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The Ganga River hosts a metapopulation of endangered aquatic species. This study uses a hydrodynamic model (HEC‐RAS) to assess the habitat suitability of the Ganga River dolphins (GRDs) in a small reach (7.5 km) of the Ganga River at the upstream of Narora barrage in varying flow. We use Lidar points clouds to generate topography, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), and differential GPS (DGPS) to measure channel bathymetry and streamwise water surface slope. Further, the water level data from satellite altimeter is used to calibrate the model and discharge measured in field to validate the model output. We found that in the high flow period, the required flow depth for dolphin habitat is available throughout in the study reach. However, in the lean flow, the required flow depth and velocity are available only in some patches. The methodology developed here would be very useful in monitoring hydraulic habitat suitability of aquatic species in ungauged rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is currently unclear how river restoration based on hydro-geometrical modifications, dredging, and creating a barrier instead of its removal on a river would affect the water quality in urban rivers. This work attempts to fill this gap in our understanding by simulating the water quality of a highly critical 22-km-long Delhi stretch of river Yamuna in terms of DO, BOD, and total coliform after the implementation of these river restoration measures. Four scenarios were conceptualized based on these restoration measures and water quality simulated. These are: scenario I: simulate the impact of varying the width uniformly for all reaches of the study stretch on the water quality, scenario II: simulate the impact of increased depth by controlled dredging. Scenario III (a) closing the ITO barrage gate and then simulating river water quality from Wazirabad barrage to ITO barrage and (b) closing the ITO barrage and simulation of water quality from ITO barrage to Okhla barrage. Results reveal that the water quality improved significantly in scenario I and scenario II. Scenario III did not yield desirable results in terms of water quality improvement. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first attempt involving river morphometry changes using the QUAL2k model for the Delhi stretch of river Yamuna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The components of water balance (WBC) that involve precipitation, evapotranspiration, runoff, irrigation, and groundwater recharge are critical for understanding the hydrological cycle and water management of resources in semi-arid and arid areas. This paper assesses temporal and spatial distributions of surface runoff, actual evapotranspiration, and groundwater recharge upstream of the New Assiut Barrage (NAB) in the Nile Valley, Upper Egypt, using the WetSpass-M model for the period 2012–2020. Moreover, this study evaluates the effect of land cover/land use (LULC) alterations in the study period on the WBC of the NAB. The data provided as input for the WetSpass-M model in the structure of raster maps using the Arc-GIS tool. Monthly meteorological factors (e.g., temperature, rainfall, and wind speed), a digital elevation model (DEM), slope, land cover, irrigation cover, a soil map, and depth to groundwater are included. The long-term temporal and spatial mean monthly irrigation and precipitation (127 mm) is distributed as 49% (62 mm) actual evapotranspiration, 15% (19 mm) groundwater recharge, and 36% (46 mm) surface runoff. The replacement of cropland by built-up areas was recognized as the primary factor responsible for the major decrease in groundwater, an increase in evapotranspiration and an increase in surface runoff between LCLU in 2012 and 2020. The integration of the WetSpass model with GIS has shown its effectiveness as a powerful approach for assessing WBC. Results were more accurate and reliable when hydrological modeling and spatial analysis were combined. The results of this research can help make well-informed decisions about land use planning and sustainable management of water resources in the upstream area of the NAB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current investigation was conducted on hydrobiological parameters and plankton diversity in the Yamuna River at Okhla Barrage. The various water quality parameters were investigated, and found that the pH ranged from 7.35±0.02 to 8.10±0.09, temperature varied from 20.79±0.02 to 32.29±0.05!, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels range from 1.72±0.08 to 3.6±0.12 mg/l, total dissolved solids (TDS) ranged from 179.625±36.605 to 382.75±0.875 mg/L, electrical conductivity (EC) went from 759.25±9.37 to 1527.25±3.47 μs/cm and free CO2 levels varied from 8.4±0.93 to 10.5±0.27 mg/L. There are 51 genera of plankton, including 31 genera of phytoplankton and 20 genera of zooplankton. Phytoplanktons are categorized into four major groups: Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae, and Euglenophyceae, and zooplankton belonging to Protozoa, Rotifera, Copepoda and Cladocera. The phytoplankton population exhibited fluctuations, reaching its peak in October (13,000 per litre) and its lowest point in July (10,400 per litre). On the other hand, the highest zooplankton population was recorded in October, reaching 11,600 per litre, while the lowest count was observed in August, with only 5,200 zooplankton per litre. Regarding diversity indices, the highest and lowest values for phytoplankton occurred in July (1.054) and August (0.849), respectively. The diversity index of zooplankton ranged from 1.381 in November to 1.249 in August, with November having the highest diversity index value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While animals navigating the real world face a barrage of sensory input, their brains evolved to perceptually compress multidimensional information by selectively extracting the features relevant for survival. Notably, communication signals supporting social interactions in several mammalian species consist of acoustically complex sequences of vocalisations. However, little is known about what information listeners extract from such time-varying sensory streams. Here, we utilise female mice's natural behavioural response to male courtship songs to identify the relevant acoustic dimensions used in their social decisions. We found that females were highly sensitive to disruptions of song temporal regularity and preferentially approached playbacks of intact over rhythmically irregular versions of male songs. In contrast, female behaviour was invariant to manipulations affecting the songs' sequential organisation or the spectro-temporal structure of individual syllables. The results reveal temporal regularity as a key acoustic cue extracted by mammalian listeners from complex vocal sequences during goal-directed social behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive Theories of emotions