A study of a sustainable greenway approach for a part of the Silk Road in Turkey

The article describes different steps and methodologies to create an alternative greenway with recreational, scenic, historical and cultural values in Hamsiköy-Zigana, part of Trabzon-Gümü?hane former state highway. As a first step, inventory studies and analyses were carried out to determine the cultural and natural values of the area. As the second step, area analyses studies were carried out. Depending on results of expert-based visual assessment and suitability analyses for determining the suitability of greenway planning in the study area; recreational, scenic, historical–cultural and multifunctional status of the greenway having all these three functions at the same time were mapped using suitability rank in GIS and the plan square technique. As a result, the plan squares having high suitability for the above functions were dense in the determined study, in terms of old highway and neighbourhood. In the whole area (4385.25 ha), 598.00 ha were ranked as good (A), 770.27 ha as medium (B) and 3016.98 ha as poor (C), in terms of suitability value. Seasonal assessments for recreation and scenery functions of A, B and C indicate that the area has opportunities for all seasons. As a third step, the results are discussed and some proposals suggested.     

Production of an antimicrobial cytochalasan by an endophytic Chaetomium globosum HYML55 from Hypericum mysorense and its RNA secondary structure analysis

The mutualistic benefits and disadvantages of non-clavicipitaceous endophytes for their hosts are not well studied and are postulated as being distinct from free-living or pathogenic counterparts. The defensive metabolites and antioxidants produced by endophytes are postulated to be the benefits offered for the hosts. Therefore, the antimicrobial and free-radical-scavenging activities of a foliar endophyte Chaetomium globosum HYML55 isolated from Hypericum mysorense of Western Ghats, India were studied. RNA secondary structure analysis refuted the unique biotope postulation because strain HYML55 was more similar to a coprophilous strain than to endophytic strains. Ethyl acetate extract of the fungus inhibited bacteria and fungi. The extract also quenched 98.65% 1,1-diphenyl- 2-picrylhydrazyl radicals with total antioxidant capacity of 13.62 mg ascorbic acid equivalent/g. A yellow amorphous antimicrobial compound purified from the extract was identified as chaetoglobosin F, which had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 7.8–15.6 μg/mL, except against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This is the first report on the antimicrobial activity of chaetoglobosin F and other bioactivities of any endophytes from H. mysorense. The study emphasises the inter-habitat cycling of endophytes and possible benefits of C. globosum for the host. Chaetoglobosin F is an anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic compound, and C. globosum HYML55 could be exploited for the industrial production of this compound.     

HYDROLOGIC MODELING AT THE WATERSHED SCALE USING NPSM1

ABSTRACT: The Nonpoint Source Model (NPSM) was chosen for nonpoint source pollutant modeling within three different watersheds. The first step in using NPSM, hydrologic calibration, is discussed here for three 8‐digit Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs) from the White River Basin in Indiana (Driftwood HUC), the Albemarle‐Pamlico River Basin in Virginia and North Carolina (Contentnea HUC), and the Apalachicola‐Chattahoochee‐Flint River Basin in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida (Ichawaynochaway HUC). Model predicted flows were compared statistically with USGS gauge data at the HUC outflow points for an uncalibrated and calibrated model run for the period from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 1992, and a validation run for the period from January 1, 1993, through December 31, 1995. Least squares regression of NPSM predicted flows versus USGS gauge data were 0.75, 0.44, and 0.69 for the calibration runs and 0.71, 0.69, and 0.64 for the validation runs in the Driftwood, Contentnea, and Ichawaynochaway HUCs, respectively. Nash Sutcliffe coefficient values were not as strong, ranging from ?0.66 to 0.45 for the calibration runs and 0.31 to 0.37 for the validation runs of the model. The Ichawaynochaway HUC proved the most difficult to calibrate indicating that the model may not be as useful in some geographic locations.     

