Academic literature on the topic 'Nutrient carrier'

Abstract In an effort to improve AOAC Method 966.04, the Sporicidal Activity of Disinfectants Test, selected modifications to the procedure were evaluated in a collaborative study. Method 966.04 is used to generate efficacy data to support the product registration of sporicides and sterilants. The method is a carrier-based test that provides a qualitative measure of product efficacy against spores of Bacillus subtilis and Clostridium sporogenes. The use of garden soil extract and the lack of standard procedures for the enumeration of spores and neutralization of the test chemicals have been considered problematic for many years. The proposed modifications were limited to the B. subtilis and hard surface carrier (porcelain penicylinder) components of the method. The study included the evaluation of a replacement for soil extract nutrient broth and an establishment of a minimum spore titer per carrier, both considered crucial for the improvement and utilization of the method. Additionally, an alternative hard surface material and a neutralization confirmation procedure were evaluated. To determine the equivalence of the proposed alternatives to the standard method, 3 medium/carrier combinations, (1) soil extract nutrient broth/porcelain carrier (current method), (2) nutrient agar amended with 5 g/mL manganese sulfate/porcelain carrier, and (3) nutrient agar amended with 5 g/mL manganese sulfate/stainless steel carrier were analyzed for carrier counts, HCl resistance, efficacy, quantitative efficacy, and spore wash-off. The test chemicals used in the study represent 3 chemical classes and are commercially available antimicrobial liquid products: sodium hypochlorite (bleach), glutaraldehyde, and a combination of peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Four laboratories participated in the study. The results of the spore titer per carrier, HCl resistance, efficacy, and wash-off studies demonstrate that amended nutrient agar in conjunction with the porcelain is comparable to the current method, soil extract nutrient broth/porcelain. The nutrient agar method is simple, inexpensive, reproducible, and provides an ample supply of high quality spores. Due to the current use of porcelain carriers for testing C. sporogenes, it is advisable to retain the use of porcelain carriers until stainless steel can be evaluated as a replacement carrier material for Clostridium. The evaluation of stainless steel for Clostridium has been initiated by the Study Director. Study Director recommendations for First Action revisions are provided in a modified method.

The suitable carrier composition is needed to ensure the effectiveness of Trichoderma harzianum as inoculant of biocontrol, plant growth promotion and decomposer fungus. The research aimed to investigate formulation of carrier to enhance of Trichoderma harzianum viability was conducted from January till June 2015 in Laboratory. Testing of the compotition of carrier materials on viability of Trichoderma harzianum using a completely randomized design consisting of 9 treatment compotitions of peat soil, cow manure, biocharcoal and nutrient. The observed variables were the population of Trichoderma harzianum (cfu/g) on a regular basis i.e2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks after production, pH and moisture content (%) of media. The result showed that the different carrier formulations resulted number of spore varried, from 1.33 x 105cfu/g to 7.98 x 106cfu/g. The best formulation of Trichoderma harzianum was peat soil 40% + cow manure 40% + biocharcoal 10% + nutrient 10% with the maximum population count achieved 7.98 x 106cfu/g after 24 weeks of storage. Keywords: Trichoderma harzianum, carrier formulation, viability, biocharcoal, nutrient..

An investigation was made theoretically and experimentally on the porous biomass carrier sequencing batch reactor (PBCSBR) for enhanced nutrient removal. Biomass hold-up increased with incoming organic substrate concentration and held in attached and entrapped conditions. The behavioural patterns of organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in PBCSBR were similar to the control SBR reactor. Nitrogen transformation and/or removal was simultaneous and stoichiometric and could be quantified by the stoichiomelric relationship of nitrification/denitrification based on the consumed alkalinity. Phosphorus removal increased with biomass concentration and phosphorus release. Higher biomass and favorable operation mode in PBCSBR were conducive to enhanced nutrient removal.

Abstract. Soil is a complex system where biotic (e.g., plant roots, micro-organisms) and abiotic (e.g., mineral surfaces) consumers compete for resources necessary for life (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus). This competition is ecologically significant, since it regulates the dynamics of soil nutrients and controls aboveground plant productivity. Here we develop, calibrate and test a nutrient competition model that accounts for multiple soil nutrients interacting with multiple biotic and abiotic consumers. As applied here for tropical forests, the Nutrient COMpetition model (N-COM) includes three primary soil nutrients (NH4+, NO3− and POx; representing the sum of PO43−, HPO42− and H2PO4−) and five potential competitors (plant roots, decomposing microbes, nitrifiers, denitrifiers and mineral surfaces). The competition is formulated with a quasi-steady-state chemical equilibrium approximation to account for substrate (multiple substrates share one consumer) and consumer (multiple consumers compete for one substrate) effects. N-COM successfully reproduced observed soil heterotrophic respiration, N2O emissions, free phosphorus, sorbed phosphorus and NH4+ pools at a tropical forest site (Tapajos). The overall model uncertainty was moderately well constrained. Our sensitivity analysis revealed that soil nutrient competition was primarily regulated by consumer–substrate affinity rather than environmental factors such as soil temperature or soil moisture. Our results also imply that under strong nutrient limitation, relative competitiveness depends strongly on the competitor functional traits (affinity and nutrient carrier enzyme abundance). We then applied the N-COM model to analyze field nitrogen and phosphorus perturbation experiments in two tropical forest sites (in Hawaii and Puerto Rico) not used in model development or calibration. Under soil inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus elevated conditions, the model accurately replicated the experimentally observed competition among nutrient consumers. Although we used as many observations as we could obtain, more nutrient addition experiments in tropical systems would greatly benefit model testing and calibration. In summary, the N-COM model provides an ecologically consistent representation of nutrient competition appropriate for land BGC models integrated in Earth System Models.

Theuse ofNisargruna biogas plant is an efficient approach to recycle the biodegradable wastematerials into valuable products like organic manure, methane carbon dioxide and water. In the current study, the manureobtained from five different Nisargruna biogas plants was analyzed for its characteristic properties. These properties included their chemical composition (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur and macro/micro-nutrients), water holding capacity and heavy metal concentration and coliform bacteria and fungi. The results indicated the presence of a high concentration of macro- and micronutrients, and the absence of coliforms. The samples with good nutrient contents were used as a carrier material forAzotobactersp., Rhizobiumsp. and phosphate solubilizing Bacillussp. On analysis, themanurewas found to be useful as carrier for selected cultures even after six months of production, hence confirming its stability and practical application.

Crop yields, soil fertility, and soil quality decline due to the overuse of chemical fertilizers and other agrochemicals. The damaging effects of these agrochemicals on the environment can be minimized by integration with eco-friendly approaches, i.e., biofertilizers. These eco-friendly biofertilizers containing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, (PGPR) not only solubilize mineral nutrients for crop uptake but also release phytohormones for their growth improvements. The objective of this research is to use these PGPR’s capacity to promote growth in order to increase okra production. For this purpose, different organic carriers were used, i.e., Press mud, Charcoal, Biochar, Peat, and Compost for PGPR’s inoculation. Before being used as a consortium with various carrier materials, the pre-isolated and characterized PGPR strains (AN-35, ZM-27, and ZM-63) were tested for compatibility against one another. The PGPR consortium and carriers were applied in the following treatments, i.e., T0: (control), T1: PGPR, T2: Peat + PGPR, T3: Pressmud+ PGPR, T4: Compost + PGPR, T5: Charcoal + PGPR, and T6: Biochar + PGPR in the present pot and field studies. Under the pot experiment, the results depicted that all treatments showed a significant increase in okra growth, nutrient contents, and yield of okra along with increasing the microbial biomass in the soil but the treatment containing PGPR consortium with peat caused the maximum increase. Similarly, the results of the field experiment also showed a significant increase under all treatments but the maximum increase in nutrient contents, growth attributes, and yield of okra was found under the treatment containing PGPR consortium with peat (T2). Therefore, this study recommends the use of peat and studied the PGPR consortium as a suitable carrier to develop carrier-based biofertilizers for sustainable okra production.

