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Groundwater is an important natural resources of drinking water in mining area in Xin'an spring basin, northern China. To foster the sustainable development and utilization of groundwater, a total of 332 groundwater samples, including 147 pore groundwater, 95 fissure groundwater and 90 karst groundwater, were collected and hydrochemical parameters were applied to assess the groundwater quality and human health risks caused by oral ingestion. The results showed that the major chemical components of groundwater in Xin'an spring basin were HCO3−, SO42−, NO3−, Cl−, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, total hardness (TH), and total dissolved solids (TDS). The contents of TDS, TH, SO42−, NO3−, F−, Fe, Mn, Pb, and As in groundwater were exceed the standard of groundwater quality (SGQ) limits. The main hydrochemical types of groundwater were HCO3-Ca·Mg and SO4·Cl–Ca·Mg. The factors controlling the groundwater chemistry mainly were mineral weathering, evaporation, cation exchange, and anthropogenic input. The results of water quality assessment showed that the karst and fissure groundwater in study area was mainly excellent-good quality water, while pore groundwater was mainly good-medium quality water. The poor and extremely poor quality water was mainly distributed in Changzhi basin, and the greater contribution made by Pb, Mn, NO3−, Fe, SO42−, TH and TDS. The range of hazard index (HI) values of groundwater was 0.28 to 27.79, and the HI values mainly contributed by NO3−, F−, As, ingestion rate (IR) and exposure duration (ED). The cumulative carcinogenic risk (CCR) values ranged from 1.5 × 10–7 to 2.78 × 10–3, and the greater contribution made by Cr, As, Cd, IR and ED. The results of health risk assessment suggested that some parts of the study region may pose a significant non-carcinogenic risk and a high probability in developing cancer to local residents, and infants were at greatest risk to health, followed by children and adults, while teenagers were at least at risk. This study will provide a deeper insight into the water quality situation and geochemical evolution of groundwater in Xin'an spring area, and will assist decision-makers to formulate management strategies of drinking water safety for the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This literature review provides an overview of the various modern approaches in talent programs for the context of schools and sports reported in scientific journals (2009–2019) and presents their similarities and differences and options for cross-pollination between contexts. This is a first attempt to overarch contexts regarding talent identification and development. Searches in 12 databases yielded 31 studies. Similarities and differences between contexts were distilled through a qualitative content analysis and described for the identification of talent and talent development. Based on these results, it is suggested that school contexts might benefit from including a talent transfer pathway, differentiating for maturity-level and sex, emphasizing on deliberate practice, monitoring load-ability, and applying acceleration, which are proposed approaches in the sport context. Furthermore, several approaches from the school context could enhance talent programs in sport, including universal screening, paying attention to underserved populations, focusing on creativity and enrichment as well as enhancing the accountability and education level of trainers/coaches. Future studies need to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of approaches in practice. Moreover, the search could be expanded to other countries to establish a more global view while examining national patterns regarding policy and funding contexts in which programs are located. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historic studies of 1960s British election contests often considered the national political dynamics the major determinant in any poll result. This article carefully evaluates how far a combination of political, social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors might have determined the outcome in a specific contest. It considers how they interacted and demonstrates that such an approach can help scholars evaluate the result, and consider the significance, of the Leyton contest of January 1965. While other scholars have noted the significance of Leyton, no comprehensive study exists despite abundant and accessible source material. Alongside addressing this gap in the literature, this article suggests that Leyton-specific issues, such as the town's larger than usual population of retired residents, was more influential than supposed problems associated with the Labour Party's candidate, Patrick Gordon Walker, and his previous defeat at the Smethwick constituency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of King Khalid University Journal of Educational Sciences is the property of King Khalid University Journal of Educational Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Changzhi Basin of China is an economically and ecologically important area with intensive human activities. To foster the sustainable development of groundwater resources and the economy, a total of 57 shallow groundwater samples were collected in shallow aquifers, including 46 2H and 18O isotope samples, to improved understanding of the natural geochemical processes and the impacts of anthropogenic activities on the groundwater chemistry. Synthetical application of the multivariate statistical techniques, stable isotopes, Piper diagram, Gibbs diagram, ionic ratios and saturation indices to data analysis led to identification of hydrochemical zones for shallow groundwater from west to east of the basin. Three different water types had been identified using HCA in the study area. Isotopic analyses suggested that the groundwater recharge mainly comes from infiltration of rain water, hydraulic interaction between surface water and shallow groundwater, and lateral recharge from fissure water at the edge of the basin. The predominant natural geochemical processes include mineral dissolution in conjunction with the cation exchange. The excess deuterium method revealed that evaporation and mineral dissolution contributed 0.2–4.7% and 81–98% to the total salinity of shallow groundwater. Anthropogenic activities were secondary contributions to the hydrochemical evolution with fertilizer application, human waste and sewage discharges causing an increase in NO3–N content and coal mining activities affecting the ion content of Na+, Cl−, SO42−, and HCO3− in shallow groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores innovation and technology