Spectroscopic changes on fulvic acids from a kraft pulp mill effluent caused by sun irradiation

Large volumes of wastewater with a high organic load are generated by the pulp and paper industry that negatively affect the quality of receiving waters. The main waste products in the pulp mill effluents are lignin derived macromolecular compounds, which are similar to natural humic substances and very resistant to wastewater treatments. Fulvic acids (FA) represent the higher percentage of these humic substances and it was observed that solar irradiation modify their properties. Several analytic tools, namely, UV–Visible, molecular fluorescence and FTIR spectroscopies, were used to assess the effect of solar exposition on fulvic acids from a kraft pulp mill effluent. It may be concluded that sun irradiation may alter to a high extent the physicochemical properties of macromolecular organic matter, namely fulvic acids, released by kraft pulp mill effluents. After solar exposition, the aromaticity decreases, the aliphatic structures become more oxygenated, and the fulvic acids from the pulp mill effluent remaining in solution are more similar to aquatic fulvic acids from non polluted sites.     

基于生态足迹分析的区域旅游可持续发展定量评价研究——以开封市为例

如何测度旅游业的可持续发展,一直是旅游学研究的热点,也是旅游研究方法中的难点.探讨了旅游可持续发展定量评价的生态足迹分析法,并以开封市为研究对象,对生态足迹模型在区域旅游业可持续发展定量评价中的运用进行了实证研究.研究表明:2004年开封市人均生态旅游足迹为0.02244 hm2,其中交通足迹最大,占到90.52%;其次是餐饮,为6.51%,其生态占用率为0.54.旅游发展基本处于一种可持续发展的状态下,旅游活动对旅游环境的压力基本在旅游承载力范围内,生态环境维持在良好的状态下,生态系统是安全的,但也必须注意环境的保护.采用综合指数法、模糊综合评判法,通过建立相应的评价模型分别对开封市2004年的旅游地生态安全状况进行评判,其结果分别为0.641和0.6496,二者均表明开封市旅游处于一种较为安全状态下,这说明研究的结果较为合理.     

Design-based estimators and power analyses of trend tests for the proportion of fish that exhibit gross pathological disorders

Methods for estimating the proportion of fish that exhibit gross pathological disorders and for estimating the variance of these estimates are defined. The methods are for the situation in which a probability-based sampling design is used to collect fish for examination, but geographic locations (rather than individual fish) are assigned probabilities of being selected for sampling. To illustrate the use of the methods, they are applied to data collected during the 1992 EMAP- Estuaries sampling program in the Louisianian Province (i.e., the Gulf of Mexico). Separate estimates of the proportion of fish with gross pathological disorders are computed for demersal species, commercial species, pelagic species, and all species as one group. In addition, a test for trend in the proportion of fish that exhibit gross pathological disorders is defined, and analyses of the power of the test are presented. The power analyses are based on a general underlying model of the random distribution patterns of fish and the random process of catching fish. The power analyses also take into account the features of the sampling designs used for collecting fish. Component parameter estimates were computed using data from the 1992 EMAP-Estuaries sampling program in the Louisianian Province. Results from these analyses suggest that the EMAP-Estuaries sampling designs are capable of detecting a 0.15% change per year in the proportion of fish (all species groups combined) with gross pathological disorders in estuaries of the Louisianian Province over a 12-year period with a power of at least 80%. © Rapid Science 1998     

Numerical Simulations on the Effect of Sea–Land Breezes on Atmospheric Haze over the Pearl River Delta Region

The atmospheric haze over the Pearl River Delta (PRD) was investigated by using the Models-3 Community Multi-scale Air Quality modeling system with meteorological fields simulated by the Fifth-generation National Center for Atmospheric Research/Penn State University Mesoscale Model (MM5) from September 26th to September 30th, 2004. The model-simulated meteorological elements and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm (PM₁₀) were compared with observations at four air quality-monitoring stations. The results showed that MM5 successfully reproduced the diurnal variations of temperature, wind speed, and wind directions at these stations. The temporal variations of the simulated values were consistent with those of the observed (such as temperature, wind speed, and wind direction). The correlation coefficient was 0.91 for temperature and 0.56 for wind speed. The modeling results show that the spatial distributions of simulated PM₁₀ were closely related to the source emissions indicating three maxima of PM₁₀ over the PRD. The sea–land breezes diurnal cycle played a significant role in the redistribution and transport of PM₁₀. Nighttime land breeze could transport PM₁₀ to the coast and the sea, while daytime sea breeze (SB) could carry the accumulated PM₁₀ offshore back to the inland cities. PM₁₀ could also be transported vertically to a height of up to about 1000 m because of strong turbulence in the SB front. Process analyses indicated that the emission sources and the vertical diffusion were the major processes to influence the concentrations of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM_2.5).     

