Remote sensing monitoring of green tide in the Yellow Sea in 2015 based on GF-1 WFV data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Xiangyu; Gao, Zhiqiang; Ning, Jicai; Xu, Fuxiang; Liu, Chaoshun; Sun, Zhibin

2016-09-01

In this paper, the green tide (Large green algae-Ulva prolifera) in the Yellow Sea in 2015 is monitored which is based on remote sensing and geographic information system technology, using GF-1 WFV data, combined with the virtual baseline floating algae height index (VB-FAH) and manual assisted interpretation method. The results show that GF-1 data with high spatial resolution can accurately monitoring the Yellow Sea Ulva prolifera disaster, the Ulva prolifera was first discovered in the eastern waters of Yancheng in May 12th, afterwards drifted from the south to the north and affected the neighboring waters of Shandong Peninsula. In early July, the Ulva prolifera began to enter into a recession, the coverage area began to decrease, by the end of August 6th, the Ulva prolifera all died.

Supplementation with Brazil nuts and green tea extract regulates targeted biomarkers related to colorectal cancer risk in humans.

PubMed

Hu, Ying; McIntosh, Graeme H; Le Leu, Richard K; Somashekar, Roshini; Meng, Xing Q; Gopalsamy, Geetha; Bambaca, Libby; McKinnon, Ross A; Young, Graeme P

2016-12-01

Se and green tea have been shown in epidemiological, observational and preclinical studies to be inversely related to the risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). However, there are limited studies to evaluate their regulatory effects on genes/proteins that relate to CRC oncogenesis in human subjects, such as selenoproteins, WNT signalling pathway, inflammation and methylation. This study examined the effects of supplementation of Se using Brazil nuts and green tea extract (GTE) capsules, alone and in combination, on targeted biomarkers. In total, thirty-two volunteers (>50 years of age) with plasma Se≤1·36 µmol/l were randomised to one of three treatment groups: nine to Se (approximately 48 µg/d) as six Brazil nuts, eleven to four GTE capsules (800 mg (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate) and twelve to a combination of Brazil nuts and GTE. Blood and rectal biopsies were obtained before and after each intervention. Plasma Se levels, rectal selenoprotein P (SePP) and β-catenin mRNA increased significantly in subjects consuming Brazil nuts alone or in combination, whereas rectal DNA methyltransferase (DNMT1) and NF-κB mRNA were reduced significantly in subjects consuming GTE alone or in combination. None of the interventions significantly affected rectal acetylated histone H3 or Ki-67 expression at the protein level or plasma C-reactive protein. Effects of the combination of Brazil nuts and GTE did not differ from what would be expected from either agent alone. In conclusion, supplementation of Brazil nuts and/or GTE regulates targeted biomarkers related to CRC oncogenesis, specifically genes associated with selenoproteins (SePP), WNT signalling (β-catenin), inflammation (NF-κB) and methylation (DNMT1). Their combination does not appear to provide additional effects compared with either agent alone.

Response to growth and production of green beans (Vigna radiata L.) in various cropping spots and fertilizer provision of layer chickens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sitinjak, L.; Purba, E.

2018-02-01

Agroecology affecting plant growth can be influenced by factors such as plant spacing and growing media. This study aims to determine the effect of plant spacing and chicken manure on the growth and production of green beans. Plants were planted at three spacing plants (20cm x 20cm, 20cm x 30cm, and 20cm x 40cm) while manure was applied at 3.75, 7.50 and 11.25 ton/ha and without manure as a comparison. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The result showed that the highest diameter of stem was resulted from the application of 11.25 ton/ha of manure combined with the planting space of 20cm x 40 cm. Similarly, the highest number of branch of stem we found at the plot where chicken manure of 11.25 ton/ha with planting space of 20cm x 30cm. The highest production (4,944.4 kg/ha) was resulted from 7.50 ton/ha manure with combined with planting space of 20cm x 40cm. There was an interaction between the treatment of manure and the planting space of soybean. The production of green bean was 24% higher in 7.50 ton/ha manure combined with 20cm x 40cm planting space compared to no manure (control).

[Fe₃O₄-β-Cyclodextrin Polymer Nano Composites Solid-Phase Extraction-UV-Vis Spectrophotometry for Separation Analysis Malachite Green].

PubMed

Feng, Gang; Ping, Wen-hui; Zhu, Xia-shi

2016-02-01

In this paper, carboxymethyl-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin polymer modified magnetic particles Fe₃O₄ (CM-HP-β-CD- CP-MNPs) were prepared and applied to magnetic solid phase extraction of malachite green combined with UV-Visible spectrom- etry detection. The synthesized magnetic particles were characterized by element analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectra and transmission electron microscopy. Several variables affecting the extraction and desorption of malachite green such as pH, the amount of adsorbent, the type and volume of eluent, extraction and desorption time, and temperature were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, malachite green could be adsorbed by CM-HP-β-CDCP-MNPs (RE% = 92), and elution by C₂H₅OH (EE% = 90). the preconcentration factor of the proposed method was approximately 7.5, the CM-HP-β-CDCP-MNPs could be used repeatedly for 5 times and offered better recovery. The linear range and detection limit (DL) were found to be 0.08~8.00 µg · mL⁻¹ and 5.6 ng · mL⁻¹ respectively. This technique had been successfully applied to the determination of malachite green in real samples. The inclusion interaction of CM-HP--CDCP-MNPs with malachite green was studied through FTIR.

Multifunctionality is affected by interactions between green roof plant species, substrate depth, and substrate type.

PubMed

Dusza, Yann; Barot, Sébastien; Kraepiel, Yvan; Lata, Jean-Christophe; Abbadie, Luc; Raynaud, Xavier

2017-04-01

Green roofs provide ecosystem services through evapotranspiration and nutrient cycling that depend, among others, on plant species, substrate type, and substrate depth. However, no study has assessed thoroughly how interactions between these factors alter ecosystem functions and multifunctionality of green roofs. We simulated some green roof conditions in a pot experiment. We planted 20 plant species from 10 genera and five families (Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Crassulaceae, Fabaceae, and Poaceae) on two substrate types (natural vs. artificial) and two substrate depths (10 cm vs. 30 cm). As indicators of major ecosystem functions, we measured aboveground and belowground biomasses, foliar nitrogen and carbon content, foliar transpiration, substrate water retention, and dissolved organic carbon and nitrates in leachates. Interactions between substrate type and depth strongly affected ecosystem functions. Biomass production was increased in the artificial substrate and deeper substrates, as was water retention in most cases. In contrast, dissolved organic carbon leaching was higher in the artificial substrates. Except for the Fabaceae species, nitrate leaching was reduced in deep, natural soils. The highest transpiration rates were associated with natural soils. All functions were modulated by plant families or species. Plant effects differed according to the observed function and the type and depth of the substrate. Fabaceae species grown on natural soils had the most noticeable patterns, allowing high biomass production and high water retention but also high nitrate leaching from deep pots. No single combination of factors enhanced simultaneously all studied ecosystem functions, highlighting that soil-plant interactions induce trade-offs between ecosystem functions. Substrate type and depth interactions are major drivers for green roof multifunctionality.

Decontamination of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on green onions using pulsed light (PL) and PL-surfactant-sanitizer combinations.

PubMed

Xu, Wenqing; Chen, Haiqiang; Huang, Yaoxin; Wu, Changqing

2013-08-16

Imported green onion has been associated with three large outbreaks in the USA. Contamination has been found on both domestic and imported green onions. The objective of our study was to investigate Escherichia coli O157:H7 inactivation efficacy of pulsed light (PL) as well as its combination with surfactant and/or sanitizers on green onions. Green onions were cut into two segments, stems and leaves, to represent two different matrixes. Stems were more difficult to be decontaminated. Spot and dip inoculation methods were compared and dipped inoculated green onions were found to be more difficult to be decontaminated. Results showed that 5s dry PL (samples were not immersed in water during PL treatment) and 60s wet PL (samples were immersed in water and stirred during PL treatment) treatments provided promising inactivation efficacy (>4log10CFU/g) for spot inoculated stems and leaves. For dip inoculated green onions, 60s wet PL treatment was comparable with 100ppm chlorine washing, demonstrating that PL could be used as an alternative to chlorine. To further increase the degree of microbial inactivation, combined treatments were applied. PL combined with surfactant (SDS) was found to be more effective than single treatments of PL, SDS, chlorine, citric acid, thymol, and hydrogen peroxide, and binary combined treatments of PL with one of those chemicals. Addition of chlorine or hydrogen peroxide to the PL-SDS combination did not further enhanced its microbial inactivation efficacy. The combination of PL and 1000ppm of SDS reduced the E. coli O157:H7 populations dip inoculated on the stems and leaves of green onions by 1.4 and 3.1log10CFU/g, respectively. Our findings suggest that PL could potentially be used for decontamination of E. coli O157:H7 on green onions, with wet PL added with SDS being the most effective PL treatment. © 2013.

pEGFP transfection into murine skeletal muscle by electrosonoporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamošiūnas, Mindaugas; Jakovels, Dainis; Rubins, Uldis; Kadikis, Roberts; Petrovska, Ramona; Šatkauskas, Saulius

2017-12-01

In this study, we aimed to determine whether the combination of electroporation (EP) and ultrasound (US) waves (sonoporation) can affect the plasmid DNA transfection to mice tibialis cranialis muscle. Multispectral imaging technique combined with fluorescence spectroscopy point measurements has been used for the transcutaneous detection of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fluorescence, providing information on location and duration of EGFP expression. We found that electrosonoporation, commonly enhancing pDNA transfection in vitro, had no positive effect on EGFP transfection efficiency increase in vivo with respect to electroporation alone. We presume that this may be associated with decreased viability of transfected fibers.

Magnetic solid-phase extraction for determination of the total malachite green, gentian violet and leucomalachite green, leucogentian violet in aquaculture water by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

PubMed

Zhao, Jiao; Wei, Daqiao; Yang, Yaling

2016-06-01

In this study, magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles were synthesized and used as the adsorbent for the sums of malachite green, gentian violet and leucomalachite green, leucogentian violet in aquaculture water samples followed by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. This method was based on in situ reduction of chromic malachite green, gentian violet to colorless leucomalachite green, leucogentian violet with potassium borohydride, respectively. The obtained adsorbent combines the advantages of carbon nanotubes and Fe3 O4 nanoparticles in one material for separation and preconcentration of the reductive dyes in aqueous media. The structure and properties of the prepared nanoparticles were characterized by transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The main parameters affecting the adsorption recoveries were investigated and optimized, including reducing agent concentration, type and amount of sorbent, sample pH, and eluting conditions. Under the optimum conditions, the limits of detection in this method were 0.22 and 0.09 ng/mL for malachite green and gentian violet, respectively. Product recoveries ranged from 87.0 to 92.8% with relative standard deviations from 4.6 to 5.9%. The results indicate that the sorbent is a suitable material for the removal and concentration of triphenylmethane dyes from polluted environmental samples. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Experiencing Nature through Immersive Virtual Environments: Environmental Perceptions, Physical Engagement, and Affective Responses during a Simulated Nature Walk

PubMed Central

Calogiuri, Giovanna; Litleskare, Sigbjørn; Fagerheim, Kaia A.; Rydgren, Tore L.; Brambilla, Elena; Thurston, Miranda

2018-01-01

By combining physical activity and exposure to nature, green exercise can provide additional health benefits compared to physical activity alone. Immersive Virtual Environments (IVE) have emerged as a potentially valuable supplement to environmental and behavioral research, and might also provide new approaches to green exercise promotion. However, it is unknown to what extent green exercise in IVE can provide psychophysiological responses similar to those experienced in real natural environments. In this study, 26 healthy adults underwent three experimental conditions: nature walk, sitting-IVE, and treadmill-IVE. The nature walk took place on a paved trail along a large river. In the IVE conditions, the participants wore a head-mounted display with headphones reproducing a 360° video and audio of the nature walk, either sitting on a chair or walking on a manually driven treadmill. Measurements included environmental perceptions (presence and perceived environmental restorativeness – PER), physical engagement (walking speed, heart rate, and perceived exertion), and affective responses (enjoyment and affect). Additionally, qualitative information was collected through open-ended questions. The participants rated the IVEs with satisfactory levels of ‘being there’ and ‘sense of reality,’ but also reported discomforts such as ‘flatness,’ ‘movement lag’ and ‘cyber sickness.’ With equivalent heart rate and walking speed, participants reported higher perceived exertion in the IVEs than in the nature walk. The nature walk was associated with high enjoyment and enhanced affect. However, despite equivalent ratings of PER in the nature walk and in the IVEs, the latter were perceived as less enjoyable and gave rise to a poorer affect. Presence and PER did not differ between the two IVEs, although in the treadmill-IVE the negative affective responses had slightly smaller magnitude than in the sitting-IVE. In both the IVEs, the negative affective responses were mainly associated with cyber sickness, whereas PER was positively associated with enjoyment. From the qualitative analysis, it emerged that poor postural control and lack of a holistic sensory experience can also hinder immersion in the IVE. The results indicate that IVE technology might in future be a useful instrument in green exercise research and promotion, but only if image quality and cyber sickness can be addressed. PMID:29410635

Evidence of behavior-based utilization by the Asian citrus psyllid of a combination of UV and green or yellow wavelengths

PubMed Central

Udell, Bradley J.

2017-01-01

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, vectors huanglongbing (HLB), the most serious disease affecting citrus globally. D. citri and HLB have spread to the major citrus growing regions of North America causing billions of dollars of damage in Florida alone. The visual behavior of D. citri is not well characterized and more knowledge is needed to improve attractive traps for monitoring and control of the D. citri. Bioassays were conducted to evaluate attraction to light transmitted through different colored filters. The addition of ultra-violet light (< 400 nm) enhanced attraction of D. citri to transparent visual targets made of green or yellow filters. However, attraction to blue targets was unaffected by UV light. This is the first study to demonstrate a phytophagous insect responding to a hue that is a combination of long and short wavelengths. Further testing is needed to determine how D. citri uses such discriminatory powers in the field. Our results further imply that D. citri utilize color vision, as the less intense yellow and green hues were chosen over white light. In summary, this research provides an increased understanding of D. citri visual behavior and can be used for the development of a more attractive D. citri trap than those currently available. PMID:29236740

Process development for green part printing using binder jetting additive manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyanaji, Hadi; Orth, Morgan; Akbar, Junaid Muhammad; Yang, Li

2018-05-01

Originally developed decades ago, the binder jetting additive manufacturing (BJ-AM) process possesses various advantages compared to other additive manufacturing (AM) technologies such as broad material compatibility and technological expandability. However, the adoption of BJ-AM has been limited by the lack of knowledge with the fundamental understanding of the process principles and characteristics, as well as the relatively few systematic design guideline that are available. In this work, the process design considerations for BJ-AM in green part fabrication were discussed in detail in order to provide a comprehensive perspective of the design for additive manufacturing for the process. Various process factors, including binder saturation, in-process drying, powder spreading, powder feedstock characteristics, binder characteristics and post-process curing, could significantly affect the printing quality of the green parts such as geometrical accuracy and part integrity. For powder feedstock with low flowability, even though process parameters could be optimized to partially offset the printing feasibility issue, the qualities of the green parts will be intrinsically limited due to the existence of large internal voids that are inaccessible to the binder. In addition, during the process development, the balanced combination between the saturation level and in-process drying is of critical importance in the quality control of the green parts.

Cost Comparison of Conventional Gray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Infrastructure versus a Green/Gray Combination

EPA Science Inventory

This paper outlines a life-cycle cost analysis comparing a green (rain gardens) and gray (tunnels) infrastructure combination to a gray-only option to control combined sewer overflow in the Turkey Creek Combined Sewer Overflow Basin, in Kansas City, MO. The plan area of this Bas...

Combined sewer overflow control with LID based on SWMM: an example in Shanghai, China.

PubMed

Liao, Z L; Zhang, G Q; Wu, Z H; He, Y; Chen, H

2015-01-01

Although low impact development (LID) has been commonly applied across the developed countries for mitigating the negative impacts of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) on urban hydrological environment, it has not been widely used in developing countries yet. In this paper, a typical combined sewer system in an urbanized area of Shanghai, China was used to demonstrate how to design and choose CSO control solutions with LID using stormwater management model. We constructed and simulated three types of CSO control scenarios. Our findings support the notion that LID measures possess favorable capability on CSO reduction. Nevertheless, the green scenarios which are completely comprised by LID measures fail to achieve the maximal effectiveness on CSO reduction, while the gray-green scenarios (LID measure combined with gray measures) achieve it. The unit cost-effectiveness of each type of scenario sorts as: green scenario > gray-green scenario > gray scenario. Actually, as the storage tank is built in the case catchment, a complete application of green scenario is inaccessible here. Through comprehensive evaluation and comparison, the gray-green scenario F which used the combination of storage tank, bio-retention and rain barrels is considered as the most feasible one in this case.

Global Greening Is Firm, Drivers Are Mixed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauppi, P.; Meyfroidt, P.; Ausubel, J. H.; Graven, H. D.; Birdsey, R.; Posch, M.; Wernick, I.; Myneni, R. B.; Stenberg, P.

2015-12-01

Evidence for global greening is converging, asserting an increase in CO2 uptake and biomass of the terrestrial biosphere. Global greening refers to global net increases in the area of green canopy, stocks of carbon, and the duration of the growing season. The growing seasons in general have prolonged while the stock of biomass carbon has increased and the rate of deforestation has decelerated, although these trends are mixed in the Tropics. Evidence for these trends comes from firm empirical data obtained through atmospheric CO2 observations, remote sensing, forest inventories and land use statistics. The drivers of global greening cannot be assessed based only on unambiguous empirical measurements. They include spatially and temporally heterogeneous combinations of changing land use and management - including green revolution and increasing yields, afforestation, forest protection and management, and abandonment of agricultural land -, changes in the global environment (increased CO2, warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons in the northern latitudes, acceleration of the global nitrogen cycle), and shifts in demand for forest and farm products. The global trade of biomass-derived commodities affects the link between consumption patterns and the land cover impact. Global greening confirms the immediacy of global change and may be associated with more or less biodiversity and diverse environmental and human consequences depending on local circumstances. Understanding causes, mechanisms, and implications of global greening requires integrated analyses spanning land use and management, demand for products of the terrestrial biosphere, and the atmosphere and climate. Understanding the pace and drivers of global greening matters crucially for assessing the future of the terrestrial C sink; ecological, economic, social, and cultural assessments of the bio-economy; and the preservation of ecosystems.

Land use change influences soil C, N, and P stoichiometry under ‘Grain-to-Green Program’ in China

PubMed Central

Fazhu, Zhao; Jiao, Sun; Chengjie, Ren; Di, Kang; Jian, Deng; Xinhui, Han; Gaihe, Yang; Yongzhong, Feng; Guangxin, Ren

2015-01-01

Changes in land use might affect the combined C, N and P stoichiometry in soil. The Grain-to-Green Program (GTGP), which converts low-yield croplands or abandoned lands into forest, shrub, and/or grassland, was the largest land reforestation project in China. This study collected the reported C, N and P contents of soil in GTGP zones to achieve the factors driving the changes in the C:N, C:P, and N:P values. The results showed that the annual average precipitation exerted significant effects on the C:P value, and on the N:P value became significant 20 years after the change in land use. The annual average temperature was the main factor affecting the C:N value during the first 10 years, while the annual average precipitation strongly affected this value afterwards. In addition, “Redfield-like” interactions between C, N, and P in the soil may exist. A linear regression revealed significant positive correlations between the C:N, C:P, and N:P values and the restoration age, temperature, and precipitation after a change in land use. Therefore large-scale changes in land use under the ‘GTGP’ program might significantly affect the C:N, C:P and N:P ratios in soil. PMID:25988714

Experimental evidence that evolutionary relatedness does not affect the ecological mechanisms of coexistence in freshwater green algae.

PubMed

Narwani, Anita; Alexandrou, Markos A; Oakley, Todd H; Carroll, Ian T; Cardinale, Bradley J

2013-11-01

The coexistence of competing species depends on the balance between their fitness differences, which determine their competitive inequalities, and their niche differences, which stabilise their competitive interactions. Darwin proposed that evolution causes species' niches to diverge, but the influence of evolution on relative fitness differences, and the importance of both niche and fitness differences in determining coexistence have not yet been studied together. We tested whether the phylogenetic distances between species of green freshwater algae determined their abilities to coexist in a microcosm experiment. We found that niche differences were more important in explaining coexistence than relative fitness differences, and that phylogenetic distance had no effect on either coexistence or on the sizes of niche and fitness differences. These results were corroborated by an analysis of the frequency of the co-occurrence of 325 pairwise combinations of algal taxa in > 1100 lakes across North America. Phylogenetic distance may not explain the coexistence of freshwater green algae. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Feasibility study on mental healthcare using indoor plants for office workers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubota, Tsuyoshi; Matsumoto, Hiroshi; Genjo, Kaori; Nakano, Takaoki

2017-10-01

In recent years, it has become a problem that office workers' stresses affect their intellectual productivity. As one of strategies mitigating the stress while working, many studies on the effect of indoor plants introduced into the office have been conducted. The psychological and physiological effects of indoor plants have been expected to mitigate the office workers' stresses. Also, the effects of green amenities such as improvement of productivity, control of the indoor thermal environment, relaxation and recovery of visual fatigue, and improvement of air quality have been expected. In this study, a field investigation on the green amenity effects of indoor plants on office workers' psychological and physiological responses in an actual office was conducted and discussed. This paper describes the measurement results of the physical environment and workers' psychological and physiological responses under the condition with shelves installed with indoor plants in an office room. It was suggested that indoor plants such as mint, basil and begonia, and a combination of red and green plants were effective for mitigating worker's stresses.

Ethanol fumigation combined with and without nitrogen gas delays potato greening and inhibits Glycoalkaloid generation under light

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Postharvest potato greening under light accompanied by the generation of toxic glycoalkaloids results in a potential serious health risk and great postharvest losses. This study examined the inhibiting effects of ethanol fumigation and ethanol fumigation combined with N2 treatment on potato greening...

Evidence for a volatile pheromone in Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) that increases attraction to a host foliar volatile.

PubMed

Silk, Peter J; Ryall, Krista; Mayo, Peter; Lemay, Matthew A; Grant, Gary; Crook, Damon; Cossé, Allard; Fraser, Ivich; Sweeney, Jon D; Lyons, D Barry; Pitt, Doug; Scarr, Taylor; Magee, David

2011-08-01

Analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) of volatiles from virgin female emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire confirmed the emission of (3Z)-lactone [(3Z)-dodecen-12-olide] but not its geometric isomer, (3E)-lactone [(3E)-dodecen-12-olide]. Gas chromatographic/electroantennographic (GC/EAD) analysis of synthetic (3Z)-lactone, which contained 10% (3E)-lactone, showed a strong response of male and female antennae to both isomers. EAG analysis with 0.01- to 100-μg dosages showed a positive dose response, with females giving significantly higher responses than males. In field experiments with sticky purple prism traps, neither lactone isomer affected catches when combined with ash foliar or cortical volatiles (green leaf volatiles or Phoebe oil, respectively). However, on green prism traps, the (3Z)-lactone significantly increased capture of male A. planipennis when traps were deployed in the canopy. Captures of males on traps with both (3E)-lactone and (3Z)-hexenol or with (3Z)-lactone and (3Z)-hexenol were increased by 45-100%, respectively, compared with traps baited with just (3Z)-hexenol. In olfactometer bioassays, males were significantly attracted to (3E)-lactone, but not the (3Z)-lactone or a 60:40 (3E):(3Z) blend. The combination of either (3E)- or (3Z)-lactone with Phoebe oil was not significantly attractive to males. Males were highly attracted to (3Z)-hexenol and the (3Z)-lactone + (3Z)-hexenol combination, providing support for the field trapping results. These data are the first to demonstrate increased attraction with a combination of a pheromone and a green leaf volatile in a Buprestid species.

Evaluation of antifungal activity of carbonate and bicarbonate salts alone or in combination with biocontrol agents in control of citrus green mold.

PubMed

Zamani, M; Sharifi Tehrani, A; Ali Abadi, A Alizadeh

2007-01-01

The aim of this research was to determine if the attacks of green mold on orange could be reduced by edible salts alone or in combination with biocontrol agent. For this purpose toxicity to Pantoea digitatum and practical use of sodium carbonate (SC), sodium bicarbonate (SBC) and potassium carbonate, and potassium bicarbonate alone or in combination with antagonistic bacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens isolate PN, Bacillus subtilis isolate VHN, Pantoea agglomerans isolate CA) to control green mold were determined. All were fungistatic. SC and SBC were equal and superior to the other salts for control of green mold on oranges inoculated 6h before treatment and were chosen for subsequent trails under cold storage conditions. The biocontrol agents were found completely tolerant to 3% sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate at room temperature; although their culturability was reduced by > 1000-fold after 60 min in 1% other salt solutions. Satisfactory results were also obtained with the combined treatment for control of green mold. A significant increase in biocontrol activity of all isolate was observed when combined with sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. The treatments comprising CA combined with SB was as effective as fungicide treatment. Thus, use of sodium bicarbonate treatment at 3% followed by the antagonist P. agglomerans CA could be an alternative to chemical fungicides for control of green mold on oranges.

The effect of high power airborne ultrasound and microwaves on convective drying effectiveness and quality of green pepper.

PubMed

Szadzińska, Justyna; Łechtańska, Joanna; Kowalski, Stefan Jan; Stasiak, Marcin

2017-01-01

The effectiveness of hybrid drying based on convective drying with application of ultrasound and microwave enhancement is the main subject of the studies. The drying kinetics, energy consumption as well as the quality aspect of green pepper is analysed. It was shown that hybrid drying methods shorten significantly the drying time, reduce the energy consumption and affect positively the quality factors. Each of the analysed aspects depend on combination of the convective-ultrasound-microwave drying programs. Besides, based on the drying model elaborated earlier by one of the authors, the effects of ultrasound on convective drying assessed by such phenomena as "heating effect", "vibration effect" and "synergistic effect" are presented. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sunglasses, traffic signals, and color vision deficiencies.

PubMed

Dain, Stephen J; Wood, Joanne M; Atchison, David A

2009-04-01

To determine (a) the effect of different sunglass tint colorations on traffic signal detection and recognition for color normal and color deficient observers, and (b) the adequacy of coloration requirements in current sunglass standards. Twenty color-normals and 49 color-deficient males performed a tracking task while wearing sunglasses of different colorations (clear, gray, green, yellow-green, yellow-brown, red-brown). At random intervals, simulated traffic light signals were presented against a white background at 5 degrees to the right or left and observers were instructed to identify signal color (red/yellow/green) by pressing a response button as quickly as possible; response times and response errors were recorded. Signal color and sunglass tint had significant effects on response times and error rates (p < 0.05), with significant between-color group differences and interaction effects. Response times for color deficient people were considerably slower than color normals for both red and yellow signals for all sunglass tints, but for green signals they were only noticeably slower with the green and yellow-green lenses. For most of the color deficient groups, there were recognition errors for yellow signals combined with the yellow-green and green tints. In addition, deuteranopes had problems for red signals combined with red-brown and yellow-brown tints, and protanopes had problems for green signals combined with the green tint and for red signals combined with the red-brown tint. Many sunglass tints currently permitted for drivers and riders cause a measurable decrement in the ability of color deficient observers to detect and recognize traffic signals. In general, combinations of signals and sunglasses of similar colors are of particular concern. This is prima facie evidence of a risk in the use of these tints for driving and cautions against the relaxation of coloration limits in sunglasses beyond those represented in the study.

Retrofitted green roofs and walls and improvements in thermal comfort

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feitosa, Renato Castiglia; Wilkinson, Sara

2017-06-01

Increased urbanization has led to a worsening in the quality of life for many people living in large cities in respect of the urban heat island effect and increases of indoor temperatures in housing and other buildings. A solution may be to retrofit existing environments to their former conditions, with a combination of green infrastructures applied to existing walls and rooftops. Retrofitted green roofs may attenuate housing temperature. However, with tall buildings, facade areas are much larger compared to rooftop areas, the role of green walls in mitigating extreme temperatures is more pronounced. Thus, the combination of green roofs and green walls is expected to promote a better thermal performance in the building envelope. For this purpose, a modular vegetated system is adopted for covering both walls and rooftops. Rather than temperature itself, the heat index, which comprises the combined effect of temperature and relative humidity is used in the evaluation of thermal comfort in small scale experiments performed in Sydney - Australia, where identical timber framed structures prototypes (vegetated and non-vegetated) are compared. The results have shown a different understanding of thermal comfort improvement regarding heat index rather than temperature itself. The combination of green roof and walls has a valid role to play in heat index attenuation.

Two-dimensional modeling of water and heat fluxes in green roof substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suarez, F. I.; Sandoval, V. P.

2016-12-01

Due to public concern towards sustainable development, greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency, green roofs have become popular in the last years. Green roofs integrate vegetation into infrastructures to reach additional benefits that minimize negative impacts of the urbanization. A properly designed green roof can reduce environmental pollution, noise levels, energetic requirements or surface runoff. The correct performance of green roofs depends on site-specific conditions and on each component of the roof. The substrate and the vegetation layers strongly influence water and heat fluxes on a green roof. The substrate is an artificial media that has an improved performance compared to natural soils as it provides critical resources for vegetation survival: water, nutrients, and a growing media. Hence, it is important to study the effects of substrate properties on green roof performance. The objective of this work is to investigate how the thermal and hydraulic properties affect the behavior of a green roof through numerical modeling. The substrates that were investigated are composed by: crushed bricks and organic soil (S1); peat with perlite (S2); crushed bricks (S3); mineral soil with tree leaves (S4); and a mixture of topsoil and mineral soil (S5). The numerical model utilizes summer-arid meteorological information to evaluate the performance of each substrate. Results show that the area below the water retention curve helps to define the substrate that retains more water. In addition, the non-linearity of the water retention curve can increment the water needed to irrigate the roof. The heat propagation through the roof depends strongly on the hydraulic behavior, meaning that a combination of a substrate with low thermal conductivity and more porosity can reduce the heat fluxes across the roof. Therefore, it can minimize the energy consumed of an air-conditioner system.

Primary cancer prevention by green tea, and tertiary cancer prevention by the combination of green tea catechins and anticancer compounds.

PubMed

Fujiki, Hirota; Sueoka, Eisaburo; Watanabe, Tatsuro; Suganuma, Masami

2015-03-01

Green tea is a daily beverage, a non-oxidized non-fermented product containing at least four green tea catechins. Considering our first results when repeated applications of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) prevented tumor promotion in mouse skin, we have continued to look at green tea as a possible cancer preventive agent. 1) The 10-year prospective cohort study by Drs. K. Nakachi and K. Imai revealed that drinking 10 Japanese-size cups (120 mL/cup) of green tea per day delayed cancer onset in humans by 7.3 years among females and by 3.2 years among males. The delay of cancer onset is of course significant evidence of primary cancer prevention in humans. 2) In collaboration with Dr. H. Moriwaki's group we successfully presented a prototype of tertiary cancer prevention showing that 10 Japanese-size cups of green tea daily, supplemented with tablets of green tea extract (G.T.E), reduced recurrence of colorectal adenomas in polypectomy patients by 51.6% (from 31% to 15%). 3) In 1999, we first reported that the combination of green tea catechins and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs showed synergistic anticancer effects in both in vitro and in vivo experiments, along with elucidation of the mechanism. 4) Further studies by other investigators have revealed that various combinations of EGCG or green tea extract and anticancer compounds inhibit tumor volume in xenograft mouse models implanted with various human cancer cell lines. Green tea is a cancer preventive, and green tea catechins act as synergists with anticancer compounds.

Volatile and non-volatile compounds in green tea affected in harvesting time and their correlation to consumer preference.

PubMed

Kim, Youngmok; Lee, Kwang-Geun; Kim, Mina K

2016-10-01

Current study was designed to find out how tea harvesting time affects the volatile and non-volatile compounds profiles of green tea. In addition, correlation of instrumental volatile and non-volatile compounds analyses to consumer perception were analyzed. Overall, earlier harvested green tea had stronger antioxidant capacity (~61.0%) due to the polyphenolic compounds from catechin (23,164 mg/L), in comparison to later harvested green teas (11,961 mg/L). However, high catechin content in green tea influenced negatively the consumer likings of green tea, due to high bitterness (27.6%) and astringency (13.4%). Volatile compounds drive consumer liking of green tea products were also identified, that included linalool, 2,3-methyl butanal, 2-heptanone, (E,E)-3,5-Octadien-2-one. Finding from current study are useful for green tea industry as it provide the difference in physiochemical properties of green tea harvested at different intervals.

Can green roofs reduce urban heat stress in vulnerable urban communities: A coupled atmospheric and social modeling approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, A.; Woodruff, S.; Budhathoki, M.; Hamlet, A. F.; Fernando, H. J. S.; Chen, F.

2017-12-01

Urban areas provide organized, engineered, sociological and economical infrastructure designed to provide a high quality of life, but the implementation and management of urban infrastructure has been a continued challenge. Increasing urbanization, warming climate, as well as anthropogenic heat emissions that accompany urban development generates "stress". This rapidly increasing `urban stress' affects the sustainability of cities, making populations more vulnerable to extreme hazards, such as heat. Cities are beginning to extensively use green roofs as a potential urban heat mitigation strategy. This study explores the potential of green roofs to reduce summertime temperatures in the most vulnerable neighborhoods of the Chicago metropolitan area by combining social vulnerability indices (a function of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity), and temperatures from mesoscale model. Numerical simulations using urbanized version the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model were performed to measure rooftop temperatures, a representative variable for exposure in this study. The WRF simulations were dynamically coupled with a green roof algorithm as a part of urban parameterization within WRF. Specifically, the study examines roof surface temperature with changing green roof fractions and how would they help reduce exposure to heat stress for vulnerable urban communities. This study shows an example of applied research that can directly benefit urban communities and be used by urban planners to evaluate mitigation strategies.

The Relationship between Natural Park Usage and Happiness Does Not Hold in a Tropical City-State

PubMed Central

Saw, Le E.; Lim, Felix K. S.; Carrasco, Luis R.

2015-01-01

Previous studies have shown that contact with urban green spaces can produce positive effects on people's stress, health and well-being levels. However, much of this research has been conducted in the temperate regions of Europe or North America. Additionally, most studies have only compared the effects of urban and natural areas on health and well-being, but not made a finer distinction between different types of urban green spaces. We tested the relationship between well-being and the access or use of different types of green spaces among young adults in Singapore, a tropical city-state. The results showed that extraversion and emotional stability increased subjective well-being, positive affect and life satisfaction and decreased stress and negative affect. In addition, we found that level of physical activity increased positive affect and health problems increased negative affect. Neither access to green spaces nor the use of green spaces in Singapore significantly affected the well-being metrics considered, contradicting findings in the temperate regions of the world. We hypothesize that the differences in temperature and humidity and the higher greenery and biodiversity levels outside parks in Singapore could explain this phenomenon. Our results thus question the universality of the relationship between well-being and park usage and highlight the need for more research into the multifaceted effects of green spaces on well-being in the tropics. PMID:26222280

Colour vision in AIDS patients without HIV retinopathy.

PubMed

Sommerhalder, J; Baglivo, E; Barbey, C; Hirschel, B; Roth, A; Pelizzone, M

1998-11-01

Patients suffering from AIDS develop ocular complications, the most frequent being HIV retinopathy. It is however not clear, if functional visual impairments can be observed as early indicators of ocular complications, before clinical diagnosis of HIV retinopathy is made at fundus examination. To address this issue, we measured colour vision in a group of 49 AIDS subjects with normal clinical fundi using the 'two equation method'. This method, combining red-green Rayleigh and the blue-green Moreland metameric matches, enables more complete and quantitative assessments of colour vision than those based on pigmentary tests. Data were collected on our computer controlled colorimeter and compared to those of normal subjects. While most AIDS subjects without HIV retinopathy demonstrated normal colour vision, a significant portion of them had wider matches than normal subjects (11% for the Rayleigh equation and 16% for the Moreland equation). Furthermore, matching ranges of the Moreland equation were significantly correlated with CD4 lymphocyte counts. Patients with low CD4 values tended to produce larger matching ranges than the patients with high CD4 values. A within subject study on 17 patients confirmed this trend and showed that the patients who increased/decreased their CD4 blood counts generally improved/impaired their colour discrimination in the Moreland match. No such correlation was found between the matching ranges of the Rayleigh equation and the CD4 counts. These results show that colour discrimination is slightly reduced in some AIDS subjects, although there are no detectable ocular complications. They also suggest two different types of colour vision impairments in AIDS patients without retinopathy: one reversible process affecting colour discrimination in the blue-green range; and another irreversible process affecting colour discrimination in the red-green range.

An Ocean Acidification Acclimatised Green Tide Alga Is Robust to Changes of Seawater Carbon Chemistry but Vulnerable to Light Stress

PubMed Central

Li, Xinshu; Feng, Zhihua; Xu, Juntian

2016-01-01

Ulva is the dominant genus in the green tide events and is considered to have efficient CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCMs). However, little is understood regarding the impacts of ocean acidification on the CCMs of Ulva and the consequences of thalli’s acclimation to ocean acidification in terms of responding to environmental factors. Here, we grew a cosmopolitan green alga, Ulva linza at ambient (LC) and elevated (HC) CO2 levels and investigated the alteration of CCMs in U. linza grown at HC and its responses to the changed seawater carbon chemistry and light intensity. The inhibitors experiment for photosynthetic inorganic carbon utilization demonstrated that acidic compartments, extracellular carbonic anhydrase (CA) and intracellular CA worked together in the thalli grown at LC and the acquisition of exogenous carbon source in the thalli could be attributed to the collaboration of acidic compartments and extracellular CA. Contrastingly, when U. linza was grown at HC, extracellular CA was completely inhibited, acidic compartments and intracellular CA were also down-regulated to different extents and thus the acquisition of exogenous carbon source solely relied on acidic compartments. The down-regulated CCMs in U. linza did not affect its responses to changes of seawater carbon chemistry but led to a decrease of net photosynthetic rate when thalli were exposed to increased light intensity. This decrease could be attributed to photodamage caused by the combination of the saved energy due to the down-regulated CCMs and high light intensity. Our findings suggest future ocean acidification might impose depressing effects on green tide events when combined with increased light exposure. PMID:28033367

Ocean acidification and nutrient limitation synergistically reduce growth and photosynthetic performances of a green tide alga Ulva linza

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Guang; Beardall, John; Bao, Menglin; Wang, Can; Ren, Wangwang; Xu, Juntian

2018-06-01

Large-scale green tides have been invading the coastal zones of the western Yellow Sea annually since 2008. Meanwhile, oceans are becoming more acidic due to continuous absorption of anthropogenic carbon dioxide, and intensive seaweed cultivation in Chinese coastal areas is leading to severe regional nutrient limitation. However, little is known about the combined effects of global and local stressors on the eco-physiology of bloom-forming algae. We cultured Ulva linza for 9-16 days under two levels of pCO2 (400 and 1000 µatm) and four treatments of nutrients (nutrient repletion, N limitation, P limitation, and N-P limitation) to investigate the physiological responses of this green tide alga to the combination of ocean acidification and nutrient limitation. For both sporelings and adult plants, elevated pCO2 did not affect the growth rate when cultured under nutrient-replete conditions but reduced it under P limitation; N or P limitations by themselves reduced growth rate. P limitation resulted in a larger inhibition in growth for sporelings compared to adult plants. Sporelings under P limitation did not reach the mature stage after 16 days of culture while those under P repletion became mature by day 11. Elevated pCO2 reduced net photosynthetic rate for all nutrient treatments but increased nitrate reductase activity and soluble protein content under P-replete conditions. N or P limitation reduced nitrate reductase activity and soluble protein content. These findings indicate that ocean acidification and nutrient limitation would synergistically reduce the growth of Ulva species and may thus hinder the occurrence of green tides in a future ocean environment.

An Ocean Acidification Acclimatised Green Tide Alga Is Robust to Changes of Seawater Carbon Chemistry but Vulnerable to Light Stress.

PubMed

Gao, Guang; Liu, Yameng; Li, Xinshu; Feng, Zhihua; Xu, Juntian

2016-01-01

Ulva is the dominant genus in the green tide events and is considered to have efficient CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCMs). However, little is understood regarding the impacts of ocean acidification on the CCMs of Ulva and the consequences of thalli's acclimation to ocean acidification in terms of responding to environmental factors. Here, we grew a cosmopolitan green alga, Ulva linza at ambient (LC) and elevated (HC) CO2 levels and investigated the alteration of CCMs in U. linza grown at HC and its responses to the changed seawater carbon chemistry and light intensity. The inhibitors experiment for photosynthetic inorganic carbon utilization demonstrated that acidic compartments, extracellular carbonic anhydrase (CA) and intracellular CA worked together in the thalli grown at LC and the acquisition of exogenous carbon source in the thalli could be attributed to the collaboration of acidic compartments and extracellular CA. Contrastingly, when U. linza was grown at HC, extracellular CA was completely inhibited, acidic compartments and intracellular CA were also down-regulated to different extents and thus the acquisition of exogenous carbon source solely relied on acidic compartments. The down-regulated CCMs in U. linza did not affect its responses to changes of seawater carbon chemistry but led to a decrease of net photosynthetic rate when thalli were exposed to increased light intensity. This decrease could be attributed to photodamage caused by the combination of the saved energy due to the down-regulated CCMs and high light intensity. Our findings suggest future ocean acidification might impose depressing effects on green tide events when combined with increased light exposure.

An Integrated Environmental Assessment of Green and Gray Infrastructure Strategies for Robust Decision Making.

PubMed

Casal-Campos, Arturo; Fu, Guangtao; Butler, David; Moore, Andrew

2015-07-21

The robustness of a range of watershed-scale "green" and "gray" drainage strategies in the future is explored through comprehensive modeling of a fully integrated urban wastewater system case. Four socio-economic future scenarios, defined by parameters affecting the environmental performance of the system, are proposed to account for the uncertain variability of conditions in the year 2050. A regret-based approach is applied to assess the relative performance of strategies in multiple impact categories (environmental, economic, and social) as well as to evaluate their robustness across future scenarios. The concept of regret proves useful in identifying performance trade-offs and recognizing states of the world most critical to decisions. The study highlights the robustness of green strategies (particularly rain gardens, resulting in half the regret of most options) over end-of-pipe gray alternatives (surface water separation or sewer and storage rehabilitation), which may be costly (on average, 25% of the total regret of these options) and tend to focus on sewer flooding and CSO alleviation while compromising on downstream system performance (this accounts for around 50% of their total regret). Trade-offs and scenario regrets observed in the analysis suggest that the combination of green and gray strategies may still offer further potential for robustness.

7 CFR 29.3029 - Green (G).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Green (G). 29.3029 Section 29.3029 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Green (G). A color term applied to immature or crude tobacco. Any leaf which has a green color affecting...

7 CFR 29.3029 - Green (G).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Green (G). 29.3029 Section 29.3029 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Green (G). A color term applied to immature or crude tobacco. Any leaf which has a green color affecting...

Climatic factors directly impact the volatile organic compound fingerprint in green Arabica coffee bean as well as coffee beverage quality.

PubMed

Bertrand, B; Boulanger, R; Dussert, S; Ribeyre, F; Berthiot, L; Descroix, F; Joët, T

2012-12-15

Coffee grown at high elevations fetches a better price than that grown in lowland regions. This study was aimed at determining whether climatic conditions during bean development affected sensory perception of the coffee beverage and combinations of volatile compounds in green coffee. Green coffee samples from 16 plots representative of the broad range of climatic variations in Réunion Island were compared by sensory analysis. Volatiles were extracted by solid phase micro-extraction and the volatile compounds were analysed by GC-MS. The results revealed that, among the climatic factors, the mean air temperature during seed development greatly influenced the sensory profile. Positive quality attributes such as acidity, fruity character and flavour quality were correlated and typical of coffees produced at cool climates. Two volatile compounds (ethanal and acetone) were identified as indicators of these cool temperatures. Among detected volatiles, most of the alcohols, aldehydes, hydrocarbons and ketones appeared to be positively linked to elevated temperatures and high solar radiation, while the sensory profiles displayed major defects (i.e. green, earthy flavour). Two alcohols (butan-1,3-diol and butan-2,3-diol) were closely correlated with a reduction in aromatic quality, acidity and an increase in earthy and green flavours. We assumed that high temperatures induce accumulation of these compounds in green coffee, and would be detected as off-flavours, even after roasting. Climate change, which generally involves a substantial increase in average temperatures in mountainous tropical regions, could be expected to have a negative impact on coffee quality. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Connecting plug-in vehicles with green electricity through consumer demand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axsen, Jonn; Kurani, Kenneth S.

2013-03-01

The environmental benefits of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) increase if the vehicles are powered by electricity from ‘green’ sources such as solar, wind or small-scale hydroelectricity. Here, we explore the potential to build a market that pairs consumer purchases of PEVs with purchases of green electricity. We implement a web-based survey with three US samples defined by vehicle purchases: conventional new vehicle buyers (n = 1064), hybrid vehicle buyers (n = 364) and PEV buyers (n = 74). Respondents state their interest in a PEV as their next vehicle, in purchasing green electricity in one of three ways, i.e., monthly subscription, two-year lease or solar panel purchase, and in combining the two products. Although we find that a link between PEVs and green electricity is not presently strong in the consciousness of most consumers, the combination is attractive to some consumers when presented. Across all three respondent segments, pairing a PEV with a green electricity program increased interest in PEVs—with a 23% demand increase among buyers of conventional vehicles. Overall, about one-third of respondents presently value the combination of a PEV with green electricity; the proportion is much higher among previous HEV and PEV buyers. Respondents’ reported motives for interest in both products and their combination include financial savings (particularly among conventional buyers), concerns about air pollution and the environment, and interest in new technology (particularly among PEV buyers). The results provide guidance regarding policy and marketing strategies to advance PEVs and green electricity demand.

High-Temperature Induced Changes of Extracellular Metabolites in Pleurotus ostreatus and Their Positive Effects on the Growth of Trichoderma asperellum.

PubMed

Qiu, Zhiheng; Wu, Xiangli; Zhang, Jinxia; Huang, Chenyang

2018-01-01

Pleurotus ostreatus is a widely cultivated edible fungus in China. Green mold disease of P. ostreatus which can seriously affect yield is a common disease during cultivation. It occurs mostly after P. ostreatus mycelia have been subjected to high temperatures. However, little information is available on the relationship between high temperature and green mold disease. The aim of this study is to prove that extracellular metabolites of P. ostreatus affected by high temperature can promote the growth of Trichoderma asperellum . After P. ostreatus mycelia was subjected to high temperature, the extracellular fluid of P. ostreatus showed a higher promoting effect on mycelial growth and conidial germination of T. asperellum . The thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) content reached the maximum after 48 h at 36°C. A comprehensive metabolite profiling strategy involving gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) was used to analyze the changes of extracellular metabolites in response to high temperature. A total of 141 differential metabolites were identified, including 84.4% up-regulated and 15.6% down-regulated. Exogenous metabolites whose concentrations were increased after high temperature were randomly selected, and nearly all of them were able to promote the mycelial growth and conidial germination of T. asperellum . The combination of all selected exogenous metabolites also has the promotion effects on the mycelial growth and conidial germination of T. asperellum in a given concentration range in vitro . Overall, these results provide a first view that high temperature affects the extracellular metabolites of P. ostreatus , and the extensive change in metabolites promotes T. asperellum growth.

Elevated CO2 and salinity are responsible for phenolics-enrichment in two differently pigmented lettuces.

