Application of Large-Scale, Multi-Resolution Watershed Modeling Framework Using the Hydrologic and Water Quality System (HAWQS)

In recent years, large-scale watershed modeling has been implemented broadly in the field of water resources planning and management. Complex hydrological, sediment, and nutrient processes can be simulated by sophisticated watershed simulation models for important issues such as water resources allocation, sediment transport, and pollution control. Among commonly adopted models, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) has been demonstrated to provide superior performance with a large amount of referencing databases. However, it is cumbersome to perform tedious initialization steps such as preparing inputs and developing a model with each changing targeted study area. In this study, the Hydrologic and Water Quality System (HAWQS) is introduced to serve as a national-scale Decision Support System (DSS) to conduct challenging watershed modeling tasks. HAWQS is a web-based DSS developed and maintained by Texas A & M University, and supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Three different spatial resolutions of Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC8, HUC10, and HUC12) and three temporal scales (time steps in daily/monthly/annual) are available as alternatives for general users. In addition, users can specify preferred values of model parameters instead of using the pre-defined sets. With the aid of HAWQS, users can generate a preliminarily calibrated SWAT project within a few minutes by only providing the ending HUC number of the targeted watershed and the simulation period. In the case study, HAWQS was implemented on the Illinois River Basin, USA, with graphical demonstrations and associated analytical results. Scientists and/or decision-makers can take advantage of the HAWQS framework while conducting relevant topics or policies in the future

Chromosome Xq23 is associated with lower atherogenic lipid concentrations and favorable cardiometabolic indices

AbstractAutosomal genetic analyses of blood lipids have yielded key insights for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, X chromosome genetic variation is understudied for blood lipids in large sample sizes. We now analyze genetic and blood lipid data in a high-coverage whole X chromosome sequencing study of 65,322 multi-ancestry participants and perform replication among 456,893 European participants. Common alleles on chromosome Xq23 are strongly associated with reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides (min P = 8.5 × 10−72), with similar effects for males and females. Chromosome Xq23 lipid-lowering alleles are associated with reduced odds for CHD among 42,545 cases and 591,247 controls (P = 1.7 × 10−4), and reduced odds for diabetes mellitus type 2 among 54,095 cases and 573,885 controls (P = 1.4 × 10−5). Although we observe an association with increased BMI, waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI is reduced, bioimpedance analyses indicate increased gluteofemoral fat, and abdominal MRI analyses indicate reduced visceral adiposity. Co-localization analyses strongly correlate increased CHRDL1 gene expression, particularly in adipose tissue, with reduced concentrations of blood lipids.Abstract Autosomal genetic analyses of blood lipids have yielded key insights for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, X chromosome genetic variation is understudied for blood lipids in large sample sizes. We now analyze genetic and blood lipid data in a high-coverage whole X chromosome sequencing study of 65,322 multi-ancestry participants and perform replication among 456,893 European participants. Common alleles on chromosome Xq23 are strongly associated with reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides (min P = 8.5 × 10−72), with similar effects for males and females. Chromosome Xq23 lipid-lowering alleles are associated with reduced odds for CHD among 42,545 cases and 591,247 controls (P = 1.7 × 10−4), and reduced odds for diabetes mellitus type 2 among 54,095 cases and 573,885 controls (P = 1.4 × 10−5). Although we observe an association with increased BMI, waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI is reduced, bioimpedance analyses indicate increased gluteofemoral fat, and abdominal MRI analyses indicate reduced visceral adiposity. Co-localization analyses strongly correlate increased CHRDL1 gene expression, particularly in adipose tissue, with reduced concentrations of blood lipids

Code-Disjoint Circuits for Parity Codes

In this paper it is shown how a circuit, given as a netlist of gates, can be transformed into two different types of code-disjoint circuits. A new method for a joint design of the functional circuit, the output parity and the input parity is proposed. Carefully selected internal nodes of the functional circuit are utilized to reduce the necessary area overhead for the design of input and output parities. 1 Introduction The design of self-testing and self-checking circuits is of growing interest now. The outputs of the monitored circuit are elements of an error detecting code; for instance, a parity code or a Berger code [4, 5, 9, 10, 12--14, 17]. The encoded outputs of the self-testing or self-checking circuit are monitored by a (self-testing) code-checker. Internal faults of the monitored circuit or the checker can be detected by this method. To also detect faults at the input lines, code-disjoint circuits have to be used [13]. Both the inputs and the outputs of a code-disjoint circu..

Development of an Electrolytic Silver Biocide Dosing System for Use in a Spacecraft Potable Water Bus

Cody Gossel, NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), USAMichael Callahan, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USADejan Raskovic, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USAICES406: Spacecraft Water/Air Quality: Maintenance and MonitoringThe 47th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in South Carolina, USA on 16 July 2017 through 20 July 2017.Maintaining microbial control in spacecraft potable water storage and delivery systems is a significant challenge for long-duration human space exploration. Simple, robust biocide systems are needed that are capable of continuous dosing while offering low-equivalent system mass. Use of silver as a biocide is of particular interest. Silver has been successfully implemented as a biocide in spacecraft systems and is an effective microbial control agent at concentrations suitable for direct human consumption. In addition, silver lends itself to strategies for on-orbit dosing. This is a critical need for long-duration missions, where silver must be added to purified water recycled back through a closed-loop water recovery system. In addition, on-orbit dosing may be needed to add back silver that may be lost through chemical reactions with materials found/used in spacecraft potable water systems. This paper reports on the development of an in-line electrolytic-based silver biocide dosing system employing closed-loop feedback control. The overall design of the system is small, lightweight, and can be optimized for low power consumption. A prototype of the system has been built and tested, demonstrating control of ionic silver at 300 ± 40 ppb for 7 weeks in a simulated sub-scale metallic water bus system. The test system volume was approximately 10 liters and incorporated about 1.5 sq. meters of wetted surface area. Results and observations from the development and test of the prototype dosing system are provided herein