This work aims to explore the impact of side loads, drill-pipe tool-joint (DP-TJ) speed (RPM), and mud type on the austenitic stainless steel SM2535-110 casing wear characteristics. Actual field drill pipe tool joints, casings, and drilling muds are used in this study. The results of the study show that under both types of lubrication, the wear volume increased with radial load and DP-TJ speed. SM2535-110 casing specimens tested under oil-based mud (OBM) lubrication had higher casing wear volumes than those obtained under water-based mud (WBM) lubrication. This unexpected behavior is mainly due to the increase in the surface hardness of the casing specimens tested under WBM. The results also show that the specific wear factor (K) values of specimens tested under WBM are in general 2 to 4 times higher than those obtained under OBM. While K values under WBM increase with both the side load and RPM, those under OBM show a sharp decrease with RPM. This behavior under OBM is due to this lubricant’s higher viscosity and the change of lubrication regime from thin film to thick film lubrication at higher RPM. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the digital microscopic imaging (DMI) of SM235-110 casing specimens show that an aggressive combination of adhesive, abrasive, and plastic deformation was observed under WBM, while the dominant wear mechanism under OBM is abrasive wear.

This study estimates rainfall interception losses from natural wetland ecosystems based on maximum canopy storage measurements. Rainfall interception losses play an important role in water balance, which is crucial in wetlands, and has not yet been thoroughly studied in relation to this type of ecosystem. Maximum canopy storage was measured using the weight method. Based on these measurements, daily values of interception losses were estimated and then used to calculate long term interception losses based on precipitation and potential evapotranspiration data for the 1971–2015 period. Depending mainly on the number of days with precipitation, the results show that total interception losses for the growing season as well as monthly interception losses are around 13% of gross rainfall. This value is similar to the values observed for some forests. Hence, interception losses should not be disregarded in hydrologic models of wetlands, especially because data trends in meteorological conditions (mainly number of days with precipitation) show that interception losses will increase in the future if those trends stay the same.

A series of novel superabsorbent composites of poly(acrylic acid)/semicoke were prepared by polymerization of acrylic acid using ammonium persulphate as initiator, N,N’-methylenebisacrylamide as crosslinker and semicoke which was the by-product of coal carbonizing as the inorganic components. FTIR and SEM analysis indicated that the superabsorbent composites had been successfully polymerized and the semicoke participated into the construction of 3D polymeric network. Meanwhile, the effects of initiator, crosslinker, semicoke, neutralization degree as well as the pH value were investigated, and the results showed that superabsorbent composites containing 10% of semicoke possessed the maximum water absorbency of 584 g/g in distilled water and 75 g/g in 0.9 % NaCl solution. The superabsorbent composites kept the high water absorbency within a wide pH range of 4-11, and still exhibited better re-swelling capability even after seven times. The superabsorbent composite with the excellent performance is a potential water-retaining agent used in the agriculture.

The sustainable management of water scarcity is a global crucial issue. Germany has es- tablished efficient water management systems, but the agricultural sector still struggles with water scarcity as the demand surpasses the available water supply. The primary aim is to establish a framework for making water accessible for irrigation and additional use on households through the effective utilization of recycled water from wastewater treatment facilities. The research inquiries are focused on evaluating the changes in the agricultural irrigation model in CROPWAT, determining the spatial distribution of zonal severity, estimating the capacity of urban roof catchments, and evaluating the reduction volume of efficient water required from the existing wastewater treatment plant supply. According to the findings, the annual amount of water required for agriculture in the designated study location is approximately 2.9 million m3. Although there is no initial need for irrigation water, yet the demand for irrigation water increases during the development, active growth, and mature stages of maize, winter wheat, and wine grapes, reaching around 189mm, 225mm, and 62mm, respectively. According to our observation, the annual water supply in Weinstadt is around 4 million m3. On the other hand, the amount of water calculated from urban roof rainfall is estimated 0.8 million m3, which is considered valuable from an economic standpoint. This economically efficient volume of water would reduce the current treated water supply passes an opportunity for enhanced agricultural irrigation

Knowledge of water availability in terms of spatial (i.e., depth) and temporal variability of soil water is essential to describe soil water infiltration and storage processes accurately. Therefore, performing simulations of soil water dynamics can be a valuable tool to evaluate different land uses and their impact on water availability. Consequently, this study aimed to model the volumetric soil water content (θ, cm3 cm-3) under agroforestry systems (AFS) with cocoa. For this purpose, the θ was monitored at different depths (0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80, 80-100 cm) in the soil profile of four plots (20 × 50 m) of cocoa under agroforestry systems. Environmental conditions significantly influenced the water balance of the cocoa crop. There were seven moments when evapotranspiration (ET0) was higher than 5 mm d-1. During those moments, the environment exhibited higher PAR values of 1041 µmol m-2 s-1, very low atmospheric relative humidity (RHa) levels (around 45%), higher ambient temperatures of 32.2 ºC and a vapor pressure deficit of 1.6 kPa whose θ levels reached 0.32 cm3 cm-3 and a water balance of -5.7 mm, which presented negative values during most of the study period. The θ obtained from the HYDRUS-1D model presented a slight bias as a high level of coherence between the observed values, based on the model's goodness-of-fit estimators. The above provides accurate simulations of soil water content at various depths, much-needed information for management schemes for cocoa cultivation under agroforestry systems.

Current hydrogen production is based on the reforming process leading to the emission of pollutants; therefore, a substitute production method is imminently required. Water electrolysis is an ideal alternative for large-scale hydrogen production, as it does not produce any carbon-based pollutant byproducts. Production of green hydrogen from water electrolysis using intermittent sources (e.g., solar, eolic) would facilitate clean energy storage. However, the electrocatalysts currently required for water electrolysis are noble metals, making this potential option expensive and inaccessible for industrial applications. Therefore, there is a need to develop electrocatalysts based on earth-abundant and low-cost metals. Nickel-based electrocatalysts are a fitting alternative because they are economically accessible. Extensive research has focused on developing nickel-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution. Theoretical and experimental work have addressed the elucidation of these electrochemical processes and the role of heteroatoms, structure, and morphology. Even though some works tend to be contradictory, they have lit up the path for efficient nickel-based electrocatalysts. For these reasons, herein, a review of recent progress is presented.

Numerous reservoirs that play a significant role in worldwide petroleum production and reserves contain fractures. Typically, the fractures must form a connected network for a reservoir to be classified as naturally fractured. Characterizing the reservoir with a focus on its fracture network is crucial for modeling and predicting production performance. To simplify the solution, dual continuum modeling techniques are commonly employed. However, to use continuum-scale approaches, properties such as average aperture, permeability, and matrix fracture interaction parameters must be assigned, making it necessary to improve fracture depiction and modeling methods. This study investigates a fractured reservoir with a low matrix permeability and a well-connected fracture network. The focus is on the impact of the hyrachical fracture network on the production performance of gas-based enhanced oil recovery methods. The Discrete Fracture Model (DFN) was utilized to create comprehensive two-dimensional models for three processes: Gas Injection (GI), Water Alternating Gas (WAG), and Foam Assisted Water Alternating Gas (FAWAG). Moreover, dimensionless numbers were employed to establish connections between properties across the entire fracture hierarchy, spanning from minor to major fractures and encompassing the fracture intensity. The results indicate that the FAWAG is more sensitive to fracture types and networks than the WAG and GI processes. Hence, the sensitivity of the individual EOR method to the fracture network requires a respective depth of description of the fracture network. However, other factors, such as reservoir fluids properties and fracture properties, might influence the recovery when the minor fracture networks are excluded. This study has determined that, among the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques examined, the significance of the hyrachical depth of fracture networks diminishes as the ratio of major (primary fracture) aperture to the aperture of medium and minor fractures increases. Additionally, the impact of the assisted-gravity drainage method was greater with increased reservoir height; however, as the intensity ratio increased, the relative importance of medium and minor fracture networks decreased.

Since the second half of the second millennium AD, water management among the Chagga people of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania has involved community collaboration in the construction, ownership and management of water infrastructure. Chagga settlement on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro transformed the landscape significantly to reflect an agrarian society characterised by decentralised forms of socio-political and economic organisation. Such organization involved conception, construction, and post-construction management of water distribution systems, constituting high-level socio-political complexity. The study employs ethnography, archaeological surveys and GIS to document water infrastructures on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro. We conclude that community collaboration was key in management of the water infrastructure and by extension, agriculture, which sustained Chagga and chiefdoms for centuries.

As one of the important components of underwater propulsion systems, water lubricated bearings are often failure due to mechanical wearing and vibrating, especially under high loads and prolonged friction. In this paper, a dual-network co-crosslinking strategy based on HNBR is proposed, in which the epoxy network connects with the rubber network through Epoxidized Eommia ulmoides gum. The damping, tribological and mechanical properties of the prepared composite are systematically investigated. The results show that this material has excellent friction and vibration damping properties, with a water-lubricated coefficient of friction as low as 0.022 and a wear resistance as high as 3.87 × 10-6mm3/Nm. Preparing HNBR-based composite by dual network co-crosslinked is proved being a feasible solution to improve the reliability and service life of water-lubricated bearings.

Water distribution networks are vital infrastructure, needed for providing consumers with sufficient water of appropriate quality. The cost of construction, operation, and maintenance of such networks is extremely large. The problem of optimization of a water distribution network is governed by the type of water distribution network and the size of pipelines placed in the distribution network. This problem of the optimal diameter allocation of pipes in a distribution network has been heavily researched over the past few decades. This study describes the development of a computer program, ‘Smart Optimization Program for Water Distribution Networks’ (SOP–WDN), which applies Genetic Algorithm to the problem of the least-cost design of water distribution networks. SOP–WDN demonstrates the application of an evolutionary optimization technique, Genetic Algorithm, linked with a hydraulic simulation solver EPANET, for the optimal design of water distribution networks. The developed program was applied to three benchmark water distribution network optimization problems and produced consistently good results. SOP–WDN can be utilized as a tool for guiding engineers during the design and rehabilitation of water distribution pipelines.

The management of existing water distribution system (WDS) is challenged by ageing of infrastructure, population growth, increasing of urbanization, climate change impacts and environmental pollution. Therefore, there is a need for integrated solutions that support decision makers to plan today, while taking into account the effect of these factors in the mid and long term. The paper is part of a more comprehensive project, where advanced hydraulic analysis for WDS is coupled with a dynamic resources input-output analysis model. The proposed modeling solution can be used to optimize the performance of a water supply system while considering also the energy consumption and consequently the environmental impacts. Therefore, as a support tool in the management of a water supply system also in the intervention planning. Here a possible application is presented for rehabilitation/replacement planning while maximizing the network mechanical reliability and minimizing risk of unsupplied demand and pressure deficit, under given economic constraints.

Water quality forecasting is increasingly significant for agricultural management and environmental protection. Enormous amounts of water quality data are increasingly being collected by advanced sensors, which leads to an interest in using data-driven models for predicting trends in water quality. However, the unpredictable background noises introduced during water quality monitoring seriously degrade the performance of those models. Meanwhile, artificial neural networks (ANN) with feed-forward architecture lack the capability of maintaining and utilizing the accumulated temporal information, which leads to biased predictions in processing time series data. Hence, we propose a water quality predictive model based on a combination of Kernal Principal Component Analysis (kPCA) and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) to forecast the trend of dissolved oxygen. Water quality variables are reconstructed based on kPCA method, which aims to reduce the noise from the raw sensory data and preserve actionable information. With the RNN's recurrent connections, our model can make use of the previous information in predicting the trend in the future. Data collected from Burnett River, Australia was applied to evaluate our kPCA-RNN model. The kPCA-RNN model achieved R2 scores up to 0.908, 0.823 and 0.671 for predicting the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the upcoming 1, 2 and 3 hours, respectively. Compared to current data-driven methods like ANN and SVR, the predictive accuracy of the kPCA-RNN model was at least 8 %, 17 % and 21 % better than the comparative models in these 3 cases. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of the kPAC-RNN modeling technique in predicting water quality variables with noisy sensory data.

In a Water-Cooled Lithium-Lead (WCLL) Breeding Blanket (BB), the heat generated by the plasma thermal radiation and nuclear reactions is removed mainly by two components; namely, the First Wall (FW) and the Breeding Zone (BZ). The FW faces the neutrons and charged particles fluxes generated by the fusion reactions and the thermal radiation coming from the plasma. The present work takes into account the FW cooling system inspired by the WCLL BB 2018 design of DEMO 2017 baseline. Unlike the baseline where a Pressurized-Water Reactor (PWR) setup is used for the coolant, various setup between the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) and the High-Pressure (HP) BWR are studied in the present work operating in the Two-Phase Flow (TPF) regime. The 3D model of the FW in the WCLL BB 2018 design is simplified into a 1D model and a steady state analysis is carried out to optimize the mass flow rate of the water and the number of parallel channels at the BB cells at different poloidal locations of the reactor, which helps not only in reducing the used coolant but also in improving the Tritium Breeding Ratio (TBR). The present work takes into account forced convection in the liquid only region, the subcooled boiling region, and the saturated boiling region using suitable empirical or semi-empirical models from the literature. The results are validated against the existing results in the literature. In the end, related conclusions are made regarding the pros and cons of the studied operating conditions.

