Laboratory studies were conducted to compare the relative fitness of clodinafop-propargyl herbicide resistant Lolium rigidum accessions with their clodinafop-propargyl susceptible counterparts in 2014. Factors evaluated were Lolium populations at constant salinity stress (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 dS cm2) and water stress (0, -3, -6, -9, -12 and -15 bar). The maximum germination in salinity stres...

Boiling is the most common method of disinfecting water in the home and the benchmark against which other point-of-use water treatment is measured. In a six-week study in peri-urban Zambia, we assessed the microbiological effectiveness and potential cost of boiling among 49 households without a water connection who reported "always" or "almost always" boiling their water before drinking it. Sou...

Leafcutter ants (Atta sexdens rubropilosa) (Forel 1908) have an elaborate social organization, complete with caste divisions. Activities carried out by specialist groups contribute to the overall success and survival of the colony when it is confronted with environmental challenges such as dehydration. Ants detect variations in humidity inside the nest and react by activating several types of b...

The present study encompasses a new method to simultaneous analysis, design and optimization of Water Distribution Systems (WDSs). In this method, analysis procedure is carried out using Charged System Search (CSS) optimization algorithm. Besides design and cost optimization of WDSs are performed simultaneous with analysis process using a new objective function in order to satisfying the analys...

In the last few years RO seawater desalination technology went through a remarkable transformation. The number and capacity of large RO plants have increased significantly. Systems with permeate capacity up to 300,000 m3/day are currently being built. In a parallel shift the capital and operating cost has decreased. Desalted water cost, supplied to customer, decreased from $2.0/m3 in 1998 down ...

This paper describes recent experience with integrated resource planning (IRP) and the application of least cost planning (LCP) for the evaluation of demand management strategies in urban water. Two Australian case studies, Sydney and Northern New South Wales (NSW) are used in illustration. LCP can determine the most cost effective means of providing water services or alternatively the cheapest...