The goal of this study was to develop a sensitive in vitro bioassay for quantification of the total esterase inhibiting potency of low concentrations of organophosphate and carbamate insecticides in relatively small rainwater samples. Purified acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) and carboxylesterases from a homogenate of honeybee heads (Apis mellifera) were ...

Perceptions of the quality of roof harvested rainwater remain an impediment to widespread implementation of rainwater tanks on urban allotments. Previous literature reports on roof water quality have given little consideration to the relative significance of airborne environmental micro-organisms to roof catchment contamination and the issue of tank water quality. This paper outlines the findin...

Rainwater harvesting is currently practiced widely in several countries worldwide on scales that vary according to rainwater availability as a mean of providing on-site supply of fresh water for isolated areas or those lacking proper water supply system. Different factors affect the quality of harvested rainwater mainly the multi-components of the collection system installed. In order to breakd...

The design of rainwater harvesting based gardens requires considering current climate but also climate change during the lifespan of the facility. The goal of this study is to present an approach for designing garden variants that can be safely supplied with harvested rainwater, taking into account climate change and adaptation measures. In addition, the study presents a methodology to quantify...

To further understanding of the environmental implications of rainwater harvesting and its water savings potential relative to conventional U.S. water delivery infrastructure, we present a method to perform life cycle assessment of domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) and agricultural rainwater harvesting (ARWH) systems. We also summarize the design aspects of DRWH and ARWH systems adapted to t...

The present paper is a first attempt to develop a theoretical model using a short-term vis-à-vis long-term contract framework within which donor countries’ endorsement or rejection decision towards the recently proposed International Finance Facility (IFF) is rationalized. The current foreign aid system is portrayed as being similar to a series of short-term contracts, where donor countries are...

Quantum game theory, whatever opinions may be held due to its abstract physical formalism, have already found various applications even outside the orthodox physics domain. In this paper we introduce the concept of a quantum auction, its advantages and drawbacks. Then we describe the models that have already been put forward. A general model involves Wigner formalism and infinite dimensional Hi...

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of combat identification systems on a soldier’s engagement decision. The research investigated changes in target identification performance and response biases across different simulated battlefield and aid conditions. These conditions were manipulated by changing the costs of making an error and the availability of an aid. Signal detectio...

Complex responses observed in an experimental, nonlinear, moored structural system subjected to nearly periodic wave excitations are examined and compared with the simulations of a newly proposed independent-flow-field (IFF) model in this paper. Variations in wave heights are approximated by additive random perturbations to the dominant periodic component. Simulations show good agreement with t...

Projection is widely used as a diagnostic for presupposition, but many expression types yield projection even though they do not have standard properties of presupposition, for example appositives, expressives, and honorifics (Potts 2005). While it is possible to analyze projection piecemeal, clearly a unitary explanation is to be preferred. Yet we show that standard explanations of projective ...