Visits to coastal and inland-waterways have strong associations with many health and economic benefits but are also opportunities for exposure to environmental pollution. In England, few balanced survey samples exist which can facilitate accurate identification of correlates with recreation in blue spaces. This information could support risk assessment for likelihood of exposure and message targeting in case of environmental threats. We process data from a recent (2022-2023) and large (n = 177,551) survey of English residents to describe demographic, seasonal and regional correlates with any participation in water-based recreational activities in previous year (logistic regression model), and in the previous 28 days (zero-inflated negative binomial regression). Activities studied were: surfing and paddleboarding; open water swimming; scuba-diving and snorkelling; canoeing and kayaking; angling. Summer was associated with most frequent participation, winter with fewest sessions except for rowing. Anglers were group most likely to be socially vulnerable: less likely to be university educated, more likely to be disabled and especially likely to be male. People resident in rural locations were more likely to participate at least once in prior year, but did not have higher participation rates in the previous 28 days. Regional variations in specific activities may suggest where demand for water recreation is unmet. The results provide a reference description of outdoor water-recreationalists doing specific types of activity in England and may be useful when designing emergency messages and otherwise setting policy with regard to management of microbiological, radiological or chemical hazards in coastal and inland waters.

The German wine sector has encountered new challenges in water management recently. To manage water resources responsibly, it is necessary to understand the relationship between the input of water and the output of wine, in terms of quantity and quality. The objectives of this study are to examine water use at the farm scale at three German wineries, and to develop and apply, for the first time, a quality-based indicator. Water use is analyzed in terms of wine production and wine-making over three years. After the spatial and temporal boundaries of the wineries and the water flows are defined, the farm water productivity indicator is calculated to assess water use at the winery scale. Farm water productivity is calculated using the AgroHyd Farmmodel modeling software. Average productivity on a quantity basis is 3.91 L wine per m3 of water. Productivity on a quality basis is 329.24 °Oechsle per m3 of water. Water input from transpiration for wine production accounts for 99.4–99.7% of total water input in the wineries, and, because irrigation is not used, precipitation is the sole source of transpired water. Future studies should use both quality-based and mass-based indicators of productivity.

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a potential accumulator of water pollutants in aquatic ecosystems, and its presence in water systems can affect water quality. This study used different field measurements and laboratory tests of Lake Water to determine the impact of water hyacinth phytoremediation capacity. A total of eight sampling stations used for the two lakes; Lake Koka and Lake Ziway. Sampling stations were selected from sites infested with water hyacinth (low, medium and high) and non-water hyacinth aquatic plants during wet and dry seasons to compare the effects of plants on water quality in the two lakes. All the sampled stations had various human interventions. The water samples were tested for the selected physico-chemical properties namely phosphate, nitrate, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), Biological oxygen demand (BOD5), temperature, and heavy metals (Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Zinc (Zn), and Copper (Cu). These water quality variables were compared by means of ANOVA. Despite the COD of Lake Ziway, this study found no significant (p > 0.05) variation in the concentrations of Cu, EC, pH and temperature between wet and dry seasons in either lake. Variations in Zn concentration and other physico-chemical parameters (EC, BOD, COD, nitrate, phosphate) between low, medium and high levels of water hyacinth were significant in both lakes (p<0.05). Water hyacinth has shown significant phytoremediation nature during wet and dry seasons. The lowest average heavy metal, phosphate, and nitrate concentrations; and significant pH and temperature variations were observed in Lakes Koka and Lake Ziway, among water hyacinth and other grass-infested sites.

A framework for the review of existing water management systems and their transformation into robust water sharing systems is offered. The framework focuses on the need to develop efficient and equitable ways to manage water scarcity and plan to deal with the tensions scarcity imposes on any community. The framework identifies a way to bring together traditional community-managed systems with those typically used to allocate water to large water users and more commonly found in developed countries. So that use can be kept within sustainable limits while optimizing use, the framework includes mechanisms that enable the reallocation of water as demand and supply conditions change. Non-consumptive uses are recognized and environmental objectives can be delivered efficiently. Compliance with well-established accounting and hydro-logical concepts. Ways to increase the value of existing entitlements, encourage innovation and protect investments are included as options. It is recognized that the governance and legal arrangements necessary to underpin successful implantation are context specific.

The petroleum industry produces thousands of barrels of oilfield waters from the initial stage driven by primary production mechanisms to the tertiary stage. These produced waters contain measurable amounts of oil in water emulsions, the exact amounts being determined by the chemistry of the crude oil. To meet strict environmental regulations governing the disposal of such produced waters, demulsification to regulatory permissible levels is required. Within the electric double layer theory, coupled with the analytical solutions to the Poisson Boltzmann Equation, continuum electrostatics approaches can be used to describe the static and electrokinetic properties of such emulsion systems. Therefore, theoretical understanding of the stability of oil in water emulsions within such fundamental concepts provides reliable approaches to demulsification. In this paper, we have used theoretical approaches, based on zeta potential and surface charge density models to determine the stability of oil in water emulsions for different crude oil samples. Accordingly, we have used literature based data on the chemistry of the crude oils, and have ranked the order of emulsion stability based on criterial established by zeta potential plots for the oil. Our theoretical calculations show that where the isoelectric points of crude oil samples are closer to each other, the degree of ionization plots versus pH indicate close tends for salinities at varying pH of oilfield waters. Based on the chemistry of crude oil samples, the most efficient and cost-effective means of demulsification is by reducing produced water pH to values closer to the average point of zero charge pH values

The human body contains 60-70% of water, depending on age. As a body fluid, it is not only a medium in which physical and chemical processes take place, but it is also one of the active mediators. Water is the richest substance with non-covalent hydrogen bonds. Water molecules, by themselves (in vacuum), are diamagnetic, but when organized into clusters, become diamagnetic or paramagnetic. Also, biomolecules (DNA, collagen, clathrin, and other proteins) have non-covalent hydrogen bonds in their structure. The interaction, as well as signal transmission, between water and biomolecules is achieved through the vibrations of covalent and non-covalent hydrogen bonds, which determine the state and dynamics of conformational changes of biomolecules. Disruptive conformational changes of biomolecules, cells, and tissues lead to their dysfunctionality, so they are a frequent cause of many disorders and diseases. For example, the rearrangement of hydrogen bonding due to mitochondrial disease mutation in cytochrome bc1 disturbs heme bH redox potential and spin state. In order to prevent and repair the dysfunctional conformational changes, a liquid substance was developed based on the second derivative of the C₆₀ molecule (SD-C₆₀), which has classical and quantum properties. Characterization of SD-C₆₀ by UV-VIS-NIR, FTIR, TEM, and AFM/MFM was done and it is shown that SD-C₆₀ water layers generate vibrations with near-zero phase dispersion which are transmitted through the Fibonacci’s water chains to biomolecules. In comparison to previously published SD-C₆₀ derivate (3HFWC, size until 10 nm, and 1-5 water layers), improved formulation (3HFWC-W, size 10-25 nm, and 6-9 water layers) showed multiplied cytotoxic activity against melanoma cell lines of different aggressiveness. Apart from this, the mode of action was preserved and based on induction of senescence rather than cell death. Importantly, high selectivity toward malignant phenotype was detected. Observed effects can be ascribed to a machinery of hydrogen bonds, which are generated in SD-C₆₀ and transmitted through water to biomolecules. This approach may open a new field in science and healthcare - a “water-based nanomedicine”.

Eco-friendly and low-cost water-based nanolubricants containing rutile TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were developed for accelerating their applications in industrial-scale hot steel rolling. The lubrication performance of developed nanolubricants was evaluated in a 2-high Hille 100 experimental rolling mill at a rolling temperature of 850 ℃ in comparison to that of pure water. The results indicate that the use of nanolubricant enables to decrease the rolling force, reduce the surface roughness and the oxide scale thickness, and enhance the surface hardness. In particular, the nanolubricant consisting of 4 wt% TiO2, 10 wt% glycerol, 0.2 wt% sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and 1 wt% Snailcool exhibits the best lubrication performance by lowering the rolling force, surface roughness and oxide scale thickness up to 8.1%, 53.7% and 50%, respectively. The surface hardness is increased by 4.4%. The corresponding lubrication mechanisms are attributed to its superior wettability and thermal conductivity associated with the synergistic effect of rolling, mending and laminae forming that are contributed by TiO2 NPs.

Development of carbon nanomaterials for adsorption thus removal of organic pollutants from water is a progressive research subject. In this regard, carbon nanomaterials with bifunctionality towards polar and non-polar or even amphiphilic undesired materials is indeed attractive for further study and implementation. Here, we created carbon buckypaper adsorbents comprising amphiphilic (oxygenated amorphous carbon (a-COx)/graphite (G)) nanofilaments that can dynamically adsorb organic biomolecules (i.e. urease enzyme) and thus purify the wastewaters of relevant industries. Given the dynamic conditions of the test, the adsorbent was highly efficient in adsorption of the enzyme (88%) while permeable to water (2382 L.h-1.m-2), thus holds a great promise for further development and upscaling. A subsequent citric acid functionalization declined selectivity of the membrane to urease, implying the biomolecules adsorb mostly via graphitic domains rather than oxidized, polar amorphous carbon ones. The devised platform i.e. the urease functionalized buckypaper is optimally conductive (13 S.cm-1) and can be further employed as a biosensor. Accordingly, water treatment can be linked to biosensing via a nanostructured membrane.

Water resource is considered as a significant factor in development of regional environment and society. Water consumption prediction can provide important decision basis for the regional water supply scheduling optimisations. According to the periodicity and randomness nature of the daily water consumption data, a Markov modified autoregressive moving average (ARIMA) model is proposed in this study. The proposed model, combined with the Markov chain, can correct the prediction error, reduce the continuous superposition of prediction error, and improve the prediction accuracy of future daily water consumption data. The daily water consumption data of different monitoring points are used to verify the effectiveness of the model, and the future water consumption is predicted, in the study area. The results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the prediction error compared to the ARIMA.

Composites, and especially carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs), are increasingly used in the automotive, aerospace, and aviation industries, and as a result, CFRP production has increased dramatically, leading to a corresponding increase of waste. Landfill and incineration of waste are likely to be restricted as a result of the legislation, thus highlighting the need for efficient recycling methods for CFRPs. However, the recycling of CFRP is very challenging, mainly due to the difficulty of removing the thermosetting matrix. This study reports a pre-screening of the solvolysis recycling process for CFRPs based on the mechanical properties of the recovered fibers. To this end, solvolysis tests were conducted on unidirectional CFRP samples under supercritical and subcritical conditions using acetone and water. The solvolysis tests were conducted for various conditions of temperature, pressure, and reaction time. The efficiency of the recycling processes has been evaluated through a morphological and a mechanical characterization of the recovered fibers. In most cases, the decomposition efficiency of the epoxy resin, measured in terms of mass, ranged between 90 and 100%. Moreover, the scanning electron microscopy images of the recovered fibers showed negligible traces of resin residues and no detectable signs of physical damage or any changes in morphology with regard to diameter. Finally, the single-fiber tension tests revealed that that the recovered fibers retained more than 61% of their initial Young's modulus and 70% of their tensile strength.

A novel flexible humidity sensor, incorporating gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and a trifunctional organosilica compound, has been developed through the integration of sol-gel processing, free radical polymerization, and self-assembly techniques. The trifunctional organosilica was initially synthesized by modifying (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (thiol-MPTMS) with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (vinyl-TMSPMA). Subsequently, a hydrophilic polyelectrolyte, [3(methacryloylamino)propyl]trimethyl ammonium chloride (MAPTAC), was grafted onto the MPTMS-TMSPMA gel. The Au NPs were assembled onto the thiol groups present in the MPTMS-TMSPMA-MAPTAC gel network. The compositional and microstructural properties of the Au NPs/MPTMS-TMSPMA-MAPTAC composite film were investigated utilizing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The presence of thiol groups and mesoporous silica skeletons ensured the stability of the humidity-sensing film on the substrate under highly humid conditions, while the hydrophilic groups functioned as humidity-sensitive sites. This innovative humidity sensor demonstrated high sensitivity, acceptable linearity, minimal hysteresis, and rapid response time across a broad range of working humidity levels. Based on the complex impedance spectra analysis, hydronium ions (H₃O⁺) were determined to govern the conductance process of the flexible humidity sensor.

Short-term changes in shallow bathymetry affect the coastal zone and therefore their monitoring is an essential task in coastal planning projects. This study provides a novel approach for monitoring shallow bathymetry change based on drone multispectral imagery. Particularly we apply a shallow water inversion algorithm on two composite multispectral datasets being acquired five months apart in a small Mediterranean sandy embayment (Chania, Greece). Initially, we perform radiometric corrections using proprietary software and following we combine the bands from standard and multispectral cameras resulting in a six-band composite image suitable for applying the shallow water inversion algorithm. Bathymetry inversion results showed good correlation and low errors (< 0.3m) with sonar measurements collected with an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV). Bathymetry maps and true-color orthomosaics assist in identifying morphobathymetric features representing crescentic bars with rip channel systems. The temporal bathymetry and true-color data reveal important erosional and depositional patterns, which were developed under the impact of winter storms. Furthermore, bathymetric profiles show that the crescentic bar appears to migrate across and along-shore over the 5-months period. Drone-based multispectral imagery proves to be an important and cost-effective tool for shallow seafloor mapping and monitoring when it is combined with shallow water analytical models.