PubMed

Sgherri, Cristina; Pérez-López, Usue; Micaelli, Francesco; Miranda-Apodaca, Jon; Mena-Petite, Amaia; Muñoz-Rueda, Alberto; Quartacci, Mike Frank

2017-06-01

Both salt stress and high CO 2 level, besides influencing secondary metabolism, can affect oxidative status of plants mainly acting in an opposite way with salinity provoking oxidative stress and elevated CO 2 alleviating it. The aim of the present work was to study the changes in the composition of phenolic acids and flavonoids as well as in the antioxidant activity in two differently pigmented lettuce cvs (green or red leaf) when submitted to salinity (200 mM NaCl) or elevated CO 2 (700 ppm) or to their combination in order to evaluate how a future global change can affect lettuce quality. Following treatments, the red cv. always maintained higher levels of antioxidant secondary metabolites as well as antioxidant activity, proving to be more responsive to altered environmental conditions than the green one. Overall, these results suggest that the application of moderate salinity or elevated CO 2 , alone or in combination, can induce the production of some phenolics that increase the health benefits of lettuce. In particular, moderate salinity was able to induce the synthesis of the flavonoids quercetin, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-glucuronide and quercitrin. Phenolics-enrichment as well as a higher antioxidant capacity were also observed under high CO 2 with the red lettuce accumulating cyanidin, free chlorogenic acid, conjugated caffeic and ferulic acid as well as quercetin, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-glucuronide, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, rutin, quercitrin and kaempferol. When salinity was present in combination with elevated CO 2 , reduction in yield was prevented and a higher presence of phenolic compounds, in particular luteolin, was observed compared to salinity alone. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Adult Learning Meets the Green Economy: Lessons from a Green Jobs Education Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Cecelia

2013-01-01

The new "green economy" affects adult education and workforce development as adult workers seek skills and knowledge that will help them find success in work and life. Recent years have brought about increased interest in and discussion of training for green jobs. Since the introduction of the Green Jobs Act in 2007, questions about how exactly to…

Application of BIM technology in green building material management system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhineng, Tong

2018-06-01

The current green building materials management system in China's construction industry is not perfect, and there are still many shortcomings. Active construction of green building materials management system based on BIM technology, combined with the characteristics of green building materials and its relationship with BIM technology application, is urgently needed to better realize the scientific management of green building materials.

7 CFR 29.1126 - Rule 20.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Rule 20. 29.1126 Section 29.1126 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... except green, green red, green variegated, gray green, or the combination symbols “GL,” or “GF” in the...

7 CFR 29.1126 - Rule 20.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Rule 20. 29.1126 Section 29.1126 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... except green, green red, green variegated, gray green, or the combination symbols “GL,” or “GF” in the...

Effect of Catechins, Green tea Extract and Methylxanthines in Combination with Gentamicin Against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

PubMed Central

Fazly Bazzaz, Bibi Sedigheh; Sarabandi, Sahar; Khameneh, Bahman; Hosseinzadeh, Hossein

2016-01-01

Objectives: Bacterial resistant infections have become a global health challenge and threaten the society’s health. Thus, an urgent need exists to find ways to combat resistant pathogens. One promising approach to overcoming bacterial resistance is the use of herbal products. Green tea catechins, the major green tea polyphenols, show antimicrobial activity against resistant pathogens. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of catechins, green tea extract, and methylxanthines in combination with gentamicin against standard and clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and the standard strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of different agents against bacterial strains were determined. The interactions of green tea extract, epigallate catechin, epigallocatechin gallate, two types of methylxanthine, caffeine, and theophylline with gentamicin were studied in vitro by using a checkerboard method and calculating the fraction inhibitory concentration index (FICI). Results: The MICs of gentamicin against bacterial strains were in the range of 0.312 - 320 μg/mL. The MIC values of both types of catechins were 62.5 - 250 μg/ mL. Green tea extract showed insufficient antibacterial activity when used alone. Methylxanthines had no intrinsic inhibitory activity against any of the bacterial strains tested. When green tea extract and catechins were combined with gentamicin, the MIC values of gentamicin against the standard strains and a clinical isolate were reduced, and synergistic activities were observed (FICI < 1). A combination of caffeine with gentamicin did not alter the MIC values of gentamicin. Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed that green tea extract and catechins potentiated the antimicrobial action of gentamicin against some clinical isolates of S. aureus and standard P. aeruginosa strains. Therefore, combinations of gentamicin with these natural compounds might be a promising approach to combat microbial resistance. PMID:28097041

Deriving seasonal dynamics in ecosystem properties of semi-arid savanna grasslands from in situ-based hyperspectral reflectance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tagesson, T.; Fensholt, R.; Huber, S.; Horion, S.; Guiro, I.; Ehammer, A.; Ardo, J.

2015-08-01

This paper investigates how hyperspectral reflectance (between 350 and 1800 nm) can be used to infer ecosystem properties for a semi-arid savanna grassland in West Africa using a unique in situ-based multi-angular data set of hemispherical conical reflectance factor (HCRF) measurements. Relationships between seasonal dynamics in hyperspectral HCRF and ecosystem properties (biomass, gross primary productivity (GPP), light use efficiency (LUE), and fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by vegetation (FAPAR)) were analysed. HCRF data (ρ) were used to study the relationship between normalised difference spectral indices (NDSIs) and the measured ecosystem properties. Finally, the effects of variable sun sensor viewing geometry on different NDSI wavelength combinations were analysed. The wavelengths with the strongest correlation to seasonal dynamics in ecosystem properties were shortwave infrared (biomass), the peak absorption band for chlorophyll a and b (at 682 nm) (GPP), the oxygen A band at 761 nm used for estimating chlorophyll fluorescence (GPP and LUE), and blue wavelengths (ρ412) (FAPAR). The NDSI with the strongest correlation to (i) biomass combined red-edge HCRF (ρ705) with green HCRF (ρ587), (ii) GPP combined wavelengths at the peak of green reflection (ρ518, ρ556), (iii) LUE combined red (ρ688) with blue HCRF (ρ436), and (iv) FAPAR combined blue (ρ399) and near-infrared (ρ1295) wavelengths. NDSIs combining near infrared and shortwave infrared were strongly affected by solar zenith angles and sensor viewing geometry, as were many combinations of visible wavelengths. This study provides analyses based upon novel multi-angular hyperspectral data for validation of Earth-observation-based properties of semi-arid ecosystems, as well as insights for designing spectral characteristics of future sensors for ecosystem monitoring.

Degradation and sorption of the fungicide tebuconazole in soils from golf greens.

PubMed

Badawi, Nora; Rosenbom, Annette E; Jensen, Anne M D; Sørensen, Sebastian R

2016-12-01

The fungicide tebuconazole (TBZ) is used to repress fungal growth in golf greens and ensure their playability. This study determined the degradation and sorption of TBZ applied as an analytical grade compound, a commercial fungicide formulation or in combination with a surfactant product in thatch and soils below two types of greens (USGA and push-up greens) in 12-cm vertical profiles covered by three different types of turf grass. Only minor TBZ degradation was observed and it was most pronounced in treatments with the commercial fungicide product or in combination with the surfactant compared to the analytical grade compound alone. A tendency for higher TBZ sorption when applied as the formulated product and lowest sorption when applied as a formulated product in combination with the surfactant was observed, with this effect being most distinct on USGA greens. No correlation between occurrence of degradation and soil depth, green type or grass type was observed. Sorption seemed to be the main process governing the leaching risk of TBZ from the greens and a positive correlation to the organic matter content was shown. In light of these findings, organic matter content should be taken into consideration during the construction of golf courses, especially when following USGA guidelines. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seasonal greening of an Arctic ecosystem in response to early snowmelt and climate warming: do plant community responses differ from species responses?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steltzer, H.; Weintraub, M. N.; Sullivan, P.; Wallenstein, M. D.; Schimel, J.; Darrouzet-Nardi, A.; Shory, R.; Livensperger, C.; Melle, C.; Segal, A. D.; Daly, K.; Tsosie, T.

2011-12-01

In the Arctic and around the world, earlier plant growth and a longer growing season are indications that warmer temperatures or other global changes are changing the seasonality of the Earth's ecosystems. These changes in plant life histories have multi-trophic level consequences that affect food webs and biogeochemical cycles. Both the response of the plant community and of individual species can affect food and habitat resources for animals or nutrient resources for microbes. Our aim was to determine if the response of an Arctic plant community differs from individual species responses to climate change. For two years in an early snowmelt and climate warming experiment in moist acidic tussock tundra, we observed the seasonal greening of the ecosystem through near-surface measurements of surface greenness and through direct observations of the timing of plant life history events for five to eight common species that differ in growth form. In 2010 when snowmelt was accelerated by 4 days, earlier snowmelt alone or in combination with climate warming extended the life history of the dominant graminoids (E. vaginatum and C. bigelowii) and willow (S. pulchra) by 3 to 4 days. For these species, new leaf production began earlier, while the timing of senescence was similar to the controls. The effect of earlier snowmelt on the life histories of birch (B. nana) and cranberry (V. vitis-idaea) was less, but warming alone tended to increase life history duration. Warming led to earlier leaf expansion for birch and delayed senescence for cranberry. We found that the onset of greening for the plant community began four days earlier, due to the earlier loss of snow cover, and that warming accelerated the rate of greening. Peak season ended 4 days earlier in response to earlier snowmelt and climate warming, due to earlier senescence by birch. In 2011, our manipulation of the snowpack by increasing energy absorption accelerated snowmelt by 15 days and control plots were snowfree on almost the same date as in 2010. As a result greening began earlier and may have led to more varied effects on life history events among the species. In the Arctic, individual species and the plant community green up as soon as the snow is gone, creating food resources and hiding places for animals and a nutrient sink for available nitrogen. If warming temperatures also cue earlier animal development or arrival, resources should be available for most species. However, an early onset to growth can lead to early senescence for some plant species and shift the timing of peak season for the plant community. Animals that depend on late season resources may be affected, unless they can utilize the plant species for which senescence is delayed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yan, T.; Teo, L.H.; Sin, Y.M.

A number of digestive enzymes in the green mussel, Perna viridis L., have been reported, and {alpha}-amylase is believed to have a higher activity than the others. Small plankton, on which the green mussel feeds, may supply plenty of starch and glycogen. They may be an important source of nutrients for the green mussel and the ability of the latter to make good use of them depends mainly on the activities of amylase. The effect of heavy metals on amylase activity is also important as the ability of the mussel`s digestive gland to accumulate these metals is well known. Highmore » concentrations of heavy metals, especially lead, have been observed in the water around Singapore. The in vitro inhibition of some metals on the activities of digestive enzymes from the green mussel has been observed, but kinetic properties of the inhibition and the in vivo inhibition of the heavy metals on digestive enzymes are little understood. In the present study, in vitro inhibition of four metals (Pb, Cd, Zn and Hg) on the activity of {alpha}-amylase from the digestive gland of the green mussel will be compared. Their effects on the K{sub M} and V{sub max} values of {alpha}-amylase will also be compared. Finally, lead is either added to the food or water, to see how it affects the activity of {alpha}-amylase and how this effect acts in combination with starvation. 12 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs.« less

Adjusting the tasseled cap brightness and greenness factors for atmospheric path radiance and absorption on a pixel by pixel basis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, R. D.; Slater, P. N.; Pinter, P. J. (Principal Investigator)

1982-01-01

A radiative transfer model was used to convert ground measured reflectances into the radiance at the top of the atmosphere, for several levels of atmospheric path radiance. The radiance in MSS7 (0.8 to 1.1 m) was multiplied by the transmission fraction for atmospheres having different levels of precipitable water. The radiance values were converted to simulated LANDSAT digital counts for four path radiance levels and four levels of precipitable water. These values were used to calculate the Kauth-Thomas brightness, greenness, yellowness, and nonsuch factors. Brightness was affected by surface conditions and path radiance. Greenness was affected by surface conditions, path radiance, and precipitable water. Yellowness was affected by path radiance and nonsuch by precipitable water, and both factors changed only slightly with surface conditions. Yellowness and nonsuch were used to adjust brightness and greenness to produce factors that were affected only by surface conditions such as soils and vegetation, and not by path radiance and precipitable water.

The effect of ZnCl2 on green Spanish-style table olive packaging, a presentation style dependent behaviour.

PubMed

Bautista-Gallego, Joaquín; Arroyo-López, Francisco Noé; Romero-Gil, Verónica; Rodríguez-Gómez, Francisco; Garrido-Fernández, Antonio

2015-06-01

Zinc chloride has been used previously as a preservative in directly brined olives with promising results. However, this is the first time that the effects of ZnCl2 addition (0-1 g L(-1) ) on green Spanish-style table olive (cv. Manzanilla) packaging has been studied. The presence of ZnCl2 affected the physico-chemical characteristics of the products; the presence of the Zn led to lower pH values (particularly just after packaging) and titratable and combined acidity values than the control but did not produce clear trends in the colour parameters. No Enterobacteriaceae were found in any of the treatments evaluated. At the highest ZnCl2 concentrations, the lactic acid bacteria were inhibited while, unexpectedly, its presence showed a lower effect than potassium sorbate against the yeast population. Regardless of the use of potassium sorbate or ZnCl2 , the packages had a reduced microbial biodiversity because only Lactobacillus pentosus and Pichia galeiformis were found at the end of the shelf life. With respect to organoleptic characteristics, the presentations containing ZnCl2 were not differentiated from the traditional product. Zinc chloride was less efficient than potassium sorbate as a yeast inhibitor in green Spanish-style olives, showing clear presentation style dependent behaviour for this property. Its presence produced significant changes in chemical parameters but scarcely affected colour or sensory characteristics. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

The physiological response of two green calcifying algae from the Great Barrier Reef towards high dissolved inorganic and organic carbon (DIC and DOC) availability.

PubMed

Meyer, Friedrich Wilhelm; Vogel, Nikolas; Teichberg, Mirta; Uthicke, Sven; Wild, Christian

2015-01-01

Increasing dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations associated with ocean acidification can affect marine calcifiers, but local factors, such as high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations through sewage and algal blooms, may interact with this global factor. For calcifying green algae of the genus Halimeda, a key tropical carbonate producer that often occurs in coral reefs, no studies on these interactions have been reported. These data are however urgently needed to understand future carbonate production. Thus, we investigated the independent and combined effects of DIC (pCO2 402 μatm/ pHtot 8.0 and 996 μatm/ pHtot 7.7) and DOC (added as glucose in 0 and 294 μmol L-1) on growth, calcification and photosynthesis of H. macroloba and H. opuntia from the Great Barrier Reef in an incubation experiment over 16 days. High DIC concentrations significantly reduced dark calcification of H. opuntia by 130 % and led to net dissolution, but did not affect H. macroloba. High DOC concentrations significantly reduced daily oxygen production of H. opuntia and H. macroloba by 78 % and 43 %, respectively, and significantly reduced dark calcification of H. opuntia by 70%. Combined high DIC and DOC did not show any interactive effects for both algae, but revealed additive effects for H. opuntia where the combination of both factors reduced dark calcification by 162 % compared to controls. Such species-specific differences in treatment responses indicate H. opuntia is more susceptible to a combination of high DIC and DOC than H. macroloba. From an ecological perspective, results further suggest a reduction of primary production for Halimeda-dominated benthic reef communities under high DOC concentrations and additional decreases of carbonate accretion under elevated DIC concentrations, where H. opuntia dominates the benthic community. This may reduce biogenic carbonate sedimentation rates and hence the buffering capacity against further ocean acidification.

The link between perceived characteristics of neighbourhood green spaces and adults' physical activity in UK cities: analysis of the EURO-URHIS 2 Study.

PubMed

Ali, Omer; Di Nardo, Francesco; Harrison, Annie; Verma, Arpana

2017-08-01

Urban dwellers represent half the world's population and are increasing worldwide. Their health and behaviours are affected by the built environment and green areas may play a major role in promoting physical activity, thus decreasing the burden of chronic diseases, overweight and inactivity. However, the availability of green areas may not guarantee healthy levels of physical activity among the urban dwellers. It is therefore necessary to study how the perceived characteristics of green areas affect physical activity. Data from the EURO-URHIS 2 survey of residents of 13 cities across the UK were analyzed and a multivariable model was created in order to assess the association between their perceptions of the green areas in their neighbourhood and their engagement in physical activity. Results were adjusted for age, gender and other potential confounders. Those who felt unable to engage in active recreational activities in their local green spaces were significantly less likely to carry out moderate physical exercise for at least 60 min per week (adjusted OR: 0.50; 95% 0.37-0.68). Availability of green areas within walking distance did not affect engagement in physical activity. Other characteristics such as accessibility and safety may play an important role. This study showed that the presence of green space may not itself encourage the necessary preventative health behaviours to tackle physical inactivity in urban populations. Development of more appropriate green spaces may be required. Further research is needed to shed light on the types green spaces that are most effective. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Effect of fluorescent pseudomonades and Trichoderma sp. and their combination with two chemicals on Penicillium digitatum caused agent of citrus green mold.

PubMed

Zamani, M; Tehrani, A Sharifi; Ahmadzadeh, M; Abadi, A Alizadeh Ali

2006-01-01

Citrus green mold (Penicillium digitatum) causes economic losses. Chemical fungicides such as imazalil provide the primary means for controlling green mold decay of citrus fruits. Continuous use of fungicides has faced two major obstacles- increasing public concern regarding contamination of perishables with fungicidal residues, and proliferation of resistance in the pathogen populations. The aim of this research was to determine if the attacks of green mold on orange could be reduced by usage of biocontrol agent alone or in combination with low dosage of imazalil or sodium bicarbonate. Pseudomonas fluorescens isolate PN, P. fluorescens isolate PS and Trichoderma virens isolate TE were evaluated as potential biological agents for control of green mold of oranges caused by P. digitatum. Increasing concentration of SB decreased spore germination of P. digitatum. In laboratory tests, a cell suspension (10(8) cells per ml.) of bacterial strains reduced the incidence of green mold. On fruits surface biocontrol activity of antagonistic isolates was significantly increased when combined with low dosage of imazalil (500ppm) or sodium carbonate (5%). Effect of Trichoderma virens on controlling P. digitatum was better than others with or without these chemicals.

Synergistic effect of green tea, cinnamon and ginger combination on enhancing postprandial blood glucose.

PubMed

Azzeh, Firas Sultan

2013-01-15

This study was maintained to determine the immediate effect of green tea, cinnamon, ginger and combination of them on postprandial glucose levels. The Glycemic Index (GI) for previous treatments was measured as an indicator for postprandial glucose pattern. Twenty-two healthy volunteers from both genders were enrolled in this study. Mean age was 21.3 years and mean BMI was 24.6 kg m(-2). For each herb and combination treatment, a concentration of 2.5% aqueous tea extract was prepared. The GI of green tea, cinnamon and ginger were 79, 63 and 72 respectively. Herbs combination exerted GI of 60, which was the lowest. Combination of these herbs showed the best lowering effect on postprandial glucose levels as compared with each herb alone. A potential synergism from the active ingredients of blended herbs was determined.

Efficacy of UV, acidified sodium hypochlorite, and mild heat for decontamination of surface and infiltrated Escherichia coli O157:H7 on green onions and baby spinach.

PubMed

Durak, M Zeki; Churey, John J; Worobo, Randy W

2012-07-01

Produce-associated foodborne illnesses outbreaks have highlighted the need for more effective decontamination methods to ensure the safety of fresh produce. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the individual and combined efficacies of germicidal UV light (12.5 to 500 mJ/cm(2)), acidified sodium hypochlorite (ASC 10 to 200 ppm), and mild heat (40 to 50°C) for decontaminating green onions and baby spinach infected with Escherichia coli O157:H7. Samples were inoculated by spot and dip inoculation methods to mimic surface and infiltrated E. coli O157:H7 contamination, respectively. In green onions and baby spinach, the individual efficacies of UV, ASC, and mild-heat treatments varied based on the produce type and contamination method. Following analysis of the efficacies of the single treatments, a combined treatment with 125 mJ/cm(2) UV and 200 ppm of ASC at 50°C was selected for spot-inoculated green onions, and a combined treatment with 125 mJ/cm(2) UV and 200 ppm of ASC at 20°C was selected for spot- and dip-inoculated baby spinach. While a >5-log reduction was achieved with the combination treatment for spot-inoculated green onions with an initial contamination level of 7.2 log CFU per spot, the same treatment reduced E. coli O157:H7 populations below the detection limit (<1 log) on green onions spot inoculated at a lower contamination level (4.3 log CFU per spot). On spot- and dip-inoculated baby spinach, the combined treatment reduced E. coli O157:H7 populations by 2.8 log CFU per spot and 2.6 log CFU/g, respectively. The combined treatment of 500 mJ/cm(2) UV and 200 ppm of ASC at 50°C selected for the decontamination of dip-inoculated green onions resulted in a 2.2-log CFU/g reduction. These findings suggest that when foodborne pathogens contaminate produce and subsequently infiltrate, attach to, or become localized into protected areas, the individual or combined applications of UV, ASC, and mild-heat treatments have limited decontamination efficacies on both green onions and baby spinach (<3 log). However, treatments combining UV, ASC, and mild heat could be a promising application for reducing pathogen populations (>5 log) on E. coli O157:H7 surface-contaminated green onions. This study also highlights the importance of developing and optimizing produce-specific decontamination methods to ensure the safety of fresh produce commodities.

Effects of Green Buildings on Employee Health and Productivity

PubMed Central

Singh, Amanjeet; Syal, Matt; Korkmaz, Sinem

2010-01-01

We investigated the effects of improved indoor environmental quality (IEQ) on perceived health and productivity in occupants who moved from conventional to green (according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ratings) office buildings. In 2 retrospective–prospective case studies we found that improved IEQ contributed to reductions in perceived absenteeism and work hours affected by asthma, respiratory allergies, depression, and stress and to self-reported improvements in productivity. These preliminary findings indicate that green buildings may positively affect public health. PMID:20634460

Urban green space and vibrant communities: exploring the linkage in the Portland Vancouver area

Treesearch

Edward A. Stone; JunJie Wu; Ralph Alig

2015-01-01

This report investigates the interactions between household location decisions and community characteristics, including green space. Household location decisions are a primary driver of land-use change, and collective location decisions affect community characteristics. At the same time, community characteristics affect location decisions. Neighborhoods or communities...

Coupled Waves on a Periodically Supported Timoshenko Beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

HECKL, MARIA A.

2002-05-01

A mathematical model is presented for the propagation of structural waves on an infinitely long, periodically supported Timoshenko beam. The wave types that can exist on the beam are bending waves with displacements in the horizontal and vertical directions, compressional waves and torsional waves. These waves are affected by the periodic supports in two ways: their dispersion relation spectra show passing and stopping bands, and coupling of the different wave types tends to occur. The model in this paper could represent a railway track where the beam represents the rail and an appropriately chosen support type represents the pad/sleeper/ballast system of a railway track. Hamilton's principle is used to calculate the Green function matrix of the free Timoshenko beam without supports. The supports are incorporated into the model by combining the Green function matrix with the superposition principle. Bloch's theorem is applied to describe the periodicity of the supports. This leads to polynomials with several solutions for the Bloch wave number. These solutions are obtained numerically for different combinations of wave types. Two support types are examined in detail: mass supports and spring supports. More complex support types, such as mass/spring systems, can be incorporated easily into the model.

Nonlinear thermoelectric transport in single-molecule junctions: the effect of electron-phonon interactions.

PubMed

Zimbovskaya, Natalya A

2016-07-27

In this paper, we theoretically analyze steady-state thermoelectric transport through a single-molecule junction with a vibrating bridge. The thermally induced charge current in the system is explored using a nonequilibrium Green function formalism. We study the combined effects of Coulomb interactions between charge carriers on the bridge and electron-phonon interactions on the thermocurrent beyond the linear response regime. It is shown that electron-vibron interactions may significantly affect both the magnitude and the direction of the thermocurrent, and vibrational signatures may appear.

Measuring Flow Reductions in a Combined Sewer System Using Green Infrastructure

EPA Science Inventory

A green infrastructure (GI) design approach was used in CSO Basin #130, a 17-acre sewershed in the Butchertown section of Louisville, Kentucky, to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs). For the design year, the modeled design was expected to reduce the CSO frequency from 34 to ...

Demonstration of Green/Gray Infrastructure for Combined Sewer Overflow Control

EPA Science Inventory

This project is a major national demonstration of the integration of green and gray infrastructure for combined sewer overflow (CSO) control in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. It will use Kansas City, MO, as a case example. The project will have a major in...

Vitamin G: effects of green space on health, well-being, and social safety

PubMed Central

Groenewegen, Peter P; van den Berg, Agnes E; de Vries, Sjerp; Verheij, Robert A

2006-01-01

Background Looking out on and being in the green elements of the landscape around us seem to affect health, well-being and feelings of social safety. This article discusses the design of a research program on the effects of green space in the living environment on health, well-being and social safety. Methods/design The program consists of three projects at three different scales: at a macro scale using data on the Netherlands as a whole, at an intermediate scale looking into the specific effect of green space in the urban environment, and at micro scale investigating the effects of allotment gardens. The projects are observational studies, combining existing data on land use and health interview survey data, and collecting new data through questionnaires and interviews. Multilevel analysis and GIS techniques will be used to analyze the data. Discussion Previous (experimental) research in environmental psychology has shown that a natural environment has a positive effect on well-being through restoration of stress and attentional fatigue. Descriptive epidemiological research has shown a positive relationship between the amount of green space in the living environment and physical and mental health and longevity. The program has three aims. First, to document the relationship between the amount and type of green space in people's living environment and their health, well-being, and feelings of safety. Second, to investigate the mechanisms behind this relationship. Mechanisms relate to exposure (leading to stress reduction and attention restoration), healthy behavior and social integration, and selection. Third, to translate the results into policy on the crossroads of spatial planning, public health, and safety. Strong points of our program are: we study several interrelated dependent variables, in different ordinary settings (as opposed to experimental or extreme settings), focusing on different target groups, using appropriate multilevel methods. PMID:16759375

Carbon Emission Reduction with Capital Constraint under Greening Financing and Cost Sharing Contract.

PubMed

Qin, Juanjuan; Zhao, Yuhui; Xia, Liangjie

2018-04-13

Motivated by the industrial practices, this work explores the carbon emission reductions for the manufacturer, while taking into account the capital constraint and the cap-and-trade regulation. To alleviate the capital constraint, two contracts are analyzed: greening financing and cost sharing. We use the Stackelberg game to model four cases as follows: (1) in Case A1, the manufacturer has no greening financing and no cost sharing; (2) in Case A2, the manufacturer has greening financing, but no cost sharing; (3) in Case B1, the manufacturer has no greening financing but has cost sharing; and, (4) in Case B2, the manufacturer has greening financing and cost sharing. Then, using the backward induction method, we derive and compare the equilibrium decisions and profits of the participants in the four cases. We find that the interest rate of green finance does not always negatively affect the carbon emission reduction of the manufacturer. Meanwhile, the cost sharing from the retailer does not always positively affect the carbon emission reduction of the manufacturer. When the cost sharing is low, both of the participants' profits in Case B1 (under no greening finance) are not less than that in Case B2 (under greening finance). When the cost sharing is high, both of the participants' profits in Case B1 (under no greening finance) are less than that in Case B2 (under greening finance).

Green Infrastructure 101

EPA Science Inventory

Green Infrastructure 101 • What is it? What does it do? What doesn’t it do? • Green Infrastructure as a stormwater and combined sewer control • GI Controls and Best Management Practices that make sense for Yonkers o (Include operations and maintenance requirements for each)

Modeling residential lawn fertilization practices: integrating high resolution remote sensing with socioeconomic data.

PubMed

Zhou, Weiqi; Troy, Austin; Grove, Morgan

2008-05-01

This article investigates how remotely sensed lawn characteristics, such as parcel lawn area and parcel lawn greenness, combined with household characteristics, can be used to predict household lawn fertilization practices on private residential lands. This study involves two watersheds, Glyndon and Baisman's Run, in Baltimore County, Maryland, USA. Parcel lawn area and lawn greenness were derived from high-resolution aerial imagery using an object-oriented classification approach. Four indicators of household characteristics, including lot size, square footage of the house, housing value, and housing age were obtained from a property database. Residential lawn care survey data combined with remotely sensed parcel lawn area and greenness data were used to estimate two measures of household lawn fertilization practices, household annual fertilizer nitrogen application amount (N_yr) and household annual fertilizer nitrogen application rate (N_ha_yr). Using multiple regression with multi-model inferential procedures, we found that a combination of parcel lawn area and parcel lawn greenness best predicts N_yr, whereas a combination of parcel lawn greenness and lot size best predicts variation in N_ha_yr. Our analyses show that household fertilization practices can be effectively predicted by remotely sensed lawn indices and household characteristics. This has significant implications for urban watershed managers and modelers.

Predictive Power of Clean Bed Filtration Theory for Fecal Indicator Bacteria Removal in Stormwater Biofilters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, E.; Rippy, M.; Mehring, A.; Winfrey, B.; Ambrose, R. F.; Levin, L. A.; Grant, S. B.

2017-12-01

Green infrastructure (also referred to as low impact development, or LID) has the potential to transform urban stormwater runoff from an environmental threat to a valuable water resource. Here we focus on the removal of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB, a pollutant responsible for runoff associated inland and coastal beach closures) in stormwater biofilters (a common type of green infrastructure). Drawing on a combination of previously published and new laboratory studies of FIB removal in biofilters, we find that 66% of the variance in FIB removal rates can be explained by clean bed filtration theory (CBFT, 31%), antecedent dry period (14%), study effect (8%), biofilter age (7%), and the presence or absence of shrubs (6%). Our analysis suggests that, with the exception of shrubs, plants affect FIB removal indirectly by changing the infiltration rate, not directly by changing the FIB removal mechanisms or altering filtration rates in ways not already accounted for by CBFT. The analysis presented here represents a significant step forward in our understanding of how physicochemical theories (such as CBFT) can be melded with hydrology, engineering design, and ecology to improve the water quality benefits of green infrastructure.

Green roof hydrologic performance and modeling: a review.

PubMed

Li, Yanling; Babcock, Roger W

2014-01-01

Green roofs reduce runoff from impervious surfaces in urban development. This paper reviews the technical literature on green roof hydrology. Laboratory experiments and field measurements have shown that green roofs can reduce stormwater runoff volume by 30 to 86%, reduce peak flow rate by 22 to 93% and delay the peak flow by 0 to 30 min and thereby decrease pollution, flooding and erosion during precipitation events. However, the effectiveness can vary substantially due to design characteristics making performance predictions difficult. Evaluation of the most recently published study findings indicates that the major factors affecting green roof hydrology are precipitation volume, precipitation dynamics, antecedent conditions, growth medium, plant species, and roof slope. This paper also evaluates the computer models commonly used to simulate hydrologic processes for green roofs, including stormwater management model, soil water atmosphere and plant, SWMS-2D, HYDRUS, and other models that are shown to be effective for predicting precipitation response and economic benefits. The review findings indicate that green roofs are effective for reduction of runoff volume and peak flow, and delay of peak flow, however, no tool or model is available to predict expected performance for any given anticipated system based on design parameters that directly affect green roof hydrology.

Effect of a combination of green and blue monochromatic light on broiler immune response.

PubMed

Zhang, Ziqiang; Cao, Jing; Wang, Zixu; Dong, Yulan; Chen, Yaoxing

2014-09-05

Our previous study suggested that green light or blue light would enhance the broiler immune response; this study was conducted to evaluate whether a combination of green and blue monochromatic light would result in improved immune response. A total of 192 Arbor Acre male broilers were exposed to white light, red light, green light, and blue light from 0 to 26 days. From 27 to 49 days, half of the broilers in green light and blue light were switched to blue light (G-B) and green light (B-G), respectively. The levels of anti-Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and anti-bovine serum albumin (BSA) IgG in G-B group were elevated by 11.9-40.3% and 17.4-48.7%, respectively, compared to single monochromatic lights (P<0.05). Moreover, the proliferation of peripheral blood T and B lymphocytes and the IL-2 concentration in the G-B groups increased by 10.4-36.2%, 10.0-50.0% and 24.7-60.3% (P<0.05), respectively, compared with the single monochromatic light groups. However, the serum TNF-α concentration in the G-B group was reduced by 3.64-40.5% compared to other groups, and no significant difference was found between the G-B and B-G groups in any type of detection index at the end of the experiment. These results suggested that the combination of G-B and B-G monochromatic light could effectively enhance the antibody titer, the proliferation index of lymphocytes and alleviate the stress response in broilers. Therefore, the combination of green and blue monochromatic light can improve the immune function of broilers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Antioxidant synergistic effects of Osmanthus fragrans flowers with green tea and their major contributed antioxidant compounds.

PubMed

Mao, Shuqin; Wang, Kaidi; Lei, Yukun; Yao, Shuting; Lu, Baiyi; Huang, Weisu

2017-04-19

The antioxidant synergistic effects of Osmanthus fragrans flowers with green tea were evaluated, and their major antioxidant compounds contributed to the total amount of synergy were determined. The antioxidant compounds in O. fragrans flowers with green tea were identified by LC-MS and quantified by UPLC-PDA. The synergistic antioxidant interactions between O. fragrans flowers with green tea and their antioxidant compounds were tested using the Prieto's model after the simulated digestion. The main antioxidant compounds in O. fragrans flowers were acteoside and salideroside, whereas the main antioxidant compounds in green tea were caffeine, gallic acid, and L-epicatechin. The significant synergistic effect between O. fragrans flowers and green tea was observed and among nearly all of the combinations of their antioxidant compounds. Among the combinations, acteoside and gallic acid contributed most to the antioxidant synergy between O. fragrans flowers and green tea. However, the simulated digestion decreased this antioxidant synergy because it reduced the contents and the antioxidant capacities of their compounds, as well as the antioxidant synergy among the compounds.

Adverse effects of concentrated green tea extracts.

PubMed

Schönthal, Axel H

2011-06-01

A myriad of health claims are being made in favor of the consumption of green tea. However, mostly due to the easy availability and greater than ever popularity of highly concentrated green tea extracts, sometimes combined with an attitude of more-is-better, certain health risks of green tea consumption have begun to emerge. Among such risks are the possibility of liver damage, the potential to interact with prescription drugs to alter their therapeutic efficacy, and the chance to cause harm when combined with other highly popular herbal remedies. This review will summarize documented examples of adverse effects of green tea in humans, and will discuss risks of copious consumption of highly concentrated green tea extracts as indicated by studies in animals. While there is no intention to minimize any of the scientifically established benefits of the use of green tea, the purpose of this review is to focus primarily on the potential for adverse effects and raise awareness of the rare, yet under-appreciated risks. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Combining essential oils and olive extract for control of multi-drug resistant Salmonella enterica on organic leafy greens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We investigated the combined antimicrobial effects of plant essential oils and olive extract against antibiotic resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Newport on organic leafy greens. Organic baby spinach, mature spinach, romaine lettuce, and iceberg lettuce were inoculated with S. Newport and dip-t...

Eutrophication and warming-driven green tides (Ulva rigida) are predicted to increase under future climate change scenarios.

PubMed

Gao, Guang; Clare, Anthony S; Rose, Craig; Caldwell, Gary S

2017-01-15

The incidence and severity of extraordinary macroalgae blooms (green tides) are increasing. Here, climate change (ocean warming and acidification) impacts on life history and biochemical responses of a causative green tide species, Ulva rigida, were investigated under combinations of pH (7.95, 7.55, corresponding to lower and higher pCO 2 ), temperature (14, 18°C) and nitrate availability (6 and 150μmolL -1 ). The higher temperature accelerated the onset and magnitude of gamete settlement. Any two factor combination promoted germination and accelerated growth in young plants. The higher temperature increased reproduction, which increased further in combination with elevated pCO 2 or nitrate. Reproductive success was highest (64.4±5.1%) when the upper limits of all three variables were combined. Biochemically, more protein and lipid but less carbohydrate were synthesized under higher temperature and nitrate conditions. These results suggest that climate change may cause more severe green tides, particularly when eutrophication cannot be effectively controlled. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A black color morph of adult Nezara viridula (L.)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The southern green stink bug is a worldwide pest of cotton and other row crops, affecting crop yield and transmitting diseases. Adult coloration is sometimes used to identify southern green stink bugs and to determine their physiological condition. Multiple colors occur in southern green stink bug. ...

Carbon Emission Reduction with Capital Constraint under Greening Financing and Cost Sharing Contract

PubMed Central

Qin, Juanjuan; Zhao, Yuhui; Xia, Liangjie

2018-01-01

Motivated by the industrial practices, this work explores the carbon emission reductions for the manufacturer, while taking into account the capital constraint and the cap-and-trade regulation. To alleviate the capital constraint, two contracts are analyzed: greening financing and cost sharing. We use the Stackelberg game to model four cases as follows: (1) in Case A1, the manufacturer has no greening financing and no cost sharing; (2) in Case A2, the manufacturer has greening financing, but no cost sharing; (3) in Case B1, the manufacturer has no greening financing but has cost sharing; and, (4) in Case B2, the manufacturer has greening financing and cost sharing. Then, using the backward induction method, we derive and compare the equilibrium decisions and profits of the participants in the four cases. We find that the interest rate of green finance does not always negatively affect the carbon emission reduction of the manufacturer. Meanwhile, the cost sharing from the retailer does not always positively affect the carbon emission reduction of the manufacturer. When the cost sharing is low, both of the participants’ profits in Case B1 (under no greening finance) are not less than that in Case B2 (under greening finance). When the cost sharing is high, both of the participants’ profits in Case B1 (under no greening finance) are less than that in Case B2 (under greening finance). PMID:29652859

Environmental evaluation of green concretes versus conventional concrete by means of LCA.

PubMed

Turk, Janez; Cotič, Zvonko; Mladenovič, Ana; Šajna, Aljoša

2015-11-01

A number of green concrete mixes having similar basic properties were evaluated from the environmental point of view by means of the Life Cycle Assessment method, and compared with a corresponding conventional concrete mix. The investigated green concrete mixes were prepared from three different types of industrial by-products, i.e. (1) foundry sand, and (2) steel slag, both of which were used as manufactured aggregates, and (3) fly ash, which was used as a mineral admixture. Some green concrete mixes were also prepared from a recycled aggregate, which was obtained from reinforced concrete waste. In some of the green concrete mixes the recycled aggregate was used in combination with the above-mentioned types of manufactured aggregate and fly ash. All of these materials are able, to some extent, to replace natural aggregate or Portland cement in concrete mixes, thus providing an environmental benefit from the point of view of the saving of natural resources. Taking into account consequential modelling, the credit related to the avoidance of the need to dispose of the waste materials is considered as a benefit. In case of the recycling of waste concrete into aggregate, credit is attributed to the recovery of scrap iron from the steel reinforcement. In the case of the use of steel slag, credit is attributed to the recovery of metals, which are extracted from the slag before being used as an alternative material. The disadvantage of using alternative materials and recycled aggregates can sometimes be their relatively long delivery distance. For this reason, a transport sensitivity analysis was carried out. The results indicate that the use of the discussed alternative and recycled materials is beneficial in the concrete production industry. Preference is given to the fly ash and foundry sand scenarios, and especially to those scenarios which are based on the combined use of recycled aggregate with these two alternative materials. It was found that longer delivery distances of the alternative materials do not necessarily affect the results significantly. However, variable delivery distances may have a greater effect when choosing between different alternative scenarios. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of governance structure on green stormwater infrastructure investment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hopkins, Kristina G.; Grimm, Nancy B.; York, Abigail M.

2018-01-01

Communities are faced with the challenge of meeting regulatory requirements mandating reductions in water pollution from stormwater and combined sewer overflows (CSO). Green stormwater infrastructure and gray stormwater infrastructure are two types of water management strategies communities can use to address water pollution. In this study, we used long-term control plans from 25 U.S. cities to synthesize: the types of gray and green infrastructure being used by communities to address combined sewer overflows; the types of goals set; biophysical characteristics of each city; and factors associated with the governance of stormwater management. These city characteristics were then used to identify common characteristics of “green leader” cities—those that dedicated >20% of the control plan budget in green infrastructure. Five “green leader” cities were identified: Milwaukee, WI, Philadelphia, PA, Syracuse, NY, New York City, NY, and Buffalo, NY. These five cities had explicit green infrastructure goals targeting the volume of stormwater or percentage of impervious cover managed by green infrastructure. Results suggested that the management scale and complexity of the management system are less important factors than the ability to harness a “policy window” to integrate green infrastructure into control plans. Two case studies—Philadelphia, PA, and Milwaukee, WI—indicated that green leader cities have a long history of building momentum for green infrastructure through a series of phases from experimentation, demonstration, and finally—in the case of Philadelphia—a full transition in the approach used to manage CSOs.

DNA Damage during G2 Phase Does Not Affect Cell Cycle Progression of the Green Alga Scenedesmus quadricauda

PubMed Central

Vítová, Milada; Bišová, Kateřina; Zachleder, Vilém

2011-01-01

DNA damage is a threat to genomic integrity in all living organisms. Plants and green algae are particularly susceptible to DNA damage especially that caused by UV light, due to their light dependency for photosynthesis. For survival of a plant, and other eukaryotic cells, it is essential for an organism to continuously check the integrity of its genetic material and, when damaged, to repair it immediately. Cells therefore utilize a DNA damage response pathway that is responsible for sensing, reacting to and repairing damaged DNA. We have studied the effect of 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, zeocin, caffeine and combinations of these on the cell cycle of the green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda. The cells delayed S phase and underwent a permanent G2 phase block if DNA metabolism was affected prior to S phase; the G2 phase block imposed by zeocin was partially abolished by caffeine. No cell cycle block was observed if the treatment with zeocin occurred in G2 phase and the cells divided normally. CDKA and CDKB kinases regulate mitosis in S. quadricauda; their kinase activities were inhibited by Wee1. CDKA, CDKB protein levels were stabilized in the presence of zeocin. In contrast, the protein level of Wee1 was unaffected by DNA perturbing treatments. Wee1 therefore does not appear to be involved in the DNA damage response in S. quadricauda. Our results imply a specific reaction to DNA damage in S. quadricauda, with no cell cycle arrest, after experiencing DNA damage during G2 phase. PMID:21603605

Green ergonomics: combining sustainability and ergonomics.

PubMed

Pilczuk, Davana; Barefield, Kevin

2014-01-01

When discussing ergonomics, the term 'sustainability' usually refers to the preservation of the human workforce. However, in 2010 Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation made a conscious effort to combine ergonomics and environmental sustainability in order to increase employee engagement for both programs. They introduced a companywide campaign called Green Ergo which is the idea of creating ergonomic solutions from scrap material found on site. This concept embraced the true meaning of 'green' and encouraged engineers and employees all across the company to design innovative green ergonomic solutions. The idea generated over 35 new ergo solutions, reduced waste production, and solved over 700 ergo problems for a fraction of the cost of newly purchased items. The demand for these items grew large enough that the company outsourced their manufacturing to a local non-profit. The Green Ergo campaign has changed the culture of the company and has increased the level of buy-in for both the ergonomics and sustainability programs.

Analysis on the restriction factors of the green building scale promotion based on DEMATEL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wenxia, Hong; Zhenyao, Jiang; Zhao, Yang

2017-03-01

In order to promote the large-scale development of the green building in our country, DEMATEL method was used to classify influence factors of green building development into three parts, including green building market, green technology and macro economy. Through the DEMATEL model, the interaction mechanism of each part was analyzed. The mutual influence degree of each barrier factor that affects the green building promotion was quantitatively analysed and key factors for the development of green building in China were also finally determined. In addition, some implementation strategies of promoting green building scale development in our country were put forward. This research will show important reference value and practical value for making policies of the green building promotion.

76 FR 81981 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; “Green Jobs...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-29

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Office of the Secretary Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; ``Green Jobs and Health Care Implementation Study'' ACTION: Notice...: Green Jobs and Health Care Implementation Study. OMB ICR Reference Number: 201110-1205-002. Affected...

Sensitometric effects of varying the intensifying screens used with Agfa Dentus ST8G and RP6 panoramic radiographic films.

PubMed

Wakoh, M; Farman, A G; Scarfe, W C; Kitagawa, H; Kuroyanagi, K

1997-07-01

To compare the sensitometric effects and information yield of varying the intensifying screens used with both Dentus ST8G and RP6 Agfa Gevaert, Dormagen, Germany panoramic radiographic films. Four screen-film combinations were employed for each of the two film types. The screens used were blue fluorescing PX-III (Kasei Optonix, Tokyo, Japan) and Special (Siemens AG, Bensheim, Germany), as well as green fluorescing Lanex Regular (Eastman Kodak, Rochester, NY, USA) and Trimax T16 (3M, Mineapolis, Minnesota, USA). The density response for each screen-film combination was evaluated using the characteristic curves generated. Information yield, as determined by the radiographic detection of defects in an aluminium test object, was evaluated by nine observers. The characteristic curves for ST8G were different when green and blue fluorescing screens were used; however, those for RP6 varied little irrespective of the choice of intensifying screens. Observers were able to perceive defects at significantly lower radiation exposures for ST8G combined with green fluorescing screens compared with blue emitting screens. RP6 with all screen combinations provided similar image detail perceptibility at comparable exposures with ST8G with green-fluorescing screens. RP6 is suitable for use with either the spectrally matched blue emitting screens or green-emitting screens. ST8G radiographic film should always be matched to rare earth screens.

Diet change and food loss reduction: What is their combined impact on global water use and scarcity?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalava, Mika; Guillaume, Joseph H. A.; Kummu, Matti; Porkka, Miina; Siebert, Stefan; Varis, Olli

2016-03-01

There is a pressing need to improve food security and reduce environmental impacts of agricultural production globally. Two of the proposed measures are diet change from animal-based to plant-based foodstuffs and reduction of food losses and waste. These two measures are linked, as diet change affects production and consumption of foodstuffs and consequently loss processes through their different water footprints and loss percentages. This paper takes this link into account for the first time and provides an assessment of the combined potential contribution of diet change and food loss reduction for reducing water footprints and water scarcity. We apply scenarios in which we change diets to follow basic dietary recommendations, limit animal-based protein intake to 25% of total protein intake, and halve food losses to study single and combined effects of diet change and loss reduction. Dietary recommendations alone would achieve 6% and 7% reductions of blue and green water consumption, respectively, while changing diets to contain less animal products would result in savings of 11% and 18%, respectively. Halving food loss would alone achieve 12% reductions for both blue and green water. Combining the measures would reduce water consumption by 23% and 28%, respectively, lowering water scarcity in areas with a population of over 600 million. At a global scale, effects of diet change and loss reduction were synergistic with loss reductions being more effective under changed diet. This demonstrates the importance of considering the link between diet change and loss reduction in assessments of food security and resource use.

Process simulation and economic assessment of hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of multi-feedstock lignocellulose - Separate vs combined processing.

PubMed

Ashraf, Muhammad Tahir; Schmidt, Jens Ejbye

2018-02-01

Biorefinery based on multi-feedstock lignocellulose can be viable where a sustainable supply of a single substrate is limited, for example in arid regions. Processing of mixed feedstocks has been studied in lab scale, however, its economics are less studied. In this study, an economic comparison was made between separate and combined (mixed) processing approaches for multi-feedstock lignocellulose for the production of monomeric sugars. This modular approach of focusing on sugar platform makes the results applicable for many applications using the sugars as feedstock. Feedstock considered in this study were the green and woody lignocellulose residues: Bermuda grass, Jasmine hedges, and date palm fronds. Results showed that, at an identical total feed rate, combined processing was more advantageous as compared to separate processing. A further sensitivity analysis on mixed combined processing showed that the cellulase enzyme price and feed price are the two major factors affecting the production cost. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial environmental heterogeneity affects plant growth and thermal performance on a green roof.