have enjoyed great popularity in recent times. Allegedly, the so-called Perceptual Theory constitutes the most attractive version of this approach. However, the Perceptual Theory has come under increasing pressure. There are at least two ways to deal with the barrage of objections, which have been mounted against the Perceptual Theory. One is to argue that the objections work only if one assumes an overly narrow conception of what perception consists in. On a better and more liberal understanding of perception, the objections lose their force. The other is to stress that the differences between emotions and sensory perceptions can be explained by focusing on a new analogy. As I will argue, emotions have interesting similarities with magnitude representations, such as the representation of distance. Such representations are plausibly thought to be analog and non-conceptual, but by contrast to sensory perceptions, such as colour perceptions, they do not lie at the sensory periphery. This new analogy makes room for a novel and attractive theory of emotions, the Receptive Theory, which allows for a positive and epistemologically fruitful characterization of emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Quebec, the fluvial dynamics of the Escoumins River have been disturbed by the forestry industry for over a century. Most specifically, a dam was built near the mouth of the river in 1846 and dismantled in 2013. These disturbances had significant repercussions on the equilibrium of the river and Atlantic salmon habitat. This study therefore proposes to characterize the fluvial dynamics of the Escoumins River and to analyze the impacts of the dam dismantling from the perspective of restoring hydrogeomorphological processes and improving Atlantic salmon habitat. The results suggest that the trajectory of the river evolved differently depending on the fluvial style and the grain size composition of each of its homogeneous segments. However, log drive activities in river and dam removal appear to have been the most important controlling factors on the evolution of the stream trajectory. The dismantling notably allowed the restoration of hydrogeomorphological processes and the free movement of salmonids. A better procedure for dam removal and monitoring should be put in place in Canada to encourage this practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study analyzes trends of extreme flows for the Krishna river at the Prakasam barrage, Vijayawada of Andhra Pradesh state, India. Annual maximum and minimum flows are considered using available data from the CWC (Central Water Commission) portal from 1965–1966 to 2019–2020. The trend analysis of extreme flows is carried out using the Mann-Kendall trend test, Sen's slope, and modified Mann-Kendall test, that is, bootstrapped Mann-Kendall trend test with optional bias-corrected pre-whitening. Also, R programming is applied for the trend analysis of extreme flows. Extreme annual flows are in decreasing trend. Annual maximum flow has significant decreasing trend with Sen's slope of 105.52 cumecs per year. Annual minimum flow has insignificant decreasing trend at a magnitude of 0.0002 cumecs per year. Trend results of the present study are useful for the trend analysis of extreme river flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoirs and barrages , built across alluvial rivers throughout the world, are losing their storage capacity at an estimated rate of about 1% annually. The pond area of Durgapur Barrage on River Damodar, India, controlled by barrage-gates is no exception. In spite of its service for more than 60 years through judicious gate-operation schedule, it is found that 52% of initial storage capacity Pond has been lost since its inception in 1956. A morphodynamic study of the alluvial Damodar River, extending from Maithon and Panchet dams at upstream to Durgapur Barrage in the downstream, has been done using a numerical model of MIKE-11. Hydrometeorological data of Damodar-Barakar River basin were used to simulate hydrodynamic and sediment transport models for ascertaining annual rate of erosion and deposition during the period 1956–2016. Study shows that about 6 million M3 sediment were transported from catchment through Dam-discharge, a part of which got deposited in the river bed while the remaining 4.9 million M3 washed away downstream through Barrage gates. Although the rate of deposition in the pond area was initially higher during the period 1956–1985, which has subsequently reduced. However, daily deposition increased more or less linearly with the increase in discharge of the river. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic structures, such as barrages, play an important role in the sustainable development of several regions worldwide. The aim of this novel study is to identify the critical hydraulic parameters (CHPs) of Taunsa Barrage, built on the Indus River. These CHPs, including free surface profiles, flow depths, Froude number, velocity profiles, energy dissipation and turbulence kinetic energy, were investigated using simulation via FLOW-3D numerical models. Incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations on each computational cell were solved using the numerical methods available in FLOW-3D. The simulation results indicated that the locations of hydraulic jumps (HJs) were lower than that were reported in the previous one-dimensional study. Similarly, the distances of the HJs from the downstream toe of the glacis were reached at 2.97 m and 6 m at 129.10 m and 130.30 m tailwater levels, respectively, which deviated from the previous studies. In higher tailwater, the sequent depth ratio also deviated from the previous data. The maximum turbulent kinetic energies were observed in the developing regions of HJs, which were found to be decreased as the distance from the HJ was increased. The results of this research will be highly useful for engineers working in the field of design of hydraulic structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the performance of three different stilling basins, i.e., modified United State Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) Type III, USBR Type II, and wedge-shaped baffle blocks (WSBB), using FLOW-3D scour models. Field data of the riverbed profile are employed to validate the present models. After comparison, the results of statistical indices, i.e., coefficient of determination (R2) and Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient (NSE), indicated that the Renormalization Group (RNG-K-ϵ) showed good agreement with the field data, with R2 and NSE values of 0.9094 and 0.896, respectively. Validated models are used to simulate velocity field and local bed shear stress (BSS) and scour for design and flood discharges of 28.30 m3/s/m and 17.5 m3/s/m, respectively. At 28.30 m3/s/m, the results indicated that the riverbed downstream of the remodeled basin was completely exposed, while, at 17.5 m3/s/m, the net change in bed reached 85%. At 28.30 m3/s/m, the net change