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The NOvA experiment has been collecting data in the NuMI neutrino beam since 2014. In this article we describe the rich physics program of the experiment, including long-baseline oscillation measurements, neutrino cross-section measurements, searches for phenomena beyond the standard three flavor oscillation paradigm, as well as astrophysical searches. Only half way through its expected run plan, NOvA will continue to explore exciting physics topics through 2026 and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been recent interest in the use of surface-deployed geophysical methods to estimate soil moisture profiles. In this study, we applied multi-coil, frequency domain, electromagnetic induction (EMI) geophysical surveys to determine electrical conductivity (σ) profiles of the root zone of four winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes grown in a randomized block experiment with four replicates. Field measurements of apparent electrical conductivity (σa) were obtained at sites with two different soil textures. We used the cumulative sensitivity model to predict EMI conductivity data from the conductivity profile measured with electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) on a subset of the plots we investigated. During the inversion of the EMI data, conductivities were adjusted on all plots so that they were consistent with the ERT data. Changes in electrical conductivity of field soil, with depth computed from inversion of the EMI data, during the growth period were compared with measured changes in soil water content. Laboratory measurements confirmed a positive correlation between electrical conductivity and soil water content. Between crop emergence and maturity, water extraction by the different wheat genotypes reduced the water content by up to 30% Comparing changes in electrical conductivity between reference profiles determined shortly after crop emergence and electrical conductivity profiles at later dates as the crop matured, we were able to use EMI to remotely monitor moisture extraction by the roots of different wheat genotypes with depth and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Blackstone River is a relatively small river that drains the area around Worcester, Massachusetts, one of first industrialized cities in the United States. Until the 1970s, the river was highly polluted by industrial and municipal wastewaters--not unlike the current situation in degraded rivers in areas of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Today, the Blackstone enjoys considerably improved water quality as the result of two historical processes: continuing investment and improvement in municipal wastewater treatment in response to increasingly stringent U.S. federal water-quality laws, and the control or elimination of industrial discharges. A key factor in the river's restoration was the early development of and continued adherence to a comprehensive basin water-quality plan. A similar planning process is recommended for CEE countries. Nonetheless, achieving acceptable water quality in the Blackstone was a slow process, requiring decades of intensive improvement in wastewater treatment. A similarly slow process can be anticipated in the CEE countries unless cost-effective interim improvements in wastewater treatment are sought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MINOS experiment aims to conduct precision measurements of neutrino oscillation properties. Commissioning will start in early 2005, with two detectors separated by a baseline of 735km, and a beam of primarily νμ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract An emerging green infrastructure, the bioretention basin, has been deployed world-wide to reduce peak flows, encourage infiltration, and treat pollutants. However, inadequate design of a basin impairs its treatment potential and necessitates the development and validation of a suitable hydrological model for design and analysis of bioretention basins. In this study, an existing numerical model, RECHARGE, has been adopted to simulate hydrological performance of a basin in the tropical climate of Singapore over a half year that included 80 storm events. Comparison of the model predictions with field observations shows that RECHARGE successfully simulates the basin hydrology of 80 events of varying rainfall characteristics with mass balance error of 5.1 ± 7.5% per event and 0.3% overall. Using the verified model, we develop new design curves that predict bioretention basin performance as a function of three basin design parameters: detention depth; ratio of drainage basin area to bioretention area; and saturated hydraulic conductivity of the basin soil media. We evaluate basin performance in terms of the percentage of water that infiltrates and is treated in the subsurface portion of the basin and define an infiltration index to measure the change in infiltrated percentage caused by unit change in the basin design parameters. The marginal improvement in basin performance drops significantly when the basin depth (h d) is increased above 40 cm, when the ratio of drainage area to bioretention area (R) is decreased below 20, or when the saturated hydraulic conductivity (K s) is increased above 10 cm/h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major challenge for assessment of water