Formulating multiple nutrient supplements and better dosage forms for paediatric patients are still current needs and challenges. This study aims to develop a cost-effective novel delivery system capable of delivering water-soluble and oil-soluble nutrients or drugs to address paediatric compliance. Two ranges of micron and submicron scale carriers for nutrients and drugs were developed and characterized thoroughly. First, fast-dissolving orodispersible film was produced using an emerging electrospinning technique to deliver iodine, an essential micronutrient. PEO and KIO3 were used in a formulation that ensures the safety and cost-effectiveness of the final product. Second, a novel structured oil system (SOS), capable of holding a large amount of oil, was designed as a carrier for fat-soluble vitamins and drugs. This SOS was produced using a freeze dryer that is suitable for heat sensitive vitamins and drugs. Gelatine/Xanthangum were used as emulsifiers due to the affinity of protein-polysaccharide complexes to form emulsions stable to environmental stresses such as freezing. In addition, a range of SOSs were formulated using Hypromellose/Xanthangum, Methylcellulose/Xanthangum, Tween 20/Xanthangum, and Gelatine/Carboxymethylcellulose in order to understand the formation of SOS, to prove the concept that any surface active and non-surface active polymers that can form electrostatic complexes can form SOS, and to find an alternative to Gelatine/Xanthangum emulsifiers. A thorough physicochemical characterisation of both the fast-dissolving orodispersible film and structured oil systems was conducted using a range of analytical techniques including imaging techniques (various optical and electron microscopes, and XμCT), ATR-FTIR, PXRD, DSC, TGA, a texture analyser, LD, and in vitro dissolution testing. This study demonstrated that electrospinning technology has great potential to be used in formulating a dosage form for children, that liquid vegetable oil and fish oil can be encapsulated within fibres using emulsion electrospinning and introduced a novel solid structured oil system capable of holding large amounts of oil.

The main challenge faced by agricultural research is to produce high quantity and quality food to feed a constantly growing world population. Fertilizers are an essential component of productive agricultural systems, but their efficiency of use is low due to losses to the atmosphere, soil and waters, which consequently can cause environmental damage. In addition, reaction of nutrients with soil components reduces their availability to plants and thus they may accumulate in soil. Nutrients may also be leached from soil and end up in rivers, lakes and the ocean. Improving fertilizer use efficiency is therefore a global goal and new engineering approaches are needed to design more effective nutrient delivery systems to crops which minimize losses to the environment. Recent strategies to address these problems are based on designing slow-release fertilizers using porous materials or polymer-coating of conventional fertilizers, which have seen some success but are severely limited by their cost. Graphene (GN) and its derivatives may offer a path-way to develop more efficient fertilizers due to the outstanding physicochemical properties of GN. During the relatively short time since the discovery of GN in 2004, its unique properties have attracted great interest in multiple fields including chemistry, physics, materials science, biology and engineering. The two dimensional structure of GN, in addition to its high surface area, makes this material very attractive for the delivery of drugs or genetic material and there is also potential for application as a nutrient carrier in agriculture. Despite being one atom thick, GN is the strongest material ever tested and its unique mechanical properties made it a favourable candidate to be used as a reinforcement material to enhance the toughness of different composites and therefore a potential application to enhance the mechanical properties of fertilizer granules. Therefore, considering the excellent properties of GN-based materials, including a two-dimensional (2D) structure, a high specific surface area, a tailorable surface chemistry and a high mechanical strength, this thesis examined the potential for use of GN-based materials to improve thenutrient delivery to crops, to enhance fertiliser use efficiency as well as the mechanical properties of granular fertilizers. The following four concepts were developed and explored in this thesis: The first part of the thesis focuses on the development of a new carrier platform for delivery of plant nutrients based on graphene oxide (GO) sheets. To prove this concept, the micronutrients zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) were loaded onto GO sheets. The GO sheets provided a high loading capacity for Zn and Cu (14% and 10% by weight, respectively) with slow release properties. The GO-based fertilizers displayed a biphasic release behaviour with a portion of the micronutrients released quickly, and a portion having a slow release behaviour. This was likely due to 2D structure of GO as well as the tight coordination of nutrients with oxygen functional groups of the GO sheets. A visualization method was used to assess the release and diffusion of Cu and Zn in soil from these GO-based fertilizers and demonstrated the advantages of GO carriers compared to commercial fertilizers. A pot trial demonstrated that Zn and Cu uptake by wheat was higher when using GO-based fertilizers compared to commercial zinc or copper salts. This is the first report on the agronomic performance of GO-based slow-release fertilizers and demonstrated their capability to be used as a generic platform for micronutrient delivery. In the second part of this thesis, different formulations of GO-based micronutrient fertilizers were assessed for their ability to supply micronutrients to wheat, compared with commercial fertilizers. Both granular versus fluid forms of fertilizer, and fertilizer placement (banded versus mixed), were investigated in this study. Fluid (suspension) forms of the GO-based fertilizers were more effective than the granular forms, and the GO-based formulations were more effective than equivalent fluid and granular commercial zinc sulphate products. The third part of this thesis utilized GN and GO as hardening agents to enhance the physical properties of granular monoammonium phosphate (MAP) fertilizers. Co-granulation of 0.5% w/w GN sheets in MAP granules (MAP-GN) significantly enhanced the mechanical strength of MAP granules while inclusion of the same amounts of GO sheets (MAP-GO) improved the strength to a lesser extent (18 times improvement versus 8 times). The abrasion of MAP-GN was 70% less than the unamended MAP granules, while the impact resistance of MAP-GN was 75% greater than unamended MAP. The inclusion of GN not only improved the physical properties of granules but also slightly slowed the release of phosphorus to soil. The advantages of GN and GO sheets in improving the physical properties of MAP granules were explained by their high specific area and high mechanical properties in addition to their 2D geometry. These results indicate the potential for GN/GO additives to improve the physical properties of granular fertilizers. The fourth and final part of this thesis investigated the concentration dependence of GN addition to fertilizer (MAP and diammonium phosphate (DAP)) granules in improving fertilizer physical quality. The optimum concentration of GN for MAP and DAP were 0.5 w% and 0.05w%, respectively and adding greater amounts of GN decreased the crushing strength rather than increasing it. It was also observed that the improved crushing strength of GNamended granules depended on the initial hardness of fertilizers - the crushing strength of softer granules such as MAP was enhanced almost 15 fold, while harder granules such as DAP had much smaller improvements in crushing strength. Furthermore, this work investigated whether GN made by different methods, and therefore having different properties (level of deoxygenation, specific surface area (SSA) and sheet size), had similar effects on the physical quality of fertilizers. Graphene with a higher degree of deoxygenation and SSA, and lower particle size, was more effective in improving the crushing strength of MAP. However, there was little effect of GN properties on DAP granules amended with GN, likely due to the higher initial crushing strength of DAP.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Chemical Engineering, 2018

碩士
東海大學
環境科學與工程學系
98
In this study, the wasted activated sludge (WAS) from a local municipal wastewater treatment plant in Taichung was mixed with laterite and some chemical additives and then backed to make porous WAS pellets. Optimal formula to assemble the porous pellets was obtained using design of experiment (DOE) method. Various assembling formula between WAS and laterite resulted in different water absorption capacity, bulk density, and compressive strength of the sintered products. Additionally, some nutrients (i.e., KH2PO4, KNO3) were added into the pellets in an attempt to allow more microbial growth. Monitored data for the SBBR system (with raw pallets) and the SBBR-Nutrient system (with nutrient added pellets) were compared to determine treatment variation. Results shows that the pellets (with nutrients) reused in sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) had notable biofilm formed enhancing wastewater treatment performance significantly. Furthermore, the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) efficiency for the SBBR-Nutrient system (98%) were better than that of the SBBR system with raw pellets (96%). Overall results suggested the porous WAS pellets with nutrients addition could be used as an appropriate biofilm carrier during wastewater processing.