PubMed

Buckland-Nicks, Michael; Heim, Amy; Lundholm, Jeremy

2016-05-15

Green roofs provide ecosystem services, including stormwater retention and reductions in heat transfer through the roof. Microclimates, as well as designed features of green roofs, such as substrate and vegetation, affect the magnitude of these services. Many green roofs are partially shaded by surrounding buildings, but the effects of this within-roof spatial environmental heterogeneity on thermal performance and other ecosystem services have not been examined. We quantified the effects of spatial heterogeneity in solar radiation, substrate depth and other variables affected by these drivers on vegetation and ecosystem services in an extensive green roof. Spatial heterogeneity in substrate depth and insolation were correlated with differential growth, survival and flowering in two focal plant species. These effects were likely driven by the resulting spatial heterogeneity in substrate temperature and moisture content. Thermal performance (indicated by heat flux and substrate temperature) was influenced by spatial heterogeneity in vegetation cover and substrate depth. Areas with less insolation were cooler in summer and had greater substrate moisture, leading to more favorable conditions for plant growth and survival. Spatial variation in substrate moisture (7%-26% volumetric moisture content) and temperature (21°C-36°C) during hot sunny conditions in summer could cause large differences in stormwater retention and heat flux within a single green roof. Shaded areas promote smaller heat fluxes through the roof, leading to energy savings, but lower evapotranspiration in these areas should reduce stormwater retention capacity. Spatial heterogeneity can thus result in trade-offs between different ecosystem services. The effects of these spatial heterogeneities are likely widespread in green roofs. Structures that provide shelter from sun and wind may be productively utilized to design higher functioning green roofs and increase biodiversity by providing habitat heterogeneity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study on Evaluation Index System of Green mine construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, xin; Yang, JunJie; Yan, Hongcai; Cao, Hongjun

2017-11-01

Green mine is a new and science comprehensive construction mode of mine, which runs the concept of green development through the whole process of mineral resources development and utilization, promotes the transformation and upgrading of mineral enterprises and achieves the healthy and sustainable development of mining industry. This paper is based on “the basic conditions of national green mine”, combined with the current situation of green mine construction, constructing green mine construction evaluation index system which is divided into five areas, including management, comprehensive utilization of mineral resources. technological innovation. ecological environment and cultural construction.

Measurements of reciprocity law failure in green-sensitive X-ray films.

PubMed

Arnold, B A; Eisenberg, H; Bjärngard, B E

1978-02-01

Reciprocity law failure was measured for four brands of medical x-ray films exposed with intensifying screens. Three of the films are green light-sensitized for use in combination with green light-emitting rare-earth screens. These films showed larger reciprocity failure effects than one conventional blue-sensitive film, Dupont Cronex-2. Development conditions had a small effect on reciprocity failure. As part of the investigation, a detector was constructed with a response that accurately monitors the light emission from the double screen-cassette combination over a wide range of x-ray photon energies.

Study on transport properties of silicene monolayer under external field using NEGF method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Syaputra, Marhamni, E-mail: marhamni@students.itb.ac.id; Wella, Sasfan Arman; Wungu, Triati Dewi Kencana

2015-09-30

We investigate the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of a pristine monolayer silicene using non-equilibrium Green function (NEGF) method combining with density functional theory (DFT). This method succeeded in showing the relationship of I and V on silicene corresponding to the electronic characteristics such as density of states. The external field perpendicular to the silicene monolayer affects in increasing of the current. Under 0.2 eV external field, the current reaches the maximum peak at Vb = 0.3 eV with the increase is about 60% from what it is in zero external field.

Construction Performance Optimization toward Green Building Premium Cost Based on Greenship Rating Tools Assessment with Value Engineering Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latief, Yusuf; Berawi, Mohammed Ali; Basten, Van; Riswanto; Budiman, Rachmat

2017-07-01

Green building concept becomes important in current building life cycle to mitigate environment issues. The purpose of this paper is to optimize building construction performance towards green building premium cost, achieving green building rating tools with optimizing life cycle cost. Therefore, this study helps building stakeholder determining building fixture to achieve green building certification target. Empirically the paper collects data of green building in the Indonesian construction industry such as green building fixture, initial cost, operational and maintenance cost, and certification score achievement. After that, using value engineering method optimized green building fixture based on building function and cost aspects. Findings indicate that construction performance optimization affected green building achievement with increasing energy and water efficiency factors and life cycle cost effectively especially chosen green building fixture.

The Exploration of Green Architecture Design Integration Teaching Mode

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shuang, Liang; Yibin, Han

2016-01-01

With the deepening of the concept of green building design, the course of university education gradually exposed many problems in the teaching of architectural design theory; based on the existing mode of teaching and combined with the needs of architectural design practice it proposed the "integrated" method of green building design. It…

Anti-infective properties of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a component of green tea

PubMed Central

Steinmann, J; Buer, J; Pietschmann, T; Steinmann, E

2013-01-01

The consumption of green tea (Camellia sinensis) has been shown to have many physiological and pharmacological health benefits. In the past two decades several studies have reported that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the main constituent of green tea, has anti-infective properties. Antiviral activities of EGCG with different modes of action have been demonstrated on diverse families of viruses, such as Retroviridae, Orthomyxoviridae and Flaviviridae and include important human pathogens like human immunodeficiency virus, influenza A virus and the hepatitis C virus. Furthermore, the molecule interferes with the replication cycle of DNA viruses like hepatitis B virus, herpes simplex virus and adenovirus. Most of these studies demonstrated antiviral properties within physiological concentrations of EGCG in vitro. In contrast, the minimum inhibitory concentrations against bacteria were 10–100-fold higher. Nevertheless, the antibacterial effects of EGCG alone and in combination with different antibiotics have been intensively analysed against a number of bacteria including multidrug-resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Furthermore, the catechin EGCG has antifungal activity against human-pathogenic yeasts like Candida albicans. Although the mechanistic effects of EGCG are not fully understood, there are results indicating that EGCG binds to lipid membranes and affects the folic acid metabolism of bacteria and fungi by inhibiting the cytoplasmic enzyme dihydrofolate reductase. This review summarizes the current knowledge and future perspectives on the antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral effects of the green tea constituent EGCG. PMID:23072320

[Nitrogen status diagnosis and yield prediction of spring maize after green manure incorporation by using a digital camera].

PubMed

Bai, Jin-Shun; Cao, Wei-Dong; Xiong, Jing; Zeng, Nao-Hua; Shimizu, Katshyoshi; Rui, Yu-Kui

2013-12-01

In order to explore the feasibility of using the image processing technology to diagnose the nitrogen status and to predict the maize yield, a field experiment with different nitrogen rates with green manure incorporation was conducted. Maize canopy digital images over a range of growth stages were captured by digital camera. Maize nitrogen status and the relationships between image color indices derived by digital camera for maize at different growth stages and maize nitrogen status indicators were analyzed. These digital camera sourced image color indices at different growth stages for maize were also regressed with maize grain yield at maturity. The results showed that the plant nitrogen status for maize was improved by green manure application. The leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD value), aboveground biomass and nitrogen uptake for green manure treatments at different maize growth stages were all higher than that for chemical fertilization treatments. The correlations between spectral indices with plant nitrogen indicators for maize affected by green manure application were weaker than that affected by chemical fertilization. And the correlation coefficients for green manure application were ranged with the maize growth stages changes. The best spectral indices for diagnosis of plant nitrogen status after green manure incorporation were normalized blue value (B/(R+G+B)) at 12-leaf (V12) stage and normalized red value (R/(R+G+B)) at grain-filling (R4) stage individually. The coefficients of determination based on linear regression were 0. 45 and 0. 46 for B/(R+G+B) at V12 stage and R/(R+G+B) at R4 stage respectively, acting as a predictor of maize yield response to nitrogen affected by green manure incorporation. Our findings suggested that digital image technique could be a potential tool for in-season prediction of the nitrogen status and grain yield for maize after green manure incorporation when the suitable growth stages and spectral indices for diagnosis were selected.

Old Apple (Malus domestica L. Borkh) Varieties with Hypoallergenic Properties: An Integrated Approach for Studying Apple Allergenicity.

PubMed

Vegro, Mara; Eccher, Giulia; Populin, Francesca; Sorgato, Chiara; Savazzini, Federica; Pagliarani, Giulia; Tartarini, Stefano; Pasini, Gabriella; Curioni, Andrea; Antico, Andrea; Botton, Alessandro

2016-12-07

Freshly consumed apples (Malus domestica L. Borkh) can cause allergic reactions because of the presence of four classes of allergens. Knowledge of the genetic factors affecting the allergenic potential of apples would provide important information for the selection of hypoallergenic genotypes, which can be combined with the adoption of new agronomical practices to produce fruits with a reduced amount of allergens. In the present research, a multiple analytical approach was adopted to characterize the allergenic potential of 24 apple varieties released at different ages (pre- and post-green revolution). A specific workflow was set up including protein quantification by means of polyclonal antibodies, immunological analyses with sera of allergic subjects, enzymatic assays, clinical assessments on allergic patients, and gene expression assays on fruit samples. Taken as a whole, the results indicate that most of the less allergenic genotypes were found among those deriving from selection processes carried out prior to the so-called "green revolution".

The impact of interventions to promote physical activity in urban green space: a systematic review and recommendations for future research.

PubMed

Hunter, Ruth F; Christian, Hayley; Veitch, Jenny; Astell-Burt, Thomas; Hipp, J Aaron; Schipperijn, Jasper

2015-01-01

Evidence is mounting on the association between the built environment and physical activity (PA) with a call for intervention research. A broader approach which recognizes the role of supportive environments that can make healthy choices easier is required. A systematic review was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of interventions to encourage PA in urban green space. Five databases were searched independently by two reviewers using search terms relating to 'physical activity', 'urban green space' and 'intervention' in July 2014. Eligibility criteria included: (i) intervention to encourage PA in urban green space which involved either a physical change to the urban green space or a PA intervention to promote use of urban green space or a combination of both; and (ii) primary outcome of PA. Of the 2405 studies identified, 12 were included. There was some evidence (4/9 studies showed positive effect) to support built environment only interventions for encouraging use and increasing PA in urban green space. There was more promising evidence (3/3 studies showed positive effect) to support PAprograms or PA programs combined with a physical change to the built environment, for increasing urban green space use and PA of users. Recommendations for future research include the need for longer term follow-up post-intervention, adequate control groups, sufficiently powered studies, and consideration of the social environment, which was identified as a significantly under-utilized resource in this area. Interventions that involve the use of PA programs combined with a physical change to the built environment are likely to have a positive effect on PA. Robust evaluations of such interventions are urgently required. The findings provide a platform to inform the design, implementation and evaluation of future urban green space and PAintervention research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Psychological explanations and interventions for indifference to greening hospitals.

PubMed

Topf, Margaret

2005-01-01

Attention has increasingly been given to "greening" the environment, that is, to engaging in environmentally responsible behavior. Applied to hospitals, greening is collective interdisciplinary organizational behavior that reduces environmental hazards and overconsumption. An environmental crisis in hospitals is described. A number of individual and group psychological phenomena are detailed to explain the current absence of widespread greening in hospitals. Social and environmental psychology concepts for behavior change are combined to provide a model consisting of hospital administration and staff interventions to green this setting. Successful examples of these interventions are provided.

Green Tunnel Construction Technology and Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, J. L.; Shi, P. X.; Huang, J.; Li, H. G.; Zhou, X. Q.

2018-05-01

With the dramatic growth of urban tunnels in recent years, energy saving and environmental protection have received intensive attention in tunnel construction and operation. As reference to the concept of green buildings, this paper proposes the concept of green tunnels. Combining with the key issues of tunnel design, construction, operation and maintenance, the major aspects of green tunnels including prefabricated construction, noise control, ventilation & lighting energy saving, and digital intelligent maintenance are discussed and the future development of green tunnels is outlined with the economic and social benefits as indicators.

Green Infrastructure Research at EPA's Edison Environmental Center

EPA Science Inventory

The presentation outline includes: (1) Green infrastructure research objectives (2) Introduction to ongoing research projects - Aspects of design, construction, and maintenence that affect function - Real-world applications of GI research

Infestation of Broad Bean (Vicia faba) by the Green Stink Bug (Nezara viridula) Decreases Shoot Abscisic Acid Contents under Well-Watered and Drought Conditions.

PubMed

Ederli, Luisa; Brunetti, Cecilia; Centritto, Mauro; Colazza, Stefano; Frati, Francesca; Loreto, Francesco; Marino, Giovanni; Salerno, Gianandrea; Pasqualini, Stefania

2017-01-01

The response of broad bean ( Vicia faba ) plants to water stress alone and in combination with green stink bug ( Nezara viridula ) infestation was investigated through measurement of: (1) leaf gas exchange; (2) plant hormone titres of abscisic acid (ABA) and its metabolites, and of salicylic acid (SA); and (3) hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) content. Furthermore, we evaluated the effects of experimentally water-stressed broad-bean plants on N. viridula performance in terms of adult host-plant preference, and nymph growth and survival. Water stress significantly reduced both photosynthesis ( A ) and stomatal conductance ( g s ), while infestation by the green stink bug had no effects on photosynthesis but significantly altered partitioning of ABA between roots and shoots. Leaf ABA was decreased and root ABA increased as a result of herbivore attack, under both well-watered and water-deprived conditions. Water stress significantly impacted on SA content in leaves, but not on H 2 O 2 . However, infestation of N. viridula greatly increased both SA and H 2 O 2 contents in leaves and roots, which suggests that endogenous SA and H 2 O 2 have roles in plant responses to herbivore infestation. No significant differences were seen for green stink bug choice between well-watered and water-stressed plants. However, for green stink bug nymphs, plant water stress promoted significantly lower weight increases and significantly higher mortality, which indicates that highly water-stressed host plants are less suitable for N. viridula infestation. In conclusion two important findings emerged: (i) association of water stress with herbivore infestation largely changes plant response in terms of phytohormone contents; but (ii) water stress does not affect the preference of the infesting insects, although their performance was impaired.

Infestation of Broad Bean (Vicia faba) by the Green Stink Bug (Nezara viridula) Decreases Shoot Abscisic Acid Contents under Well-Watered and Drought Conditions

PubMed Central

Ederli, Luisa; Brunetti, Cecilia; Centritto, Mauro; Colazza, Stefano; Frati, Francesca; Loreto, Francesco; Marino, Giovanni; Salerno, Gianandrea; Pasqualini, Stefania

2017-01-01

The response of broad bean (Vicia faba) plants to water stress alone and in combination with green stink bug (Nezara viridula) infestation was investigated through measurement of: (1) leaf gas exchange; (2) plant hormone titres of abscisic acid (ABA) and its metabolites, and of salicylic acid (SA); and (3) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content. Furthermore, we evaluated the effects of experimentally water-stressed broad-bean plants on N. viridula performance in terms of adult host–plant preference, and nymph growth and survival. Water stress significantly reduced both photosynthesis (A) and stomatal conductance (gs), while infestation by the green stink bug had no effects on photosynthesis but significantly altered partitioning of ABA between roots and shoots. Leaf ABA was decreased and root ABA increased as a result of herbivore attack, under both well-watered and water-deprived conditions. Water stress significantly impacted on SA content in leaves, but not on H2O2. However, infestation of N. viridula greatly increased both SA and H2O2 contents in leaves and roots, which suggests that endogenous SA and H2O2 have roles in plant responses to herbivore infestation. No significant differences were seen for green stink bug choice between well-watered and water-stressed plants. However, for green stink bug nymphs, plant water stress promoted significantly lower weight increases and significantly higher mortality, which indicates that highly water-stressed host plants are less suitable for N. viridula infestation. In conclusion two important findings emerged: (i) association of water stress with herbivore infestation largely changes plant response in terms of phytohormone contents; but (ii) water stress does not affect the preference of the infesting insects, although their performance was impaired. PMID:28642773

Challenges in Evaluating the Severity of Fibropapillomatosis: A Proposal for Objective Index and Score System for Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Brazil

PubMed Central

Rossi, Silmara; Sánchez-Sarmiento, Angélica María; Vanstreels, Ralph Eric Thijl; dos Santos, Robson Guimarães; Prioste, Fabiola Eloisa Setim; Gattamorta, Marco Aurélio; Grisi-Filho, José Henrique Hildebrand; Matushima, Eliana Reiko

2016-01-01

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a neoplastic disease that affects marine turtles worldwide, especially green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). FP tumors can develop on the body surface of marine turtles and also internally in the oral cavity and viscera. Depending on their quantity, size and anatomical distribution, these tumors can interfere with hydrodynamics and the ability to feed, hence scoring systems have been proposed in an attempt to quantify the clinical manifestation of FP. In order to establish a new scoring system adapted to geographic regions, we examined 214 juvenile green sea turtles with FP caught or rescued at Brazilian feeding areas, counted their 7466 tumors and classified them in relation to their size and anatomical distribution. The patterns in quantity, size and distribution of tumors revealed interesting aspects in the clinical manifestation of FP in specimens studied in Brazil, and that FP scoring systems developed for other areas might not perform adequately when applied to sea turtles on the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. We therefore propose a novel method to evaluate the clinical manifestation of FP: fibropapillomatosis index (FPI) that provides the Southwest Atlantic fibropapillomatosis score (FPSSWA). In combination, these indexing and scoring systems allow for a more objective, rapid and detailed evaluation of the severity of FP in green sea turtles. While primarily designed for the clinical manifestation of FP currently witnessed in our dataset, this index and the score system can be adapted for other areas and compare the characteristics of the disease across regions. In conclusion, scoring systems to classify the severity of FP can assist our understanding on the environmental factors that modulate its development and its impacts on the individual and population health of green sea turtles. PMID:27936118

Challenges in Evaluating the Severity of Fibropapillomatosis: A Proposal for Objective Index and Score System for Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Brazil.

PubMed

Rossi, Silmara; Sánchez-Sarmiento, Angélica María; Vanstreels, Ralph Eric Thijl; Dos Santos, Robson Guimarães; Prioste, Fabiola Eloisa Setim; Gattamorta, Marco Aurélio; Grisi-Filho, José Henrique Hildebrand; Matushima, Eliana Reiko

2016-01-01

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a neoplastic disease that affects marine turtles worldwide, especially green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). FP tumors can develop on the body surface of marine turtles and also internally in the oral cavity and viscera. Depending on their quantity, size and anatomical distribution, these tumors can interfere with hydrodynamics and the ability to feed, hence scoring systems have been proposed in an attempt to quantify the clinical manifestation of FP. In order to establish a new scoring system adapted to geographic regions, we examined 214 juvenile green sea turtles with FP caught or rescued at Brazilian feeding areas, counted their 7466 tumors and classified them in relation to their size and anatomical distribution. The patterns in quantity, size and distribution of tumors revealed interesting aspects in the clinical manifestation of FP in specimens studied in Brazil, and that FP scoring systems developed for other areas might not perform adequately when applied to sea turtles on the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. We therefore propose a novel method to evaluate the clinical manifestation of FP: fibropapillomatosis index (FPI) that provides the Southwest Atlantic fibropapillomatosis score (FPSSWA). In combination, these indexing and scoring systems allow for a more objective, rapid and detailed evaluation of the severity of FP in green sea turtles. While primarily designed for the clinical manifestation of FP currently witnessed in our dataset, this index and the score system can be adapted for other areas and compare the characteristics of the disease across regions. In conclusion, scoring systems to classify the severity of FP can assist our understanding on the environmental factors that modulate its development and its impacts on the individual and population health of green sea turtles.

A Review of the Health Benefits of Greenness

PubMed Central

James, Peter; Banay, Rachel F.; Hart, Jaime E.; Laden, Francine

2015-01-01

Researchers are increasingly exploring how neighborhood greenness, or vegetation, may affect health behaviors and outcomes. Greenness may influence health by promoting physical activity and social contact; decreasing stress; and mitigating air pollution, noise, and heat exposure. Greenness is generally measured using satellite-based vegetation indices or land-use databases linked to participants’ addresses. In this review, we found fairly strong evidence for a positive association between greenness and physical activity, and a less consistent negative association between greenness and body weight. Research suggests greenness is protective against adverse mental health outcomes, cardiovascular disease, and mortality, though most studies were limited by cross-sectional or ecological design. There is consistent evidence that greenness exposure during pregnancy is positively associated with birth weight, though findings for other birth outcomes are less conclusive. Future research should follow subjects prospectively, differentiate between greenness quantity and quality, and identify mediators and effect modifiers of greenness-health associations. PMID:26185745

The Effect of Green Home, Green Behavior, and Livability on the Financial Incentive in Medan City, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fachrudin, K. A.; Fachrudin, H. T.

2017-03-01

A green home focuses on the efficient usage of resources. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of green homes, green behavior, and livability on financial incentives. The population of this study is a largest and oldest housing in Medan City and sample is 100 houses. The method that used is path analysis. The findings show that the application of the green concept according to the residents have positive and significant impact on livability within alpha 5 percent, but livability has positive and unsignificant impact on the financial incentive. The application of green concept have no significant effect either directly or through livability to the financial incentive. Factor affecting the financial incentive is green behavior. It is expected that residents can increase the awareness about environment and have green behavior.

Golf Ball Roll Distance: A Field Exercise to Explore Management Factors Affecting Putting Green Speed

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigelow, Cale A.; Walker, Kristina S.

2007-01-01

Putting greens are the most important golf course use area and regularly draw comments regarding their appearance and playing condition. This field laboratory exercise taught students how to properly measure putting green speed, an important functional characteristic, using a Stimpmeter device that measures golf ball roll distance (BRD).…

Hazard assessment of inorganics to three endangered fish in the Green River, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hamilton, S.J.

1995-01-01

Acute toxicity tests were conducted with three life stages of Colorado squawfish (Ptychocheilus lucius), razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), and bonytail (Gila elegans) in a reconstituted water quality simulating the middle part of the Green River of Utah. Tests were conducted with boron, lithium, selenate, selenite, uranium, vanadium, and zinc. The overall rank order of toxicity to all species and life stages combined from most to least toxic was vanadium = zinc > selenite > lithium = uranium > selenate > boron. There was no difference between the three species in their sensitivity to the seven inorganics based on a rank-order evaluation at the species level. Colorado squawfish were 2-5 times more sensitive to selenate and selenite at the swimup life stage than older stages, whereas razorback suckers displayed equal sensitivity among life stages. Bonytail exhibited equal sensitivity to selenite, but were five times more sensitive to selenate at the swimup life stage than the older stages. Comparison of 96-hr LC50 values with a limited number of environmental water concentrations in Ashley Creek, Utah, which receives irrigation drainwater, revealed moderate hazard ratios for boron, selenate, selenite, and zinc, low hazard ratios for uranium and vanadium, but unknown ratios for lithium. These inorganic contaminants in drainwaters may adversely affect endangered fish in the Green River.

Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge: 2004 Academic Award

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge 2004 award winners, Professors Charles A. Eckert and Charles L. Liotta, use supercritical CO2 as a solvent to combine reactions and separations, improve efficiency, and reduce waste.

Green Power Marketing Abroad: Recent Experience and Trends

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bird, L.; Wustenhagen, R.; Aabakken, J.

Green power marketing--the act of differentially selling electricity generated wholly or in part from renewable sources--has emerged in more than a dozen countries around the world. This report reviews green power marketing activity abroad to gain additional perspective on consumer demand and to discern key factors or policies that affect the development of green power markets. The objective is to draw lessons from experience in other countries that could be applicable to the U.S. market.

Optimal monochromatic color combinations for fusion imaging of FDG-PET and diffusion-weighted MR images.

PubMed

Kamei, Ryotaro; Watanabe, Yuji; Sagiyama, Koji; Isoda, Takuro; Togao, Osamu; Honda, Hiroshi

2018-05-23

To investigate the optimal monochromatic color combination for fusion imaging of FDG-PET and diffusion-weighted MR images (DW) regarding lesion conspicuity of each image. Six linear monochromatic color-maps of red, blue, green, cyan, magenta, and yellow were assigned to each of the FDG-PET and DW images. Total perceptual color differences of the lesions were calculated based on the lightness and chromaticity measured with the photometer. Visual lesion conspicuity was also compared among the PET-only, DW-only and PET-DW-double positive portions with mean conspicuity scores. Statistical analysis was performed with a one-way analysis of variance and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Among all the 12 possible monochromatic color-map combinations, the 3 combinations of red/cyan, magenta/green, and red/green produced the highest conspicuity scores. Total color differences between PET-positive and double-positive portions correlated with conspicuity scores (ρ = 0.2933, p < 0.005). Lightness differences showed a significant negative correlation with conspicuity scores between the PET-only and DWI-only positive portions. Chromaticity differences showed a marginally significant correlation with conspicuity scores between DWI-positive and double-positive portions. Monochromatic color combinations can facilitate the visual evaluation of FDG-uptake and diffusivity as well as registration accuracy on the FDG-PET/DW fusion images, when red- and green-colored elements are assigned to FDG-PET and DW images, respectively.

Combining Density Functional Theory and Green's Function Theory: Range-Separated, Nonlocal, Dynamic, and Orbital-Dependent Hybrid Functional.

PubMed

Kananenka, Alexei A; Zgid, Dominika

2017-11-14

We present a rigorous framework which combines single-particle Green's function theory with density functional theory based on a separation of electron-electron interactions into short- and long-range components. Short-range contribution to the total energy and exchange-correlation potential is provided by a density functional approximation, while the long-range contribution is calculated using an explicit many-body Green's function method. Such a hybrid results in a nonlocal, dynamic, and orbital-dependent exchange-correlation functional of a single-particle Green's function. In particular, we present a range-separated hybrid functional called srSVWN5-lrGF2 which combines the local-density approximation and the second-order Green's function theory. We illustrate that similarly to density functional approximations, the new functional is weakly basis-set dependent. Furthermore, it offers an improved description of the short-range dynamic correlation. The many-body contribution to the functional mitigates the many-electron self-interaction error present in many density functional approximations and provides a better description of molecular properties. Additionally, we illustrate that the new functional can be used to scale down the self-energy and, therefore, introduce an additional sparsity to the self-energy matrix that in the future can be exploited in calculations for large molecules or periodic systems.

Prooxidant effects of the combination of green tea extract and sodium nitrite for accelerating lipolysis and lipid oxidation in pepperoni during storage.

PubMed

Lin, Yuhai; Huang, Ming; Zhou, Guanghong; Zou, Yufeng; Xu, Xinglian

2011-01-01

The individual and interactive effects of green tea (GT) extract and sodium nitrite (NT) on lipolysis and lipid oxidation were investigated in pepperoni during processing and storage (4 °C). Pepperoni was treated with GT at concentrations of 0.02%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.5%; and NT from 0.003% to 0.015% in increments of 0.003%; and a combination of 0.05% GT and 0.009% NT (GT/NT). The pH, color, residual nitrite, fatty acid (FA), and 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values were measured. The results showed inhibitory effects on TBARS value were concentration dependent. The largest effect was at 0.05% for GT and 0.009% for NT. Adding 0.05% GT significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the TBARS values but did not affect color values during storage. NT (0.009%) was more effective than GT (0.05%) for maintaining lower TBARS values (P < 0.05). Total fatty acids were not affected by 0.05% GT and 0.009% NT treatments. However, adding GT/NT showed a significant prooxidant effect (P < 0.05) in pepperoni, which accelerated lipolysis and lipid oxidation significantly (P < 0.05) during storage, with depletion of nitrite. This suggests that adding GT and an appropriate amount of NT into pepperoni could promote lipolysis and lipid oxidation during storage, as compared to NT alone. When using GT extract as an antioxidant in industrial production of pepperoni, the interaction effect with NT should be considered, as it may lead to a prooxidant effect during refrigerated storage. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®

Dwarfs in Coma Cluster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Click on image for larger poster version

This false-color mosaic of the central region of the Coma cluster combines infrared and visible-light images to reveal thousands of faint objects (green). Follow-up observations showed that many of these objects, which appear here as faint green smudges, are dwarf galaxies belonging to the cluster. Two large elliptical galaxies, NGC 4889 and NGC 4874, dominate the cluster's center. The mosaic combines visible-light data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (color coded blue) with long- and short-wavelength infrared views (red and green, respectively) from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

Modelling of green roofs' hydrologic performance using EPA's SWMM.

PubMed

Burszta-Adamiak, E; Mrowiec, M

2013-01-01

Green roofs significantly affect the increase in water retention and thus the management of rain water in urban areas. In Poland, as in many other European countries, excess rainwater resulting from snowmelt and heavy rainfall contributes to the development of local flooding in urban areas. Opportunities to reduce surface runoff and reduce flood risks are among the reasons why green roofs are more likely to be used also in this country. However, there are relatively few data on their in situ performance. In this study the storm water performance was simulated for the green roofs experimental plots using the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) with Low Impact Development (LID) Controls module (version 5.0.022). The model consists of many parameters for a particular layer of green roofs but simulation results were unsatisfactory considering the hydrologic response of the green roofs. For the majority of the tested rain events, the Nash coefficient had negative values. It indicates a weak fit between observed and measured flow-rates. Therefore complexity of the LID module does not affect the increase of its accuracy. Further research at a technical scale is needed to determine the role of the green roof slope, vegetation cover and drying process during the inter-event periods.

Enhancement of indocyanine green stability and cellular uptake by incorporating cationic lipid into indocyanine green-loaded nanoemulsions.

PubMed

Lee, Eun-Hye; Kim, Jin-Ki; Lim, Joon-Seok; Lim, Soo-Jeong

2015-12-01

Indocyanine green (ICG) is a near-infrared optical dye approved by the Food and Drug Administration. ICG has been investigated as a simultaneous color and fluorescence-imaging tracer for the intraoperative identification of sentinel lymph nodes, but its use has recently expanded to include application as a photosensitizer for the local photodynamic/thermal treatment of identified lymph node metastases. The current study was designed to develop an ICG-loaded nanoemulsion as an effective agent for both the diagnosis and treatment of lymph node metastases. Incorporating the cationic lipid stearylamine (SA) together with ICG in the shell of nanoemulsions did not affect the loaded ICG concentration, but changed the surface charge of nanoemulsions from a negative to a positive value and improved the physical stability of nanoemulsions. Loading ICG into SA-incorporated nanoemulsions more effectively blocked the aggregation and degradation of ICG compared to loading in SA-free nanoemulsions. SA incorporation also enhanced tumor cell uptake of ICG-loaded nanoemulsions, resulting in greater cell killing upon light irradiation. After subcutaneous injection into the footpad of mice, SA-incorporated nanoemulsions increased the concentration of ICG accumulated in popliteal lymph nodes to a greater extent than SA-free nanoemulsions without affecting the kinetics of lymph node uptake of nanoemulsions. These multiple beneficial effects of incorporating SA in nanoemulsions are likely attributable to the electrostatic interaction between anionic ICG and cationic SA, as well as the change in the nanoemulsion surface charge from negative to positive. Our findings indicate that SA-incorporated nanoemulsions are promising ICG carriers for combined diagnosis and treatment of lymph node metastases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dietary patterns as compared with physical activity in relation to metabolic syndrome among Chinese adults.

PubMed

He, Y; Li, Y; Lai, J; Wang, D; Zhang, J; Fu, P; Yang, X; Qi, L

2013-10-01

To examine the nationally-representative dietary patterns and their joint effects with physical activity on the likelihood of metabolic syndrome (MS) among 20,827 Chinese adults. CNNHS was a nationally representative cross-sectional observational study. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the Joint Interim Statement definition. The "Green Water" dietary pattern, characterized by high intakes of rice and vegetables and moderate intakes in animal foods was related to the lowest prevalence of MS (15.9%). Compared to the "Green Water" dietary pattern, the "Yellow Earth" dietary pattern, characterized by high intakes of refined cereal products, tubers, cooking salt and salted vegetable was associated with a significantly elevated odds of MS (odds ratio 1.66, 95%CI: 1.40-1.96), after adjustment of age, sex, socioeconomic status and lifestyle factors. The "Western/new affluence" dietary pattern characterized by higher consumption of beef/lamb, fruit, eggs, poultry and seafood also significantly associated with MS (odds ratio: 1.37, 95%CI: 1.13-1.67). Physical activity showed significant interactions with the dietary patterns in relation to MS risk (P for interaction = 0.008). In the joint analysis, participants with the combination of sedentary activity with the "Yellow Earth" dietary pattern or the "Western/new affluence" dietary pattern both had more than three times (95%CI: 2.8-6.1) higher odds of MS than those with active activity and the "Green Water" dietary pattern. Our findings from the large Chinese national representative data indicate that dietary patterns affect the likelihood of MS. Combining healthy dietary pattern with active lifestyle may benefit more in prevention of MS. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Blue-green and green phosphors for lighting applications

DOEpatents

Setlur, Anant Achyut; Chandran, Ramachandran Gopi; Henderson, Claire Susan; Nammalwar, Pransanth Kumar; Radkov, Emil

2012-12-11

Embodiments of the present techniques provide a related family of phosphors that may be used in lighting systems to generate blue or blue-green light. The phosphors include systems having a general formula of: ((Sr.sub.1-zM.sub.z).sub.1-(x+w)A.sub.wCe.sub.x).sub.3(Al.sub.1-ySi.s- ub.y)O.sub.4+y+3(x-w)F.sub.1-y-3(x-w) (I), wherein 0

Novel green tissue-specific synthetic promoters and cis-regulatory elements in rice.

PubMed

Wang, Rui; Zhu, Menglin; Ye, Rongjian; Liu, Zuoxiong; Zhou, Fei; Chen, Hao; Lin, Yongjun

2015-12-11

As an important part of synthetic biology, synthetic promoter has gradually become a hotspot in current biology. The purposes of the present study were to synthesize green tissue-specific promoters and to discover green tissue-specific cis-elements. We first assembled several regulatory sequences related to tissue-specific expression in different combinations, aiming to obtain novel green tissue-specific synthetic promoters. GUS assays of the transgenic plants indicated 5 synthetic promoters showed green tissue-specific expression patterns and different expression efficiencies in various tissues. Subsequently, we scanned and counted the cis-elements in different tissue-specific promoters based on the plant cis-elements database PLACE and the rice cDNA microarray database CREP for green tissue-specific cis-element discovery, resulting in 10 potential cis-elements. The flanking sequence of one potential core element (GEAT) was predicted by bioinformatics. Then, the combination of GEAT and its flanking sequence was functionally identified with synthetic promoter. GUS assays of the transgenic plants proved its green tissue-specificity. Furthermore, the function of GEAT flanking sequence was analyzed in detail with site-directed mutagenesis. Our study provides an example for the synthesis of rice tissue-specific promoters and develops a feasible method for screening and functional identification of tissue-specific cis-elements with their flanking sequences at the genome-wide level in rice.

Green thunderstorms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallagher, Frank Woolsey, III

Many people around the world have observed green light apparently emanating from severe thunderstorms, but until recently there has been no scientific study of the phenomenon. Green thunderstorms have been observed from time to time in association with deep convection or severe weather events. Some skeptics who have not personally observed a green thunderstorm suggest that they are some kind of illusion. The existence of green thunderstorms has been objectively demonstrated by recording spectra of light from thunderstorms using a handheld spectrophotometer. During the spring and summer of 1995 and the spring of 1996 numerous storms were observed and spectra of the light emanating from these storms were recorded. Observations were made both at the ground and aboard research aircraft. Furthermore, time series of spectra were recorded as the observed color of some storms changed from dark blue to a bluish-green. Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain the occurrence of green light in connection with severe storms. Fankhauser gave some observational support to the belief that green light from thunderstorms is possible and believed that the source of the light is from the blue sky penetrating thin regions in the clouds. Fraser believes that light from the setting sun, in combination with the process of scattering by atmospheric molecules, creates the green light associated with severe weather and the thunderstorm acts only as a black backdrop. Unfortunately, no cloud illuminated by the sun is black and the green airlight produced by the Fraser theory is in reality overwhelmed by light reflected by the cloud. Often the unusual coloration has been attributed to hail or to reflection of light from foliage on the ground. The quantitative measurements made during the observation period fail to support these assumptions. We have observed thunderstorms to be green over ground that was not green and we have observed blue thunderstorms over ground that was green. Finally, Bohren believes that reddened sunlight in combination with filtering done by naturally blue-colored water creates green light. Given our observations, this is the most likely explanation for the green light. Our observations and calculations indicate that, depending on the microphysical parameters of the cloud, sunlight transmitted by the cloud may appear green.

Identification of green skills acquisition in Indonesian TVET curricula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, Agus

2017-09-01

Recently, many countries have put the focus on green growth which specifically aims at achieving a resilient, low-carbon, and resource-efficient economy model that leads to higher quality of life. Environmental pollution and climate change are negatively affecting the sustainability of various economical activities across the world, with Indonesia being one of them. To mitigate the environmental problems, the existing economy should be shifted to a greener economy model which will create green jobs and greening the existing occupation in the industries. Green jobs require workers with green skills. Therefore, development of green skills in TVET institutions is urgently needed. By referencing the existing green skills frame work, green skills acquisition has not been clearly integrated into the existing Indonesian TVET curriculum. However, approach to integrate green skills into TVET curriculum can be carried out through the development of hard skills and soft skills in the domain of knowledge, abilities, and attitudes where green skills is an imparting of both hard skills and soft skills.

A social science perspective on the forest preserves: Seven virtues for connecting people and nature

Treesearch

Paul H. Gobster

2015-01-01

How do people perceive and value urban green space? In what ways do people's perceptions and values of urban nature affect their use and experience of parks, forest preserves, and other green space types? Knowing this information, how can green space planners, managers, and decision makers facilitate a better "fit" between people and nature in urban...

Green Revolution: Impacts, limits, and the path ahead

PubMed Central

Pingali, Prabhu L.

2012-01-01

A detailed retrospective of the Green Revolution, its achievement and limits in terms of agricultural productivity improvement, and its broader impact at social, environmental, and economic levels is provided. Lessons learned and the strategic insights are reviewed as the world is preparing a “redux” version of the Green Revolution with more integrative environmental and social impact combined with agricultural and economic development. Core policy directions for Green Revolution 2.0 that enhance the spread and sustainable adoption of productivity enhancing technologies are specified. PMID:22826253

Green revolution: impacts, limits, and the path ahead.

PubMed

Pingali, Prabhu L

2012-07-31

A detailed retrospective of the Green Revolution, its achievement and limits in terms of agricultural productivity improvement, and its broader impact at social, environmental, and economic levels is provided. Lessons learned and the strategic insights are reviewed as the world is preparing a "redux" version of the Green Revolution with more integrative environmental and social impact combined with agricultural and economic development. Core policy directions for Green Revolution 2.0 that enhance the spread and sustainable adoption of productivity enhancing technologies are specified.

Linking Vital Rates of Landbirds on a Tropical Island to Rainfall and Vegetation Greenness

PubMed Central

Saracco, James F.; Radley, Paul; Pyle, Peter; Rowan, Erin; Taylor, Ron; Helton, Lauren

2016-01-01

Remote tropical oceanic islands are of high conservation priority, and they are exemplified by range-restricted species with small global populations. Spatial and temporal patterns in rainfall and plant productivity may be important in driving dynamics of these species. Yet, little is known about environmental influences on population dynamics for most islands and species. Here we leveraged avian capture-recapture, rainfall, and remote-sensed habitat data (enhanced vegetation index [EVI]) to assess relationships between rainfall, vegetation greenness, and demographic rates (productivity, adult apparent survival) of three native bird species on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands: rufous fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons), bridled white-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus), and golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei). Rainfall was positively related to vegetation greenness at all but the highest rainfall levels. Temporal variation in greenness affected the productivity of each bird species in unique ways. Predicted productivity of rufous fantail was highest when dry and wet season greenness values were high relative to site-specific 5-year seasonal mean values (i.e., relative greenness); while the white-eye species had highest predicted productivity when relative greenness contrasted between wet and dry seasons. Survival of rufous fantail and bridled white eye was positively related to relative dry-season greenness and negatively related to relative wet-season greenness. Bridled white-eye survival also showed evidence of a positive response to overall greenness. Our results highlight the potentially important role of rainfall regimes in affecting population dynamics of species on oceanic tropical islands. Understanding linkages between rainfall, vegetation, and animal population dynamics will be critical for developing effective conservation strategies in this and other regions where the seasonal timing, extent, and variability of rainfall is expected to change in the coming decades. PMID:26863013

Linking Vital Rates of Landbirds on a Tropical Island to Rainfall and Vegetation Greenness.

PubMed

Saracco, James F; Radley, Paul; Pyle, Peter; Rowan, Erin; Taylor, Ron; Helton, Lauren

2016-01-01

Remote tropical oceanic islands are of high conservation priority, and they are exemplified by range-restricted species with small global populations. Spatial and temporal patterns in rainfall and plant productivity may be important in driving dynamics of these species. Yet, little is known about environmental influences on population dynamics for most islands and species. Here we leveraged avian capture-recapture, rainfall, and remote-sensed habitat data (enhanced vegetation index [EVI]) to assess relationships between rainfall, vegetation greenness, and demographic rates (productivity, adult apparent survival) of three native bird species on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands: rufous fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons), bridled white-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus), and golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei). Rainfall was positively related to vegetation greenness at all but the highest rainfall levels. Temporal variation in greenness affected the productivity of each bird species in unique ways. Predicted productivity of rufous fantail was highest when dry and wet season greenness values were high relative to site-specific 5-year seasonal mean values (i.e., relative greenness); while the white-eye species had highest predicted productivity when relative greenness contrasted between wet and dry seasons. Survival of rufous fantail and bridled white eye was positively related to relative dry-season greenness and negatively related to relative wet-season greenness. Bridled white-eye survival also showed evidence of a positive response to overall greenness. Our results highlight the potentially important role of rainfall regimes in affecting population dynamics of species on oceanic tropical islands. Understanding linkages between rainfall, vegetation, and animal population dynamics will be critical for developing effective conservation strategies in this and other regions where the seasonal timing, extent, and variability of rainfall is expected to change in the coming decades.

Effect of dynamic factors of space flights on the green alga Chlorella vulgaris.

PubMed

Moskvitin, E V; Vaulina, E N

1974-01-01

The biological effects of vibrational and linear acceleration on the alga Chlorella vulgaris were studied. Periodic vibration in the frequency range of 4-4000 Hz with vibrational acceleration up to 16 g did not affect the survival and mutability of Chlorella cells and did not modify the effects of acute gamma-radiation. However, random vibration similar to that occurring during launch of spaceships, combined with linear acceleration increased the radiation damage to algae produced by acute gamma-radiation at a dose of 10000 r. This effect is seen only in cells at the beginning of the G1 stage, which precedes DNA synthesis.

How effective is mandatory building energy disclosure program in Australia?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S.; Lim, B. T. H.

2018-04-01

Mandatory green building regulations are often considered as the most effective tool to promote better energy efficiency and environmental protection. Nevertheless, its effectiveness compared to the voluntary counterpart has not been fully explored yet. In addressing this gap, this study aims to examine the environmental performance of green building stocks affected by the Australian mandatory building energy disclosure program. To this, this study analysed energy savings and carbon reduction efficiencies using the normalisation approach. The result shows that mandatory energy disclosure program did contribute to the reduction in energy usage and carbon emissions from the affected building stocks. More specifically, affected green building stocks showed a good efficiency especially in carbon reductions. The research results inform policymakers the possible improvement required for the mandatory disclosure program to increase the effectiveness towards dealing with the contemporary environmental issues aroused from the building sector, especially in energy savings perspective.

Determination of malachite green and its leuco form in water

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allen, J.L.; Meinertz, J.R.; Gofus, J.E.

1992-01-01

Liquid chromatographic (lc) analysis can detect malachite green residues in water at less than 10 mu-g/l. Water samples were concentrated on disposable diol columns, eluted with 0.05m P-toluene-sulfonic acid in methanol, and determined by reversed-phase lc. When combined with a lead oxide postcolumn reactor, the lc method can simultaneously determine both leuco and chromatic forms of malachite green. Recoveries averaged 95.4% For the chromatic form and 57.3% For the leuco form of malachite green oxalate and leuco malachite green in spiked pond water samples. Recoveries of the carbinol form of malachite green (an equilibrium product of the dye in water) from spiked tap water samples averaged 98.6%. Recoveries of leuco malachite green were low and ph-dependent.

Methyl farnesoate couples environmental changes to testicular development in the crab Carcinus maenas.

PubMed

Nagaraju, G P C; Borst, D W

2008-09-01

Carcinus maenas males have two major color phases. Green-phase males molt frequently and tend to live in brackish estuaries during the summer. After becoming red-phase males, they molt infrequently, have higher mating success, and live in cooler, deeper water. We found profound differences between these two phases in the way salinity and temperature affect hemolymph levels of methyl farnesoate (MF), a hormone that affects crustacean reproduction. Few green-phase males (<10%) had detectable MF in 33 ppt seawater (SW) at 11 or 18 degrees C. By contrast, about 30% of the red-phase males had detectable MF at either temperature. After transfer to 5 ppt SW, none of the green-phase males had detectable MF at 11 degrees C whereas 100% of green-phase males did at 18 degrees C. By contrast, 100% of the red-phase males had detectable MF in 5 ppt SW at either temperature. At 11 degrees C, green-phase males had detectable MF after eyestalk ablation (ESA), showing that they can produce MF. There was no additional increase in MF levels when ESA animals of either color phase were transferred to 5 ppt SW, suggesting that the eyestalk is the primary regulator of the MF response to low salinity. MF levels of green-phase males were increased by injecting MF, by ESA, or by exposure to 5 ppt SW at 18 degrees C. The testicular index of these treated animals nearly doubled after two weeks. Our results strongly suggest that environmental conditions such as temperature and salinity, affect testicular development in this crab by changing its MF levels.

Optimization of multifunnel traps for emerald ash borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae): influence of size, trap coating, and color.

PubMed

Francese, Joseph A; Rietz, Michael L; Mastro, Victor C

2013-12-01

Field assays were conducted in southeastern and south-central Michigan in 2011 and 2012 to optimize green and purple multifunnel (Lindgren funnel) traps for use as a survey tool for the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire. Larger sized (12- and 16-unit) multifunnel traps caught more beetles than their smaller-sized (4- and 8-unit) counterparts. Green traps coated with untinted (white) fluon caught almost four times as many adult A. planipennis as Rain-X and tinted (green) fluon-coated traps and almost 33 times more beetles than untreated control traps. Purple multifunnel traps generally caught much lower numbers of A. planipennis adults than green traps, and trap catch on them was not affected by differences in the type of coating applied. However, trap coating was necessary as untreated control purple traps caught significantly less beetles than traps treated with Rain-X and untinted or tinted (purple) fluon. Proportions of male beetles captured were generally much higher on green traps than on purple traps, but sex ratios were not affected by trap coating. In 2012, a new shade of purple plastic, based on a better color match to an attractive purple paint than the previously used purple, was used for trapping assays. When multifunnel traps were treated with fluon, green traps caught more A. planipennis adults than both shades of purple and a prism trap that was manufactured based on the same color match. Trap catch was not affected by diluting the fluon concentration applied to traps to 50% (1:1 mixture in water). At 10%, trap catch was significantly lowered.

Green Icebergs: a Problem in Geophysics and Atmospheric Optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Raymond L., Jr.

The curious phenomenon of green icebergs has intrigued polar travelers for centuries. Although some researchers have speculated that this ice contains colorants, an investigator who has actually examined a green iceberg sample found very little intrinsically green material. This supports our idea that at least some green icebergs are due to the combined effects of reddened sunlight illuminating intrinsically blue-green ice. In this case, "intrinsic" refers to the blue-green absorption minimum of pure ice. Naturally occurring ice containing a few inclusions that scatter light with little or no spectral selectivity also exhibits this same absorption minimum. Artists' and travelers' accounts of colored ice tell us that, while remarkable, it is not uncommon. The few 20th-century scientific reports on green icebergs agree with the earlier accounts on the unusual denseness and translucence of highly colored ice. We see the same correlation between ice colors and ice denseness in accounts of glacier ice. When we examine the optical properties of dense, relatively bubble-free ice, we find that we can nearly match its reflectance spectra with either of two multiple -scattering models for ice optics. If we pair these models' reflectance spectra with estimates of polar daylight spectra, we can duplicate the observed colors of green icebergs. Our psychophysical model of human color perception is the 1931 CIE chromaticity space. Although this form of colorimetry has some perceptual faults, we may nonetheless use it as a means of comparing the observed and theoretical colors of green icebergs. In the absence of in situ spectral reflectance measurements, we use video digitizing and spectrodensitometry to extract colorimetric information from color photographs of green icebergs. However, before using these remote sensing techniques, first we must solve the intricate problem of calibrating them against known color standards. After doing this, we find that our analyses of green iceberg photographs support the idea that some of these icebergs result from the combination of ice's intrinsic optical properties and its illumination by reddened sunlight.