at the centerline of models reached 51% and 67% in USBR Type III and WSBB basins, respectively. At 17.5 m3/s/m, compared to Type II and III basins, the WSBB basin indicated less BSS, which significantly reduced the scour. Conclusively, the Type II basin showed less energy dissipation for the studied flows, while the WSBB basin improved flow fields downstream of the barrage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's infrastructure has faced a barrage of security attacks that has led to the promulgation of the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act (CIPA) No. 8 of 2019. Residual risk (i.e., that which remains after the threats have been mitigated) must be assessed for the critical infrastructure security system as part of the total security system design. One area that requires attention is access control. This paper demonstrates how to approach such a design, with a particular focus on the effectiveness of the access control system and how to choose the biometric or digital key (such as access cards) system. The approach starts by defining access control events that in turn are used to define access control effectiveness in respect of the probability of invalid access and of anomaly detection. The theoretically derived results are validated by a simulation. Based on these models, guidance is provided for the design of access control for critical infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The efficacy of additional barrage laser posterior to ridge in advanced stage 3 or stage 4 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is established, but its role in early stages is not defined. The objective was to study the efficacy of additional posterior barrage laser in type I zone 2 disease. Methods: In a randomized trial, patients with type I zone 2 ROP were recruited between February 2016 and May 2017. One eye of each baby was randomized into study and control groups, respectively. Laser photocoagulation anterior to ridge was given in the control group, and additional posterior barrage laser was performed in the study group. The outcome measures were time to complete ridge regression and final cycloplegic refraction at 3 months post-laser. Results: Forty patients (40 eyes per group) completed the required follow-up. The mean birth weight and gestational age were 1357 ± 338 g and 29.72 ± 2.57 weeks, respectively. The mean post-conceptional age during laser was 36.67 ± 3.23 weeks. The number of eyes achieving ridge regression in control and study groups was 8/40 (20%) and 27/40 (67%) at 2 weeks (P = 0.001) and 39/40 (97%) and 40/40 (100%) at 4 weeks (P = 0.4). The mean time to complete ridge regression was 3.74 ± 1.17 weeks and 2.62 ± 0.91 weeks in control and study groups, respectively (P < 0.001). The mean spherical equivalent at 12 weeks in control and study groups was -1.9 ± 2.3 Diopters and -2.4 ± 2.6 Diopters, respectively (P = 0.41). Conclusions: Additional posterior barrage laser leads to significantly faster regression of type 1 zone 2 ROP without increasing induced myopia and thereby might be a useful adjunct to conventional treatment in selected cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study provides an in-depth investigation into water security using socio-hydrological analysis by investigating the relationship between irrigation entitlements and actual water delivery. Conjoint analysis is used to evaluate the reliability and equity of the system by applying quantitative definitions and metrics. This study examines 10 years of daily average canal flow data collected from the Sindh canal command regions of the Lower Indus Basin Irrigation System in Pakistan. This research was carried out at both the canal and the barrage network levels, with socio-hydrological metrics being used across both temporal and spatial scales. Furthermore, an in-depth study of the LIB system's fourteen main canals operating across three barrages was carried out. This research focuses on the transition from historical volumetric allocations to the objective of enhancing irrigation efficiency and agricultural yields in order to provide improved water and food security. The investigation underscores the enduring presence of stagnation and volatility in the overall equity and reliability of the system. The analysis reveals that the median reliability of the canals in Sindh was 47–100% in the summer and 65–85% in the winter season. Additionally, the irrigation system equity was worse in the winter and summer, at around 55–75%. This research examines the possibilities of using a socio-hydrological strategy to effectively improve the performance of canal irrigation systems and promote water security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operation of water structures causes various problems. They are related, for example, to the material carried by the water, hydrological conditions, range of operation of hydroelectric turbines, or water elevations at the lower position of the hydroelectric power plant. Among the various operational problems, this article focuses mainly on the impact of the backwater of Gwda river on the water level elevations at the lower station of the Stary Młyn hydropower plant in Dobrzyca. The power plant is located on Głomia river. The analysis was carried out for different flow variants in both the Gwda and Głomia rivers. The effect of characteristic flows on the water surface level at the lower station of the hydropower plant was examined. It was found that the water surface level at the lower station of the hydropower plant is strongly influenced by flows higher than the average high flow on Gwda river. Due to the extent of the backwater in current operating conditions, the hydroelectric power plant is shut down from flows on Gwda river of 30–28 m3/s (flows that are not much higher than the multi-year average SSQ). The modeling results were confirmed by an analysis of power plant shutdowns of normal operation especially in wet years, when the plant did not operate for almost half of the year (188 days), with losses of 203 MWh. It was also shown that even a small additional damming of water, e.g., of the order of 0.2 m, can extend the operating time of a power plant up to 249 days even under unfavorable hydrological conditions. Factors related to climate change are beginning to play an increasingly important role in the current operating conditions of small lowland hydroelectric power plants. They can contribute to a reduction in electricity production. The proposed solution related to the possibility of greater water retention on dammed-up water barrages allows one to partially offset these problems as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in coastal topography can affect the ecological environment and marine industries. In this study, we analyzed the patterns and causes of changes in shoreline and undersea topography in the Nakdong River estuary in the southeast of Republic of Korea using depth and shoreline surveys of the estuary, as well as data on