A conventional membrane bioreactor (MBR) and two moving bed bioreactors coupled with ultrafiltration membrane filtration were operated for close to six months to investigate biological nutrient removal and potential fouling inducing parameter mitigation. Unique to one of the moving bed membrane bioreactors (MBMBR) was a newly designed media that incorporated a hydrodynamic exterior carrier with a highly porous interior packing. Preliminary investigation indicates that nitrogen compounds were superiorly removed in the two MBMBRs when compared with the MBR. This is a result of denitrification processes occurring in anoxic micro-zones found within the depths of the biofilm affixed to media. Fouling propensity was found to be increased by over four times in the MBMBR systems as compared to the MBR. Mixed liquor, permeate and filtrate analysis, membrane fibre examination and permeability tests indicated that colloidal organic carbon, as well as soluble microbial products were the dominant fouling inducing compounds.
Manuscript format
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

碩士
國立海洋大學
水產養殖學系
87
Production of live food organisms is the key to the success of larval rearing. Culture duration and media and nutrition of the food fed to the live food organisms all can affect the quality of the live food organisms, which in turn affects the health and survival of the larva. Rotifer is an important live food organism for marine fish larva. However, HUFA (Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acid) content of rotifer is usually not sufficient to satisfy the nutritional requirement of marine fish larva. This can usually be compensated by enrichment during the cultivation of rotifer. The purposes of this study were first to evaluate the feasibility of using zeolite powder as the carrier of enrichment substances and as the food for rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis) by examining the suspension condition of the enriched zeolite powder. Then, quality of the rotifer was evaluated by its HUFA profile after it had been fed with the enriched zeolite and/or marine microalgae (Nannochloropsis oculata). Finally, quality of the red sea bream (Pagrus major) larva was evaluated by the survival, growth, ratio of swollen air bladder, stress tolerance, and fatty acids profile of the larva fed with those enriched rotifer. In the first experiment, 3 kinds of zeolite: Z, zeolite powder without enrichment, as the control; SZ, zeolite powder enriched with emulsified fish oil; and KZ, zeolite powder enriched with krill hydrolysates were dispersed in a 36-cm water column under lightly aerated or stagnant condition. Water was sampled from the surface, middle, and bottom layer at 0 and 4 hr and suspended particles were counted. At 0 hr, 3 kinds of zeolite distributed homogeneously in all 3 layers. At 4 hr, KZ had more suspended particles than Z and SZ. However, the 4-hr suspension rate (the ratio of suspended particles at 4 hr to 0 hr) was highest for SZ (75%) and lowest for KZ (55%). Aeration increased the suspension rate; 49% and 77% for the stagnant and aerated condition, respectively. In the second experiment, rotifer was fed in 5 ways: B, no food was provided, as the blank; KZ, zeolite powder enriched with krill hydrolysates was fed; N, only microalgae was fed; NKZ, both N and KZ were fed; and NSZ, both N and SZ (zeolite powder enriched with emulsified fish oil) were fed. At 0, 6, 12, and 24 hr after feeding, population increment, crude lipid content, and fatty acids profiles of rotifer, and water quality were analyzed to evaluate the quality of rotifer. There were no differences in population increment among these 5 ways of feeding, ranging 89-94%. Crude lipid content in rotifer was highest at 24 hr after feeding and significantly different from the other duration. The rotifer that was fed with KZ, N, NKZ, and NSZ had significantly higher crude lipid content than the rotifer that was not fed in B treatment. The rotifer fed with food containing microalgae, i.e., NSZ, NKZ, and N, their n-3 HUFA were of no difference among each other, but higher than B. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in NSZ rotifer was higher than in B rotifer. The results had shown that microalgae contributed to the HUFA in rotifer. Water in all treatments remains unpolluted; ammonia concentration stayed lower than the safe level for rotifer and pH maintained in the range 7.70-7.93. In the third experiment, rotifer from the second experiment was fed to the red sea bream larva, then survival rate, growth rate, swollen air bladder ratio, stress tolerance, and fatty acids profile of the resulting larva were evaluated. There was significant increase in DHA and n-3 HUFA profile when the larva fed with enriched rotifer. Larva with higher DHA and n-3 HUFA profile had higher survival rate, growth rate, swollen air bladder ratio, and stress tolerance. Larvae fed with NSZ rotifer had best performance on all those quality parameters for being highest in its n-3 HUFA profile. On the contrary, larva fed with rotifer without enrichment (B rotifer) had the worst performance since such rotifer was not able to provide sufficient nutrition for the larva. This series of experiments had shown that zeolite powder was suitable to be used as a primary carrier for the enrichment substances. Zeolite enriched with emulsified fish oil was demonstrated as a readily food for rotifer, when together fed with microalgae to the rotifer, HUFA content of the rotifer was greatly enhanced. Fed with such enriched rotifer and small amount of microalgae, which also improved the water quality, to the red sea bream larva, healthy and high vitality larva were obtained.

Definition 488Pathophysiology 488Clinical features 489Causes 490Investigations 491Management 492Portal hypertension is increased blood pressure within the portal venous system and defined as an increase in the pressure gradient between the portal veins and the hepatic veins (>5 mmHg).The portal vein carries nutrient-rich blood to the liver from the GI tract and spleen. At the hilum of the liver it divides into the major right and left portal veins. Within the liver these veins undergo further divisions to supply each segment, and terminate in small branches, which pierce the limiting plate of the portal tract and enter the hepatic sinusoids through small channels (...

Processes in Microbial Ecology discusses the major processes carried out by viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and other protists—the microbes—in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems. The book shows how advances in genomic and other molecular approaches have uncovered the incredible diversity of microbes in natural environments and unraveled complex biogeochemical processes carried out by uncultivated bacteria, archaea, and fungi. The microbes and biogeochemical processes are affected by ecological interactions, including competition for limiting nutrients, viral lysis, and predation by protists in soils and aquatic habitats. The book links up processes occurring at the micron scale to events happening at the global scale, including the carbon cycle and its connection to climate change issues. The book ends with a chapter devoted to symbiosis and other relationships between microbes and large organisms, which have large impacts not only on biogeochemical cycles, but also on the ecology and evolution of large organisms, including Homo sapiens.

Swamps and marshes once covered vast stretches of the North American landscape. The destruction of these habitats, long seen as wastelands that harbored deadly disease, accelerated in the twentieth century. Today, the majority of the original wetlands in the US have vanished, transformed into farm fields or buried under city streets. In The Marsh Builders, Sharon Levy delves into the intertwined histories of wetlands loss and water pollution. The book's springboard is the tale of a years-long citizen uprising in Humboldt County, California, which led to the creation of one of the first U.S. wetlands designed to treat city sewage. The book explores the global roots of this local story: the cholera epidemics that plagued nineteenth-century Europe; the researchers who invented modern sewage treatment after bumbling across the insight that microbes break down pollutants in water; the discovery that wetlands act as efficient filters for the pollutants unleashed by modern humanity. More than forty years after the passage of the Clean Water Act launched a nation-wide effort to rescue lakes, rivers and estuaries fouled with human and industrial waste, the need for revived wetlands is more urgent than ever. Waters from Lake Erie and Chesapeake Bay to China's Lake Taihu are tainted with an overload of nutrients carried in runoff from farms and cities, creating underwater dead zones and triggering algal blooms that release toxins into drinking water sources used by millions of people. As the planet warms, scientists are beginning to design wetlands that can shield coastal cities from rising seas. Revived wetlands hold great promise for healing the world's waters.

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of method management of mountain soil on the quantity and quality of waste water, and the amount of mineral nutrients it contains. I have analyzed the water, that was moved through the soil profiles of 0-20 cm and 0-40 cm depth. I have also evaluated the floristic composition, the productivity of grassland and arable land, and the use of fertilizers by vegetation and soil chemical properties. I have found that the type of plant cover of the soil had a significant effect on the amount and chemical composition of water moving through the soil profile. Arable land was characterized by an average of 5 percentage point higher drainage rates compared to meadows. The smallest outflow of water from the soil was found in the first research period (intensive vegetation), and the largest in the third period (non-vegetation). The largest amount of the mineral content carried out annually with a soaking water, was observed on the arable land and was on average more than 2 times larger than on other fertilizers. This evidenced by the greater variation in the composition of floristic vegetation and its productivity. Between 0-20 cm and 0-40 cm of soil profiles, significant differences in the amount of waste water and mineral components were observed. The water drainage coefficient from the shallow profile was on average 9 percentage points higher than from the deeper profile. The amount of the sum of mineral loads, excluding calcium from the shallow soil profile was 94,5% higher than the sum of loads taken from the deeper soil profile. In the unused meadow the improvement of soil chemical properties was observed. There was an increase in pH, and the accumulation of minerals resulted from the positive balance of most of the ingredients.