In this paper, applicability of the modified water-based yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) suspensions, including different dispersants, to produce plasma sprayed coatings with “columnar microstructure” is investigated. The effects of processing parameters like suspension liquid phase ethanol content, change of substrate roughness, and spray distance on the resulting coatings morphologies are investigated. The results showed that increasing ethanol concentration, substrate surface roughness, and the spray distance promote formation of coatings with columnar structure. Moreover, application of modified water-based suspensions including α-Terpineol dispersant has led to deposition of columnar coatings with comparable morphologies of coatings deposited from ethanol-based suspensions.

Through the process of paradigm change (water as a resource towards water as a common), the authors examine, from a theoretic point of view, the water governability proposed by Agenda del Agua Cochabamba (AdA) – Cochabamba Water Agenda – in the Cochabamba Valley (Bolivia), identifying barriers and drivers to the process that could take place. The rise of Evo Morales in Government in 2006 suggested that policy making would somehow take a fundamental turn resulting in more poor environmental-oriented water policies. However, if that was indeed the case, the implementation of these policies remain controversial as strong power asymmetries still exist at a local level that interfere with national policies shaping the political area. The Cochabamba Water Agenda echoes this debate on the political arena and contributes a politically contested water management through a paradigm change envisaging the difficulties through its implementation. The question remains if this “political” solution to paradigm change in water management may reduce water conflicts.

Reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is a key agrometeorological index for rational irrigation management. The standard method for ETo estimation, proposed by FAO, is based on a complicated Penman-Monteith equation, requires great number of meteorological inputs thus making it difficult for practical use by farmers. To the moment, there are many alternative simplified approaches for ETo estimation, most of them are directed to cutting the number of required meteorological inputs for calculation. Among them, special attention should be paid to various temperature-based methods of ETo assessment. One of the temperature-based models for ETo computation was realized in free mobile app ETo Calculator (Ukraine). The app gives Ukrainian farmers an opportunity to assess ETo values on daily or monthly scale using mean air temperature as the only input. The goal of the study was to test the app accuracy comparing to FAO-based calculations in five key regions of Ukraine, each of which representing a particular climatic zone of the country. It was established that the app provides relatively good accuracy of ETo estimation even in raw (not adjusted to windspeed and relative air humidity) run; the results of statistical comparison with the FAO-calculated values are: R2 within 0.82-0.87, RMSE within 0.74-0.81 mm, MAE within 0.60-0.70, MAPE within 18.07-25.50% depending on the region. ETo Calculator (Ukraine) is a good alternative for complicated Penman-Monteith method and could be recommended for Ukrainian farmers to be used for irrigation management.

Shallow bathymetry inversion algorithms have long been applied in various types of remote sensing imagery with relative success. However, this approach requires that imagery with increased radiometric resolution in the visible spectrum is available. The recent developments in drones and camera sensors allow for testing current inversion techniques on new types of datasets. This study explores the bathymetric mapping capabilities of fused RGB and multispectral imagery, as an alternative to costly hyperspectral sensors. Combining drone-based RGB and multispectral imagery into a single cube dataset, provides the necessary radiometric detail for shallow bathymetry inversion applications. This technique is based on commercial and open-source software and does not require input of reference depth measurements in contrast to other approaches. The robustness of this method was tested on three different coastal sites with contrasting seafloor types. The use of suitable end-member spectra which are representative of the seafloor types of the study area and the sun zenith angle are important parameters in model tuning. The results of this study show good correlation (R2>0.7) and less than half a meter error when they are compared with sonar depth data. Consequently, integration of various drone-based imagery may be applied for producing centimetre resolution bathymetry maps at low cost for small-scale shallow areas.

With the influences of climate change and human activities, the resources and environment of “One Belt and One Road” are facing severe problems and challenges. This study aims to analyze the temporal and spatial dynamics of the drought environment and the response of vegetation cover to the drought by using drought indicators. Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) drought severity index (GRACE-DSI) and GRACE water storage deficit index (GRACE-WSDI), were calculated to present hydrological drought. Moreover, based on GRACE, Water-Global Assessment and Prognosis (WaterGAP) model, and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) data, the groundwater in Central Asia was retrieved to calculate the groundwater drought index called the GRACE Standardized Groundwater Level Index (GRACE-SGI). The results show that the annual precipitation in Central Asia increased slightly at a rate of 0.39 mm/year (p = 0.82) since 2000, while the temperature increased slightly at a rate of 0.05 ℃/year (p = 0.10). The water storage decreased significantly at -0.59 mm/year (p &lt;0.01) and experienced a decrease-increase-decrease process. During the study period, the arid situation in Central Asia deteriorated, especially in the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea basin. From 2007 to 2015, the Central Asian environment was generally arid and suffered from different du-rations and degrees of hydrological and groundwater droughts. The drought indicators (i.e., GRACE-DSI, GRACE-WSDI) and the NDVI showed a significantly positive correlation during the growing season. However, the NDVI of cultivated land and grassland distribution areas in Central Asia showed a strong negative correlation with GRACE-SGI. It is concluded that the drought environment in Central Asia affected the growth of vegetation. The continued deterioration of the arid situation may further stress the ecological system in Central Asia.

For some decades, the scientific community has been looking for alternatives to the use of fossil fuels that allow the planet's sustainable and environmentally friendly development. To do this, attempts have been made to mimic some processes that occur in nature, among which the photosystem-II stands out, which allows water splitting operating with different steps to generate oxygen and hydrogen. This research presents promising results using synthetic catalysts, which try to simulate some natural processes, and which are based on Au@ZnO-graphene compounds. These catalysts were prepared by incorporating different amounts of gold nanoparticles (1 wt.%, 3 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 10 wt.%) and graphene (1 wt.%) on the surface of synthesized zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO NWs), and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), along with a commercial form (commercial ZnO) for comparison purposes. The highest amount of hydrogen (1,127 µmol/hg) was reported by ZnO NWs with a gold and graphene loadings of 10 wt.% and 1 wt.%, respectively, under irradiation at 400 nm. Quantities of 759 µmol / hg and 709 µmol / hg were obtained with catalysts based on ZnO NPs and commercial ZnO, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of all composites increased with respect to the bare semiconductors, being 2.5 times higher in ZnO NWs, 8.8 times for ZnO NPs and 7.5 times for commercial ZnO. The high photocatalytic activity of the catalysts is attributed, mainly, to the synergism between the different amount of gold and graphene incorporated, and the surface area of the composites.

Videogames have become educational, communicative and social tools among the youngest, favouring the acquisition of skills, abilities and values, encompassing an endless number of themes, and help to experience and to face, in the first person, a great diversity of environmental situations and ecology problems. Thus, the present article aims: a) the evaluation of a sample of 20 educational videogames about water, making use of some empirical criteria of quality; and b) the design, validation and application of an integrate quality indicator of educational videogames on water, based on the aspects of narrative, gameplay and didactics to that sample, which allows us to obtain a ranking. The findings reflect a ranking of games allows to suggest that the nature of the game (simulation, adventures, platforms or questions) does not determine the quality of the game, although generally simulations and adventure games are placed in a range of medium or high quality, as well as those games that pursue objectives related to the design and management of a territory in a sustainable way. The paper provides teachers with quality criteria based on narrative and gameplay that complement and enriches the pedagogical dimension.

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is one of the most common emerging contaminants released to the aquatic environment through domestic and pharmaceutical wastewater. Due to its high persistence through conventional degradation treatments, is considered a typical indicator for anthropogenic activities. This study tested the removal of CBZ through two different clay-based purification techniques: adsorption of relatively large concentrations (20-500 μmol L-1) and photocatalysis of lower concentrations (&lt;20 μmol L-1). The sorption mechanism was examined by FTIR measurements, exchangeable cations released, and colloidal charge of the adsorbing clay materials. Photocatalysis was performed in batch experiments under various conditions. Despite the neutral charge of carbamazepine, the highest adsorption was observed on negatively charged montmorillonite-based clays. Desorption tests indicate that adsorbed CBZ is not released by washing. The adsorption/desorption processes were confirmed by ATR-FTIR analysis of the clay-CBZ particles. A combination of synthetic montmorillonite or hectorite with low H2O2 concentrations under UVC irradiation exhibits efficient homo-heterogeneous photodegradation at μM CBZ levels. The two techniques presented in this study suggest solutions for both industrial and municipal wastewater, possibly enabling water reuse.

The intrinsic non-linearity and complexity of suspended sediment dynamics, which are impacted by the geographical variability of basin parameters and temporal climatic patterns, make it difficult to estimate suspended sediment concentration (SSC) accurately in hydrological processes. Deep neural networks (DNNs), a cutting-edge modeling method that can capture the innate non-linearity in hydrological systems, have emerged as a solution to this problem. Using primary data on discharge, SSC, and turbidity, the long short-term memory method of DNNs was employed in this study to simulate the discharge-suspended sediment connection for the Esopus Creek, NY, USA as the first objective. To develop effective modeling strategies, multiple scenarios of feature selection, including combinations of discharge, turbidity and SSC for preceding days, were considered. Secondly, the variations in SSC and discharge between the three USGS gages along Esopus Creek that were upper stream, lower stream, and downstream, adjacent to the pourpoint were analyzed. Statistical metrics and scenarios of feature importance were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the DNN-based models. The study shows that among 24 DNN approaches feature selection is crucial in simulating the daily SSC, and discharge and presenting novel research directions for utilizing machine learning algorithms in water quality.

Cold-water coral reefs are rich, yet fragile ecosystems found in colder oceanic waters. Knowledge of their spatial distribution on continental shelves, slopes, seamounts and ridge systems is vital for marine spatial planning and conservation. Cold-water corals frequently form conspicuous carbonate mounds of varying sizes, which are identifiable from multibeam echosounder bathymetry and derived geomorphometric attributes. However, the often large number of mounds makes manual interpretation and mapping a tedious process. We present a methodology that combines image segmentation and random forest spatial prediction with the aim to derive maps of carbonate mounds and an associated measure of confidence. We demonstrate our method based on multibeam echosounder data from Iverryggen on the mid-Norwegian shelf. We identified the image-object mean planar curvature as the most important predictor. The presence and absence of carbonate mounds is mapped with high accuracy (overall accuracy = 84.4%, sensitivity = 0.827 and specificity = 0.866). Spatially-explicit confidence in the predictions is derived from the predicted probability and whether the predictions are within or outside the modelled range of values and is generally high. We plan to apply the showcased method to other areas of the Norwegian continental shelf and slope where MBES data have been collected with the aim to provide crucial information for marine spatial planning.

Water scarcity is a significant challenge facing Jordan today. It is a challenge in all areas that use water, and it has become certain that water is the critical factor in the population/resources equation. The water resources in Jordan have become limited with the noticeable increase in the population, mostly resulting from forced migrations in neighboring countries because of the wars and until our time. The rising natural population growth rate, along with the massive influx of refugees, has turned into a state of disproportion between the daily consumption of the population and the amount of water available. That Jordan shares most of its surface water resources with neighboring countries has exacerbated the situation. The current use of water already exceeds its renewable supply. Excessive withdrawal from aquifers, which leads to a lowering of the water table and deterioration in water quality, covered the deficit. This paper focuses on assessing the water situation in Jordan, mainly evaluating this problem and the solution being considered, the true basis for a sustainable water solution requires awareness by the population, and several governmental and non-governmental organizations are actively involved in educating residents about water shortages. The most important and 'actionable' elements of comprehensive water solutions are discussed in this paper, and these elements exist, develop extra water supplies, water harvesting, water desalination, proper wastewater reuse in the agricultural sector, and reduce the demand for drinking water. This research provides specific recommendations to address the shortage of water resources in the Kingdom and highlights the importance of water conservation and optimal use.

The growing need for water has pressured society and governments to focus more on preservation, planning and management of this natural resource, in which is fundamental to ecosystems and especially to humans. In this sense, the goal of this study was to analyze the national policy of water resources in Brazil and Italy, figuring out aspects that could promote its improvement, aiming at the preservation of water sources, guaranteeing satisfactory quantity and quality. They were carried out in 2019 by the environmental agencies of both countries, listing the main disciplinary regulations. The results show that although they are countries with different realities, they resemble similarities in managerial aspects of water resources, with legislation addressing qualitative and quantitative aspects of water, with guiding principles, instruments and actions aimed at the defence of this natural resource.

Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) can help to achieve multiple Water-Ecosystem-Food Nexus Do-main Objectives & Nexus Resilience Qualities, facilitating the transition to more resilient agrifood systems and providing an evidence base for a broader Nexus policy dialogue. This paper de-scribes the stepwise methodology developed in the EU-funded LENSES project to carry out a comprehensive analysis of NBSs in 6 pilot areas in 5 Mediterranean countries, and presents the results of NBSs implementation in 4 pilot areas, highlighting obstacles and opportunities. The methodology includes the development of an analytical evaluation framework and of a com-prehensive catalogue of Nexus-related NBSs, whose suitability needs to be assessed at the local level to achieve better use of protected/natural ecosystems, increase the sustainability and mul-tifunctionality of managed ecosystems and design and manage novel ecosystems. Subsequently, in a collective learning process which supported the operationalisation of the WEF Nexus, NBSs were identified that address specific contextual vulnerabilities, improve water distribution and enhance food security, while preserving ecosystems and supporting adaptation to climate change. The added value of the proposed methodology lies in the multi-stakeholder participatory approach to gain in-depth knowledge of local agri-food systems, including their main WEF-related challenges, and to facilitate overcoming barriers to NBS implementation.

In recent years, since flood disasters have brought immeasurable losses to the city, it is urgent to prevent and solve the flood of stagnant water. Considering the shortage of real-time and accuracy of hydrological analysis, Opencv technology is used in this paper to process the obtained data in real time. For improved Yolov5, BoTNet and GAMAttention Transformer are used to improve Yolov5 to enhance its ability of recognition and prediction to better identify surface gathered water. The prediction rate of the improved Yolov5 is 7.1% higher than that of Yolov7 and 1.7% higher than that of Yolov5.After that, contour preprocessing of the image is carried out through the cropping technology of the identification frame to eliminate relatively unstable factors. The principle of binocular distance measurement is used to measure the three-dimensional coordinates of the actual distance, better constrain the contour proportion of the picture, and then the Opencv technology is used to get the outline of the water, and HSV is combined with better color processing pictures for the identification of the water and contour generation, and the area is obtained to correspond to the corresponding parameters of flood to provide important help in flood prevention and storm drainage.

Hot rolling tests of a low-alloy steel were conducted at a rolling temperature of 850 ℃ under different lubrication conditions, including benchmarks (dry condition and water) and water-based nanolubricants containing different concentrations of nano-TiO₂ from 1.0 to 8.0 wt%. The effects of nanolubricants on rolling force, surface roughness, thickness of oxide scale and microstructure were systematically investigated through varying nano-TiO₂ concentrations. The results show that the application of nanolubricants can decrease the rolling force, surface roughness and oxide scale thickness of rolled steels, and refine ferrite grains. In particular, the nanolubricant containing an optimal concentration (4.0 wt%) of nano-TiO₂ demonstrates the best lubrication performance, owing to the synergistic effect of lubricating film, rolling, polishing and mending generated by nano-TiO₂.

China is not only short of fresh water resources per capita, but also faces a serious problem of water pollution in recent years, with 190 million people suffering from excessive levels of harmful substances in their drinking water. Such as arsenic poisoning and fluorosis and other endemic water diseases high incidence. As a series of water pollution prevention plan of action by the Chinese government announced that, this paper uses the modified Undesirable Dynamic Network model empirical analysis of China's 31 provincial administrative region economic growth, wastewater treatment, and water disease control efficiency between 2013 and 2017. The results show that the efficiency of water pollution disease in all four regions of China and the total efficiency in the three regions of east, west and central China all show a decreasing trend, and the efficiency scores and rankings of all provinces and cities within the region fluctuate greatly. The eastern region with the most developed economy has the best overall performance, with higher efficiency in Water consumption and Water disease control. However, the efficiency of wastewater treatment in northeast China is stable and better. Given the high level of economic development in China and the results of the above mentioned efficiency in water pollution and water diseases, improving the efficiency and quality of wastewater treatment in China is regarded as an important factor in achieving the strategic goal of green growth.

Mexico is currently facing important water management challenges. Cities in the country are facing water scarcity and at the same time, they struggle with floods during the raining season. The water sensitive urban design (WSUD) approach has proved to be helpful in tackling urban water challenges such as floods and water scarcity and it is being implemented in cities around the world. The WSUD approach highlights the role of both the water cycle and the water utilities systems, when transitioning towards a water sensitive stage. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyse the current situation of the water cycle and the water utility (SIAPA). To do so, we have selected the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara (MAG) and proposes a case study approach. Within our case of study, we answer two questions: 1) What are the causes of water scarcity and flooding in the MAG? and 2) What are the proposals to solve these problems under a WSUD approach? By answering these questions, we identified that the water management in the MAG corresponds to a single purpose infrastructure. This type of management does not contribute to solve the problems of water scarcity and floods. The water supply policy is based only on the construction of large dams disregarding the storage and use of rainwater, and reuse of greywater, and water-conservation devices. In order to transition towards a water sensitive stage, a WSUD approach that includes multi-purpose infrastructure should be considered. Such as green roofs, swales, rainwater gardens, infiltration trenches, etc.

Background Legionella pneumophila is one of the causes of legionellosis. Water environments serve as the natural habitat and the main sources of Legionella pneumophila. Objectives The aims of this study was to understand the differences of Legionella pneumophila serogroups distribution in well water, tap water, ice cubes, hospital and hotel water in East Java-Indonesia. Methods a total of 60 water samples in east java-Indonesia; from well water (n=25), tap water (n=5), ice cubes (n=5), water from the hospital (n=16), and hotel water (n=9) were detected using polymerase chain reaction with mip gene spesific primers and then it was analyzed by phylogenetic tree. Results For the 60 water samples collected in East Java, 12% of the samples (7/60) were positively contaminated by L. pneumophila. In details, there was 8% of the well water samples (2/25), 2% of the tap water samples (1/5), 2% of the ice cubes samples (1/5), 0% of the hospital water samples (0/16) and 33.33% of the hotel water samples (3/9). The phylogenetic tree showed that Legionella pneumophila contaminating well water isolate 1 from Surabaya and tap water isolate from Sidoarjo was closer to L.pneumophila serogroup 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, isolates from Brazil, China, Spain and Australia. L.pneumophila contaminating the ice cubes from Sidoarjo was closer to serogroup 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, while the bacteria contaminating well water isolate 2 from Sidoarjo as well as water in hotel of Surabaya (hotel water isolate 1, 2 and 3) classified into their own group. Conclusion There is a difference in the distribution of L. pneumophila serogroups between well water, tap water, ice cubes, and hotels.

In this research, an attempt was made to reduce the dimension of wavelet-ANFIS/ANN (artificial neural network/adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system) models toward reliable forecasts as well as to decrease computational cost. In this regard, the principal component analysis was performed on the input time series decomposed by a discrete wavelet transform to feed the ANN/ANFIS models. The models were applied for dissolved oxygen (DO) forecasting in rivers which is an important variable affecting aquatic life and water quality. The current values of DO, water surface temperature, salinity, and turbidity have been considered as the input variable to forecast DO in a three-time step further. The results of the study revealed that PCA can be employed as a powerful for dimension reduction of input variables and also to detect inter-correlation of input variables. Results of the PCA-Wavelet-ANN models are compared with those obtained from Wavelet-ANN models while the earlier one has the advantage of less computational time than the later models. Dealing with ANFIS models, PCA is more beneficial to avoid Wavelet-ANFIS models creating too many rules which deteriorate the efficiency of the ANFIS models. Moreover, manipulating the Wavelet-ANFIS models utilizing PCA leads to a significant decreasing in computational time. Finally, it was found that the PCA-Wavelet-ANN/ANFIS models can provide reliable forecasts of dissolved oxygen as an important water quality indicators in rivers.

(1) Background: The definition of value addition is based on the process or processes which are used to transform physically the initial raw material in the final food or non-food article. Diversification can enhance the possibility of increased gains. The aim of this work is to give a reliable description of value addition when speaking of coconut-based beverages among all possible derivatives; (2) Methods: a systematic review of main papers on the argument has been critically examined and discussed; (3) Results: Processing degree is a consequence of consumers’ requests. Three different drivers for value addition have been considered: packaging, durability, and size options; sensorial features; and sustainability. Results of this investigation have highlighted the added value of several products because of recyclable packaging materials, intermediate or long durability expectations, different available sizes, and good or excellent sensorial performances; (4) Conclusions: There are different value-added coconut-based beverages with interesting perspectives. On the other side, sustainability and eco-friendly policies may be a problem for those products which are produced similarly to non-coconut based beverages. The opportunity of certified organic and/or fair-trade products could help the industry of coconuts in the next future. More research is still needed in this ambit.

The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by water splitting has been studied, using catalysts based on TiO2 nanowires (TiO2NWs), which were synthesized by a hydrothermal procedure. This nanomaterial was subsequently modified by incorporating different loadings of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the surface, previously exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets, and CeO2 nanoparticles (CeO2NPs). These nanomaterials, as well as the different synthesized catalysts, were characterized by electron microscopy (HR-SEM and HR-TEM), XPS, XRD, Raman, Reflectance and BET surface area. HER studies were performed in aqueous solution, under irradiation at different wavelengths, which were selected through the appropriate use of optical filters. The results obtained show that there is a synergistic effect between the different nanomaterials of the catalysts. The specific area of the catalyst, and especially the increased loading of MoS2 and CeO2NPs in the catalyst substantially improved the H2 production. Recyclability studies showed only a decrease in activity of approx. 7% after 15 cycles of use, which opens many possibilities regarding the potential use and scaling of these heterostructures in photocatalytic production of H2 from water.

Diseases in articular cartilages have affected millions of people globally. Although the biochemical and cellular composition of articular cartilages is relatively simple, there is the limitation in self-repair ability of cartilage. Therefore, developing the strategies for cartilage repair is very important. Here, we reported a new manufacturing process of water-based polyurethane based photosensitive materials with hyaluronic acid and applied the materials for 3D printed customized cartilage scaffolds. The scaffold has high cytocompatibility and is one that closely mimics the mechanical properties of articular cartilages. It is suitable for culturing human Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (hWJMSCs) and the cells showed an excellent chondrogenic differentiation capacity. We consider that the 3D printing hybrid scaffolds may have potential in customized tissue engineering and facilitate the development of cartilage tissue engineering.

This review focus on a critical analysis of nanocatalysts for Advanced Reductive Processes (ARP) and Oxidation Processes (AOP) designed for the degradation of poly/perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water. Ozone, ultraviolet and photocatalyzed ARP and/or AOP will be the basic treatment technologies. Besides the review of the nanomaterials with greater potential as catalyst for advanced processes of PFAS in water, the perspectives for its future development considering sustainability considerations will be discussed. Moreover, a brief analysis of the current state of the art of the ARP and AOP for the treatment of PFAS in water will be presented.

The order Nymphaeales, consisting of three families with a record of eight genera, has gained significant interest from botanists probably due to its position as a basal-angiosperm. The phylogenetic relationships within the order have well been studied and resolved; however, a few controversial nodes still remain in the Nymphaeaceae including the position of the genus Nuphar. The position of the genus Nuphar and the monophyly of the Nymphaeaceae family remain uncertain. This study adds to the increasing number of completely sequenced plastid genomes of the Nymphaeales and applies large chloroplast gene data set in reconstructing the intergeneric relationships within the Nymphaeaceae. Five complete chloroplast genomes were newly generated, including a first one for the monotypic genus Euryale. Using a set of 66 protein coding genes from the chloroplast genomes of 17 taxa, the phylogenetic position of Nuphar was determined and a monophyletic Nymphaeaceae family was obtained with a convincing statistical support from both partitioned and unpartitioned data schemes. Although genomic comparative analyses revealed a high degree of synteny among the chloroplast genomes of the ancient angiosperms, key minor variations were evident particularly in the contraction/expansion of the Inverted Repeat regions and in RNA editing events. Genome structure, gene content and arrangement were highly conserved among the chloroplast genomes.

This research aims to develop an inexpensive ocean observation instrument with a project name is NOBEL (Nusantara Oceanography Backdoor Experiment Laboratory)-BOX. The device can be installed on all types of vessels and placed in a specific area to map the water conditions, providing accurate data for managing a marine area specifically to water quality. The principle of NOBEL-BOX is to attach sensors in a container connected to a microcontroller and then measure directly. The method employed includes experimental design, laboratory and field tests, and data evaluation to produce the necessary system and instruments. The design process involves the construction of the instrument and the fabrication of the device. This process includes creating three-dimensional sketches/drawings, designing microcontrollers and data transmission systems, and power capacity. The sensors attached to this device are surface water temperature, air temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and TDS. The testing phase includes data validation, testing of the device in the laboratory, and field testing. The laboratory and field tests showed that the device worked and provided data that can be used to analyze the seawater condition spatially and over time.

(1) Introduction: Karstic springs are used worldwide by rural communities as sources of fresh water for human use and livestock survival. In Romania, 1/3 of the population has no direct access to the public water supply. The present study is part of a country-wide project on developing simple, quick and cheap methods for seasonal environmental and microbiological monitoring of karstic springs used as drinking water supply by rural populations. Critical steps for the monitoring workflow consist in the evaluation of water quality and choosing of suitable membrane filters to efficiently capture environmental DNA for further microbial diversity estimation by 16S rRNA gene-based metabarcoding; (2) Methods: Several commercial membrane filters of different composition and pore sizes were tested on the water sampled from three karstic springs in Romania, followed by water chemistry and whole community 16S rRNA gene-based metabarcoding analysis; (3) Results: We found that the different types of applied membrane filters provide a varying recovery of diversities and abundances of both overall and pathogenic bacteria; and (4) Conclusions: The result of the experiment with different filters shows which are the best for amplicon-based metabarcoding monitoring of karst springs.