discharge, suspended sediments, and precipitation in the Nakdong River basin. The results showed that erosion and sedimentation occurred repeatedly owing to complex factors such as the discharge of the estuary and invasion by open sea waves. However, no clear unilateral trend was observed. Unlike previous survey data, a large amount of erosion occurred in the second half of 2020. Previously, sedimentation was the main process, but erosion occurred rapidly, which was observed in the summer of 2020 when the erosion was three times higher than that in other periods owing to the severe rainy season and torrential rains for over a month. In addition, regarding the flow rate and force of the river water outflow, the amount of discharge increased rapidly, causing erosion. Moreover, a strong typhoon in the summer of 2020 affected the topography of the estuary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) give rise to resistance against penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics in multiple bacterial species. The present study was conducted to map genetic determinants and related attributes of ESBL-producing bacteria in three wild aquatic bird species and chickens at the "Trimmu Barrage" in district Jhang, Punjab province, Pakistan. To study the prevalence of ESBL-producing bacteria, a total of 280 representative samples were collected from wild bird species; cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis), little egrets (Egretta garzetta) and common teals (Anas crecca) as well as from indigenous chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) originating from a local wet market. The isolates were confirmed as ESBL producers using a double disc synergy test (DDST) and bacterial species were identified using API-20E and 20NE strips. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect ESBL genetic determinants and for genus identification via 16S rRNA gene amplification. A phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed for ESBL-producing isolates against 12 clinically relevant antibiotics using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility test. A phylogenetic tree was constructed for the sequence data obtained in this study and comparative sequence data obtained from GenBank. The overall prevalence of ESBL-producing bacteria was 34.64% (97/280). The highest percentage (44.28%; 31/70) of ESBL-producing bacteria was recovered from chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), followed by little egrets (Egretta garzetta) (41.43%; 29/70), common teal (Anas crecca) (28.57%; 20/70) and cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) (24.28%; 17/70). Five different ESBL-producing bacteria were identified biochemically and confirmed via 16S rRNA gene sequencing, which included Escherichia coli (72; 74.23%), Enterobacter cloacae (11; 11.34%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (8; 8.25%), Salmonella enterica (4; 4.12%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2; 2.06%). Based on PCR, the frequency of obtained ESBL genes in 97 isolates was blaCTX-M (51.55%), blaTEM (20.62%), blaOXA (6.18%) and blaSHV (2.06%). In addition, gene combinations blaCTX-M + blaTEM, blaTEM + blaOXA and blaCTX-M + blaSHV were also detected in 16.49%, 2.06% and 1.03% of isolates, respectively. The ESBL gene variation was significant (p = 0.02) in different bacterial species while non-significant in relation to different bird species (p = 0.85). Phylogenetic analysis of amino acid sequence data confirmed the existence of CTX-M-15 and TEM betalactamases. The average susceptibility of the antibiotics panel used was lowest for both Klebsiella pneumoniae (62.5% ± 24.42) and Salmonella enterica (62.5% ± 31.08) as compared to Enterobacter cloacae (65.90% ± 21.62), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (70.83% ± 33.42) and Escherichia coli (73.83% ± 26.19). This study provides insight into the role of aquatic wild birds as reservoirs of ESBL-producing bacteria at Trimmu Barrage, Punjab, Pakistan. Hence, active bio-surveillance and environment preservation actions are necessitated to curb antimicrobial resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radial gates are more common than vertical sluice gates for a number of reasons. They are simpler to use, cause less flow disturbance, require less lifting force, and deliver better discharge. Radial gates are commonly used in new barrages, such as the New Assuit Barrage. Prior researchers used physical investigations to study the efficiency of stilling basin downstream radial gates, but physical studies cost a lot of money and time, so numerical solutions should be investigated. The current study aimed to explore numerically the influence of stilling basin shape and baffle block arrangement on the stability of bed protection, near-bed velocity, energy dissipation, and hydraulic jump characteristics downstream of radial gates. Different 12 discharges were investigated, and their results were compared with previous physical results to verify the performance of the numerical results. The results obtained from the numerical model from all trials are almost identical to the physical model results. Five different alternative designs were carried out numerically to enhance the design of the New Assuit Barrage (NAB) spillway stilling basin. Results showed that alternatives 4 (changing the geometry of the basin by removing the end step and concrete slab) and 5 (as alternative 4 in addition to adding rounded baffle blocks presented in two rows arranged in a staggered way) gave good velocity distribution with low turbulence, low values of near-bed velocities, and stability of bed protection. Also, it is more economical because of the lower cost of concrete and excavation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field study was conducted from November 2021 to March 2022 covering Bheemgoda Barrage and the adjacent Ganga Valley area at Haridwar and Asan Barrage at Dehradun, India. The Results indicated that a total of 81 species of waterbirds from 20 families were recorded during the study period. Out of these, a total of 28 winters visitor, 16 resident migratory and 37 residents' avian species were reported. The family Anatidae was the most dominant family with the maximum number of species (11), and its relative diversity index was also found to be the highest (relative diversity index = 14.8). The value of Bird species Richness was found highest (7.2) at Missarpur Ganga ghat as compared to Bheemgoda Barrage (5.4) and Asan conservation reserve (5.2), respectively. In addition, the value of Birds' species diversity was also highest (2.8) in Missarpur Ganga ghat as compared to Bheemgoda Barrage (1.9) and Asan conservation reserve (1.6). A total of six species were observed during the study period to fall under the Near Threatened category, one species falls in the vulnerable, and one species, namely Pallas Fish Eagle, is endangered according to the IUCN Red data book. The present study provided baseline information about