development aid targeted at the African rural poor but often failing to deliver benefit. Using five cases of UK bilateral aid (current and historic) it suggests the prime importance of securing continuous knowledge interaction across the whole of the relevant value chain, combined with the need for institutional reform of science policy in this field. The article's approach emphasizes the underlying problem as an inherent tendency to failure in knowledge markets combined with often unsuitable institutional contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-air interactions caused by water level changes over a karst cavity can lead to sinkhole collapse. Declining water levels in a two-layered cover (clayey upper layer and sandy lower layer) above a karst cavity will lead to changes in the air pressure inside both the cover layers and the cavity. The change in air pressure can cause changes in the rate of water level decline and induce subsidence and collapse. In this study, a mathematical formula was derived and used to better understand the water-air interaction mechanism. Air velocity, vacuum variation in the cover, cumulative air intake, and elapsed time in the water level decline process are considered. A physical model was used to conduct laboratory simulations of the water-air interaction process and to determine the relationship between collapse and the water-air interaction. The main findings of this work are as follows: (1) Water level declines cause changes in air pressure both inside the cover and the cavity, and, conversely, the velocity of the water level decline was influenced by the variable air pressure; water-air interaction is obviously occurring. (2) With a low permeability cover layer, the declining water level mainly generates vacuum suction, but also erosion of the underlying high permeability sandy layer; vacuum suction and erosion can lead to subsidence or collapse of the cover. (3) Physical model simulations are useful for representing the phenomena of water-air interactions in karst cavities, and provide a practical way to understand the mechanism of collapse in karst terrain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between soil cave development and the chemical characteristics of groundwater in a karst area was investigated. The purpose of the investigation was to identify potential soil caves and predict their collapse. Field surveys and monitoring were carried out, and statistical analysis, and geological comparison methods were used to analyze the relationships between Ca++, HC , TDS, (Na++K+)/(Na++K++Ca++), Cl–/(Cl– + HC ) and soil cave development. Gibbs charts and Piper diagrams were used. The results show that the development of soil caves can be identified from groundwater chemistry indicators. All hidden and collapsed soil holes were located on a strong development zone that was identified using Gibbs charts. This study provides a new approach for the monitoring of soil cave development and for early-warning of soil cave collapse using macro-scale groundwater chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the school psychologist's role in the academic and psychosocial development of students identified as gifted and talented via curriculum. Given the school psychologists' assessment expertize, they can inform the identification to service placement process for students, including advocacy for curricular and instructional opportunities that best meet the student's needs. We discuss modern conceptualizations of giftedness and talent development, the function of curriculum and instruction in meeting the needs of students who are gifted and the school psychologist's role in identifying which curricular adaptations are appropriate for students based on learner data. We also discuss how a school psychologist can work with educators to support the needs of twice exceptional learners and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning students and recommend professional learning opportunities for school psychologists to remain abreast of current issues in gifted education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River plumes are an important component of estuarine circulation and have a vital role in the transport of estuarine material and momentum balance. However, little information is available on the influence of mouth bars on estuarine plumes. To address this, momentum balance analysis was carried out using the ocean numerical model, to analyze the dynamic characteristics of the Pearl River plumes. The results show that the Pearl River plumes may be divided into three dynamic regions: near-, mid-, and far-field region. In the near-field region are dominated by pressure gradient force, bottom pressure forcing, and horizontal advection, which are obviously affected by river mouth bar. The mid-field momentum balance indicates seasonal differences, while the Coriolis force, pressure gradient force, and horizontal advection have great contribution to momentums in flood season, and in the dry season, momentum is balanced by the Coriolis force, pressure gradient force, and bottom pressure forcing. The momentum balance in the far-field region is determined by the Coriolis force, pressure gradient force, and surface pressure forcing. The internal hydraulic jump can be detected around the mouth bar when the hydrodynamic condition transitions from supercritical to subcritical, which has a close relationship with the local topographic structures. Internal estuarine waves may be further generated with interaction of tide and stratified flows around the river mouth bar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new Robust Optimum control algorithm that combines a Linear Quadratic Regulator and a nonlinear robust compensator is presented to improve the control of the seismic response of building structures with nonlinear isolation systems. The Linear Quadratic Regulator was used to achieve the optimal performance of a nominal linear model of the controlled structure, and a robust compensator was developed to restrain the effect of nonlinearities. The Robust Optimum control method was proven theoretically, and implemented to control the response of a base-isolated structure equipped with a Tunable Friction Pendulum System isolation under different ground motions. The simulation results validated the stability, robustness, and generalization ability of the proposed control algorithm, and suggested that it is effective in controlling base isolation displacement, inter-story drift, and floor acceleration. The designed robust compensator can successfully compensate for the effect of nonlinearities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, 85 tree cores from 45 