Community structure and ecological responses to hydrological changes in benthic algal assemblages in a regulated river : application of algal metrics and multivariate techniques in river management
- Authors: Atazadeh, Ehsan , Gell, Peter , Mills, Keely , Barton, Andrew , Newall, Peter
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 28, no. 29 (2021), p. 39805-39825
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The flow regime of the Wimmera River was substantially modified due to the construction of a water supply reservoir. Samples of diatoms and soft algae and measurements of water quality were analysed at ten sampling sites for 3 years (between February 2012 and November 2014) along the MacKenzie River, a tributary of the Wimmera River, in different seasons and under different flow regimes, to understand the spatial and temporal variation in the relationship between algal communities, water quality and stream condition. Baseline information on algal communities and water quality was collected during base flow conditions, while experiments on the effect of water releases on algal communities were based on flow regime variations (manipulated flow regimes), specifically on the algae community structure, water quality and ecosystem function. Algal species composition changed along the river under different flow regimes and different seasons. Under base flow, Bacillariophyta (diatoms) were more abundant upstream, and filamentous green algae were more abundant downstream. The results showed that the algal composition shifted downstream after water release events. Chlorophyta (green algae), Cyanophyta (blue-green algae) and Chrysophyta gradually increased from upstream to downstream under base flow conditions and before water releases, whereas diatoms were greater upstream and increased downstream after water releases. The results are presented to tailor discharge and duration of the river flows by amalgamation of consumptive and environmental flows to improve the condition of the stream thereby supplementing the flows dedicated to environmental outcomes. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Laboratory experimental study of the evaporation and mechanical behaviour of deposited tailings
- Authors: Zheng, Binbin , Wang, Jiahe , Zhang, Dongming , Zhao, Lei , Wang, Wensong
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 28, no. 47 (2021), p. 67565-67576
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Surface deposition has been widely used in the mining industry to manage mill tailings. Tailings are generally discharged in the form of a slurry into tailings ponds. The slurried tailings are deposited in layers that undergo complex processes, e.g. evaporation, desiccation and consolidation. The evaporation of the deposited tailings controls their geotechnical engineering behaviour, which is necessary to characterise the physical properties. In this study, a constant temperature device was employed in evaporation tests to investigate two classes of deposited tailings, and the effects of the initial concentration, particle size, exposure area and deposited layer thickness on the evaporation processes were analysed. The test results showed four stages in the evaporation processes of deposited coarse and fine tailings. Dewatering of the deposited tailings occurred during the first two stages, which were keys to improving the desiccation efficiency of the tailings in the pond. The exposure area and deposited layer thickness also had a considerable influence on evaporation. The evaporation rate increased with the exposure area and layer thickness. Direct shear tests were performed to measure the shear strength of intact tailings during evaporation and used to determine the variation law of the mechanical properties of the test tailings. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Influence of elements of climate change on the growth and fecundity of Datura stramonium
- Authors: Chadha, Aakansha , Florentine, Singarayer , Javaid, Muhammad , Welgama, Amali , Turville, Christopher
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 27, no. 28 (2020), p. 35859-35869
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In this study, the performance of Datura stramonium, an invasive weed of soybean and solanaceous crops, was examined under different elements of climate change. Experiments conducted in CO2 chambers at ambient CO2 (400 ppm) and elevated CO2 (700 ppm) levels under both well-watered and drought conditions exhibited the fertilization effect of elevated CO2. This was, however, limited by drought. Clearly, growth of D. stramonium will be significantly enhanced by enriched atmospheric CO2 concentration under well-watered conditions, producing taller plants with greater biomass and higher seed output. Glasshouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of different soil moisture regimes (100%, 75%, 50% and 25% water-holding capacity (WHC)) on the growth and fecundity of D. stramonium. Plants grown in 75% WHC had the highest plant height (15.24 cm) and shoot diameter (4.25 mm). The lowest leaf area (305.91 mm2), fresh weight (14.48 g) and dry weight (4.45 g) were observed in 25% WHC conditions. The ability of D. stramonium plants to grow and complete their life cycle with high seed output, even under limited water availability, shows the weedy nature of this species which is well adapted to survive future inhospitable climatic conditions. Radiant heat treatment on the plants indicated that temperatures of 120 °C and above for more than 180 s were enough to kill the plants, suggesting that thermal weeding or wildfires will be adequate to act as a circuit breaker on the D. stramonium invasion cycle, thus allowing other control measures to be engaged for greater control. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Environmental factors associated with the foliage cover of invasive fairy grass (Lachnagrostis filiformis) in Victoria, Australia
