Chicken manure enhanced yield and quality of field-grown kale and collard greens

Organic matter and nutrients in municipal sewage sludge (SS) and chicken manure (CM) could be recycled and used for land farming to enhance fertility and physical properties of soils. Three soil management practices were used at Kentucky State University Research Farm, Franklin County, to study the impact of soil amendments on kale (Brassica oleracea cv. Winterbar) and collard (Brassica oleracea cv. Top Bunch) yields and quality. The three soil management practices were: (i) SS mixed with native soil at 15 t acre^?1, (ii) CM mixed with native soil at 15 t acre^?1, and (iii) no-mulch (NM) native soil for comparison purposes. At harvest, collard and kale green plants were graded according to USDA standards. Plants grown in CM and SS amended soil produced the greatest number of U.S. No. 1 grade of collard and kale greens compared to NM native soil. Across all treatments, concentrations of ascorbic acid and phenols were generally greater in kale than in collards. Overall, CM and SS enhanced total phenols and ascorbic acid contents of kale and collard compared to NM native soil. We investigated the chemical and physical properties of each of the three soil treatments that might explain variability among treatments and the impact of soil amendments on yield, phenols, and ascorbic acid contents of kale and collard green grown under this practice.     

Using Twitter to communicate conservation science from a professional conference

Scientists are increasingly using Twitter as a tool for communicating science. Twitter can promote scholarly discussion, disseminate research rapidly, and extend and diversify the scope of audiences reached. However, scientists also caution that if Twitter does not accurately convey science due to the inherent brevity of this media, misinformation could cascade quickly through social media. Data on whether Twitter effectively communicates conservation science and the types of user groups receiving these tweets are lacking. To address these knowledge gaps, we examined live tweeting as a means of communicating conservation science at the 2013 International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB). We quantified and compared the user groups sending and reading live tweets. We also surveyed presenters to determine their intended audiences, which we compared with the actual audiences reached through live tweeting. We also asked presenters how effectively tweets conveyed their research findings. Twitter reached 14 more professional audience categories relative to those attending and live tweeting at ICCB. However, the groups often reached through live tweeting were not the presenters’ intended audiences. Policy makers and government and non‐governmental organizations were rarely reached (0%, 4%, and 6% of audience, respectively), despite the intent of the presenters. Plenary talks were tweeted about 6.9 times more than all other oral or poster presentations combined. Over half the presenters believed the tweets about their talks were effective. Ineffective tweets were perceived as vague or missing the presenters’ main message. We recommend that presenters who want their science to be communicated accurately and broadly through Twitter should provide Twitter‐friendly summaries that incorporate relevant hashtags and usernames. Our results suggest that Twitter can be used to effectively communicate speakers’ findings to diverse audiences beyond conference walls.     

Natural Rubber-Based Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives: A Review

The purpose of this review is to describe the various aspects of pressure-sensitive adhesives prepared from natural rubber. Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) adhere instantaneously to a variety of surfaces upon application of slight pressure and can be obtained using different technologies. PSAs are materials that develop tack for low pressures and short contact times. There are number of factors affecting the adhesion property of natural rubber based pressure-sensitive adhesives. In this review, factors affecting adhesion property such as tack, peel and shear are examined in light of their relevance to adhesion in addition to measurement methods of each of the three major adhesion properties. This review paper covers the work being carried out from the last 20 years in the field of natural rubber based pressure sensitive adhesives.     

Energy recovery from waste incineration: Assessing the importance of district heating networks

Municipal solid waste incineration contributes with 20% of the heat supplied to the more than 400 district heating networks in Denmark. In evaluation of the environmental consequences of this heat production, the typical approach has been to assume that other (fossil) fuels could be saved on a 1:1 basis (e.g. 1 GJ of waste heat delivered substitutes for 1 GJ of coal-based heat). This paper investigates consequences of waste-based heat substitution in two specific Danish district heating networks and the energy-associated interactions between the plants connected to these networks. Despite almost equal electricity and heat efficiencies at the waste incinerators connected to the two district heating networks, the energy and CO₂ accounts showed significantly different results: waste incineration in one network caused a CO₂ saving of 48 kg CO₂/GJ energy input while in the other network a load of 43 kg CO₂/GJ. This was caused mainly by differences in operation mode and fuel types of the other heat producing plants attached to the networks. The paper clearly indicates that simple evaluations of waste-to-energy efficiencies at the incinerator are insufficient for assessing the consequences of heat substitution in district heating network systems. The paper also shows that using national averages for heat substitution will not provide a correct answer: local conditions need to be addressed thoroughly otherwise we may fail to assess correctly the heat recovery from waste incineration.     