The world will experience an estimated 40% freshwater supply shortage by 2030, converting water scarcity into one of the principal global challenges that modern society face. Urban water-reuse is recognized as a promising and necessary measure to alleviate the growing water stress in many regions. The transformation to widespread application of water-reuse systems requires major changes in the way water is governed, and countries such as Spain already find themselves involved in this process. Through the systematic assessment of the city of Sabadell (Spain), we aim to identify the main barriers, opportunities and transferable lessons that can enhance governance capacity to implement systems for non-potable reuse of treated wastewater in cities. It was found that continuous learning, the availability and quality of information and level of knowledge and strong agents of change are the main capacity-building priorities. On the other hand, awareness, multilevel network potential and implementing capacity are already well-established. It is concluded that in order to undertake a widespread application of water-reuse practices, criteria examining water quality according to its use need to be developed, independently of the water’s origin. The development and implementation of such a legislative frame should be based on the experience of local water-reuse practices and continuous evaluation. Finally, the need for public engagement and adequate pricing mechanisms are emphasized.

In this work, a novel approach is presented for the multivariate prediction of hydrological variables, employing a specialized type of recurrent neural network (RNN) known as the long-term memory network (LSTM).The central objective is to develop a flood prediction model using data collected from two hydrological stations situated along the Atrato River in the Choc´o Department, Colombia. The interconnected variables of water level, water flow, and water precipitation are analyzed in this model to enhance flood prediction accuracy. The LSTM model, integrated into an RNN structure, is designed to capture the complex dynamics and cross-correlations inherent in these hydrological variables. Validation involves a comparison with linear and nonlinear Nonlinear AutoRegressive with eXogenous input (NARX) models, considering factors such as estimation error and computational time. Additionally, the study conducts further analysis for water level prediction under two scenarios: utilizing only outflow and inflow measurements or predicting outflow alongside measuring inflow, with the objective of utilizing the proposed approach as a flood early warning system. † This article is a revised and expanded version of a paper entitled Multivariable NARX based Neural Networks Models for Short-term Water Level Forecasting, which was presented at International Conference on Time Series and Forecasting (ITISE-2023), Gran Canaria, Spain, 12th-14th July, 2023.

As the most commonly used hydrogel material in contact lenses, the amount of water in a lens affects its optical properties and comfort for the wearer. Therefore, an important challenge is to determine the safety and efficacy of contact lenses by accurately and non-destructively measuring the water content in real time. In this study, we demonstrate the accurate detection of water content in hydrogel contact lenses using a high-precision ATR format in a portable terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system. The technique can resolve small variations in the dielectric constant in solution, which is difficult to achieve with traditional transmission and reflection measurement modes. Information is obtained from the interaction between the sample and the swift waves propagating along the prism surface. The swift waves can excite longitudinal modes that are not directly accessible by conventional techniques. It is worth noting that the reference wave can be measured by removing the sample without disturbing the optical path. We also enhance the plasma effect at the interface with the hydrogel by using PVDF dielectric films of different polarities. We observed that the water content and refractive index changes in the ATR mode show different response patterns for nonpoled PVDF and poled PVDF membranes. This suggests that reflection and relative phase can be accurately evaluated in the THz-ATR technique, resulting in an accurate method for determining complex dielectric constants in the reflection geometry. This will allow accurate measurement of both surface and in vivo water content in hydrogels in the future and is a potential technical route for application in bioaqueous tissue measurements.

This manuscript explores sustainable agriculture's role in mitigating environmental challenges and meeting the nutritional needs of a growing global population. The objective is to assess the impact of different fertilizers on two distinct tomato-growing soils, each characterized by unique chemical and biological properties. The study compares four fertilizer treatments: Additionally, it evaluates the environmental implications of these fertilizers, focusing on their Carbon and Water Footprints. The findings indicate significant improvements in soil quality with SBO fertilizer. Both soils experienced a shift towards a near-neutral pH, increased organic matter content, and heightened microbial biomass. Enzyme activities were notably superior in SBO-treated soils. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results demonstrate that the SBO-based system is the most sustainable, with the lowest Carbon footprint. NPK exerts the highest environmental impact. The Water Footprint analysis aligns with these results, showing that SBO requires the least water for tomato production. In summary, this study underscores the significance of sustainable fertilization practices in improving soil quality and reducing environmental footprints in agriculture, offering potential benefits for food production and environmental conservation.

Water availability is a major constraint for spring wheat production on the western Loess Plateau of China. The impact of tillage practices on water potential, water potential gradient, water transfer resistance, yield, and water use efficiency (WUEg) of spring wheat was monitored on the western Loess Plateau in 2016 and 2017. Six tillage practices were assessed, including conventional tillage with no straw (T), no-till with straw cover (NTS), no-till with no straw (NT), conventional tillage with straw incorporated (TS), conventional tillage with plastic mulch (TP), and no-till with plastic mulch (NTP). No-till with straw cover, TP, and NTP significantly improved soil water potential and root water potential at the seedling stage and leaf water potential at the seedling, tillering, jointing, and flowering stages, compared to T. These treatments also significantly reduced the soil-leaf water potential gradient at the 0-10 cm soil layer at the seedling stage and at the 30-50 cm soil layer at flowering, compared to T. Thus, NTS, TP, and NTP reduced soil-leaf water transfer resistance and enhanced transpiration. Compared to T, the NTS, TP, and NTP treatments significantly increased biomass yield (BY) by 18, 36, and 40%, respectively, and grain yield (GY) by 28, 22, and 24%, respectively, with corresponding increases in WUEg of 24, 26, and 24%, respectively. These results demonstrate that NTS, TP, and NTP improved GY and WUEg of spring wheat by decreasing the soil-leaf water potential gradient and soil-leaf water transfer resistance and enhancing transpiration, and are suitable tillage practices for sustainable intensification of wheat production in semi-arid areas.

The Cauto River Basin (CRB), the heartland of Cuban agriculture, has been hit hard by drought and water shortage. In response to this pressing issue, this study provides a comprehensive as-sessment of water supply, demand and balance within the Cauto River Basin, considering the baseline and projected socio-economic and climatic conditions by coupling of SWAT and WEAP models. The obtained results reveal that the annual flow in the CRB is projected to slightly de-crease (2.5%) in which the reduction in the rainy season (3.1%) is higher than that in the dry sea-son (1.3%). Total water demand in the baseline scenario is around 1.194 billion m3, dominated by agriculture (96%), with rice crop requiring nearly half. For the future scenario of 2050, the study shows a 16.6% surge in demand to 1.394 billion m3, driven by climate change and agricultural expansion. However, domestic use decreases by 10% due to population reduction. Water deficit in the future is projected to increase by 52% from 172.4 to 262.7 million m3 due to rising water demand and declining water supply. This study shows that integrating a hydrological model into a water allocation model is a promising approach to estimate the water supply, demand and balance, which is a crucial component of water resources management.

Calabar is a city where 65 per cent of people are living in poverty in informal settlements with low and decreasing access to improved water. In the low-income informal areas of the city, residents are being made responsible for securing their own water supply through several coping strategies. This paper explores the decreasing access to water and coping strategies to shortage in Calabar, Nigeria. It analyses two complementary pieces of data: (i) the households’ coping strategies and (ii) satisfaction with improved water services. A mixed method was introduced and data was collected via fieldwork at three settlements in Calabar. A household survey of 360 respondents, 27 in-depth interviews and 2 focus groups were conducted. Findings show that households engaged in different coping strategies to access water, including conservation (changing routine/reusing), purchasing (spent a significant proportion of their income on buying water) and pumping as a coping strategy. The household's tenure, socioeconomic status and water accessibility determines their decision to move if services are not provided. A crucial differentiation exists between a larger population being granted less access to water versus certain individuals receiving access to a greater quantity of water.

The aim were to determine the drinking water preferences of people applied to a family health center. This cross-sectional study was carried out from April 01st to May 31st, 2022. The data were evaluated using the chi-square test and percent ratios with a significant of P < 0.05. The mean age of all 432 respondents was 48.03±15.86. It was determined that those aged 31-45 had drunk more bottled water (p<0.01) and more spring water (p<0.001), that those aged 65 and over more purified water (p<0.001), that women more tap water (p<0.001), that married people had drunk more demijohn and tap water (p<0.001, each one), that divorced/widows had drunk more packaged and purified water (p<0.001, each one), that the illiterate/literate bottled water (p<0.001, per one), that those who had no income/people who lived on the state or municipal assistance only carboy water (p<0.001). This study suggests that the biggest factor that positively affected the drinking water preference was the packaging of the water. However, the drinking rates of mains water and spring water were quite low. Convincing the authorities to make the mains water drinkable is of great importance in terms of overcoming the public's distrust of mains water.

Water resources are under pressure because of human activities. Its management faces the challenge of enhancing long-term water security while minimizing undesirable economic, social, and environmental impacts along with its production chain. Since water and wastewater treatment plants are designed to maintain and conserve freshwater provisioning services, it is paramount to understand how it operates before proposing options for sustainability. At this point, the diagnosis phase claims for methods scientifically-based, systemic, and more objective to provide information for decision-makers towards strategic management of water resources. This work applies the five-sector sustainability model (5SenSu) to assess Brazil's twenty major water and wastewater treatment companies (WWTC) to quantify their sustainability levels that allow ranking procedures and the establishment of benchmarks for improvements. Under comparative basis, results identified the top-three sustainable companies, CORSAN, CASAN, and SANEPAR, which should be considered examples of best practices. Specifically, the following best-ranked companies in each sector within 5SenSu should be used as benchmark patterns for more oriented best practices: SANEAGO, sector 1; AGESISA, sector 2; CORSAN, sector 3; CASAL, sector 4; MA, sector 5. This work contributes to the advancement in modeling sustainability assessment of human-managed systems (applied in WWTCs in this present study) from a systemic and epistemologically rooted approach, avoiding shortcomings and misleading discussions on the sustainability issue. Quantifying sustainability of WWTCS from 5SenSu allows the identification of those sectors/indicators that requires immediate cleaner production practices by decision-makers to improve overall sustainability, besides identifying those companies more aligned with the requirements of UN SDGs.

This research contributes to the detailed discussion about the approach to secure, hygienic water and cleanliness in Uganda and its pastoral regions. The relationship between the sanitation and clean water access with destitution is also discussed. Although this document is not leading towards the policy recommendation but it is an overall idea of how Uganda progressed because of the provisions adopted by the government, local and international organizations, and NGOs, and how the country lacked before these steps taken. Most of the data mentioned is taken from the house surveys of a decade 2002-2013 alongside the qualitative data. Literature review is also considered and is divided in two sections: first included researches related to water accessibility and usage, while the second section included researches related to work done and progress for diarrheal diseases and sanitation. Afterwards, methodologies were discussed where, firstly, trends and then the limitations in access to the basic necessities of life that is clean water and hygiene are mentioned. At last, the implementations and how they affected the rural Ugandans was discussed.

This study was conducted generally by aiming assessment of the hydraulic performance of water distribution systems of Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (AASTU). In line with the main objective, this study addressed, (1) pinpointing problems of existing water supply versus demand deficit (2) evaluating the hydraulic performance of water distribution system using water GEMS and (3) recommended alternative methods for improving water demand scenarios. The University’s water supply distribution network layout was a looped system and the flow of water derived by both gravity and pressurized system. The gravity flow served for the academic and administrative staffs whereas the pressurized system of the network fed the students dormitories, cafeteria’s etc. The study revealed the existence of unmet minimum pressure requirement around the student dormitories which accounts 25.64% below the country’s building code standard during the peak hour consumption. The result of the water demand projection showed an increment of 2.5 liter per capita demand (LPCD) in every five years. Hence, first, the university’s water demand was projected and then hydraulic parameters such as; pressure, head loss and velocity were modeled for both the existing and the improved water supply distribution. The finding of the study was recommended to the university’s water supply project and institutional development offices for its future modification and rehabilitation works.

Well placement optimization in a given geological setting for a fractured geothermal reservoir is a prerequisite for enhanced geothermal operations. High computational cost associated in the framework of fully coupled thermo-hydraulic-mechanical (THM) processes in a fractured reservoir simulation, makes the well positioning as a missing point in developing a field scale investigation. Here, in this study, we shed light on this topic through examining different injection-production well (doublet) position in a given real fracture network. Water and CO2 are used as working fluids for geothermal operations and importance of well positions are examined using coupled THM numerical simulations for both the fluids. Results of this study are examined through the thermal breakthrough time, mass flux and the energy extraction potential to assess the impact of well position in a two-dimensional reservoir framework. Almost ten times of the difference between the final amount of heat extraction is observed for different well position but with the same well spacing and geological characteristics. Furthermore, stress field is be a strong function of well position that is important with respect to the possibility of unwanted stress development. As part of the MEET project, this study recommends to perform similar well placement optimization study for each fracture set in a fully coupled THM manner before a field well drilling.

