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Occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in soils from greenhouse and open-field cultivation using plastic mulch film
Get PDFThere is a major knowledge gap concerning the extent of microplastic pollution in agronomic regions of China, which represent a plastic use hotspot. In order to clarify the amendment of agronomic region and plastic film mulching mode to microplastics distribution, the characteristics of microplastics distributed in agricultural soils from three typical regions (Beijing (BJ), Shandong (SD), and Xinjiang (XJ)) with two plastic film mulching modes (greenhouse (G) and conventional field-based film mulching (M)) in China were investigated. Microplastics weight and their response to planting regions were also evaluated in this study. The result showed that the average abundance of microplastics in soils from BJ, SD, and XJ was 1.83 × 104 items kg-1, 4.02 × 104 items kg-1, and 3.39 × 104 items kg-1, and the estimated weight of microplastics per kg of dry soils was 3.12 mg kg-1, 5.63 mg kg-1, and 7.99 mg kg-1, respectively. Microplastics in farmland were mainly of small particle size (50 to 250 μm), with their abundance decreasing with increasing particle size. Among the microplastics detected, polyethylene and polypropylene were the two dominant types present, accounting for 50.0% and 19.7%, respectively. The standard total effect of planting regions on microplastic number and weight was 31.8% and 32.3%, and plastic film mulching modes (G vs. M) could explain 34.4% of the total variation of microplastic compositions with a contribution rate of 65.6% in this study. This research provides key data for an assessment of the environmental risk of microplastics and supports the development of guidelines for the sustainable use of agricultural plastic film. Further, it is necessary to quantify and assess the contribution of other different plastic sources to microplastics in soil. Big data technologies or isotope tracer techniques may be promising approaches.</p
One-pot chemo-enzymatic synthesis and one-step recovery of length-variable long-chain polyphosphates from microalgal biomass
Get PDF"Disability and Post-ETA Poetics"
Get PDFIn this article, I explore the use of cultural emotions in state-aligned post-ETA poetics by analysing the role that illness and disability play in post-ceasefire filmic - Fuego/Fire (Luis Marías, 2014) - and literary - Patria/Homeland (Fernando Aramburu, 2016) - representations of the Basque national conflict. Recent critical discussions interpret disability in Spanish film and literature as harbingers of inclusivity and cultural pluralism (Fraser, 2013; Marr, 2013). However, if placed in the intensely polarised context for media and cultural representations of the Basque conflict in Spain, disability plays a less salutary role. Concretely, I argue that the possibility of post-ETA closure is often envisaged via the spectacularisation (and thus the instrumentalisation) of disabled and ill bodies, which are used to ‘mobilise affect’ towards a series of state-sanctioned positions with regard to victimhood, forgiveness and post-conflict reconciliation
Intermediality and Transmedial Tanatography in Jacobo Fernández Serrano’s Lois Pereiro. Breve encontro
Get PDFIn 2011, the poet Lois Pereiro (1958-1996) was honoured at the annual Día das Letras Galegas [Galician Literature Day] that celebrates a Galician literary author. As it has become customary, the Galician publishing industry released a plethora of texts about Pereiro, particularly biographies. Said corpus includes Jacobo Fernández Serrano’s comics biography Lois Pereiro. Breve Encontro: un achegamento comiqueiro á biografía e obra do poeta [Lois Pereiro. Brief Encounter, a Comics Approach to the Poet’s Life and Work]. This article examines the comic as an intermedial text that captures the influence of literature, films, music, and comics in Pereiro’s own writing. Furthermore, it is analysed as part of a transmedial network, together with other biographies published around the Día das Letras. These texts address the role played by death in the poet’s life and work (as he died at an early age of rapeseed oil poisoning and AIDS), and they can therefore be understood as ‘thanatographies’ as much as life writing
A comparative analysis of moving average filter and Kalman filter for large diesel engine test cell back-pressure control
Get PDFDiesel engine combustion releases many harmful components, thus there are continuous efforts into improving the efficiency of these engines and reducing the harmful gasses and particulates to meet the emission authorities targets. To develop and sell new engine-related products, these engines are required to run and to be audited in diesel engine test cells. A critical measurement for benchmark testing is the exhaust back-pressure, which is the resultant exhaust flow from the engine and a product of the air and fuel consumed. The back-pressure is controlled by restricting the flow of the exhaust using a butterfly valve and this pressure must be set to the defined limits to ensure engine compliance. Setting this limit takes time and consumes large volumes of fuel, which causes additional emissions. Therefore, a feedback control solution to regulate this back-pressure is desirable. In current practice, a moving average filter is used on two commercial standard engine softwares – SGS CyFlex® and AVL Puma 2® Data Acquisition and Control Systems to provide a useful signal for feedback control. Considering the presence of erratic noise associated