The Demise of a Tropical Coastal Lagoon as Breeding Habitat for Ground-Nesting Waterbirds: Unintended,but Anticipated Consequences of Development

Laguna Cuyutlán (Colima, Mexico), an Important Bird Area, used to provide breeding habitat for ground-nesting waterbirds. During 2014 and 2015, nesting efforts of laughing gull, black skimmer, and royal, gull-billed and Forster's terns failed almost completely due to inundation, while least terns and snowy plovers fared the same during 2014. No anomalies in rainfall, tidal level, or coseismic subsidence explained such failure. Rather, the inundations were due to the enlarging of Canal Tepalcates that connects the lagoon with the sea, which was widened from 100 to 300 m and dredged to 17-m deep. Before this, the hydrodynamics were regulated by evaporation and runoff. Now, increased seawater volumes dominate the basin's hydrodynamics. The failure of Laguna Cuyutlán as a breeding habitat for these birds is an important threat for these species, as this lagoon held one of the < 20 colonies known for several of these species along the western coast of North and Central America. Documenting this demise of Laguna Cuyutlán for ground-nesting waterbirds transcends the regional scale as it emphasizes the little consideration still given to biodiversity vs. economic development, and is a warning for coastal projects in other developing areas of the world.     

Model-based analysis of the mechanical subsystem of an air brake system

Most commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks use an air brake system, often equipped with an S-cam drum brake, to reduce their speed and/or to stop. With a drum brake system, the clearance between the brake shoe/pad and the brake drum may increase because of various reasons such as wearing of the brake shoe and/or brake drum and drum expansion caused by high heat generation during the braking process. Hence, to ensure proper functioning of the brake system, it is essential that the clearance between the brake shoe and the brake drum is monitored. In this paper, we present a mathematical model for the mechanical subsystem of the air brake system that can be used to monitor this clearance. This mathematical model correlates the push rod stroke transients and the brake chamber pressure transients. A kinematic analysis and a dynamic analysis of the mechanical subsystem of the air brake system were performed, and the results are corroborated with experimental data.     

Benthic sediment composition and nutrient cycling in an Intermittently Closed and Open Lake Lagoon

Surfical sediments within Corunna Lake, a moderate size Intermittently Closed and Open Lake Lagoon (ICOLL), were examined for solid phase nutrient concentrations (TN, TP, TOC,) and solute exchange rates between the sediment and water column (O₂, NO₃–N, NH₄–N, FRP, and N₂). The surfical sediments in Corunna Lake contained high concentrations of TN (5 mg/g dry mass), total phosphorus (0.6 mg/g dry mass), and TOC (~ 5% dry mass). The carbon stable isotope ratio (δ¹³C) and TOC:TN ratios (δ¹³C ~ ? 24, TOC:TN ~ 11–14) demonstrated that the composition of the organic matter in the sediment was a mixture derived primarily of degraded planktonic matter. The close association between TP and Fe concentrations highlighted the potential role Fe plays in mediating Filterable Reactive Phosphorus (FRP) concentrations in the water column of Corunna Lake. In situ benthic chamber incubations were used to measure benthic fluxes. Solute exchange rates between the sediment and water column in Corunna Lake were similar to other reported studies (O₂ = ? 469 to ? 1765 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1, NH₄–N = 0.1–63 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1, NO₂/NO₃–N = 0 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1, FRP = ? 4–1.6 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1and N₂ = 12–356 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1). As more carbon was deposited and mineralized the efficiency of the bacterial population to denitrify nitrogen in the sediment decreases. The linkage between land use and benthic biogeochemistry was also explored. A dairy farm exists in the middle catchment of Corunna Lake, and the receiving bay sediment consistently demonstrated the highest oxygen consumption rates in winter and spring (? 1408 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1 in winter, ? 1691 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1 in spring) and lowest denitrification efficiencies during summer (~ 3%). Nitrate/nitrite fluxes were not observed during any of the chamber incubations, with the concentrations of nitrate/nitrite being below detection limits (< 10 μg/L). Seasonal changes influenced the rates of solute exchange between the sediment and water column. Critical measures of solute exchange for NH₄–N and biogenic N₂ indicated that seasonal temperature changes play a significant role in mediating the reaction rates of sedimentary based biogeochemical processes. Measurable FRP fluxes were small but greater in the benthic sediments which received higher carbon inputs. Sediments have a high capacity to adsorb P which is released as sediment oxygen demand increases as a result of increases in labile carbon loads.     