Understanding green roof spatial dynamics: results from a scale based hydrologic study and introduction of a low-cost method for wide-range monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hakimdavar, Raha; Culligan, Patricia J.; Guido, Aida

2014-05-01

Green roofs have the potential, if implemented on a wide scale and with proper foresight, to become an important supplement to traditional urban water management infrastructure, while also helping to change the face of cities from concrete draped, highly modified environments, to hybrid places where nature is more closely integrated into designs rather than pushed out of them. The ability of these systems to act as a decentralized rainwater handling network has been the topic of many recent studies. While these studies have attempted to quantify the hydrologic performance of green roofs, it's clear that they are dynamic systems whose responses are difficult to generalize. What also seems to be lacking from many studies is a discussion on the effects of green roof scale, spatial planning and configuration. This research aims to understand how rainfall characteristics and green roof scale impact its hydrologic performance. Three extensive green roof systems in New York City, with the same engineered components, age and regional climatic conditions, but different drainage areas, are analyzed. We find that rainfall volume and event duration are two of the parameters that most affect green roof performance, while rainfall intensity and antecedent dry weather period are less significant. We also find that green roof scale does in fact affect hydrologic performance, but mainly in reducing runoff peaks, with rainfall retention and lag time being much less affected by drainage area. We also introduce a low-cost monitoring method, termed the Soil Water Apportioning (SWA) method, which uses a water balance approach to analytically link precipitation to substrate moisture, and enable inference of green runoff and evapotranspiration from information on substrate moisture changes over time. Twelve months of in situ rainfall and soil moisture observations from three different green roof systems - extensive vegetated mat, semi-intensive vegetated mat, and semi-intensive tray - are used to test the reliability of the proposed approach using two different low-cost soil moisture probes. The estimates of runoff are compared with observed runoff data for durations ranging between 6 months to 1 year. Preliminary results indicate that this can be an effective low-cost and low-maintenance alternative to the custom made weir and lysimeter systems frequently used to quantify runoff during green roof studies. By significantly reducing the cost and labor associated with typical monitoring efforts, the SWA method makes large scale studies of green roof hydrologic performance more feasible.

Effect of delta-tocotrienols and green tea polyphenols on high-fat-diet-induced bone deterioration in male C57BL/6J mice

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Our previous studies demonstrated an osteo-protective roles for tocotrienols (TT, extracted from annatto consisting of 90% delta-TT and 10% gamma TT) and green tea polyphenols (GTP, extracted from green tea) in obese animals. This study further examined the combined effects of TT with GTP on high-fa...

Blue-Green Algae

MedlinePlus

... weeks does not improve fatigue in adults with long-term complaints of fatigue. Malnutrition. Early research on the use of blue-green algae in combination with other dietary treatments for malnutrition in infants and children shows conflicting results. Weight gain was seen in ...

Counting (green) jobs in Queensland's waste and recycling sector.

PubMed

Davis, Georgina

2013-09-01

The waste and recycling sector has been identified as a green industry and, as such, jobs within this sector may be classed as 'green jobs'. Many governments have seen green jobs as a way of increasing employment, particularly during the global financial crisis. However, the methods used to define and quantify green jobs directly affect the quantification of these green jobs. In December 2010, Queensland introduced a waste strategy that stated intent to increase green jobs within the waste sector. This article discusses the milieu and existing issues associated with quantifying green jobs within Queensland's waste and recycling sector, and provides a review of the survey that has sought to quantify the true size of the Queensland industry sector. This research has identified nearly 5500 jobs in Queensland's private waste management and recycling sector, which indicates that official data do not accurately reflect the true size of the sector.

Green roof stormwater retention: effects of roof surface, slope, and media depth.

PubMed

VanWoert, Nicholaus D; Rowe, D Bradley; Andresen, Jeffrey A; Rugh, Clayton L; Fernandez, R Thomas; Xiao, Lan

2005-01-01

Urban areas generate considerably more stormwater runoff than natural areas of the same size due to a greater percentage of impervious surfaces that impede water infiltration. Roof surfaces account for a large portion of this impervious cover. Establishing vegetation on rooftops, known as green roofs, is one method of recovering lost green space that can aid in mitigating stormwater runoff. Two studies were performed using several roof platforms to quantify the effects of various treatments on stormwater retention. The first study used three different roof surface treatments to quantify differences in stormwater retention of a standard commercial roof with gravel ballast, an extensive green roof system without vegetation, and a typical extensive green roof with vegetation. Overall, mean percent rainfall retention ranged from 48.7% (gravel) to 82.8% (vegetated). The second study tested the influence of roof slope (2 and 6.5%) and green roof media depth (2.5, 4.0, and 6.0 cm) on stormwater retention. For all combined rain events, platforms at 2% slope with a 4-cm media depth had the greatest mean retention, 87%, although the difference from the other treatments was minimal. The combination of reduced slope and deeper media clearly reduced the total quantity of runoff. For both studies, vegetated green roof systems not only reduced the amount of stormwater runoff, they also extended its duration over a period of time beyond the actual rain event.

Combination of plant and insect eggs as food sources facilitates ovarian development in an omnivorous bug Apolygus lucorum (Hemiptera: Miridae).

PubMed

Yuan, Wei; Li, Wenjing; Li, Yunhe; Wu, Kongming G

2013-06-01

Diet nutrient is considered as an important regulatory factor for reproduction of insects. To understand the effect of different food sources on the reproductive physiology of Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür), the ovarian development in adult females was investigated when they were fed on green beans (Gb), combination of green beans Phaseolus vulgaris L and Helicoverpa armigera eggs (GbHe), or H. armigera eggs (He). A female of A. lucorum has two ovaries, and each ovary contained seven yellowish ovarioles. Females fed on Gb or GbHe had larger ovaries and the ovarioles contained larger numbers of oocytes compared with those fed on He. Females in GeHe treatment has significantly higher number of follicles per ovary throughout the whole adult period compared with those in Gb or He treatment. Furthermore, the length of the best developed ovariole was affected by the diet type. The females fed on GbHe had the most developed ovarioles, with significantly longer ovarioles than those fed on Gb or He. A method was described to quantitatively score the degree of ovarian development in the current study. Similarly, the ovarian development scores were significantly higher for females in GbHe treatment than those in other two diet treatments. The ovarian development significantly delayed for females fed on He. Our results demonstrate that A. lucorum, as an omnivorous insect species, can acquire nutrients from both plant and animal origin food sources, and the combination of plants and animal food sources can significantly facilitate the ovary development of its females.

When green is positive and red is negative: Aging and the influence of color on emotional memories.

PubMed

Mammarella, Nicola; Di Domenico, Alberto; Palumbo, Rocco; Fairfield, Beth

2016-12-01

Numerous studies have reported age-related differences in memory for emotional information. One explanation places emphasis on an emotion processing preference in older adults that reflects their socioemotional self-relevant goals. Here, we evaluate the degree to which this preference in memory may be modulated by color. In 2 experiments, younger and older adults were asked to study a series of affective words (Experiment 1) or affective pictures (Experiment 2) and then presented with an immediate yes/no memory recognition task. In particular, words and pictures were colored according to the following valence-color associations: positive-green, negative-red, and neutral-blue. Each study condition included both congruent (e.g., positive-green) and incongruent associations (e.g., positive-red). For both experiments, participants showed an advantage for congruent associations compared with other types of valence-color pairings that emphasized a robust joint effect of color and affective valence in memory. More specifically, older adults' memory was sensitive to positive-green stimuli only. We discussed results in line with mechanisms underlying positivity effects in memory and the effect of color on emotional memory encoding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of chlorine, blanching, freezing, and microwave heating on Cryptosporidium parvum viability inoculated on green peppers.

PubMed

Duhain, G L M C; Minnaar, A; Buys, E M

2012-05-01

Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts have been found on the surface of vegetables in both developed and developing countries. C. parvum can contaminate vegetables via various routes, including irrigation water. This study investigated the effect of individual treatments of chlorine, blanching, blast freezing, and microwave heating, as well as combined treatments of chlorine and freezing, and chlorine and microwave heating on the viability of C. parvum oocysts inoculated on green peppers. The viability of the oocysts after the treatments was assessed using propidium iodide and a flow cytometer. Based on the propidium iodide staining, the chlorine treatments did not affect the viability of the oocysts. Blast freezing significantly inactivated 20% of the oocysts. Microwave heating and blanching significantly inactivated 93% of oocysts. Treatment with chlorine followed by blast freezing did not affect the viability of the oocysts significantly. Treatment with chlorine and microwave heating was significantly more effective than microwave heating alone and inactivated 98% of the oocysts. The study indicates that C. parvum oocysts are sensitive to heat and, to some extent, to blast freezing, but are resistant to chlorine. Therefore, the use of chlorine during vegetable processing is not a critical control point for C. parvum oocysts, and the consumption of raw or minimally processed vegetables may constitute a health risk as C. parvum oocysts can still be found viable on ready-to-eat, minimally processed vegetables.

CONTAMINATION OF URBAN SURFACE WATER BY VEHICLE EMISSIONS

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-10-01

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are a water management issue for Onondaga County and the city of Syracuse, NY. To reduce them, the County is investing in green infrastructure (GI). GI technologies such as green roofs, rain gardens, and bioswales are ...

7 CFR 29.3013 - Combination color symbols.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COMMODITY STANDARDS AND STANDARD CONTAINER... follows: FL—tannish buff, FR—tannish red, VF—greenish tan, VR—greenish red, GF—green tan, and GR—green red...

Fish community responses to green tides in shallow estuarine and coastal areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Luherne, E.; Réveillac, E.; Ponsero, A.; Sturbois, A.; Ballu, S.; Perdriau, M.; Le Pape, O.

2016-06-01

All over the world, numerous bays and estuarine systems that are known to shelter essential fish habitats are experiencing proliferations of green macroalgae known as green tides. Although the processes that enhance green tides in response to nutrient enrichment are well known, their consequences for ecological communities -especially for ichthyofauna- remain poorly studied. To estimate these consequences, this analysis focused on the two types of shallow systems that are experiencing green tides: sandy beaches and estuarine mudflats. In these two systems, macroalgae proliferation and fish community were surveyed along seasonal cycles at control and impacted sites that shared similar physico-chemical parameters and sediment structure. To analyse the consequences of green tides on the fish community, a Before-After Control-Impact approach was used. This approach reveals no difference between fish communities at the control and impacted sites before the macroalgal bloom. Then, it underlines an influence of green tides on the fish community, and this influence varies according to the composition, density and duration of the macroalgal bloom. Indeed, when intertidal systems experienced short proliferation and/or weak density, green tides did not seem to impact the fish community. However, when green macroalgae proliferated in large quantities and/or when the proliferation lasted for long periods, the fish community was significantly affected. These modifications in the fish community led to a significant decrease in fish species diversity and density until fish disappeared from impacted sites at high proliferations. Furthermore, the response of fish species to green tides differed according to their functional guilds. Negative consequences for benthic and marine juvenile fish species were beginning at low proliferations, whereas for pelagic fish species they occurred only at high proliferations. Thus, green tides significantly affect fish habitat suitability because they lead to changes in the composition of the fish community and eventually to the local disappearance of fish at high proliferations.

Residue pattern of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during green tea manufacturing and their transfer rates during tea brewing.

PubMed

Gao, Guanwei; Chen, Hongping; Liu, Pingxiang; Hao, Zhenxia; Ma, Guicen; Chai, Yunfeng; Wang, Chen; Lu, Chengyin

2017-06-01

Residues of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in green tea and tea infusion were determined using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to study their dissipation pattern during green tea processing and infusion. Concentration and evaporation of PAHs during tea processing were the key factors affecting PAH residue content in product intermediates and in green tea. PAH residues in tea leaves increased by 2.4-3.1 times during the manufacture of green tea using the electric heating model. After correction to dry weight, PAH residue concentrations decreased by 33.5-48.4% during green tea processing because of PAH evaporation. Moreover, spreading and drying reduced PAH concentrations. The transfer rates of PAH residues from green tea to infusion varied from 4.6% to 7.2%, and PAH leaching was higher in the first infusion than in the second infusion. These results are useful for assessing exposure to PAHs from green tea and in formulating controls for the maximum residue level of PAHs in green tea.

Phagotrophy by the picoeukaryotic green alga Micromonas: implications for Arctic Oceans.

PubMed

McKie-Krisberg, Zaid M; Sanders, Robert W

2014-10-01

Photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPE) are recognized as major primary producers and contributors to phytoplankton biomass in oceanic and coastal environments. Molecular surveys indicate a large phylogenetic diversity in the picoeukaryotes, with members of the Prymnesiophyceae and Chrysophyseae tending to be more common in open ocean waters and Prasinophyceae dominating coastal and Arctic waters. In addition to their role as primary producers, PPE have been identified in several studies as mixotrophic and major predators of prokaryotes. Mixotrophy, the combination of photosynthesis and phagotrophy in a single organism, is well established for most photosynthetic lineages. However, green algae, including prasinophytes, were widely considered as a purely photosynthetic group. The prasinophyte Micromonas is perhaps the most common picoeukaryote in coastal and Arctic waters and is one of the relatively few cultured representatives of the picoeukaryotes available for physiological investigations. In this study, we demonstrate phagotrophy by a strain of Micromonas (CCMP2099) isolated from Arctic waters and show that environmental factors (light and nutrient concentration) affect ingestion rates in this mixotroph. In addition, we show size-selective feeding with a preference for smaller particles, and determine P vs I (photosynthesis vs irradiance) responses in different nutrient conditions. If other strains have mixotrophic abilities similar to Micromonas CCMP2099, the widespread distribution and frequently high abundances of Micromonas suggest that these green algae may have significant impact on prokaryote populations in several oceanic regimes.

Ecological connectivity networks in rapidly expanding cities.

PubMed

Nor, Amal Najihah M; Corstanje, Ron; Harris, Jim A; Grafius, Darren R; Siriwardena, Gavin M

2017-06-01

Urban expansion increases fragmentation of the landscape. In effect, fragmentation decreases connectivity, causes green space loss and impacts upon the ecology and function of green space. Restoration of the functionality of green space often requires restoring the ecological connectivity of this green space within the city matrix. However, identifying ecological corridors that integrate different structural and functional connectivity of green space remains vague. Assessing connectivity for developing an ecological network by using efficient models is essential to improve these networks under rapid urban expansion. This paper presents a novel methodological approach to assess and model connectivity for the Eurasian tree sparrow ( Passer montanus ) and Yellow-vented bulbul ( Pycnonotus goiavier ) in three cities (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Jakarta, Indonesia and Metro Manila, Philippines). The approach identifies potential priority corridors for ecological connectivity networks. The study combined circuit models, connectivity analysis and least-cost models to identify potential corridors by integrating structure and function of green space patches to provide reliable ecological connectivity network models in the cities. Relevant parameters such as landscape resistance and green space structure (vegetation density, patch size and patch distance) were derived from an expert and literature-based approach based on the preference of bird behaviour. The integrated models allowed the assessment of connectivity for both species using different measures of green space structure revealing the potential corridors and least-cost pathways for both bird species at the patch sites. The implementation of improvements to the identified corridors could increase the connectivity of green space. This study provides examples of how combining models can contribute to the improvement of ecological networks in rapidly expanding cities and demonstrates the usefulness of such models for biodiversity conservation and urban planning.

Combinations of laxatives and green banana biomass on the treatment of functional constipation in children and adolescents: a randomized study.

PubMed

Cassettari, Vanessa Mello Granado; Machado, Nilton Carlos; Lourenção, Pedro Luiz Toledo de Arruda; Carvalho, Marry Assis; Ortolan, Erika Veruska Paiva

2018-01-05

Evaluate the effect of combinations of green banana biomass and laxatives in children and adolescents with chronic constipation. This was a randomized study of 80 children and adolescents with functional constipation according to the Rome IV Criteria, who were divided into five groups: (1) green banana biomass alone; (2) green banana biomass plus PEG 3350 with electrolytes; (3) green banana biomass plus sodium picosulfate; (4) PEG 3350 with electrolytes alone; and (5) sodium picosulfate alone. Primary outcome measure was the reduction of the proportion of patients with Bristol Stool Form Scale ratings 1 or 2. Secondary outcome measures were: increase of the proportion of >3 bowel movements/week and reduction of the proportion of fecal incontinence, straining on defecation, painful defecation, blood in stool, abdominal pain, and decreased laxative doses. On consumption of green banana biomass alone, a statistically significant reduction was observed in the proportion of children with Bristol Stool Form Scale rating 1 or 2, straining on defecation, painful defecation, and abdominal pain. Conversely, no reduction was observed in fecal incontinence episodes/week, blood in stool, and no increase was observed in the proportion of children with >3 bowel movements/week. The percentage of children who required decreased laxative dose was high when green banana biomass was associated with sodium picosulfate (87%), and PEG 3350 with electrolytes (63%). Green banana biomass alone and associated with laxatives was well tolerated, and no adverse effects were reported. Green banana biomass is advantageous as an adjunct therapy on functional constipation, mainly for reducing doses of laxatives. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Moving Toward Bioadjuvant Approaches to Head and Neck Cancer Prevention

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saba, Nabil F.; Hammond, Anthea; Shin, Dong M.

2007-10-01

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma affects >45,000 Americans annually. Patients who are successfully treated for their primary tumor are at high risk of developing a second primary tumor, making effective preventive strategies highly desirable for this disease. Although a landmark study in 1990 suggested some benefit of high-dose retinoids in head and neck cancer prevention, subsequent trials using more tolerable doses have shown limited clinical success. Newer preventive strategies have included bioadjuvant therapy combining retinoids with interferon and {alpha}-tocopherol, combinations of molecularly targeted agents, and oncolytic viruses. Furthermore, considerable evidence has supported a cancer protective role for several nutrients,more » including green tea and curcumin analogs. Natural compounds such as these with favorable long-term safety profiles might be particularly suited to the cancer prevention setting, in which patients will usually tolerate only moderate risk and toxicity.« less

Sensitometric properties of Agfa Dentus OrthoLux, Agfa Dentus ST8G, and Kodak Ektavision panoramic radiographic film.

PubMed

Wakoh, M; Nishikawa, K; Kobayashi, N; Farman, A G; Kuroyanagi, K

2001-02-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitometric properties of and visualization of anatomical structures with Agfa OrthoLux green-sensitive panoramic radiographic film, Agfa ST8G green sensitive panoramic radiographic film, and Kodak Ektavision green-sensitive panoramic radiographic film used in combination with an Agfa Ortho Regular 400 imaging screen, Kodak Ektavision imaging screen, and Kodak Lanex Regular imaging screen. The density response and resolution of panoramic radiographic film/intensifying screen combinations was evaluated by means of Hunter and Driffield curves, modulation transfer functions, and noise-equivalent number of quanta. Image clarity of selected anatomical structures was rated independently by 6 oral and maxillofacial radiologists. The ISO speed for the Agfa OrthoLux panoramic radiographic film combinations was the fastest, and the ISO speed for the Kodak Ektavision green-sensitive panoramic radiographic film combinations was the slowest. The average gradient for the Agfa ST8G systems was relatively steep in comparison with those for the other film/screen combinations. The modulation transfer functions for the Kodak Ektavision film were higher than those for the other films, irrespective of the screen combination used, and those for Agfa OrthoLux film were slightly higher than those for Agfa ST8G film. The noise-equivalent number of quanta for the Agfa ST8G film/screen combinations was lower than those for the other film/screen combinations. The noise-equivalent number of quanta for the Kodak Ektavision film/screen combinations was well within the high-frequency range, whereas Agfa OrthoLux combined with either the Kodak Ektavision imaging screen or the Kodak Lanex Regular imaging screen produced a noise-equivalent number of quanta similar to those of the Kodak Ektavision film/screen combinations in the low-frequency range. Agfa OrthoLux was perceived to provide clearer images of the selected anatomical details than Agfa ST8G, and the Agfa OrthoLux/Agfa Ortho Regular 400 combination was not significantly different from the Kodak Ektavision/Kodak Lanex Regular combination in terms of perceived image quality. Agfa OrthoLux is an improvement over Agfa ST8G in film speed, spatial resolution, granularity, and perceived diagnostic image quality. The Agfa OrthoLux/Agfa Ortho Regular 400 combination did not exceed the Kodak Ektavision film/Kodak Ektavision imaging screen combination in resolution, granularity, or perceived image quality.

Respiratory-deficient mutants of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas: a review.

PubMed

Salinas, Thalia; Larosa, Véronique; Cardol, Pierre; Maréchal-Drouard, Laurence; Remacle, Claire

2014-05-01

Genetic manipulation of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is straightforward. Nuclear genes can be interrupted by insertional mutagenesis or targeted by RNA interference whereas random or site-directed mutagenesis allows the introduction of mutations in the mitochondrial genome. This, combined with a screen that easily allows discriminating respiratory-deficient mutants, makes Chlamydomonas a model system of choice to study mitochondria biology in photosynthetic organisms. Since the first description of Chlamydomonas respiratory-deficient mutants in 1977 by random mutagenesis, many other mutants affected in mitochondrial components have been characterized. These respiratory-deficient mutants increased our knowledge on function and assembly of the respiratory enzyme complexes. More recently some of these mutants allowed the study of mitochondrial gene expression processes poorly understood in Chlamydomonas. In this review, we update the data concerning the respiratory components with a special focus on the assembly factors identified on other organisms. In addition, we make an inventory of different mitochondrial respiratory mutants that are inactivated either on mitochondrial or nuclear genes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Strain distribution and band structure of InAs/GaAs quantum ring superlattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mughnetsyan, Vram; Kirakosyan, Albert

2017-12-01

The elastic strain distribution and the band structure of InAs/GaAs one-layer quantum ring superlattice with square symmetry has been considered in this work. The Green's function formalism based on the method of inclusions has been implied to calculate the components of the strain tensor, while the combination of Green's function method with the Fourier transformation to momentum space in Pikus-Bir Hamiltonian has been used for obtaining the miniband energy dispersion surfaces via the exact diagonalization procedure. The dependencies of the strain tensor components on spatial coordinates are compared with ones for single quantum ring and are in good agreement with previously obtained results for cylindrical quantum disks. It is shown that strain significantly affects the miniband structure of the superlattice and has contribution to the degeneracy lifting effect due to heavy hole-light hole coupling. The demonstrated method is simple and provides reasonable results for comparatively small Hamiltonian matrix. The obtained results may be useful for further investigation and construction of novel devices based on quantum ring superlattices.

Valuation of Green Walls and Green Roofs as Soundscape Measures: Including Monetised Amenity Values Together with Noise-attenuation Values in a Cost-benefit Analysis of a Green Wall Affecting Courtyards

PubMed Central

Veisten, Knut; Smyrnova, Yuliya; Klæboe, Ronny; Hornikx, Maarten; Mosslemi, Marjan; Kang, Jian

2012-01-01

Economic unit values of soundscape/acoustic effects have been based on changes in the number of annoyed persons or on decibel changes. The normal procedure has been the application of these unit values to noise-attenuation measures affecting the noisier façade of a dwelling. Novel modular vegetation-based soundscape measures, so-called green walls, might be relevant for both noisy and quieter areas. Moreover, their benefits will comprise noise attenuation as well as non-acoustic amenity effects. One challenge is to integrate the results of some decades of non-acoustic research on the amenity value of urban greenery into design of the urban sound environment, and incorporate these non-acoustic properties in the overall economic assessment of noise control and overall sound environment improvement measures. Monetised unit values for green walls have been included in two alternative cases, or demonstration projects, of covering the entrances to blocks of flats with a green wall. Since these measures improve the noise environment on the quiet side of the dwellings and courtyards, not the most exposed façade, adjustment factors to the nominal quiet side decibel reductions to arrive at an estimate of the equivalent overall acoustic improvement have been applied. A cost-benefit analysis of the green wall case indicates that this measure is economically promising, when valuing the noise attenuation in the quieter area and adding the amenity/aesthetic value of the green wall. PMID:23202816

Greening the consent decree: the ORD-NRMRL experience

EPA Science Inventory

The prevalence of combined and septic sewer overflows in most US cities has led to numerous enforcement actions under the Clean Water Act (1972). Contemporary circumstances require a more comprehensive redress of violations due to CSO activity. The integration of green infrastru...

Integrating Green Infrastructure with Community Needs: El Cerrito Green Streets Project

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The El Cerrito Redevelopment Agency, in combination with the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, obtained a $392,000 loan with 100 principal forgiveness through ARRA for the construction of a series of rain gardens and bioswales along San Pablo Avenue.

Derivation of Human Differential Photoreceptor-like Cells from the Iris by Defined Combinations of CRX, RX and NEUROD

PubMed Central

Seko, Yuko; Azuma, Noriyuki; Kaneda, Makoto; Nakatani, Kei; Miyagawa, Yoshitaka; Noshiro, Yuuki; Kurokawa, Reiko; Okano, Hideyuki; Umezawa, Akihiro

2012-01-01

Examples of direct differentiation by defined transcription factors have been provided for beta-cells, cardiomyocytes and neurons. In the human visual system, there are four kinds of photoreceptors in the retina. Neural retina and iris-pigmented epithelium (IPE) share a common developmental origin, leading us to test whether human iris cells could differentiate to retinal neurons. We here define the transcription factor combinations that can determine human photoreceptor cell fate. Expression of rhodopsin, blue opsin and green/red opsin in induced photoreceptor cells were dependent on combinations of transcription factors: A combination of CRX and NEUROD induced rhodopsin and blue opsin, but did not induce green opsin; a combination of CRX and RX induced blue opsin and green/red opsin, but did not induce rhodopsin. Phototransduction-related genes as well as opsin genes were up-regulated in those cells. Functional analysis; i.e. patch clamp recordings, clearly revealed that generated photoreceptor cells, induced by CRX, RX and NEUROD, responded to light. The response was an inward current instead of the typical outward current. These data suggest that photosensitive photoreceptor cells can be generated by combinations of transcription factors. The combination of CRX and RX generate immature photoreceptors: and additional NEUROD promotes maturation. These findings contribute substantially to a major advance toward eventual cell-based therapy for retinal degenerative diseases. PMID:22558175

Hypothermic stunning of green sea turtles in a western Gulf of Mexico foraging habitat.

PubMed

Shaver, Donna J; Tissot, Philippe E; Streich, Mary M; Walker, Jennifer Shelby; Rubio, Cynthia; Amos, Anthony F; George, Jeffrey A; Pasawicz, Michelle R

2017-01-01

Texas waters provide one of the most important developmental and foraging habitats for juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the western Gulf of Mexico, but hypothermic stunning is a significant threat and was the largest cause of green turtle strandings in Texas from 1980 through 2015; of the 8,107 green turtles found stranded, 4,529 (55.9%) were victims of hypothermic stunning. Additionally, during this time, 203 hypothermic stunned green turtles were found incidentally captured due to power plant water intake entrapment. Overall, 63.9% of 4,529 hypothermic stunned turtles were found alive, and 92.0% of those survived rehabilitation and were released. Numbers of green turtles recorded as stranded and as affected by hypothermic stunning increased over time, and were most numerous from 2007 through 2015. Large hypothermic stunning events (with more than 450 turtles documented) occurred during the winters of 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015. Hypothermic stunning was documented between November and March, but peaked at various times depending on passage of severe weather systems. Hypothermic stunning occurred state-wide, but was most prevalent in South Texas, particularly the Laguna Madre. In the Laguna Madre, hypothermic stunning was associated with an abrupt drop in water temperatures strong northerly winds, and a threshold mean water temperature of 8.0°C predicted large turtle hypothermic stunning events. Knowledge of environmental parameters contributing to hypothermic stunning and the temporal and spatial distribution of turtles affected in the past, can aid with formulation of proactive, targeted search and rescue efforts that can ultimately save the lives of many affected individuals, and aid with recovery efforts for this bi-national stock. Such rescue efforts are required under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and respond to humanitarian concerns of the public.

Interactive suppression of aberrant crypt foci induced by azoxymethane in rat colon by phytic acid and green tea.

PubMed

Challa, A; Rao, D R; Reddy, B S

1997-10-01

Several epidemiological studies point to a strong correlation between nutrient composition of the diet and cancer of the colon. Phytic acid, present in grains, has been credited with reducing the risk of cancer of the colon. A number of reports are available indicating the benefits of green tea consumption in reducing the risk of stomach, lung and skin cancer, but little data are available on the effect of green tea in reducing the risk of colon cancer. Also, there are no studies on the combined effect of these compounds on colon tumorigenesis. Thus the primary objective of this investigation was to elucidate the combined effects of green tea and phytic acid on colonic preneoplastic lesions and the Phase II enzyme glutathione S-transferase. Fisher 344 male weanling rats were divided into nine groups of 15 rats each and fed the experimental diet for 13 weeks. Rats received two s.c. injections of azoxymethane in saline at 16 mg/kg body wt at 7 and 8 weeks of age. Rats received three levels (0, 1 and 2%) of phytic acid with three levels (0, 1 and 2%) of green tea within each phytic acid level in a 3 x 3 factorial experiment. Results indicate that while green tea had a marginal effect (P < 0.14), phytic acid significantly reduced the incidence of aberrant crypt foci (P < 0.008). The interaction between green tea and phytic acid was significant (P < 0.029 for distal and < 0.0168 for entire colon) and positive, pointing to a synergistic effect of green tea and phytic acid.

Los Alamos Fires From Landsat 7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

On May 9, 2000, the Landsat 7 satellite acquired an image of the area around Los Alamos, New Mexico. The Landsat 7 satellite acquired this image from 427 miles in space through its sensor called the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+). Evident within the imagery is a view of the ongoing Cerro Grande fire near the town of Los Alamos and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Combining the high-resolution (30 meters per pixel in this scene) imaging capacity of ETM+ with its multi-spectral capabilities allows scientists to penetrate the smoke plume and see the structure of the fire on the surface. Notice the high-level of detail in the infrared image (bottom), in which burn scars are clearly distinguished from the hotter smoldering and flaming parts of the fire. Within this image pair several features are clearly visible, including the Cerro Grande fire and smoke plume, the town of Los Alamos, the Los Alamos National Laboratory and associated property, and Cerro Grande peak. Combining ETM+ channels 7, 4, and 2 (one visible and two infrared channels) results in a false color image where vegetation appears as bright to dark green (bottom image). Forested areas are generally dark green while herbaceous vegetation is light green. Rangeland or more open areas appear pink to light purple. Areas with extensive pavement or urban development appear light blue or white to purple. Less densely-developed residential areas appear light green and golf courses are very bright green. The areas recently burned appear black. Dark red to bright red patches, or linear features within the burned area, are the hottest and possibly actively burning areas of the fire. The fire is spreading downslope and the front of the fire is readily detectable about 2 kilometers to the west and south of Los Alamos. Combining ETM+ channels 3, 2, and 1 provides a true-color image of the greater Los Alamos region (top image). Vegetation is generally dark to medium green. Forested areas are very dark green while herbaceous vegetation is medium green. Rangeland or more open areas appear as tan or light brown. Areas with extensive pavement or urban development appear white to light green. Less densely-developed residential areas appear medium green and golf courses are medium green. The fires and areas recently burned are obscured by smoke plumes which are white to light blue. Landsat 7 data are archived and available from EDC. Image by Rob Simmon, Earth Observatory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Data courtesy Randy McKinley, EROS Data Center (EDC)

Effect of porphobilinogen on the formation of garlic green pigments.

PubMed

Mou, Conghua; Hao, Xiaoran; Xu, Zhixiang; Qiao, Xuguang

2013-08-15

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) bulb is processed into various forms such as crushed garlic, garlic juice, granules, dehydrated garlic pieces and garlic powder. However, greening is often a major problem when garlic is crushed, since it affects the appearance and quality of the resulting product. Therefore study of the formation mechanism of garlic green pigments is very important for garlic processing. The effect of porphobilinogen (PBG) on the formation of garlic green pigments was investigated in this study. As the storage time increased, there was a significant positive correlation between garlic greening and PBG content at low temperature (4 °C). PBG content decreased significantly during the garlic greening process. When treated with respiration inhibitor, both garlic greening strength and PBG content decreased as the concentration of respiration inhibitor increased. The green colour was generated when extracted PBG and allicin mixed thoroughly. There was a clear relationship between PBG content and garlic greening. As a provider of pyrrolyl compounds, PBG plays an important role in the formation of garlic green pigments. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Analysis of the urban green areas of Nicosia: the case study of Linear Park of Pedieos River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanos, Pavlos; Georgi, Julia

2017-09-01

At present, the need for creating outdoor green areas is unquestionable. Their value is shown through their use for recreation, sports, cultural and socioeconomic purposes, the ecology and especially biodiversity, which has always been considered as one of the most important factors in recent years, as well as in the future. With the creation of new parks and open green spaces, the legacy will be continued for the next generations, with designs that will be pleasantly utilized through the years. In the first part of this study, we examined the way the largest urban green spaces in Nicosia affect and contribute to the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the city, as well as the reasons why the citizens of Cyprus embraced urban parks in their everyday life, making them so popular. The present paper, therefore, analyses both the effect and the changes in the urban structure while urban green spaces in the city of Nicosia are being created, as well as which areas are affected, how they are affected and to what extent. We have conducted a field-based survey, providing the urban parks' visitors with questionnaires. This enabled us to draw a wealth of essential conclusions concerning the visitors' preferences. We have also listed both the positive and negative impacts of urban green spaces on both the economic and urban design sectors, as well as on Cypriots' recreation time. The green areas of Nicosia, along with their detailed analysis, are extensively presented in this study. Moreover, in the second part of this study, the G.I.S program was used to create a space presentation of the urban linear park of Pedieos, where the area was mapped and the positive and negative elements of the park were analysed. In this part, ways to address the emerging issues are also proposed.

Violet and blue light-induced green fluorescence emissions from dental caries.

PubMed

Shakibaie, F; Walsh, L J

2016-12-01

The objective of this laboratory study was to compare violet and visible blue LED light-elicited green fluorescence emissions from enamel and dentine in healthy or carious states. Microscopic digital photography was undertaken using violet and blue LED illumination (405 nm and 455 nm wavelengths) of tooth surfaces, which were photographed through a custom-made stack of green compensating filters which removed the excitation light and allowed green fluorescence emissions to pass. Green channel pixel data were analysed. Dry sound enamel and sound root surfaces showed strong green fluorescence when excited by violet or blue lights. Regions of cavitated dental caries gave lower green fluorescence, and this was similar whether the dentine in the lesions was the same colour as normal dentine or was darkly coloured. The presence of saliva on the surface did not significantly change the green fluorescence, while the presence of blood diluted in saliva depressed green fluorescence. Using violet or blue illumination in combination with green compensating filters could potentially aid in the assessment of areas of mineral loss. © 2016 Australian Dental Association.

Influence of plant invasion on seed chemistry of winterfat, green rabbitbrush, freckled milkvetch, indian ricegrass and cheatgrass

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Plant invasions have proven detrimental to numerous ecosystem processes; however, limited information exists on how plant invasions affect seed nutrients. We quantified nutrients in seeds of Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides), green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus), winterfat (Krasch...

Green tea consumption affects cognitive dysfunction in the elderly: a pilot study.

PubMed

Ide, Kazuki; Yamada, Hiroshi; Takuma, Norikata; Park, Mijong; Wakamiya, Noriko; Nakase, Junpei; Ukawa, Yuuichi; Sagesaka, Yuko M

2014-09-29

Green tea is known to have various health benefits for humans. However, the effect of green tea consumption on cognitive dysfunction remains to be clinically verified. We conducted a clinical study to investigate the effects of green tea consumption on cognitive dysfunction. Twelve elderly nursing home residents with cognitive dysfunction (Mini-Mental State Examination Japanese version (MMSE-J) score: <28) participated in the study (2 men, 10 women; mean age, 88 years). The participants consumed green tea powder 2 g/day for 3 months. After three months of green tea consumption, the participants' MMSE-J scores were significantly improved (before, 15.3 ± 7.7; after, 17.0 ± 8.2; p = 0.03). This result suggests that green tea consumption may be effective in improving cognitive function or reducing the progression of cognitive dysfunction; however, long-term large-scale controlled studies are needed to further clarify the effect.

Sentinel Node Biopsy for the Head and Neck Using Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography Combined with Indocyanine Green Fluorescence in Animal Models: A Feasibility Study.

PubMed

Kogashiwa, Yasunao; Sakurai, Hiroyuki; Akimoto, Yoshihiro; Sato, Dai; Ikeda, Tetsuya; Matsumoto, Yoshifumi; Moro, Yorihisa; Kimura, Toru; Hamanoue, Yasuhiro; Nakamura, Takehiro; Yamauchi, Koichi; Saito, Koichiro; Sugasawa, Masashi; Kohno, Naoyuki

2015-01-01

Sentinel node navigation surgery is gaining popularity in oral cancer. We assessed application of sentinel lymph node navigation surgery to pharyngeal and laryngeal cancers by evaluating the combination of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography and indocyanine green fluorescence in animal models. This was a prospective, nonrandomized, experimental study in rabbit and swine animal models. A mixture of indocyanine green and Sonazoid was used as the tracer. The tracer mixture was injected into the tongue, larynx, or pharynx. The sentinel lymph nodes were identified transcutaneously by infra-red camera and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. Detection time and extraction time of the sentinel lymph nodes were measured. The safety of the tracer mixture in terms of mucosal reaction was evaluated macroscopically and microscopically. Sentinel lymph nodes were detected transcutaneously by contrast-enhanced ultrasonography alone. The number of sentinel lymph nodes detected was one or two. Despite observation of contrast enhancement of Sonazoid for at least 90 minutes, the number of sentinel lymph nodes detected did not change. The average extraction time of sentinel lymph nodes was 4.8 minutes. Indocyanine green fluorescence offered visual information during lymph node biopsy. The safety of the tracer was confirmed by absence of laryngeal edema both macro and microscopically. The combination method of indocyanine green fluorescence and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for detecting sentinel lymph nodes during surgery for head and neck cancer seems promising, especially for pharyngeal and laryngeal cancer. Further clinical studies to confirm this are warranted.

Chinese green product standards: international experience and pathway for a unified system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, Fu; Ling, Lin; Dongfeng, Gao; Shuo, Yang

2017-11-01

The establishment of a unified green product standard system is of great importance regarding the effective supply of green products and meeting trend of the consumption upgrade. It also is helpful to reduce the cost of green information disclosure of enterprises, and facilitate the supply-side structural reform. Based on the experience of developing and implementing green product standards in the EU, Germany, America, Japan and so on, combined with current Chinese standard systems including environmental protection, energy conservation, water conservation, low carbon, recycling, regeneration and organic, with the adoption of the life cycle thinking, this paper brings forward basic requirements on organizations including pollutant emissions, establishment of management system, energy conservation and emission reduction technology and green supply chain management, and proposes indicator requirements on product including resource attributes, energy attributes, environmental attributes and quality attributes, so as to guide the establishment of green product evaluation standards in the context of China.

Application of Green Infrastructure for Combined Sewer Overflow Kansas City, MO

EPA Science Inventory

Advanced design concepts such as Low Impact Development (LID) and Green Solutions (or upland runoff control techniques) are currently being encouraged by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a management practice to contain and control stormwater at the lot ...

Nutraceuticals for body-weight management: The role of green tea catechins.

PubMed

Janssens, Pilou L H R; Hursel, Rick; Westerterp-Plantenga, Margriet S

2016-08-01

Green tea catechins mixed with caffeine have been proposed as adjuvants for maintaining or enhancing energy expenditure and for increasing fat oxidation, in the context of prevention and treatment of obesity. These catechins-caffeine mixtures seem to counteract the decrease in metabolic rate that occurs during weight loss. Their effects are of particular importance during weight maintenance after weight loss. Other metabolic targets may be fat absorption and the gut microbiota composition, but these effects still need further investigation in combination with weight loss. Limitations for the effects of green tea catechins are moderating factors such as genetic predisposition related to COMT-activity, habitual caffeine intake, and ingestion combined with dietary protein. In conclusion, a mixture of green tea catechins and caffeine has a beneficial effect on body-weight management, especially by sustained energy expenditure, fat oxidation, and preservation of fat free body-mass, after energy restriction induced body-weight loss, when taking the limitations into account. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Urban area and green space: volume estimation using medium resolution satellite imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handayani, H. H.

2017-12-01

The latest revision of the UN World Urbanization Prospects predicts the world's urban population to increase by 1.4 billion between 2010 and 2030, 60% of the population will live in cities. Consequently, this expansion affects the existence of ecosystem services in the context of sustainability environment. Green space is a focal point of the ecological system and is affected by the urbanization process. The green space has essential functions in cleaning the water, adjusting the microclimate, eliminating noise, and beautifying the surrounding makes the green quantity as well as quality very vital to its existence. The urban expansion leads the growth into vertical development. Therefore, the third dimension using urban volume as an indicator of vertical development is introduced. Therefore, this study estimates the urban and green volume by using medium resolution remote sensing. Surabaya is used as a case study since the city has grown up significantly in both of population and capital investment in this decade. Here, urban and green volume is investigated by ALOS datasets with urban referring built-up. Also, we examine the area with low and high green volume by performing hot and cold spots analysis. The average of built-up volume reaches 173.05 m3/pixel presented by the building for a residential single house with the height less than 7m. The average of green volume is 14.74m3/pixel performed by the vegetation with the height generally 0.6 to 1m which is frequently planted in the backyard of house. However, the ratio of green volume to the built-up volume shows a small portion which is around 8.52%. Therefore, we identify the hot and cold spots, we evaluate 5 areas having cold spot regarding lack of green volume. The two locations of cold spot are located in the northern part and another is in the southern part. Those areas have high number of built-up volume which is in particularly as sub-CBD area. We emphasize that the improvement of green quantity is needed in those areas, in order to enhance the green quantity and also for the city's image improvement.

Compact high-power red-green-blue laser light source generation from a single lithium tantalate with cascaded domain modulation.

PubMed

Xu, P; Zhao, L N; Lv, X J; Lu, J; Yuan, Y; Zhao, G; Zhu, S N

2009-06-08

1W quasi-white-light source has been generated from a single lithium tantalate with cascaded domain modulation. The quasi-white-light is combined by proper proportion of the red, green and blue laser light. The red and the blue result from a compact self-sum frequency optical parametric oscillation when pumped by a single green laser. The efficiency of quasi-white-light from the green pump reaches 27%. This compact design can be employed not only as a stable and powerful RGB light source but also an effective blue laser generator.

Urban Green Space Perception and Its Contribution to Well-Being.

PubMed

Kothencz, Gyula; Kolcsár, Ronald; Cabrera-Barona, Pablo; Szilassi, Péter

2017-07-12

Individual perceptions are essential when evaluating the well-being benefits from urban green spaces. This study predicted the influence of perceived green space characteristics in the city of Szeged, Hungary, on two well-being variables: the green space visitors' level of satisfaction and the self-reported quality of life. The applied logistic regression analysis used nine predictors: seven perceived green space characteristics from a questionnaire survey among visitors of five urban green spaces of Szeged; and the frequency of green space visitors' crowd-sourced recreational running paths and photographs picturing green space aesthetics. Results revealed that perceived green space characteristics with direct well-being benefits were strong predictors of both dependent variables. Perceived green space characteristics with indirect, yet fundamental, well-being benefits, namely, regulating ecosystem services had minor influence on the dependent variables. The crowd-sourced geo-tagged data predicted only the perceived quality of life contributions; but revealed spatial patterns of recreational green space use and aesthetics. This study recommends that regulating ecosystem services should be planned with a focus on residents' aesthetic and recreational needs. Further research on the combination of green space visitors´ perceptions and crowd-sourced geo-tagged data is suggested to promote planning for well-being and health benefits of urban green spaces.

Urban Green Space Perception and Its Contribution to Well-Being

PubMed Central

Kolcsár, Ronald; Cabrera-Barona, Pablo; Szilassi, Péter

2017-01-01

Individual perceptions are essential when evaluating the well-being benefits from urban green spaces. This study predicted the influence of perceived green space characteristics in the city of Szeged, Hungary, on two well-being variables: the green space visitors’ level of satisfaction and the self-reported quality of life. The applied logistic regression analysis used nine predictors: seven perceived green space characteristics from a questionnaire survey among visitors of five urban green spaces of Szeged; and the frequency of green space visitors’ crowd-sourced recreational running paths and photographs picturing green space aesthetics. Results revealed that perceived green space characteristics with direct well-being benefits were strong predictors of both dependent variables. Perceived green space characteristics with indirect, yet fundamental, well-being benefits, namely, regulating ecosystem services had minor influence on the dependent variables. The crowd-sourced geo-tagged data predicted only the perceived quality of life contributions; but revealed spatial patterns of recreational green space use and aesthetics. This study recommends that regulating ecosystem services should be planned with a focus on residents’ aesthetic and recreational needs. Further research on the combination of green space visitors´ perceptions and crowd-sourced geo-tagged data is suggested to promote planning for well-being and health benefits of urban green spaces. PMID:28704969

Discrepancies between descriptions and illustrations of colours in Congo red-stained amyloid, and explanation of discrepant colours.

PubMed

Howie, Alexander J; Owen-Casey, Mared P

2010-09-01

Congo red-stained sections of amyloid may show various colours between crossed polariser and analyser. The aims were to see how papers described the colours, to compare descriptions with illustrations, and to explain the colours. In 160 papers on Congo red-stained amyloid, the commonest descriptions were 'green birefringence' and 'apple-green birefringence'. In 191 figures in 82 papers, 59 (31%) showed a pure green colour, 62 (32%) showed green and yellow or blue and yellow, 38 (20%) showed green and a colour other than yellow, mostly red, and 32 (17%) showed other colours. Discrepancies between colours reported and illustrated were noted in 127 figures (66%). Most (77) were between green alone in descriptions and green and another colour in figures, and 30 were between green in descriptions and no green at all in figures. Pure green can be seen in ideal conditions, but more often there are green and yellow, explained by strain birefringence, and green and red or other combinations, explained by uncrossing of polariser and analyser. These other anomalous colours are just as characteristic of amyloid as the pure green colour. Many papers on Congo red-stained amyloid appear to describe what is expected theoretically rather than what is actually seen.

Assessment of Land Degradation and Greening in Ken River Basin of Central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, Ashish; Palmate, Santosh S.

2017-04-01

Natural systems have significant impact of land degradation on biodiversity loss, food and water insecurity. To achieve the sustainable development goals, advances in remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS) are progressively utilized to combat climate change, land degradation and poverty issues of developing country. The Ken River Basin (KRB) has dominating land cover pattern of agriculture and forest area. Nowadays, this pattern is affected due to climate change and anthropogenic activity like deforestation. In this study, land degradation and greening status of KRB of Central India during the years 2001 to 2013 have been assessed using MODIS land cover (MCD12Q1) data sets. International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP) land cover data has been extracted from the MCD12Q1 data product. Multiple rasters of MODIS landcover were analyzed and compared for assigning unique combination of land cover dynamics employing ArcGIS software. Result reveals that 14.38% natural vegetation was degraded, and crop land and woody savannas were greened by 9.68% to 6.94% respectively. Natural vegetation degradation have been observed in the upper KRB area, and resulted to increase in crop land (3418.87 km2) and woody savannas (1242.23 km2) area. Due to transition of 1043.6 km2 area of deciduous broadleaf forest to woody savannas greening was also observed. Moreover, both crop land and woody savannas showed inter-transitions of 669.31 km2 into crop land to woody savannas, and 874.09 km2 into woody savannas to crop land. The present analysis reveals that natural vegetation has more land conversions into woody savannas and crop land in the KRB area. Further, Spatial change analysis shows that land degradation and greening has occurred mostly in the upper part of the KRB. The study reveals that the land transition information can be useful for proper planning and management of natural resources.

The Effect of Tree Spacing and Size in Urban Areas: Strategies for Mitigating High Temperature in Urban Heat Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berry, R.; Shandas, V.; Makido, Y.

