Disease suppression on greenhouse tomatoes using plant waste compost

This study investigated the disease suppression abilities of a compost amendment that was added to the conventional growing medium, yellow cedar sawdust, used in most British Columbia vegetable greenhouses. The compost amendment was produced in a controlled, in-vessel process primarily from greenhouse crop waste materials. The pathogen and cultivar under study were Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici (FORL) on Dombito (FORL-susceptible) beefsteak greenhouse tomatoes. Significant reduction of Fusarium crown and root rot was also realized in tomato seedlings by applying compost amendment from several different batches, as a seed cover or plug substitute. In a greenhouse trial, disease suppression using a mixture of 2:1 sawdust to amendment by volume was shown to be most effective. As a result, the tomato yield over a nine-month growing season was improved by 74% where the medium was deliberately infested with FORL.     

The differing capabilities to respond to the challenge of climate change across Annex Parties under the Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol marks the beginning of a new global effort to combat climate change. By constructing GDP and CO₂ emissions as two counteracting performance criteria on a per capita basis, this paper aims to advance the understanding of performance variation among different Annex groups under pressure from climate change. This differs from the traditional application of evaluation and aims to identify inherent efficiency differences across systems rather than separately based on the potential inefficiency of individual countries. The ‘world frontier’ for Annex Parties consists of three layers: Annex II forms the first layer, EIT and Annex III form the second layer, and Annex IV forms the third layer. The inferior performance observed in other non-Annex II Parties (EIT, Annex III, and Annex IV Parties) or the existence of a multi-frontier structure is due to an inherent system affiliation rather than poor performance on the part of the individual country. Annex IV Parties can be particularly vulnerable to controls on an emission intensity basis. By not only serving as a reference for future allocation schemes, the results can shed light on the function of a flexible reduction mechanism for countries that cooperate based on their common but differentiated responsibilities.     

Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation in Hong Kong and Shanghai: A Cross-city Analysis

Cross-city analysis in environmental regulation within non-democratic political systems is a neglected area. Taking policy convergence and styles of regulation as the focus, this paper has taken an initial step to compare the environmental impact assessment (EIA) regulation in Hong Kong and Shanghai. In this comparative exercise, it is identified that policy convergence occurs more explicitly in policy ideology and policy consequences, whereas divergence takes place in policy content, regulatory process and public consultation. Convergence, however, is only superficial whereas divergence is substantial. Indeed EIA systems of these two jurisdictions have displayed contrasting styles of regulation. The formal EIA system in Shanghai is dominated by the environmental agency, which regulates informal politics in the EIA process within a legal format. The informal EIA system in Hong Kong is co-ordinated by the environmental agency, which seeks active co-operation with the clients in a consultative EIA process in an informal and discretionary manner. What makes the Hong Kong system superior to the Shanghai system is the existence of institutional channels for public consultation. Within a non-democratic political setting, the EIA process in Hong Kong is more transparent and the EIA system is more accountable to the public, whereas the EIA process in Shanghai is lacking in transparency and the EIA system is under tight bureaucratic control.     

性能化火灾安全评估应用个案研究

性能化火灾安全评估屉当前火灾科学及其应用研究的热点之一。该方法利用火灾动力学、热化学、安全评估原理学等确定性工程方法，针对各类建筑的结构特点和实际状况，对建筑物的火灾危险进行定性的预测和评估。以某高层建筑的维修工程为例，评估了其维修期间的火灾安全水平。通过对其维修前（满足规范要求）和维修期间（不满足规范要求）两种情况下人员疏散过程的比较，并辅以烟气运动规律的预测，得出了该建筑在施工期间的安全水平。     

Molecular sieve material from liquid–crystal-display waste glass and silicon carbide sludge via hydrothermal process with alkali fusion pretreatment

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The goal of this paper was to synthesize eco-humidity-conditioned Al-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves (CHCMs) from liquid–crystal-display...     

Modelling of concentrations along a moving observer in an inhomogeneous plume. Biological application: model of odour-mediated insect flights

We develop a stochastic model for the time-evolution of scalar concentrations and temporal gradients in concentration experienced by observers moving within inhomogeneous plumes that are dispersing within turbulent flows. In this model, scalar concentrations and their gradients evolve jointly as a Markovian process. Underlying the model formulation is a natural generalisation of Thomson’s well mixed condition [Thomson DJ (1987) J Fluid Mech 180:529–556]. As a consequence model outputs are necessarily compatible with statistical properties of scalars observed in experiment that are used here as model input. We then use the model to examine how insects aloft within the atmospheric boundary-layer can locate odour sources by modulating their flight patterns in response to odour cues. Mechanisms underlying odour-mediated flights have been studied extensively at laboratory-scale but an understanding of these flights over landscape scales is still lacking. Insect flights are simulated by combining the stochastic model with a simple model of insect olfactory response. These simulations show the strong influence of wind speed on the distributions of the times taken by insects to locate the source. In accordance with experimental observations [Baker TC, Vickers NJ (1997) In: Insect pheromone research: new directions, pp 248–264; Mafra-Neto A, Cardé RT (1994) Nature 369:142–144], flight patterns are predicted to become straighter and shorter, and source location is predicted to become more likely as the mean wind speed increases. The most probable arrival time to the source decreases with the mean wind speed. It is shown that scale-free movement patterns arising from olfactory-driven foraging stem directly from the power-law distribution of concentration excursion times above/below a threshold level and are robust with respect to variations in Reynolds number. Flight lengths are well represented by a power law distribution in agreement with the observed patterns of foraging bumblebees [Heinrich B (1979) Oecologia 40(3):235–245].     

