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This article presents the conception of a new method developed mainly in Python to automate the reading process of water meters with an analog display using computer vision and machine learning. A camera captures the consumption value in the water meter, and the yielded image undergoes image processing until the digits are detected and isolated. Then the digits are passed into an SVM machine-learning model that carries out a high accuracy OCR. The software is executed over an ARM platform running Linux. The data resultant from the automated metering, such as the device identification number, event date and time in UTC, consumption value, volume and time variations, flow, and display image, are locally stored and transmitted to a cloud server through VPN in a Wi-Fi and cellular network connection, or by SMS, enabling a remote supervision. Thereby, the automatic metering method features a new way to perform predictive analysis and management of water and meters proactively and can be replicated for digital-display water meters, as well as extended to handle automatic metering on electricity and gas meters as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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[Display omitted] • CRMs of LiCl solution for water activity were prepared using gravimetric method. • Purity of LiCl was determined using mass balance approach and potentiometric titration, then molality (m) of solution was calculated. • Osmotic coefficient (ϕ) of LiCl was calculated using m and standard data expressed as the Debye–Hückel equation. • Certified value was calculated using an exponential function of the product of ϕ , m , and M. • Certified values of two CRMs were 0.250 ± 0.006 and 0.500 ± 0.007. • CRMs can be used to calibrate water activity meters. Water activity (a) is used to assess the microbiological stability, shelf life, and safety of food. Water activity meters using electric humidity sensors can measure water activity conveniently. To calibrate water activity meters, certified reference materials (CRMs) of lithium chloride (LiCl) solution for water acidity were prepared by using the gravimetric method. Both the mass balance approach and potentiometric titration were combined to determine the purity of LiCl, and the molality (m) was calculated. The osmotic coefficient (ϕ) was calculated using m and the standard data for ϕ expressed as the Debye–Hückel equation. The certified value of a was calculated using an exponential function of the product of ϕ , m , and molecular mass of water. The certified values and uncertainty (U , k = 2) of two CRMs were 0.250 ± 0.006 and 0.500 ± 0.007, respectively. These two CRMs can be used to calibrate water activity meters and validate analytical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a computationally fast algorithm to disaggregate the total energy use recorded by smart heat meters into space heating (SH) and domestic hot water (DHW). The algorithm trains a regression model on SH-only hours and predicts SH for all other hours with potential DHW use. Data from smart water meters were used to identify hours with only SH. Assessing 13 regression models, an untuned random forest was identified as the best-performing regression model with an acceptable computational cost (median: 7.4 s per building). Furthermore, using one year of data from over 2400 single-family homes, it was shown that the best result (median CVRMSE: 0.13) can be obtained using only smart heat meters based regressors, increasing the applicability of the developed method. Furthermore, two tests were implemented, and it was successfully demonstrated that they identify situations where the regressors are distributed differently for hours with SH only and hours with SH and DHW, to identify possible training bias; thus, buildings where the disaggregation is potentially unreliable. Validation against data from three single-family houses with known SH and DHW use confirmed the good performance of the method and that the performance can be estimated without ground truth data via nested cross-validation. [Display omitted] • Calculation of space heating (SH) and domestic hot water (DHW) from total energy use. • Requires only hourly data from smart heat and water meters; is computationally fast. • Developed using one year's data from over 2400 single-family houses. • Method validated against ground truth data from 3 single family houses. • Accuracy estimate can be obtained without labelled known data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water use requires monitoring and quantification at different spatial scales to enhance water security, especially in regions facing water scarcity and threats to food security. Consequently, water metering has been implemented in various countries as part of water governance frameworks. This study aims to evaluate the implementation of a water metering network within the Chilean water governance system, which is based on the commoditisation of water through water rights. Additionally, it assesses the potential of supplementing the water metering network with remote sensing-based estimates of actual evapotranspiration (AET) and discusses the need to integrate these estimates into an appropriate water governance scheme. To conduct this study, publicly available water use reports were obtained from the Water Resources Directorate and subsequently processed to eliminate anomalies in the withdrawal time series. Water withdrawal data was supplemented with information on granted water rights to provide additional insights and contrast water allocations with actual withdrawals. AET estimates from the Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high Resolution with Internalised Calibration (METRIC) model using Landsat scenes were also acquired for the period from 2019 to 2022 to compare withdrawals and water demand in the agricultural sector. It was found that only a small fraction of water rights (∼ 2%) is currently being metered. Actual reported withdrawals, on average, amount to approximately one fifth to one fourth of the volumes granted through water rights. However, water extractions vary depending on geographical locations and usage categories. Remote sensing-based AET demonstrates a good correlation with withdrawals, suggesting its potential in auditing water withdrawal records provided by water users and calculating water availability and withdrawals at aggregated scales within an adaptive water governance