2017-12-01

Many cities are unintentionally designed to be heat sinks, which absorb the sun's short-wave radiation and reemit as long-wave radiation. Long time reorganization of this `urban heat island' (UHI) phenomena has led researchers and city planners into developing strategies for reducing ambient temperatures through urban design. Specifically, greening areas have proven to reduce the temperature in UHI's, including strategies such as green streets, green facades, and green roofs have been implemented. Among the scientific community there is promoted study of how myriad greening strategies can reduce temperature, relatively limited work has focused on the distribution, density, and quantity of tree campaigns. This paper examines how the spacing and size of trees reduce temperatures differently. A major focus of the paper is to understand how to lower the temperature through tree planting, and provide recommendations to cities that are attempting to solve their own urban heat island issues. Because different cities have different room for planting greenery, we examined which strategies are more efficient given an area constraint. Areas that have less available room might not be able to plant a high density of trees. We compared the different experimental groups varying in density and size of trees against the control to see the effect the trees had. Through calibration with local weather stations, we used a micrometeorology program (ENVI-Met) to model and simulate the different experimental models and how they affect the temperature. The results suggest that some urban designs can reduce ambient temperatures by over 7 0C, and the inclusion of large form trees have the greatest contribution, by reducing temperatures over 15 0C. The results suggest that using specific strategies that combine placement of specific tree configurations with alternative distribution of urban development patterns can help to solve the current challenges of UHI's, and thereby support management actions for addressing future impacts from climate change.

Unexpected combined effects of NADH dehydrogenase subunit-2 237 Leu/Met polymorphism and green tea consumption on renal function in male Japanese health check-up examinees: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Kokaze, Akatsuki; Ishikawa, Mamoru; Matsunaga, Naomi; Karita, Kanae; Yoshida, Masao; Ohtsu, Tadahiro; Ochiai, Hirotaka; Shirasawa, Takako; Nanri, Hinako; Hoshino, Hiromi; Takashima, Yutaka

2013-11-20

NADH dehydrogenase subunit-2 237 leucine/methionine (ND2-237 Leu/Met) polymorphism is associated with longevity in Japanese. A previous study has shown that ND2-237 Leu/Met polymorphism modulates the effects of green tea consumption on risk of hypertension. For men with ND2-237Leu, habitual green tea consumption may reduce the risk of hypertension. Moreover, there is a combined effect of ND2-237 Leu/Met polymorphism and alcohol consumption on risk of mildly decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (<90 ml/min/1.73 m2). Several beneficial effects of green tea on the kidney have been reported. The objective of this study was to investigate whether ND2-237 Leu/Met polymorphism modifies the effects of green tea consumption on risk of mildly decreased eGFR in male Japanese health check-up examinees. For ND2-237Leu genotypic men, after adjustment for confounding factors, green tea consumption may increase the risk of mildly decreased eGFR (P for trend = 0.016). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for mildly decreased eGFR was significantly higher in subjects with ND2-237Leu who consume ≥6 cups of green tea per day than those who consume ≤1 cup of green tea per day (adjusted OR = 5.647, 95% confidence interval: 1.528-20.88, P = 0.009). On the other hand, for ND2-237Met genotypic men, green tea consumption does not appear to determine the risk of mildly decreased eGFR. The present results suggest that ND2-237 Leu/Met polymorphism unexpectedly modifies the effects of green tea consumption on eGFR and the risk of mildly decreased eGFR in male Japanese subjects.

Unexpected combined effects of NADH dehydrogenase subunit-2 237 Leu/Met polymorphism and green tea consumption on renal function in male Japanese health check-up examinees: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background NADH dehydrogenase subunit-2 237 leucine/methionine (ND2-237 Leu/Met) polymorphism is associated with longevity in Japanese. A previous study has shown that ND2-237 Leu/Met polymorphism modulates the effects of green tea consumption on risk of hypertension. For men with ND2-237Leu, habitual green tea consumption may reduce the risk of hypertension. Moreover, there is a combined effect of ND2-237 Leu/Met polymorphism and alcohol consumption on risk of mildly decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (<90 ml/min/1.73 m2). Several beneficial effects of green tea on the kidney have been reported. The objective of this study was to investigate whether ND2-237 Leu/Met polymorphism modifies the effects of green tea consumption on risk of mildly decreased eGFR in male Japanese health check-up examinees. Results For ND2-237Leu genotypic men, after adjustment for confounding factors, green tea consumption may increase the risk of mildly decreased eGFR (P for trend = 0.016). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for mildly decreased eGFR was significantly higher in subjects with ND2-237Leu who consume ≥6 cups of green tea per day than those who consume ≤1 cup of green tea per day (adjusted OR = 5.647, 95% confidence interval: 1.528-20.88, P = 0.009). On the other hand, for ND2-237Met genotypic men, green tea consumption does not appear to determine the risk of mildly decreased eGFR. Conclusion The present results suggest that ND2-237 Leu/Met polymorphism unexpectedly modifies the effects of green tea consumption on eGFR and the risk of mildly decreased eGFR in male Japanese subjects. PMID:24252463

Metabonomics approach to determine metabolic differences between green tea and black tea consumption.

PubMed

Van Dorsten, Ferdi A; Daykin, Clare A; Mulder, Theo P J; Van Duynhoven, John P M

2006-09-06

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of black and green tea consumption on human metabolism. Seventeen healthy male volunteers consumed black tea, green tea, or caffeine in a randomized crossover study. Twenty-four-hour urine and blood plasma samples were analyzed by NMR-based metabonomics, that is, high-resolution 1H NMR metabolic profiling combined with multivariate statistics. Green and black tea consumption resulted in similar increases in urinary excretion of hippuric acid and 1,3-dihydroxyphenyl-2-O-sulfate, both of which are end products of tea flavonoid degradation by colonic bacteria. Several unidentified aromatic metabolites were detected in urine specifically after green tea intake. Interestingly, green and black tea intake also had a different impact on endogenous metabolites in urine and plasma. Green tea intake caused a stronger increase in urinary excretion of several citric acid cycle intermediates, which suggests an effect of green tea flavanols on human oxidative energy metabolism and/or biosynthetic pathways.

Going Green: Eco-Friendly Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whelan, Debra Lau

2007-01-01

A growing number of studies show that a school's physical condition--especially its lighting and indoor air quality--directly affect student performance. A 2005 Turner Construction survey of green buildings found that 70 percent of districts with sustainable schools reported improved student performance. It also makes perfect sense that…

Green tea EGCG, T-cell function, and T-cell-mediated autoimmune encephalomyelitis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Autoimmune diseases are common, disabling immune disorders affecting millions of people. Recent studies indicate that dysregulated balance of different CD4+ T-cell subpopulations plays a key role in immune pathogenesis of several major autoimmune diseases. Green tea and its active ingredient, epigal...

Operational analysis of shared lane markings and green bike lanes on roadways with speeds greater than 35 mph : [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

In this project, University of North Florida : researchers analyzed how shared lane markings : (sharrows), wide curb lanes, standard and : buffered bike lanes, and green bike lanes affected : operations of bicycle facilities. Three measures : of effe...

The Green Obligation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Cameron

2007-01-01

As the green movement grows, studies provide conclusive evidence about the benefits of environmentally conscious practices indoors and outdoors. Schools are no exception. Many of these studies demonstrate how poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools adversely affects many of the nation's 55 million students with health problems such as asthma and…

Blue-Green Solutions in Urban Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karlsson, Caroline; Kalantari, Zahra

2017-04-01

With the ongoing urbanisation and increasing pressure for new housing and infrastructure, the nexus of developing compact, energy-efficient and yet liveable and sustainable cities is urgent to address. In this context, blue-green spaces and related ecosystem services (ES) are critical resources that need to be integrated in policy and planning of urban. Among the ES provided by blue-green spaces, regulating ES such as water retention and purification are particularly important in urban areas, affecting water supply and quality, related cultural ES and biodiversity, as well as cities potential to adapt to climate change. Blue-green infrastructure management is considered a sustainable way to reducing negative effects of urbanisation, such as decreasing flood risks, as well as adapting to climate change for example by controlling increasing flood and drought risks. Blue-green infrastructure management can for example create multifunctional surfaces with valuable environmental and social functions and generally handle greenways and ecological networks as important ecosystem service components, for example for stormwater regulation in a sustainable urban drainage system. The Norrström drainage basin (22,000 km2) is a large demonstrator for Blue-green infrastructure management. Both urbanisation and agriculture are extensive within this basin, which includes the Swedish capital Stockholm and is part of the fertile Swedish belt. Together, the relatively high population density combined with agricultural and industrial activities in this region imply large eutrophication and pollution pressures, not least transferred through storm runoff to both inland surface waters and the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea. The ecosystems of this basin provide highly valued but also threatened services. For example, Lake Mälaren is the single main freshwater supply for the Swedish capital Stockholm, as well as a key nutrient retention system that strongly mitigates waterborne nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea a function that is in turn threatened by climate change. Large socio-economic values are also at stake here with regard to ecosystem regulation of both flood and drought risks, again threatened by both climate change and human development activities within the Norrström basin itself.

77 FR 24833 - Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-26

... the hydraulic high pressure hose and electrical wiring of the green electrical motor pump (EMP). This... panel; doing a one-time general visual inspection for correct condition and installation of hydraulic... electrical wiring of the green EMPs, which in combination with a system failure, could cause an uncontrolled...

Occurrence of fludioxonil resistance in penicillium digitatum from citrus in California

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Penicillium digitatum is the causal agent of green mold, the most important postharvest disease of citrus (Citrus spp.). Fludioxonil is marketed as either a solo product or in combination with azoxystrobin for control of green mold and other postharvest diseases. Baseline sensitivity to fludioxonil ...

7 CFR 29.1124 - Rule 18.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... 20 percent or more of greenish tobacco, or any lot which is not green but which contains 20 percent or more of greenish and green tobacco combined shall be designated by the color symbol “V.” ...

7 CFR 29.1124 - Rule 18.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... 20 percent or more of greenish tobacco, or any lot which is not green but which contains 20 percent or more of greenish and green tobacco combined shall be designated by the color symbol “V.” ...

A novel rapid genotyping technique for Collie eye anomaly: SYBR Green-based real-time polymerase chain reaction method applicable to blood and saliva specimens on Flinders Technology Associates filter paper.

PubMed

Chang, Hye-Sook; Mizukami, Keijiro; Yabuki, Akira; Hossain, Mohammad A; Rahman, Mohammad M; Uddin, Mohammad M; Arai, Toshiro; Yamato, Osamu

2010-09-01

Collie eye anomaly (CEA) is a canine inherited ocular disease that shows a wide variety of manifestations and severity of clinical lesions. Recently, a CEA-associated mutation was reported, and a DNA test that uses conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has now become available. The objective of the current study was to develop a novel rapid genotyping technique by using SYBR Green-based real-time PCR for future large-scale surveys as a key part in the strategy to eradicate CEA by selective breeding. First, a SYBR Green-based real-time PCR assay for genotyping of CEA was developed and evaluated by using purified DNA samples from normal, carrier, and affected Border Collies in which genotypes had previously been determined by conventional PCR. This real-time PCR assay demonstrated appropriate amplifications in all genotypes, and the results were consistent with those of conventional PCR. Second, the availability of Flinders Technology Associates filter paper (FTA card) as DNA templates for the real-time PCR assay was evaluated by using blood and saliva specimens to determine suitability for CEA screening. DNA-containing solution prepared from a disc of blood- or saliva-spotted FTA cards was available directly as templates for the real-time PCR assay when the volume of solution was 2.5% of the PCR mixture. In conclusion, SYBR Green-based real-time PCR combined with FTA cards is a rapid genotyping technique for CEA that can markedly shorten the overall time required for genotyping as well as simplify the sample preparation. Therefore, this newly developed technique suits large-scale screening in breeding populations of Collie-related breeds.

Water resources planning and modelling tools for the assessment of land use change in the Luvuvhu Catchment, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jewitt, G. P. W.; Garratt, J. A.; Calder, I. R.; Fuller, L.

In arid and semi-arid areas, total evaporation is a major component of the hydrological cycle and seasonal water shortages and drought are common. In these areas, the role of land use and land use change is particularly important and it is imperative that land and water resources are well managed. To aid efficient water management, it is useful to demonstrate how changing land use affects water resources. A convenient framework to consider this is through the use of the ‘blue-water’ and ‘green-water’ classification of Falkenmark, where green-water represents water use by land and blue-water represents runoff. In this study the hydrological response of nine land-use scenarios were simulated for the upper reaches of the Mutale River, an important tributary of the Luvuvhu River in S. Africa. The ACRU and HYLUC land use sensitive hydrological models, were used to investigate the change in blue and green water under the various land-use scenarios. The GIS software ArcGIS(8.3) was used to analyse available spatial data to generate inputs required by the hydrological models. The scenarios investigated included the current land use in the catchment, an increase or decrease in forest cover, and an increase or decrease in the area irrigated. Both models predict that increasing either forestry or irrigation significantly reduces the proportion of blue water in the catchment. The predictions from the models were combined with maps of catchment land use, to illustrate the changes in distribution of green and blue water in a user-friendly manner. The use of GIS in this way is designed to enable policy-makers and managers to quickly assimilate the water resource implication of the land use change.

Anticandidal synergistic activity of green tea catechins, antimycotics and copper sulphate as a mean of combinational drug therapy against candidiasis.

PubMed

Anand, J; Rai, N

2017-03-01

The present investigation aims at evaluating synergistic herbal based composition of purified catechins with fluconazole, amphotericin B and copper sulphate against Candida albicans (MTCC 3017) and Candida glabrata (MTCC 3019). The catechins were isolated from green tea leaves of Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand regions of India. The synergistic activity of combinations against Candida species was assessed following microdilution checkerboard technique and time kill assay. The inhibitory action of most significant combination on treated Candida cells was assessed by scanning electron microscopy. Cytotoxicity of synergistic compositions was further analyzed by performing MTT assay on Vero cell lines. Purified catechins of Assam and Himachal Pradesh green tea showed synergistic activity with fluconazole and amphotericin B against Candida species. Time kill assay depicted synergistic activity at minimum inhibitory concentration and twice of minimum inhibitory concentration of purified catechins and antimycotics. Further, Copper sulphate increased anticandidal efficacy of synergistic combinations by 0.4% to 6.63%. SEM analysis revealed morphological distortions of treated Candida cells. Cytotoxicity analysis of synergistic composition depicted high percentage viability (≥91.4% to≥100%) of Vero cell line, which suggests non-cytotoxic activity of proposed composition on healthy cells. It can be inferred that present evaluated synergistic composition can confer promising anticandidal efficacy and requires further investigation of safety and translational guidelines for effective and safer green tea based potent therapeutic drug. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

In-ovo green light photostimulation during different embryonic stages affect somatotropic axis.

PubMed

Dishon, L; Avital-Cohen, N; Zaguri, S; Bartman, J; Heiblum, R; Druyan, S; Porter, T E; Gumulka, M; Rozenboim, I

2018-06-01

Previous studies demonstrated that in-ovo photostimulation with monochromatic green light increased the somatotropic axis expression in broilers embryos. The objective of the current study was to detect the critical period for in-ovo GL photostimulation, in order to find the optimal targeted photostimulation period during the incubation process. Three hundred thirty-six fertile broiler eggs were divided into 4 groups. The first group was incubated under dark conditions as a negative control. The second incubated under intermittent monochromatic green light using light-emitting diode (LED) lamps with an intensity of 0.1 W\\m2 at shell level from d 0 of the incubation as a positive control. The third group incubated under intermittent monochromatic green light from d 10 of the incubation. The last group incubated under intermittent monochromatic green light from d 15 of the incubation. In-ovo green light photostimulation from embryonic d 0 (ED0) increased plasma growth hormone (GH), as well as hypothalamic growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and liver growth hormone receptor (GHR) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) mRNA levels. In-ovo green light photostimulation from ED10 increased the GH plasma levels compared to the negative control group, without affecting somatotropic axis mRNA genes expressions of GHRH, GHR, and IGF-1. In-ovo green light photostimulation from ED15 caused an increase in both the plasma GH levels and the somatotropic axis mRNA genes expressions of GHRH, GHR, and IGF-1, compared to the negative control group. These results suggest that the critical period of somatotropic axis acceleration by GL photostimulation start at 15 d of incubation.

Open sun drying of green bean: influence of pretreatments on drying kinetics, colour and rehydration capacity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

İsmail, Osman; Kantürk Figen, Aysel; Pişkin, Sabriye

2017-04-01

Green bean ( Phaseolus Vulgaris L), classified under legume family, is a primary source of dietary protein in human diets especially in the agricultural countries. Green bean is susceptible to rapid deterioration because of their high moisture content and in order to prevent and present the green bean drying process is applied. In this study, effects of pretreatments on drying kinetics, colour and rehydration capacity of green bean were investigated. It was observed that the pretreatment affected the drying time. The shortest drying times were obtained from pretreated samples with blanched. Drying times were determined as 47, 41 and 29 h for natural, salted and blanch, respectively. The results showed that pretreatment and ambient temperature significantly ( P = 0.05) affected the drying rate and the drying time. The effective moisture diffusivity was determined by using Fick's second law and was found to be range between 3.15 × 10-10 and 1.2 × 10-10 m2/s for the pre-treated and natural green bean samples. The rehydration values were obtained 2.75, 2.71, 2.29 (g water/g dry matter) for the blanched, salted and natural samples. The effective diffusion coefficients were calculated using the data collected during the falling rate period and the experimental data are fitted to seven thin layer drying models which found in the literature. The Logarithmic model was found to best describe the drying behavior of fresh green beans under open air sun. Rehydration time and color parameters had been determined in order to improve the quality of dried green bean. Regarding with rehydration time and colour data, the best results were obtained at blanched drying conditions.

Combinations of Endothall With 2,4-D and Triclopyr for Eurasian Watermilfoil Control

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

times for endothall, 2,4-D, and triclopyr ( Westerdahl and Hall 1983; Green and Westerdahl 1990; Netherland et al. 1991; Netherland and Getsinger 1992...time for herbicide injury of plant mass and for plants to recover from the initial herbicide injury in small-scale studies (Green and Westerdahl 1990...laboratory studies (Green and Westerdahl 1990; Netherland and Getsinger 1992). Eurasian watermilfoil control was 100 percent at 3 and 4 WAT for the

Surface Green's function of a piezoelectric half-space.

PubMed

Laude, Vincent; Jerez-Hanckes, Carlos F; Ballandras, Sylvain

2006-02-01

The computation of the two-dimensional harmonic spatial-domain Green's function at the surface of a piezoelectric half-space is discussed. Starting from the known form of the Green's function expressed in the spectral domain, the singular contributions are isolated and treated separately. It is found that the surface acoustic wave contributions (i.e., poles in the spectral Green's function) give rise to an anisotropic generalization of the Hankel function H0(2), the spatial Green's function for the scalar two-dimensional wave equation. The asymptotic behavior at infinity and at the origin (for the electrostatic contribution) also are explicitly treated. The remaining nonsingular part of the spectral Green's function is obtained numerically by a combination of fast Fourier transform and quadrature. Illustrations are given in the case of a substrate of Y-cut lithium niobate.

Green Space Attachment and Health: A Comparative Study in Two Urban Neighborhoods

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yang; van Dijk, Terry; Tang, Jianjun; van den Berg, Agnes E.

2015-01-01

The positive relationships between urban green space and health have been well documented. Little is known, however, about the role of residents’ emotional attachment to local green spaces in these relationships, and how attachment to green spaces and health may be promoted by the availability of accessible and usable green spaces. The present research aimed to examine the links between self-reported health, attachment to green space, and the availability of accessible and usable green spaces. Data were collected via paper-mailed surveys in two neighborhoods (n = 223) of a medium-sized Dutch city in the Netherlands. These neighborhoods differ in the perceived and objectively measured accessibility and usability of green spaces, but are matched in the physically available amount of urban green space, as well as in demographic and socio-economic status, and housing conditions. Four dimensions of green space attachment were identified through confirmatory factor analysis: place dependence, affective attachment, place identity and social bonding. The results show greater attachment to local green space and better self-reported mental health in the neighborhood with higher availability of accessible and usable green spaces. The two neighborhoods did not differ, however, in physical and general health. Structural Equation Modelling confirmed the neighborhood differences in green space attachment and mental health, and also revealed a positive path from green space attachment to mental health. These findings convey the message that we should make green places, instead of green spaces. PMID:26569280

Green Space Attachment and Health: A Comparative Study in Two Urban Neighborhoods.

PubMed

Zhang, Yang; van Dijk, Terry; Tang, Jianjun; van den Berg, Agnes E

2015-11-12

The positive relationships between urban green space and health have been well documented. Little is known, however, about the role of residents' emotional attachment to local green spaces in these relationships, and how attachment to green spaces and health may be promoted by the availability of accessible and usable green spaces. The present research aimed to examine the links between self-reported health, attachment to green space, and the availability of accessible and usable green spaces. Data were collected via paper-mailed surveys in two neighborhoods (n = 223) of a medium-sized Dutch city in the Netherlands. These neighborhoods differ in the perceived and objectively measured accessibility and usability of green spaces, but are matched in the physically available amount of urban green space, as well as in demographic and socio-economic status, and housing conditions. Four dimensions of green space attachment were identified through confirmatory factor analysis: place dependence, affective attachment, place identity and social bonding. The results show greater attachment to local green space and better self-reported mental health in the neighborhood with higher availability of accessible and usable green spaces. The two neighborhoods did not differ, however, in physical and general health. Structural Equation Modelling confirmed the neighborhood differences in green space attachment and mental health, and also revealed a positive path from green space attachment to mental health. These findings convey the message that we should make green places, instead of green spaces.

Impacts of green space and tree cover on birth outcomes in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

EPA Science Inventory

Ecosystem services affect human health through a variety of mechanisms. We investigated associations between green space and tree cover, and birth weight (BWT), pre-term birth (PTB), and low birth weight (LBW). Births in and around Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, between 1 January 2004 ...

Effect of marinating chicken meat with lemon, green tea, and turmeric against foodborne bacterial pathogenss

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Foodborne diseases affect millions of people each year. To reduce the incidence of bacterial foodborne pathogens more effective treatment methods are needed. In this study we evaluated the effect of marinating chicken breast fillets with extracts of lemon, green tea, and turmeric against Campylob...

Inhibited-coupling HC-PCF based beam-delivery-system for high power green industrial lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chafer, M.; Gorse, A.; Beaudou, B.; Lekiefs, Q.; Maurel, M.; Debord, B.; Gérôme, F.; Benabid, F.

2018-02-01

We report on an ultra-low loss Hollow-Core Photonic Crystal Fiber (HC-PCF) beam delivery system (GLO-GreenBDS) for high power ultra-short pulse lasers operating in the green spectral range (including 515 nm and 532 nm). The GLOBDS- Green combines ease-of-use, high laser-coupling efficiency, robustness and industrial compatible cabling. It comprises a pre-aligned laser-injection head, a sheath-cable protected HC-PCF and a modular fiber-output head. It enables fiber-core gas loading and evacuation in a hermetic fashion. A 5 m long GLO-BDS were demonstrated for a green short pulse laser with a transmission coefficient larger than 80%, and a laser output profile close to single-mode (M2 <1.3).

Evaluating the green practice of food service supply chain management based on fuzzy DEMATEL-ANP model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaoying; Zhu, Qinghua

2017-01-01

The question on how to evaluate a company's green practice has recently become a key strategic consideration for the food service supply chain management. This paper proposed a novel hybrid model that combines a fuzzy Decision Making Trial And Evaluation Laboratory(DEMATEL) and Analysis Network Process(ANP) methods, which developed the green restaurant criteria and demonstrated the complicated relations among various criteria to help the food service operation to better analyze the real-world situation and determine the different weight value of the criteria .The analysis of the evaluation of green practices will help the food service operation to be clear about the key measures of green practice to improve supply chain management.

Greening the CWA consent decree - some examples of collaborative research amongst USEPA and municipalities

EPA Science Inventory

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) violate the Clean Water Act Enforcement of CWA boils down to settlements with US cities – typically billions of dollars Green Infrastructure (GI) has come into view as part of consent decree settlements These settlements are a primary way to rehab...

Comparison of WinSLAMM Modeled Results with Monitored Bioinfiltration Data during Kansas City Green Infrastructure Demonstration Project

EPA Science Inventory

The Water Services Department (WSD) in Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO) has conducted extensive modeling and economic studies of its combined sewer system (CSS) over the last several years. A number of green infrastructure (GI) solutions were identified and constructed to reduce dis...

Comparison of Modeled Results for Kansas City Middle Blue River Green Infrastructure Pilot Project

EPA Science Inventory

The Water Services Department (WSD) in Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO) has conducted extensive modeling and economic studies of its combined sewer system (CSS) over the last several years. A number of green infrastructure (GI) solutions were identified and constructed to reduce dis...

Update on Kansas City Middle Blue River Green Infrastructure Pilot Project - seminar

EPA Science Inventory

In 2010, Kansas City, MO (KCMO) signed a consent degree with EPA on combined sewer overflows. The City decided to use adaptive management in order to extensively utilize green infrastructure (GI) in lieu of, and in addition to, structural controls. KCMO installed 130 GI storm con...

76 FR 66712 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-27

... Project, LLC- Silver State Solar Power South, LLC to be effective 10/19/2011. Filed Date: 10/18/2011...: Green Mountain Energy Company. Description: Supplement to Market Power Analysis of Green Mountain Energy.... Description: Supplement to Market Power Analysis of Reliant Energy Northeast LLC. Filed Date: 10/06/2011...

Green Infrastructure in the Mix to Reduce District of Columbia Sewer Overflows

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

District of Columbia's Long Term Control Plan to keep sewage out of the city’s rivers is being modified to include a substantial greening component for the first time, making it a dominant feature of 2 of the 3 drainage areas of the combined sewer system.

Use of Green Infrastructure Integrated with Conventional Gray Infrastructure for Combined Sewer Overflow Control: Kansas City, MO

EPA Science Inventory

Advanced design concepts such as Low Impact Development (LID) and Green Solutions (or upland runoff control techniques) are currently being encouraged by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a management practice to contain and control stormwater at the lot ...

Update on Kansas City Middle Blue River Green Infrastructure Pilot Project

EPA Science Inventory

In 2010, Kansas City, MO (KCMO) signed a consent degree with EPA on combined sewer overflows. The City decided to use adaptive management in order to extensively utilize green infrastructure (GI) in lieu of, and in addition to, gray structural controls. KCMO installed 130 GI sto...

7 CFR 29.2634 - Rule 18.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Rules § 29.2634 Rule 18. Any lot of tobacco containing 20 percent or more of green leaves or any lot which is not crude but contains 20 percent or more of green and crude combined shall be...

7 CFR 29.3121 - Rule 18.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Rules § 29.3121 Rule 18. Any lot of tobacco containing 20 percent or more of green leaves, or any lot which is not crude but contains 20 percent or more of green and crude combined, shall...

7 CFR 29.1125 - Rule 19.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Rules § 29.1125 Rule 19. Any lot of tobacco containing 20 percent or more of green tobacco, or any lot which is not crude but contains 20 percent or more of green and crude combined shall...

7 CFR 29.2409 - Rule 18.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Rules § 29.2409 Rule 18. Any lot of tobacco containing 20 percent or more of green leaves or any lot which is not crude but contains 20 percent or more of green and crude combined shall be...

7 CFR 29.3620 - Rule 19.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Rules § 29.3620 Rule 19. Any lot of tobacco containing 20 percent or more of green leaves or any lot which is not crude but contains 20 percent or more of green and crude combined shall be...

7 CFR 29.3620 - Rule 19.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Rules § 29.3620 Rule 19. Any lot of tobacco containing 20 percent or more of green leaves or any lot which is not crude but contains 20 percent or more of green and crude combined shall be...

7 CFR 29.2409 - Rule 18.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Rules § 29.2409 Rule 18. Any lot of tobacco containing 20 percent or more of green leaves or any lot which is not crude but contains 20 percent or more of green and crude combined shall be...

7 CFR 29.1125 - Rule 19.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Rules § 29.1125 Rule 19. Any lot of tobacco containing 20 percent or more of green tobacco, or any lot which is not crude but contains 20 percent or more of green and crude combined shall...

7 CFR 29.2634 - Rule 18.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Rules § 29.2634 Rule 18. Any lot of tobacco containing 20 percent or more of green leaves or any lot which is not crude but contains 20 percent or more of green and crude combined shall be...

7 CFR 29.3121 - Rule 18.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Rules § 29.3121 Rule 18. Any lot of tobacco containing 20 percent or more of green leaves, or any lot which is not crude but contains 20 percent or more of green and crude combined, shall...

Visual comfort evaluated by opponent colors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagawa, Ken

2002-06-01

This study aimed to evaluate psychological impression of visual comfort when we see an image of ordinary colored scene presented in a color display. Effects of opponent colors, i.e. red, green, yellow and blue component, on the subjective judgement on visual comfort to the image were investigated. Three kinds of psychological experiment were designed to see the effects and the results indicated that the red/green opponent color component was more affecting than the yellow-blue one, and red color in particular was the most affecting factor on visual comfort.

Safety of tomatillos and products containing tomatillos canned by the water-bath canning method.

PubMed

McKee, L H; Remmenga, M D; Bock, M A

1998-01-01

Three studies were conducted to evaluate the safety of tomatillos and products containing tomatillos canned by the water-bath processing method. In the first study, plain tomatillos were processed for 25, 37.5, 50 and 62.5 min. In the second study, five tomatillo/onion combinations were prepared while five tomatillo/green chile combinations were prepared in the third study. pH evaluations were conducted to determine safety in all studies using pH 4.2 as the cut-off value. No differences in the pH of plain tomatillos were detected due to processing time. All jars of plain tomatillos had pH values below 4.1. All combinations of tomatillos/onions and tomatillos/green chile containing more than 50% tomatillo had pH values below the 4.2 cut-off value. Results of the three studies indicate (1) acidification of plain tomatillos is probably unnecessary for canning by the water-bath processing method and (2) combinations of acidic tomatillos and low-acid onions or green chile must contain more than 50% tomatillos to have a pH low enough for safe water-bath processing.

Green-tailed Towhee response to prescribed fire in montane shrubland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jehle, G.; Savidge, J.A.; Kotliar, N.B.

2006-01-01

Fire alters the structure and composition of shrublands and affects habitat quality for the associated avifauna. Because shrubland ecosystems have been greatly reduced from their original extent in western North America and fire is increasingly being used to manage these landscapes, a better understanding of how fire affects the associated vegetation and wildlife is imperative. We evaluated the response of Green-tailed Towhees (Pipilo chlorurus) to prescribed fire in the montane shrublands of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado during 2002 and 2003. Three to five years following prescribed burning, Green-tailed Towhee density and shrub cover were generally higher in unburned areas. Nests (n = 179) were located in unburned vegetation; within burned sites, all nests were in remnant patches. Green-tailed Towhee nest survival was 57% (95% CI = 49%-65%) across the two years of the study. More than half of the nests were in common juniper (Juniperus communis) shrubs, and nest survival was higher for nests in junipers than those in other shrub species. Daily nest survival rates were lower at the site with the highest density of towhees and declined over the breeding season. With regard to shrub cover, opposite trends were observed for nest-site selection and nest survival: nest plots had greater shrub cover than non-nest plots, but nest survival decreased with increasing shrub cover. Because shrub cover affects towhee density and nest survival in conflicting ways, fire management at Rocky Mountain National Park alters both habitat availability and suitability for Green-tailed Towhees. ?? The Cooper Ornithological Society 2006.

Observations of fibropapillomatosis in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Indonesia.

PubMed

Adnyana, W; Ladds, P W; Blair, D

1997-10-01

To determine the prevalence and manifestations of fibropapillomatosis in green turtles in Indonesia, to identify any relationship between fibropapillomatosis and concurrent parasitic infection, to ascertain the effect of fibropapillomatosis on health, and to examine whether environment might have an effect on the prevalence of fibropapillomatosis. 4407 green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and 401 hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) were examined. The occurrence of fibropapillomatosis was correlated with sex, maturity, curved carapace length, body weight/curved carapace length ratio, the number and distribution of tumours on the skin, parasite burdens, some haematological variables and the region of capture. Fibropapillomatosis was seen only in green turtles, and the overall prevalence in these was 21.5%. This prevalence increased with the curved carapace length up to 85 cm. The average number of tumours per affected turtle was 5 +/- SD 4.1 (range, 1 to 29), and was negatively correlated with the body weight/curved carapace length ratio (rs = -0.8; P = 0.001). The red blood cell count in turtles with fibropapilloma was lower than in non-fibropapilloma turtles captured and examined at the same time (P = 0.001). The prevalence of fibropapilloma in turtles captured near densely populated, industrial regions (26.3%) was greater than in turtles from sparsely populated areas (17.7%). Fibropapillomatosis in green sea turtles in Indonesia is of moderate occurrence: young mature turtles (curved carapace length = 85 cm) are most frequently affected. Fibropapilloma adversely affects health of turtles. Fluke infestation seems not to be a causal factor, but viral infection, perhaps with concurrent stress of environmental origin, seems likely.

Influence of plant composition and water use strategies on green roof stormwater retention.

PubMed

Zhang, Zheng; Szota, Christopher; Fletcher, Tim D; Williams, Nicholas S G; Werdin, Joerg; Farrell, Claire

2018-06-01

Green roofs are increasingly being considered a promising engineered ecosystem for reducing stormwater runoff. Plants are a critical component of green roofs and it has been suggested that plants with high water use after rainfall, but which are also drought tolerant, can improve rainfall retention on green roofs. However, there is little evidence to show how plants with different water use strategies will affect green roof retention performance, either in monocultures or in mixed plantings. This study tested how monocultures and a mixture of herbaceous species (Dianella admixta, Lomandra longifolia and Stypandra glauca) affected rainfall retention on green roofs. These species were chosen based on their water use strategies and compared with a commonly used succulent species (Sedum pachyphyllum) with conservative water use. We measured retention performance for 67 rainfall events, quantifying all components of the water balance. We also compared growth for species in monocultures and mixtures. We found that monocultures of L. longifolia had the greatest stormwater retention and ET. Although S. glauca has a similar water use strategy to D. admixta, it had the lowest stormwater retention and ET. In both the mixture and as a monoculture, S. glauca created preferential flow pathways, resulting in lower substrate water contents which reduced ET and therefore rainfall retention. This species also dominated performance of the mixture, such that the mixture had lower ET and retention than all monocultures (except S. glauca). We suggest that root traits and their interaction with substrates should be considered alongside water use strategies for rainfall retention on green roofs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Combination of complex momentum representation and Green's function methods in relativistic mean-field theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Min; Niu, Zhong-Ming; Liang, Haozhao

2018-06-01

We have combined the complex momentum representation method with the Green's function method in the relativistic mean-field framework to establish the RMF-CMR-GF approach. This new approach is applied to study the halo structure of 74Ca. All the continuum level density of concerned resonant states are calculated accurately without introducing any unphysical parameters, and they are independent of the choice of integral contour. The important single-particle wave functions and densities for the halo phenomenon in 74Ca are discussed in detail.

Evaluation of chemical fluorescent dyes as a protein conjugation partner for live cell imaging.

PubMed

Hayashi-Takanaka, Yoko; Stasevich, Timothy J; Kurumizaka, Hitoshi; Nozaki, Naohito; Kimura, Hiroshi

2014-01-01

To optimize live cell fluorescence imaging, the choice of fluorescent substrate is a critical factor. Although genetically encoded fluorescent proteins have been used widely, chemical fluorescent dyes are still useful when conjugated to proteins or ligands. However, little information is available for the suitability of different fluorescent dyes for live imaging. We here systematically analyzed the property of a number of commercial fluorescent dyes when conjugated with antigen-binding (Fab) fragments directed against specific histone modifications, in particular, phosphorylated H3S28 (H3S28ph) and acetylated H3K9 (H3K9ac). These Fab fragments were conjugated with a fluorescent dye and loaded into living HeLa cells. H3S28ph-specific Fab fragments were expected to be enriched in condensed chromosomes, as H3S28 is phosphorylated during mitosis. However, the degree of Fab fragment enrichment on mitotic chromosomes varied depending on the conjugated dye. In general, green fluorescent dyes showed higher enrichment, compared to red and far-red fluorescent dyes, even when dye:protein conjugation ratios were similar. These differences are partly explained by an altered affinity of Fab fragment after dye-conjugation; some dyes have less effect on the affinity, while others can affect it more. Moreover, red and far-red fluorescent dyes tended to form aggregates in the cytoplasm. Similar results were observed when H3K9ac-specific Fab fragments were used, suggesting that the properties of each dye affect different Fab fragments similarly. According to our analysis, conjugation with green fluorescent dyes, like Alexa Fluor 488 and Dylight 488, has the least effect on Fab affinity and is the best for live cell imaging, although these dyes are less photostable than red fluorescent dyes. When multicolor imaging is required, we recommend the following dye combinations for optimal results: Alexa Fluor 488 (green), Cy3 (red), and Cy5 or CF640 (far-red).

A Green Prison: Santa Rita Jail Creeps Towards Zero Net Energy (ZNE)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marnay, Chris; DeForest, Nicholas; Stadler, Michael

2011-03-18

A large project is underway at Alameda County's twenty-year old 45 ha 4,000-inmate Santa Rita Jail, about 70 km east of San Francisco. Often described as a green prison, it has a considerable installed base of distributed energy resources including a seven-year old 1.2 MW PV array, a four-year old 1 MW fuel cell with heat recovery, and efficiency investments. A current US$14 M expansion will add approximately 2 MW of NaS batteries, and undetermined wind capacity and a concentrating solar thermal system. This ongoing effort by a progressive local government with considerable Federal and State support provides some excellentmore » lessons for the struggle to lower building carbon footprint. The Distributed Energy Resources Customer Adoption Model (DER-CAM) finds true optimal combinations of equipment and operating schedules for microgrids that minimize energy bills and/or carbon emissions without 2 of 12 significant searching or rules-of-thumb prioritization, such as"efficiency first then on-site generation." The results often recommend complex systems, and sensitivities show how policy changes will affect choices. This paper reports an analysis of the historic performance of the PV system and fuel cell, describes the complex optimization applied to the battery scheduling, and shows how results will affect the jail's operational costs, energy consumption, and carbon footprint. DER-CAM is used to assess the existing and proposed DER equipment in its ability to reduce tariff charges.« less

Emergent Phototactic Responses of Cyanobacteria under Complex Light Regimes

PubMed Central

Chau, Rosanna Man Wah

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Environmental cues can stimulate a variety of single-cell responses, as well as collective behaviors that emerge within a bacterial community. These responses require signal integration and transduction, which can occur on a variety of time scales and often involve feedback between processes, for example, between growth and motility. Here, we investigate the dynamics of responses of the phototactic, unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 to complex light inputs that simulate the natural environments that cells typically encounter. We quantified single-cell motility characteristics in response to light of different wavelengths and intensities. We found that red and green light primarily affected motility bias rather than speed, while blue light inhibited motility altogether. When light signals were simultaneously presented from different directions, cells exhibited phototaxis along the vector sum of the light directions, indicating that cells can sense and combine multiple signals into an integrated motility response. Under a combination of antagonistic light signal regimes (phototaxis-promoting green light and phototaxis-inhibiting blue light), the ensuing bias was continuously tuned by competition between the wavelengths, and the community response was dependent on both bias and cell growth. The phototactic dynamics upon a rapid light shift revealed a wavelength dependence on the time scales of photoreceptor activation/deactivation. Thus, Synechocystis cells achieve exquisite integration of light inputs at the cellular scale through continuous tuning of motility, and the pattern of collective behavior depends on single-cell motility and population growth. PMID:28270586

Effects of land use/land cover and climate changes on surface runoff in a semi-humid and semi-arid transition zone in northwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Jing; He, Fan; Jiu Xiong, Yu; Qiu, Guo Yu

2017-01-01

Water resources, which are considerably affected by land use/land cover (LULC) and climate changes, are a key limiting factor in highly vulnerable ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions. The impacts of LULC and climate changes on water resources must be assessed in these areas. However, conflicting results regarding the effects of LULC and climate changes on runoff have been reported in relatively large basins, such as the Jinghe River basin (JRB), which is a typical catchment (> 45 000 km2) located in a semi-humid and arid transition zone on the central Loess Plateau, northwest China. In this study, we focused on quantifying both the combined and isolated impacts of LULC and climate changes on surface runoff. We hypothesized that under climatic warming and drying conditions, LULC changes, which are primarily caused by intensive human activities such as the Grain for Green Program, will considerably alter runoff in the JRB. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was adopted to perform simulations. The simulated results indicated that although runoff increased very little between the 1970s and the 2000s due to the combined effects of LULC and climate changes, LULC and climate changes affected surface runoff differently in each decade, e.g., runoff increased with increased precipitation between the 1970s and the 1980s (precipitation contributed to 88 % of the runoff increase). Thereafter, runoff decreased and was increasingly influenced by LULC changes, which contributed to 44 % of the runoff changes between the 1980s and 1990s and 71 % of the runoff changes between the 1990s and 2000s. Our findings revealed that large-scale LULC under the Grain for Green Program has had an important effect on the hydrological cycle since the late 1990s. Additionally, the conflicting findings regarding the effects of LULC and climate changes on runoff in relatively large basins are likely caused by uncertainties in hydrological simulations.

Influence of Green Tides in Coastal Nursery Grounds on the Habitat Selection and Individual Performance of Juvenile Fish

PubMed Central

Murillo, Laurence; Randon, Marine; Lebot, Clément

2017-01-01

Coastal ecosystems, which provide numerous essential ecological functions for fish, are threatened by the proliferation of green macroalgae that significantly modify habitat conditions in intertidal areas. Understanding the influence of green tides on the nursery function of these ecosystems is essential to determine their potential effects on fish recruitment success. In this study, the influence of green tides on juvenile fish was examined in an intertidal sandy beach area, the Bay of Saint-Brieuc (Northwestern France), during two annual cycles of green tides with varying levels of intensity. The responses of three nursery-dependent fish species, the pelagic Sprattus sprattus (L.), the demersal Dicentrarchus labrax (L.) and the benthic Pleuronectes platessa L., were analysed to determine the effects of green tides according to species-specific habitat niche and behaviour. The responses to this perturbation were investigated based on habitat selection and a comparison of individual performance between a control and an impacted site. Several indices on different integrative scales were examined to evaluate these responses (antioxidant defence capacity, muscle total lipid, morphometric condition and growth). Based on these analyses, green tides affect juvenile fish differently according to macroalgal density and species-specific tolerance, which is linked to their capacity to move and to their distribution in the water column. A decreasing gradient of sensitivity was observed from benthic to demersal and pelagic fish species. At low densities of green macroalgae, the three species stayed at the impacted site and the growth of plaice was reduced. At medium macroalgal densities, plaice disappeared from the impacted site and the growth of sea bass and the muscle total lipid content of sprat were reduced. Finally, when high macroalgal densities were reached, none of the studied species were captured at the impacted site. Hence, sites affected by green tides are less favourable nursery grounds for all the studied species, with species-specific effects related to macroalgal density. PMID:28125605

Influence of Green Tides in Coastal Nursery Grounds on the Habitat Selection and Individual Performance of Juvenile Fish.

PubMed

Le Luherne, Emilie; Le Pape, Olivier; Murillo, Laurence; Randon, Marine; Lebot, Clément; Réveillac, Elodie

2017-01-01

Coastal ecosystems, which provide numerous essential ecological functions for fish, are threatened by the proliferation of green macroalgae that significantly modify habitat conditions in intertidal areas. Understanding the influence of green tides on the nursery function of these ecosystems is essential to determine their potential effects on fish recruitment success. In this study, the influence of green tides on juvenile fish was examined in an intertidal sandy beach area, the Bay of Saint-Brieuc (Northwestern France), during two annual cycles of green tides with varying levels of intensity. The responses of three nursery-dependent fish species, the pelagic Sprattus sprattus (L.), the demersal Dicentrarchus labrax (L.) and the benthic Pleuronectes platessa L., were analysed to determine the effects of green tides according to species-specific habitat niche and behaviour. The responses to this perturbation were investigated based on habitat selection and a comparison of individual performance between a control and an impacted site. Several indices on different integrative scales were examined to evaluate these responses (antioxidant defence capacity, muscle total lipid, morphometric condition and growth). Based on these analyses, green tides affect juvenile fish differently according to macroalgal density and species-specific tolerance, which is linked to their capacity to move and to their distribution in the water column. A decreasing gradient of sensitivity was observed from benthic to demersal and pelagic fish species. At low densities of green macroalgae, the three species stayed at the impacted site and the growth of plaice was reduced. At medium macroalgal densities, plaice disappeared from the impacted site and the growth of sea bass and the muscle total lipid content of sprat were reduced. Finally, when high macroalgal densities were reached, none of the studied species were captured at the impacted site. Hence, sites affected by green tides are less favourable nursery grounds for all the studied species, with species-specific effects related to macroalgal density.

Study the influence factors to the adsorption process for separation of polyphenols from green tea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phung, Lan Huong; Tran, Trung Kien; Van Quyet, Chu; Phi, Nguyen Thien

2017-09-01

The objective of this work is applying adsorption process for separation of polyphenols from extract solution of green tea by-product. The older leaves and stem of green tea tree are collected from Hiep Khanh Tea Company (Hoabinh province, Vietnam). In this study, two kinds of adsorbent (silicagel, active carbon) were applied for the adsorption process in batch stirring vessel. The factors that affected to the process productivity were investigated: temperature, solid/liquid ratio, duration time, stirring speed. The process has been empirically described with statistical models obtained by Design of Experiments. The results indicated that active carbon was verified to offer good adsorption productivity (more than 95%), much more effective than silicagel (with only about 20%). From the model, the most affected factor to the process could be seen as solid/liquid ratio.

Attentional modulation of the mere exposure effect.

PubMed

Yagi, Yoshihiko; Ikoma, Shinobu; Kikuchi, Tadashi

2009-11-01

The mere exposure effect refers to the phenomenon where previous exposures to stimuli increase participants' subsequent affective preference for those stimuli. This study explored the effect of selective attention on the mere exposure effect. The experiments manipulated the to-be-attended drawings in the exposure period (either red or green polygons in Experiments 1 and 2; both red and green polygons in Experiments 3 and 4) and black to-be-evaluated drawings in the affective judgment period (morphologically identical to the red or green polygons in Experiments 1 and 4; morphologically identical to the composite drawings in Experiments 2 and 3). The results showed a significant mere exposure effect only for the target shapes involved in attentional selection, even when the participants could recognize the nontarget shapes. This indicates that selective attention modulated the mere exposure effect.

A characterisation model to address the environmental impact of green water flows for water scarcity footprints.

PubMed

Quinteiro, Paula; Rafael, Sandra; Villanueva-Rey, Pedro; Ridoutt, Bradley; Lopes, Myriam; Arroja, Luís; Dias, Ana Cláudia

2018-06-01

The development of methods to assess the potential environmental impact of green water consumption in life cycle assessment has lagged behind those for blue water use, which are now routinely applied in industrial and policy-related studies. This represents a critical gap in the assessment of land-based production systems and the ability to inform policy related to the bio-economy. Combining satellite remote sensing and meteorological data sets, this study develops two new sets of spatially-differentiated and globally applicable characterisation factors (CFs) to assess the environmental impact of green water flows in LCA. One set of CFs addresses the impact of shifts in water vapour flow by evapotranspiration on blue water availability (CFWS) and the other set of CFs addresses moisture recycling within a basin (CFWA). Furthermore, as an additional and optional step, these two indicators are combined into an aggregated green water scarcity indicator, representing the global variability of green water scarcity. The values obtained for CFWA show that there are significant changes in green water flows that were returned to the atmosphere in Alaska (covered by open shrublands) and in some central regions of China (covered by grasslands and barren or sparsely vegetated land), where precipitation levels are lower than 10 mm/yr. The results obtained for CFWS indicate that severe perturbations in surface blue water production occur, particularly in central regions of China (covered by grasslands), the southeast of Australia (covered by evergreen broadleaf forest) and in some central regions of the USA (covered by grassland and evergreen needleleaf forest). The application of the green water scarcity CFs enables the evaluation of the potential environmental impact due to green water consumption by agricultural and forestry products, informing both technical and non-technical audiences and decision-makers for the purpose of strategic planning of land use and to identify green water protection measures. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using hybrid method to evaluate the green performance in uncertainty.