Schrenk spruces (Picea schrenkiana) were used to establish a regional tree‐ring chronology. A 256‐year pJune–May precipitation (where p denotes a month from the previous year) for northern Kyrgyzstan in central Asia was reconstructed using this newly developed chronology. The tree‐ring‐based precipitation reconstruction tracks the observed data well (r =.622, p <.0001, n = 105). Spatial correlation proved that the reconstructed precipitation series contains climatic signals representative of a larger area, including eastern Kyrgyzstan and parts of Kazakhstan. A comparison between the newly reconstructed precipitation series and four tree‐ring‐based precipitation reconstructions for the surrounding areas reveals similar variations, particularly in the high‐frequency domain. Furthermore, this reconstructed precipitation series matches nine flood (1785, 1786, 1792, 1952, 1953, 1970, 1971, 1973, and 2000) and four drought (1917, 1919, 1927, and 1944) events noted in the historical documents and captures a dry decade that occurred in the 1910s in central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region is China's cultural and political center. Rapid social and economic development has led to serious water pollution in this region. A comprehensive investigation of mercury (Hg) pollution in riverine sediments was carried out in a typical irrigation area in this region. The results show that the total Hg levels in the surface sediments of the Duliujian River Network (DRN) ranged from 0.169 to 1.391 mg kg−1, with an average of 0.528 mg kg−1. The Hg levels at most of the sample points were higher than the background. The Hg fractions were categorized as exchangeable (B1), reducible (B2), oxidizable (B3), and residual (B4). The Hg was mainly present in the B4 fraction (0.439 mg kg−1, on average). The order of the average percentage of different fractions of Hg was B4 > B3 > B2 > B1. A risk assessment using total Hg showed that the potential ecological risk in each section of the DRN ranged from 80.4 to 662 (average = 263). A risk assessment using Hg speciation showed that the average risk for B1 was 3.28%. Because the potential ecological risk is very high, more attention should be given to this risk in the management of the river. This research also provides theoretical support for the study of Hg in the developed area of the agricultural irrigation canal. The information obtained in this study could be used to develop effective management strategies to control Hg pollution in the DRN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water samples and sediments from Liangzi Lake were taken and used to study the vertical distribution characteristics of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in both the overlying and pore water. Fluxes of ammonia (NH4+-N) and phosphate (PO43−-P) were calculated using a one-dimensional transport-reaction model based on Fick's First Law. The results showed that the mean NH4+-N and NO3−-N concentrations in the overlying water of Liangzi Lake were 2.59 and 0.46 mg L−1, respectively. The mean PO43−-P concentrations were lower than the detection limit. Both N and P displayed peaks at the sediment-water interface. For example, the mean concentration of ammonia in pore water in the surficial layer (0–5 cm) was 4.29 ± 2.74 mg·L−1, which was twice than that of the overlying water. Two PO43−-P vertical profile regimes were identified; one had a gradually increasing trend, while the other first increased and then decreased. The mean orthophosphate concentration in the pore water of the surface layer (0–5 cm) was 0.01 ± 0.01 mg·L−1. The spatial distribution of ammonia flux values was highly heterogeneous. Using these data, the annual load contribution of autochthonous ammonia was calculated to be 481 t a−1. Studying N and P pollution and fluxes in the lakes of urban drinking water sources facilitates the provision of protection measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: While radial growth patterns at different stem heights were similar, tree-ring samples collected at breast height showed diminishing chronology strength for detecting climatic signals because of differences in climate responses. In this study, basal area increments (BAI) and tree-ring chronologies for different heights of Schrenk spruce (Picea schrenkiana) in the western Tianshan Mountains were calculated and used to assess the radial growth pattern along the stem. The mean BAI for different stem heights gradually decreased with increasing stem height (1.3 m > 5 m > 10 m > 15 m > 20 m). The five mean BAI series all showed a significant increasing trend since 1961. The mean BAI for the 10 m height showed the fastest increase among the five series. The significant correlations in the original, high-, and low-frequency domains, and the high Gleichläufigkeit index, indicate coherence among the radial growth patterns for different heights along the stem. A correlation analysis revealed that for three periods (July–September of the previous year, November–December of the previous year, and May–October of the current year) the mean minimum temperature mainly affected the radial growth at the upper positions of the bole, while the relationship between the ring width at breast height and climatic values was clearly weak. The results support the hypothesis that traditional tree-ring sampling at breast height may diminish the strength of tree-ring width chronologies in detecting climatic signals to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpine grassland on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau has been degrading in recent decades. A better understanding of biomass trade‐off (biomass allocation between aboveground [AGB] and belowground [BGB]) change with alpine grassland degradation could uncover the degradation processes and its underlying mechanisms. We surveyed the plant and soil characteristics of alpine meadow (AM) and alpine steppe (AS) at varying degradation levels on the plateau. In the AM, the AGB was only reduced when very severely degraded, but the BGB declined at any level of degradation. In the AS, the AGB showed no significant difference in the slightly, moderately, and severely degraded levels, and the AGB only significantly declined in the very severely degraded, whereas the BGB was nonsignificantly higher in the slightly degraded and gradually declined when the levels changed from slightly to very severely degraded. In the undegraded grasslands, the biomass trade‐off was towards AGB and BGB in AS and AM, respectively. With degradation, the biomass trade‐off shifted from AGB to BGB at the slightly degraded levels and then gradually reached zero trade‐off at the very severely degraded level in the