with the back-pressure measurement, a Kalman Filter with tunable measurement uncertainty and process noise gains is also considered. By modifying the script in SGS CyFlex® and AVL PUMA 2®, a Kalman Filter is implemented for the first time on diesel engine test cells and a comparative analysis between the performance of the two filters is provided. Both filters effectively reduce the noise of the system, with the Kalman Filter showing a closer tracking to the desired system response. This demonstrates the potential of applying the Kalman Filter to provide the feedback signal for improved back-pressure control that could reduce the fuel consumption during testing, thereby makes testing process more economical and environment friendly. The script and results presented in this work will open up the opportunities of applying Kalman filtering method’s in various engine testing functions, which will have broader impact in the current industrial practice
High standing diversity masks extreme genetic erosion in a declining snake
No full textAverage heterozygosity is frequently used as a proxy for genetic health, and to compare genetic diversity between species and populations. However, this measurement could be misleading if the distribution of heterozygosity across the genome is highly skewed. We investigated this pitfall in methodology using whole-genome sequencing of the adder (Vipera berus), a species experiencing dramatic declines in the UK. We find that mean heterozygosity in adders is notably high, exceeding that of other vertebrates typically regarded as genetically diverse. Their genome-wide distribution of heterozygosity, however, approximates a negative exponential distribution, with most genome regions showing extremely low heterozygosity. Modelling approaches show that this pattern is likely to have resulted from a recent, severe bottleneck and fragmentation most likely caused by anthropogenic activity in a previously large, interconnected adder population. Our results highlight that high standing diversity may mask severe genetic erosion when declines are recent and rapid. In such situations, whole-genome sequencing may provide the best option for genetic risk assessment and targeted conservation actions
The Goddæus’ Dürer-Inspired Trademark: The Meanings, Origins, and Strategic Uses of a Seventeenth-Century Dutch Printer’s Device
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The geomorphology of Ireland’s continental shelf
Get PDFThe Irish Shelf Seabed Geomorphological Map (ISSGM) (v2023) presented here, is the first high-resolution geomorphological map of the entire Irish continental shelf. This large-scale mapping exercise took advantage of the vast INFOMAR multibeam echosounder dataset, and used a protocol of semi-automated mapping techniques to accurately and rapidly extract seabed features. All previous mapping efforts and existing literature on the Irish shallow shelf geomorphology have also been collated and integrated in the map, critically evaluating the previous interpretations. An internationally standardised classification scheme was adopted, aligning the ISSGM (v2023) to other international geomorphological work. At a national level, this detailed geomorphological digital map is intended primarily as a resource to better inform multiple offshore activities and management of the marine environment. The map also acts as a baseline for future studies in marine geomorphology, as it identifies gaps in the knowledge and highlights areas of contentious interpretation that require further work. The map is available online on the Irish Marine Atlas (https://atlas.marine.ie – Geology Theme)
Diurnal changes in pathogenic and indicator virus concentrations in wastewater
Get PDFWastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been commonly used for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. As sampling times and methods (i.e. grab vs composite) may vary, diurnal changes of viral concentrations in sewage should be better understood. In this study, we collected untreated wastewater samples hourly for 4 days at two wastewater treatment plants in Wales to establish diurnal patterns in virus concentrations and the physico-chemical properties of the water. Simultaneously, we also trialled three absorbent materials as passive samples as a simple and cost-efficient alternative for the collection of composite samples. Ninety-six percent of all liquid samples (n = 74) and 88% of the passive samplers (n = 59) were positive for SARS-CoV-2, whereas 87% and 97% of the liquid and passive samples were positive for the faecal indicator virus crAssphage, respectively. We found no significant daily variations in the concentration of the target viruses, ammonium and orthophosphate, and the pH and electrical conductivity levels were also stable. Weak positive correlations were found between some physico-chemical properties and viral concentrations. More variation was observed in samples taken from the influent stream as opposed to those taken from the influent tank. Of the absorbent materials trialled as passive samples, we found that tampons provided higher viral recoveries than electronegative filter paper and cotton gauze swabs. For all materials tested, viral recovery was dependent on the virus type. Our results indicate that grab samples may provide representative alternatives to 24-h composite samples if taken from the influent tank, hence reducing the costs of sampling for WBE programmes. Tampons are also viable alternatives for cost-efficient sampling; however, viral recovery should be optimised prior to use.</p