Multi-elemental analysis of Lentinula edodes mushrooms available in trade

ABSTRACT

The present study investigated the content of 62 elements in the fruiting bodies of Lentinula edodes (Shiitake mushroom) cultivated commercially in Poland on various substrates from 2007–2015. The general mean content (mg kg^?1 dry weight (DW)) of the studied elements ranked in the following order: K (26,335) > P (11,015) > Mg (2,284) > Ca (607) > Na (131) > Zn (112) > Fe (69) > Mn (33) > B (32) > Rb (17) > Cu (14.5) > Al (11.2) > Te (2.9) > As (1.80) > Cd (1.76) > Ag (1.73) > Nd (1.70) > Sr (1.46) > Se (1.41) > U (1.11) > Pt (0.90) > Ce (0.80) > Ba (0.61) > Co (0.59) > Tl (0.58) > Er (0.50) > Pb (0.42) > Li (0.40) > Pr (0.39) > Ir (0.37) > In (0.35) > Mo (0.31) > Cr (0.29) > Ni (0.28) > Sb (0.26) > Re (0.24) > Ti (0.19) > Bi (0.18) > Th (0.12) > La (0.10) = Pd (0.10) > Os (0.09) = Zr (0.09) > Rh (0.08) > Ho (0.07) > Ru (0.06) > Sm (0.04) = Eu (0.04) = Tm (0.04) > Gd (0.03) > Sc (0.02) = Y (0.02) > Lu (0.01) = Yb (0.01) = V (0.01). The contents of Au, Be, Dy, Ga, Ge, Hf, and Tb were below the limits of detection (0.02, 0.02, 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, 0.02 mg kg^?1 respectively). The concentrations of Al, As, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Cr, Er, Fe, In, Lu, Mn, Nd, Sr, Ti, Tm, and Zr were comparable over the period the mushrooms were cultivated. The study revealed that Lentinula edodes contained As and Cd at levels potentially adverse to human health. This highlights the need to monitor these elements in food products obtained from this mushroom species and ensure that only low levels of these elements are present in cultivation substrates.     

Impacts of Meteorological Factors on PM10: Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) Approaches

In this study, prediction capacities of multi-linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural networks (ANN) onto coarse particulate matter (PM₁₀) concentrations were investigated. Different meteorological factors on particulate pollution were chosen for operating variables in the model analyses. Two different regions (urban and industrial) were identified in the region of Kocaeli, Turkey. All data sets were obtained from air quality monitoring network of the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning, and 120 data sets were used in the MLR and ANN models. Regression equations explained the effects of the meteorological factors in MLR analyses. In the ANN model, backpropagation network with two hidden layers has achieved the best prediction efficiency. Determination coefficients and error values were examined for each model. ANN models displayed more accurate results compared to MLR.     

Uncertainty in Estimation of Wet Deposition of Sulphur

A model is described for predicting wet deposition ofsulphur in Britain from rainfall and site measurementsof ion concentration in precipitation. This modelincludes orographic enhancement of both rainfall andion concentration. The model output is comparedagainst available measurement data. Sensitivity anduncertainty analyses are used to predict the outputuncertainty. If the stated assumptions can be shown tobe correct, the wet deposition for Britain at the 5 kmscale is accurate to ±35% across the country. Theanalyses show a larger uncertainty in central Englandand a possible bias towards underestimation of wetdeposition, the latter being of importance incalculating critical load exceedances in remote areas.