- Authors: Gosney, Kate , Florentine, Singarayer
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 25, no. 2 (2018), p. 1350-1358
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Fairy grass (Lachnagrostis filiformis) is an Australian native grass that has recently become a major concern for rural communities. Its dried inflorescences are blown by the wind and build up against fences and buildings, becoming a severe fire hazard. Understanding the ecology of fairy grass and its impacts on rural communities is relevant to its management. Four dry lake beds in Western Victoria were selected to determine if environmental factors, such as lake, location, direction, altitude and road type and the covariates of pH, soil salinity, soil moisture and distance to nearest road, are related to the presence of fairy grass. The ‘lake’ factor was the only environmental parameter that was significantly associated with the presence of this weed. © 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.
The influence of thiamine and riboflavin on various spoilage microorganisms commonly found in beer
- Authors: Hucker, Barry , Christophersen, Melinda , Vriesekoop, Frank
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of the Institute of Brewing Vol. 123, no. 1 (2017), p. 24-30
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Beer is generally considered a stable product owing to its intrinsic ‘unfavourable’ conditions (hops, alcohol, low oxygen, etc.) that inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. However spoilage microorganism such as Lactobacillus brevis, Pediococcus damnosus, Acetobacter aceti, Zymomonas mobilis and various wild yeasts (e.g. Brettanomcyes spp.) can have significant detrimental effects on the organoleptic properties of the final product. The presence of essential vitamins, such as thiamine and riboflavin, can help to enhance the growth of these microorganisms, accelerating the rate of spoilage. The presence of thiamine had a noticeable effect on the lactic acid productivity of L. brevis and P. damnosus, acetaldehyde productivity of Z. mobilis and acetic acid production of Brettanomyces spp., while riboflavin enhanced 2,3-pentanedione production by P. damnosus and Brettanomyces spp. Copyright © 2017 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling. Copyright © 2017 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling
Vitamins in brewing : Effects of post-fermentation treatments and exposure and maturation on the thiamine and riboflavin vitamer content of beer
- Authors: Hucker, Barry , Vriesekoop, Frank , Vriesekoop-Beswick, Arielle , Wakeling, Lara , Vriesekoop-Besick, Hamish , Hucker, Amy
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of the Institute of Brewing Vol. 122, no. 2 (2016), p. 278-288
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Post-fermentation processes and maturation are important steps in beer production as they help to shape the organoleptic properties and stabilize the final product. Brewers can use a variety of processing aids (e.g. isinglass, PVPP, etc.) and processes (e.g. pasteurization, bottle conditioning, etc.) to achieve a desired final product with a desirable shelf life; however, these processes can have detrimental effects on the vitamin content of the beer. This research found that heat treatments have a marked influence on the decrease in the thiamine diphosphate vitamer, while PVPP and silica treatments have a greater influence on the decrease in riboflavin vitamers. Refrigeration, filtration or centrifugation have no, or only very limited, influence on thiamine or riboflavin vitamers, while application of isinglass, bentonite, tannic acid and SO2 causes a decrease in both thiamine and riboflavin vitamers. Storage of beer at refrigerated temperatures appears to provide protection against significant degradation of both thiamine and riboflavin vitamers; however, storage of filtered beer at elevated temperatures shows a decrease in thiamine diphosphate and riboflavin. Storage of bottle-conditioned beer at elevated temperatures shows a marked decrease in yeast viability, accompanied by a decrease in thiamine diphosphate and free riboflavin, and a marked increase in free thiamine. These findings provide an insight into the reason why there is a significant variation in the vitamer content of beers, even within a single beer style. © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling.