Cycle-simulation turbulence modelling of IC engines

Numerical simulations of IC engines are of high interest for automotive engineers worldwide. The simulation models should be as fast as possible, low-computational effort and predictive tool. The correct prediction of turbulence level inside the combustion chamber of spark ignition engines is the most important factor influencing to the engine working cycle. This paper presents a development of the k-ε turbulence model applied to the commercial cycle-simulation software with the high emphasis on the intake part. The validation was performed on two engine geometries with the variation of engine speed and load comparing the cycle-simulation results of the turbulent kinetic energy and in-cylinder temperature with 3-D CFD results. In order to apply the cycle-simulation turbulence model for the simulation of entire engine map, the parameterization model of turbulence constants was proposed. The parameterized turbulence model was optimized using NLPQL optimization algorithm where the single set of turbulence model parameters for each engine was found. A good agreement of the turbulent kinetic energy during the expansion was achieved when the turbulence affects the flame front propagation and combustion rate as well.     

Book review

Onshore Planning for Offshore Oil—Lessons from Scotland by Pamela L. Baldwin and Malcolm F. Baldwin The Conservation Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1975     

Protecting Rhode Island's coastal salt ponds: An economic assessment of downzoning

Abstract

In southern Rhode Island, there is growing concern that housing and recreational demands will soon overwhelm the capacity of the coastal salt ponds to absorb wastes, produce seafood, and maintain scenic qualities. As a result, coastal towns have been studying the feasibility of using land controls such as downzoning to protect these coastal amenities. The paper presents an economic analysis of the downzoning program proposed in the town of South Kingstown. Hedonic price and contingent valuation methods are used to value coastal amenities. The estimated net present value of “swimmable” water is shown to be $3.1 million.     

Out-of-home activities,daily travel,and subjective well-being

It is argued that utility theory that underpins current cost-benefit analyses of daily travel needs to be complemented. An alternative theoretical framework is to this end proposed which applies subjective well-being (SWB) to travel behaviour analysis. It is posited in this theoretical framework that participation in goal-directed activities, facilitated or hindered by travel, contributes to SWB, that the degree of travel-related stress in participating in these activities reduces SWB, and that positive affect associated with travel in itself has an impact on SWB.     

Estimation of the effects of aircraft noise on residential satisfaction

This study assesses the effects of aircraft noise on residential satisfaction, an important indicator of subjective well-being. A structural equation model is specified that estimates the relationships between objective variables, noise annoyance variables and residential satisfaction. Secondary data-analysis is used to estimate the model. The survey was conducted in 1996/1997 among the population living within a 25-km radius of Amsterdam Schiphol, the largest airport in the Netherlands. The effect of aircraft noise annoyance is found to be relatively small. In addition, the objective level of aircraft noise exposure is found to be a better predictor of residential satisfaction than its subjective counterpart. The most important determinants of residential satisfaction are found to be road traffic noise annoyance, age and neighbor noise annoyance.     

A regional railroad network optimization model for coal transportation

A regional railroad network is presented to evaluate the system's response to increased coal traffic. An optimal, multimodal, coal-shipping pattern is developed for the study region to minimize total costs and to efficiently use the existing network. A two-stage, general model allocates resources among demands and then assigns flows to the network according to efficiency criteria. The model is sufficiently general to permit modification for specific needs, assumptions and data. Government agencies and industries can apply the model in resource allocation decisions and transportation policy analysis.     

Methodology for the accuracy improvement of FEM beam type T-junctions of buses and coaches structures

The analysis of structures with finite elements methods (FEM) represents a widely spread technique. For large tubular structures similar to the buses and coaches upper structures, beam type elements are utilized due to the fact that these elements provide satisfactory results at relatively reduced computational performances. However the beam type elements have a main disadvantage determined by the fact that the modeled joints have an infinite rigid behavior. This shortcoming determines a stiffer behavior of the modeled structures which translates into an error source for the structural simulations (up to 45%). To overcome this problem, a simple methodology was conceived and an alternative optimized equivalent beam model obtained. The methodology studies the behavioral characteristics of beam modeled T-junctions determining their limitations and comparing them to equivalent T-junctions modeled with shell and volume elements. This way an improved Tjunction has been obtained, in which the behavioral error was reduced to less than 5%. Furthermore the FEM obtained results were validated with real T-junctions.