AS. In the AM, the trade‐off gradually reached zero as moderately degraded progressed to very severely degraded level. The change in plant community composition and bulk density affected the biomass trade‐off change independently with AM degradation, whereas only soil moisture, soil nitrogen, and soil pH interactively influenced the biomass trade‐off change with AS degradation. Our results suggest different AGB and BGB change processes and mechanisms with AS and AM degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After a mine is closed, dewatering is discontinued, this may lead to a large increase in groundwater levels and deterioration in water quality, which will threaten the safety of surrounding water supplies. To address this problem, these effects were investigated using the Shanjialin Coal Mine, in Shandong Province, China, as a case study. Following the mine closure, five water quality monitoring points showed that sulfate and total hardness in the mine water were 529 and 685 mg/L, exceeding the allowable groundwater environmental quality standards by 2.1 times and 5.2 times, respectively. This will lead to pollution of the surrounding karst aquifer. A numerical groundwater model was established to simulate the water level rise after the mine closed. The simulation results showed that the mine water level will equal the karst aquifer water level seven years after closure. If the water level in the mine continues to rise above the level of the karst aquifer, it may lead to a deterioration in the karst water quality. Therefore, the mine water level should remain less than 15 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsidence caused by mining can lead to serious waterlogging problems. In this study, numerical simulation was used to predict both subsidence and waterlogging in a coal-mining area. Changes in the phreatic surface and the area of waterlogging caused by mining subsidence were estimated for various mining scenarios using field measurements and simulation analysis. The results of the numerical simulation for the area of waterlogging caused by existing mining subsidence agreed well with the measured results. The simulation results showed that further mining will cause additional subsidence and increase the extent of the waterlogged areas. The numerical simulation method was used to analyze the effects of improvements to the drainage system for different mining scenarios. The improvements included additional drainage channels and raising the height of river embankments to prevent flooding. The results showed that the western drainage improvements have decreased the water table by about 1.0–1.3 m after mining of the No.2 coal seam, while the eastern drainage improvements would decrease the water table by about 2.0 m after mining of the No.4 coal seam. Thus, the area of waterlogging could be effectively managed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article talks about the outburst floods from the glacial dammed lakes that are a source of megafloods on Earth, cutting deep gorges, impacting the human society and changes in the global climate due to the change in ocean circulation. It talks about the sediments that includes gravel dune, water deposits, causing the decline of lake's water levels and the use of lacustrine sediment from the Gega paleo-lake for reconstructing outburst events.

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Open dumping adversely affects the environment and remains the most widely used method for waste disposal in many developing rural areas in China. Information regarding the impact of rural solid waste (RSW) on the environment remains limited. The objectives of this study are to investigate the characteristics of RSW and the impact of different precipitation rates, and to evaluate the contamination potential of RSW using a leachate pollution index (LPI). The study showed that leachate concentration was significantly influenced by precipitation rates at the initial precipitation stages. Precipitation rates of 42.00 mm/day appeared to have the largest dilution effects. In contrast, the concentrations of leachate at rainfall rates of 24.00 mm/day and soaking were steady, and no similar trends were observed. The highest amounts of pollutants in leachate were the result of soaking. In the first week of our experiment, the LPI value for each rural area waste sample rapidly increased with rising precipitation rates from soaking to 42.00 mm/day. However, no significant change in LPI was observed thereafter (after 5 weeks) even with increasing precipitation rates. The values of chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and NH3-N in the leachate after 10 weeks were 4.00, 7.34, 1.87, and 2.21 times higher, respectively, than those of the prescribed leachate quality standards in China. The results of our study suggest the following course of action for the three dump sites investigated: in Banqiao, given the size of the population and the size of the waste amount, landfill might be a suitable way for disposing of RSW. In Machen, building a standardized waste collection site would be an economical solution for reducing potential pollution risks. In Jiuduhe, increasing the transportation rate of solid waste might be an effective solution. The results of this study can help to improve the understanding of leachate pollution in Chinese rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This article reads Catharine Macaulay's politicized account of sympathy to re-examine the uses of sentiment in eighteenth-century history writing. Macaulay's History of England sharply challenges David Hume's focus on the sufferings of the great, arguing for a broader recognition of all suffering while highlighting sympathy's potential to be manipulated. In addition to exploring the emotive argument of her strikingly unsentimental depiction of Charles I's death, the article examines Macaulay's 1781 preface and its articulation of the historian's sympathetic responsibilities. It concludes by tracing continuity between Macaulay's History and her later ethical and political writings, reading their consistently republican argument against sympathetic hierarchy to highlight the thematic importance of sympathy across her multi-generic oeuvre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the salinisation characteristics of a semi-arid river network in northern China and highlight the influencing factors and risks. The Ziya River Basin, a typical semi-arid river network located in the North China Plain, is studied herein. Overlying water, surface sediment and riparian soil samples were collected in July and December of 2014 in the Ziya River Basin. The results showed that the average