Methane and CO2 emissions from China's hydroelectric reservoirs: a new quantitative synthesis
- Authors: Li, Siyue , Zhang, Quanfa , Bush, Richard , Sullivan, Leigh
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 22, no. 7 (2015), p. 5325-5339
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Controversy surrounds the green credentials of hydroelectricity because of the potentially large emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) from associated reservoirs. However, limited and patchy data particularly for China is constraining the current global assessment of GHG releases from hydroelectric reservoirs. This study provides the first evaluation of the CO
Enhanced methane hydrate storage using sodium dodecyl sulfate and coal
- Authors: Hao, Shu-Qing , Kim, Sungho , Qin, Yong , Fu, Xue-Hai
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Chemistry Letters Vol. 12, no. 2 (2014), p. 341-346
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: A potential solution to reduce global warming is to store greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gas storage has been recently improved using several materials and techniques. However, the actual storage capacity is slow, limited, and costly. Here, we tested the use of an accelerating agent, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and coal to produce methane hydrate for methane storage. Experiments of storing methane gas in coal samples have been carried out under high pressures, 4 or 6 MPa, and low temperature of 273.15 K. Results reveal that sodium dodecyl sulfate improved the rate up to 58.26 cm3/min and the capacity up to 179.97 volume at standard temperature and pressure per unit volume of coal. This finding shows that sodium dodecyl sulfate is efficient to accelerate the formation of methane hydrate. We also found that storage capacity increased with pressure. We conclude that our method allows a gas storage capacity higher than any other medium materials reported previously. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
Unexpected high pressure effects on the structural properties of condensed whey protein systems
- Authors: Dissanayake, Muditha , Kasapis, Stefan , Chaudhary, Vinita , Adhikari, Benu , Palmer, Martin , Meurer, Barbara
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biopolymers Vol. 97, no. 12 (2012), p. 963-973
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: We show that application of high hydrostatic pressure (600 MPa for 15 min) on condensed whey protein (WP) systems (e.g., 80% w/w solids content) results in unexpected structure-function behavior when compared with conventional thermal treatment. Unraveling the relaxation properties in first-order thermodynamic transitions, the manifestation of glass transition phenomena and the preservation of native conformation in condensed preparations were recorded using small-deformation dynamic oscillation in shear, modulated differential scanning calorimetry, and infrared spectroscopy. Informed temperature application results in the formation of continuous networks at the denaturation temperature, which undergo vitrification at subzero temperatures. In contrast, high-pressure-treated WPs resist physicochemical denaturation, hence preserving the native conformation of secondary and tertiary structures. This was rationalized on the basis of a critical concentration threshold where transfer of water molecules to nonpolar residues in the protein interior is minimized because of low moisture content and restricted molecular mobility. The physical state and morphology of these high-solid preparations were further examined by the combined framework of reduced variables and Williams, Landel, and Ferry equation/free volume theory. Theoretical treatment of experimental observations unveils the dynamic range of the mechanical manifestation of the glass transition region in samples subjected to heat or pressure. In addition to preserving native conformation, WPs subjected to high pressure form glassy systems at parity with the structural functionality of the thermally treated counterparts. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of sulfur dioxide pollution on the translocation and accumulation of heavy metals in soybean grain
- Authors: Li, Peijun , Wang, Xin , Allinson, Graeme , Li, Xiaojun , Stagnitti, Frank , Murray, Frank , Xiong, Xianzhe
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 18, no. 7 (August 2011), p. 1090-1097
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Open-top chambers were used to study the impact of simultaneous exposure to atmospheric SO