the waterbirds of these wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trapezoidal profiled weirs and barrages are employed extensively in agrarian countries like India and Pakistan for diverting river water for canal-fed irrigation. The downstream slope of a weir is designed as 1V∶3H , although in some older structures, slopes as mild as 1V∶5H are noticed. Downstream slopes of 1V∶5H also exist for the barrages on the Nile in Egypt and in the standard Crump weir used in the UK and some European countries. This study explores the effect of the downstream slope of a short-crested trapezoidal weir on its flow hydraulics and conveyance properties. Irrigation barrages and weirs, apart from diverting water to a canal, also help in measuring the discharge of a river, which is a function of the up- and downstream water levels. For large discharges during floods, the gates of a barrage are withdrawn to ensure an uncontrolled flow that may either be free or submerged, depending on the downstream water level. Although past studies on uncontrolled flows have recognized the effect of the upstream slope of a weir on the coefficient of discharge, Cd , this study establishes that it is also influenced by a weir's downstream slope. An equation of Cd for free flows and a flow reduction factor for submerged flows are proposed considering both weir-face angles. For free flows, Cd is seen to increase with the steepness of a weir's downstream slope; for submerged flows, the discharge reduction factor is observed to improve as the slope becomes milder, leading to a greater conveyance. Data from our own laboratory experiments, past publications, and results derived from a 2D RANS-VOF multiphase computational fluid dynamics model are used in arriving at the conclusions reported in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater droughts are one of the natural disasters that raise serious water issues for humans, and are increasing in frequency due to global climate change. In order to identify groundwater droughts, we recorded groundwater level fluctuations upstream at Changnyeong-Haman River barrage from May 2012 to October 2020, based on the groundwater level characteristics and Nakdong River stages. Next, we grouped groundwater levels by K-means clustering, converted groundwater levels to kernel density estimation (KDE), and calculated a standardized groundwater level index (SGLI). Finally, we judged groundwater drought by using the SGLI values corresponding to the opening and closing of the barrage. In the study area, the SGLI criteria for discriminating groundwater drought were −0.674 (caution), −1.282 (severe), and −1.645 (very severe), respectively, corresponding to the 25th, 10th, and 5th percentiles. Based on the SGLI values, groundwater levels on the monitoring wells mostly lie below the 25th percentile during the five opening periods of the barrage. According to cross-correlation analysis, the groundwater level sensitively reacted with the river stage, which influenced groundwater drought. As a result, the SGLI along with the river stages was verified as an efficient tool for evaluating groundwater drought as well as for appropriately operating the barrage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the advantages of micro‐grids including power losses and voltage drops reduction, reliability improvement and reduction in transmission network cost, numerous clean micro‐grids including renewable resources such as wind, tidal and solar are developed in different countries of world. The investment cost of the renewable energy‐based generation units especially tidal barrages is high, and to generate the cost‐effective electricity from the renewable resources, the optimization process should be performed. In this paper, optimal planning of a micro‐grid containing energy storage device and new mixture of renewable resources including tidal barrage and photovoltaic system is performed. For this purpose, optimal characteristics of barrage type tidal plant including number of turbines, sluices and hydro‐pumps, turbine tip and hub diameters and sluice width are determined to maximum energy of tidal plant is generated. Then, number of photovoltaic systems and batteries are obtained to supply the required load in minimum cost. To optimize the objective functions, different heuristic approaches including particle swarm, genetic and imperial competitive algorithms (ICAs) are applied, in the paper. To study the effectiveness of the proposed approach, optimal planning of a micro‐grid is performed. It is deduced from the numerical results that the particle swarm method has performed best in determining the optimal solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study used phytoplankton functional groups (FGs) to assess the impact of barrages on the ecological function of subtropical river Ganga. A total of 101 phytoplankton species were identified, including 20 phytoplankton FGs with MP and D having the highest prevalence rates of more than 50%. Other FGs with higher occurrence rates, such as N, A, and J, displayed seasonal and spatial advantages on occasion, indicating the randomness of exogenous influx from catchment areas. Based on phytoplankton FGs similarities, a non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis (NMDS) revealed geographical and seasonal discrepancies. The higher concentration of chemical components in Kanpur was linked to decreased water discharged from preceding reservoirs, resulting in a highly polluted stretch in terms of spatial variation, according to our findings. During the monsoon season, however, the diluting process caused by precipitation and surface runoff significantly improved water quality. As a result, we hypothesized that a sequence of barrages alters the hydrological characteristics of cascading reservoirs, which was related to spatial and seasonal fluctuation in FG diversity and phytoplankton FGs could be useful bioindicators of water quality. In conclusion, the phytoplankton FGs approach is useful for identifying the geographical and seasonal aspects of aquatic ecosystems that are heavily influenced by human activities, but its sensitivity to changes in spatial and seasonal water quality warrants more exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of flow over various steps behind the hydraulic structures, such as weirs, dams, spillways, barrages, and flood gates, is still of particular interest to researchers due to the complexity of flow characteristics and sediment behaviors at near-bed region. This study investigates the effect of various inclined backward-facing step (BFS) angles on near-bed turbulent flow structures and bedload transport rate in surface jet flow regime. A combined numerical technique of large eddy simulation and discrete element method, based on the open sources package OpenFOAM, is employed. The validation of the numerical model shows a good agreement between the simulation results and observed data obtained from different experiments. The simulation results