concentrations of salt content in the overlying water and surface sediment of 10 rivers in the Ziya River Basin were 1105.64 and 2159.35 mg/L, respectively. High level of salinisation was found in most rivers not only in overlying water, but also in surface sediment. The impact of the salinisation of overlying water on riparian soil diminished with distance away from the shore and had no impact beyond 15 m from the shore. Heavy pollution can contribute greatly to the salinisation of the water column and can cause significant impacts on river sediment and riparian soil. Salinisation in the overlying water affects the sediment and riparian soil, and reveals that the high risk of salinisation in the Ziya River Basin has been underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloids associated with heavy metals are ubiquitous in contaminated groundwater; waste accumulation at imperfectly sealed landfills can produce large amounts of leachate with colloids and heavy metal contaminants, which can pollute the downstream groundwater. In this study, three sites in a landfill were sampled to reveal heavy metal particle size distributions and their chemical compositions. The > 220 nm particle sizes were the predominant size in the downstream groundwater, while the < 10 nm particle sizes were the predominant size in the upstream groundwater. Total Fe increased from 35.5 μg/L in the upstream groundwater to 107 μg/L in the downstream groundwater. This increase was attributed to the enhanced migration and accumulation of colloids in the aqueous phase. The elements and the colloid size distribution in the landfill indirectly reflected the composition and degradation of the waste. Colloids played a key role in distribution of both solid particles and aqueous contaminants in the landfill. The results of this study will contribute to the knowledge of the effect of different contaminants in the vicinity of landfills without appropriate sealing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the complex adaptability of regional water resources systems (WRS) plays an important role in promoting the sustainable utilization of water resources and improving the adaptation of WRS to environmental change. This study proposed a comprehensive co-evolution model, based on the conditions of the elements and on the mechanism of their interaction, to study the adaptive development of WRS. Using the model, the survival fitness of each subsystem, the coordination degree between each subsystem, and the survival fitness of the WRS were obtained, and the main factors that affect the adaptation of the WRS were analyzed. Shandong Province in China was used as an example. The results showed that during 2006-2015, the average annual survival fitness of the resource, social, economic, and ecological subsystems was 0.257, 0.282, 0.257, and 0.251, respectively, which indicated a low adaptability for each subsystem. The coordination degree between each subsystem (resource-society, resource-economy, resource-ecology, social-economic, social-ecological, and economic-ecological) was 0.319, 0.355, 0.334, 0.364, 0.333, and 0.351, respectively, which indicated minimal coordination between each subsystem. The average annual survival fitness of the WRS was 0.551, and the adaptability of the WRS was classified as basic. Further analysis revealed that the coordination problem caused by the interaction of the elements in each subsystem was responsible for the low adaptability. The coordination problem, therefore, places severe constraints on the adaptive development of WRS. Therefore, solving the problem of coordination between elements is fundamental to improving the adaptability of WRS and promoting its sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anxiety about perceived threats to liberal freedom has played a double role in liberalism. On the one hand, such anxiety has driven the development of liberal institutions aimed at safeguarding freedoms. Yet another, problematic, side of this anxiety can also be found in the history of liberalism and in the policies and practices of contemporary liberal states. From the beginning, liberal intolerance of those perceived to be connected, through religious affiliation or beliefs, with arbitrary or absolute power and therefore deemed to pose a threat to the existing order has justified social exclusion and, in many cases, systematic violence. Rae's article examines the theoretical and political roots of this distinctive form of liberal anxiety, tracing the connection between anxiety about Catholicism and Catholics in John Locke's time and contemporary anxieties about the relationship between Islamism and Muslims in liberal states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Hebei Plain of North China, 70% of the inhabitants depend on groundwater for drinking water. Little is known regarding high-iodine concentrations in groundwater because there have been few systematic studies on high levels of iodine in groundwater in this region. To help identify the mechanisms that control the spatial distribution of iodine in groundwater, 61 samples of shallow groundwater and 161 samples of deep groundwater were collected along a sample section from Taihang Mountain to the Bo Sea. There were four pockets of high-iodine concentrations along the sample section. As the groundwater depth increased, the ratio of undetected iodine decreased, and the ratio of high-iodine concentrations increased. The high-iodine concentrations in the groundwater reflect the geological and sedimentary settings, and were mainly controlled by pH and Eh. Iodine concentrations were particularly high when the pH was between 7.3 and 8.5, and there was an inflection point at 150 μg/L in the curve of the relationship between iodine concentrations and Eh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal variations in primary production (PP) in the Kara Sea are underresearched. Previous studies only collected data during autumn or in late summer. However, the middle of summer is close to the beginning of the growing season, when PP can contribute significantly to annual water column integrated primary production (IPP). In addition, differences can be expected in the spatial and vertical distribution of phytoplankton communities in this period. This gap in midsummer data was addressed within the framework of a multidisciplinary research cruise by the R/V “Akademik Mstislav Keldysh” (from 15 July to 18 August 2016). High values of IPP (> 200 mgC m−2 day−1) and surface chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration (Chl0 > 1 mg m−3) were associated with the Ob–Yenisey river plume, located in the central part of the Kara Sea. Beyond the influence of the plume, in