An ecosystem modelling approach was used in two areas of the Eastern Mediterranean in order to examine the effects of aquaculture on the ecology of the water column. Aquaculture expansion to meet demands of a growing population is followed by concerns about keeping impacts within socially acceptable limits. Primarily the study aimed at investigating the fate of nutrients from finfish culture and evaluating changes in chemical and biological characteristics of the water body. The model used, Aquaculture Integrated Model (AIM), is based on a complex generic biogeochemical model coupled to a 3D hydrodynamic model. Selected areas included a finfish farm in the Northern Aegean, Greece and an aquaculture development area in Vassiliko, Cyprus. Ecosystem effects were evaluated on the basis of scale and importance. Scenarios under different production levels and hydrodynamic conditions were explored at the sites. Model results showed that farm discharges are rapidly dispersed from their point source in addition to a tendency for effluents to accumulate at distances not normally associated directly with farming activity. The wide range of parameters available in the model helped identify parameters more likely to be affected by the farming activities. There was a satisfactory correlation between observed and predicted model outputs. This study demonstrates the importance of approaching aquaculture impacts at an ecosystem level and the utility of a modelling tool to this end. 相似文献
To develop a multi-step workflow for the isolation of circulating extravillous trophoblasts (cEVTs) by describing the key steps enabling a semi-automated process, including a proprietary algorithm for fetal cell origin genetic confirmation and copy number variant (CNV) detection.
Methods
Determination of the limit of detection (LoD) for submicroscopic CNV was performed by serial experiments with genomic DNA and single cells from Coriell cell line biobank with known imbalances of different sizes. A pregnancy population of 372 women was prospectively enrolled and blindly analyzed to evaluate the current workflow.
Results
An LoD of 800 Kb was demonstrated with Coriell cell lines. This level of resolution was confirmed in the clinical cohort with the identification of a pathogenic CNV of 800 Kb, also detected by chromosomal microarray. The mean number of recovered cEVTs was 3.5 cells per sample with a significant reverse linear trend between gestational age and cEVT recovery rate and number of recovered cEVTs. In twin pregnanices, evaluation of zygosity, fetal sex and copy number profiling was performed in each individual cell.
Conclusion
Our semi-automated methodology for the isolation and single-cell analysis of cEVTS supports the feasibility of a cell-based noninvasive prenatal test for fetal genomic profiling. 相似文献
Food and Environmental Virology - Faecal shedding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its subsequent detection in wastewater turned the spotlight onto... 相似文献
This study investigated the removal of hydrophobic trichloroethylene (TCE) in the presence of methanol (co-metabolite) in a biotrickling filter, which was seeded with fungi at pH 4. Starvation was chosen as the biomass control strategy. Two systems, Biofilter I (methanol:TCE 70:30) and Biofilter II (methanol:TCE 80:20) were run in parallel, each with varying composition ratios. The TCE loading rates for both biofilters ranged from 3.22 to 12.88 g/m3/hr. Depending on the ratio, methanol concentrations varied from 4.08 to 27.95 g/m3/hr. The performance of the systems was evaluated and compared by calculating removal kinetics, carbon mass balance, efficiencies and elimination capacities. Methanol was observed to enhance TCE removal during the initial loading rate. However, methanol later inhibited TCE degradation above 6.44 g TCE/m3/hr (Biofilter I) and 3.22 g TCE/m3/hr (Biofilter II). Conversely, TCE did not impede methanol removal because over 95% methanol elimination was consistently achieved. Overall, Biofilter I was able to outperform Biofilter II due to its greater resistance towards methanol competition. 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The syntheses and characterization of fish scale biochar magnetic composites (FSB@Fe3O4) and their applications in the removal of indigo carmine dye... 相似文献
Conservation technology holds the potential to vastly increase conservationists’ ability to understand and address critical environmental challenges, but systemic constraints appear to hamper its development and adoption. Understanding of these constraints and opportunities for advancement remains limited. We conducted a global online survey of 248 conservation technology users and developers to identify perceptions of existing tools’ current performance and potential impact, user and developer constraints, and key opportunities for growth. We also conducted focus groups with 45 leading experts to triangulate findings. The technologies with the highest perceived potential were machine learning and computer vision, eDNA and genomics, and networked sensors. A total of 95%, 94%, and 92% respondents, respectively, rated them as very helpful or game changers. The most pressing challenges affecting the field as a whole were competition for limited funding, duplication of efforts, and inadequate capacity building. A total of 76%, 67%, and 55% respondents, respectively, identified these as primary concerns. The key opportunities for growth identified in focus groups were increasing collaboration and information sharing, improving the interoperability of tools, and enhancing capacity for data analyses at scale. Some constraints appeared to disproportionately affect marginalized groups. Respondents in countries with developing economies were more likely to report being constrained by upfront costs, maintenance costs, and development funding (p = 0.048, odds ratio [OR] = 2.78; p = 0.005, OR = 4.23; p = 0.024, OR = 4.26), and female respondents were more likely to report being constrained by development funding and perceived technical skills (p = 0.027, OR = 3.98; p = 0.048, OR = 2.33). To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to formally capture the perspectives and needs of the global conservation technology community, providing foundational data that can serve as a benchmark to measure progress. We see tremendous potential for this community to further the vision they define, in which collaboration trumps competition; solutions are open, accessible, and interoperable; and user-friendly processing tools empower the rapid translation of data into conservation action. Article impact statement: Addressing financing, coordination, and capacity-building constraints is critical to the development and adoption of conservation technology. 相似文献
A significant concern of our fuel-dependent era is the unceasing exhaustion of petroleum fuel supplies. In parallel to this, environmental issues such as the greenhouse effect, change in global climate, and increasing global temperature must be addressed on a priority basis. Biobutanol, which has fuel characteristics comparable to gasoline, has attracted global attention as a viable green fuel alternative among the many biofuel alternatives. Renewable biomass could be used for the sustainable production of biobutanol by the acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) pathway. Non-extinguishable resources, such as algal and lignocellulosic biomass, and starch are some of the most commonly used feedstock for fermentative production of biobutanol, and each has its particular set of advantages. Clostridium, a gram-positive endospore-forming bacterium that can produce a range of compounds, along with n-butanol is traditionally known for its biobutanol production capabilities. Clostridium fermentation produces biobased n-butanol through ABE fermentation. However, low butanol titer, a lack of suitable feedstock, and product inhibition are the primary difficulties in biobutanol synthesis. Critical issues that are essential for sustainable production of biobutanol include (i) developing high butanol titer producing strains utilizing genetic and metabolic engineering approaches, (ii) renewable biomass that could be used for biobutanol production at a larger scale, and (iii) addressing the limits of traditional batch fermentation by integrated bioprocessing technologies with effective product recovery procedures that have increased the efficiency of biobutanol synthesis. Our paper reviews the current progress in all three aspects of butanol production and presents recent data on current practices in fermentative biobutanol production technology.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease associated with the respiratory system caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The aim of this... 相似文献