to international standards. The performed measurements utilized radioactive sources with activities selected according to ANSI and IEC standards to test the detector alarm performances in terms of gamma and neutron response, sensitivity to high gamma fields, sensitivity to moderated neutron sources as well as false alarm rates (FAR). In addition, the RPM was tested in challenging configurations exceeding the requirements set by international standards to determine the real limits of the system. The results obtained during these campaigns demonstrated that the system detection efficiency is not only compliant to international standards for its category, but often exceeds them, demonstrating the validity of the chosen technology and of the implemented layout. The positive performance also showed the effectiveness of the SCS and of its functionalities. To further demonstrate the system capabilities, a test in a real-life environment of the RPM is planned to happen in a near future by installing the detectors in a seaport. In this presentation I will give an overview of the RPM characteristics, of its performances as determined in the test campaign mentioned above and of future plans, to demonstrate how this technology can be an effective choice for the realization of {sup 3}He-free RPM detectors. (authors)« less

Seismic and tsunami hazard investigation in Valparaiso in the framework of the project "MAR VASTO"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanelli, F.; Razafindrakoto, H.

2009-04-01

In the framework of the MAR VASTO Project ("Risk Management in Valparaíso/Manejo de Riesgos en Valparaíso"), completed in 2008 and funded by BID/IDB (Banco InterAmericano de Desarrollo/ InterAmerican Development Bank), managed by ENEA (Italian Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Environment), with the participation of Italian and Chilean partners and the support of local stakeholders, the most important hazards have been investigated carried out. Valparaíso represents a distinctive case of growth, inside a remarkable landscape, of an important Pacific Ocean seaport (over the 19th and 20th centuries), up to reaching a strategic importance in shipping trade, declined after the Panama Canal opening (1914). Thus, Valparaíso tells the never-ending story of a tight interaction between society and environment, stratifying different urban and architectonic layers, sometimes struck by disasters and always in danger. Certainly, the city has been subjected to various natural hazards (seismic events, but also tsunamis, landslides, etc.) and anthropic calamities (mainly wild and human-induced fires). These features make Valparaíso a paradigmatic study case about hazard mitigation, and risk factors must be very well evaluated during the restoration phases to be planned in the future. Seismic Hazrad. The major goal is to provide a dataset of synthetic time series representative of the potential ground motion at the bedrock of Valparaiso, especially at selected sites (e.g. the three important churches located in the Valparaiso urban area: La Matriz, San Francisco, Las Hermanitas de la Providencia), for different scenarios; the characteristics of the calculated signals (e.g. amplitude, frequency content and duration of shaking) are determined by the earthquake source process and the wave propagation effects of the path between the source and the site. The synthetic signals, to be used as seismic input in a subsequent engineering analysis, have been produced at a very low cost/benefit ratio taking into account a broad range of source characteristics, path and local (geological and geotechnical) conditions. The realistic modeling of ground motion requires the simultaneous knowledge of the geotechnical, lithological, geophysical parameters and topography of the medium, on one side, and tectonic, historical, paleoseismological, seismotectonic models, on the other, for the best possible definition of the probable seismic source. Many parametric studies of the ground motion have been performed, taking into account the variations due to the choice of the focal mechanism parameters, the geometry of the seismic source and the rupture process. Tsunami Hazard. The Chilean coast is currently exposed to the effects of near and far field tsunamis generated in the Pacific Ocean. For instance, the catastrophic events of the last century, 1868 and 1877, overwhelmed the coast of the northern region of the country. This historic situation has contributed to an awareness of the risk involved and therefore to the development of research on the subject in Chile. The organisation in charge of detecting and issuing the warning is the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy (SHOA). The SHOA report has been used as the reference document for the tsunami hazard assessement for the Valparaiso site and it has been complemented with a) set of parametric studies about the tsunamigenic potential of the 1985 and 1906 scenario earthquakes; b) analytical modelling of tsunami waveforms for different scenarios, in order to provide a complementary dataset to be used for the tsunami hazard assessment at Valparaiso. Using as a base of knowledge the inundation map provided by SHOA associated to the 1906 event, an upper bound of the multiplication factor for the tsunami hazard associated to be used for the different scenarios has been obtained.

Ground water in folded Cretaceous sandstone of the Bhachau area, Kutch, India, with reference to the Kandla Port water supply

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, George C.; Osa, H.M.; Mitra, A.; Sen, B.N.

