Biogeochemical transformation of greenhouse gas emissions from terrestrial to atmospheric environment and potential feedback to climate forcing

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Carbon dioxide (CO2) is mainly universal greenhouse gas associated with climate change. However, beyond CO2, some other greenhouse gases (GHGs) like...     

An evaluation of the applicability of microarrays for monitoring toxic algae in Irish coastal waters

The applicability of microarrays to monitor harmful algae across a broad range of ecological niches and toxic species responsible for harmful algal events has been one of the key tasks in the EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)-funded Microarrays for the Detection of Toxic Algae project. The technique has a strong potential for improving speed and accuracy of the identification of harmful algae and their toxins to assist monitoring programmes. Water samples were collected from a number of coastal sites around Ireland, including several that are used in the Irish National Phytoplankton and Biotoxin Monitoring Programme. Ribosomal RNA was extracted from filtered field samples, labelled with a fluorescent dye, and hybridised to probes spotted in a microarray format on a glass slide. The fluorescent signal intensity of the hybridisation to >120 probes on the chip was analysed and compared with actual field counts. There was a general agreement between cell counts and microarray signal. Results are presented for field samples taken from a range of stations along the Irish coastline known for harmful algal events during the first field trial (July 2009–April 2010).     

Optimization and Characterization of Bioactive Biocomposite Film Based on Orange Peel Incorporated with Gum Arabic Reinforced by Cr2O3 Nanoparticles

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - In this paper, the effect of adding gum arabic at levels of 0–5%, and chromium oxide nanoparticles (Cr2O3 NPs) at levels of 0–3%, were...