reveal that the flow does not form a separation zone when the BFS angle is less than 20 ° , wherein the near-bed turbulence intensity is insufficient to induce substantial sediment movements. As the step angle is increased to a certain value (20 °), the separation flow is formed. Consequently, the near-bed turbulence intensity is significantly increased due to the splat effect, and the sediment flux is also drastically increased. As the BFS angle further increases to 30 ° and 90 ° , the reattachment length is extended without notable changes in maximum turbulence intensity near the bed. The peaks of the mean bedload transport rate are located further downstream along the extended reattachment length. The quadrant analysis for bedload transport is performed to quantify the interactions between the flow and sediment movement. The results demonstrate that the sweep event plays significant role in moving most sediment to downstream of the reattachment point. On the other hand, right upstream of the reattachment point, the burst becomes the dominant turbulence event to move the majority of the sediment backward in the upstream direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chenab River in Pakistan is a part of the Indus River System and bears rigorous inundation every year in the monsoon period imposing catastrophic impact on lives and infrastructure. Due to the fragile economy of developing countries, pre-disaster estimation is strictly required to improve flood management as well as to store maximum water in hydraulic structures to ensure water sustainability. In the present research work, flood frequency analysis was used to estimate extreme flood events with the help of annual peak downstream discharge data of 96 years (1925–2020) assembled on five barrages of the Chenab River the Marala, Khanki, Qadirabad, Trimmu, and Panjnad, respectively. Four different methods including the Gumbel, log Pearson, log normal, and Pearson type III were used to estimate peak flood events with a return period of 200, 500, and 1000 years. The estimated peak discharge values of the Gumbel and Pearson type III were not far beyond the annual observed peak discharge value. Design flood is estimated. The chi-square method is used to guesstimate the suitable methods concerning results. The Gumbel and log normal for Marala, Khanki, Qadirabad, Trimmu, and Panjnad barrages proved good. While for Panjnad, log Pearson, log normal, and Gumbel gave suitable results for the chi-square method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chestnut blight, caused by Cryphonectria parasitica, is a severe disease that may be biologically controlled by the use of hypovirulent strains, but the diversity of the pathogen population affects biocontrol feasibility. Villuercas–Ibores–Jara, the Jerte Valley and La Vera are the main chestnut production districts in Cáceres (central-western Spain). The purpose of this study is to determine the Vegetative Compatibility Groups (VCGs) and mating types in these districts and to identify hypovirulent isolates to be used in biological control. The VCGs were determined by the merging/barrage response; PCR tests were used for the mating type determination and CHV-1 hypovirus detection. In total, 40 sites were surveyed and 269 isolates were obtained, most of them (227) from the Villuercas–Ibores–Jara district, where EU11 was the predominant VCG (88.1%) with EU1 (6.6%) and EU12 (4.4%) being also present. In the Jerte Valley and La Vera, EU1 (61.9%), EU11 (11.9%) and EU12 (11.9%) were the predominant VCGs. Both mating types were detected (48% MAT-1; 50% MAT-2) and in general, only one mating type was found in each site. The presence of Cryphonectria hypovirus 1 (CHV-1), subtype I, was identified in only one isolate (VCG EU11) from Villuercas–Ibores–Jara. The characteristics of the C. parasitica population in this district and the occurrence of CHV-1 hypovirus support the potential of successful biological control in Villuercas–Ibores–Jara using hypovirulent strains, while in the Jerte Valley and La Vera only preventive measures are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physiographic and hydrologic complexities play major role in determining the habitat suitability for river dolphins. However, dams and other water development structures alter hydrologic regimes that degrade habitat conditions. For the three extant species of obligate freshwater dolphins, namely: Amazon dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), Ganges dolphin (Platanista gangetica), and Indus dolphin (Platanista minor), the threat is high as dams and water‐based infrastructure dotted throughout their distribution range impact dolphin populations by restricting their movement. But there is also evidence of localized increase in dolphin population in certain segments of habitats affected by such hydrologic alterations. Hence, the impacts of hydrologic alterations on dolphin distribution are not as binary as it seems. We aimed to ascertain the role of hydrologic and physiographic complexities in determining the distribution of the dolphins in their geographic ranges using density plot analysis and also to understand how hydrologic alterations in the rivers affect their distribution using a combination of density plot analysis and review of literature. The influence of some of the study variables such as distance to confluence and sinuosity was similar across species—for instance, all three dolphin species preferred slightly sinuous river segments and habitats near confluences. However, varying influences across species were observed for some other variables such as river order and river discharge. We assessed 147 cases of impacts of hydrological alterations on dolphin distribution by categorizing the reported impacts in nine broad types out of which habitat fragmentation accounted for the majority of the impacts (35%) followed by habitat reduction (24%). These endangered species of freshwater megafauna will experience further intensified pressures as more large‐scale hydrologic modifications such as damming and diversion of rivers are underway. In this context, basin‐scale water‐based infrastructural development planning should take into consideration the salient ecological requirements of these species to ensure their long‐term survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the modulation of tiny frequency offset on the array elements, a frequency diverse array (FDA) jammer can generate multiple range-dimension point false targets, and many deception jamming methods against SAR using an FDA jammer have been studied. However, the potential of the FDA jammer to generate barrage jamming has rarely been reported. In this paper, a barrage jamming method against SAR using an FDA jammer is proposed. To achieve two-dimensional (2-D) barrage effect, the stepped frequency offset of FDA is introduced to generate range-dimensional barrage patches, and the micro-motion modulation is employed to increase the extent of barrage patches along the