the western and southwestern regions of the Kara Sea, well-pronounced subsurface chlorophyll maxima (SCM) were observed. In some cases, the Chl a concentration in SCM exceeded Chl0 by two orders of magnitude. SCM were often accompanied by subsurface PP maxima (SPM). At stations where SCM was pronounced, IPP values reached 500–800 mgC m−2 day−1, and > 30 % of IPP was accounted for by SPM-integrated PP. Thus, in the middle of summer in the Kara Sea, IPP was linked with the chlorophyll-specific phytoplankton biomass and depended on the strength of the SCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay presents a reading of the use of wonder in the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes. In this essay, I argue that not only did Hobbes incorporate the ancient conception of wonder into his design for the emotional apparatus of the modern sovereign state, but that when he did so he also transformed it and other concepts. Previous scholars have paid close attention to Hobbes’s confrontation with ancient philosophy, but there has been no sustained study of Hobbes’s use of wonder, which was a concern of his over the entire course of his authorship. More broadly, this study opens up a place for the study of wonder in contemporary political theory as part of the broader reassessment of emotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People whom the editor and publisher would like to thank for reviewing the papers from January to December 2016 of the journal "Water Resources Management" are mentioned including Aminuddin Ab Ghani, Ricardo Abadia, and Akhtar Abbas.

Historians of the Scottish parliament have paid little attention to shire elections because of an apparent lack of local source material. This article explores some of the reasons for this perception and argues that sheriff court records contain considerably more evidence than has been appreciated hitherto. It demonstrates that these records provide details of the electoral process, the regularity of elections, the numbers of electors, external interference in elections and internal divisions within the electorate, local responses to national political events, and attitudes to representation through such things as levying taxes locally to reimburse representatives' expenses. It challenges the once widely-held view that the lesser nobility, who comprised the electorate, were uninterested in parliamentary participation, suggesting instead that the statute of 1587, by which shire representation was established, was reasonably successful. Finally, it considers the potential for further research in these and other records which, it is argued, will provide a much deeper understanding of 17th-century Scotland's parliamentary history in particular and political history in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The publication of the Clarendon edition of the Works of Thomas Hobbes recently entered its fourth decade. The monumental project has unfolded against shifting methodologies in the practice of intellectual history, and the edition's own history exemplifies these shifts. Its first general editor was Howard Warrender, who died in 1985 after a distinguished career as a professor of political theory at the University of Sheffield. Warrender was best known for the Political Philosophy of Hobbes: His Theory of Obligation. This influential book offered a deontological interpretation of Hobbes's theory of obligation, according to which the Hobbesian natural laws were to be understood as divine commands. Warrender's book appeared in 1957 and was resolutely textualist in its approach, exploring Hobbes's arguments in isolation and with considerable interpretive charity. His subject was the “theoretical basis” of Hobbes's writing, the importance of which might not be “historically conspicuous.” [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Traditional analysis approaches to water resource carrying capacity cannot be directly applied to data-deficient regions where water resources have been exploited excessively. Gross domestic products (GDPs) also cannot be used directly as objective functions of regional benefits. New objective functions should be established by analysing limited available data and mining useful implied information. Based on the principle of water resource supply-demand balance, a new evaluation criterion of regional benefits is presented using the non-linear regression analysis approach. An analysis model of groundwater carrying capacity was then established and is solved with the Lagrange multiplier method. A case study of groundwater resource carrying capacity in 2010 and 2015 in the Yaoba Oasis irrigation district, Alxa Left Prefecture, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, was performed. Results demonstrate that the model has the ability of evaluating and determining the groundwater resource carrying capacity in this overloaded and data-scarce region. The carrying capacity level of groundwater in this irrigation district is rather low and the development potential is limited. In order to reduce the exploitation of groundwater resources and achieve the sustainable development of the oasis in future, a system of agricultural water-saving irrigation must be set up to reduce the irrigation quotas and the irrigation water requirement. The arable areas should be reduced and the living standards of local people should also be raised. The results obtained from these applications have proved that the analysis model presented in this study is a new and promising method which can be employed in data-scarce and overloaded regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formal prohibitions on ‘personalities’ notwithstanding, a constant of parliamentary life is that members regularly insult one another. Within the conventions of 19th-century public decorum, humour served as an effective means for some politicians to deliver personal insults to their opponents. This article examines the nature of the personal attacks made by Disraeli and Palmerston on each other between 1837 and 1865, and describes how their styles of humorous insult were different but equally effective. Analysis of their political contest sheds new light on the careers of the two men, while also providing the basis for broader considerations about the changing nature and functions of humour in political discourse from the 18th to the 20th centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stephen White and Gianni Vattimo have argued in favor of weak ontological thought. Particularly for White, weak ontology's contestable fundamentals are a superior response to strong ontologies, including the violence linked to them. I make a historically comparative