Objective: To study the changes in urine metabolism in female water polo players before and after high-intensity training by using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and to explore the biometabolic characteristics of urine after training and competition. Methods: Twelve young female water polo players (except goalkeepers) from Shanxi Province were selected. A 4-week formal training was started after one week of acclimatization according to experimental requirements. Urine samples (5 ml) were collected before formal training, early morning after 4 weeks of training, and immediately after 4 weeks of training matches, and labeled as T1, T2, and T3, respectively. The samples were tested by LC-MS after pre-treatment. XCMS, SIMCA-P 14.1, and SPSS16.0 were used to process the data and identify differential metabolites. Results: On comparing the immediate post-competition period with the pre-training period (T3 vs T1), 24 differential metabolites involved in 16 metabolic pathways were identified, among which niacin and niacinamide metabolism and purine metabolism were potential post-competition urinary metabolic pathways in the untrained state of the athletes. On comparing the immediate post-competition period with the post-training period (T3 vs T2), 10 metabolites involved in 3 metabolic pathways were identified, among which niacin and niacinamide metabolism was a potential target urinary metabolic pathway for the athletes after training. Niacinamide, 1-methylnicotinamide, 2-pyridone, L-Gln, AMP, and Hx were involved in two metabolic pathways before and after the training. Conclusion: Differential changes in urine after water polo games are due changes in the metabolic pathways of niacin and niacinamide.

The microstructure and hardness along the thickness direction of a water quenched, high-strength thick plate with a thickness of 40 mm were investigated with three specimens from the thick plate: surface, 1/4t, and 1/2t (center) thickness, and the phase transformation behavior of the thick plate according to the cooling rate was analyzed through dilatometric experiments. Finally, the cooling rate for each thickness of the thick plate was estimated by comparing the microstructure and hardness of the thick plate along the thickness with those of the dilatometric specimens. Martensite microstructure was observed on the surface of the water quenched thick plate due to the fast cooling rate. On the other hand, an inhomogeneous microstructure was transformed inside the thick plate due to the relatively slow cooling rate and central segregation of Mn. A small fraction of bainite was shown at 1/4t thickness. A banded microstructure with martensite and bainite resulting from Mn segregation was developed at 1/2t; that is, the full martensite microstructure was transformed in the Mn-enriched area even at a slow cooling rate due to high hardenability, but a bainite microstructure was formed in the Mn-depleted area owing to relatively low hardenability. A portion of martensite with fine cementite at the surface and 1/4t was identified as auto-tempered martensite with a Bagaryatskii orientation relationship between the ferrite matrix and cementite. The microstructure and hardness as well as dilatation were investigated at various cooling rates through a dilatometric experiment, and a continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagram was finally presented for the thick plate. Comparing the microstructure and hardness at the surface, 1/4t, and 1/2t of the thick plate with those of dilatometric specimens cooled at various cooling rates, it was estimated that the surface of the thick plate was cooled at more than 20 oC/s, whereas the 1/4t region was cooled at approximately 5 ~ 10 oC/s during water quenching.

Water plays a crucial role in maintaining plant functionality and drives many ecophysiological processes. The distribution of water resources is in a continuous change due to global warming affecting the productivity of ecosystems around the globe, but there is a lack of non-destructive methods capable of continuous monitoring of plant and leaf water content that would help us in understanding the consequences of the redistribution of water. We studied the utilization of novel small hyperspectral sensors in the 1350-2450 nm spectral range in non-destructive estimation of leaf water content in laboratory and field conditions. We found that the sensors captured up to 96% of the variation in equivalent water thickness (EWT, g/m²) and up to 90% of the variation in relative water content (RWC). These laboratory findings were supported by field measurements, where repeated leaf spectra measurements were in good agreement (R²=0.79) with a time-lagged change of tree xylem diameter. Further tests were done with an indoor plant (Dracaena marginate Lem.) by continuously measuring leaf spectra while drought conditions developed, which revealed detailed diurnal dynamics of leaf water content. We conclude that close-range hyperspectral spectroscopy can provide a novel tool for continuous measurement of leaf water content at the single leaf level and help us to better understand plant responses to varying environmental conditions.

Water splitting technology is an efficient approach to generate hydrogen (H2) energy, which can well address the problems of environmental deterioration and energy shortage, as well as establishment of a clean and sustainable hydrogen economy powered by renewable energy sources due to the green reaction of H2 with O2. While the efficiency of H2 production by water splitting technology is intimately related with the reactions on electrode. Nowadays, the efficient electrocatalysts in water splitting reactions are the precious metal-based materials, i.e., Pt/C, RuO2 and IrO2. Ni (Co, Fe)-based layered double hydroxides (LDH) 2D materials are the typical non-precious metal-based materials in water splitting with advantages of low cost, excellent electrocatalytic performance and simple preparation methods, which exhibits a great potential for the substitution for precious metal-based materials. This review summarizes the recent progress of Ni (Co, Fe)-based LDH 2D materials for water splitting, which mainly focuses on discussing and analyzing the different strategies to modify LDH materials towards high electrocatalytic performance. We also discuss the recent achievements including their electronic structure, electrocatalytic performance, catalytic center, preparation process and catalytic mechanism. Furthermore, the characterization progress in revealing electronic structure and catalytic mechanism of LDH is highlighted in this review. Finally, we put forward some future perspectives related to design and explore advanced LDH catalysts in water splitting.

We report the use of four-layer graphene (4LG) as a highly reliable transparent conductive electrode (TCE) for polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC)-based smart window devices. The adhesion between 4LG and the substrate was successfully improved through a water-induced interface-cleaning (WIIC) process. We compared the performance of a device with a WIIC-processed 4LG electrode with that of devices with a conventional Indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode and a 4LG electrode without a WIIC. With the application of the WIIC process, the PDLC smart window with a 4LG electrode exhibited reduced turn-on voltage and haze compared to 4LG without the WIIC process and characteristics comparable to those of the ITO electrode. Based on our observations, we conclude that 4LG with WIIC is a promising TCE for flexible smart windows.

Even though groundwater-based irrigation has increased agricultural productivity and economic activity in the United States (US), the current rate of groundwater withdrawals from major aquifers could significantly affect the sustainability of agricultural production systems in the near future. In the major agricultural regions, producers are now facing challenges to irrigate to meet full crop water needs. There is an increasing need to strategize irrigation management under various climatic and environmental conditions to optimize water use in agriculture while optimizing crop yields. This study reviews some of the major challenges facing irrigated agriculture in the US and the potential measures to ensure the sustainability of groundwater-based irrigation. Identified challenges included diminishing quantity and quality of groundwater resources, frequent droughts, low adoption rates of precision irrigation technologies, and rising energy requirements for irrigation abstractions. Irrigation efficiency improvements, shifting to high water use efficiency crops, wastewater reuse, groundwater monitoring, availing incentives, and policy changes, were identified as promising water management strategies to ensure irrigation sustainability. The success of these strategies will depend on the uptake and adoption by the producers in the affected agricultural regions.

Our analysis of previous studies shows that solar energy and wind can consume negligible amount of water to generate one megawatt of electricity.

Sachet water (SW) is a major source of drinking water in most Nigerian homes, thus making it a possible conveyance medium for health risks due to contamination rather than for replenishment of the body. This study collected SW from three busy neighborhoods and investigated for the presence of indicator bacteria – Escherichia coli (E. coli), Total Coliform (TC), Total Heterophilic Bacteria (THB), and Staphylococcus – and some physio-chemical parameters – total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and salinity. Multi-variable and exploratory statistical methods were applied to the results to determine correlations between bacterial contamination levels and perceived brand reputation. Bacteriological test with raw SW samples appeared too numerous to count (TNC) and thus required serial dilutions. After seven dilutions, results obtained revealed that SW brands with good reputation had no TC and E. coli and was statistically significant with groupings of other SW brands (χ2 = 12.28; p < 0.05 and χ2 = 37.96; p < 0.05) respectively. Additionally, SW brands with poor reputation had mean values of TC (19.7X10^8 cfu/ml;14X10^8 cfu/ml1.15X10^8 cfu/ml) and E.coli (18.2X10^8 cfu/ml;38.7X10^8 cfu/ml,32.4X10^8 cfu/ml) exceeding threshold value of zero set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Only one sample from poor reputation brand tested positive for Staphylococcus and was not statistically significant (χ2 =5.2191; p = 0.074). Principal Component Analysis (PCA)/ Factor Analysis (FA) revealed that most of the SW had fecal contamination in an alarming magnitude. Therefore, this study suggests that periodic cleaning of distribution lines, location specific treatment, QC and QA measures should be taken to reduce water security risk for SW consumption in the region.

Water pollution in Iraq has been extended disaster edge; this pollution is caused by wastes and sewages into soil and rivers, pollutant water sources influence the outbreak and serious epidemic status among the population.. The aim of this study is to determine the bacteriological quality of drinking water sources and characteristics of water-borne diseases especially diarrheal cases in Darbandikhan city. 166 water samples, collected from the different sources and areas, were tested for the presences of coliform bacteria as an indicator for pathogen contamination. Most probable number index was used for coliform enumeration. 161 diarrheal cases were taken as a sample from the patients were admitted to the general hospital in Darbandikhan district.. The questionnaire form was planned to view characteristics of diarrheal cases and patients were interviewed directly, the data was analyzed by STATA software application. 46% of the diarrheal cases used tap water for drinking. On the other hand, the reminder (54%) used other sources for the same purpose. All the risk factor such as type of water source, sufficiency of the water, duration of water storage and chlorination were associated with diarrhea. Almost half of the cases were children and three quarters were single. The data was analyzed by STATA version 13.1.This study indicated that the majority of drinking water sources in Darbandikhan city are not suitable for drinking, although net pipe system supplied chlorine significantly it has been proven that the tap water from the homes is not suitable for consumption.

Shanghai is experiencing water supply problems caused by heavy pollution of its raw water supply, deficiencies in its treatment processes and water quality deteoriation in the distribution system. However, little attention has been paid these problems of water quality in raw water, water treatment and household drinking water. Based on water quality data we show that the raw water sources of the Huangpu River and the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary are polluted by microbes (TBC), eutrophication (TP, TN and NH3-N), heavy metals (Fe, Mn and Hg) and organic contamination (chemical oxygen demand [COD], detergent and volatile phenols [VP]). The average concentrations of these contaminants in the Huangpu River are almost double that of the Changjiang estuary forcing a rapid shift to the Changjiang estuary for raw water. In spite of filtering and treatment, TN, NH3-N, Fe, COD and chlorine maxima of the treated water and drinking water still exceed the Chinese National Standard (GB5749). We determine that the relevant threats from water source to household water in Shanghai are: 1) eutrophication arising from highly concentrated TN, TP, COD and algal density in the raw water; 2) increasing salinity in the river estuary, especially at the Qingcaosha Reservoir (currently the major freshwater source for Shanghai); 3) more than 50% of organic constituents and by-products remain in treated water; 4) bacteria and turbidity increase in the course of water delivery to users. The analysis presents an holistic assessment of the water quality threats to metropolitan Shanghai in relation to the city’s rapid development.

Wind energy powered pumps could be an alternative to conventional fuel powered pumps for water abstraction because they rely on a free energy and they are environmentally friendly. The objective of this study was to assess the potential of wind energy to operate water abstraction systems in Teso sub-region of Uganda for livestock watering Daily mean wind speeds recorded at a height of 10 m for a period of ten years (2005–2015) were collected from Amuria and Soroti Meteorological stations in the study area. Data were analyzed using Weibull distribution to evaluate the annual wind speed frequency distributions and consequently assess their potential for water abstraction. The results indicated that warmer months (January, February and March) have higher mean wind speeds than the cold months (August, September and October). High wind speeds in the dry seasons corresponded to the periods of high water demand. The highest shape parameter (k) of 3.07 was registered in 2009 and scale parameter (c) of 3.78 in 2012. The highest wind power density of 43 W/m² was obtained the year 2012 while the lowest wind power density of 15.47 W/m² was obtained for Soroti district in the year 2009. The maximum power extractable in Amuria in 2012 was 324 W/m² which is potentially enough for water abstraction. Maximum discharges of 1.86 m³/s and 1.52 m³/s were obtained for Amuria and Soroti districts respectively at mean wind speeds of 5 m/s. Therefore, Teso sub region winds have potential for water abstraction and Amuria district better sites for livestock watering using wind energy.

Cleaning wastewater and using it again for secondary purposes is a measure to address water scarcity in urban areas. However, upscaling of recycled water schemes is challenging due to the possible emergence of various barriers. Based on a review of the governance literature we suggest that a set of five governance conditions is necessary for a successful upscaling of recycled water schemes; (1) policy leadership, (2) policy coordination, (3) availability of financial resources, (4) awareness of a problem, and (5) the presence of a public forum. In order to elaborate on the practical relevance of these conditions we studied a recycled water scheme currently being upscaled in Sabadell, Spain. We reviewed policy documents, conducted a set of 21 semi-structured interviews, and attended two policy meetings about the subject. Our results suggest that Sabadell meets the required conditions for upscaling reused water to a certain extent. However, the presence of a public forum is lacking. We discuss the implications of the absence of the venue and procedures for public participation in Sabadell and how it could be strengthened. Following this discussion, we conclude with some lessons for other cities that plan to upscale their recycled water schemes.