This chapter is focused on the most important process in the biosphere, primary production, the turning of carbon dioxide into organic material by higher plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Photosynthetic microbes account for roughly 50% of global primary production while the other half is by large, terrestrial plants. After reviewing the basic physiology of photosynthesis, the chapter discusses approaches to measuring gross and net primary production and how these processes affect fluxes of oxygen and carbon dioxide into and out of aquatic ecosystems. It then points out that terrestrial plants have high biomass but relatively low growth, while the opposite is the case for aquatic algae and cyanobacteria. Primary production varies greatly with the seasons in temperate ecosystems, punctuated by the spring bloom when the biomass of one algal type, diatoms, reaches a maximum. Other abundant algal types include coccolithophorids in the oceans and filamentous cyanobacteria in freshwaters. After the bloom, small algae take over and out-compete larger forms for limiting nutrients because of superior uptake kinetics. Abundant types of small algae include two coccoid cyanobacteria, Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus, the latter said to be the most abundant photoautotroph on the planet because of its large numbers in oligotrophic oceans. Other algae, often dinoflagellates, are toxic. Many algae can also graze on other microbes, probably to obtain limiting nitrogen or phosphorus. Still other microbes are mainly heterotrophic but are capable of harvesting light energy. Primary production in oxic environments is carried out by oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, whereas in anoxic environments with sufficient light, it is anaerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis in which oxygen is not produced. Although its contribution to global primary production is small, anoxygenic photosynthesis helps us understand the biophysics and biochemistry of photosynthesis and its evolution on early Earth. These microbes as well as aerobic phototrophic and heterotrophic microbes make up microbial mats. These mats can provide insights into early life on the planet when a type of mat, “stromatolites,” covered vast areas of primordial seas in the Proterozoic.

Horseradish roots, due to the content of many valuable nutrients and substances with healing and pro-health properties, are used more and more in medicine, food industry and cosmetics. In Poland, the cultivation of horseradish is considered minor crops. In addition, its limited size causes horseradish producers to encounter a number of unresolved agrotechnical problems. Infectious diseases developing on the leaves and roots during the long growing season reduce the size and quality of root crops. The small range of protection products intended for use in the cultivation of horseradish generates further serious environmental problems (immunization of pathogens, low effectiveness, deterioration of the quality of raw materials intended for industry, destruction of beneficial organisms and biodiversity). In order to meet the problems encountered by horseradish producers and taking into account the lack of data on: yielding, occurrence of infectious diseases and the possibility of combating them with methods alternative to chemical ones in the years 2012–2015, rigorous experiments have been carried out. The paper compares the impact of chemical protection and its reduced variants with biological protection on: total yield of horseradish roots and its structure. The intensification of infectious diseases on horseradish leaves and roots was analyzed extensively. Correlations were examined between individual disease entities and total yield and separated root fractions. A very important and innovative part of the work was to learn about the microbial communities involved in the epidemiology of Verticillium wilt of horseradish roots. The effect was examined of treatment of horseradish cuttings with a biological preparation (Pythium oligandrum), a chemical preparation (thiophanate-methyl), and the Kelpak SL biostimulator (auxins and cytokinins from the Ecklonia maxima algae) on the quantitative and qualitative changes occurring in the communities of these microorganisms. The affiliation of species to groups of frequencies was arranged hierarchically, and the biodiversity of these communities was expressed by the following indicators: Simpson index, Shannon–Wiener index, Shannon evenness index and species richness index. Correlations were assessed between the number of communities, indicators of their biodiversity and intensification of Verticillium wilt of horseradish roots. It was shown that the total yield of horseradish roots was on average 126 dt · ha–1. Within its structure, the main root was 56%, whereas the fraction of lateral roots (cuttings) with a length of more than 20 cm accounted for 26%, and those shorter than 20 cm for 12%, with unprofitable yield (waste) of 6%. In the years with higher humidity, the total root yield was higher than in the dry seasons by around 51 dt · ha–1 on average. On the other hand, the applied protection treatments significantly increased the total yield of horseradish roots from 4,6 to 45,3 dt · ha–1 and the share of fractions of more than 30 cm therein. Higher yielding effects were obtained in variants with a reduced amount of foliar application of fungicides at the expense of introducing biopreparations and biostimulators (R1, R2, R3) and in chemical protection (Ch) than in biological protection (B1, B2) and with the limitation of treatments only to the treatment of cuttings. The largest increments can be expected after treating the seedlings with Topsin M 500 SC and spraying the leaves: 1 × Amistar Opti 480 SC, 1 × Polyversum WP, 1 × Timorex Gold 24 EC and three times with biostimulators (2 × Kelpak SL + 1 × Tytanit). In the perspective of the increasing water deficit, among the biological protection methods, the (B2) variant with the treatment of seedlings with auxins and cytokinins contained in the E. maxima algae extract is more recommended than (B1) involving the use of P. oligandrum spores. White rust was the biggest threat on horseradish plantations, whereas the following occurred to a lesser extent: Phoma leaf spot, Cylindrosporium disease, Alternaria black spot and Verticillium wilt. In turn, on the surface of the roots it was dry root rot and inside – Verticillium wilt of horseradish roots. The best health of the leaves and roots was ensured by full chemical protection (cuttings treatment + 6 foliar applications). A similar effect of protection against Albugo candida and Pyrenopeziza brassicae was achieved in the case of reduced chemical protection to one foliar treatment with synthetic fungicide, two treatments with biological preparations (Polyversum WP and Timorex Gold 24 EC) and three treatments with biostimulators (2 × Kelpak SL, 1 × Tytanit). On the other hand, the level of limitation of root diseases comparable with chemical protection was ensured by its reduced variants R3 and R2, and in the case of dry root rot, also both variants of biological protection. In the dry years, over 60% of the roots showed symptoms of Verticillium wilt, and its main culprits are Verticillium dahliae (37.4%), Globisporangium irregulare (7.2%), Ilyonectria destructans (7.0%), Fusarium acuminatum (6.7%), Rhizoctonia solani (6.0%), Epicoccum nigrum (5.4%), Alternaria brassicae (5.17%). The Kelpak SL biostimulator and the Polyversum WP biological preparation contributed to the increased biodiversity of microbial communities associated with Verticillium wilt of horseradish roots. In turn, along with its increase, the intensification of the disease symptoms decreased. There was a significant correlation between the richness of species in the communities of microbial isolates and the intensification of Verticillium wilt of horseradish roots. Each additional species of microorganism contributed to the reduction of disease intensification by 1,19%.