PubMed

Tseng, Ming-Lang; Lan, Lawrence W; Wang, Ray; Chiu, Anthony; Cheng, Hui-Ping

2011-04-01

Green performance measure is vital for enterprises in making continuous improvements to maintain sustainable competitive advantages. Evaluation of green performance, however, is a challenging task due to the dependence complexity of the aspects, criteria, and the linguistic vagueness of some qualitative information and quantitative data together. To deal with this issue, this study proposes a novel approach to evaluate the dependence aspects and criteria of firm's green performance. The rationale of the proposed approach, namely green network balanced scorecard, is using balanced scorecard to combine fuzzy set theory with analytical network process (ANP) and importance-performance analysis (IPA) methods, wherein fuzzy set theory accounts for the linguistic vagueness of qualitative criteria and ANP converts the relations among the dependence aspects and criteria into an intelligible structural modeling used IPA. For the empirical case study, four dependence aspects and 34 green performance criteria for PCB firms in Taiwan were evaluated. The managerial implications are discussed.

Urban green space and obesity in older adults: Evidence from Ireland.

PubMed

Dempsey, Seraphim; Lyons, Seán; Nolan, Anne

2018-04-01

We examine the association between living in an urban area with more or less green space and the probability of being obese. This work involves the creation of a new dataset which combines geo-coded data at the individual level from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing with green space data from the European Urban Atlas 2012. We find evidence suggestive of a u-shaped relationship between green space in urban areas and obesity; those living in areas with the lowest and highest shares of green space within a 1.6 km buffer zone have a higher probability of being classified as obese (BMI [Formula: see text]). The unexpected result that persons in areas with both the lowest and highest shares of green space have a higher probability of being obese than those in areas with intermediate shares, suggests that other characteristics of urban areas may be mediating this relationship.

Effect of Inorganic and Organic Carbon Enrichments (DIC and DOC) on the Photosynthesis and Calcification Rates of Two Calcifying Green Algae from a Caribbean Reef Lagoon.

PubMed

Meyer, Friedrich W; Schubert, Nadine; Diele, Karen; Teichberg, Mirta; Wild, Christian; Enríquez, Susana

2016-01-01

Coral reefs worldwide are affected by increasing dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and organic carbon (DOC) concentrations due to ocean acidification (OA) and coastal eutrophication. These two stressors can occur simultaneously, particularly in near-shore reef environments with increasing anthropogenic pressure. However, experimental studies on how elevated DIC and DOC interact are scarce and fundamental to understanding potential synergistic effects and foreseeing future changes in coral reef function. Using an open mesocosm experiment, the present study investigated the impact of elevated DIC (pHNBS: 8.2 and 7.8; pCO2: 377 and 1076 μatm) and DOC (added as 833 μmol L-1 of glucose) on calcification and photosynthesis rates of two common calcifying green algae, Halimeda incrassata and Udotea flabellum, in a shallow reef environment. Our results revealed that under elevated DIC, algal photosynthesis decreased similarly for both species, but calcification was more affected in H. incrassata, which also showed carbonate dissolution rates. Elevated DOC reduced photosynthesis and calcification rates in H. incrassata, while in U. flabellum photosynthesis was unaffected and thalus calcification was severely impaired. The combined treatment showed an antagonistic effect of elevated DIC and DOC on the photosynthesis and calcification rates of H. incrassata, and an additive effect in U. flabellum. We conclude that the dominant sand dweller H. incrassata is more negatively affected by both DIC and DOC enrichments, but that their impact could be mitigated when they occur simultaneously. In contrast, U. flabellum can be less affected in coastal eutrophic waters by elevated DIC, but its contribution to reef carbonate sediment production could be further reduced. Accordingly, while the capacity of environmental eutrophication to exacerbate the impact of OA on algal-derived carbonate sand production seems to be species-specific, significant reductions can be expected under future OA scenarios, with important consequences for beach erosion and coastal sediment dynamics.

Effect of Inorganic and Organic Carbon Enrichments (DIC and DOC) on the Photosynthesis and Calcification Rates of Two Calcifying Green Algae from a Caribbean Reef Lagoon

PubMed Central

Diele, Karen; Teichberg, Mirta; Wild, Christian

2016-01-01

Coral reefs worldwide are affected by increasing dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and organic carbon (DOC) concentrations due to ocean acidification (OA) and coastal eutrophication. These two stressors can occur simultaneously, particularly in near-shore reef environments with increasing anthropogenic pressure. However, experimental studies on how elevated DIC and DOC interact are scarce and fundamental to understanding potential synergistic effects and foreseeing future changes in coral reef function. Using an open mesocosm experiment, the present study investigated the impact of elevated DIC (pHNBS: 8.2 and 7.8; pCO2: 377 and 1076 μatm) and DOC (added as 833 μmol L-1 of glucose) on calcification and photosynthesis rates of two common calcifying green algae, Halimeda incrassata and Udotea flabellum, in a shallow reef environment. Our results revealed that under elevated DIC, algal photosynthesis decreased similarly for both species, but calcification was more affected in H. incrassata, which also showed carbonate dissolution rates. Elevated DOC reduced photosynthesis and calcification rates in H. incrassata, while in U. flabellum photosynthesis was unaffected and thalus calcification was severely impaired. The combined treatment showed an antagonistic effect of elevated DIC and DOC on the photosynthesis and calcification rates of H. incrassata, and an additive effect in U. flabellum. We conclude that the dominant sand dweller H. incrassata is more negatively affected by both DIC and DOC enrichments, but that their impact could be mitigated when they occur simultaneously. In contrast, U. flabellum can be less affected in coastal eutrophic waters by elevated DIC, but its contribution to reef carbonate sediment production could be further reduced. Accordingly, while the capacity of environmental eutrophication to exacerbate the impact of OA on algal-derived carbonate sand production seems to be species-specific, significant reductions can be expected under future OA scenarios, with important consequences for beach erosion and coastal sediment dynamics. PMID:27487195

Cloning and expression of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and its relationship to greening in crushed garlic (Allium sativum) cloves.

PubMed

Cho, Jungeun; Park, Minkyu; Choi, Doil; Lee, Seung Koo

2012-01-30

Garlic greening occurs when garlic cloves are stored at low temperature, increasing 1-propenyl cysteine sulfoxide, which is induced by γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) activity. Although the metabolism of the γ-glutamyl peptide is important for the biosynthesis of green pigments in crushed garlic cloves, garlic GGT is poorly characterised. For the analysis of GGT at the gene level, the garlic GGT sequence was partially cloned using an onion GGT sequence. The relationship between garlic greening and related gene expressions, depending on storage condition, was investigated using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for garlic GGT and alliinase. Three storage conditions were set: A, storage at a constant temperature of 20 °C; B, storage at 20 °C for 3 months and then transfer to 0 °C for an additional 3 months; C, storage at 0 °C for 3 months and then transfer to 20 °C for an additional 3 months. GGT expression increased under storage condition B and decreased under storage condition C. However, alliinase expression was not affected by storage condition. Greening in crushed garlic cloves increases with increasing GGT expression at low temperature, while alliinase expression is not affected. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat Loss Assessment at Green Peter-Foster Project; Middle Fork Santiam River, Oregon, 1985 Final Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Noyes, J.H.

1986-02-01

A habitat based assessment was conducted of the US Army Corps of Engineers' Green Peter-Foster Dam and Reservoir Project on the Middle Fork Santiam River, Oregon, to determine losses or gains resulting from the development and operation of the hydroelectric related components of the project. Preconstruction, postconstruction, and recent vegetation cover types at the project site were mapped based on aerial photographs from 1955, 1972, and 1979, respectively. Vegetation cover types were identified within the affected area and acreages of each type at each period were determined. Eleven wildlife target species were selected to represent a cross-section of species groupsmore » affected by the project. An interagency team evaluated the suitability of the habitat to support the target species at each time period. An evaluation procedure which accounted for both the quantity and quality of habitat was used to aid in assessing impacts resulting from the project. The Green Peter-Foster Project extensively altered or affected 7873 acres of land and river in the Santiam River drainage. Impacts to wildlife centered around the loss of 1429 acres of grass-forb vegetation, 768 acres of shrubland, and 717 acres of open conifer forest cover types. Impacts resulting from the Green Peter-Foster Project included the loss of critical winter range for black-tailed deer and Roosevelt elk, and the loss of year-round habitat for deer, upland game birds, river otter, beaver, pileated woodpecker, and many other wildlife species. Bald eagle and osprey were benefited by an increase in foraging habitat. The potential of the affected area to support wildlife was greatly altered as a result of the Green Peter-Foster Project. Losses or gains in the potential of the habitat to support wildlife will exist over the life of the project.« less

Variation in seasonal moisture content

Treesearch

John E. Phelps

1992-01-01

Several properties of wood are affected by moisture content-weight, fuel value, electrical conductivity, strength, and shrinkage. Differences in these properties are commonly observed in wood in service. For example, a green 2 X 4 weighs more than a kiln-dried 2 X 4, dried wood burns more easily and hotter than green wood, etc.

Molecular and cellular targets affected by green tea extracts in vascular cells

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Consumption of green or black tea has been associated with a lower risk for the development of cardiovascular diseases, but despite many studies, a firm connection has not been delineated. Several molecular and cellular mechanisms may play a role in the preventive activity of tea. As reviewed here, ...

FACTORS AFFECTING THE ELECTROPHILICITY AND NUCLEOPHILICITY OF REAGENTS.

DTIC Science & Technology

The apparent simplicity of the reactions of Malachite Green cation (bis-(p-dimethylaminophenyl), phenylmethyl cation) with nucleophilic reagents...initiated to study the rates of the reactions of a series of Malachite Green cations with a number of nucleophilies in several dipolar aprotic solvents, and the same reactions in water for comparison. (Author)

Modeling the impacts of green infrastructure land use changes on air quality and meteorology case study and sensitivity analysis in Kansas City

EPA Science Inventory

Changes in vegetation cover associated with urban planning efforts may affect regional meteorology and air quality. Here we use a comprehensive coupled meteorology-air quality model (WRF-CMAQ) to simulate the influence of planned land use changes from green infrastructure impleme...

ShiftNMFk 1.2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alexandrov, Boian S.; Vesselinov, Velimir V.; Stanev, Valentin

The ShiftNMFk1.2 code, or as we call it, GreenNMFk, represents a hybrid algorithm combining unsupervised adaptive machine learning and Green's function inverse method. GreenNMFk allows an efficient and high performance de-mixing and feature extraction of a multitude of nonnegative signals that change their shape propagating through the medium. The signals are mixed and recorded by a network of uncorrelated sensors. The code couples Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) and inverse-analysis Green's functions method. GreenNMF synergistically performs decomposition of the recorded mixtures, finds the number of the unknown sources and uses the Green's function of the governing partial differential equation to identifymore » the unknown sources and their charecteristics. GreenNMF can be applied directly to any problem controlled by a known partial-differential parabolic equation where mixtures of an unknown number of sources are measured at multiple locations. Full GreenNMFk method is a subject LANL U.S. Patent application S133364.000 August, 2017. The ShiftNMFk 1.2 version here is a toy version of this method that can work with a limited number of unknown sources (4 or less).« less

Polymeric Medical Sutures: An Exploration of Polymers and Green Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knutson, Cassandra M.; Schneiderman, Deborah K.; Yu, Ming; Javner, Cassidy H.; Distefano, Mark D.; Wissinger, Jane E.

2017-01-01

With new K-12 national science standards emerging, there is an increased need for experiments that integrate engineering into the context of society. Here we describe a chemistry experiment that combines science and engineering principles while introducing basic polymer and green chemistry concepts. Using medical sutures as a platform for…

Evaluation of Green Alternatives for Combined Sewer Overflow Mitigation: A Proposed Economic Impact Framework and Illustration of its Application

EPA Science Inventory

This report develops a broad framework, or taxonomy, for identifying and organizing the socio-economic impacts of sewer infrastructure projects. It focuses on a green project in Cincinnati, Ohio that has adopted broader economic goals. The report then uses this example to illustr...

Performance results from Small- and Large-Scale System Monitoring and green Infrastructure in Kansas City - slides

EPA Science Inventory

In 2010, Kansas City, MO (KCMO) signed a consent degree with EPA on combined sewer overflows. The City decided to use adaptive management in order to extensively utilize green infrastructure (GI) in lieu of, and in addition to, structural controls. KCMO installed 130 GI storm co...

Inhibitory effect of gamma irradiation and its application for control of postharvest green mold decay of Satsuma mandarins.

PubMed

Jeong, Rae-Dong; Chu, Eun-Hee; Lee, Gun Woong; Cho, Chuloh; Park, Hae-Jun

2016-10-03

Gamma irradiation has been shown to be effective for the control of postharvest fungi in vitro, but little is known regarding antifungal action, responses to gamma irradiation, and its application to fresh produce. Gamma irradiation was evaluated for its in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity against Penicillium digitatum on Satsuma mandarin fruits. Green mold was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. Gamma irradiation showed a complete inhibition of spore germination, germ tube elongation, and mycelial growth of P. digitatum, particularly at 1.0kGy. To further investigate the mechanisms by which gamma irradiation inhibits fungal growth, the membrane integrity and cellular leakage of conidia were tested, indicating that gamma irradiation results in the loss of plasma membrane integrity, causing the release of intracellular contents such as soluble proteins. In vivo assays demonstrated that established doses can completely inhibit the growth of fungal pathogens, but such high doses cause severe fruit damage. Thus, to eliminate the negative impact on fruit quality, gamma irradiation at lower doses was evaluated for inhibition of P. digitatum, in combination with a chlorine donor, sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione (NaDCC). Interestingly, only a combined treatment with 0.4kGy of gamma irradiation and 10ppm of NaDCC exhibited significant synergistic antifungal activity against green mold decay. The mechanisms by which the combined treatment decreased the green mold decay of mandarin fruits can be directly associated with the disruption of cell membrane of the fungal pathogen, which resulted in a loss of cytoplasmic material from the hyphae. These findings suggest that a synergistic effect of combining treatment with gamma irradiation with NaDCC has potential as an antifungal approach to reduce the severity of green mold in mandarin fruits. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of flicker rate, complexity, and color combinations of Chinese characters and backgrounds on visual search performance with varying flicker types.

PubMed

Huang, Kuo-Chen; Lin, Rung-Tai; Wu, Chih-Fu

2011-08-01

This study investigated the effects of number of strokes in Chinese characters, flicker rate, flicker type, and character/background color combination on search performance. 37 participants ages 14 to 18 years were randomly assigned to each flicker-type condition. The search field contained 36 characters arranged in a 6 x 6 matrix. Participants were asked to search for the target characters among the surrounding distractors and count how many target characters were displayed in the search array. Analysis indicated that the character/background color combination significantly affected search times. The color combinations of white/purple and white/green yielded search times greater than those for black/white and black/yellow combinations. A significant effect for flicker type on search time was also identified. Rotating characters facilitated search time, compared with twinkling ones. The number of strokes and the flicker rates also had positive effects on search performances. For flicker rate, the search accuracy for 0.5 Hz was greater than that for 1.0 Hz, and the latter was also greater than that for 2.0 Hz. Results are applicable to web advertisement designs containing dynamic characters, in terms of how to best capture readers' attention by various means of dynamic character presentation.

[A review on the urban green space cooling effect based on field measurement of air temperature].

PubMed

Liu, Feng Feng; Yan, Wei Jiao; Kong, Fan Hua; Yin, Hai Wei; Ban, Yu Long; Xu, Wen Bin

2017-04-18

With the development of urbanization, the effect of urban heat island has become increasingly evident. As an essential component of the urban natural landscapes, urban green space plays an important role in mitigating the effect of urban heat island. However, facing the rapid urbanization and changing environment, how to rationally plan and design the green space and realize its best cooling effect which can improve the urban environment and microclimate is still an urgent problem to be solved. So there is a strong need for mulitiscale researches on the cooling effect of urban green space. This paper systematically gave a review on the cooling effect of urban green space based on field measurement of air temperature, the main factors that influenced the cooling effect of green space were explored from three aspects including the area and shape characteristics of urban green space, the structure characteristics of vegetation and the external factors which affected the cooling effect, and the characteristics of the cooling effect of the green space were summarized from the aspect of time variation and distance decay. Then, the main problems and future research prospects of urban green space cooling effect were put forward.

Bioactive Compounds and Fruit Quality of Green Sweet Pepper Grown under Different Colored Shade Netting during Postharvest Storage.

PubMed

Mashabela, Madonna N; Selahle, Kamogelo M; Soundy, Puffy; Crosby, Kevin M; Sivakumar, Dharini

2015-11-01

In this study, influence of 3 types of photo-selective nets (pearl, red and yellow) and a standard black net on marketable yield, fruit quality and bioactive compounds after postharvest storage was investigated. Percentage marketable fruits were higher in green sweet peppers produced under the pearl nets. Fruits produced under the pearl nets showed higher fruit mass, firmness, chlorophyll content, ascorbic acid content, antioxidant scavenging activity after postharvest storage. Red/far red photon ratio under the pearl net could have improved the ascorbic acid content and the antioxidant scavenging activity in green peppers. Green sweet peppers grown under the pearl nets had higher hue values and maintained green color longer. Our results showed the impact of modified light quality on the bioactive compounds of green sweet pepper during postharvest storage. Green sweet peppers are rich in phytochemicals. Marketability of green sweet peppers is affected partially due to ripening after postharvest storage and decay. Maintenance of green color, fruit mass, firmness, and nutritional composition are important parameters that attract consumers. This research shows the influence of light quality during production on the fruit quality parameters and bioactive compounds after postharvest storage. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

Anxiety affects the amplitudes of red and green color-elicited flash visual evoked potentials in humans.

PubMed

Hosono, Yuki; Kitaoka, Kazuyoshi; Urushihara, Ryo; Séi, Hiroyoshi; Kinouchi, Yohsuke

2014-01-01

It has been reported that negative emotional changes and conditions affect the visual faculties of humans at the neural level. On the other hand, the effects of emotion on color perception in particular, which are based on evoked potentials, are unknown. In the present study, we investigated whether different anxiety levels affect the color information processing for each of 3 wavelengths by using flash visual evoked potentials (FVEPs) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. In results, significant positive correlations were observed between FVEP amplitudes and state or trait anxiety scores in the long (sensed as red) and middle (sensed as green) wavelengths. On the other hand, short-wavelength-evoked FVEPs were not correlated with anxiety level. Our results suggest that negative emotional conditions may affect color sense processing in humans.

Hypothermic stunning of green sea turtles in a western Gulf of Mexico foraging habitat

PubMed Central

Tissot, Philippe E.; Streich, Mary M.; Walker, Jennifer Shelby; Rubio, Cynthia; Amos, Anthony F.; George, Jeffrey A.; Pasawicz, Michelle R.

2017-01-01

Texas waters provide one of the most important developmental and foraging habitats for juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the western Gulf of Mexico, but hypothermic stunning is a significant threat and was the largest cause of green turtle strandings in Texas from 1980 through 2015; of the 8,107 green turtles found stranded, 4,529 (55.9%) were victims of hypothermic stunning. Additionally, during this time, 203 hypothermic stunned green turtles were found incidentally captured due to power plant water intake entrapment. Overall, 63.9% of 4,529 hypothermic stunned turtles were found alive, and 92.0% of those survived rehabilitation and were released. Numbers of green turtles recorded as stranded and as affected by hypothermic stunning increased over time, and were most numerous from 2007 through 2015. Large hypothermic stunning events (with more than 450 turtles documented) occurred during the winters of 2009–2010, 2010–2011, 2013–2014, and 2014–2015. Hypothermic stunning was documented between November and March, but peaked at various times depending on passage of severe weather systems. Hypothermic stunning occurred state-wide, but was most prevalent in South Texas, particularly the Laguna Madre. In the Laguna Madre, hypothermic stunning was associated with an abrupt drop in water temperatures strong northerly winds, and a threshold mean water temperature of 8.0°C predicted large turtle hypothermic stunning events. Knowledge of environmental parameters contributing to hypothermic stunning and the temporal and spatial distribution of turtles affected in the past, can aid with formulation of proactive, targeted search and rescue efforts that can ultimately save the lives of many affected individuals, and aid with recovery efforts for this bi-national stock. Such rescue efforts are required under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and respond to humanitarian concerns of the public. PMID:28306747

EnviroAtlas - Portland, ME - Land Cover by Block Group

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset describes the percentage of each block group that is classified as impervious, forest, green space, wetland, and agriculture. Impervious is a combination of dark and light impervious. Forest is combination of trees and forest and woody wetlands. Green space is a combination of trees and forest, grass and herbaceous, agriculture, woody wetlands, and emergent wetlands. Wetlands includes both Woody and Emergent Wetlands. This dataset also includes the area per capita for each block group for impervious, forest, and green space land cover. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

Global Composite

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-04-19

article title:  MISR Global Images See the Light of Day     View Larger Image ... camera and combines data from the red, green and blue spectral bands to create a natural color image. The central view combines ...

Highly Efficient Nondoped Green Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with Combination of High Photoluminescence and High Exciton Utilization.

PubMed

Wang, Chu; Li, Xianglong; Pan, Yuyu; Zhang, Shitong; Yao, Liang; Bai, Qing; Li, Weijun; Lu, Ping; Yang, Bing; Su, Shijian; Ma, Yuguang

2016-02-10

Photoluminescence (PL) efficiency and exciton utilization efficiency are two key parameters to harvest high-efficiency electroluminescence (EL) in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). But it is not easy to simultaneously combine these two characteristics (high PL efficiency and high exciton utilization) into a fluorescent material. In this work, an efficient combination was achieved through two concepts of hybridized local and charge-transfer (CT) state (HLCT) and "hot exciton", in which the former is responsible for high PL efficiency while the latter contributes to high exciton utilization. On the basis of a tiny chemical modification in TPA-BZP, a green-light donor-acceptor molecule, we designed and synthesized CzP-BZP with this efficeient combination of high PL efficiency of η(PL) = 75% in the solid state and maximal exciton utilization efficiency up to 48% (especially, the internal quantum efficiency of η(IQE) = 35% substantially exceed 25% of spin statistics limit) in OLED. The nondoped OLED of CzP-BZP exhibited an excellent performance: a green emission with a CIE coordinate of (0.34, 0.60), a maximum current efficiency of 23.99 cd A(-1), and a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE, η(EQE)) of 6.95%. This combined HLCT state and "hot exciton" strategy should be a practical way to design next-generation, low-cost, high-efficiency fluorescent OLED materials.

A codon-optimized green fluorescent protein for live cell imaging in Zymoseptoria tritici☆

PubMed Central

Kilaru, S.; Schuster, M.; Studholme, D.; Soanes, D.; Lin, C.; Talbot, N.J.; Steinberg, G.

2015-01-01

Fluorescent proteins (FPs) are powerful tools to investigate intracellular dynamics and protein localization. Cytoplasmic expression of FPs in fungal pathogens allows greater insight into invasion strategies and the host-pathogen interaction. Detection of their fluorescent signal depends on the right combination of microscopic setup and signal brightness. Slow rates of photo-bleaching are pivotal for in vivo observation of FPs over longer periods of time. Here, we test green-fluorescent proteins, including Aequorea coerulescens GFP (AcGFP), enhanced GFP (eGFP) from Aequorea victoria and a novel Zymoseptoria tritici codon-optimized eGFP (ZtGFP), for their usage in conventional and laser-enhanced epi-fluorescence, and confocal laser-scanning microscopy. We show that eGFP, expressed cytoplasmically in Z. tritici, is significantly brighter and more photo-stable than AcGFP. The codon-optimized ZtGFP performed even better than eGFP, showing significantly slower bleaching and a 20–30% further increase in signal intensity. Heterologous expression of all GFP variants did not affect pathogenicity of Z. tritici. Our data establish ZtGFP as the GFP of choice to investigate intracellular protein dynamics in Z. tritici, but also infection stages of this wheat pathogen inside host tissue. PMID:26092799

Toward a Spatial Perspective on Business Sustainability: The Role of Central Urban and Environmentally Sensitive Areas in Energy Corporates’ Green Behaviours

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Teng; Liu, Zongrui; Zhou, Li

2018-02-01

As one of the most concerned topics in strategic management research, the motivations of energy corporates’ green behaviours are extensively explored by scholars, however, only a few noticed the role of geographic antecedents. To bridge this gap, we argue that energy firms’ green behaviours will be greatly predicted by its location, more specifically, proximity to environmentally sensitive areas and central urban areas. Draw on neo-institutional theory and stakeholder theory, we argue that institutional forces mediate the links between energy corporates’ green behaviours and proximities, while different proximity affects via different institutional logics. The results are discussed along with managerial implications.

Green tea catechins and their metabolites in human skin before and after exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

PubMed

Clarke, Kayleigh A; Dew, Tristan P; Watson, Rachel E B; Farrar, Mark D; Osman, Joanne E; Nicolaou, Anna; Rhodes, Lesley E; Williamson, Gary

2016-01-01

Dietary flavonoids may protect against sunburn inflammation in skin. Preliminary reports using less complete analysis suggest that certain catechins and their metabolites are found in skin biopsies and blister fluid after consumption of green tea; however, it is not known if they are affected by solar-simulated ultraviolet radiation (UVR) or whether conjugated forms, with consequently altered bioactivity, are present. The present study tested the hypothesis that UVR affects the catechin levels in the skin of healthy volunteers after consumption of green tea and how catechins in the plasma are related to their presence in skin tissue samples. In an open oral intervention study, 11 subjects consumed green tea and vitamin C supplements daily for 3months. Presupplementation and postsupplementation plasma samples, suction blister fluid and skin biopsies were collected; the latter two samples were collected both before and after UVR. A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometric assay was used to measure the intact catechin metabolites, conjugates and free forms. Seven green tea catechins and their corresponding metabolites were identified postsupplementation in skin biopsies, 20 in blister fluid and 26 in plasma, with 15 green tea catechin metabolites present in both blister fluid and plasma. The valerolactone, O-methyl-M4-O-sulfate, a gut microbiota metabolite of catechins, was significantly increased 1.6-fold by UVR in blister fluid samples. In conclusion, there were some common catechin metabolites in the plasma and blister fluid, and the concentration was always higher in plasma. The results suggest that green tea catechins and metabolites are bioavailable in skin and provide a novel link between catechin metabolites derived from the skin and gut microbiota. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Energetic requirements of green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) feeding on burrowing shrimp (Neotrypaea californiensis) in estuaries: importance of temperature, reproductive investment, and residence time

USGS Publications Warehouse

Borin, Joshua M.; Moser, Mary L.; Hansen, Adam G.; Beauchamp, David A.; Corbett, Stephen C.; Dumbauld, Brett R.; Pruitt, Casey; Ruesink, Jennifer L.; Donoghue, Cinde

2017-01-01

Habitat use can be complex, as tradeoffs among physiology, resource abundance, and predator avoidance affect the suitability of different environments for different species. Green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris), an imperiled species along the west coast of North America, undertake extensive coastal migrations and occupy estuaries during the summer and early fall. Warm water and abundant prey in estuaries may afford a growth opportunity. We applied a bioenergetics model to investigate how variation in estuarine temperature, spawning frequency, and duration of estuarine residence affect consumption and growth potential for individual green sturgeon. We assumed that green sturgeon achieve observed annual growth by feeding solely in conditions represented by Willapa Bay, Washington, an estuary annually frequented by green sturgeon and containing extensive tidal flats that harbor a major prey source (burrowing shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis). Modeled consumption rates increased little with reproductive investment (<0.4%), but responded strongly (10–50%) to water temperature and duration of residence, as higher temperatures and longer residence required greater consumption to achieve equivalent growth. Accordingly, although green sturgeon occupy Willapa Bay from May through September, acoustically-tagged individuals are observed over much shorter durations (34 d + 41 d SD, N = 89). Simulations of <34 d estuarine residence required unrealistically high consumption rates to achieve observed growth, whereas longer durations required sustained feeding, and therefore higher total intake, to compensate for prolonged exposure to warm temperatures. Model results provide a range of per capita consumption rates by green sturgeon feeding in estuaries to inform management decisions regarding resource and habitat protection for this protected species.

Green tea catechins and their metabolites in human skin before and after exposure to ultraviolet radiation☆☆☆★

PubMed Central

Clarke, Kayleigh A.; Dew, Tristan P.; Watson, Rachel E.B.; Farrar, Mark D.; Osman, Joanne E.; Nicolaou, Anna; Rhodes, Lesley E.; Williamson, Gary

2016-01-01

Dietary flavonoids may protect against sunburn inflammation in skin. Preliminary reports using less complete analysis suggest that certain catechins and their metabolites are found in skin biopsies and blister fluid after consumption of green tea; however, it is not known if they are affected by solar-simulated ultraviolet radiation (UVR) or whether conjugated forms, with consequently altered bioactivity, are present. The present study tested the hypothesis that UVR affects the catechin levels in the skin of healthy volunteers after consumption of green tea and how catechins in the plasma are related to their presence in skin tissue samples. In an open oral intervention study, 11 subjects consumed green tea and vitamin C supplements daily for 3 months. Presupplementation and postsupplementation plasma samples, suction blister fluid and skin biopsies were collected; the latter two samples were collected both before and after UVR. A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometric assay was used to measure the intact catechin metabolites, conjugates and free forms. Seven green tea catechins and their corresponding metabolites were identified postsupplementation in skin biopsies, 20 in blister fluid and 26 in plasma, with 15 green tea catechin metabolites present in both blister fluid and plasma. The valerolactone, O-methyl-M4-O-sulfate, a gut microbiota metabolite of catechins, was significantly increased 1.6-fold by UVR in blister fluid samples. In conclusion, there were some common catechin metabolites in the plasma and blister fluid, and the concentration was always higher in plasma. The results suggest that green tea catechins and metabolites are bioavailable in skin and provide a novel link between catechin metabolites derived from the skin and gut microbiota. PMID:26454512

Effects of volcanic tremor on noise-based measurements of temporal velocity changes at Hawaiian volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballmer, S.; Wolfe, C. J.; Okubo, P.; Haney, M. M.; Thurber, C. H.

2011-12-01

Green's functions calculated with ambient seismic noise may aid in volcano research and monitoring. The continuous character of ambient seismic noise and hence of the reconstructed Green's functions has enabled measurements of short-term (~days) temporal perturbations in seismic velocities. Very small but clear velocity decreases prior to some volcanic eruptions have been documented and motivate our present study. We apply this method to Hawaiian volcanoes using data from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) seismic network. In order to obtain geologically relevant and reliable results, stable Green's functions need to be recovered from the ambient noise. Station timing problems, changes in noise source directivity, as well as changes in the source's spectral content are known biases that critically affect the Green's functions' stability and hence need to be considered. Here we show that volcanic tremor is a potential additional bias. During the time period of our study (2007-present), we find that volcanic tremor is a common feature in the HVO seismic data. Pu'u O'o tremor is continuously present before a dike intrusion into Kilauea's east rift zone in June 2007 and Halema'uma'u tremor occurs before and during resumed Kilauea summit activity from early 2008 and onward. For the frequency band considered (0.1-0.9 Hz), we find that these active tremor sources can drastically modify the recovered Green's functions for station pairs on the entire island at higher (> 0.5 Hz) frequencies, although the effect of tremor appears diminished at lower frequencies. In this presentation, we perform measurements of temporal velocity changes using ambient noise Green's functions and explore how volcanic tremor affects the results. Careful quality assessment of reconstructed Green's functions appears to be essential for the desired high precision measurements.

Is Neighborhood Green Space Associated With Less Frailty? Evidence From the Mr. and Ms. Os (Hong Kong) Study.

PubMed

Yu, Ruby; Wang, Dan; Leung, Jason; Lau, Kevin; Kwok, Timothy; Woo, Jean

2018-06-01

To examine whether neighborhood green space was related to frailty risk longitudinally and to examine the relative contributions of green space, physical activity, and individual health conditions to the frailty transitions. Four thousand community-dwelling Chinese adults aged ≥65 years participating in the Mr. and Ms. Os (Hong Kong) study in 2001-2003 were followed up for 2 years. The percentage of green space within a 300-meter radial buffer around the participants' place of residence was derived for each participant at baseline based on the normalized difference vegetation index. Frailty status was classified according to the Fried criteria at baseline and after 2 years. Ordinal logistic regression and path analysis were used to examine associations between green space and the frailty transitions, adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic status, lifestyle factors, health conditions, and baseline frailty status. At baseline, 53.5% of the participants met the criterion for robust, 41.5% were classified as prefrailty, and 5.0% were frail. After 2 years, 3240 participants completed all the measurements. Among these, 18.6% of prefrail or frail participants improved, 66% remained in their frailty state, and 26.8% of robust or prefrail participants progressed in frailty status. In multivariable models, the frailty status of participants living in neighborhoods with more than 34.1% green space (the highest quartile) at baseline was more likely to improve at the 2-year follow-up than it was for those living in neighborhoods with 0 to 4.5% (the lowest quartile) [odds ratio (OR): 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.60; P for trend: 0.022]. When men and women were analyzed separately, the association between green space and frailty remained significant in men (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.03-1.90) but not in women. Path analysis showed that green space directly affects frailty transitions (β = 0.041, P < .05) and also exerts an effect through physical activity (β = 0.034, P < .05). Physical activity directly affects frailty (β = 0.134, P < .05), and also indirectly affects frailty through health conditions including number of diseases (β = -0.057, P < .05) and cognitive functions (β = 0.041, P < .05). The magnitude of the direct effect of green space on the 2-year frailty transitions is comparable to those of the indirect effect through physical activity. Older people living in neighborhoods with a higher percentage of green space were associated with improvement in frailty status, independent of a wide range of individual characteristics. Copyright © 2018 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a green bipropellant hydrogen peroxide thruster for attitude control on satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woschnak, A.; Krejci, D.; Schiebl, M.; Scharlemann, C.

2013-03-01

This document describes the selection assessment of propellants for a 1-newton green bipropellant thruster for attitude control on satellites. The development of this thruster was conducted as a part of the project GRASP (Green Advanced Space Propellants) within the European FP7 research program. The green propellant combinations hydrogen peroxide (highly concentrated with 87.5 %(wt.)) with kerosene or hydrogen peroxide (87.5 %(wt.)) with ethanol were identified as interesting candidates and were investigated in detail with the help of an experimental combustion chamber in the chemical propulsion laboratory at the Forschungsund Technologietransfer GmbH ― Fotec. Based on the test results, a final selection of propellants was performed.

The evolution of blue-greens and the origins of chloroplasts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, R. M.; Dayhoff, M. O.

1981-01-01

All of the available molecular data support the theory that the chloroplasts of eukaryote cells were originally free-living blue-greens. Of great interest is what the relationships are between contemporary types of blue-greens and eukaryote chloroplasts and whether the chloroplasts of the various eukaryotes are the result of one or more than one symbiosis. By combining information from phylogenetic trees based on cytochrome c6 and 2Fe-2S ferredoxin sequences, it is shown that the chloroplasts of a number of eukaryote algae as well as the protist Euglena are polyphyletic; the chloroplasts of green algae and the higher plants may be the result of a single symbiosis.

Multi-Feature Based Information Extraction of Urban Green Space Along Road

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, H. H.; Guan, H. Y.

2018-04-01

Green space along road of QuickBird image was studied in this paper based on multi-feature-marks in frequency domain. The magnitude spectrum of green along road was analysed, and the recognition marks of the tonal feature, contour feature and the road were built up by the distribution of frequency channels. Gabor filters in frequency domain were used to detect the features based on the recognition marks built up. The detected features were combined as the multi-feature-marks, and watershed based image segmentation were conducted to complete the extraction of green space along roads. The segmentation results were evaluated by Fmeasure with P = 0.7605, R = 0.7639, F = 0.7622.

Global Enhanced Vegetation Index

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

By carefully measuring the wavelengths and intensity of visible and near-infrared light reflected by the land surface back up into space, the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Team can quantify the concentrations of green leaf vegetation around the world. The above MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) map shows the density of plant growth over the entire globe. Very low values of EVI (white and brown areas) correspond to barren areas of rock, sand, or snow. Moderate values (light greens) represent shrub and grassland, while high values indicate temperate and tropical rainforests (dark greens). The MODIS EVI gives scientists a new tool for monitoring major fluctuations in vegetation and understanding how they affect, and are affected by, regional climate trends. For more information, read NASA Unveils Spectacular Suite of New Global Data Products from MODIS. Image courtesy MODIS Land Group/Vegetation Indices, Alfredo Huete, Principal Investigator, and Kamel Didan, University of Arizona

When truth is personally inconvenient, attitudes change: the impact of extreme weather on implicit support for green politicians and explicit climate-change beliefs.

PubMed

Rudman, Laurie A; McLean, Meghan C; Bunzl, Martin

2013-11-01

A naturalistic investigation of New Jersey residents, both before and after they experienced Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, examined support for politicians committed or opposed to policies designed to combat climate change. At Time 1, before both hurricanes, participants showed negative implicit attitudes toward a green politician, but at Time 2, after the hurricanes, participants drawn from the same cohort showed a reversed automatic preference. Moreover, those who were significantly affected by Hurricane Sandy were especially likely to implicitly prefer the green politician, and implicit attitudes were the best predictor of voting after the storms, whereas explicit climate-change beliefs was the best predictor before the storms. In concert, the results suggest that direct experience with extreme weather can increase pro-environmentalism, and further support conceptualizing affective experiences as a source of implicit attitudes.

Efficacy of a type C botulism vaccine in green-winged teal.

PubMed

Rocke, T E; Samuel, M D; Swift, P K; Yarris, G S

2000-07-01

We tested the efficacy of a single dose of Botumink toxoid for protecting wild green-winged teal (Anas crecca) during botulism epizootics caused by Clostridium botulinum type C. We challenged control and immunized ducks with four different doses of type C botulinum toxin to determine the LD50 for this species and to evaluate vaccine protection. Fewer immunized ducks were affected with botulism than control ducks, indicating that a single dose of Botumink toxoid could increase the survival of ducks during epizootics. However, the frequency of immunized ducks with signs of botulism increased with the challenge dose of botulinum toxin. Even at doses of botulinum toxin approximately 2 to 4 green-winged teal LD50, about 50% of the immunized ducks were affected. We believe an improved vaccine or a better delivery system is required to justify immunization of wild birds for experimental survival studies.

Efficacy of a type C botulism vaccine in green-winged teal

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rocke, T.E.; Samuel, M.D.; Swift, P.K.; Yarris, G.S.

2000-01-01

We tested the efficacy of a single dose of Botumink toxoid for protecting wild green-winged teal (Anas crecca) during botulism epizootics caused by Clostridium botulinum type C. We challenged control and immunized ducks with four different doses of type C botulinum toxin to determine the LD50 for this species and to evaluate vaccine protection. Fewer immunized ducks were affected with botulism than control ducks, indicating that a single dose of Botumink toxoid could increase the survival of ducks during epizootics. However, the frequency of immunized ducks with signs of botulism increased with the challenge dose of botulinum toxin. Even at doses of botulinum toxin approximately 2 to 4 green-winged teal LD50, about 50% of the immunized ducks were affected. We believe an improved vaccine or a better delivery system is required to justify immunization of wild birds for experimental survival studies.

Effects of clofibrate and indocyanine green on the hepatobiliary disposition of acetaminophen and its metabolites in male CD-1 mice.

PubMed

Chen, C; Hennig, G E; McCann, D J; Manautou, J E

2000-11-01

1. The effects of clofibrate (CFB) and indocyanine green (ICG) on the biliary excretion of acetaminophen (APAP) and its metabolites were investigated. 2. Male CD-1 mice were pretreated with 500 mg CFB/kg, i.p. for 10 days. Controls received corn oil vehicle only. After overnight fasting, common bile duct-cannulated mice were challenged with a non-toxic dose of APAP (1 mmol/kg, i.v.). 3. CFB pretreatment did not affect bile flow rate, nor did it affect the cumulative biliary excretion of APAP and its conjugated metabolites. 4. Additional CFB or corn oil pretreated mice were given 30 mumol indocyanine green (ICG)/kg, i.v., immediately before APAP dosing. ICG is a non-metabolizable organic anion that is completely excreted into the bile through a canalicular transport process for organic anions. 5. ICG significantly decreased the bile flow rate and biliary concentration of APAP-glutathione, APAP-glucuronide and APAP-mercapturate within the first hour after dosing without affecting the biliary concentration of APAP. 6. The results indicate that CFB pretreatment does not affect the total amount of APAP and its metabolites excreted in bile. They also suggest that the biliary excretion of several conjugated metabolites of APAP share the same excretory pathway with the organic anion ICG.

Interactive influence of leaf age, light intensity, and girdling on green ash foliar chemistry and emerald ash borer development

Treesearch

Yigen Chen; Therese M. Poland

2009-01-01

Biotic and abiotic environmental factors affect plant nutritional quality and defensive compounds that confer plant resistance to herbivory. Influence of leaf age, light availability, and girdling on foliar nutrition and defense of green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh) was examined in this study. Longevity of the emerald ash borer, ...

Analysis of Potential Affect of The Green Pages Concept for Telephone Directories.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Jim

The project described addressed the feasibility of assessing the impact on low-income persons of the "Green Pages" concept, which seeks to improve the accessibility of public, non-profit, and survival human service agencies and other community information by centralizing them in a single, easy-to-find location in the phone book. This…

Differences in secondary metabolites in leaves from orange trees (Citrus sinensis L.) affected with greening disease (Huanglongbing) (HLB)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Preliminary analyses by HPLC-MS of methanolic extracts of two sets of orange leaves that are symptomatic of the Greening Disease (HLB) have shown several consistent differences. The main flavonoids in symptomatic and nonsymptomatic leaves were monitored in the HPLC chromatograms at 330 nm, and signi...

Differential utilization of ash phloem by emerald ash borer larvae: Ash species and larval stage effects

Treesearch

Yigen Chen; Michael D. Ulyshen; Therese M. Poland

2012-01-01

Two experiments were performed to determine the extent to which ash species (black, green and white) and larval developmental stage (second, third and fourth instar) affect the efficiency of phloem amino acid utilization by emerald ash borer (EAB) Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) larvae. EAB larvae generally utilized green ash...

Effects of Seedbed Density and Row Spacing on Growth and Nutrient Concentrations of Nuttall Oak and Green Ash Seedlings

Treesearch

Harvey E. Kennedy

1988-01-01

Larger size and higher percentages of plantable 1-0 and 2-0 green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) and Nuttall oak (Quercus nuttallii Palmer) seedlings were produced in the wider spacing-lower density plots. Greater numbers of plantable seedlings were produced in the higher density plots. Spacing significantly affected...

Aesthetic Movements of a Social Imagination: Refusing Stasis and Educating Relationally/Critically/Responsibly

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guyotte, Kelly W.

2018-01-01

Maxine Greene centered the arts as important sites for cultivating a more relational and ethical means of educating students. Advocating for an aesthetic pedagogy, Greene conceived of aesthetics as a philosophy that studies artistic making, perception, and affect as a means of understanding experiences, and the meaning of those experiences as…

On the Effects of Signaling Reinforcer Probability and Magnitude in Delayed Matching to Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Glenn S.; White, K. Geoffrey

2005-01-01

Two experiments examined whether postsample signals of reinforcer probability or magnitude affected the accuracy of delayed matching to sample in pigeons. On each trial, red or green choice responses that matched red or green stimuli seen shortly before a variable retention interval were reinforced with wheat access. In Experiment 1, the…

Video System Highlights Hydrogen Fires

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Youngquist, Robert C.; Gleman, Stuart M.; Moerk, John S.

1992-01-01

Video system combines images from visible spectrum and from three bands in infrared spectrum to produce color-coded display in which hydrogen fires distinguished from other sources of heat. Includes linear array of 64 discrete lead selenide mid-infrared detectors operating at room temperature. Images overlaid on black and white image of same scene from standard commercial video camera. In final image, hydrogen fires appear red; carbon-based fires, blue; and other hot objects, mainly green and combinations of green and red. Where no thermal source present, image remains in black and white. System enables high degree of discrimination between hydrogen flames and other thermal emitters.

Greener synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles using green tea extract and their magnetic properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karade, V. C.; Waifalkar, P. P.; Dongle, T. D.; Sahoo, Subasa C.; Kollu, P.; Patil, P. S.; Patil, P. B.

2017-09-01

The facile green synthesis method has been employed for the synthesis of biocompatible Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) using green tea extract. The effective reduction of ferric ions (Fe3+) were done using an aqueous green tea extract where it acts as reducing as well as capping agent. The effect of iron precursor to green tea extract ratio and reaction temperature was studied. The MNPs were characterized by x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and vibrating sample magnetometer. It was observed that the reaction temperature strongly affects the magnetic and structural properties of MNPs. The magnetic measurements study showed that Fe3O4 MNPs are superparamagnetic at 300 K, while at 60 K have ferromagnetic as well as superparamagnetic contributions.

Biosorption of copper(II) from aqueous solutions by green alga Cladophora fascicularis.

PubMed

Deng, Liping; Zhu, Xiaobin; Wang, Xinting; Su, Yingying; Su, Hua

2007-08-01

Biosorption is an effective means of removal of heavy metals from wastewater. In this work the biosorption behavior of Cladophora fascicularis was investigated as a function of pH, amount of biosorbent, initial Cu2+ concentration, temperature, and co-existing ions. Adsorption equilibria were well described by Langmuir isotherm models. The enthalpy change for the biosorption process was found to be 6.86 kJ mol(-1) by use of the Langmuir constant b. The biosorption process was found to be rapid in the first 30 min. The presence of co-existing cations such as Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ and anions such as chloride, nitrate, sulfate, and acetate did not significantly affect uptake of Cu2+ whereas EDTA substantially affected adsorption of the metal. When experiments were performed with different desorbents the results indicated that EDTA was an efficient desorbent for the recovery of Cu2+ from biomass. IR spectral analysis suggested amido or hydroxy, C=O, and C-O could combine strongly with Cu2+.

Go Green, Save Green with ENERGY STAR[R

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatcher, Caterina

2010-01-01

Did you know that the nation's 17,450 K-12 school districts spend more on energy than on computers and textbooks combined? Energy costs represent a typical school district's second largest operating expense after salaries. Schools that have earned the ENERGY STAR--EPA's mark of superior energy performance--cost 40 cents per square foot less to…

Effect of pH on the Heat-Induced Denaturation and Renaturation of Green Fluorescent Protein: A Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Rosa V.; Sola, Hilda M.; Torres, Juan C.; Torres, Rafael E.; Guzman, Ernick E.

2013-01-01

A fluorescence spectroscopy experiment is described where students integrated biochemistry and instrumental analysis, while characterizing the green fluorescent protein excitation and emission spectra in terms of its phenolic and phenolate chromophores. Students studied the combined effect of pH and temperature on the protein's fluorescence,…

Watershed Scale Impacts of Stormwater Green Infrastructure on Hydrology, Nitrogen Fluxes, and Combined Sewer Overflows in the Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC area

EPA Science Inventory

Despite the increasing use of urban stormwater green infrastructure (SGI), including detention ponds and rain gardens, few studies have quantified the cumulative effects of multiple SGI projects on hydrology and water quality at the watershed scale. To assess the effects of SGI, ...

7 CFR 29.1225 - Key to standard grademarks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

.... Qualities 1—Choice. 2—Fine. 3—Good. 4—Fair. 5—Low. 6—Poor. Color Symbols L—Lemon. LL—Whitish-lemon. F—Orange.... GK—Green variegated. GG—Gray green. KL—Variegated lemon. KF—Variegated orange. KV—Variegated greenish. KM—Variegated mixed. KD—Variegated dark red. LL—Whitish-lemon. Combination Symbols XL—Lug side. PO...

7 CFR 29.1225 - Key to standard grademarks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

.... Qualities 1—Choice. 2—Fine. 3—Good. 4—Fair. 5—Low. 6—Poor. Color Symbols L—Lemon. LL—Whitish-lemon. F—Orange.... GK—Green variegated. GG—Gray green. KL—Variegated lemon. KF—Variegated orange. KV—Variegated greenish. KM—Variegated mixed. KD—Variegated dark red. LL—Whitish-lemon. Combination Symbols XL—Lug side. PO...