framework. While different applications were explored within the Chilean context, these have a broader application in global water governance, particularly in regions experiencing similar challenges in water resource management. • Water metering can be implemented as part of a strategy to address water scarcity. • Water withdrawals may significantly differ from water allocations. • Remote sensing AET can aid in auditing water withdrawals and water availability. • Water metering and remote sensing may be integrated into water governance frameworks. • Prediction ranges should be used if remote sensing is employed for water accounting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ozone concentration meter in ozonated water has been developed and manufactured. The measurement of ozone concentration is based on the use of a photometric method. The range of measured ozone concentration is varied from 0.1 to 10 mg/l. The principle of operation of the meter is based on recording the difference in the absorption coefficients of ultraviolet radiation by the analyzed ozonated water and the reference (ozone-free) water. The meter was calibrated on an automated measuring stand using a monochromator and a photomultiplier tube. Such a device could be very useful in water purification systems or wastewater treatment plants. The developed meter provided high accuracy and stability of readings, operation without maintenance, full automation of measurement, and automatic correction of zero drift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clamp-on ultrasonic transit time difference is used extensively to calculate the volumetric flow rate of a fluid through a pipe. The operating principle is that waves traveling along a path that is generally against the flow direction take longer to travel the same path than waves traveling along the same path in the opposite direction. The transit time difference between the waves traveling in opposite directions can be used to calculate the flow rate through the pipe, by applying suitable mathematical correction factors. The approach is non-disruptive and noninvasive and can be retrospectively fit to pipes and easily relocated to different positions. When ultrasonic clamp-on transducers are attached to pipes with diameters of less than 30 mm and a wall thickness of less than a few millimeters, the resulting guided waves can appear confusing and produce very different signals to those observed on larger diameter pipes. The experimentally observed behavior of these guided waves in fluid-filled, small-diameter pipes is analyzed, modeled, and explained. Experiments are performed in copper pipes of sizes that are commonly used in buildings, and accurate measurements of water flow rates are taken down to a few milliliters per second. This technique presents new possibilities for smart metering of water supplies, where the positioning of the small clamp-on transducers is not sensitive to the variations in water temperature, and low-power electronics can be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective management is crucial for coordinating the conflict between environment protection and water and land exploitation. Changes in ecosystem service value (ESV) can be used to evaluate the gains and losses of the exploitation in a comprehensive way. Solutions to the following problems will facilitate the incorporating of ESV to the management of arid basin and improve the effectiveness. (a) How to improve the response sensitivity of ESV to the changes in water and land use, (b) how to determine the sustainable approach to land use/exploitation, and (c) how to ascertain the tipping point in the scale of water and land exploitation. In this research, key factors of vegetation cover, human disturbance, and soil drought were selected as the driving factors for the changes in ESV and incorporated in the ESV calculation. The approach enhanced the expression of the spatial heterogeneity in ESV as well as its response sensitivity to changes in the environment. As the management improved in the basin, the benefits of water and land exploitation increased gradually. An appropriate model of natural vegetation protection and exploitation was developed based on ESV produced by per cubic meter of ecological water requirement. Furthermore, the tipping point in the scale of water and land exploitation can be identified by the turning point in the fluctuations of the ESV. The results provide not only a new approach for formulating sustainable land development program in arid basins but also a scientific reference for making timely adjustments in land development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: When divers are compressed to water depths deeper than 150 meter sea water (msw), symptoms of high-pressure neurological syndrome (HPNS) might appear due to rapid increase in pressure on the central nervous system during compression. The aim of this study was to first operate a new computerized tool, designed to monitor divers' wellbeing and cognitive function, and to record the results. The second aim was to evaluate the feasibility and validity of the Physiopad software and HPNS questionnaires as a new tool for monitoring divers wellbeing in an operational setting, including sensible visualization and presentation of results. Methods: The Physiopad was operated onboard Deep Arctic (TechnipFMC Diving Support Vessel). The diving work was performed between 180 and 207 msw. The data from 46 divers were collected from the HPNS questionnaires, Hand dynamometry test, Critical Flicker Fusion Frequency test (CFFF), Adaptive Visual Analog Scale (AVAS), Simple Math Process (MathProc test), Perceptual Vigilance Task (PVT), and Time Estimation Task (time-wall). Result: Diver's subjective evaluation revealed different symptoms, possibly also HPNS related, which lasted from 1 to 5 days in storage, with the common duration being 1 day. The results from Physiopad battery testing showed no signs of significant neurological alteration. Conclusion: The present study showed that there was no association between subjective measurements of HPNS and neuropsychometric test results. We also confirmed the feasibility of using the computerized test battery to monitor saturation divers at work. The HPNS battery and Physiopad software could be an important tool for monitoring diver's health in the future. This tool was not used during the Bahr Essalam project to operationally evaluate any HPNS effect on divers as data analysis was performed