azimuth direction. Mathematical derivations and simulation results demonstrate the validity of the proposed method in generating flexible and controllable barrage jamming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-division multiple access (TDMA)-based medium access control (MAC) protocol has been widely used for avoiding access conflicts in wireless multi-hop ad hoc networks, where the time synchronization among wireless nodes is essential. In this paper, we propose a novel time synchronization protocol for TDMA-based cooperative multi-hop wireless ad hoc networks, which are also called barrage relay networks (BRNs). The proposed time synchronization protocol is based on cooperative relay transmissions to send time synchronization messages. We also propose a network time reference (NTR) selection technique for improving the convergence time and average time error. In the proposed NTR selection technique, each node overhears the user identifier (UID) of other nodes, hop count (HC) from them to itself, and network degree, which denotes the number of 1-hop neighbor nodes. Then, the node with the minimum HC from all other nodes is selected as the NTR node. If there are multiple nodes with the minimum HC, the node with the larger degree is selected as the NTR node. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed time synchronization protocol with the NTR selection is introduced for the first time for cooperative (barrage) relay networks in this paper. Through computer simulations, we validate the proposed time synchronization protocol in terms of the average time error under various practical network scenarios. Furthermore, we also compare the performance of the proposed protocol with the conventional time synchronization methods. It is shown that the proposed protocol significantly outperforms the conventional methods in terms of the average time error and convergence time. The proposed protocol is shown to be more robust against packet loss as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was undertaken to assess the changes in the community structure, diversity, and composition of sediment bacteria in a shallow lake, Najafgarh Lake (NL), that receives untreated sewage effluent through drains connected to it. These changes were analyzed by comparing the sediment bacterial community structure of NL to the sediment bacterial community structure of Dhansa Barrage (DB), which receives no such effluents. 16S rRNA amplicon was used for bacterial community analysis. Water and sediment samples were also analyzed and compared revealing high conductivity, ammonia, nitrite content, and low dissolved oxygen in NL. The organic matter content is also higher in the sediments of NL. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria are the predominant phyla in both sites and account for 91% of total bacterial abundance in DB and only 77% in the case of NL. Proteobacteria have the highest relative abundance, accounting for around 42% of the total bacterial population in the case of DB and Firmicutes has the highest relative abundance in Najafgarh at 30%. The diversity analysis found significant differences in the community structure at the two sites. The variation in the bacterial communities in the two wetlands is significantly associated with two water parameters (conductivity and temperature) and two sediment parameters (Sediment Nitrogen and Sediment Organic Matter). Correlation Analysis showed that high ammonia, nitrite, and conductance in NL resulted in bacterial communities shifting towards phyla abundant in degraded ecosystems like Acidobacteria, Choloroflexi, Caldiserica, Aminicenantes, Thaumarchaeota, and Planctomycetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a 2D computer structure modelling and discharge simulation for an improved aquatic fauna passage consisting on a three compartments stepped concrete channel and considered as a side appurtenant for a small head dam on a river upper course. The foreseen structure aims to reduce the barraging environmental impact by offering optimum flow conditions under given water discharging circumstances, meaning even for ensuring the minimum required sanitary/ecological river discharge as split by the main path through the gate dam and the side passage path. The hydraulic simulation looks to establish the side passage discharge development and in the same time to estimate the extreme values of water velocity, especially at narrowing sections. In case there is necessary, the numerical results would point to further geometrical optimisation by adjusting the existing structural details or by considering additional constructive elements in order to fulfil specific requirements (usually with respect to the maximum water velocities) as indicated by in-force regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This speculative meditation on homelessness takes as its starting point media photos of apartments in the Ukraine whose walls have been shot away by Russian artillery barrages or bombing raids. It suggests that these images of homelessness prompt us to address larger issues of being at home in the world. Beginning with twentieth-century meditations from Germanophone philosophy, proceeding via several Antipodean examples, and culminating with perspectives from the Global South, the essay urges us to turn our gaze towards modes of open-ended homeliness in the world that are vital for our ongoing habitation of the 'environmental niche' that is planet Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dams and barrages are among the most important engineering structures for water supply, flood control, agriculture, and electric power generation. Monitoring the horizontal and vertical deformation of the barrage's body and identifying the risk it's so important to maintain the dam and also to reduce costs. Where in this research the case of the Al-Kut barrage is studied by observing the body of the barrage using surveying devices through (GPS) by taking spatial observations of the two networks of stations, the horizontal and vertical networks. Then compare them with the observations of previous years to determine the magnitude of the deformation through the differences between the observations. By calculating the differences and finding the displacement of surveying observations from 2014 to 2021, It was found that the highest and least displacements in the horizontal stations is 50 and 11 mm, respectively. Also, for the vertical network observations, the highest and lowest differences in elevation were 11and 3 mm, respectively. Where, the results showed a slight deformation within the acceptable limits. In addition, the annual and monthly discharge rates for a number of years were evaluated to observe the extent of the impact of run-off rates on increasing sedimentation at the upstream of Al-Kut barrage. It was found that the accumulation of sediment on the river's left bank affected the gates' efficiency and put pressure on the other gates, which led to some operational