1964-01-01

This report is based on an investigation of the availability of ground-water supplies in the Bhachau area for the nearby Kandla Port and township development undertaken by the Government of India. This seaport lies on an estuary of the Gulf of Kutch in western India and in the eastern part of the State of Kutch. The fieldwork on the investigation was carried on from November 1952 through April 1953 with continuing hydrologic observations through 1954-55. The fieldwork included: geologic mapping and delimitation of the principal aquifers of the region; preparation of water-table maps; a detailed inventory of existing wells and springs; observations of significant water table fluctuations; preparation of isobicarb, isochlor and isosulf maps to show the areal distribution of ground-water salinity. The Bhachau area includes about 116 square miles in eastern Kutch and lies in a belt of semiarid low-latitude steppes. The mean annual rainfall is about 15 inches, most of which falls from late June to late September during the southwest monsoon. The area includes a central sandy upland ranging from about 100 to 250 feet above sea level ; a northern lowland of between about 50 to 125 feet altitude that slopes north to the Great Rann of Kutch; a belt of low buttes and discontinuous ridges ranging from about 200 to 275 feet above sea level; and southern lowland which slopes in a southerly to southeasterly direction from an altitude of about 125 feet to 25 feet or less near the Gulf of Kutch. The principal streams are Kageshwar Vokra and Kara Vokra which drain north to the Great Rann and Kotwala Vokra and Dalwala Vokra which drain south toward the Gulf of Kutch. The rocks of the Bhachau area include nonmarine and marine sediments of Mesozoic, Tertiary, and Quaternary age and volcanic rocks of late Mesozoic to early Tertiary age. The oldest rocks in the area are medium- to coarse-grained white to buff current-bedded friable sandstone with occasional partings of white silty shale of the Upper Bhuj series that has been assigned to the Early Cretaceous. The soft friable sandstone of the Upper Bhuj series constitutes the most productive ground-water reservoir in the Bhachau area. At present (1955) there are nine irrigated tracts for which water is obtained from dug wells less than 90 feet deep in the Upper Bhuj. These wells are worked by bullocks and 'motes' (leather bags) at withdrawal rates ranging from about 6,000 to 24,000imperial gallons per day; however, many existing individual wells if equipped with mechanical pumps are capable of yielding 100,000 gallons per day. The Deccan trap of Late Cretaceous to Eocene age occurs in a sequence of basaltic lava flows in the Bhachau area, but trap dikes, sills and plugs that are common in other parts of Kutch have not been observed in the area. Laterite of probable Eocene age is extensive at the top of the Deccan trap, and in places where the lava flows are thin the parent rock has been almost completely lateritized. The Deccan lava flows or the laterite, where the trap is absent, rest disconformably on the Upper Bhuj. No wells have been observed in the Deccan trap of the Bhachau area, but it is possible that locally small supplies of good water may be obtained from these rocks. The Tertiary sediments, which are assigned to the Manchhar series of Pliocene age, generally rest on the laterite or the Deccan trap ; but where both are absent, the Manchhar rests directly on the Upper Bhuj. The Manchhar series includes massive reddish-brown gypseous clay shales, laminated gray siltstones, some limestone, mottled sandstone, and laterite trap gravel. Only meager supplies of brackish water are obtained from wells in these sediments. Along the channels of Kotwala, Dalwala, Kageshwar, and Kara Vokras are narrow bands of unconsolidated coarse sand with fine gravel of Quaternary age. No wells were observed in these deposits, but it is possible that locally they may contain small supplies of bracki

Sustainable urban development and geophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Lanbo; Chan, L. S.