evaluation of their arguments. The evaluation draws on William Davenant's Restoration revision of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Davenant's play defends Charles II's sovereignty against the strong ontological claims of orthodox Anglicans. Lady Macduff's much expanded role and the death she suffers, in contrast to her counterpart in Shakespeare's Folio, are key vehicles for this defense. Davenant's revisions are linked in this interpretation to Charles II's Happy Act of Indemnity and Oblivion of 1660. Also explored are new connections between Macduff and the witches. I argue Davenant exemplifies a contingency unanticipated by weak ontology advocates: he is both antifoundational and in favor of violence. Antifoundational arguments aid more political persuasions than often imagined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines three occurrences of the sacrifice of Isaac in relatively recent cultural and political histories: the case of Godden versus Hales (England, 1686); Erich Auerbach's 'Odysseus' Scar' in Mimesis (Istanbul [Marburg], 1943-1945); and the use of the akedah as a political figure for the modern Israeli nation state. In these three very different cases the biblical narrative undergoes a theological-political translation and the God who issues the exceptional command to sacrifice becomes a figure for the sovereign and/or the state. Each political translation also calls forth critical responses in which the core question becomes the relationship of divine monarchy/state authority to freedom, or, to put it another way, of democracy or would-be 'democracy' to 'theocracy' and its various modern political correlates. By analysing these translations and responses, this essay explores how the questions as it were forced on us by Genesis 22 are not just religious, though they can be understood through the idioms of the religious. It concludes by asking whether such theological-political translations could be relevant to 'Biblical Studies Proper' as a more expansive discipline looks outwards to questions of religion, politics and ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers online investing regulation that displays decentered (as opposed to state-centric) characteristics with varying intensity. Though such regulation responds to the contemporary demand for regulation to be flexible, facilitative, and effective, it is short on democracy in creation and implementation. It lacks traditional mechanisms of accountability and so may be seen as less legitimate. These difficulties are investigated by reflecting on the degree to which decentered regulation conforms to the rule-of-law ideal, or to the values underlying the ideal. There is some reason to hope for functional equivalence with rule-of-law values in decentered mechanisms close to the state. However, those further away lack the institutional development to deliver political or legal accountability being particularly weak in the recognition and support of individual rights. Here, we should try to design state law to connect decentered forms to public justice and debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pot and field experiments were conducted to determine microbial immobilization of N fertilizer during growth periods of winter wheat and winter barley. In a pot experiment with winter wheat, Ca(15NO3)2 was applied at tillering [Zadok's growth stage (GS) 25)], stem elongation (GS 31) and ear emergence (GS 49). Rates of 100 mg N pot–1, 200 mg N pot–1 or 300 mg N pot–1 were applied at each N application date. At crop maturity, 15N-labelled fertilizer N immobilization was highest at the highest N rate (3×300 mg N pot–1). For each N-rate treatment about 50% of the total immobilized fertilizer N was immobilized from the first N dressing, and 30% and 20% of the total 15N immobilized was derived from the second and third applications, respectively. In field trials with winter wheat (three sites) and winter barley (one site) N was applied at the same growth stages as for the pot trial. N was also applied to fallow plots, but only at GS 25. N which was not recovered (neither in crops nor in soil mineral N pools) was considered to represent net immobilized N. A clear effect of N rate (51–255 kg N ha–1) on net N immobilization was not found. The highest net N immobilization was found for the period between GS 25 (March) and GS 31 (late April) which amounted to 54–97% of the total net N immobilized at harvest (July/August). At GS 31, non-recovered N was found to be of similar magnitude for cropped and fallow plots, indicating that C from roots did not affect net N immobilization. Microbial biomass N (Nmic) was determined for cropped plots at GS 31. Although Nmic tended to be higher in fertilized than in unfertilized plots, fertilizer-induced increases in Nmic and net N immobilization were poorly correlated. It can be concluded that microbial immobilization of fertilizer N is particularly high after the first N application when crop growth and N uptake are low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological environment is the foundation of human survival and development, and forest ecosystem nature reserves play an important role in the protection of the ecological environment. The evaluation of forest ecosystem nature reserves facilitates the formulation of relevant management policies. At present, the evaluation of the ecological environment of forest ecosystem nature reserves is mainly based on detailed evaluation of some elements of the ecological environment, rather than on a comprehensive quantitative evaluation that reflects the ecological environment in many aspects. To address this shortcoming, the quantitative evaluation indicator system of comprehensive ecological environment for forest ecosystem nature reserves was established based on the water, air, soil, and biological environments, according to the consensus on ecological environment in the past research and characteristics of the research area. The weight is still a necessary and important link in the evaluation of forest ecosystem nature reserves, but the accuracy of the weight results is difficult to get a scientific judgment. To prevent the evaluation results being influenced by weighting uncertainty, an unweighted cloud model was constructed to provide an evaluation mechanism without weight. The ecological environment evaluation was then carried out using the unweighted cloud model, taking Songshan Nature Reserve as a research area. The results show that the grades of the ecological environment of Songshan Nature Reserve are 21% excellent, 67% good, and 12% qualified, and that the state of the ecological environment is stable and performing well. The evaluation