Packaged water consumption has grown rapidly in urban areas of many low and middle income countries, but particularly in Ghana. However, the sources of water used by this growing packaged water industry and its implications for water resource management and transport-related environmental impacts have not been described. This study aimed to assess the spatial distribution of regulated packaged water production in Ghana, both in relation to demand and for natural mineral water, to hydrogeological characteristics. 764 addresses for premises licenced to produce packaged water from 2009-2015 were mapped and compared to regional sachet water consumption and beverage import/export data examined. We find evidence to suggest packaged water is transported shorter distances in Ghana than in developed countries. For natural mineral waters, producers should be able to address the most widespread water quality hazards (including high salinity, iron and nitrates) in aquifers used for production through reverse osmosis treatment. The study suggests there is scope to integrate beverage product and groundwater regulatory databases to support groundwater management.

Water scarcity challenges have necessitated the adoption of water-saving techniques in protected and nom-protected farming. This study aimed to assess the performance of a water-saving soil-less cultivation technique and to compare it with conventional soil-based cultivation in protected farming. The soilless technique used local gravel and a mixture of peat-moss, humin-substrate, and perlite in ratios of 4:3:1.5. Three irrigation regimes were imposed using emitters 8Lh-1 design discharge (D1) emitters with 6Lh-1 design discharge (D0.75) and 4Lh-1 de-sign discharge (D0.5) for the two cultivation methods during the growth cycle of tomato by drip irrigation. The vegetative growth, fruit yield and water consumption were measured and water productivity was determined. Moreover, an economic assessment was carried out by estimating and comparing economic coefficients for the two cultivation methods. Estimated coefficients include revenues, net profit, benefit-cost ratio, break-even levels of production and prices, revenues over variable cost, and revenues on investment. The tomato fruit yield under soil-based cultivation overtopped the yield under soilless cultivation. The water productivity under the soilless cultivation was almost twice that (24.3 kg m-3) of the soil-based cultivation (15.5 kg m-3). The soilless cultivation saved 50% of irrigation water applied by the conventional soil-based method, saving energy and soil from deterioration. Revenues and net profits stimulated by higher yield coupled with lower variable cos supported the soil-based cultivation. The economic assessment showed that both cultivation methods were economically viable. However, the soil-based cultivation method was more profitable due to its higher fruit yield. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the soilless cultivation technique is a viable option for wa-ter-saving cultivation. However, the soil-based cultivation method is still more profitable due to its higher fruit yield

Industrial process control systems commonly exhibit features of time-varying, strong coupling, and strong nonlinearity. Obtaining accurate mathematical models of these nonlinear systems and achieving satisfactory control performance is still a challenging task. In this paper, data-driven modeling techniques and deep learning methods are used to accurately capture a category of smooth nonlinear system’s spatiotemporal features. The operating point of these systems may change over time, and their nonlinear characteristics can be locally linearized. We established the LSTM-CNN-ARX model by utilizing a fusion of long short-term memory (LSTM) network and convolutional neural network (CNN) to fit the coefficients of the state-dependent exogenous variable autoregressive (SD-ARX) model. Compared to other models, the hybrid LSTM-CNN-ARX model is more effective in capturing the nonlinear system’s spatiotemporal characteristics due to its incorporating the strengths of LSTM for learning temporal characteristics and CNN for capturing spatial characteristics. The model-based predictive control (MPC) strategy, namely LSTM-CNN-ARX-MPC, is developed by utilizing the model's local linear and global nonlinear features. The control comparison experiments conducted on a water tank system (WTS) show the effectiveness of the developed models and MPC methods.

Various methods of water purification, the aim of which is to obtain such a purity class that makes it suitable for consumption are presented in the article. It is a review of solutions, ranging from methods known and used for over 100 years, through research and experiments underway, to those that are only a concept. Some of the solutions are so effective that they should also be combined with the possibility of safe storage of purified water. Flexible tanks are used for this, which significantly improve logistics and provide a supply of water in all places where it is needed.

Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) for water electrolysis have received tremendous attention due to their immediate response, high proton conductivity, low ohmic losses and gas crossover rate. However, design high activity, economical and long-term durable electrocatalysts in an acidic environment is still the bottleneck to realize the large-scale commercialization of PEMWEs. Iridium-based materials represent one of the most promising classes of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts due to their intrinsic stability in acid media over ruthenium-based counterparts. However, only a few innovative approaches have been developed to synthesizing iridium-based catalysts (IBCs) in the past decade, mainly due to achieving high activity may deteriorate the stability of IBCs. Accordingly, various engineering strategies of optimizing IBCs have been proposed to address this issue, including doping engineering, morphology engineering, crystal phase engineering and support engineering. Herein, a critical overview focusing on various synthesis and modulation strategies of IBCs is presented, based on an in-depth understanding of the relationship between electronic structures, charge redistribution and activity as well as stability of the electrocatalysts. In addition, the unprecedented achievements in PEMWEs are summarized. The reaction mechanisms and future perspectives are critically discussed to inspire more rational design of IBCs toward practical applications.

Most methods for measuring environmental lead (Pb) content are time consuming, expensive, hazardous, and restricted to specific analytical systems. To provide a facile, safe tool to detect Pb, we created pMet-lead, a portable fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based Pb biosensor. pMet-lead comprises a 3D-printed frame housing a 405-nm laser diode — an excitation source for fluorescence emission images (YFP and CFP) — accompanied by optical filters, a customized sample holder with a Met-lead 1.44 M1 (the most recent version)-embedded biochip, and an optical lens aligned for smartphone compatibility. Measuring the emission ratios (Y/C) of the FRET component enables Pb detection with a dynamic range of nearly 2 (1.96), pMet-lead/Pb dissociation constant (K_d) 45.62 nM, and limit of detection 40 nM (0.832 μg/dL, 8.32 ppb). To mitigate earlier problems with lack of selectivity for Pb vs. zinc, we preincubated samples with tricine, a low-affinity zinc chelator. We validated pMet-lead measurements of characterized laboratory samples and unknown samples from six regions in Taiwan by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Notably, two unknowns had Y/C ratios significantly higher than that of the control (3.48 ± 0.08 and 3.74 ± 0.12 vs. 2.79 ± 0.02), along with Pb concentrations (10.6 ppb and 15.24 ppb) above the WHO-permitted level of 10 ppb in tap water, while the rest four unknowns showing no detectable Pb upon ICP-MS. These results demonstrate that pMet-lead provides a rapid, sensitive means for on-site Pb detection in water from the environment and in living/drinking supply systems to prevent potential Pb poisoning.

The occurrence of potential spikes in a cell is a sign of life, and it is called action potential. There is a common notion that neuron signal conduction is the conduction of action potential. Hence, action potential is a typical and essential life activity. However, such potential spikes occur even in simple nonliving systems. According to the experimental observations by Pollack, structured water molecules can generate a negative potential environment. From this observation, the potential spike generation process for both living and nonliving systems caused by ion and water molecule adsorption-desorption process could be explained in this paper. So, taking into consideration the electrically neutral water molecules,the action potential generation mechanism could be explained. It is a fully inanimate model. Hence, the action potential may not be a life activity. Here, the role of water molecules in life is investigated further. It was found that the phase transition of the membrane is involved in the neuron signal conduction, but the membrane phase transition could be due to the change of state of the water molecules, which forms a large-scale structure in the cavities created by a number of lipids.

Rapid technological advancements in information communication technologies have enabled water resource data collection at greater spatial and temporal scale. However, this water data is often limited to the purposes of its primary collection, and limits decisions made by stakeholders towards sustainable urban water management. This empirically focused research paper examines how water practitioners involved in strategic planning can capture additional values from integrating different water data. Furthermore, the perception of 22 urban water practitioners across Australia are presented, regarding the importance of and difficulty in using water data for strategic planning, and the necessary steps for achieving integrated water management practices. Interviewees perception revealed gaps in available water resource data (i.e. water quality, ground water, stormwater, and urban water use), and limitations of industry guidelines for operating within existing governance frameworks. Overall, the research highlights the Australian urban water sector’s perception of water data’s crucial role in representing stakeholders interest; however, changes made in water data’s collection are required for an integrated water management approach. Implications for future open water data standard are discussed.

Water scarcity is significantly increasing water stress in Africa and some parts of the world. This is due to human induced factors such as climate change, increase of human population that raises demand which outstrips food availability, and put great changes of land use which results in changes of hydrological mechanics and water availability as whole. The investigation was through literature review and it tries to examine the criticality of water scarcity in Africa regions, and the major factors that mastermind this menace. Also possible strategies that can be promptly used to manage water scarcity at domestic level and in agriculture are described in this paper, not with standing the fact that agriculture sectors in Africa and the rest of the world remain the utmost vulnerable enterprise to water scarcity and withdrawal on the planet earth.

Achieving water security and availability for all is among the principle agenda of the UN-Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve the goal of water security, particularly in rapidly expanding cities, identification of safe and sustainable water resources is an absolute necessity. The paper conducts an exploratory investigation in the hydro geochemical characteristics of groundwater and thereby, assess the suitability of groundwater as an alternative and reliable resource for public water supply in the Indian city of Surat. A total of 33-groundwater samples, selected on the basis of aquifer depth, land use signatures, were collected from open, bore, dug wells and hand pumps. After the hydrogeochemical analysis, the study evaluated the present state of the groundwater quality and determined the spatial distribution of groundwater quality parameters such as hardness, electrical conductivity, Cl −, pH, SO42-, and NO3 − concentrations. An interpolation technique, known as ordinary kriging, was used to acquire the spatial distribution of parameters of groundwater quality parameters. Based on the permeability index, result showed that 80% of the sampled groundwater quality falls under excellent class i.e. category I with PI value ranging from 1-24%, whereas the rest 20% of the samples has fallen under good class i.e. category II with PI value ranging from 25 to 75% on the suitability of water for irrigation. The results of this study outlines the unsustainability of groundwater for direct consumption, especially without any improved onsite water treatment, but it is appropriate for the irrigation purposes.

Steam Generator Level Control System (SGLCS) is one of the key instrumentations and control subsystems to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. It is highly recommended to perform reliability analysis for SGLCS for making better maintenance strategy. SGLCS is a digital control system with complex redundant configuration and failure\self-diagnosis\repair action, traditional fault tree is not applicable due to its static property, Markov model is not a good choice too because of heavy burden of creating state transition graph for even medium-size system. Boolean Logic Driven Markov Process (BDMP) can describe complex failure-repair state transition via ‘trigger link’ and three kinds of leaf nodes, as well as keep compact and easy-read struct like fault tree. So BDMP is adopted to analysis reliability of SGLCS. Graphical BDMP modeling environment KB3 and Monte Carlo simulator YAMS is used for BDMP modeling and quantitative analysis respectively, and unavailability of SGLCS is obtained. The contribution of three parts of SGLCS to the unavailability of the system is also evaluated, and it is found that the water supply flow control part contributes the most to the failure of SGLCS.

Water quality retrieval for small urban waterbodies by remote sensing get used to be difficult due to coarse spatial resolution of the remote sensing imagery. The recently launched Sentinel-2 produces imagery with a spatial resolution of 10 m. It provides an opportunity to solve the problem of retrieving water quality for small waterbodies. Additionally, many water management issues also require fine resolution of imagery, e.g. illegal discharge to an urban waterbody. Since illegal discharges are an important issue for urban water management, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorous (TP), and total nitrogen (TN) were chosen as the target parameters for water quality retrieval in this study. COD, TP and TN, however, are non-optically active parameters. There were limited studies in the past to retrieve these parameters in comparison with optically active parameters, e.g. Chlorophyll-A etc. This study compared three machine learning models, namely Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and Neural Networks (NN), to investigate the opportunity to retrieve the above non-optically active parameters. Results showed that R² of TP, TN, and COD by NN, RF and SVR were 0.94, 0.88, and 0.86, respectively. The performances of water quality retrieval for these non-optically active parameters were significantly improved by the optimized machine learning models. These models hence solved the problem to use remote sensing data to retrieve these non-optically active water quality parameters and provided a new monitoring strategy for small waterbodies. Water quality mapping obtained by Sentinel-2 imagery provided a full spatial coverage of the water quality characterization for the entire water surface. Compared with water samples collecting and testing, it greatly reduced labor cost, reagents cost, and waste treatment cost. It also may help identify illegal discharges to urban waterbodies. The method developed in this research provides a new practical and efficient water quality monitoring strategy in managing water with consideration of environmental sustainability.