Decomposition of perfluorooctanoic acid by microwaveactivated persulfate: Effects of temperature, pH, and chloride ions

Microwave-hydrothermal treatment of persistent and bioaccumulative perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in water with persulfate (S₂O ₈ ^2? ) has been found effective. However, applications of this process to effectively remediate PFOA pollution require a better understanding on free-radical scavenging reactions that also take place. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of pH (pH = 2.5, 6.6, 8.8, and 10.5), chloride concentrations (0.01?C0.15 mol·L^?1), and temperature (60°C, 90°C, and 130°C) on persulfate oxidation of PFOA under microwave irradiation. Maximum PFOA degradation occurred at pH 2.5, while little or no degradation at pH 10.5. Lowering system pH resulted in an increase in PFOA degradation rate. Both high pH and chloride concentrations would result in more scavenging of sulfate free radicals and slow down PFOA degradation. When chloride concentrations were less than 0.04 mol·L^?1 at 90°C and 0.06 mol·L^?1 at 60°C, presence of chloride ions had insignificant impacts on PFOA degradation. However, beyond these concentration levels, PFOA degradation rates reduced significantly with an increase in chloride concentrations, especially under the higher temperature.     

Soil response to a 3-year increase in temperature and nitrogen deposition measured in a mature boreal forest using ion-exchange membranes

The projected increase in atmospheric N deposition and air/soil temperature will likely affect soil nutrient dynamics in boreal ecosystems. The potential effects of these changes on soil ion fluxes were studied in a mature balsam fir stand (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill) in Quebec, Canada that was subjected to 3 years of experimentally increased soil temperature (+4 °C) and increased inorganic N concentration in artificial precipitation (three times the current N concentrations using NH₄NO₃). Soil element fluxes (NO₃, NH₄, PO₄, K, Ca, Mg, SO₄, Al, and Fe) in the organic and upper mineral horizons were monitored using buried ion-exchange membranes (PRS? probes). While N additions did not affect soil element fluxes, 3 years of soil warming increased the cumulative fluxes of K, Mg, and SO₄ in the forest floor by 43, 44, and 79 %, respectively, and Mg, SO₄, and Al in the mineral horizon by 29, 66, and 23 %, respectively. We attribute these changes to increased rates of soil organic matter decomposition. Significant interactions of the heating treatment with time were observed for most elements although no clear seasonal patterns emerged. The increase in soil K and Mg in heated plots resulted in a significant but small K increase in balsam fir foliage while no change was observed for Mg. A 6–15 % decrease in foliar Ca content with soil warming could be related to the increase in soil-available Al in heated plots, as Al can interfere with the root uptake of Ca.     

Atmospheric-particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) study at five characteristic sampling sites in Taiwan

The main purpose for this study is to observe the seasonal and month variations for particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) in total suspended particulates (TSP) concentration, dry deposition at five characteristic sampling sites during years of 2009-2010 in central Taiwan. The results show that the highest and lowest monthly average particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) concentrations in TSP were occurred in Dec. and Oct. at Gao-mei (wetland), Chang-hua (downtown) and He-mei (residential) sampling site. In addition, the results show that the highest and lowest monthly average particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) dry deposition was occurred in Feb. and Oct. at Quan-xing (industrial) sampling site. This study reflected that the mean highest particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) concentrations in TSP and mean highest particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) dry deposition were occurred at Gao-mei (wetland) and Quan-xing (industrial). However, the mean lowest particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) concentrations in TSP and mean lowest particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) dry deposition were also occurred at Gao-mei (wetland). Regarding seasonal variation, the order of mean-particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) concentrations in TSP in winter and spring were Gao-mei (wetland) > Quan-xing (industrial) > Bei-shi (suburban/coastal) > Chang-hua (downtown) > He-mei (residential). Finally, the order of mean-particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) dry deposition in fall, spring and summer were Quan-xing (industrial) > Bei-shi (suburban/coastal) > Chang-hua (downtown) > He-mei (residential) > Gao-mei (wetland).     

Statistical analysis of heavy metals in Cerastoderma edule glaucum and Venerupis aurea laeta from Ganzirri Lake, Messina (Italy)

Our study was carried out on two species of clams, Venerupis aurea laeta and Cerastoderma edule glaucum, from Ganzirri Lake considered as “environmental biomarkers” for their changes in physiology, morphology or distribution under the influence of substances in the environment. The aim of the present study was to conduct a statistical analysis on Venerupis and Cerastoderma to investigate the difference between the two autochthonous clams according to the presence of metals, and to link metal concentrations to the reproductive cycle of clam during 2009–2010. Metal analysis was carried out with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Accuracy and precision were assessed by analyzing the certified standard matrix: mussel tissue NIST SRM 2976. The multivariate analysis was made using the SPSS 13.0 software package for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). In this study, the concentrations of some metals found in clam tissues showed seasonal cycles with higher values in summer than in winter. The significances of metal concentrations differences between Venerupis and Cerastoderma samples were estimated with Mann–Whitney U-test. The concentrations of Ag, As, Cd, Mn, Se and Zn show a significant p-level that suggests a difference between the two group samples. Statistical analysis showed that the link of metal concentrations to the reproductive cycles of Venerupis and Cerastoderma was not evident.