2007-09-01

The new millennium has seen a fresh wave of world economic development especially in the Asian-Pacific region. This has contributed to further rapid urban expansion, creating shortages of energy and resources, degradation of the environment, and changes to climatic patterns. Large-scale, new urbanization is mostly seen in developing countries but urban sprawl is also a major social problem for developed nations. Urbanization has been accelerating at a tremendous rate. According to data collected by the United Nations [1], 50 years ago less than 30% of the world population lived in cities. Now, more than 50% are living in urban settings which occupy only about 1% of the Earth's surface. During the period from 1950 to 1995, the number of cities with a population higher than one million increased from 83 to 325. By 2025 it is estimated that more than 60% of 8.3 billion people (the projected world population [1]) will be city dwellers. Urbanization and urban sprawl can affect our living quality both positively and negatively. In recent years geophysics has found significant and new applications in highly urbanized settings. Such applications are conducive to the understanding of the changes and impacts on the physical environment and play a role in developing sustainable urban infrastructure systems. We would like to refer to this field of study as 'urban geophysics'. Urban geophysics is not simply the application of geophysical exploration in the cities. Urbanization has brought about major changes to the geophysical fields of cities, including those associated with electricity, magnetism, electromagnetism and heat. An example is the increased use of electromagnetic waves in wireless communication, transportation, office automation, and computer equipment. How such an increased intensity of electromagnetic radiation affects the behaviour of charged particles in the atmosphere, the equilibrium of ecological systems, or human health, are new research frontiers to be investigated [2]. The first objective of urban geophysics is to study systematically the geophysical fields in cities, searching for principles and processes governing the intensity and patterns of variation of the geophysical properties, as well as the potential consequences on the biosphere. Secondly, geophysics has already been found to be a useful tool for subsurface detection and investigation, hazard mitigation, and assessment of environmental contamination. Geophysicists have documented numerous cases of successful applications of geophysical techniques to solve problems related to hazard mitigation, safeguarding of lifeline infrastructure and urban gateways (air- and sea-ports, railway and highway terminals), archaeological and heritage surveys, homeland security, urban noise control, water supplies, sanitation and solid waste management etc. In contrast to conventional geophysical exploration, the undertaking of geophysical surveys in an urban setting faces many new challenges and difficulties. First of all, the ambient cultural noise in cities caused by traffic, electromagnetic radiation and electrical currents often produce undesirably strong interference with geophysical measurements. Secondly, subsurface surveys in an urban area are often targeted at the uppermost several metres of the ground, which are the most heterogeneous layers with many man-made objects. Thirdly, unlike conventional geophysical exploration which requires resolution in the order of metres, many urban geophysical surveys demand a resolution and precision in the order of centimetres or even millimetres. Finally restricted site access and limited time for conducting geophysical surveys, regulatory constraints, requirements for traffic management and special logistical arrangements impose additional difficulties. All of these factors point to the need for developing innovative research methods and geophysical instruments suitable for use in urban settings. This special issue on 'Sustainable urban development and geophysics' in Journal of Geophysics and Engineering is a response to the call for the development of novel geophysical techniques especially applicable to city settings. It consists of 11 papers which are selected and expanded from a collection of papers presented to the special sessions on 'Sustainable Urban Development and Geophysics' (U14A, U15A, and U41B) in the Union section of the Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting held in Beijing, China, on 22-27 July 2006 [3]. This indicates that new and innovative geophysical applications in urban settings have emerged, and these innovations may be potentially useful for the planning, implementation, and maintenance of urban infrastructure systems. These 11 research papers can be divided into three groups: (1) geophysics and urban infrastructure; (2) geophysics and urban environment; and (3) geophysical investigations associated with geological hazards. The first group of papers focuses on urban infrastructure. Fred Stumm et al reported a geohydrologic assessment of fractured crystalline bedrock with borehole radar in Manhattan, New York in preparation for the construction of a new water tunnel. Using GPR, Xie et al conducted a quality control study of the walls of the river-crossing highway tunnel in Shanghai. For the same purpose, S Liu et al investigated the effect of concrete cracks on GPR signatures using a numerical simulation technique. Sun et al, using seismic surface waves, investigated road beds and the degree of weathering of the marble fence in the Forbidden City, Beijing. In the second group of papers, using a numerical simulation technique, L Liu et al studied the effect of a building coordinate error on sound wave propagation with the aim of locating sound sources in urban settings. Chan et al studied the abundance of radio elements in weathered igneous bedrock in Hong Kong for the purpose of the promotion of public health in the urban environment. The third group includes five papers on geo-hazards. The three papers by B Zhao et al and Z Zhao et al address the problem of earthquake strong ground motion in urban regions using case studies from Osaka, Japan and the city of Yinchuan, China. The other two papers study the geological hazard of surface subsidence using geophysical tools: G Leucci reported a comprehensive study in Nardo, Italy, while Kim et al reported a similar case study for a small city in South Korea. One striking feature of all the papers in this special issue is that multiple authors with at least 3 co-authors wrote the majority of the papers, which is an indication of strong team work and interdisciplinary collaboration. This is essential for the successful application of geophysical science and technology in tackling a variety of engineering and environmental problems for the urban setting. The only sole author, Dr Leucci, expressed deep gratitude in his acknowledgements to his team members who carried out substantial parts of the data acquisition. We are pleased to present this special issue to the engineering and environmental geophysics community and hope that it can serve as a snapshot of the current state-of-the-art studies in urban geophysics. References [1] United Nations 1990 World Demographic Estimates and Projections (1950-2025) (New York: Press of United Nations) [2] Chen Y, L-S Chan and S Yu 2003 J. Geodesy & Geodynamics 23 1-4 (in Chinese) [3] American Geophysics Union 2006 Eos Trans. AGU 87 (36)