quality in tropical environments is the natural occurrence and potential growth of Fecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB). To gain a better understanding of the relationship between measured levels of FIB and the distribution of sewage-associated bacteria, including potential pathogens, in the tropics this study compared the abundance of FIB (Total coliforms and E. coli) and the Bacteroidales (HF183 marker) with bacterial community structure determined by next-generation amplicon sequencing. Water was sampled twice over 6 months from 18 sites within a tropical urban catchment and reservoir, followed by extraction of DNA from microorganisms, and sequencing targeting the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Multivariate statistical analyses indicated that bacterial community composition (BCC) varied between reservoir and catchment, within catchment land-uses, and with E. coli concentration. Beta-regression indicated that the proportion of sequences from sewage-associated taxa (SAT) or pathogen-like sequences (PLS) were predicted most significantly by measured levels of E. coli(log MPN/100 mL) (χ² > 8.7; p < 0.003). In addition, SAT were significantly predicted by log HF183 levels (χ²=13.1; p = 0.0003) while PLS were not. Our study suggests that measurements of E. coli concentration could be useful in predicting samples enriched in sewage-associated and pathogen-like bacteria in tropical environments despite the potential for nonconservative behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bioretention basin is a type of green infrastructure that treats stormwater runoff. However, there is a limited understanding of its treatment potential with different design configurations and limited capability to model bioretention systems. Current modeling practice fails to represent bacteria-mediated biochemical reactions that remove nitrogen. This study provides a reaction-based model of water quality treatment processes using multiple bacterial Monod kinetics under variably saturated flow conditions to predict the dynamics of nitrogen and organics in a bioretention system. The model was calibrated and validated against concentrations measured during an eight-month field monitoring program. Because the model simulates both basin hydrologic performance and biological treatment performance, it can be used to verify design guidelines by evaluating the response of the system to different design parameters. The model shows that nitrogen removal is enhanced by increasing bioretention basin volume and by setting an optimal value of hydraulic conductivity for subsurface infiltration. [Display omitted] • We modeled bacterially mediated biochemical transformation in a bioretention basin. • We calibrated and verified the event mean effluent quality for nitrogen species. • The model simulates both hydrologic and biological treatment performance. • The model was used to develop performance curves to predict nitrogen removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PhATE (Pharmaceutical Assessment and Transport Evaluation) model presented in this paper was developed as a tool to estimate concentrations of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in U.S. surface waters that result from patient use (or consumption) of medicines. PhATE uses a mass balance approach to model predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) in 11 watersheds selected to be representative of most hydrologic regions of the United States. The model divides rivers into discrete segments. It estimates the mass of API that enters a segment from upstream or from publicly owned treatment works (POTW) and is subsequently lost from the segment via in-stream loss mechanisms or flow diversions (i.e., manmade withdrawals). POTW discharge loads are estimated based on the population served, the API use per capita, the potential loss of the compound associated with human use (e.g., metabolism), and the portion of the API mass removed in the POTW. Simulations using three surrogate compounds show that PECs generated by PhATE are generally within an order of magnitude of measured concentrations and that the cumulative probability distribution of PECs for all watersheds included in PhATE is consistent with the nationwide distribution of measured concentrations of the surrogate compounds. Model simulations for 11 APIs yielded four categories of results. (1) PECs fit measured data for two compounds. (2) PECs are below analytical method detection limits and thus are consistent with measured data for three compounds. (3) PECs are higher than (i.e., not consistent with) measured data for three compounds. However, this may be the consequence of as yet unidentified depletion mechanisms. (4) PECs are several orders of magnitude below some measured data but consistent with most measured data for three compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A biography of Donald R. F. Halerman, an eminent engineer and scholar, discussed at the forum of the American Society of Civil Engineers is presented. Halerman was born on December 5, 1922 in Palmerton, Pennsylvania and received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Pennsylvania State University. He conducted various studies that aim to solve issues that would improve the quality of life and protect the environment. Details related to his career developments are discussed.