Management gaps analysis: a case study of groundwater resource management in New Zealand

The primary objective of this project is to identify gaps, whether real or perceived, that hinder effective groundwater management in New Zealand. These gaps show as gaps in information, gaps in implementation, gaps in technological and management tools, and gaps in understanding of fundamental processes. The secondary objective is to propose a management strategy to close the identified gaps. Several methods are used to meet these objectives: surveys distributed to selected staff in each regional council; the review of various written reports; the analysis of land-use databases; and private consultation within each regional council. Results show that groundwater management in New Zealand is generally reactionary with the main gaps being in strategic planning and national guidelines. Most gaps appear to be predominantly information and implementation issues. In some cases there are gaps in the understanding of fundamental processes within an aquifer system, including the long-term effects of land-use on groundwater quality. An adaptive management approach is suggested as a means of closing these gaps.     

AK-5 tumor-induced expression of interleukin-12: role of IL-12 in NK-mediated AK-5 regression

Spontaneous regression of AK-5, a histiocytic tumor, is mediated by CD3-, CD8+ NK cells through ADCC. The onset of AK-5 regression is associated with the induction of humoral immune response and the augmentation of effector function. The mechanism of tumor cell death involves both necrosis and apoptosis. Interleukin-12, a 75-kDa heterodimeric cytokine, has multiple effects on T and NK cells. We have investigated the role of IL-12 in the NK cell-mediated AK-5 tumor regression process. Subcutaneous transplantation of AK-5 tumor induced the expression of IL-12 (p35 and p40) message by Day 6-8 in the splenocytes of syngenic rats. Similarly, analysis of serum samples from tumor-bearing animals showed the presence of circulating IL-12 around the same time. Interaction of immune cells with antibody-tagged AK-5 cells in vitro also triggered the expression of IL-12 message and protein by 3 hr. The circulating IL-12 in the sera of tumor-rejecting animals, as well as rIL-12, stimulated NK cell proliferation, expression of CD16 and CD25, and the activation of NK cells function. These observations suggest that the ability of the AK-5 tumor to induce the endogenous production of IL-12 may be responsible for keeping the NK cells constantly in an activated state, thus demonstrating an efficient mechanism for the complete regression of the tumor.     

Surface tension-powered self-assembly of microstructures - the state-of-the-art

Because of the low dimensional power of its force scaling law, surface tension is appropriate for carrying out reshaping and assembly in the microstructure size domain. This paper reviews work on surface tension powered self-assembly of microstructures. The existing theoretical approaches for rotational assembly are unified. The demonstrated fabrication processes are compared. Mechanisms for accurately determining the assembled shape are discussed, and the limits on accuracy and structural distortion are considered. Applications in optics, electronics and mechanics are described. More complex operations (including the combination of self-assembly and self-organization) are also reviewed.     

A robust mixed integer linear programming framework for underground cut-and-fill mining production scheduling

ABSTRACT

A review of general optimization studies that have been proposed for underground mining shows that previous works lack flexibility, operability and practicality in relation to cut-and-fill mining production scheduling. This paper presents a robust mixed integer linear programming (MILP) formulation for underground cut-and-fill mining. The objective function of the model is to maximize the net present value (NPV) of the operation while meeting all mining and processing operational and technical constraints. The MILP model features stope development and extraction sequencing constraints, mining and processing tonnage fluctuation constraints, and extraction duration and active levels control constraints. These features make the model more practical and expandable. The MILP model is verified and validated with two case studies from an existing mine and the results are compared with the actual mining strategy. The comparison shows a 9% to 17% improved NPV in both case studies resulting from mining higher grades and processing less tonnes thereby generating a better cash flow.     

Automated extraction of regular spot arrays from electron diffraction images*

In order to analyse agglomerate particles, we have developed a computer method that automates the analysis of spots in electron diffraction patterns. The method isolates the zone axis diffraction pattern in a polycrystalline diffraction image by isolating the spots from other features of the image and then by selecting the spots that belong to a regular array. The method gives the basis vectors for the array which can then be used to identify the particle by comparison with standard diffraction data.     

The Social News Gap: How News Reading and News Sharing Diverge

This article seeks to explain variation in news sharing patterns on social media. It finds that news editors have considerable power to shape the social media agenda through the use of “story importance cues” but also shows that there are some areas of news reporting (such as those related to crime and disasters) where this power does not apply. This highlights the existence of a social “news gap” where social media filters out certain types of news, producing a social media news agenda which has important differences from its traditional counterpart. The discussion suggests that this may be consequential for perceptions of crime and engagement with politics; it might even stimulate a partial reversal of the tabloidization of news outlets.     