post-project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge on the determinants and patterns of water demand for different consumers supports the design of customized demand management strategies. Smart meters coupled with big data analytics tools create a unique opportunity to support such strategies. Yet, at present, the information content of smart meter data is not fully mined and usually needs to be complemented with water fixture inventory and survey data to achieve detailed customer segmentation based on end use water usage. In this paper, we developed a data‐driven approach that extracts information on heterogeneous water end use routines, main end use components, and temporal characteristics, only via data mining existing smart meter readings at the scale of individual households. We tested our approach on data from 327 households in Australia, each monitored with smart meters logging water use readings every 5 s. As part of the approach, we first disaggregated the household‐level water use time series into different end uses via Autoflow. We then adapted a customer segmentation based on eigenbehavior analysis to discriminate among heterogeneous water end use routines and identify clusters of consumers presenting similar routines. Results revealed three main water end use profile clusters, each characterized by a primary end use: shower, clothes washing, and irrigation. Time‐of‐use and intensity‐of‐use differences exist within each class, as well as different characteristics of regularity and periodicity over time. Our customer segmentation analysis approach provides utilities with a concise snapshot of recurrent water use routines from smart meter data and can be used to support customized demand management strategies. Key Points: We investigate which water use behaviors can be identified from nonintrusive, single‐point, smart meter dataWe identify and cluster primary water use behaviors of single‐family households from disaggregated end use dataWe reveal the main water end uses driving different behaviors, usage patterns, and regularity, to support customized demand management [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Lake Urmia crisis, relevant consequences, and restoration plans are reviewed. • Restoration programs are scrutinized based on data and model availability. • Model-data interaction is highlighted for designing the lake restoration plans. • Massive data collection and integrated modeling are needed in the Lake Urmia Basin. Losing eight meters of water level over a 20-year period from 1996 to 2016 marked the Lake Urmia (LU) as one of the regional environmental crises. This condition has threatened biota life, intensified desertification around the lake, and raised social concerns by adversely impacting the inhabitants' health and economy. In 2013, the Urmia Lake Restoration National Committee (ULRNC) started implementing certain management practices to stop the drying trend of LU, resulted in the cease of water level drop and stabilization of LU condition in 2016. Nevertheless, the restoration actions have not yet raised the lake to the water level as planned by the roadmap. This paper aims to describe and to assess the LU restoration plans by underscoring the ULRNC achievements, challenges, and shortcomings. In particular, we discuss how the value of data and data-aided modeling has been underestimated by the LU restoration programs, leading to still existing puzzles about the lake interaction with the involving physical processes governing its dynamics. We show how the LU restoration timetable has not fulfilled the planned milestones as evidenced by the inability to capture the anticipated lake water levels, which is partly attributed to the lack of field data and dynamic modeling that could predict the lake response in a more reliable and conservative manner. The current restoration plans should also be revisited to ensure that any practice with the aim of reducing water consumption in the basin is not only environmentally sustainable but also feasible from the socioeconomic perspective. The insights provided by this paper attempt to underscore the value of field data collection for establishing a reliable conceptual model, and for executing pre- and post-monitoring of the lake so that the success or failure of the restoration actions taken by the policymakers can be appropriately evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A liquid formulation of acid-stabilized ionic copper called EarthTec QZ was used in an effort to eradicate invasive quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) from an entire 12-hectare lake in Pennsylvania in fall of 2017. The treatment consisted of three separate applications of ionic copper delivered over a period of 37 days with the intent to minimize likelihood of spreading invasive mussels during a one-time water transfer event planned for later that year, from the treated lake to an adjacent river. Mussel mortality was estimated through use of caged adult mussels that were suspended at different locations and depths throughout the lake. Adult mussels began to die within 3 days of the initiation of treatment, particularly in the top 6 meters of the water body. The death of the last caged mussel was confirmed 40 days after the initiation of treatment, in a cage that had been placed in the metalimnion at a depth of 9 meters below the surface. Both biological and physicochemical data collected during the treatment period revealed that there was a pronounced thermocline at 8-11 meters depth. The layer of water in the thermocline resisted mixing, suggesting an explanation for why mussels located above and below this metalimnion were eradicated quickly, yet those within the metalimnion required targeted treatment techniques and 40 days to succumb to 100% mortality. Visual inspection of the shoreline after partial pump-down of the quarry in early November revealed high densities of empty shells from dead adults, and no live adults were found. Analysis of eDNA samples taken in December of 2017 and again in July 2018 concluded no mussel eDNA was detectable. Plankton tows collected and analyzed by microscopy in July, August and September 2018 were rich with zooplankton but no live mussel veligers were found. The cumulative sum of product applied throughout the entire course of treatment totaled 13,500 liters, which is equivalent to 0.44 mg/L as copper as calculated on the full volume of the lake -- noteworthy because it is less than half the concentration EPA allows (1.0 mg/L) in a single algaecide treatment. This experience illustrates that low doses of acid-stabilized ionic copper can have profound effects on invasive mussel populations and are a viable management tool. If future sampling confirms that this eradication effort was successful, it will be the first recorded instance of eradicating quagga mussels from an entire lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is claimed that 'Big Data' could help cities become 'smart', utilise resources more efficiently, and improve inhabitants' quality of life. Metered consumption data of electricity, gas and water are collected and stored for each household in Australia and provide a valuable source of information for researchers hoping to understand the patterns of consumption and improve resource utilisation. This work tests the assumption that these datasets are sufficiently 'clean' to allow interrogation and details the common errors encountered. An inspection of 1-7 years of meter readings of electricity, gas and water for ~60,000 households in Canberra, Australia as well as all datasets of the local government's energy and water efficiency programs, found this not to be the case. Common errors found include: missing data, biases in erroneous data, errors generated by the data custodians, duplicate entries, the effect of different custodian objectives and of poor data constraints (free flowing text). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the perception of people on the provision of water meters in houses can aid in the enhancement of water conservation strategies in a locality. In this study, the perception of the residents of the town of Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, India was assessed using a questionnaire survey. Queries were related to the quality of the water, duration and frequency of water supply, need for water pricing, usage of filters, preference for implementation of water meter, water treatment, etc. The survey was analyzed based on four major parameters, namely; age, gender, locality and literacy of the people. A total of 78 residents from various locations in and around Pollachi were considered for this survey. The study indicates that frequency of supply of water to the residents of the town is not uniform in all locations and the residents within the town received water supply for a longer duration compared to those living away from the town. The quality of water is perceived to be good by majority of the residents. There was a mixed response from the males and females regarding boiling of water and usage of filters. Perception of people over the provision of water meter in the house is mixed and most of the males perceived that a water meter should be provided compared to the females. Women had more conviction of the fact that the provision of a water meter would solve the water shortage problem in their town, in comparison with the men. Thus, provision of water meter will definitely aid in water conservation as people would have to pay as per their usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational water price policy is of great significance for the efficient use of water resources. However, development processes of water price policy are mostly subjective and few methods are suitable to quantify policy effects. In this study, we focused on irrigation areas with multiple water sources and irrigation techniques. A method based on positive mathematical programming (PMP) was proposed to simulate the impacts of agricultural water price policy on economic benefits of water use, irrigation water consumption, planting land occupation and water-saving irrigation area. This method was applied to address a case in Minqin County, Gansu Province. Under the current water price policy of the study area, the model was calibrated with the actual data in 2015, the absolute value of the difference between the optimal solution of the calibrated model and the actual planting area in the base year didn’t exceed 1.3×10-3 hm2, indicating that the model was reliable to simulate the effect of water price policy. Subsequently, the model was used to simulate the change trend of index with the rise of water price under the volumetric water price policy, the 2-part water price policy and the differential water price policy. The simulation results showed that with the rise of water price, the change trend of index under 3 water price policy was similar: the farmer income reduced, the irrigation water consumption and planting area reduced first and then stabilized, the water-saving irrigation area increased, and the benefit per cubic meter of water increased first and then decreased. Simultaneously, in response to rising water price, farmers tended to reduce the planting area of food crops first and then the area of cash crops to alleviate the loss of income. Based on the simulation results, the water price threshold under different policies and the scope of application of various policies were further analyzed, and the following conclusions were drawn. Under the volumetric water price and the 2-part water price policy, the water price should be between 0.24 yuan/m3-2.10 yuan/m3; under the differential water price policy, the water price should be between 0.24-1.50 yuan/m3; when the metering part of the water price was lower than 2.10 yuan/m3 or higher than 6 yuan/m3, the comprehensive benefit of the differential water price policy was the highest; when the metering part of the water price was between 2.10 yuan/m3 and 6 yuan/m3, the volumetric water price policy was the most ideal; when the differential water price policy was implemented and the metering part of the water price was 1.50 yuan/m3, the benefit per cubic meter of water was the highest. This paper confirmed that the steady increase of water price would not reduce the comprehensive benefits of water use, but increase the benefit per cubic meter of water. The differential water price policy currently implemented in Minqin County was appropriate. In the future, in Minqin County, the water price under the differential water price policy should be increased within the range of 0.24-1.50 yuan/m3. Moreover, during the course of water price rising in the study area, special attentions should be paid to increase investment in water-saving irrigation projects and farmer income subsidy policies should be established under local contexts. Based on the conclusions of this study, various local factors and evaluation indexes such as current water