Bones are multifunctional passive organs of movement that supports soft tissue and directly attached muscles. They also protect internal organs and are a reserve of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Each bone is covered with periosteum, and the adjacent bone surfaces are covered by articular cartilage. Histologically, the bone is an organ composed of many different tissues. The main component is bone tissue (cortical and spongy) composed of a set of bone cells and intercellular substance (mineral and organic), it also contains fat, hematopoietic (bone marrow) and cartilaginous tissue. Bones are a tissue that even in adult life retains the ability to change shape and structure depending on changes in their mechanical and hormonal environment, as well as self-renewal and repair capabilities. This process is called bone turnover. The basic processes of bone turnover are: • bone modeling (incessantly changes in bone shape during individual growth) following resorption and tissue formation at various locations (e.g. bone marrow formation) to increase mass and skeletal morphology. This process occurs in the bones of growing individuals and stops after reaching puberty • bone remodeling (processes involve in maintaining bone tissue by resorbing and replacing old bone tissue with new tissue in the same place, e.g. repairing micro fractures). It is a process involving the removal and internal remodeling of existing bone and is responsible for maintaining tissue mass and architecture of mature bones. Bone turnover is regulated by two types of transformation: • osteoclastogenesis, i.e. formation of cells responsible for bone resorption • osteoblastogenesis, i.e. formation of cells responsible for bone formation (bone matrix synthesis and mineralization) Bone maturity can be defined as the completion of basic structural development and mineralization leading to maximum mass and optimal mechanical strength. The highest rate of increase in pig bone mass is observed in the first twelve weeks after birth. This period of growth is considered crucial for optimizing the growth of the skeleton of pigs, because the degree of bone mineralization in later life stages (adulthood) depends largely on the amount of bone minerals accumulated in the early stages of their growth. The development of the technique allows to determine the condition of the skeletal system (or individual bones) in living animals by methods used in human medicine, or after their slaughter. For in vivo determination of bone properties, Abstract 10 double energy X-ray absorptiometry or computed tomography scanning techniques are used. Both methods allow the quantification of mineral content and bone mineral density. The most important property from a practical point of view is the bone’s bending strength, which is directly determined by the maximum bending force. The most important factors affecting bone strength are: • age (growth period), • gender and the associated hormonal balance, • genotype and modification of genes responsible for bone growth • chemical composition of the body (protein and fat content, and the proportion between these components), • physical activity and related bone load, • nutritional factors: – protein intake influencing synthesis of organic matrix of bone, – content of minerals in the feed (CA, P, Zn, Ca/P, Mg, Mn, Na, Cl, K, Cu ratio) influencing synthesis of the inorganic matrix of bone, – mineral/protein ratio in the diet (Ca/protein, P/protein, Zn/protein) – feed energy concentration, – energy source (content of saturated fatty acids - SFA, content of polyun saturated fatty acids - PUFA, in particular ALA, EPA, DPA, DHA), – feed additives, in particular: enzymes (e.g. phytase releasing of minerals bounded in phytin complexes), probiotics and prebiotics (e.g. inulin improving the function of the digestive tract by increasing absorption of nutrients), – vitamin content that regulate metabolism and biochemical changes occurring in bone tissue (e.g. vitamin D3, B6, C and K). This study was based on the results of research experiments from available literature, and studies on growing pigs carried out at the Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences. The tests were performed in total on 300 pigs of Duroc, Pietrain, Puławska breeds, line 990 and hybrids (Great White × Duroc, Great White × Landrace), PIC pigs, slaughtered at different body weight during the growth period from 15 to 130 kg. Bones for biomechanical tests were collected after slaughter from each pig. Their length, mass and volume were determined. Based on these measurements, the specific weight (density, g/cm3) was calculated. Then each bone was cut in the middle of the shaft and the outer and inner diameters were measured both horizontally and vertically. Based on these measurements, the following indicators were calculated: • cortical thickness, • cortical surface, • cortical index. Abstract 11 Bone strength was tested by a three-point bending test. The obtained data enabled the determination of: • bending force (the magnitude of the maximum force at which disintegration and disruption of bone structure occurs), • strength (the amount of maximum force needed to break/crack of bone), • stiffness (quotient of the force acting on the bone and the amount of displacement occurring under the influence of this force). Investigation of changes in physical and biomechanical features of bones during growth was performed on pigs of the synthetic 990 line growing from 15 to 130 kg body weight. The animals were slaughtered successively at a body weight of 15, 30, 40, 50, 70, 90, 110 and 130 kg. After slaughter, the following bones were separated from the right half-carcass: humerus, 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone, femur, tibia and fibula as well as 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone. The features of bones were determined using methods described in the methodology. Describing bone growth with the Gompertz equation, it was found that the earliest slowdown of bone growth curve was observed for metacarpal and metatarsal bones. This means that these bones matured the most quickly. The established data also indicate that the rib is the slowest maturing bone. The femur, humerus, tibia and fibula were between the values of these features for the metatarsal, metacarpal and rib bones. The rate of increase in bone mass and length differed significantly between the examined bones, but in all cases it was lower (coefficient b <1) than the growth rate of the whole body of the animal. The fastest growth rate was estimated for the rib mass (coefficient b = 0.93). Among the long bones, the humerus (coefficient b = 0.81) was characterized by the fastest rate of weight gain, however femur the smallest (coefficient b = 0.71). The lowest rate of bone mass increase was observed in the foot bones, with the metacarpal bones having a slightly higher value of coefficient b than the metatarsal bones (0.67 vs 0.62). The third bone had a lower growth rate than the fourth bone, regardless of whether they were metatarsal or metacarpal. The value of the bending force increased as the animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, the highest values were observed for the humerus, tibia and femur, smaller for the metatarsal and metacarpal bone, and the lowest for the fibula and rib. The rate of change in the value of this indicator increased at a similar rate as the body weight changes of the animals in the case of the fibula and the fourth metacarpal bone (b value = 0.98), and more slowly in the case of the metatarsal bone, the third metacarpal bone, and the tibia bone (values of the b ratio 0.81–0.85), and the slowest femur, humerus and rib (value of b = 0.60–0.66). Bone stiffness increased as animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, the highest values were observed for the humerus, tibia and femur, smaller for the metatarsal and metacarpal bone, and the lowest for the fibula and rib. Abstract 12 The rate of change in the value of this indicator changed at a faster rate than the increase in weight of pigs in the case of metacarpal and metatarsal bones (coefficient b = 1.01–1.22), slightly slower in the case of fibula (coefficient b = 0.92), definitely slower in the case of the tibia (b = 0.73), ribs (b = 0.66), femur (b = 0.59) and humerus (b = 0.50). Bone strength increased as animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, bone strength was as follows femur > tibia > humerus > 4 metacarpal> 3 metacarpal> 3 metatarsal > 4 metatarsal > rib> fibula. The rate of increase in strength of all examined bones was greater than the rate of weight gain of pigs (value of the coefficient b = 2.04–3.26). As the animals grew, the bone density increased. However, the growth rate of this indicator for the majority of bones was slower than the rate of weight gain (the value of the coefficient b ranged from 0.37 – humerus to 0.84 – fibula). The exception was the rib, whose density increased at a similar pace increasing the body weight of animals (value of the coefficient b = 0.97). The study on the influence of the breed and the feeding intensity on bone characteristics (physical and biomechanical) was performed on pigs of the breeds Duroc, Pietrain, and synthetic 990 during a growth period of 15 to 70 kg body weight. Animals were fed ad libitum or dosed system. After slaughter at a body weight of 70 kg, three bones were taken from the right half-carcass: femur, three metatarsal, and three metacarpal and subjected to the determinations described in the methodology. The weight of bones of animals fed aa libitum was significantly lower than in pigs fed restrictively All bones of Duroc breed were significantly heavier and longer than Pietrain and 990 pig bones. The average values of bending force for the examined bones took the following order: III metatarsal bone (63.5 kg) <III metacarpal bone (77.9 kg) <femur (271.5 kg). The feeding system and breed of pigs had no significant effect on the value of this indicator. The average values of the bones strength took the following order: III metatarsal bone (92.6 kg) <III metacarpal (107.2 kg) <femur (353.1 kg). Feeding intensity and breed of animals had no significant effect on the value of this feature of the bones tested. The average bone density took the following order: femur (1.23 g/cm3) <III metatarsal bone (1.26 g/cm3) <III metacarpal bone (1.34 g / cm3). The density of bones of animals fed aa libitum was higher (P<0.01) than in animals fed with a dosing system. The density of examined bones within the breeds took the following order: Pietrain race> line 990> Duroc race. The differences between the “extreme” breeds were: 7.2% (III metatarsal bone), 8.3% (III metacarpal bone), 8.4% (femur). Abstract 13 The average bone stiffness took the following order: III metatarsal bone (35.1 kg/mm) <III metacarpus (41.5 kg/mm) <femur (60.5 kg/mm). This indicator did not differ between the groups of pigs fed at different intensity, except for the metacarpal bone, which was more stiffer in pigs fed aa libitum (P<0.05). The femur of animals fed ad libitum showed a tendency (P<0.09) to be more stiffer and a force of 4.5 kg required for its displacement by 1 mm. Breed differences in stiffness were found for the femur (P <0.05) and III metacarpal bone (P <0.05). For femur, the highest value of this indicator was found in Pietrain pigs (64.5 kg/mm), lower in pigs of 990 line (61.6 kg/mm) and the lowest in Duroc pigs (55.3 kg/mm). In turn, the 3rd metacarpal bone of Duroc and Pietrain pigs had similar stiffness (39.0 and 40.0 kg/mm respectively) and was smaller than that of line 990 pigs (45.4 kg/mm). The thickness of the cortical bone layer took the following order: III metatarsal bone (2.25 mm) <III metacarpal bone (2.41 mm) <femur (5.12 mm). The feeding system did not affect this indicator. Breed differences (P <0.05) for this trait were found only for the femur bone: Duroc (5.42 mm)> line 990 (5.13 mm)> Pietrain (4.81 mm). The cross sectional area of the examined bones was arranged in the following order: III metatarsal bone (84 mm2) <III metacarpal bone (90 mm2) <femur (286 mm2). The feeding system had no effect on the value of this bone trait, with the exception of the femur, which in animals fed the dosing system was 4.7% higher (P<0.05) than in pigs fed ad libitum. Breed differences (P<0.01) in the coross sectional area were found only in femur and III metatarsal bone. The value of this indicator was the highest in Duroc pigs, lower in 990 animals and the lowest in Pietrain pigs. The cortical index of individual bones was in the following order: III metatarsal bone (31.86) <III metacarpal bone (33.86) <femur (44.75). However, its value did not significantly depend on the intensity of feeding or the breed of pigs.