7 CFR 29.1225 - Key to standard grademarks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

.... Qualities 1—Choice. 2—Fine. 3—Good. 4—Fair. 5—Low. 6—Poor. Color Symbols L—Lemon. LL—Whitish-lemon. F—Orange.... GK—Green variegated. GG—Gray green. KL—Variegated lemon. KF—Variegated orange. KV—Variegated greenish. KM—Variegated mixed. KD—Variegated dark red. LL—Whitish-lemon. Combination Symbols XL—Lug side. PO...

The Role of Green Chemistry Activities in Fostering Secondary School Students' Understanding of Acid-Base Concepts and Argumentation Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karpudewan, Mageswary; Roth, Wolff Michael; Sinniah, Devananthini

2016-01-01

In a world where environmental degradation is taking on alarming levels, understanding, and acting to minimize, the individual environmental impact is an important goal for many science educators. In this study, a green chemistry curriculum--combining chemistry experiments with everyday, environmentally friendly substances with a student-centered…

Ultrasound assisted extraction of food and natural products. Mechanisms, techniques, combinations, protocols and applications. A review.

PubMed

Chemat, Farid; Rombaut, Natacha; Sicaire, Anne-Gaëlle; Meullemiestre, Alice; Fabiano-Tixier, Anne-Sylvie; Abert-Vian, Maryline

2017-01-01

This review presents a complete picture of current knowledge on ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) in food ingredients and products, nutraceutics, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and bioenergy applications. It provides the necessary theoretical background and some details about extraction by ultrasound, the techniques and their combinations, the mechanisms (fragmentation, erosion, capillarity, detexturation, and sonoporation), applications from laboratory to industry, security, and environmental impacts. In addition, the ultrasound extraction procedures and the important parameters influencing its performance are also included, together with the advantages and the drawbacks of each UAE techniques. Ultrasound-assisted extraction is a research topic, which affects several fields of modern plant-based chemistry. All the reported applications have shown that ultrasound-assisted extraction is a green and economically viable alternative to conventional techniques for food and natural products. The main benefits are decrease of extraction and processing time, the amount of energy and solvents used, unit operations, and CO 2 emissions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Excited state proton transfer in strongly enhanced GFP (sGFP2).

PubMed

van Oort, Bart; ter Veer, Mirelle J T; Groot, Marie Louise; van Stokkum, Ivo H M

2012-07-07

Proton transfer is an elementary process in biology. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) has served as an important model system to elucidate the mechanistic details of this reaction, because in GFP proton transfer can be induced by light absorption. We have used pump-dump-probe spectroscopy to study how proton transfer through the 'proton-wire' around the chromophore is affected by a combination of mutations in a modern GFP variety (sGFP2). The results indicate that in H(2)O, after absorption of a photon, a proton is transferred (A* → I*) in 5 ps, and back-transferred from a ground state intermediate (I → A) in 0.3 ns, similar to time constants found with GFPuv, although sGFP2 shows less heterogeneous proton transfer. This suggests that the mutations left the proton-transfer largely unchanged, indicating the robustness of the proton-wire. We used pump-dump-probe spectroscopy in combination with target analysis to probe suitability of the sGFP2 fluorophore for super-resolution microscopy.

Type of packaging affects the colour stability of vitamin E enriched beef.

PubMed

Nassu, Renata T; Uttaro, Bethany; Aalhus, Jennifer L; Zawadski, Sophie; Juárez, Manuel; Dugan, Michael E R

2012-12-01

Colour stability is a very important parameter for meat retail display, as appearance of the product is the deciding factor for consumers at time of purchase. This study investigated the possibility of extending appearance shelf-life through the combined use of packaging method (overwrapping - OVER, modified atmosphere - MAP, vacuum skin packaging - VSP and a combination of modified atmosphere and vacuum skin packaging - MAPVSP) and antioxidants (vitamin E enriched beef). Retail attributes (appearance, lean colour, % surface discolouration), as well as colour space analysis of images for red, green and blue parameters were measured over 18days. MAPVSP provided the most desirable retail appearance during the first 4days of retail display, while VSP-HB had the best colour stability. Overall, packaging type was more influential than α-tocopherol levels on meat colour stability, although α-tocopherol levels (>4μgg(-1) meat) had a protective effect when using high oxygen packaging methods. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hyperspectral remote sensing tools for quantifying plant litter and invasive species in arid ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nagler, Pamela L.; Sridhar, B.B. Maruthi; Olsson, Aaryn Dyami; Glenn, Edward P.; van Leeuwen, Willem J.D.; Thenkabail, Prasad S.; Huete, Alfredo; Lyon, John G.

2012-01-01

Green vegetation can be distinguished using visible and infrared multi-band and hyperspectral remote sensing methods. The problem has been in identifying and distinguishing the non-photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) landscape components, such as litter and soils, and from green vegetation. Additionally, distinguishing different species of green vegetation is challenging using the relatively few bands available on most satellite sensors. This chapter focuses on hyperspectral remote sensing characteristics that aim to distinguish between green vegetation, soil, and litter (or senescent vegetation). Quantifying litter by remote sensing methods is important in constructing carbon budgets of natural and agricultural ecosystems. Distinguishing between plant types is important in tracking the spread of invasive species. Green leaves of different species usually have similar spectra, making it difficult to distinguish between species. However, in this chapter we show that phenological differences between species can be used to detect some invasive species by their distinct patterns of greening and dormancy over an annual cycle based on hyperspectral data. Both applications require methods to quantify the non-green cellulosic fractions of plant tissues by remote sensing even in the presence of soil and green plant cover. We explore these methods and offer three case studies. The first concerns distinguishing surface litter from soil using the Cellulose Absorption Index (CAI), as applied to no-till farming practices where plant litter is left on the soil after harvest. The second involves using different band combinations to distinguish invasive saltcedar from agricultural and native riparian plants on the Lower Colorado River. The third illustrates the use of the CAI and NDVI in time-series analyses to distinguish between invasive buffelgrass and native plants in a desert environment in Arizona. Together the results show how hyperspectral imagery can be applied to solve problems that are not amendable to solution by the simple band combinations normally used in remote sensing.

Photoexcited emission efficiencies of zinc oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foreman, John Vincent

Optoelectronic properties of the II-VI semiconductor zinc oxide (ZnO) have been studied scientifically for almost 60 years; however, many fundamental questions remain unanswered about its two primary emission bands--the exciton-related luminescence in the ultraviolet and the defect-related emission band centered in the green portion of the visible spectrum. The work in this dissertation was motivated by the surprising optical properties of a ZnO nanowire sample grown by the group of Prof. Jie Liu, Department of Chemistry, Duke University. We found that this nanowire sample exhibited defect-related green/white emission of unprecedented intensity relative to near-band-edge luminescence. The experimental work comprising this dissertation was designed to explain the optical properties of this ZnO nanowire sample. Understanding the physics underlying such exceptional intensity of green emission addresses many of the open questions of ZnO research and assesses the possibility of using ZnO nanostructures as an ultraviolet-excited, broadband visible phosphor. The goal of this dissertation is to provide insight into what factors influence the radiative and nonradiative recombination efficiencies of ZnO by characterizing simultaneously the optical properties of the near-band-edge ultraviolet and the defect-related green emission bands. Specifically, we seek to understand the mechanisms of ultraviolet and green emission, the mechanism of energy transfer between them, and the evolution of their emission efficiencies with parameters such as excitation density and sample temperature. These fundamental but unanswered questions of ZnO emission are addressed here by using a novel combination of ultrafast spectroscopic techniques in conjunction with a systematic set of ZnO samples. Through this systematic investigation, ZnO may be realistically assessed as a potential green/white light phosphor. Photoluminescence techniques are used to characterize the thermal quenching behavior of both emission bands in micrometer-scale ZnO powders. Green luminescence quenching is described by activation energies associated with bound excitons. We find that green luminescence efficiency is maximized when excitons are localized in the vicinity of green-emitting defects. Subsequent photoluminescence excitation measurements performed at multiple temperatures independently verified that green band photoluminescence intensity directly correlates with the photogenerated exciton population. The spatial distributions of green-emitting defects and nonradiative traps are elucidated by an innovative combination of quantum efficiency and time-integrated/resolved photoluminescence measurements. By combining these techniques for the first time, we take advantage of the drastically different absorption coefficients for one- and two-photon excitations to provide details about the types and concentrations of surface and bulk defects and to demonstrate the non-negligible effects of reabsorption. A comparison of results for unannealed and annealed ZnO powders indicates that the annealing process creates a high density of green-emitting defects near the surface of the sample while simultaneously reducing the density of bulk nonradiative traps. These experimental results are discussed in the context of a simple rate equation model that accounts for the quantum efficiencies of both emission bands. For both femtosecond pulsed and continuous-wave excitations, the green band efficiency is found to decrease with increasing excitation density--from 35% to 5% for pulsed excitation spanning 1-1000 muJ/cm--2, and from 60% to 5% for continuous excitation in the range 0.01-10 W/cm --2. On the other hand, near-band-edge emission efficiency increases from 0.4% to 25% for increasing pulsed excitation density and from 0.1% to 0.6% for continuous excitation. It is shown experimentally that these changes in efficiency correspond to a reduction in exciton formation efficiency. The differences in efficiencies for pulsed versus continuous-wave excitation are described by changes in the relative rates of exciton luminescence and exciton capture at green defects based on an extended rate equation model that accounts for the excitation density dependence of both luminescence bands. In using a systematic set of ZnO samples and a novel combination of optical techniques to characterize them, this body of work presents a comprehensive and detailed physical picture of recombination mechanisms in ZnO. The insight provided by these results has immediate implications for material growth/processing techniques and should help material growers control the relative efficiencies of ultraviolet, green/visible, and nonradiative recombination channels in ZnO.

Factors affecting the implementation of green specifications in construction.

PubMed

Lam, Patrick T I; Chan, Edwin H W; Poon, C S; Chau, C K; Chun, K P

2010-01-01

Green specifications constitute one of the important elements in green construction. New sustainability requirements and changing priorities in construction management have spurred the emerging green specifications to a faster pace of development. A cross-sectional survey has been conducted in Hong Kong in 2007 to identify principal factors leading to the success of preparing green specifications. Based on extensive construction management literature, 20 variables concerning sustainable construction were summarized. Using the Mann-Whitney U-test, the subtle differences between stakeholders in specifying construction work have been detected even with the high consistency of the responses among the groups. Moreover, five independent factors for successful specification of green construction have been categorized by factor analysis. They are related to (1) green technology and techniques, (2) reliability and quality of specification, (3) leadership and responsibility, (4) stakeholder involvement, and (5) guide and benchmarking systems. Whilst the first and fourth factors are generally more important, different stakeholder groups have different emphases. The results of the survey have been validated against established principles. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inhibition of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus by some herbs and spices.

PubMed

Yin, M C; Cheng, W S

1998-01-01

The inhibitory effect of water-soluble extracts of garlic bulbs, green garlic, green onions, hot peppers, ginger, Chinese parsley, and basil on the growth of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus was examined. Garlic bulbs, green garlic, and green onions showed an inhibitory effect against these two fungi. The influence of heat, acid, and salt upon the inhibitory effect of these three herbs was further studied. Increasing the temperature from 60 to 100 degrees C resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the inhibitory effect of garlic bulbs against the fungi tested. Green garlic and green onion lost their antifungal activity against A. niger after being treated at 80 and 60 degrees, respectively. For A. flavus, the inhibitory effect of green garlic declined significantly (P < 0.05) with an increase in temperature. However, the antifungal activity of green onions against A. flavus was heat stable. For both fungi tested in this study, the antifungal activity of these spice plants was not affected by acid treatments at pH values 2, 4, or 6, or salt by treatments at concentrations of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 M (P > 0.05).

Green tea extract impairs meat emulsion properties by disturbing protein disulfide cross-linking.

PubMed

Jongberg, Sisse; Terkelsen, Linda de S; Miklos, Rikke; Lund, Marianne N

2015-02-01

The dose-dependent effects of green tea extract (100, 500, or 1500ppm) on the textural and oxidative stability of meat emulsions were investigated, and compared to a control meat emulsion without extract. All levels of green tea extract inhibited formation of TBARS as a measure for lipid oxidation. Overall protein thiol oxidation and myosin heavy chain (MHC) cross-linking were inhibited by 100ppm green tea extract without jeopardizing the textural stability, while increasing concentrations of extract resulted in reduced thiol concentration and elevated levels of non-reducible protein modifications. Addition of 1500ppm green tea extract was found to modify MHC as evaluated by SDS-PAGE combining both protein staining and specific thiol staining, indicating that protein modifications generated through reactions of green tea phenolic compounds with protein thiols, disrupted the meat emulsion properties leading to reduced water holding capacity and textural stability. Hence, a low dose of green tea extract preserves both the textural and the oxidative stability of the meat proteins. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Origin of green luminescence in hydrothermally grown ZnO single crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Čížek, J.; Valenta, J.; Hruška, P.; Melikhova, O.; Procházka, I.; Novotný, M.; Bulíř, J.

2015-06-01

Combining photoluminescence and positron annihilation studies of hydrothermally grown ZnO crystals with stoichiometry varied by controlled annealing enabled us to clarify the origin of green luminescence. It was found that green luminescence in ZnO has multiple origins and consists of a band at 2.3(1) eV due to recombination of electrons of the conduction band by zinc vacancy acceptors coupled with hydrogen and a band at 2.47(2) eV related to oxygen vacancies. The as-grown ZnO crystals contain zinc vacancies associated with hydrogen and exhibit a green luminescence at 2.3(1) eV. Annealing in Zn vapor removed zinc vacancies and introduced oxygen vacancies. This led to disappearance of the green luminescence band at 2.3(1) eV and appearance of a green emission at higher energy of 2.47(2) eV. Moreover, the color of the crystal was changed from colorless to dark red. In contrast, annealing of the as-grown crystal in Cd vapor did not remove zinc vacancies and did not cause any significant change of green luminescence nor change in coloration.

Customer involvement in greening the supply chain: an interpretive structural modeling methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sanjay; Luthra, Sunil; Haleem, Abid

2013-04-01

The role of customers in green supply chain management needs to be identified and recognized as an important research area. This paper is an attempt to explore the involvement aspect of customers towards greening of the supply chain (SC). An empirical research approach has been used to collect primary data to rank different variables for effective customer involvement in green concept implementation in SC. An interpretive structural-based model has been presented, and variables have been classified using matrice d' impacts croises- multiplication appliqué a un classement analysis. Contextual relationships among variables have been established using experts' opinions. The research may help practicing managers to understand the interaction among variables affecting customer involvement. Further, this understanding may be helpful in framing the policies and strategies to green SC. Analyzing interaction among variables for effective customer involvement in greening SC to develop the structural model in the Indian perspective is an effort towards promoting environment consciousness.

Chemopreventive potential of the tannase-mediated biotransformation of green tea.

PubMed

Macedo, J A; Ferreira, L R; Camara, L E; Santos, J C; Gambero, A; Macedo, G A; Ribeiro, M L

2012-07-15

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. The cancer chemopreventive qualities of green tea have been well documented. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is often described as the most potently chemopreventive green tea catechin; however, the low bioavailability of EGCG is a limiting factor for its biological effect. Thus, the aim of this work was to test the chemopreventive potential of green tea extract and EGCG after tannase-mediated hydrolysis. The results showed that the biotransformed compounds retained most of the beneficial properties of the original compounds, and some beneficial properties were improved in the biotransformed compounds. Biotransformation of EGCG decreased its toxicity without affecting its antiproliferative effects. Furthermore, human cells gene expression profiling showed that the biotransformed compounds modulated the expression of several genes related to carcinogenesis. These results demonstrate the benefits of the biotechnological modification of natural food molecules, allowing the improvement of the nutraceutical potential of a beverage as green tea. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interaction of Environmental Moisture with Powdered Green Tea Formulations: Relationship between Catechin Stability and Moisture-Induced Phase Transformations

PubMed Central

Ortiz, Julieta; Kestur, Umesh S.; Taylor, Lynne S.; Mauer, Lisa J.

2009-01-01

This study investigated the effect of phase transformations of amorphous and deliquescent ingredients on catechin stability in green tea powder formulations. Blends of amorphous green tea and crystalline sucrose, citric acid, and/or ascorbic acid were analyzed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic water vapor sorption, water activity measurements, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after storage for up to 12 weeks at 0–75% relative humidity (RH) and 22 °C. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of green tea was reduced to below room temperature (<22 °C) at 68% RH. Dissolution of deliquescent ingredients commenced at RH values below deliquescence points in blends with amorphous green tea, and these blends had greater water uptake than predicted by an additive model of individual ingredient moisture sorption. Catechin degradation was affected by Tg of green tea powder and both dissolution and deliquescence of citric and ascorbic acids. PMID:19489621

Ectoparasitism and the role of green nesting material in the European starling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fauth, P.T.; Krementz, D.G.; Hines, J.E.

1991-01-01

The use of green nesting material is wide-spread among birds. Recent evidence suggests that birds use secondary chemicals contained in green plants to control ectoparasites. We manipulated green nesting material and ectoparasites of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris ) to test two hypotheses: (1) ectoparasites adversely affect prefledging survival and morphometrics or postfledging survival, and (2) green nesting material ameliorates the effects of ectoparasites. We recorded fat score, number of scabs, tarsal length, body mass, and hematocrit level on each nestling 17 days after hatching. We also fitted each nestling with unique patagial tags and resighted the starlings for 6-8 weeks after fledging to estimate survival and sighting rates. Nests devoid of green nesting material and dusted with the insecticide, carbaryl, had fewer high ectoparasite infestations, and nestlings had significantly lower scab scores, and significantly higher body masses than nestlings in undusted boxes. However, there was no difference in postfledging survival between birds from carbaryl-treated and undusted nests.

Detection of Laurel Wilt Disease in Avocado Using Low Altitude Aerial Imaging

PubMed Central

de Castro, Ana I.; Ehsani, Reza; Ploetz, Randy C.; Crane, Jonathan H.; Buchanon, Sherrie

2015-01-01

Laurel wilt is a lethal disease of plants in the Lauraceae plant family, including avocado (Persea americana). This devastating disease has spread rapidly along the southeastern seaboard of the United States and has begun to affect commercial avocado production in Florida. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the potential to discriminate laurel wilt-affected avocado trees using aerial images taken with a modified camera during helicopter surveys at low-altitude in the commercial avocado production area. The ability to distinguish laurel wilt-affected trees from other factors that produce similar external symptoms was also studied. RmodGB digital values of healthy trees and laurel wilt-affected trees, as well as fruit stress and vines covering trees were used to calculate several vegetation indices (VIs), band ratios, and VI combinations. These indices were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and an M-statistic was performed in order to quantify the separability of those classes. Significant differences in spectral values among laurel wilt affected and healthy trees were observed in all vegetation indices calculated, although the best results were achieved with Excess Red (ExR), (Red–Green) and Combination 1 (COMB1) in all locations. B/G showed a very good potential for separate the other factors with symptoms similar to laurel wilt-affected trees, such as fruit stress and vines covering trees, from laurel wilt-affected trees. These consistent results prove the usefulness of using a modified camera (RmodGB) to discriminate laurel wilt-affected avocado trees from healthy trees, as well as from other factors that cause the same symptoms and suggest performing the classification in further research. According to our results, ExR and B/G should be utilized to develop an algorithm or decision rules to classify aerial images, since they showed the highest capacity to discriminate laurel wilt-affected trees. This methodology may allow the rapid detection of laurel wilt-affected trees using low altitude aerial images and be a valuable tool in mitigating this important threat to Florida avocado production. PMID:25927209

Detection of laurel wilt disease in avocado using low altitude aerial imaging.

PubMed

de Castro, Ana I; Ehsani, Reza; Ploetz, Randy C; Crane, Jonathan H; Buchanon, Sherrie

2015-01-01

Laurel wilt is a lethal disease of plants in the Lauraceae plant family, including avocado (Persea americana). This devastating disease has spread rapidly along the southeastern seaboard of the United States and has begun to affect commercial avocado production in Florida. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the potential to discriminate laurel wilt-affected avocado trees using aerial images taken with a modified camera during helicopter surveys at low-altitude in the commercial avocado production area. The ability to distinguish laurel wilt-affected trees from other factors that produce similar external symptoms was also studied. RmodGB digital values of healthy trees and laurel wilt-affected trees, as well as fruit stress and vines covering trees were used to calculate several vegetation indices (VIs), band ratios, and VI combinations. These indices were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and an M-statistic was performed in order to quantify the separability of those classes. Significant differences in spectral values among laurel wilt affected and healthy trees were observed in all vegetation indices calculated, although the best results were achieved with Excess Red (ExR), (Red-Green) and Combination 1 (COMB1) in all locations. B/G showed a very good potential for separate the other factors with symptoms similar to laurel wilt-affected trees, such as fruit stress and vines covering trees, from laurel wilt-affected trees. These consistent results prove the usefulness of using a modified camera (RmodGB) to discriminate laurel wilt-affected avocado trees from healthy trees, as well as from other factors that cause the same symptoms and suggest performing the classification in further research. According to our results, ExR and B/G should be utilized to develop an algorithm or decision rules to classify aerial images, since they showed the highest capacity to discriminate laurel wilt-affected trees. This methodology may allow the rapid detection of laurel wilt-affected trees using low altitude aerial images and be a valuable tool in mitigating this important threat to Florida avocado production.

Consequential environmental and economic life cycle assessment of green and gray stormwater infrastructures for combined sewer systems.

PubMed

Wang, Ranran; Eckelman, Matthew J; Zimmerman, Julie B

2013-10-01

A consequential life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted to evaluate the trade-offs between water quality improvements and the incremental climate, resource, and economic costs of implementing green (bioretention basin, green roof, and permeable pavement) versus gray (municipal separate stormwater sewer systems, MS4) alternatives of stormwater infrastructure expansions against a baseline combined sewer system with combined sewer overflows in a typical Northeast US watershed for typical, dry, and wet years. Results show that bioretention basins can achieve water quality improvement goals (e.g., mitigating freshwater eutrophication) for the least climate and economic costs of 61 kg CO2 eq. and $98 per kg P eq. reduction, respectively. MS4 demonstrates the minimum life cycle fossil energy use of 42 kg oil eq. per kg P eq. reduction. When integrated with the expansion in stormwater infrastructure, implementation of advanced wastewater treatment processes can further reduce the impact of stormwater runoff on aquatic environment at a minimal environmental cost (77 kg CO2 eq. per kg P eq. reduction), which provides support and valuable insights for the further development of integrated management of stormwater and wastewater. The consideration of critical model parameters (i.e., precipitation intensity, land imperviousness, and infrastructure life expectancy) highlighted the importance and implications of varying local conditions and infrastructure characteristics on the costs and benefits of stormwater management. Of particular note is that the impact of MS4 on the local aquatic environment is highly dependent on local runoff quality indicating that a combined system of green infrastructure prior to MS4 potentially provides a more cost-effective improvement to local water quality.

Identification of Chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) in endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas) with fibropapillomatosis in Asia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Li, Tsung-Hsien; Hsu, Wei-Li; Lan, Yu-Ching; Balazs, George H.; Work, Thierry M.; Tseng, Cheng-Tsung; Chang, Chao-Chin

2017-01-01

Fibropapillomatosis (FP), a debilitating tumor disease of sea turtles, was first identified in green turtles [Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758)] in Florida in 1938. In recent decades, FP has been observed globally and is an emerging panzootic disease in sea turtles. However, few reports of FP in Asia exist. Here, we provide the first evidence of Chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) DNA associated with FP in endangered green turtles from Taiwan, through molecular characterization, phylogenetic analysis, and histopathological examination. In our study, ChHV5 was successfully detected by PCR in the FP tumor lesions of green turtles. The sequences were found to be consistent with those of tumor-inducing viruses shown to affect sea turtles in the other parts of the world. ChHV5 RNA from the FP tissues was further detected by RT-PCR, indicating active replication of the viruses inside FP tumors. In addition to the molecular evidence of ChHV5 in FP, epidermal intranuclear inclusions were identified in tumor lesions upon histopathological examination. This further suggests that ChHV5 should be in a transcriptionally active (i.e., non-latent) state in FP tumors of affected green turtles. The phylogenetic tree revealed that ChHV5 from the green turtles in Taiwan were closest to the ChHV5 from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Sao Tome. For conservation of endangered sea turtles, ChHV5 should be considered an emerging virus, which threatens sea turtles in marine waters in Asia.

Environmental Management Competitive Pressure Effect on SME Environmental Innovation Activities: A Green Supply Chain Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashid, A. A.; Sidek, A. A.; Suffian, S. A.; Daud, M. R. C.

2018-01-01

The idea of assimilating green supply chain is to integrate and establish environmental management into the supply chain practices. The study aims to explore how environmental management competitive pressure influences a SME company in Malaysia to incorporate green supply chain integration, which is an efficient platform to develop environmental innovation. This study further advances green supply chain management research in Malaysia by using the method of quantitative analysis to analyze the model developed which data will be collected based on a sample of SMEs in Malaysia in manufacturing sector. The model developed in this study illustrates how environmental management competitive pressure from main competitors affects three fundamental dimensions of green supply chain integration. The research findings suggest that environmental management competitive pressure is a vital driving force for a SME company to incorporate internal and external collaboration in developing green product innovation. From the analysis conducted, the study strongly demonstrated that the best way for a company to counteract competitor’s environmental management success is to first implement strong internal green product development process then move to incorporate external environmental management innovation between their suppliers and customers. The findings also show that internal integration of green product innovation fully mediates the relationship of environmental management competitive pressure and the external integration of green product innovation.

Greening in sunflower butter cookies as a function of egg replacers and baking temperature.

PubMed

Rogers, Amanda; Hahn, Lan; Pham, Vu; Were, Lilian

2018-04-01

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) binding to proteins in alkaline conditions results in the production of green trihydroxy benzacradine (TBA) derivatives. The formation of TBA derivatives could decrease product quality due to the potential losses in soluble protein and antioxidants and the production of an undesirable green color. To determine how cookie formulation affected the formation of TBA derivatives in sunflower butter cookies, two egg replacers (chia and banana) and two baking temperatures (162.8 and 190.6 °C) were used. Moisture, greening intensity, CGA content and antioxidant capacity were measured. Cookies made with egg and baked at 162.8 °C had the highest moisture, internal greening intensity, and TBA derivative formation, in addition to lower CGA content and antioxidant capacity. Cookies made with banana baked at 190.6 °C produced the opposite outcome with 35, 4, and 23% less internal greening, moisture, and TBA derivatives, respectively, and 90 and 76% higher CGA and antioxidant capacity. Internal greening was positively correlated with moisture and adduct concentration, and negatively correlated with spread factor and CGA content. Moisture had a significant impact on greening, which indicates that baking temperature and cookie dough formulation can be modified to produce a less green cookie with more unreacted antioxidants and protein.

Performance analysis and experimental study on rainfall water purification with an extensive green roof matrix layer in Shanghai, China.

PubMed

Guo, Jiankang; Zhang, Yanting; Che, Shengquan

2018-02-01

Current research has validated the purification of rainwater by a substrate layer of green roofs to some extent, though the effects of the substrate layer on rainwater purification have not been adequately quantified. The present study set up nine extensive green roof experiment combinations based on the current conditions of precipitation characteristics observed in Shanghai, China. Different rain with pollutants were simulated, and the orthogonal design L9 (33) test was conducted to measure purification performance. The purification influences of the extensive green roof substrate layer were quantitatively analyzed in Shanghai to optimize the thickness, proportion of substrate, and sodium polyacrylate content. The experimental outcomes resulted in ammonium nitrogen (NH 4 + -N), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) removal of up to 93.87%, 98.81%, and 94.55% in the artificial rainfall, respectively, and NH 4 + -N, Pb, and Zn event mean concentration (EMC) was depressed to 0.263 mg/L, 0.002 mg/L and 0.018 mg/L, respectively, which were all well below the pollutant concentrations of artificial rainfall. With reference to the rainfall chemical characteristics of Shanghai, a combination of a 200 mm thickness, proportions of 1:1:2 of Loam: Perlite: Cocopeat and 2 g/L sodium polyacrylate content was suggested for the design of an extensive green roof substrate to purify NH 4 + -N, Pb and Zn.

Maintenance of raw and cooked ready-to-eat product quality of infused poultry meats with selected plant extracts during electron beam irradiation and after storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rababah, Taha

The purpose of this study included: preparing plant extracts and evaluating these extracts for total phenolics and antioxidant activities (AA); infusing extract/combination that demonstrates superior AA into chicken breast and irradiating at 3.0 kGy; evaluating the physicochemical properties of irradiated and non-irradiated raw and cooked chicken breast at 5°C for 12 days and -20°C for 9 months; and selecting the extracts that demonstrated desirable AA, infusing these extracts into chicken breast and evaluating head-space volatiles, and conducting sensory evaluation. The total phenolic content and AA of the plant extracts ranged from 24.8 to 92.5 mg/g dry material (conjugated diene of methyl linoleate) and 3.4 to 86.3%, respectively. The AA of plant extracts using oxidative stability instrument were 4.6 to 10.2 h (Induction time). Green tea and grape seed extracts had the highest AA within several plant extracts, and were selected to retard lipid oxidation in further studies. Fresh boneless and skinless chicken breast meats were vacuum infused with varying concentrations of antioxidants: Green tea and grape seed extracts alone/in combination and tert-butylhydroquinone. The results showed that irradiation had no significant effect on pH, water holding capacity, but increased the redness and carbonyls in raw meats (p < 0.05). Irradiation increased shear force, hardness, and chewiness of cooked meats. Infusion of plant extracts into meats increased lightness and decreased redness as well as hardness and shear force. Irradiation increased TBARS, hexanal, and pentanal values in raw and cooked meats. Addition of plant extracts decreased the amount of TBARS, hexanal, pentanal, and carbonyl values. Similar results were observed when the samples were stored at -20°C for 9 months. Descriptive sensory flavor results showed that irradiation did not affect the flavor attributes. Consumer, descriptive, and instrumental results showed that irradiation increased toughness, green tea improved the meat color, and the panel indicated that irradiation decreased the tenderness of the samples. Infusion of extracts/combinations into chicken meats increased lightness and decreased redness as well as the hardness of products. Infusion of chicken meat with plant extracts is an effective method to minimize physicochemical properties, volatile developments, and sensory quality caused by irradiation.

Green exercise as a workplace intervention to reduce job stress. Results from a pilot study.

PubMed

Calogiuri, Giovanna; Evensen, Katinka; Weydahl, Andi; Andersson, Kim; Patil, Grete; Ihlebæk, Camilla; Raanaas, Ruth K

2015-01-01

Stress and mental fatigue are major health threats to employees in office-based occupations. Physical activity is widely used as a stress-management intervention for employees. Moreover, experiences in contact with nature have been shown to provide stress-reduction and restoration from mental fatigue. In a pilot study designed as a randomized controlled trial we investigated the impact of a green-exercise intervention on psychological and physiological indicators of stress in municipality employees. Fourteen employees (7 females and 7 males, 49±8 yrs) volunteered in an exercise-based intervention in workplace either outdoors in a green/nature area or in an indoor exercise-setting. The intervention consisted of an information meeting and two exercise sessions, each including a biking bout and a circuit-strength sequence using elastic rubber bands (45-minutes, at about 55% of HR reserve, overall). Main outcomes were perceived environmental potential for restoration, affective state, blood pressure (BP) and cortisol awakening response (CAR AUC(G) and CAR AUC(I)) and cortisol levels in serum. Measurements were taken at baseline and in concomitance with the exercise sessions. Furthermore, affective state and self-reported physical activity levels were measured over a 10-weeks follow-up period. Compared with the indoor group, the nature group reported higher environmental potential for restoration (p <  0.001) and Positive Affect (p <  0.01), along with improved CAR AUC(I) (p = 0.04) and, marginally, diastolic BP (p = 0.05). The nature group also reported higher ratings of Positive Affect at follow-up (p = 0.02). Differences at post-exercise were not found for any of the other components of affective state, systolic BP, CAR AUC(G) and cortisol levels measured in serum. Green-exercise at the workplace could be a profitable way to manage stress and induce restoration among employees. Further studies on larger samples are needed in order to improve the generalizability of the results.

Miniature solid-state lasers for pointing, illumination, and warning devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, D. C.; Singley, J. M.; Yager, E.; Kowalewski, K.; Lotito, B.; Guelzow, J.; Hildreth, J.; Kuper, J. W.

2008-04-01

In this paper we review the current status of and progress towards higher power and more wavelength diverse diode-pumped solid-state miniature lasers. Snake Creek Lasers now offers unprecedented continuous wave (CW) output power from 9.0 mm and 5.6 mm TO type packages, including the smallest green laser in the world, the MicroGreen TM laser, and the highest density green laser in the world, the MiniGreen TM laser. In addition we offer an infrared laser, the MiniIR TM, operating at 1064 nm, and have just introduced a blue Mini laser operating at 473 nm in a 9.0 mm package. Recently we demonstrated over 1 W of output power at 1064 nm from a 12 mm TO type package, and green output power from 300-500 mW from the same 12 mm package. In addition, the company is developing a number of other innovative new miniature CW solid-state lasers operating at 750 nm, 820 nm, 458 nm, and an eye-safe Q-switched laser operating at 1550 nm. We also review recently demonstrated combining volume Bragg grating (VBG) technology has been combined with automatic power control (APC) to produce high power MiniGreen TM lasers whose output is constant to +/- 10 % over a wide temperature range, without the use of a thermoelectric cooler (TEC). This technology is expected to find widespread application in military and commercial applications where wide temperature operation is particularly important. It has immediate applications in laser pointers, illuminators, and laser flashlights, and displays.

The green highway forum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

2006-07-01

In late 2004, as part of American Coal Ash Association's (ACAA) strategic planning process, a plan was approved by its Board of Directors implementing a 'green highways' concept which emphasized use of coal combustion products (CCPs) in highways in a variety of ways including being used alone, in combination with other forms of CCPs, and combined with non ash materials. The incentives behind the developed concept were the derived advantages from beneficial technical economic and environmental impacts. Although the primary use of fly ash is concrete, other forms of CCPs could be considered for more non-traditional highway applications. For example,more » these might include soils stabilization, binders for in-place pavement recycling, use in flowable fills, aggregates, source materials for structural fills and embankments, components in manufactured soils, and for granular base courses beneath pavements. At this same time, unknown to ACCA, EPA Region 3 in Philadelphia was working with the Wetlands and Watershed Work Group, a non-profit organization involved in wetlands policy and management along with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on their own Green Highways initiative. These groups were planning a conference, the 'Green Highway Forum'. This was held in College Park, Maryland at the University of Maryland, Nov 8-10 2005. At the conference a draft 'roadmap' was presented as a guide to executive level participants bringing the diverse viewpoints of many agencies and interest groups together. Ten guiding principals were considered. The 'Green Highways' is a new effort to recognize the 'greenness' of many projects already completed and those to be initiated. 2 photos.« less

A social assessment of urban parkland: Analyzing park use and meaning to inform management and resilience planning

Treesearch

Lindsay K. Campbell; Erika S. Svendsen; Nancy Falxa Sonti; Michelle L. Johnson

2016-01-01

Globally, municipalities are tackling climate adaptation and resilience planning. Urban green space has crucial biophysical buffering capacities, but also affects social interactions and human well-being. This paper considers the social dimension of urban green space, through an assessment focused on park use, function, and meanings, and compares results to categories...

Emerging issues in urban ecology: implications for research, social justice, human health, and well-being

Treesearch

Viniece Jennings; Myron F. Floyd; Danielle Shanahan; Christopher Coutts; Alex Sinykin

2017-01-01

Urbanization affects landscape structure and the overall human condition in numerous ways. Green spaces include vegetated land cover (e.g., urban forests, trees, riparian zones, parks) which play a distinctive role in urban ecology. This article reviews emergent literature on the linkages between urban green spaces, social justice, and human health. We explore this...

75 FR 32743 - Action Affecting Export Privileges; Green Supply, Inc.; Robert Leland Green and William Robert...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-09

... responsibility, affiliation, or other connection in the conduct of trade or business in order to prevent evasion... to GSI is necessary to avoid evasion of the denial order against GSI. As provided in Section 766.23... believes naming them as persons related to GSI would be necessary to prevent evasion of a denial order...

Electronic tongue response to chemicals in orange juice that change concentration in relation to harvest maturity and citrus greening or Huanglongbing (HLB) disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In an earlier study, the electronic tongue system (etongue) was used to differentiate between orange juice made from healthy fruit and from fruit affected by the citrus greening or Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. This study investigated the reaction of an etongue system to the main chemicals in orange ...

Seedbed Density Affects Size of 3-0 Green Ash Nursery Stock

Treesearch

J.H. Stoeckeler

1967-01-01

Nursery seedbed density of 3-0 green ash, which ranged from 4 to 36 trees per square foot at Carlos Avery Nursery, Forest Lake, Minn., had a marked effect on caliper, height, fresh weight, and percent and amound of plantable stock. The highest number of good-quality trees was produced at a density of 12.5 trees per square foot.

Planting Depth and Source Affect Survival of Planted Green Ash Cuttings

Treesearch

Harvey E. Kennedy

1977-01-01

Horizontally and vertically planted cuttings from 1-0 nursery-grown green ash seedlings sprouted and grew well during the first growing season. Cuttings from 1- and 2-year-old sprouts and older material did not perform satisfactorily. Planted seedlings survived and grew well. Cuttings should be 10 to 15 inches long made from 1-0 seedlings and planted horizontally in...

Green roof soil system affected by soil structural changes: A project initiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jelínková, Vladimíra; Dohnal, Michal; Šácha, Jan; Šebestová, Jana; Sněhota, Michal

2014-05-01

Anthropogenic soil systems and structures such as green roofs, permeable or grassed pavements comprise appreciable part of the urban watersheds and are considered to be beneficial regarding to numerous aspects (e.g. carbon dioxide cycle, microclimate, reducing solar absorbance and storm water). Expected performance of these systems is significantly affected by water and heat regimes that are primarily defined by technology and materials used for system construction, local climate condition, amount of precipitation, the orientation and type of the vegetation cover. The benefits and potencies of anthropogenic soil systems could be considerably threatened in case when exposed to structural changes of thin top soil layer in time. Extensive green roof together with experimental green roof segment was established and advanced automated monitoring system of micrometeorological variables was set-up at the experimental site of University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings as an interdisciplinary research facility of the Czech Technical University in Prague. The key objectives of the project are (i) to characterize hydraulic and thermal properties of soil substrate studied, (ii) to establish seasonal dynamics of water and heat in selected soil systems from continuous monitoring of relevant variables, (iii) to detect structural changes with the use of X-ray Computed Tomography, (iv) to identify with the help of numerical modeling and acquired datasets how water and heat dynamics in anthropogenic soil systems are affected by soil structural changes. Achievements of the objectives will advance understanding of the anthropogenic soil systems behavior in conurbations with the temperate climate.

Going green with eco-friendly dentistry.

PubMed

Avinash, Bhagyalakshmi; Avinash, B S; Shivalinga, B M; Jyothikiran, S; Padmini, M N

2013-07-01

Eco-friendly dentistry is currently transforming the medical and dental field to decrease its affect on our natural environment and reduce the amount of waste being produced. Eco-friendly dentistry uses a sustainable approach to encourage dentists to implement new strategies to try and reduce the energy being consumed and the large amount of waste being produced by the industry. Many reasonable, practical and easy alternatives do exist which would reduce the environmental footprint of a dental office were it to follow the 'green' recommendations. Dentist should take a leading role in the society by implementing 'green' initiatives to lessen their impact on the environment. This article provides a series of 'green' recommendations that dentists around the world can implement to become a leading Stewards of the environment.

A First Estimation of County-Based Green Water Availability and Its Implications for Agriculture and Bioenergy Production in the United States

DOE PAGES

Xu, Hui; Wu, May

2018-02-02

Green water is vital for the terrestrial ecosystem, but water resource assessment often focuses on blue water. In this study, we estimated green water availability for major crops (i.e., corn, soybean, and wheat) and all other users(e.g., forest, grassland, and ecosystem services) at the county level in the United States. We estimated green water resources from effective rain(ER) using three different methods: Smith, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Soil Conservation Service (USDA-SCS), and the NHD plus V2 dataset. The analysis illustrates that, if green water meets all crop water demands, the fraction of green water resources available to all other users variesmore » significantly across regions, from the Northern Plains (0.71) to the Southeast (0.98). At the county level, this fraction varies from 0.23 to 1.0. Green water resources estimated using the three different ER methods present diverse spatiotemporal distribution patterns across regions, which could affect green water availability estimates. The water availability index for green water (WAI_R) was measured taking into account crop water demand and green water resources aggregated at the county level. Beyond these parameters, WAI_R also depends on the precipitation pattern, crop type and spatially differentiated regions. In addition, seasonal analysis indicated that WAI_R is sensitive to the temporal boundary of the analysis.« less

A First Estimation of County-Based Green Water Availability and Its Implications for Agriculture and Bioenergy Production in the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Hui; Wu, May

Green water is vital for the terrestrial ecosystem, but water resource assessment often focuses on blue water. In this study, we estimated green water availability for major crops (i.e., corn, soybean, and wheat) and all other users(e.g., forest, grassland, and ecosystem services) at the county level in the United States. We estimated green water resources from effective rain(ER) using three different methods: Smith, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Soil Conservation Service (USDA-SCS), and the NHD plus V2 dataset. The analysis illustrates that, if green water meets all crop water demands, the fraction of green water resources available to all other users variesmore » significantly across regions, from the Northern Plains (0.71) to the Southeast (0.98). At the county level, this fraction varies from 0.23 to 1.0. Green water resources estimated using the three different ER methods present diverse spatiotemporal distribution patterns across regions, which could affect green water availability estimates. The water availability index for green water (WAI_R) was measured taking into account crop water demand and green water resources aggregated at the county level. Beyond these parameters, WAI_R also depends on the precipitation pattern, crop type and spatially differentiated regions. In addition, seasonal analysis indicated that WAI_R is sensitive to the temporal boundary of the analysis.« less

Green lumber grade yields from factory grade logs of three oak species

Treesearch

Daniel A. Yaussy

1986-01-01

Multivariate regression models were developed to predict green board foot yields for the seven common factory lumber grades processed from white, black, and chestnut oak factory grade logs. These models use the standard log measurements of grade, scaling diameter, log length, and proportion of scaling defect. Any combination of lumber grades (such as 1 Common and...

75 FR 22245 - Imidacloprid; Pesticide Tolerances

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-28

... onion, green, subgroup 3-07B at 2.5 ppm, onion, dry bulb, subgroup 3-07A at 0.15 ppm and grain, cereal... combined residues of imidacloprid in or on onion, green, subgroup 3-07B at 2.5 ppm, onion, dry bulb... acute toxicity via the oral route. It is not an eye or dermal irritant and is not a dermal sensitizer...

Development of duplex SYBR Green I-based real-time quantitative reverse-transcription PCR for detection and discrimination of grapevine viruses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A SYBR® Green-based real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) assay in combination with melt curve analysis (MCA) was developed for the detection of nine grapevine viruses. The detection limits for singleplex qRT-PCR for all nine grapevine viruses were determined to be in the range ...

Green's functions for dislocations in bonded strips and related crack problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ballarini, R.; Luo, H. A.

1990-01-01

Green's functions are derived for the plane elastostatics problem of a dislocation in a bimaterial strip. Using these fundamental solutions as kernels, various problems involving cracks in a bimaterial strip are analyzed using singular integral equations. For each problem considered, stress intensity factors are calculated for several combinations of the parameters which describe loading, geometry and material mismatch.

Pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (Col., Scolytidae), responses to commn green leaf volatiles

Treesearch

Therese M. Poland; Robert A. Haack

2000-01-01

We tested the hypothesis that green leaf volatiles (GLVs) disrupt the response of overwintered pine shoot beetles, Tomicus piniperda (L.) to multiple-funnel traps baited with the attractive host volatile -pinene. A combination of four GLV alcohols, 1-hexanol (E)-2-hexen-l-ol (Z)-2-hexen-l-ol, and (Z)-3-hexen-l-ol...

Conserving herbivorous and predatory insects in urban green spaces.

PubMed

Mata, Luis; Threlfall, Caragh G; Williams, Nicholas S G; Hahs, Amy K; Malipatil, Mallik; Stork, Nigel E; Livesley, Stephen J

2017-01-19

Insects are key components of urban ecological networks and are greatly impacted by anthropogenic activities. Yet, few studies have examined how insect functional groups respond to changes to urban vegetation associated with different management actions. We investigated the response of herbivorous and predatory heteropteran bugs to differences in vegetation structure and diversity in golf courses, gardens and parks. We assessed how the species richness of these groups varied amongst green space types, and the effect of vegetation volume and plant diversity on trophic- and species-specific occupancy. We found that golf courses sustain higher species richness of herbivores and predators than parks and gardens. At the trophic- and species-specific levels, herbivores and predators show strong positive responses to vegetation volume. The effect of plant diversity, however, is distinctly species-specific, with species showing both positive and negative responses. Our findings further suggest that high occupancy of bugs is obtained in green spaces with specific combinations of vegetation structure and diversity. The challenge for managers is to boost green space conservation value through actions promoting synergistic combinations of vegetation structure and diversity. Tackling this conservation challenge could provide enormous benefits for other elements of urban ecological networks and people that live in cities.

A rapid ATR-FTIR spectroscopic method for detection of sibutramine adulteration in tea and coffee based on hierarchical cluster and principal component analyses.

PubMed

Cebi, Nur; Yilmaz, Mustafa Tahsin; Sagdic, Osman

2017-08-15

Sibutramine may be illicitly included in herbal slimming foods and supplements marketed as "100% natural" to enhance weight loss. Considering public health and legal regulations, there is an urgent need for effective, rapid and reliable techniques to detect sibutramine in dietetic herbal foods, teas and dietary supplements. This research comprehensively explored, for the first time, detection of sibutramine in green tea, green coffee and mixed herbal tea using ATR-FTIR spectroscopic technique combined with chemometrics. Hierarchical cluster analysis and PCA principle component analysis techniques were employed in spectral range (2746-2656cm -1 ) for classification and discrimination through Euclidian distance and Ward's algorithm. Unadulterated and adulterated samples were classified and discriminated with respect to their sibutramine contents with perfect accuracy without any false prediction. The results suggest that existence of the active substance could be successfully determined at the levels in the range of 0.375-12mg in totally 1.75g of green tea, green coffee and mixed herbal tea by using FTIR-ATR technique combined with chemometrics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conserving herbivorous and predatory insects in urban green spaces

PubMed Central

Mata, Luis; Threlfall, Caragh G.; Williams, Nicholas S. G.; Hahs, Amy K.; Malipatil, Mallik; Stork, Nigel E.; Livesley, Stephen J.

2017-01-01

Insects are key components of urban ecological networks and are greatly impacted by anthropogenic activities. Yet, few studies have examined how insect functional groups respond to changes to urban vegetation associated with different management actions. We investigated the response of herbivorous and predatory heteropteran bugs to differences in vegetation structure and diversity in golf courses, gardens and parks. We assessed how the species richness of these groups varied amongst green space types, and the effect of vegetation volume and plant diversity on trophic- and species-specific occupancy. We found that golf courses sustain higher species richness of herbivores and predators than parks and gardens. At the trophic- and species-specific levels, herbivores and predators show strong positive responses to vegetation volume. The effect of plant diversity, however, is distinctly species-specific, with species showing both positive and negative responses. Our findings further suggest that high occupancy of bugs is obtained in green spaces with specific combinations of vegetation structure and diversity. The challenge for managers is to boost green space conservation value through actions promoting synergistic combinations of vegetation structure and diversity. Tackling this conservation challenge could provide enormous benefits for other elements of urban ecological networks and people that live in cities. PMID:28102333

Periodically poled self-frequency-doubling green laser fabricated from Nd:Mg:LiNbO₃ single crystal.