price, farmers' willingness to pay, government financial subsidies, and income from water supply projects, could be comprehensively considered to obtain detailed implementation plan of water price policy. Finally, the method established in this paper was also applicable to other areas with similar problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper designs a smart water metering system based on Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and image recognition. Centering on an STM32F103ZET6 microcontroller unit (MCU), the system mainly consists of an OV7725 camera module, a secure digital (SD) card module, a liquid crystal display (LCD) module, an NB-IoT data transmission module and other peripherals. The original image of the water meter is preprocessed by graying, edge extraction, Otsu's binarization and tilt correction. Then, the digits in the preprocessed image are recognized by a convolutional neural network (CNN) model. The effectiveness of the proposed system was verified through an experiment. Our system greatly reduces the workload and simplifies the process of water management, shedding new light on the application of information technology and the AI in water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper details a hybrid computational and analytical model to predict the performance of inline pressure compensating drip irrigation emitters. Pressure compensating emitters deliver a constant flow rate over a range of applied pressures to accurately meter water to crops. Flow rate is controlled within the emitter via a fixed resistance tortuous path, and a variable flow resistance composed of a flexible membrane that deflects under changes in pressure, restricting the flow path. A pressure resistance parameter was derived using an experimentally validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to describe the flow behavior in tortuous paths. The bending mechanics of the membrane were modeled analytically and refined by deriving a correction factor using finite element analysis (FEA). A matrix formulation that calculates the force applied by a line or a patch load of any shape on a rectangular membrane, along which there is a prescribed deflection, was derived and was found to be accurate to be 1%. The combined hybrid computational-analytical model reduces the computational time of modeling emitters from hours to less than 30 min, dramatically lowering the time required to iterate and select optimal designs. The model was validated experimentally using three commercially available drip emitters and was accurate to within 12% of the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A glacio-hydrological model for a highly glacierized Himalayan catchment. • Snow accumulation is the major driver for glacier mass balances and runoffs. • The modelled runoff from snow melt is almost three times higher than ice melt. Glacier-wide mass balances and runoffs are reconstructed over 1969–2016 for Chhota Shigri Glacier catchment (India) applying a glacio-hydrological model. The model is forced using in-situ daily air-temperature and precipitation records from the meteorological stations at Bhuntar Observatory (1092 m a.s.l.), glacier base camp (3850 m a.s.l.) and glacier side moraine (4863 m a.s.l.). The modelled mean annual mass balance is −0.30 ± 0.36 m w.e.a−1 (meter water equivalent per year), while the mean catchment-wide runoff is 1.56 ± 0.23 m w.e.a−1 over 1969–2016. Three periods are distinguished in the reconstructed mass balance and runoff series. Periods I (1969–1985) and III (2001–2016) show glacier mass wastage at rates of −0.36 and −0.50 m w.e.a−1, respectively, corresponding to catchment-wide runoffs of 1.51 and 1.65 m w.e.a−1, respectively. Conversely, period II (1986–2000) exhibits steady-state conditions with average mass balances of −0.01 m w.e.a−1, and corresponding runoff of 1.52 m w.e.a−1. The reduced ice melt (0.20 m w.e.a−1) over period II, in agreement with steady-state conditions, is compensated by the increased snow melt (1.03 m w.e.a−1), providing almost similar catchment-wide runoffs for period I and II. The increased runoff after 2000 is mainly governed by increased ice melt (0.32 m w.e.a−1) over period III. Snow accumulation in winter and summer seasons together control the glacier-wide mass balances as well as catchment-wide runoffs. Snow melt contributes the maximum to the total mean annual runoff with 63% share while glacier melt and rain contribute 17% and 20% respectively over the whole period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines user perceptions of existing water services and proposed prepaid water meter and solar power innovations to improve water services in Tanzania. Based on 14 key informant interviews and six focus group discussions that included 61 participants, data from three rural and three urban study sites reveal that existing water services are generally perceived as poor, and the proposed prepayment and solar innovations offer benefits including increased transparency, accountability, and convenience. However, users also perceived challenges with the proposed innovations, including disenfranchisement of vulnerable populations and technical difficulties. The Government of Tanzania may implement the prepaid water meter and solar power technologies in the near future. Thus, it is critical to incorporate user perceptions on the acceptability, feasibility, and scalability of such technologies prior to large-scale implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sea Surface Microlayer (SML) is known to be enriched in trace metals relative to the underlaying water and to harbor diverse microbial communities (i.e. neuston). However, the processes linking metals and biota in the SML are not yet fully understood. In this study, we analyzed the metal (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Mo, V, Zn and Pb) concentrations in aerosol samples, SML (dissolved and total fractions) and in subsurface waters (SSW; dissolved fraction at ~ 1 m depth) from the Western Mediterranean Sea during a cruise in May-June 2017. The bacterial community composition and abundance in the SML and SSW, and the primary production and Chl-a in the SSW were measured simultaneously at all stations during the cruise. Residence times of particulate metals derived from aerosols deposition ranged from a couple of minutes for Co (2.7 ± 0.9 min; more affected by wind conditions) to a few hours for Cu (3.0 ± 1.9 h). Concentration of most dissolved metals in both, the SML and SSW, were well correlated with the salinity gradient and showed the characteristic eastward increase in surface waters of the Mediterranean Sea (MS). Contrarily, the total fraction of some reactive metals in the SML (i.e. Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn) showed negative trends with salinity, these trends of concentrations seem to be associate to microbial uptake. Our results suggest a toxic effect of Ni on neuston and microbiology community's abundance of the top meter of the surface waters of the Western Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization, industrialization and their associated water shortage pressures have brought great challenges to agricultural development and water security. Understanding the virtual water flow involved in the grain trade is critical to ensuring water security and agricultural production. However, there are few studies on the comprehensive benefits provided by virtual water flow in the grain trade. This paper proposes a linear optimization model to fill this gap. The model is used to estimate the virtual water flow via interregional grain trade within China in 2015 and corresponding benefits to resources, the economy, and the environment from both outflow and inflow comparative perspectives. Three results characterize the virtual water flow pattern of interprovincial grain trade in China in 2015: (1) In terms of resource benefit, 31. billion cubic meters of water resources were saved, accounting for approximately 39.7% of the total virtual water flow. (2) A positive economic benefit was realized, with an increase of 6.4 trillion yuan in industrial value added. (3) Certain regions with a high crop green water occupation index account for a considerable proportion of the green water of the local agricultural ecosystem. Simultaneously, massive output of virtual water would aggravate the destruction of terrestrial ecosystems. Finally, the results suggest that promoting the marketization of water resources, improving water productivity, exploring regional compensation mechanisms and improving green water conservation capacity should be considered for water security policies. • A linear model to optimize interregional virtual water flow pattern of grain trade in China is built. • 31.4 × 109 m3of water can be saved via improving interprovincial grain trade in China. • Economic benefits is shown as 6.4 × 1012 yuan increase in industrial value added increasing. • Regions with high crop green water occupation index output plenty of virtual water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Placement of a chest tube drains intrapleural fluid and air. The tube should be attached to a drainage system, such as one-, two-, or three-compartment devices, a one-way (Heimlich) valve for ambulatory drainage, a digital system, or a vacuum bottle. The frequently employed three-compartment systems, currently integrated disposable units, allow adjustment of negative pressure or no suction (water seal), and include an air leak meter on the water seal chamber to be used for demonstrating and quantifying air leak. These readings are subjective and prone to interobserver variability. Digital pleural drainage systems offer the benefits of quantification of any air leak and pleural pressure. Indwelling pleural catheters, typically utilized for malignant pleural effusion, can be drained using vacuum bottles. Knowledge of the design and functionality of each device in the setting of an individual patient's specific pleural process facilitates the selection of practical and financially prudent chest tube drainage strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal measurements of glacier mass balance provide insight into the relation between climate forcing and glacier change. To evaluate the feasibility of using remotely sensed methods to assess seasonal balance, we completed tandem airborne laser scanning (ALS) surveys and field-based glaciological measurements over a 4-year period for six alpine glaciers that lie in the Columbia and Rocky Mountains, near the headwaters of the Columbia River, British Columbia, Canada. We calculated annual geodetic balance using coregistered late summer digital elevation models (DEMs) and distributed estimates of density based on surface classification of ice, snow, and firn surfaces. Winter balance was derived using coregistered late summer and spring DEMs, as well as density measurements from regional snow survey observations and our glaciological measurements. Geodetic summer balance was calculated as the difference between winter and annual balance. Winter mass balance from our glaciological observations averaged 1.95±0.09 m w.e. (meter water equivalent), 4 % larger than those derived from geodetic surveys. Average glaciological summer and annual balance were 3 % smaller and 3 % larger, respectively, than our geodetic estimates. We find that distributing snow, firn, and ice density based on surface classification has a greater influence on geodetic annual mass change than the density values themselves. Our results demonstrate that accurate assessments of seasonal mass change can be produced using ALS over a series of glaciers spanning several mountain ranges. Such agreement over multiple seasons, years, and glaciers demonstrates the ability of high-resolution geodetic methods to increase the number of glaciers where seasonal mass balance can be reliably estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Develop mathematic models of head-based and power-based pump flow meters using calibrated curves at various frequencies. • Conduct the uncertainty analysis of the flow measurement by two developed pump flow meters. • Demonstrate the accuracy improvement of the flow measurement by two developed pump flow meters. Abstract The water flow rate of a pump can be calculated using other measurable inputs along with calibrated pump characteristic curves. Head-based and power-based virtual pump water flow meters apply the affinity laws to convert the calibrated pump head and power curves at the rated frequency to the curves at measured frequency and then calculate the water flow rate using measured head and power respectively. Due to the mismatched correlation between the motor speed and input frequency, these two flow meters cannot achieve acceptable accuracy. The purpose of this paper is to improve the accuracy of these two flow meters using the calibrated head and power curves at multiple frequencies rather than at the rated frequency only. First the mathematical