Predicting suspended sediment concentration from nephelometric turbidity in organic‐rich waters

Nephelometric turbidity is an optical index for the side scattering of light caused by fine particles suspended in water. When a mixed composition of suspended inorganic and organic materials, including dissolved organic material, is present, turbidity measurements can be affected by the different optical properties of the organic and inorganic materials present, and different turbidimeters are more or less sensitive to these influences. Two different methods of nephelometric turbidity measurement were assessed (using instruments confirming to two different turbidity standard methods: EPA 180.1 and ISO 7027). We investigated the influence of particulate organic matter and coloured dissolved organic matter on relationships between turbidity and suspended sediment concentration for rivers in diverse Otago catchments, in the South Island of New Zealand. The presence of organic matter and dissolved colour affected turbidity measurement owing to light absorption; however, turbidity measurement following the ISO 7027 standard, which specifies near infrared radiation at wavelengths where organic absorption is very weak, was less affected by organics. As a result, rating equations between suspended sediment and turbidity may be significantly different with ISO 7027 compared with EPA 180.1 methods.     

Electrical and structural properties of GeMoW ohmic contact to an In0.5Ga0.5As cap layer on n-Type GaAs

The results of electrical and structural characterization of a GeMoW ohmic contact to n-type GaAs with a 100Å thick, In_0.5Ga_0.5As cap layer are presented. Electrical characterization demonstrates ohmic behavior over a wide annealing temperature range from 300 to 700°C. A minimum contact resistance of 0.176 Ω-mm was measured after furnace annealing at 500°C. The contact resistance is also insensitive to anneal time at 500°C. Structural characterization using secondary ion mass spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction indicates excess In as a potential cause of increased contact resistance following 700°C annealing.     

Spatial and temporal trends and effects of contaminants in the Canadian Arctic marine ecosystem: a review

Recent studies have added substantially to our knowledge of spatial and temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals in the Canadian Arctic marine ecosystem. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge of contaminants in marine biota in the Canadian Arctic and where possible, discusses biological effects. The geographic coverage of information on contaminants such as persistent organochlorines (OCs) (PCBs, DDT- and chlordane-related compounds, hexachlorocyclohexanes, toxaphene) and heavy metals (mercury, selenium, cadmium, lead) in tissues of marine mammal and sea birds is relatively complete. All major beluga, ringed seal and polar bear stocks along with several major sea bird colonies have been sampled and analysed for OC and heavy metal contaminants. Studies on contaminants in walrus are limited to Foxe Basin and northern Québec stocks, while migratory harp seals have only been studied recently at one location. Contaminant measurements in bearded seal, harbour seal, bowhead whale and killer whale tissues from the Canadian Arctic are very limited or non-existent. Many of the temporal trend data for contaminants in Canadian Arctic biota are confounded by changes in analytical methodology, as well as by variability due to age/size, or to dietary and population shifts. Despite this, studies of OCs in ringed seal blubber at Holman Island and in sea birds at Prince Leopold Island in Lancaster Sound show declining concentrations of PCBs and DDT-related compounds from the 1970s to 1980s then a levelling off during the 1980s and early 1990s. For other OCs, such as chlordane, HCH and toxaphene, limited data for the 1980s to early 1990s suggests few significant declines in concentrations in marine mammals or sea birds. Temporal trend studies of heavy metals in ringed seals and beluga found higher mean concentrations of mercury in more recent (1993/1994) samples than in earlier collections (1981–1984 in eastern Arctic, 1972–1973 in western Arctic) for both species. Rates of accumulation of mercury are also higher in present day animals than 10–20 years ago. Cadmium concentrations in the same animals (eastern Arctic only) showed no change over a 10-year period. No temporal trend data are available for metals in sea birds or polar bears. There have been major advances in knowledge of specific biomarkers in Canadian Arctic biota over the past few years. The species with the most significant risk of exposure to PCBs and OC pesticides may be the polar bear which, based on comparison with EROD activity in other marine mammals (beluga, ringed seal), appears to have elevated CYP1A-mediated activity. The MFO enzyme data for polar bear, beluga and seals suggest that even the relatively low levels of contaminants present in Arctic animals may not be without biological effects, especially during years of poor feeding.