AbstractCompost is a widely accepted organic fertiliser throughout the world. It is being produced using a wide variety of source materials at household to commercial scale. With the increased population and changes in food consumption pattern tending towards a vegetable- and meat-rich diet, the amount of organic waste generated in urban and peri-urban settings has increased. Many governments promote composting as a process that helps them to reduce the volume of organic waste and recycle nutrients back to croplands. Some examples of organic waste accumulated in large scale include household waste from urban and peri-urban settings, sewage, animal farm waste, agricultural waste from large-scale markets, food debris, and kitchen waste from hotels. The composition of compost varies in a wide range depending on the nature of materials used to produce it. The safety concerns related to compost also vary along the same line. The quality of compost has become a subjective term that means different aspects to different bodies due to a lack of commonly agreed standards to regulate the composting process and the final product itself. Recent research findings indicate that compost can serve as a carrier of potentially toxic trace elements, organic pollutants, and determinants of antimicrobial resistance to the environment and along the food chain. Producing good-quality compost safe to human health and the environment at large has become a challenge that should be addressed at various levels: from production to policymaking. This chapter discusses some of the major challenges faced in Sri Lanka with compost making. To prepare the background for this discussion, information on the policies and current practices of nutrient management in Sri Lanka is also presented. The context may be applicable to many other developing countries in the tropics.

Abstract Nitrogen (N) deficiency is a common feature in soils managed by smallholder farmers in Africa. Crop residue retention, in combination with no-till (NT), may be a pathway to improve agronomic use efficiency of applied N for small-scale farmers under the predominant rainfed conditions. This chapter reports on the results of a study carried out over two cropping seasons in the long rains of 2014 and 2015 on two sites: (i) on-farm (Mandela); and (ii) a research station (SARI) in eastern Tanzania. The experiment consisted of two tillage systems, conventional tillage (CT) and Conservation Agriculture (CA), with a minimum of 2.5 t ha-1 crop residue cover maintained in the plots during the experiment. CT consisted of soil inversion through tillage and removal of crop residues. In the on-farm experiment, maize was grown in plots with four rates of N application: 0, 27, 54 and 108 kg N ha^-1. In the on-station trial, five rates were used: 0, 20, 40, 60 and 100 kg N ha-1. Maize yield and agronomic efficiency (AE) of N were used to assess and compare the productivity of the tested treatments. The results showed that tillage, soil type and rate of N application influenced crop productivity. In the clay soils, the differences between tillage practices were small. Under CT, AE ranged between 21.6 and 53.9 kg/kg N, and it was 20.4-60.6 kg/kg N under CA. The lowest fertilizer application rate of 27 kg ha^-1 often had the largest AE across the soil types and tillage practices. In the on-station trials at SARI, the largest AE of 24.6 kg/kg N was recorded under CA with 40 kg N ha-1. As in the on-farm trials, the highest N application rate on-station did not lead to the largest AE. In the CT, AE ranged between 11.5 and 16.8 kg/kg N compared with a range of 15.1 to 24.6 kg/kg N for the CA treatment. Overall, crop residue retention, in combination with NT, is important to improve soil moisture and use efficiency of applied nutrients. Additionally, the initial soil fertility status is also important in determining the magnitude of short-term crop response to applied nutrients. Innovative pathways are needed to achieve the multiple objectives played by maize crop residues for results reported here to be sustainable. However, efficiency of nutrient use needs to be assessed, together with returns on investments, as small yields may mean high nutrient use efficiency but not necessarily significant increased returns at the farm level.

AbstractThe call for sustainable food production and consumption has led to an increased interest and new policy measures to support the circular economy and climate-smart farming practices. The merits of aquaponics and closed-loop nutrient cycling systems are increasingly being examined in terms of sustainable productivity in various settings including urban environments. Aquaponics also has the potential to be applied as a learning tool for people of all ages but especially for young people at school. This chapter studies the potential of aquaponics to teach food and science literacy and the use of the technology as an educational tool in primary school. The chapter draws on data from the Growing Blue & Green (GBG) program carried out in cooperation among Aalborg University, Copenhagen, municipal schools and their teachers and a private aquaponic enterprise. The chapter draws on three empirical studies including an exploratory study on the educational opportunities at school, a feasibility study carried out among teachers, as well as the educational Growing Blue & Green (eGBG) study, in which a digital-based regulation component was added. The conclusion is that low-cost versions of aquaponics have considerable potential for supportive learning in elementary school. Preliminary findings furthermore suggest that fitting the setup with easy-to-install intelligent sensors and devices offers the opportunity to provide learning about food, sustainability, and a basic understanding of the control and management of biological systems in one package.

AbstractSeveral approaches exist for measuring greenhouse gases (GHGs), mainly CO2, N2O, and CH4, from soil surfaces. The principle methods that are used to measure GHG from agricultural sites are chamber-based techniques. Both open and closed chamber techniques are in use; however, the majority of field applications use closed chambers. The advantages and disadvantages of different chamber techniques and the principal steps of operation are described. An important part of determining the quality of the flux measurements is the storage and the transportation of the gas samples from the field to the laboratory where the analyses are carried out. Traditionally, analyses of GHGs are carried out via gas chromatographs (GCs). In recent years, optical analysers are becoming increasingly available; these are user-friendly machines and they provide a cost-effective alternative to GCs. Another technique which is still under development, but provides a potentially superior method, is Raman spectroscopy. Not only the GHGs, but also N2, can potentially be analysed if the precision of these techniques is increased in future development. An important part of this chapter deals with the analyses of the gas concentrations, the calculation of fluxes, and the required safety measures. Since non-upland agricultural lands (i.e. flooded paddy soils) are steadily increasing, a section is devoted to the specificities of GHG measurements in these ecosystems. Specialised techniques are also required for GHG measurements in aquatic systems (i.e. rivers), which are often affected by the transfer of nutrients from agricultural fields and therefore are an important indirect source of emission of GHGs. A simple, robust, and more precise methodof ammonia (NH3) emission measurement is also described.