The recent green manufacturing demands have boosted the development of new biodegradable lubricants to replace petroleum-based lubricants. In this regard, water-based lubricants have been at the forefront of recent research for a wide range of industrial applications, including metalworking fluids (MWFs). In this work, we present an experimental investigation on the performance of novel green MWFs based on aqueous nopal mucilage solutions. For this, fully biodegradable solutions with different mucilage concentrations were evaluated in terms of rheological, tribological, thermal stability and turning (minimum quantity lubrication) performance, and compared to a commercial semisynthetic oil-based MWF (Cimstar 60). Mucilage solutions exhibited viscoelastic shear-thinning behavior, which was enhanced along with mucilage concentration. The solution with the highest mucilage content studied resulted in the lowest wear, friction and temperature in comparison to the other solutions and neat water in extreme pressure four-ball tests, and a similar level of lubricity as compared to the commercial MWF in cutting tests. This performance is associated to the enhanced viscosity and elasticity of the solution, as well as to the contents of lipids with fatty acids in the mucilage. Overall, the present results reveal the relevance of the viscoelastic behavior of the lubricant, elasticity in particular, in lubrication processes, and points to nopal mucilage as an effective green additive to produce innocuous MWFs.

Archie model is the basis of calculating oil saturation, but there are some limitations when using this model to calculate oil saturation in water-flooded layer. The main reason is that the main parameters, such as rock resistivity and formation water resistivity, are constantly changing dynamic parameters in the underground with the influence of injected water. Considering that water-flooded layers changes with injection waters, influence factors of rock resistivity and formation water resistivity of primary parameters are analyzed. Considering the dynamic data of water cut is the most reactive underground fluid characteristics of real information, combined with dynamic and static, and the “double ratio” model of later development by the same sedimentary layer is established, which realizes the inversion of rock resistivity and formation water resistivity, then modified Archie model relating to water-flooded layers of the same sedimentary explaining formation. The explanation of actual data indicates that the “double ratio” model well considers the dynamic variation of production data, which makes the inversion of the flooded rock resistivity relatively accurate, besides, the modified Archie model can accurately calculate the oil saturation of water-flooded layers with a reasonable result, which offers scientific basis for the predicting of remaining oil distribution rules.

For water-stressed regions like Iran improving the effectiveness and productivity of agricultural water-use is of utmost importance due to climate change and unsustainable demands. Therefore, a hydro-economic model has been developed here for the Zarrine River Basin with the central concept of that demands are value-sensitive functions, where quantities of water-uses at different locations and times have a changeable economic benefits. To do this, the potential crop yields and the surface and groundwater resources, especially Boukan Dam inflow are simulated using the hydrologic model, SWAT, based on predicted climatic scenarios i.e. quantile mapping-downscaled projections. Then, to allocate the agricultural water based on the agro- economic crop water productivity (AEWP) of crops, a basin-wide water management tool, MODSIM, is customized. Next, a simulation- optimization model has been developed using a coupled CSPSO-MODSIM, to optimize the total AEWP, considering climatic impact and crop pattern scenarios, for 2020-2038, 2050-2068 and 2080-2098 periods. Finally, the optimum crop pattern and crop water irrigation depths are presented for different RCPs and periods. The results indicated that this approach will improve considerably the AEWPs and decrease the agricultural water-use up to 40%. Thus, this integrated model is able to support water authorities and other stakeholder in a water-scarce basin, as is the study area.

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of thermocompression conditions on lignocellulosic biomass such as sugarcane bagasse (SCB) in the production of 100% binderless bio-based materials. Five parameters were investigated: pressure applied (7-102 MPa), molding temperature (60-240°C), molding time (5-30 min), fiber/fine particle ratio (0/100-100/0) and moisture content (0-20%). These parameters affected the properties and chemical composition of the materials. The density ranged from 1198 to 1507 kg/m3, the flexural modulus from 0.9 to 6.9 GPa and the flexural strength at breaking point from 6.1 to 43.6 MPa. Water absorption (WA) and thickness swelling (TS) respectively ranged from 21% to 240% and from 9% to 208%. Higher mechanical properties were obtained using SCB with fine particles, low moisture content (4-10%), high temperature (≥ 200°C) and pressure (≥ 68 MPa), while water resistance was improved using more severe thermocompression conditions with the highest temperature (240°C) and time (30 min) or a higher moisture content (≥ 12.5%). Correlations were noted between the mechanical properties and density, while the material obtained with only fine particles had the highest mechanical properties and density. Material obtained with a 30 min molding time had the lowest WA and TS due to internal chemical reorganization followed by hemicellulose hydrolysis into water-soluble extractables.

With the development of the city, a large number of water networks in the built-up areas of Bangkok have been filled and hardened, resulting in poor urban flooding and aggravating flooding, causing loss of life and property of citizens. In this paper, on the basis of combing the current water networks and open space potential flood storage points in the built-up areas of Bangkok, the complex network diagram of the water system in the built-up areas of Bangkok is constructed by combining the theory of complex networks and analyzing the attribute parameters of the network and the characteristic parameters of the open space storage nodes and water system paths, and finding that the water system network in the built-up area of Bangkok has complex network characteristics such as robustness, clustering and hierarchy. By exploring the key storage points and water system connection paths, the researchers initially constructed a flood safety pattern in the built-up area of Bangkok with 145 key nodes and 127 river paths as the backbone, and conceptualized the development study of the flood safety pattern in both horizontal and vertical directions. The urban flood safety pattern based on complex network theory proposed in this paper provides a case reference and methodological ideas to scientifically solve the game conflict between the demand for construction land for urban development and the construction area of urban open space storage points and water storage network under the increasingly severe flooding situation.

Drinking water contamination of lead from various environmental sources, leaching consumer products and intrinsic water-pipe infrastructure is still today a matter of great concern. Therefore, new highly sensitive and convenient Pb²⁺ measurement schemes are necessary, especially for in-situ measurements at a low-cost. Within this work dye/ionophore/Pb²⁺ co-extraction and effective water phase de-colorization was utilized for highly sensitive lead measurements and sub-ppb naked-eye detection. A low-cost ionophore Benzo-18-Crown-6-ether was used, and a simple test-tube mix and separate procedure was developed. Instrumental detection limits were in the low ppt region (LOD=3, LOQ=10), and naked-eye detection was 500 ppt. Note, however, that this sensing scheme still has improvement potential as concentrations of fluorophore and ionophore were not optimized. Artificial tap-water samples, leached by a standardized method, demonstrated drinking water application. Implications for this method are convenient in-situ lead ion measurements.

Accurate forecast of tail water level (TWL) is of great importance for the safe and economic operation and management of hydropower stations. The predictive performance is significantly influenced by the backwater effect of downstream hydropower stations and tributaries, but the explicit quantification method of the backwater effect is lacked. In this study, a deep learning model based forecasting framework for TWL predictions is established and applied to forecast TWL of Xiangjiaba (XJB) hydropower stations, which is influenced by the backwater effect of downstream tributaries including Hengjiang River (HJR) and Minjiang River (MJR). Firstly, the lag time of the backwater effect of HJR and MJR is analyzed based on the permutation importance. The results demonstrate that the lag time of backwater effect on the TWL of XJB is 5-7 hours for the HJR and 1-2 hours for the MJR. Then, the runoff thresholds of the HJR and MJR for impacting the TWL of the XJB station are obtained by scenario comparison, and the results show that the thresholds of HJR and MJR are 700 m3/s and 7000 m3/s respectively. Finally, the deep learning methods based TWL forecasting model is established based on the lag time and threshold analysis. The model is used to forecast the TWL in future 48 hours. The results show that the forecasting model has a good predictive performance with 98.22% of absolute errors less than 20 cm. The mean absolute error over the validation dataset is 5.27 cm and the maximum absolute error is 63.35 cm.

Hydrogenated water has emerged as a novel approach in the field of health and wellness. It is be-lieved to have potent antioxidant properties that can neutralize harmful free radicals in the hu-man body. It has also been shown to be beneficial in mitigating oxidative stress-induced damage through its anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic pathways. We aim to conduct a systematic re-view to evaluate the potential benefits of hydrogenated water. The review protocol was uploaded on PROSPERO. After the initial search criteria, the articles were reviewed by two blinded inves-tigators, and a total of 25 articles were included in the systematic review. The potential benefits of hydrogenated water on various aspects of health, including exercise capacity, physical endurance, liver function, cardiovascular disease, mental health, COVID-19, oxidative stress, and anti-aging research, are a subject of growing interest and ongoing research. Although preliminary results in clinical trials and studies are encouraging, further research with larger sample sizes and rigor-ous methodologies is needed to substantiate these findings. Current research needs to fully ex-plain the mechanisms behind the potential benefits of hydrogenated water. Continued scientific exploration will provide valuable insights into the potential of hydrogenated water as an adjunc-tive therapeutic approach in the future.

Fresh water is an increasingly scarce resource in both urban and rural developments. As a response to this challenge, non-potable water reuse is on the rise. This research explored a potential off-grid system for water purification, consisting of a staircase wetland with terracotta pot plants working as a filter for greywater. The study further investigated the physicochemical properties of the greywater and the soil before and after the wetland purification. Results showed that the filtered water satisfied all requirements for water reuse, e.g., pH, turbidity, and total coliforms. The research then uniquely investigated the effect of greywater on the soil biodiversity and soil biomass using soil DNA extraction and the tea bag index testing method. The filtered greywater absorbed by soil decomposed the soil faster and stabilized it better compared to tap water-absorbed soil or unfiltered greywater. The DNA generation sequencing revealed no significant differences in alpha diversity between control and treatment samples. The beta diversity differences were significant. This nature-based solution can lead to reduced load on the sewage system, resulting in less wastewater generation.

Environmental monitoring is an important topic and serves a vibrant scientific role by revealing long-term trends that can lead to new knowledge and understanding. Globally, there is active development of photonic sensors incorporating multidisciplinary research. The ultimate objective is to develop small, low-cost, sensitive, selective, quick, durable, remote-controllable sensors that are resistant to electromagnetic interference. Different photonic sensor designs and advances in photonic frameworks have shown the possibility to realize these capabilities. In this review paper, the latest developments in the field of optical waveguide and fiber-based sensors which can serve for environmental monitoring are discussed. Several important topics such as toxic gas, water quality, indoor environment, and natural disaster monitoring are reviewed.

This paper investigates women’s empowerment and their active involvement in governance aimed at promoting sustainable development. The study focuses on examining the roles and processes of co-creation of nature-based solutions (NBS) for water management in Milan. Three research directions were explored: 1) to determine gender-based roles within local governance; 2) to detect semantic groups of NBS based on stakeholders' gender; c) to analyze gender-based linguistic and conceptual patterns of NBS. To achieve our objectives, we converted a sample of audio-video interviews of local stakeholders into textual data along with metadata indicating speakers' roles and gender. Descriptive statistics were applied to explore the governance's roles. We employed a combination of textual analysis and network analysis to identify thematic groups of NBS, and applied a word embedding approach to uncover linguistic patterns indicative of semantic sub-structures. The findings revealed significant demographic diversity. Male stakeholders perceive sustainable development as a process driven by the circular economy and the coordination of territorial authorities, while female stakeholders envision a transformative approach rooted in science, culture, and collaboration. The semantic sub-structure analysis highlighted a tendency among male governance to emphasize specialized skills, whereas female governance placed greater emphasis on problem definition rather than resolution.

Everyone should therefore consistently get access to enough and safe water. The operation of the existing distribution network as well as the proper optimization and implementation of the new distribution systems are required for a sufficient and safe water supply. In Sekota town sufficient amount of water was not reached to the beneficiaries due to shortage of water at the source. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the performance and optimize the existing Sekota water supply distribution system using Bentley Water GEMS.The system's hydraulic modeling is carried out by considering as a continuous supply system, and the evaluation procedure used the extended period simulation approach after calibration was done. Calibration is used to ensure the performance of the model using the observed pressure values. The output of the existing system shows pressure is very high means above the maximum pressure and velocity is very low at peak hour demand. The results of velocity and pressure before optimization have negative effect on the performance of the system. The number of pipes and junctions their velocities and pressures which were in admissible ranges are 15 and 42 pipes for velocities and zero and 59 junctions for pressure before and after optimization were evaluated respectively.

Growing water shortages for large regions of the arid regions of the world, are likely to become more recurrent as climate change impacts grow. Countries across the world are facing water security difficulties that stem from population growth, urbanization, and rapid industrialization. The use of behavioral nudges methods implemented to encourage a socially desired behavior at a low to zero cost, has been an effective method at reducing water consumption in places where they have been deployed. For example, studies in California USA, Barcelona Spain, and Australia indicate that adoption of nudges give significant positive results in water consumption reduction. We describe some of the barriers that make it difficult to implement behavioral nudges to address the water crises in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We investigate the literature available in Sub-Saharan Africa and discover that the application of behavioral nudges has been sparingly used for reasons that are not obvious at first glance. Second, we find that the potential impediments to the use of behavioral nudges in SSA to be awareness, inadequate access to science and technology, political systems that are poorly suited for implementing nudging, abundance of multiple ethnic groups that speak different languages, along with other barriers that could challenge implementation of behavioral nudges. In light of those barriers, we present a conceptual model with a potential to address these barriers to behavioral nudging a workable solution in SSA.