models of flow measurements and uncertainty analysis are introduced, then two experiments are conducted, one for the virtual meter calibration and uncertainty analysis while another for the accuracy improvement validation. The results show that the uncertainty of water flow measurements decreases from 13 m3/h to 5 m3/h for the head-based flow meter and 17 m3/h to 6 m3/h for the power-based flow meter if the calibrated pump characteristic curves at multiple frequencies replace the curves at the rated frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Egypt's agricultural land is limited to about 3.8% of its total area, However, it faces a problem of encroachment and conversion to non-agricultural uses, in particular, construction, The study aims to assess the negative /positive impacts of agricultural land conversion via construction on the social and personal levels, However, the results reveal the following:- The main negative impact for agricultural land lies in its area loss that amounted to about 10.517 feddan in Menoufia governorate compared to about a total loss of about 145.213 feddan during the period from 1983 to January 2018, In addition, the costs required for Menoufia governorate to reclaim new land to compensate for this loss is estimated at 2.3 billion pounds compared to about 32.5 billion pounds for grand total construction conversion. For irrigation water, the negative impact in Menoufia governorate is estimated at 161.8 million cubic meters of water that needed to new lands reclamation to compensate for the loss in old agricultural lands compared to about 2.9 billion cubic meters of water for grand total construction conversion allover Egypt. For agricultural crops, the negative effect embodies the loss of about 287,63 thousand tons from various crops in Menofuia governorate compared to about 3.475.7 thousand tons all over Egypt, In other words, there is an annual forgone income in Menofuia governorate estimated by LE 387,5 million compared to about 4.9 billion all over Egypt. For agricultural employment, the negative effect embodies the loss in agricultural employment opportunities in encroached land area, That is estimated by about 0.86 million men/working days in Menoufia governorate compared to about 11.73 million men / working days all over Egypt. On the other hand, the positive impact is confined to: (1) About the cultivated land area will be increased by the equivalent area size which converted to construction activity (2) The notable increase in average market value per feddan due to its construction activity transformation that reaches about 33 fold of its value in villages (rural area) compared to about 100 fold to its value in cities (urban area), (3) Cultivating in new virgin lands free of polluted chemical residuals compared to polluted old lands (due to over use of fertilizers and chemical pesticides) (4) Reducing the population density in countryside, thus reducing agricultural land demand for construction activities. For irrigation water, the positive effects are: (1) saving the amount of water that was used to irrigate the agricultural before construction conversion, In which is estimated at about 84.94 million cubic meters for Menoufia compared to 1.434 billion cubic meters for grand total construction conversion allover Egypt, (2) Reducing and rationing irrigation water consumption via employing modern irrigation methods developed by sprinkling and drip, saving about 40% of conventional irrigation water consumption. While, the positive effect constitutes the increasing of agricultural production from different crops by about 984.6 thousand tons compared to about 8.098 thousand tons all over Egypt as due to the increase in reclaimed than the encroached land by its equivalence area, In addition, the possibility of using agricultural mechanization and extension technological packages, Thus, the estimated annual increase in revenues for Menoufia governorate could reach about LE 984.3 million compared to about LE 11.4 billion all over Egypt, Moreover, producing of healthy crops free of chemical residuals due to employing bio agricultural technologies in reclaimed land, Thus, maintaining of the citizens health and increasing farmer’s income due to high bio products prices. On the other hand, the positive effect constitutes the increase in employment opportunities in newly reclaimed areas by about 2.2 million men/working days in Menoufia governorate compared to 27.33 million men/working days all over Egypt. The paper also addressed the most important reasons that encourage encroachment on agricultural land via construction, Moreover, it suggested some proposals for overcoming encroachments on agricultural land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of the registered indications of the water meter, a study on the size and variability of water consumption on the WULS campus in the academic years 2012/16 is presented. The average specific water consumption at a time when classes are implemented amounted to 26.6 dm3 per student per day for full-time studies student and 19.7 dm3 per student per day for the student part-time studies. During the holiday season, the rates are lower at 18.4 and 11.8 dm3 per student per day, respectively. These ratios were determined without taking the water consumption in the dorms into account. The daily peaking factor amounted (Nd) to 1.36, while the hourly peaking factor (Nh), reached 1.71. Within the week cycle, the highest water consumption was observed in Tuesdays and the lowest - in Sundays. The average Tuesday demands are 40% higher than the Sunday demands. The water consumption peaks during the day occur between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. as well as 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. The hourly structure of the water distribution in the WULS-SGGW campus is similar to the weekend structure of water distribution in multi-family residential buildings, with the exception of the later occurrence of the evening summit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The empirical method for the determination of apparent water losses, using the assessment of consumption patterns and the laboratory testing of water meters, is compared against alternative methods of comparative billing and meter change analyses for one of the largest water utilities in South Africa. Using the empirical method, apparent losses are estimated to have an average value of 12% of the billed volume with a range from 9.4% to 14.6% that is dependent