In this pharma innovative world, there are more than 30 drug delivery systems. Today's due to lacking the target specificity, the present scenario about drug delivery is emphasizing towards targeted drug delivery systems. Erythrocytes are the most common type of blood cells travel thousands of miles from wide to narrow pathways to deliver oxygen, drugs and nutrient during their lifetime. Red blood cells have strong and targeted potential carrier capabilities for varieties of drugs. Drug-loaded carrier erythrocytes or resealed erythrocytes are promising for various passive and active targeting. Resealed erythrocyte have advantage over several drug carrier models like biocompatibility, biodegradability without toxic products, inert intracellular environment, entrapping potential for a variety of chemicals, protection of the organism against toxic effects of the drug, able to circulate throughout the body, ideal zero-order drug-release kinetics, no undesired immune response against encapsulated drug etc. Resealed erythrocytes are rapidly taken up by macrophages of the Reticuloendothelial System (RES) of the liver, lung, and spleen of the body and hence drugs also. Resealed erythrocytes method of drugs delivery is secure and effective for drugs targeting specially for a longer period of time. This chapter will explain the different method of drug loading for resealed erythrocytes, their characterization, and applications in various therapies and associated health benefits.

Increasing migration of nutrients in the river water is a major factor in determining the quality of river water due to anthropogenic activities. In order to preserve the good water quality in rivers and other surface water bodies, it is necessary to take preventive measures that can be scientific water quality research and analysis. According to research carried out in kind, the article analyses the Anykščiai city as point source pollution, and the influence of it to the water quality of Šventoji river. Also, based on the statistical information a nutrient concentrations trend analysis of the meteorological and hydrological con-ditions influence was carried out. Investigations were carried out in July-September of 2016. Concentrations of ammonium (NH4-N), nitrite (NO2-N), nitrate (NO3-N), phosphate (PO4-P) and dissolved oxygen (O2) was analysed. In order to determine the impact of point source pollution on river water quality, the changes in concentration before and beyond Anykščiai city were evaluated, according to the meteorological and hydrological conditions. It was found that total nitrogen (Nb) and total phos-phorus (Pb) concentrations during the investigation period respectively, increases in 6% and 8%.

Abstract Agar have long been used as a growth media in biology and medicine. This contribution reports on the results of pull out force of bean plants grown in agar with nutrients-filled microchannels. A jig was developed for pull-out of individual plants grown in agar with nutrients-filled microchannels. Similar tests were carried out on plants grown in agar without nutrients as comparison. A conventional mechanical test machine was used to perform the pull out on days-old Black Eye bean (Vigna Unguiculata) and Mung bean (Vigna Radiata) plants. During pull out tests, load increases linearly with displacement until a maximum load is reached which corresponds to the observed pull-out of the hypocotyl from the agar. In general, load at pull out increases with age of plants. However, when grown without nutrients bean plants develop long tap root length but that does not necessarily translate to larger pull-out force. These observations suggest agar with channels is a suitable platform to study effect of nutrients on root structure and pull-out force.

Upwelling and scattering Deep Ocean Water (DOW) into the euphotic surface layer has been proposed by many oceanographers as a “fishing ground of artificial upwelling”. So far, however, there are no successful means to make it, because of the following difficulties; the very huge amount of DOW upwelling, the dilution of DOW’s nutrient salts in the sea, enduring the rough sea condition on offshore, the strength of very long riser pipe for upwelling, etc. The MARINO-FORUM 21, sponsored by Japanese government fisheries agency, organized the research and development project of an ocean nutrient enhancer named TAKUMI and real sea experiment using it, since the year of 2000. New technology concept, featuring the density current generator for avoiding dilution of nutrient salts, the spar type submersible floating structure for withstanding against the rough sea condition, and the design and analysis of riser pipe for not only in case of the rough sea but also in case of the upending which is world first challenge of election of steel riser pipe with gravity fall in the sub-sea, was studied and introduced for the design of TAKUMI as a proper Ocean Nutrient Enhancer. TAKUMI that upwells DOW of 100,000m3/day from 200m depth and discharges it into the euphotic layer with Diesel engine was manufactured and set-up at the center of Sagami Bay in Japan, in May 2003. More than five years continuous operation in various sea conditions, which includes very rough sea in typhoon and rapid current, caused by direction change of Kuroshio Current was carried out. Also, the behavior of the nutrient water mass and the pattern of primary production around TAKUMI was investigated using the research vessel Tansei Maru. The results from the real sea experiment lead us to believe that the TAKUMI type artificial DOW upwelling system can be feasible to increase a primary production and make a fishing ground in case of large size system of more than 1,000,000m3/day.

The aim of this work was to verify the influence of drying on physical and chemical characteristics of residues from rice milk production. Residues were from the production of white, red and black rice. They were dehydrated in an oven with air circulation at 60ºC for 8h. Characterization of them were carried out by physical and chemical analyses. Residues have presented statistical difference for all parameters measured. Its characterization is necessary to justify its use in other process or application on new products.The residues from rice milk production have high content of nutrients and phenolic compounds, even after dehydration. Keywords: Nutrients; Oryza sativa; waste.

The project to create the fishing ground in the open ocean by rising Deep Ocean Water (DOW) and discharging it in the euphotic layer where photosynthesis can be done by DOW’s rich nutrient salt has been carried out since April 2000, sponsored by Japanese Government Fisheries Agency and Marino-Forum 21. The name of this machine is called Ocean Nutrient Enhancer (ONE for short). As the output of the first year research which includes tank tests, computer simulations and feasibility studies, following outline of the ONE’ concept is proposed. • Rising DOW of 500m depth and 500,000m3/day with the special impeller which makes density current in the euphotic region. • Power for driving the impeller is supplied by OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) engine using a cold characteristics of DOW. • Adopting the configuration of submerged spar type as a floating construction to work safely and continuously against the rough sea. • Upending of the riser pipe is considered for the reliable and cost-effective setting up operation. From the above research, the ONE’s effectiveness is confirmed significantly.

The Seto Inland Sea, the largest enclosed sea in Japan, has unrivalled beauty of archipelago and abundant nature under temperate climate with light rain falls, and the people has been benefitted from the sea ever since the early times. We however experienced sever water pollution problems caused by rapid industrialization and the loss of seaweed bed and tidal flat due to reclamation projects particularly in the period of the high economic growth in 1960s. To resolve these issues, we have carried out water quality improvement programs including reduction of pollutant load based upon the Water Pollution Control Law and the Law concerning Special Measures for Conservation of the Environment of the Seto Inland Sea. As a result, water quality has improved as compared with Tokyo Bay and other enclosed seas. However, there are still severe problems including the occurrence of red tide and oxygen deficient water mass in some areas in the Seto Inland Sea. Securing the bio-diversity, bio-productivity and smooth nutrient circulation are also important. Under these situations, the Law and the Basic Plan for Conservation of the Environment of the Seto Inland Sea were revised in 2015. With these law and plan, it has been made clear that our principal objective is to make the Seto Inland Sea a “Bountiful Sea” through conservation of water quality with bio-diversity and bio-productivity. Also the importance to implement environmental measures corresponding local differences in the respective region and seasonality were indicated. In order to actualize “the Beautiful and Bountiful Seto Inland Sea”, we need to implement environmental water management as follows. 1. Environmental conservation, restoration and creation of coastal areas. 2. Conservation and management of water quality. 3. Conservation of natural and cultural landscapes. 4. Sustainable utilization of fishery resources. Ministry of the Environment, Japan will continue to conduct corresponding programs based on scientific survey and evaluation on conservation/restoration of seaweed bed, tidal flat, smooth circulation of nutrients.

The Seto Inland Sea, the largest enclosed sea in Japan, has unrivalled beauty of archipelago and abundant nature under temperate climate with light rain falls, and the people has been benefitted from the sea ever since the early times. We however experienced sever water pollution problems caused by rapid industrialization and the loss of seaweed bed and tidal flat due to reclamation projects particularly in the period of the high economic growth in 1960s. To resolve these issues, we have carried out water quality improvement programs including reduction of pollutant load based upon the Water Pollution Control Law and the Law concerning Special Measures for Conservation of the Environment of the Seto Inland Sea. As a result, water quality has improved as compared with Tokyo Bay and other enclosed seas. However, there are still severe problems including the occurrence of red tide and oxygen deficient water mass in some areas in the Seto Inland Sea. Securing the bio-diversity, bio-productivity and smooth nutrient circulation are also important. Under these situations, the Law and the Basic Plan for Conservation of the Environment of the Seto Inland Sea were revised in 2015. With these law and plan, it has been made clear that our principal objective is to make the Seto Inland Sea a “Bountiful Sea” through conservation of water quality with bio-diversity and bio-productivity. Also the importance to implement environmental measures corresponding local differences in the respective region and seasonality were indicated. In order to actualize “the Beautiful and Bountiful Seto Inland Sea”, we need to implement environmental water management as follows. 1. Environmental conservation, restoration and creation of coastal areas. 2. Conservation and management of water quality. 3. Conservation of natural and cultural landscapes. 4. Sustainable utilization of fishery resources. Ministry of the Environment, Japan will continue to conduct corresponding programs based on scientific survey and evaluation on conservation/restoration of seaweed bed, tidal flat, smooth circulation of nutrients.