results for the grades of the environmental dimension layers are water environment > soil environment > biological environment > air environment. The study's research results can provide theoretical support for the evaluation of forest ecosystem nature reserves, and for evaluation work in general when weights are difficult to determine or uncertain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The engineering applications of two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic models are restricted by the enormous number of meshes needed and the overheads of simulation time. The aim of this study is to improve computational efficiency and optimize the balance between the quantity of grids used in and the simulation accuracy of 2D hydrodynamic models. Local mesh refinement and a local time stepping (LTS) strategy were used to address this aim. The implementation of the LTS algorithm on a 2D shallow-water dynamic model was investigated using the finite volume method on unstructured meshes. The model performance was evaluated using three canonical test cases, which discussed the influential factors and the adaptive conditions of the algorithm. The results of the numerical tests show that the LTS method improved the computational efficiency and fulfilled mass conservation and solution accuracy constraints. Speedup ratios of between 1.3 and 2.1 were obtained. The LTS scheme was used for navigable flow simulation of the river reach between the Three Gorges and Gezhouba Dams. This showed that the LTS scheme is effective for real complex applications and long simulations and can meet the required accuracy. An analysis of the influence of the mesh refinement on the speedup was conducted. Coarse and refined mesh proportions and mesh scales observably affected the acceleration effect of the LTS algorithm. Smaller proportions of refined mesh resulted in higher speedup ratios. Acceleration was the most obvious when mesh scale differences were large. These results provide technical guidelines for reducing computational time for 2D hydrodynamic models on non-uniform unstructured grids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-source, combined water supply models play an increasingly important role in solving regional water supply problems. At present, in the area of regional water supply, models are mainly used to study the problem of overall water guarantee rate, and do not take into account the impact of the uncertainty of multi-source water supplies on water supply risk. There is also a lack of research on how changes in multi-source water supplies affect sub-region and sub-user water guarantee rates. To address this knowledge gap, the encounter probability of different frequencies and a refined water resources allocation model of multi-source supplies were used. Using Tianjin as an example, this paper studies the quantitative relationship between the uncertainty of multi-source water inflows and the regional guarantee rate of water use. The objectives of the study are to analyze the changing trend of the water shortage rate and the main body of water supply in each region, and to quantitatively describe the influence of the variation of multi-source water supply on the main body of water supply for users. The results show that under the same requirement of guarantee rate for water use, as the number of water diversion sources increase, the probability of water supply meeting the water use rate increases significantly, and the risk to water supplies decreases. At the same time, suburban areas have a low dependence on external water supplies, while the change in the quantity of external water sources has a great impact on the water supply of the Zhongxinchengqu and Binhaixiqnu areas. The distribution and main body of water supply will change for different water users. Therefore, it is important to ensure a stable supply of external water for maintaining the guarantee rate of regional water use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite products can provide spatiotemporal data on precipitation in ungauged basins. It is essential and meaningful to assess and correct these products. In this study, the Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks-Climate Data Record (PERSIANN-CDR) product was evaluated and corrected using the successive correction method. A simple hydrological model was driven by the corrected PERSIANN-CDR data. The results showed that the accuracy of the original PERSIANN-CDR data was low on a daily scale, and the accuracy decreased gradually from the east to the west of the basin. With one correction step, the accuracy of the corrected PERSIANN-CDR data was significantly higher than that of the initial data. The correlation coefficient increased from 0.58 to 0.73, and the probability of detection (POD) value of the corrected product was 18.2% higher than the original product. The temporal-spatial resolution influenced the performance of the satellite product. As the resolution became coarser, the correlation coefficient between the corrected PERSIANN-CDR data and the gauged data gradually became lower. The Identification of unit Hydrographs and Component flows from Rainfall, Evapotranspiration, and Streamflow (IHACRES) model could be satisfactorily applied in the Lhasa River basin with corrected PERSIANN-CDR data. The successive correction method was an effective way to correct the bias of the PERSIANN-CDR product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water shortage problems are increasing in many water-deficient areas. Most of the current research on multi-source combined water supplies depends on an overall generalization of regional water supply systems, which are seldom broken down into the detail required to address specific research objectives. This paper proposes the concept of a water treatment and distribution station (water station), and generalizes the water supply system into three modules: water supply source, water station, and water user. Based on a topological diagram of the water network (supply source–station–user), a refined water resource allocation model was established. The model results can display, in detail, the water supply source, water supply quantity, water distribution engineering, and other information of all users in each water distribution area. This makes it possible to carry out a detailed analysis of the supply and demand of users, and to provide suggestions and theoretical guidance for regional water distribution implementation. Tianjin's water resource allocation was selected as a case study, and a water resource allocation scheme for a multi-source, combined water supply, was simulated and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]