issues in the barrage gates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea water receding from the Gulf of Thailand causes salinity diffusion in the Chao Phraya River, Thailand, and the amount of northern water is reduced in the dry season. It has an impact on people, particularly the generation of tap water. The Samlae raw water pumping station is the major pumping station. The Ban Krachaeng subdistrict is located in Mueang district, Pathum Thani province, and is affected by saltwater intrusion, which causes the salinity level to exceed the recommended threshold. In order for the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA)'s water supply system to achieve the standard, the salinity index at the Samlae raw water pumping station is controlled to not exceed the surveillance threshold of 0.25 g/l in this research. A barrage dam consists of a number of large gates that can be opened or closed to control the amount of fresh water passing through. There is a Chao Phraya barrage dam which is across the Chao Phraya River at Chai Nat, the northern part of the focused area. The objective of this research is to demonstrate a onedimensional steady-state salinity measurement model in a river with a barrage dam. Irrigation is done in rivers with dams using the shooting method to estimate the solution. The results obtained from simulating simulated salinity measurements from Phra-Nakhon Tai Power Plant Station to Samlae Station demonstrated that the shooting method can be used to accurately estimate the solution. Freshwater flow velocity and salinity dissolving efficiency were discovered to be the most important elements controlling salinity levels. The suggested salinity control approach may help to regulate the salinity level until it reaches a normal level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Physiographic and hydrologic complexities play major role in determining the habitat suitability for river dolphins. However, dams and other water development structures alter hydrologic regimes that degrade habitat conditions. For the three extant species of obligate freshwater dolphins, namely: Amazon dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), Ganges dolphin (Platanista gangetica), and Indus dolphin (Platanista minor), the threat is high as dams and water‐based infrastructure dotted throughout their distribution range impact dolphin populations by restricting their movement. But there is also evidence of localized increase in dolphin population in certain segments of habitats affected by such hydrologic alterations. Hence, the impacts of hydrologic alterations on dolphin distribution are not as binary as it seems. We aimed to ascertain the role of hydrologic and physiographic complexities in determining the distribution of the dolphins in their geographic ranges using density plot analysis and also to understand how hydrologic alterations in the rivers affect their distribution using a combination of density plot analysis and review of literature. The influence of some of the study variables such as distance to confluence and sinuosity was similar across species—for instance, all three dolphin species preferred slightly sinuous river segments and habitats near confluences. However, varying influences across species were observed for some other variables such as river order and river discharge. We assessed 147 cases of impacts of hydrological alterations on dolphin distribution by categorizing the reported impacts in nine broad types out of which habitat fragmentation accounted for the majority of the impacts (35%) followed by habitat reduction (24%). These endangered species of freshwater megafauna will experience further intensified pressures as more large‐scale hydrologic modifications such as damming and diversion of rivers are underway. In this context, basin‐scale water‐based infrastructural development planning should take into consideration the salient ecological requirements of these species to ensure their long‐term survival.

Autonomously firing GABAergic neurons in the external globus pallidus (GPe) form a local synaptic network. In slices, most GPe neurons receive a continuous inhibitory synaptic barrage from 1 or 2 presynaptic GPe neurons. We measured the barrage's effect on the firing rate and regularity of GPe neurons in male and female mice using perforated patch recordings. Silencing the firing of parvalbumin-positive (PV+) GPe neurons by activating genetically expressed Archaerhodopsin current increased the firing rate and regularity of PV- neurons. In contrast, silencing Npas11 GPe neurons with Archaerhodopsin had insignificant effects on Npas1- neuron firing. Blocking spontaneous GABAergic synaptic input with gabazine reproduced the effects of silencing PV+ neuron firing on the firing rate and regularity of Npas11 neurons and had similar effects on PV+ neuron firing. To simulate the barrage, we constructed conductance waveforms for dynamic clamp based on experimentally measured inhibitory postsynaptic conductance trains from 1 or 2 unitary local connections. The resulting inhibition replicated the effect on firing seen in the intact active network in the slice. We then increased the number of unitary inputs to match estimates of local network connectivity in vivo. As few as 5 unitary inputs produced large increases in firing irregularity. The firing rate was also reduced initially, but PV+ neurons exhibited a slow spike-frequency adaptation that partially restored the rate despite sustained inhibition. We conclude that the irregular firing pattern of GPe neurons in vivo is largely due to the ongoing local inhibitory synaptic barrage produced by the spontaneous firing of other GPe neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study included the numerical simulation of a curved open channel flow of Chashma Barrage for different velocities along left & right river banks, and water depths downstream of the river reach. The physical model was constructed in one of the experimental trays at the Irrigation Research Institute. Different trials were carried out at low, medium, and high discharges after the calibration of the physical model. A 2D computational fluid dynamics ANSYS FLUENT software was used to simulate various turbulences and flow properties for various discharges (500,000, 800,000, and 957,289 cusecs) using two different turbulent models: k-epsilon and Reynolds's stress. The simulation findings were compared to the physical modeling results in terms of velocities and water depths for verification. In both velocity (18-27%) and water depth (18-36%) measurements, the k-model had a lower average percentage error than the RS model. On verification using physical modeling, the total average percentage difference from the k-model for all discharges was less than 25%. Numerical simulations based on computational fluid dynamics can be used to better understand turbulence and flow parameters, as well as to assess and develop barrage engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]