Field measurement and modelling of the material cycle are carried out for the cultivation pond of penaeid shrimp Penaeus japonicus. The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the sustainability of coastal shrimp aquaculture, which is increasingly being questioned due to many problems like disease, excessive nutrient enrichment, and low levels of dissolved oxygen tension. Despite the great economic importance of shrimps and their suitability to aquaculture, little is known about the material cycle through the cultivation pond. Additionally, the collapse of shrimp aquaculture in most tropical countries may be attributed to the lack of ecological, biological, and environmental understanding. Hence field measurement of water quality is conducted in the shrimp cultivation pond, which locates in the Kyushu district of Japan. Various environmental factors such as water temperature, salinity, and the concentrations of dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and chlorophyll a are monitored for the water in the pond and that drawn from the outer sea during November and December of 2006. In addition to field measurement, one dimensional numerical model is developed for the shrimp cultivation pond to understand the material cycle through the pond in a quantitative manner. The numerical model consists of physical, lower trophic-level ecosystem, and shrimp growth submodels. The numerical values of physical and physiological parameters are calibrated to achieve the best agreement between observed and simulated results. By integrating results from field measurement and numerical simulation, it is revealed that the quality of water in the cultivation pond is quite different from that drawn from the outer sea. In particular the concentration of chlorophyll a is much higher in the cultivation pond due to large primary production. The results of the numerical simulation show that the high productivity is attributed partly to the activities of shrimps. The information from field measurement and the simulated results of the developed numerical model are useful to optimize the food quantity and quality, the population density of shrimps, and the design of watermills or the other equipments to improve the water quality for sustainable use of coastal shrimp cultivation pond.

DOW (Deep Ocean Water: The sea water below 200m depth) which has three major characteristics, Low Temperature, Rich Nutrient and Very Clean, is expected as a future renewable resources in the ocean. Toward the era of environment and low carbon, utilizing the ocean renewable resource is absolutely important because the land base resources are now peaking out. In order to making use of DOW effectively and economically, multi-purpose utilizing of DOW is recommended because it has many aspects of characteristics and advantages. First, Electric Power generation by OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) is carried out using the difference of water temperature between the cold DOW (5°C) and the warm surface water (25°C). Second, a fresh water generation by a desalination of the sea water is carried out using residual difference of temperature after OTEC operation. Third, the DOW after discharging cold temperature in the heat exchanger of fresh water generator is scattered into a photosynthetic surface layer in the sea and its nutrient enhances primary production of the sea and eventually make a rich fishing ground. Forth, Lithium and some other rare metal are absorbed from DOW by putting special filters in the continuous large quantity flow of DOW. In this paper, the multi-purpose DOW platform which generates the electric power, the fresh water, the fishes and the Lithium from only DOW and surface water is proposed as a supplier of infra-structure for an isolated island. Technical and economical feasibility study is carried out and the result is that the enough sized multi-purpose DOW platform is very feasible for the forthcoming environment era.

Rhizoferrin, a siderophore produced by Rhizopus arrhizus, has been shown in previous studies to be an outstanding Fe carrier to plants. However, calculations based on stability constants and thermodynamic equilibrium lead to contradicting conclusions. In this study a kinetic approach was employed to elucidate this apparent contradiction and to determine the behavior of rhizoferrin under conditions representing soil and nutrient solutions. Stability of Fe3+ complexes in nutrient solution, rate of metal exchange with Ca, and rate of Fe extraction by the free ligand were monitored for rhizoferrin and other chelating agents by 55Fe labeling. Ferric complexes of rhizoferrin, desferri-ferrioxamine-B (DFOB), and ethylenediamine-di(o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid) (EDDHA) were found to be stable in nutrient solution at pH 7.5 for 31 days, while ferric complexes of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and mugineic acid (MA) lost 50% of the chelated Fe within 2 days. Fe-Ca exchange in Ca solutions at pH 8.7 revealed rhizoferrin to hold Fe at non-equilibrium state for 3-4 weeks at 3.3 mM Ca and for longer periods at lower Ca concentrations. EDTA lost the ferric ion at a faster rate under the same conditions. Fe extraction from freshly prepared Fe-hydroxide at pH 8.7 and with 3.2 mM Ca was slow and followed the order. DFOB > EDDHA > MA > rhizoferrin > EDTA. Based on these results we suggest that a kinetic rather than equilibrium approach should be the basis for predictions of Fe-chelates efficiency. We conclude that the non-equilibrium state of rhizoferrin is of crucial importance for its behavior as a Fe carrier to plants.

Commercial agriculture has come under increasing pressure to reduce nitrogen fertilizer inputs in order to minimize potential nonpoint source pollution of ground and surface waters. This has resulted in increased interest in site specific fertilizer management. One way to solve pollution problems would be to determine crop nutrient needs in real time, using remote detection, and regulating fertilizer dispensed by an applicator. By detecting actual plant needs, only the additional nitrogen necessary to optimize production would be supplied. This research aimed to develop techniques for real time assessment of nitrogen status of corn using a mobile sensor with the potential to regulate nitrogen application based on data from that sensor. Specifically, the research first attempted to determine the system parameters necessary to optimize reflectance spectra of corn plants as a function of growth stage, chlorophyll and nitrogen status. In addition to that, an adaptable, multispectral sensor and the signal processing algorithm to provide real time, in-field assessment of corn nitrogen status was developed. Spectral characteristics of corn leaves reflectance were investigated in order to estimate the nitrogen status of the plants, using a commercial laboratory spectrometer. Statistical models relating leaf N and reflectance spectra were developed for both greenhouse and field plots. A basis was established for assessing nitrogen status using spectral reflectance from plant canopies. The combined effect of variety and N treatment was studied by measuring the reflectance of three varieties of different leaf characteristic color and five different N treatments. The variety effect on the reflectance at 552 nm was not significant (a = 0.01), while canonical discriminant analysis showed promising results for distinguishing different variety and N treatment, using spectral reflectance. Ambient illumination was found inappropriate for reliable, one-beam spectral reflectance measurement of the plants canopy due to the strong spectral lines of sunlight. Therefore, artificial light was consequently used. For in-field N status measurement, a dark chamber was constructed, to include the sensor, along with artificial illumination. Two different approaches were tested (i) use of spatially scattered artificial light, and (ii) use of collimated artificial light beam. It was found that the collimated beam along with a proper design of the sensor-beam geometry yielded the best results in terms of reducing the noise due to variable background, and maintaining the same distance from the sensor to the sample point of the canopy. A multispectral sensor assembly, based on a linear variable filter was designed, constructed and tested. The sensor assembly combined two sensors to cover the range of 400 to 1100 nm, a mounting frame, and a field data acquisition system. Using the mobile dark chamber and the developed sensor, as well as an off-the-shelf sensor, in- field nitrogen status of the plants canopy was measured. Statistical analysis of the acquired in-field data showed that the nitrogen status of the com leaves can be predicted with a SEP (Standard Error of Prediction) of 0.27%. The stage of maturity of the crop affected the relationship between the reflectance spectrum and the nitrogen status of the leaves. Specifically, the best prediction results were obtained when a separate model was used for each maturity stage. In-field assessment of the nitrogen status of corn leaves was successfully carried out by non contact measurement of the reflectance spectrum. This technology is now mature to be incorporated in field implements for on-line control of fertilizer application.