Anaerobic biodegradation of cellulosic material: Batch experiments and modelling based on isotopic data and focusing on aceticlastic and non-aceticlastic methanogenesis

Utilizing stable carbon isotope data to account for aceticlastic and non-aceticlastic pathways of methane generation, a model was created to describe laboratory batch anaerobic decomposition of cellulosic materials (office paper and cardboard). The total organic and inorganic carbon concentrations, methane production volume, and methane and CO₂ partial pressure values were used for the model calibration and validation. According to the fluorescent in situ hybridization observations, three groups of methanogens including strictly hydrogenotrophic methanogens, strictly aceticlastic methanogens (Methanosaeta sp.) and Methanosarcina sp., consuming both acetate and H₂/H₂CO₃ as well as acetate-oxidizing syntrophs, were considered. It was shown that temporary inhibition of aceticlastic methanogens by non-ionized volatile fatty acids or acidic pH was responsible for two-step methane production from office paper at 35 °C where during the first and second steps methane was generated mostly from H₂/H₂CO₃ and acetate, respectively. Water saturated and unsaturated cases were tested. According to the model, at the intermediate moisture (150%), much lower methane production occurred because of full-time inhibition of aceticlastic methanogens. At the lowest moisture, methane production was very low because most likely hydrolysis was seriously inhibited. Simulations showed that during cardboard and office paper biodegradation at 55 °C, non-aceticlastic syntrophic oxidation by acetate-oxidizing syntrophs and hydrogenotrophic methanogens were the dominant methanogenic pathways.     

Cysteine as a green corrosion inhibitor for Cu37Zn brass in neutral and weakly alkaline sulphate solutions

The aim of this study was to investigate electrochemical properties of brass in neutral and weakly alkaline solutions in the presence of cysteine as a nontoxic and ecological corrosion inhibitor. Potentiodynamic measurements, open circuit potential measurements, as well as chronoamperometric measurements were the methods used during investigation of the inhibitory effect of cysteine on the corrosion behaviour of brass. Potentiodynamic measurements showed that cysteine behaves as a mixed-type inhibitor in the investigated media. Based on polarization curves for brass in a weakly alkaline solution of sodium sulphate at varying cysteine concentrations, an interaction occurs between Cu⁺ ions and the inhibitor, resulting in the formation of a protective complex on the electrode surface. The results of chronoamperometric measurements confirm the results obtained by potentiodynamic measurements. Optical microphotography of the brass surface also confirms the formation of a protective film in the presence of a 1?×?10^?4 mol/dm³ cysteine. Adsorption of cysteine on the brass surface proceeds according to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm.     

Assessing ecological risk on a regional scale

Society needs a quantitative and systematic way to estimate and compare the impacts of environmental problems that affect large geographic areas. This paper presents an approach for regional risk assessment that combines regional assessment methods and landscape ecology theory with an existing framework for ecological risk assessment. Risk assessment evaluates the effects of an environmental change on a valued natural resource and interprets the significance of those effects in light of the uncertainties identified in each component of the assessment process. Unique and important issues for regional risk assessment are emphasized; these include the definition of the disturbance scenario, the assessment boundary definition, and the spatial heterogeneity of the landscape. Although the research described in this article has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through Interagency Agreement Number DW89932112-01-2 to the U.S. Department of Energy, it has not been subjected to EPA review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of EPA and no official endorsement should be inferred.     

Analysis of high-level waste glass performance by the physical and geochemical simulation code STRAG4

A source term release analysis code for high-level waste glass has been developed for simulation of long-term dissolution behavior under repository conditions. The STRAG4 code consists of models for (a) element diffusion in both the bulk glass and surface layer, (b) glass dissolution kinetics at the interface between glass and water, and (c) geochemical reactions of dissolved elements in underground water. The simulations for various conditions of glass dissolution, including a static and dynamic system, show accordance with the experimental observations even in the relatively complicated case where bentonite is present. Long-term dissolution analyses of a borosilicate waste glass were carried out as preliminary study. The calculations were achieved by considering detrimental effects due to interactions between the glass and surrounded materials which are presumed to be in a repository environment (i.e., compacted bentonite, corrosion products from the iron overpack, and underground water). The environmental conditions such as temperature and geochemical reactions are also taken into account in the calculations. The results suggest the life of the waste glass would be more than 50,000 years even if the glass surface area increased by a factor of 10 due to crack formation.     

Recommended Methods for the Disposal of Sanitary Wastes from Temporary Field Medical Facilities

Emergency field medical facilities constructed after a disaster are frequently managed by medical staff even though many of the day-to-day problems of hospital management are unrelated to medicine. In this paper we discuss the short-term management of one of these problems, namely the control and disposal of sanitary wastes. It is aimed at persons in the medical profession who may find themselves responsible for a temporary hospital and have little or no previous experience of managing such situations. The wastes commonly generated are excreta, sullage and refuse. In addition, surface water must also be considered because its inadequate disposal is a potential health hazard. The paper concentrates on short-term measures appropriate for the first six months of the hospital or clinic's existence. Facilities expected to last longer are recommended to install conventional waste management systems appropriate to the local community and conditions. In most situations, wastes should be disposed of underground either by burial (for solids) or infiltration (for liquids). The design, construction and management of appropriate disposal systems are described.     

EFFECTIVENESS OF DROUGHT POLICIES FOR MUNICIPAL WATER MANAGEMENT1

During the 1976–77 drought, three principal mechanisms were used to reduce water use in Utah communities: price increases, maximum monthly use restrictions, and restrictions on outdoor watering times. A regression model was developed to explain observed changes in water use, with price, type of restriction, household size, and summer rainfall as independent variables. For an average system, a 1 percent increase in price would reduce water use by 0.07 to 0.09 percent. A 1 percent increase in outdoor watering time restriction reduces use by 0.064 to 0.075 percent. A 1 percent increase in quantity restrictions leads to a reduction in water use of 0.014 to 0.054 percent. The effectiveness of rationing policies is influenced by system characteristics. For example, outdoor watering time restrictions were less effective in systems with above average household size and below average monthly use.