on meter size ratios. This overlaps with the estimates, of 8%-10% for a utility with direct feed good quality water but high meter age (> 10 yr) and low accuracy, currently proposed in some studies and used by industry. The estimate from the comparative billing analysis method is 14% and it is sensitive to how the data is processed and analysed. The meter change method yielded an estimate of 4.7% for only a subset of the data. Both results of the alternative methods are in line with previous studies, with the comparative billing analysis performing better, but requiring further refinement for better accuracy and repeatability. The empirical method remains the gold standard in assessing apparent water losses but is undoubtedly very laborious, expensive and out of reach of the budget of many utilities. The development and validation of alternative methodologies therefore holds great promise but these are substantially reliant on comprehensive meter information and credible billing datasets which are rarely available in most utilities in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global need for water is increasing. Water must be used more economically in order to be sustainable. Water consumption per capita in Turkey is below the world regarding its geographical location. Manual reading water meters are inconvenient and time-consuming, they have low accuracy, they are very slow and resource wasting. Using wireless communication will mitigate these unwanted states. Consumers will be able to observe their water consumption in real time and be able to compare with the average water consumption in their district. With this system water pressure of whole pipes could be observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water, land and biological assets are key resources for human livelihoods. But while the value of the assets of the virtual economy is growing insanely, such assets of the real economy as natural resources, populations of individual animals and plant species are becoming increasingly limited, and their price in the financial statements of enterprises does not adequately reflect their social value. The purpose of the article is to disclose relativity and insufficiency of financial data about the water, land and biological assets in an enterprise's reporting for the needs of managing the sustainable development, and based on this, justifying the priority and wider use of a non-financial meters in accounting for such assets, as well as the need to generate reports based on combination of financial and non-financial information. The factors that increase the relativity of the money meter in accounting for water, land and biological assets were disclosed. Considerable attention is paid to the study of the content of non-financial reporting, which in our time is becoming an important component of information support for managing sustainable development. The expediency of the wide use of non-financial meters in accounting for water, land and biological assets was proved. Based on the systematization of water, land and biological assets and taking into account their natural and economic characteristics, an approach to the use of monetary and non-financial meters in the accounting of such assets was proposed. It was revealed that for natural assets non-financial meter is main, and for created or recreated by man - a monetary meter. However, both in the first and in the second case, a complementary meter should be used for the formation of full data of accounting at all levels, and mainly in reporting. Synthesis of financial and non-financial meters will help users better understand accounting data and will increase the effectiveness of managing sustainable development. An example was given of a combination of monetary and physical indicators in disclosing information on agricultural land plots and the right to use them in the notes to the annual financial statements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, water scarcity and excess water improper, tedious and inconvenient methods of monitoring its usage. Methods used currently not only require a fair but also has a high scope of errors and negligence. These methods are not feasible and valid problem could be the provision of real-time monitoring, prevent said wastage. IoT water meters can help in such to monitor their water usage and consumption in real time and be using Arduino which monitors water usage in real time and can create a profile s, we can further generate bill for the user based dashboard can be accessed at anytime from anywhere. This system sending data to the cloud. wastage pose a serious threat to the Indian Population. A major for a growing economy. wherein a consumer can monitor their usage in real-time and a scenario. Using automated monitoring through IoT we can enable a User/Consumer mindful of it. This Paper introduces an Automated Water Metering System consumer profile in two ways viz Prepaid and Postpaid. Using these on their usage. This user data is stored on the cloud and with the help will use the existing Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) reason for this is the amount of manual labour A feasible solution to this take necessary steps to of an online for sending data to the cloud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vapour equilibrium technique (VET) is usually used to determine the water retention curve of soils. It is a suction-controlled technique where the soil specimen is allowed to reach the suction equilibrium in a desiccator where the relative humidity is controlled by a chemical solution. The suction equilibrium condition is deemed to have been reached when its soil moisture content does not change with time. Therefore, VET requires continuous monitoring for moisture content of the testing soil without disturbing the water vapour exchange process. The aim of this study is to present the electrical resistivity (ER) method that can be used to measure the moisture content of the specimen in VET without disturbance. The ER method is able to monitor the changes of soil moisture with time, and to successfully determine the time at which the soil moisture reaches the equilibrium state. The total suction equilibrium condition was validated independently with the suction measurements using a WP4C water potential meter. The results show good agreement between the total suction equilibrium condition determined by the proposed ER method and the WP4C measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]