PubMed

Wang, Dong Zhou; Sun, De Hui; Kang, Xue Liang; Sang, Yuan Hua; Yan, Bo Xia; Liu, Hong; Bi, Yong

2015-07-13

Although a breakthrough in the fabrication of green laser diodes has occurred, the high costs associated with the difficulty of manufacture still present a great obstacle for its practical application. Another approach for producing a green laser, by combining a laser device and a nonlinear crystal, entails the fabrication of complex structures and exhibits unstable performance due to interface contact defects, thus limiting its application. In this work, we report the fabrication by domain engineering of high quality periodically poled LiNbO₃, co-doped with Nd³⁺ and Mg²⁺, which combines a laser medium and a high efficiency second harmonic conversion crystal into a single system that is designed to overcome the above problems. An 80 mW self-frequency doubling green laser was constructed for the first time from a periodically poled Nd:Mg:LiNbO₃ crystal of 16 mm in length. This crystal can be used for developing compact, stable, highly efficient mini-solid-state-lasers, which promise to have many applications in portable laser-based spectroscopy, photo-communications, terahertz wave generation, and laser displays.

Granulation of fine powder

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Ching-Fong

A mixture of fine powder including thorium oxide was converted to granulated powder by forming a first-green-body and heat treating the first-green-body at a high temperature to strengthen the first-green-body followed by granulation by crushing or milling the heat-treated first-green-body. The granulated powder was achieved by screening through a combination of sieves to achieve the desired granule size distribution. The granulated powder relies on the thermal bonding to maintain its shape and structure. The granulated powder contains no organic binder and can be stored in a radioactive or other extreme environment. The granulated powder was pressed and sintered to formmore » a dense compact with a higher density and more uniform pore size distribution.« less

Green tea: Health benefits as cancer preventive for humans.

PubMed

Fujiki, Hirota

2005-01-01

Green tea is an acknowledged cancer preventive in Japan. The aim of this review article is to develop the concept of cancer prevention with green tea beverage for humans, which has largely been our exclusive research territory. This paper briefly reviews several topics, beginning with the introduction of our initial work on penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the main constituent of green tea extract. The mechanisms of EGCG action, particularly the reduction of TNF-alpha are discussed, and we show how use of 3H-EGCG revealed a wide range of target organs for cancer prevention. The results of an epidemiological study in Saitama Prefecture allowed us to determine the cancer preventive amount of green tea-10 Japanese-size cups per day, about 2.5 g green tea extract-which made it possible for us to introduce the two-stage strategy of cancer prevention with green tea. The first stage is the delay of cancer onset for the general population. The second stage is the prevention of recurrence of cancer for patients following cancer treatment. Combination cancer prevention with green tea and cancer preventive drugs is proving especially beneficial for Japanese, who drink green tea every day. And finally, the stimulating comments of Prof. Jim Watson have encouraged green tea scientists. Copyright (c) 2005 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Investigating affective color association of media content in language and perception based on online RGB experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kyung Jae

2005-03-01

As an investigation of color categorization in language and perception, this research intends to study the affective associations between certain colors and different media content (i.e., movie genres). Compared to non-entertainment graphics (medical imaging and engineering graphics), entertainment graphics (video games and movies) are designed to deliver emotionally stimulating content to audiences. Based on an online color survey of 19 subjects, this study investigated whether or not subjects had different color preferences on diverse movie genres. Instead of providing predefined limited number of color chips (or pictures) as stimuli, this study was conducted by asking the subjects to visualize their own images of movie genres and to select their preferred colors through an online RGB color palette. By providing a combined application interface of three color slides (red, green, blue) and 216 digital color cells, the subjects were interactively able to select their preferred colors of different movie genres. To compare the distribution of movie genres, the user selected colors were mapped on CIE chromaticity diagram. This study also investigated preferred color naming of different movie genres as well as three primary color names of the subjects" most favorite genre. The results showed that the subjects had different color associations with specific movie genres as well as certain genres showed higher individual differences. Regardless of genre differences, the subjects selected blue, red or green as their three primary color names that represent their favorite movie genres. Also, the results supports Berlin & Kay"s eleven color terms.

The effect of uniform color on judging athletes' aggressiveness, fairness, and chance of winning.

PubMed

Krenn, Bjoern

2015-04-01

In the current study we questioned the impact of uniform color in boxing, taekwondo and wrestling. On 18 photos showing two athletes competing, the hue of each uniform was modified to blue, green or red. For each photo, six color conditions were generated (blue-red, blue-green, green-red and vice versa). In three experiments these 108 photos were randomly presented. Participants (N = 210) had to select the athlete that seemed to be more aggressive, fairer or more likely to win the fight. Results revealed that athletes wearing red in boxing and wrestling were judged more aggressive and more likely to win than athletes wearing blue or green uniforms. In addition, athletes wearing green were judged fairer in boxing and wrestling than athletes wearing red. In taekwondo we did not find any significant impact of uniform color. Results suggest that uniform color in combat sports carries specific meanings that affect others' judgments.

Alkaloid and polyphenol analysis by HPLC in green and black tea powders and their potential use as additives in ruminant diets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramdani, Diky; Chaudhry, Abdul S.; Seal, Chris J.

2018-02-01

We used HPLC to examine the bioactive compounds such as alkaloids and polyphenols in green and black tea powders and their use as potential additives in ruminant diets. Caffeine was the highest alkaloid in both green and black teas. Green tea had significantly higher concentrations of alkaloids and catechins but lower theaflavins than black tea. Epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate and epigallocatechin were the major catechins in green tea while theaflavin-3, 3'-digallate and theaflavin-3-gallate were the major theaflavins in black tea. Tea powders in ruminant diets decreased in vitro rumen ammonia and methane production without affecting volatile fatty acid profiles and the degradability of the diets. The tea powders containing variable amounts of alkaloids, catechins and theaflavins can potentially be used to decrease rumen ammonia and methane productions without any detrimental effect on rumen functions in vitro and perhaps ruminant productive efficiency.

Nathaniel Everett Green: artist and astronomer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKim, R. J.

2004-02-01

N. E. Green, a well-known BAA member from the decade of the 1890s, managed to successfully combine his hobby with his profession as a landscape artist and art teacher. One-time drawing master to Queen Victoria, and exhibitor at the Royal Academy, Green became equally famous for his beautiful and realistic drawings of the planets, above all for his expedition to Madeira in 1877 to observe the perihelic opposition of Mars. He inevitably became an important figure in the early martian 'canal debate'. Green was an Original Member of the BAA who twice directed the early Saturn Section, and ultimately served as President in 1896-'98. In this paper Green's life and works are reviewed, together with new details of his instruments and his approach to painting and drawing. Opportunity has been taken to publish some more of his original work, in colour, for the very first time.

Evaluation of green building rating tools based on existing green building achievement in Indonesia using Life Cycle Assessment Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basten, Van; Latief, Yusuf; Berawi, Mohammed Ali; Budiman, Rachmat; Riswanto

2017-03-01

Total completed building construction value in Indonesia increased 116% during 2009 to 2011. That's followed by increasing 11% energy consumption in Indonesia in the last three years with 70% energy met to the electricity needs of commercial building. In addition, a few application of green building concept in Indonesia made the greenhouse gas emissions or CO2 amount increased by 25%. Construction, operation, and maintain of building cost consider relatively high. The evaluation in this research is used to improve the building performance with some of green concept alternatives. The research methodology is conducted by combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches through interview and case study. Assessing the successful of optimization functions in the existing green building is based on the operational and maintenance phase with the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Method. The result of optimization that is the largest efficiency and effective of building life cycle.

[Assessment of the potential for urban facade greening in Xinjiekou District, Nanjing, China.

PubMed

Shi, Bao Gang; Yin, Hai Wei; Kong, Fan Hua

2018-05-01

Green facade is an important strategy to improve the urban eco-environment and reduce the negative effects of human activities in central districts of cities which are land-scarce and lack green spaces. We first summarized the limiting factors for the construction of green facades locally and internationally. Then, we used the Xinjiekou District of Nanjing City in China as a case study area, and selected the wind environment, solar environment, and physical build environment that might impact the potential development of green facades as key factors to quantitatively analyze singlely by geographic information systems (GIS) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Finally, the potential area to develop green facades was assessed through a multi-factor overlay analysis. The results showed that 17726 m 2 of wall spaces in the Xinjiekou District had a high potential for facade greening, accounting for 30.8% of all exterior wall space under a height of 12 m and 17.3% of the entire study area. Sunlight was a key limiting factor in determining whether a green facade should be developed. Irrigation was identified as another important factor that might strongly affect the growth of vertical vegetation in urban environment. The spatial distribution of walls suitable for facade greening was uneven, with an "inner-high and south-high" spatial pattern. Our results would help to guide the design and development of green facades in Xinjiekou, and also provide a reference for planning and utilizing green wall space projects in other built and dense urban areas.

In vitro and in vivo Nematocidal Activity of Allium sativum and Tagetes erecta Extracts Against Haemonchus contortus.

PubMed

Palacio- Landín, Josefina; Mendoza-de Gives, Pedro; Salinas-Sánchez, David Osvaldo; López-Arellano, María Eugenia; Liébano-Hernández, Enrique; Hernández-Velázquez, Victor Manuel; Valladares-Cisneros, María Guadalupe

2015-12-01

In the Mexican ethno-medicine, a number of plants have shown a successful anthelmintic activity. This fact could be crucial to identify possible green anti-parasitic strategies against nematodes affecting animal production. This research evaluated the in vitro and in vivo nematocidal effects of two single and combined plant extracts: bulbs of Allium sativum (n-hexane) and flowers of Tagetes erecta (acetone). The in vivo assay evaluated the administration of extracts either individually or combined against Haemonchus contortus in experimentally infected gerbils. The in vitro larvicidal activity percentage (LAP) of A. sativum and T. erecta extracts against H. contortus (L3) was determined by means of individual and combined usage of the extracts. Similarly, the extracts were evaluated in terms of reduction in the parasitic population in gerbils infected with H. contortus by individual and combined usage. The LAP at 40 mg/mL was 68% with A. sativum and 36.6% with T. erecta. The combination caused 83.3% mortality of parasites. The oral administration of A. sativum and T. erecta extracts at 40 mg/mL, caused 68.7% and 53.9% reduction of the parasitic burden, respectively. Meanwhile, the combined effect of both extracts shown 87.5% reduction. This study showed evidence about the effect of A. sativum and T. erecta plant extracts by means of individual and combined usage against H. contortus in in vitro and in vivo bioassays in artificially H. contortus-infected gerbils as a model.

Establishing green roof infrastructure through environmental policy instruments.

PubMed

Carter, Timothy; Fowler, Laurie

2008-07-01

Traditional construction practices provide little opportunity for environmental remediation to occur in urban areas. As concerns for environmental improvement in urban areas become more prevalent, innovative practices which create ecosystem services and ecologically functional land cover in cities will be in higher demand. Green roofs are a prime example of one of these practices. The past decade has seen the North American green roof industry rapidly expand through international green roof conferences, demonstration sites, case studies, and scientific research. This study evaluates existing international and North American green roof policies at the federal, municipal, and community levels. Green roof policies fall into a number of general categories, including direct and indirect regulation, direct and indirect financial incentives, and funding of demonstration or research projects. Advantages and disadvantages of each category are discussed. Salient features and a list of prompting standards common to successfully implemented green roof strategies are then distilled from these existing policies. By combining these features with data collected from an experimental green roof site in Athens, Georgia, the planning and regulatory framework for widespread green roof infrastructure can be developed. The authors propose policy instruments be multi-faceted and spatially focused, and also propose the following recommendations: (1) Identification of green roof overlay zones with specifications for green roofs built in these zones. This spatial analysis is important for prioritizing areas of the jurisdiction where green roofs will most efficiently function; (2) Offer financial incentives in the form of density credits and stormwater utility fee credits to help overcome the barriers to entry of the new technology; (3) Construct demonstration projects and institutionalize a commitment greening roofs on publicly-owned buildings as an effective way of establishing an educated roofing industry and experienced installers for future green roof construction.

Establishing Green Roof Infrastructure Through Environmental Policy Instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Timothy; Fowler, Laurie

2008-07-01

Traditional construction practices provide little opportunity for environmental remediation to occur in urban areas. As concerns for environmental improvement in urban areas become more prevalent, innovative practices which create ecosystem services and ecologically functional land cover in cities will be in higher demand. Green roofs are a prime example of one of these practices. The past decade has seen the North American green roof industry rapidly expand through international green roof conferences, demonstration sites, case studies, and scientific research. This study evaluates existing international and North American green roof policies at the federal, municipal, and community levels. Green roof policies fall into a number of general categories, including direct and indirect regulation, direct and indirect financial incentives, and funding of demonstration or research projects. Advantages and disadvantages of each category are discussed. Salient features and a list of prompting standards common to successfully implemented green roof strategies are then distilled from these existing policies. By combining these features with data collected from an experimental green roof site in Athens, Georgia, the planning and regulatory framework for widespread green roof infrastructure can be developed. The authors propose policy instruments be multi-faceted and spatially focused, and also propose the following recommendations: (1) Identification of green roof overlay zones with specifications for green roofs built in these zones. This spatial analysis is important for prioritizing areas of the jurisdiction where green roofs will most efficiently function; (2) Offer financial incentives in the form of density credits and stormwater utility fee credits to help overcome the barriers to entry of the new technology; (3) Construct demonstration projects and institutionalize a commitment greening roofs on publicly-owned buildings as an effective way of establishing an educated roofing industry and experienced installers for future green roof construction.

European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus, L.) green attack affects foliar reflectance and biochemical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Haidi; Darvishzadeh, Roshanak; Skidmore, Andrew K.; Groen, Thomas A.; Heurich, Marco

2018-02-01

The European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus, L. (hereafter bark beetle), causes major economic loss to the forest industry in Europe, especially in Norway Spruce (Picea abies). To minimise economic loss and preclude a mass outbreak, early detection of bark beetle infestation (so-called ;green attack; stage - a period at which trees are yet to show visual signs of infestation stress) is, therefore, a crucial step in the management of Norway spruce stands. It is expected that a bark beetle infestation at the green attack stage affects a tree's physiological and chemical status. However, the concurrent effect on key foliar biochemical such as foliar nitrogen and chlorophyll as well as spectral responses are not well documented in the literature. Therefore, in this study, the early detection of bark beetle green attacks is investigated by examining foliar biochemical and spectral properties (400-2000 nm). We also assessed whether bark beetle infestation affects the estimation accuracy of foliar biochemicals. An extensive field survey was conducted in the Bavarian Forest National Park (BFNP), Germany, in the early summer of 2015 to collect leaf samples from 120 healthy and green attacked trees. The spectra of the leaf samples were measured using an ASD FieldSpec3 equipped with an integrating sphere. Significant differences (p < 0.05) between healthy and infested needle samples were found in the mean reflectance spectra, with the most pronounced differences being observed in the NIR and SWIR regions between 730 and 1370 nm. Furthermore, significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in the biochemical compositions (chlorophyll and nitrogen concentration) of healthy versus green attacked samples. Our results further demonstrate that the estimation accuracy of foliar chlorophyll and nitrogen concentrations, utilising partial least square regression model, was lower for the infested compared to the healthy trees. We show that early stage of infestation reduces not only foliar biochemical content but also their retrieval accuracy. Our results further indicate that remote sensing measurements can be successfully used for the early detection of the bark beetle infestation. We demonstrated that bark beetle infestation at the green attack stage effects leaf spectral response as well as leaf biochemical properties and their retrievals from hyperspectral measurements.

Effects of Sucrose and Kinetin on Growth and Chlorophyll Synthesis in Tobacco Tissue Cultures 1

PubMed Central

Kaul, K.; Sabharwal, P. S.

1971-01-01

Investigations were carried out on the effects of various combinations of sucrose and kinetin concentrations on growth and chlorophyll production in a green and a nongreen clone of pith callus of Nicotiana tabacum L. It was found that 2 milligrams per liter or higher amounts of kinetin induced greening in the nongreen tissue. The observations suggested that growth of the callus and synthesis of chlorophyll and soluble protein are controlled by relative concentrations of sucrose and kinetin in the medium. Kinetin was found to be inhibitory for chlorophyll synthesis in the green callus. PMID:16657686

Process Studies on Laser Welding of Copper with Brilliant Green and Infrared Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engler, Sebastian; Ramsayer, Reiner; Poprawe, Reinhart

Copper materials are classified as difficult to weld with state-of-the-art lasers. High thermal conductivity in combination with low absorption at room temperature require high intensities for reaching a deep penetration welding process. The low absorption also causes high sensitivity to variations in surface conditions. Green laser radiation shows a considerable higher absorption at room temperature. This reduces the threshold intensity for deep penetration welding significantly. The influence of the green wavelength on energy coupling during heat conduction welding and deep penetration welding as well as the influence on the weld shape has been investigated.

Can ornamental potted plants remove volatile organic compounds from indoor air? A review.

PubMed

Dela Cruz, Majbrit; Christensen, Jan H; Thomsen, Jane Dyrhauge; Müller, Renate

2014-12-01

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are found in indoor air, and many of these can affect human health (e.g. formaldehyde and benzene are carcinogenic). Plants affect the levels of VOCs in indoor environments, thus they represent a potential green solution for improving indoor air quality that at the same time can improve human health. This article reviews scientific studies of plants' ability to remove VOCs from indoor air. The focus of the review is on pathways of VOC removal by the plants and factors affecting the efficiency and rate of VOC removal by plants. Laboratory based studies indicate that plant induced removal of VOCs is a combination of direct (e.g. absorption) and indirect (e.g. biotransformation by microorganisms) mechanisms. They also demonstrate that plants' rate of reducing the level of VOCs is influenced by a number of factors such as plant species, light intensity and VOC concentration. For instance, an increase in light intensity has in some studies been shown to lead to an increase in removal of a pollutant. Studies conducted in real-life settings such as offices and homes are few and show mixed results.

Role of precursors on greening in crushed garlic (Allium sativum) bulbs, and its control with freeze-dried onion powder.

PubMed

Cho, Jungeun; Lee, Eun Jin; Yoo, Kil Sun; Lee, Seung Koo

2012-01-30

Lachrymatory factor (LF) synthase in onion bulbs reacts with S-1-propenyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (1-PeCSO), a key compound in garlic greening. In this study, freeze-dried onion powder containing LF synthase was used in treatments to control garlic greening. Prior to the use of freeze-dried onion powder to treat greening garlic bulbs, model reactions were conducted to confirm the reactivity of 1-PeCSO in onion bulbs to garlic greening. While pink pigments were generated from 1-PeCSO, green pigments were produced from the combination of 1-PeCSO and S-2-propenyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (2-PeCSO). However, pigments were formed in the systems containing 1-PeCSO, amino acid and alliinase. Even non-greening garlic bulbs stored at 20 °C turned green with the reaction of 200 g L(-1) 1-PeCSO; therefore 1-PeCSO isolated from onion bulbs had the same role as 1-PeCSO in garlic bulbs in terms of greening. Onion bulbs turned green after the addition of 600 g L(-1) 2-PeCSO. The addition of freeze-dried onion powder inhibited garlic greening, and treatment with 15 g kg(-1) onion powder gave the best storage stability of crushed garlic bulbs. The addition of freeze-dried onion powder inhibited the greening in crushed garlic bulbs, and treatment with 15 g kg(-1) onion powder gave the best storage stability of crushed garlic bulbs. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Single and combined effects of microcystin- and saxitoxin-producing cyanobacteria on the fitness and antioxidant defenses of cladocerans.

PubMed

da S Ferrão-Filho, Aloysio; de Abreu S Silva, Daniel; de Oliveira, Taissa A; de Magalhães, Valéria Freitas; Pflugmacher, Stephan; da Silva, Eduardo Mendes

2017-10-01

Cyanobacteria produce different toxic compounds that affect animal life, among them hepatotoxins and neurotoxins. Because cyanobacteria are able to produce a variety of toxic compounds at the same time, organisms may be, generally, subjected to their combined action. In the present study, we demonstrate the single and combined effects on cladocerans of cyanobacteria that produce microcystins (hepatotoxins) and saxitoxins (neurotoxins). Animals were exposed (either singly or combined) to 2 strains of cyanobacteria isolated from the same environment (Funil Reservoir, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The effects on clearance rate, mobility, survivorship, fecundity, population increase rate (r), and the antioxidant enzymes glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) were measured. Cladoceran species showed a variety of responses to cyanobacterial exposures, going from no effect to impairment of swimming movement, lower survivorship, fecundity, and general fitness (r). Animals ingested cyanobacteria in all treatments, although at lower rates than good food (green algae). Antioxidant defense responses were in accordance with fitness responses, suggesting that oxidative stress may be related to such effects. The present study emphasizes the need for testing combined actions of different classes of toxins, because this is often, and most likely, the scenario in a more eutrophic world with global climatic changes. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2689-2697. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

On Relevance of Codon Usage to Expression of Synthetic and Natural Genes in Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Supek, Fran; Šmuc, Tomislav

2010-01-01

A recent investigation concluded that codon bias did not affect expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) variants in Escherichia coli, while stability of an mRNA secondary structure near the 5′ end played a dominant role. We demonstrate that combining the two variables using regression trees or support vector regression yields a biologically plausible model with better support in the GFP data set and in other experimental data: codon usage is relevant for protein levels if the 5′ mRNA structures are not strong. Natural E. coli genes had weaker 5′ mRNA structures than the examined set of GFP variants and did not exhibit a correlation between the folding free energy of 5′ mRNA structures and protein expression. PMID:20421604

A proteomic analysis of green and white sturgeon larvae exposed to heat stress and selenium

PubMed Central

Silvestre, Frédéric; Linares-Casenave, Javier; Doroshov, Serge I.; Kültz, Dietmar

2012-01-01

Temperature and selenium are two environmental parameters that potentially affect reproduction and stock recruitment of sturgeon in the San Francisco Bay / Delta Estuary. To identify proteins whose expression is modified by these environmental stressors, we performed a proteomic analysis on larval green and white sturgeons exposed to 18 or 26°C and micro-injected with Seleno-L-Methionine to reach 8 μg g-1 selenium body burden, with L-Methionine as a control. Selenium and high temperature induced mortalities and abnormal morphologies in both species, with a higher mortality in green sturgeon. Larval proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and differential abundances were detected following spot quantitation and hierarchical cluster analysis. In green sturgeon, 34 of 551 protein spots detected on gels showed a variation in abundance whereas in white sturgeon only 9 of 580 protein spots were differentially expressed (P<0.01). Gel replicates were first grouped according to heat treatment. Fifteen of these spots were identified using MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. Proteins involved in protein folding, protein synthesis, protein degradation, ATP supply and structural proteins changed in abundance in response to heat and/or selenium. 40S ribosomal protein SA, FK506-binding protein 10, 65 kDa regulatory subunit A of protein phosphatase 2, protein disulfide isomerase, stress-induced-phosphoprotein 1, suppression of tumorigenicity 13 and collagen type II alpha 1, were differentially expressed in high temperature treatment only. Serine/arginine repetitive matrix protein 1, creatine kinase, serine peptidase inhibitor Kazal type 5 and HSP90 were sensitive to combined temperature and selenium exposure. Valosin-containing protein, a protein involved in aggresome formation and in protein quality control decreased more than 50% in response to selenium treatment. Potential use of such proteins as biomarkers of environmental stressors in larval sturgeons could indicate early warning signals preceding population decline. PMID:20435339

Use of UV-C treatments to maintain quality and extend the shelf life of green fresh-cut bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.).

PubMed

Rodoni, Luis M; Concellón, Analía; Chaves, Alicia R; Vicente, Ariel R

2012-06-01

The objective of this work was to select a Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) treatment for fresh-cut mature green bell pepper, and to evaluate the effect of its combination with refrigeration on quality maintenance. Bell pepper sticks were treated with 0, 3, 10, or 20 kJ/m² UV-C in the outer (O), inner (I), or both sides of the pericarp (I/O) and stored for 8 d at 10 °C. During the first 5 d of storage, all UV-C treatments reduced deterioration as compared to the control. The treatment with 20 kJ/m² I/O was the most effective to reduce deterioration, and was used for further evaluations. In a second group of experiments, mature green bell pepper sticks were treated with 20 kJ/m² I/O, stored at 5 °C for 7 or 12 d and assessed for physical and chemical analysis, and microbiological quality. UV-C-treated fruit showed lower exudates and shriveling than the control. UV exposure also reduced decay, tissue damage, and electrolyte leakage. After 12 d at 5 °C, UV-C irradiated peppers remained firmer and had higher resistance to deformation than the control. The UV-C treatments also reduced weight loss and pectin solubilization. UV-C exposure decreased the counts of mesophile bacteria and molds, and did not affect acidity or sugars. UV-C-treated fruit stored for 0 or 7 d at 5 °C did not show major differences in antioxidants from the control as measured against DPPH(•) or ABTS(•)⁺ radicals. Results suggest that UV-C exposure is useful to maintain quality of refrigerated fresh-cut green pepper. Exposure to UV-C radiation before packing and refrigeration could be a useful nonchemical alternative to maintain quality and reduce postharvest losses in the fresh-cut industry. © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®

To mow or to mow less: Lawn mowing frequency affects bee abundance and diversity in suburban yards

Treesearch

Susannah B. Lerman; Alexandra R. Contosta; Joan Milam; Christofer Bang

2018-01-01

Green spaces embedded within the urban matrix, particularly residential yards, could mitigate negative aspects of urban development and provide pollinator habitat. Lawns represent a dominant green space, and their management consists of frequent mowing to inhibit the growth of ostensibly “weedy” species (e.g., dandelions and clover). Since widespread population...

Relation of heart rots to mortality of red spruce in the Green Mountain National Forest

Treesearch

Paul V. Mook; Harold G. Eno

1956-01-01

Several years ago, old-growth red spruce at high elevations in the Green Mountain National Forest were observed to be dying. Entomologists and pathologists who examined the affected area found no insect or fungus that was obviously causing the deaths. However, many of the dead and dying trees were butt-rotted by the fungus Polyporus borealis. Though it seemed unlikely...

Effect of methyl mercury on the growth of the green alga, Coelastrum microporum Naeg, strain 280

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holderness, J.; Fenwick, M.G.; Lynch, D.L.

The effect of methylmercury on the growth of the green alga, coelastrum microporum Naeg. strain 280 was examined. Growth was drastically reduced at a level of .006 ppM methylmercury chloride. It was noted that the organism stored more starch at higher concentrations of methylmercury. Levels of .0008 ppm were found to affect gross photosynthetic rates. (JWP)

Evaluation of XD/A Plus and ST8G films for cephalometric radiography with Grenex G8 and BH-III screens.

PubMed

Wakoh, M; Farman, A G; Scarfe, W C; Shibuya, H; Nishikawa, K; Kuroyanagi, K

1997-02-01

Sensitometric properties, clinical image quality, and patient dose requirements are important considerations when selecting film for cephalometrics. Two recently released films, XD/A Plus and ST 8G green sensitive films, were studied. The films were each combined with Grenex G8 (Fuji Medical) green-fluorescing matched and BH-III (Kasei Optonix) blue-fluorescing mismatched intensifying screens. The density response and resolution for each screen-film combination were evaluated by use of the characteristic curve and modulation transfer function. The kilovoltage settings providing clinically acceptable images were assessed individually by 12 observers. Clinically acceptable images for each combination were also compared, and the skin entrance doses in the temporomandibular joint region were determined. The average contrast at the most effective density range was found to be slightly higher for the BH-III group than for the G8 group. The modulation transfer function for the BH-III group was inferior to that for the G8 screens. There were no significant differences in diagnostically acceptable image quality among the four combinations; nevertheless the BH-III screen group required two to three times more exposure than the G8 screen group. XD/A Plus and ST8G films provide acceptable image detail for cephalometrics. To minimize the patient dose they should be used with green-emitting screens.

Rapid and Quantitative Detection of Hepatitis A Virus from Green Onion and Strawberry Rinses by Use of Real-Time Reverse Transcription-PCR

PubMed Central

Shan, X. C.; Wolffs, P.; Griffiths, M. W.

2005-01-01

In this study, an immunomagnetic capture method and a real-time reverse transcription-PCR assay were used to quantify hepatitis A virus (HAV) in green onion and strawberry rinses. This combined protocol detected as low as 0.5 PFU HAV in produce rinses and concentrated HAV levels up to 20-fold. PMID:16151164

Molecular simultaneous detection of Cherry necrotic rusty mottle virus and Cherry green ring mottle virus by real-time RT-PCR and high resolution melting analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In this study, real-time RT-PCR assays were combined with high resolution melting (HRM) analysis for the simultaneous detection of Cherry necrotic rusty mottle virus (CNRMV) and Cherry green ring mottle virus (CGRMV) infection in sweet cherry trees. Detection of CNRMV and CGRMV was performed using a...

γ-glutamyl transpeptidase 1 specifically suppresses green-light avoidance via GABAA receptors in Drosophila.

PubMed

Liu, Jiangqu; Gong, Zhefeng; Liu, Li

2014-08-01

Drosophila larvae innately show light avoidance behavior. Compared with robust blue-light avoidance, larvae exhibit relatively weaker green-light responses. In our previous screening for genes involved in larval light avoidance, compared with control w(1118) larvae, larvae with γ-glutamyl transpeptidase 1 (Ggt-1) knockdown or Ggt-1 mutation were found to exhibit higher percentage of green-light avoidance which was mediated by Rhodopsin6 (Rh6) photoreceptors. However, their responses to blue light did not change significantly. By adjusting the expression level of Ggt-1 in different tissues, we found that Ggt-1 in malpighian tubules was both necessary and sufficient for green-light avoidance. Our results showed that glutamate levels were lower in Ggt-1 null mutants compared with controls. Feeding Ggt-1 null mutants glutamate can normalize green-light avoidance, indicating that high glutamate concentrations suppressed larval green-light avoidance. However, rather than directly, glutamate affected green-light avoidance indirectly through GABA, the level of which was also lower in Ggt-1 mutants compared with controls. Mutants in glutamate decarboxylase 1, which encodes GABA synthase, and knockdown lines of the GABAA receptor, both exhibit elevated levels of green-light avoidance. Thus, our results elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms mediating green-light avoidance, which was inhibited in wild-type larvae. © 2014 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Starting a health care system green team.

PubMed

Mejia, Elisa A; Sattler, Barbara

2009-07-01

The health care industry is often overlooked as a major source of industrial pollution, but as this becomes more recognized, many health care facilities are beginning to pursue green efforts. The OR is a prime example of an area of health care that is working to lessen its environmental impact. Nurses can play key roles in identifying areas of waste and presenting ideas about recovering secondary materials. For instance, although infection prevention measures encourage one-time use of some products, nurses can investigate how to reprocess these items so they can be reused. This article examines how the efforts of a Green Team can affect a hospital's waste stream. A health care Green Team can facilitate a medical facility's quest for knowledge and awareness of its effect on the waste stream and environment.

Green infrastructure development at European Union's eastern border: Effects of road infrastructure and forest habitat loss.

PubMed

Angelstam, Per; Khaulyak, Olha; Yamelynets, Taras; Mozgeris, Gintautas; Naumov, Vladimir; Chmielewski, Tadeusz J; Elbakidze, Marine; Manton, Michael; Prots, Bohdan; Valasiuk, Sviataslau

2017-05-15

The functionality of forest patches and networks as green infrastructure may be affected negatively both by expanding road networks and forestry intensification. We assessed the effects of (1) the current and planned road infrastructure, and (2) forest loss and gain, on the remaining large forest landscape massifs as green infrastructure at the EU's eastern border region in post-socialistic transition. First, habitat patch and network functionality in 1996-98 was assessed using habitat suitability index modelling. Second, we made expert interviews about road development with planners in 10 administrative regions in Poland, Belarus and Ukraine. Third, forest loss and gain inside the forest massifs, and gain outside them during the period 2001-14 were measured. This EU cross-border region hosts four remaining forest massifs as regional green infrastructure hotspots. While Poland's road network is developing fast in terms of new freeways, city bypasses and upgrades of road quality, in Belarus and Ukraine the focus is on maintenance of existing roads, and no new corridors. We conclude that economic support from the EU, and thus rapid development of roads in Poland, is likely to reduce the permeability for wildlife of the urban and agricultural matrix around existing forest massifs. However, the four identified forest massifs themselves, forming the forest landscape green infrastructure at the EU's east border, were little affected by road development plans. In contrast, forest loss inside massifs was high, especially in Ukraine. Only in Poland forest loss was balanced by gain. Forest gain outside forest massifs was low. To conclude, pro-active and collaborative spatial planning across different sectors and countries is needed to secure functional forest green infrastructure as base for biodiversity conservation and human well-being. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Impact of Nutrition and Salinity Changes on Biological Performances of Green and White Sturgeon

PubMed Central

Vaz, Pedro G.; Kebreab, Ermias; Hung, Silas S. O.; Fadel, James G.; Lee, Seunghyung; Fangue, Nann A.

2015-01-01

Green and white sturgeon are species of high conservational and economic interest, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Delta (SFBD) for which significant climate change-derived alterations in salinity and nutritional patterns are forecasted. Although there is paucity of information, it is critical to test the network of biological responses underlying the capacity of animals to tolerate current environmental changes. Through nutrition and salinity challenges, climate change will likely have more physiological effect on young sturgeon stages, which in turn may affect growth performance. In this study, the two species were challenged in a multiple-factor experimental setting, first to levels of feeding rate, and then to salinity levels for different time periods. Data analysis included generalized additive models to select predictors of growth performance (measured by condition factor) among the environmental stressors considered and a suite of physiological variables. Using structural equation modeling, a path diagram is proposed to quantify the main linkages among nutrition status, salinity, osmoregulation variables, and growth performances. Three major trends were anticipated for the growth performance of green and white sturgeon in the juvenile stage in the SFBD: (i) a decrease in prey abundance will be highly detrimental for the growth of both species; (ii) an acute increase in salinity within the limits studied can be tolerated by both species but possibly the energy spent in osmoregulation may affect green sturgeon growth within the time window assessed; (iii) the mechanism of synergistic effects of nutrition and salinity changes will be more complex in green sturgeon, with condition factor responding nonlinearly to interactions of salinity and nutrition status or time of salinity exposure. Green sturgeon merits special scientific attention and conservation effort to offset the effects of feed restriction and salinity as key environmental stressors in the SFBD. PMID:25830227

Impact of nutrition and salinity changes on biological performances of green and white sturgeon.

PubMed

Vaz, Pedro G; Kebreab, Ermias; Hung, Silas S O; Fadel, James G; Lee, Seunghyung; Fangue, Nann A

2015-01-01

Green and white sturgeon are species of high conservational and economic interest, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Delta (SFBD) for which significant climate change-derived alterations in salinity and nutritional patterns are forecasted. Although there is paucity of information, it is critical to test the network of biological responses underlying the capacity of animals to tolerate current environmental changes. Through nutrition and salinity challenges, climate change will likely have more physiological effect on young sturgeon stages, which in turn may affect growth performance. In this study, the two species were challenged in a multiple-factor experimental setting, first to levels of feeding rate, and then to salinity levels for different time periods. Data analysis included generalized additive models to select predictors of growth performance (measured by condition factor) among the environmental stressors considered and a suite of physiological variables. Using structural equation modeling, a path diagram is proposed to quantify the main linkages among nutrition status, salinity, osmoregulation variables, and growth performances. Three major trends were anticipated for the growth performance of green and white sturgeon in the juvenile stage in the SFBD: (i) a decrease in prey abundance will be highly detrimental for the growth of both species; (ii) an acute increase in salinity within the limits studied can be tolerated by both species but possibly the energy spent in osmoregulation may affect green sturgeon growth within the time window assessed; (iii) the mechanism of synergistic effects of nutrition and salinity changes will be more complex in green sturgeon, with condition factor responding nonlinearly to interactions of salinity and nutrition status or time of salinity exposure. Green sturgeon merits special scientific attention and conservation effort to offset the effects of feed restriction and salinity as key environmental stressors in the SFBD.

Direct scavenging of nitric oxide and superoxide by green tea.

PubMed

Nakagawa, T; Yokozawa, T

2002-12-01

In the present study, we investigated the free radical scavenging effects of green tea extract and green tea tannin mixture and its components using a nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide (O(2)(-)) generating system in vitro. Green tea extract showed direct scavenging activity against NO and O(2)(-) and green tea tannin mixture, at the same concentration, showed high scavenging activity. Comparison of the activities of seven pure compounds isolated from green tea tannin mixture showed that (-)-epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate (EGCg), (-)-gallocatechin 3-O-gallate (GCg) and (-)-epicatechin 3-O-gallate (ECg) had higher scavenging activities than (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (+)-gallocatechin (GC), (-)-epicatechin (EC) and (+)-catechin (C), showing the importance of the structure of flavan-3-ol linked to gallic acid for this activity. Among the gallate-free tannins, EGC and GC were more effective O(2)(-) scavengers than EC and C, indicating the O-trihydroxy structure in the B ring is an important determinant of such activity. However, this structure did not affect the NO scavenging activity. These findings confirm that green tea tannin has excellent antioxidant properties, which may be involved in the beneficial effect of this compound.

Occupational safety and health, green chemistry, and sustainability: a review of areas of convergence

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

With increasing numbers and quantities of chemicals in commerce and use, scientific attention continues to focus on the environmental and public health consequences of chemical production processes and exposures. Concerns about environmental stewardship have been gaining broader traction through emphases on sustainability and “green chemistry” principles. Occupational safety and health has not been fully promoted as a component of environmental sustainability. However, there is a natural convergence of green chemistry/sustainability and occupational safety and health efforts. Addressing both together can have a synergistic effect. Failure to promote this convergence could lead to increasing worker hazards and lack of support for sustainability efforts. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has made a concerted effort involving multiple stakeholders to anticipate and identify potential hazards associated with sustainable practices and green jobs for workers. Examples of potential hazards are presented in case studies with suggested solutions such as implementing the hierarchy of controls and prevention through design principles in green chemistry and green building practices. Practical considerations and strategies for green chemistry, and environmental stewardship could benefit from the incorporation of occupational safety and health concepts which in turn protect affected workers. PMID:23587312

Occupational safety and health, green chemistry, and sustainability: a review of areas of convergence.

PubMed

Schulte, Paul A; McKernan, Lauralynn T; Heidel, Donna S; Okun, Andrea H; Dotson, Gary Scott; Lentz, Thomas J; Geraci, Charles L; Heckel, Pamela E; Branche, Christine M

2013-04-15

With increasing numbers and quantities of chemicals in commerce and use, scientific attention continues to focus on the environmental and public health consequences of chemical production processes and exposures. Concerns about environmental stewardship have been gaining broader traction through emphases on sustainability and "green chemistry" principles. Occupational safety and health has not been fully promoted as a component of environmental sustainability. However, there is a natural convergence of green chemistry/sustainability and occupational safety and health efforts. Addressing both together can have a synergistic effect. Failure to promote this convergence could lead to increasing worker hazards and lack of support for sustainability efforts. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has made a concerted effort involving multiple stakeholders to anticipate and identify potential hazards associated with sustainable practices and green jobs for workers. Examples of potential hazards are presented in case studies with suggested solutions such as implementing the hierarchy of controls and prevention through design principles in green chemistry and green building practices. Practical considerations and strategies for green chemistry, and environmental stewardship could benefit from the incorporation of occupational safety and health concepts which in turn protect affected workers.

The relationship of physical activity and overweight to objectively measured green space accessibility and use

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

This study examines the association between objectively measured access to green space, frequency of green space use, physical activity, and the probability of being overweight or obese in the city of Bristol, England. Data from the Bristol Quality of Life in your Neighbourhood survey for 6,821 adults were combined with a comprehensive GIS database of neighbourhood and green space characteristics.. A range of green space accessibility measures were computed. Associations between accessibility and the odds of respondents achieving a recommended 30 minutes or more of moderate activity five times a week, or being overweight or obese, were examined using logistic regression. Results showed that the reported frequency of green space use declined with increasing distance. The study also found that respondents living closest to the type of green space classified as a Formal park were more likely to achieve the physical activity recommendation and less likely to be overweight or obese. The association with physical activity, but not with overweight or obesity, remained after adjustment for respondent characteristics, area deprivation, and a range of characteristics of the neighbourhood environment. The findings suggest that the provision of good access to green spaces in urban areas may help promote population physical activity. PMID:20060635

Heat generation and light scattering of green fluorescent protein-like pigments in coral tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyndby, Niclas H.; Kühl, Michael; Wangpraseurt, Daniel

2016-05-01

Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-like pigments have been proposed to have beneficial effects on coral photobiology. Here, we investigated the relationships between green fluorescence, coral heating and tissue optics for the massive coral Dipsastraea sp. (previously Favia sp.). We used microsensors to measure tissue scalar irradiance and temperature along with hyperspectral imaging and combined imaging of variable chlorophyll fluorescence and green fluorescence. Green fluorescence correlated positively with coral heating and scalar irradiance enhancement at the tissue surface. Coral tissue heating saturated for maximal levels of green fluorescence. The action spectrum of coral surface heating revealed that heating was highest under red (peaking at 680 nm) irradiance. Scalar irradiance enhancement in coral tissue was highest when illuminated with blue light, but up to 62% (for the case of highest green fluorescence) of this photon enhancement was due to green fluorescence emission. We suggest that GFP-like pigments scatter the incident radiation, which enhances light absorption and heating of the coral. However, heating saturates, because intense light scattering reduces the vertical penetration depth through the tissue eventually leading to reduced light absorption at high fluorescent pigment density. We conclude that fluorescent pigments can have a central role in modulating coral light absorption and heating.

A Study on the Rural Residence in the Northern Area of Zhejiang Province from the Perspective of Green Living Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J.; Gao, W. J.; Wang, C.

2018-05-01

At present, owing to the rapid development of rural construction, it lacks corresponding theories and practices and damages to the features of rural area, ignoring the geography, suitability and green living environment factors. The research selects rural residence as the object, defining “courtyard” as the basic unit for rural residence. It utilizes the principle of topology as the expanding media, by the method of principle of cellular structure and green living environment design strategy. The essay establishes the design and construction system of “rural basic unit”, combining functions and structures, prototype menu, chamber space and compound interface, from the perspective of green living environment. It aims to guide rural construction and protect the ruralliving environment.

Highly efficient 400  W near-fundamental-mode green thin-disk laser.

PubMed

Piehler, Stefan; Dietrich, Tom; Rumpel, Martin; Graf, Thomas; Ahmed, Marwan Abdou

2016-01-01

We report on the efficient generation of continuous-wave, high-brightness green laser radiation. Green lasers are particularly interesting for reliable and reproducible deep-penetration welding of copper or for pumping Ti:Sa oscillators. By intracavity second-harmonic generation in a thin-disk laser resonator designed for fundamental-mode operation, an output power of up to 403 W is demonstrated at a wavelength of 515 nm with almost diffraction-limited beam quality. The unprecedented optical efficiency of 40.7% of green output power with respect to the pump power of the thin-disk laser is enabled by the intracavity use of a highly efficient grating waveguide mirror, which combines the functions of wavelength stabilization and spectral narrowing, as well as polarization selection in a single element.

7 CFR 51.1564 - External defects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... the potato or when green color affects more than 50 percent of the surface in the aggregate. Growth Cracks When the growth crack(s) affects more than 1/2 the length of the potato in the aggregate on round... that as outlined in Table V. (See Table V.) When the growth crack(s) affects more than 3/4 the length...

Origin of green luminescence in hydrothermally grown ZnO single crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Čížek, J., E-mail: jakub.cizek@mff.cuni.cz; Hruška, P.; Melikhova, O.

2015-06-22

Combining photoluminescence and positron annihilation studies of hydrothermally grown ZnO crystals with stoichiometry varied by controlled annealing enabled us to clarify the origin of green luminescence. It was found that green luminescence in ZnO has multiple origins and consists of a band at 2.3(1) eV due to recombination of electrons of the conduction band by zinc vacancy acceptors coupled with hydrogen and a band at 2.47(2) eV related to oxygen vacancies. The as-grown ZnO crystals contain zinc vacancies associated with hydrogen and exhibit a green luminescence at 2.3(1) eV. Annealing in Zn vapor removed zinc vacancies and introduced oxygen vacancies.more » This led to disappearance of the green luminescence band at 2.3(1) eV and appearance of a green emission at higher energy of 2.47(2) eV. Moreover, the color of the crystal was changed from colorless to dark red. In contrast, annealing of the as-grown crystal in Cd vapor did not remove zinc vacancies and did not cause any significant change of green luminescence nor change in coloration.« less

Efficient triplet harvesting of hybrid white organic light-emitting diodes using thermally activated delayed fluorescence green emitter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Song Eun; Lee, Ho Won; Baek, Hyun Jung; Yun, Tae Jun; Yun, Geum Jae; Kim, Woo Young; Kim, Young Kwan

2016-10-01

Hybrid white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) were fabricated by applying triplet harvesting (TH) using a green thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter. The triplet exciton of the green TADF emitter can be upconverted to its singlet state. The TH involved energy transfer of triplet exciton from a blue fluorescent emitter to a green TADF and red phosphorescent emitters, where they can decay radiatively. In addition, the triplet exciton of the green TADF emitter was energy transferred to its singlet state for a reverse intersystem crossing by green emission. Enhanced hybrid WOLEDs were demonstrated using an efficient green TADF emitter combined with red phosphorescent and blue fluorescent emitters. Hybrid WOLEDs were fabricated with various hole-electron recombination zones as changing blue emitting layer thicknesses. Among these, hybrid WOLEDs showed a maximum external quantum efficiency of 11.23%, luminous efficiency of 29.20 cd/A, and a power efficiency of 26.21 lm/W. Moreover, the WOLED exhibited electroluminescence spectra with Commission International de L'Éclairage chromaticity of (0.38, 0.36) at 1000 cd/m2 and a color rendering index of 82 at a practical brightness of 20,000 cd/m2.

Environmental Concerns, Environmental Policy and Green Investment.

PubMed

Gao, Xuexian; Zheng, Haidong

2017-12-13

Environmental regulators often use environmental policy to induce green investment by firms. However, if an environmental policy fails to exert a long-run effect on regulating the economic agents' behavior, it may be more reasonable to think of the firm as the leader in the game, since the investment in green technology is usually a strategic decision. In this paper, we consider a three-stage Stackelberg game to address the interaction between a profit-maximizing firm (Stackelberg leader) facing emission-dependent demand, and the environmental regulator (Stackelberg follower). The firm decides on the green technology level in the first stage of the game based on its understanding of the regulator's profits function, especially an environmental concern that is introduced as an exogenous variable. In the current research, we show that high levels of the regulator's environmental concerns do not necessarily lead to the choice of green technology by the firm, and green investment level depends on the combined effects of the market and operational factors for a given level of the regulator's environmental concerns. The result also shows that increasing environmental awareness amongst the consumers is an effective way to drive the firm's green investment.

Environmental Concerns, Environmental Policy and Green Investment

PubMed Central

Gao, Xuexian; Zheng, Haidong

2017-01-01

Environmental regulators often use environmental policy to induce green investment by firms. However, if an environmental policy fails to exert a long-run effect on regulating the economic agents’ behavior, it may be more reasonable to think of the firm as the leader in the game, since the investment in green technology is usually a strategic decision. In this paper, we consider a three-stage Stackelberg game to address the interaction between a profit-maximizing firm (Stackelberg leader) facing emission-dependent demand, and the environmental regulator (Stackelberg follower). The firm decides on the green technology level in the first stage of the game based on its understanding of the regulator’s profits function, especially an environmental concern that is introduced as an exogenous variable. In the current research, we show that high levels of the regulator’s environmental concerns do not necessarily lead to the choice of green technology by the firm, and green investment level depends on the combined effects of the market and operational factors for a given level of the regulator’s environmental concerns. The result also shows that increasing environmental awareness amongst the consumers is an effective way to drive the firm’s green investment. PMID:29236072

2-(1H-pyrrolyl)carboxylic acids as pigment precursors in garlic greening.

PubMed

Wang, Dan; Nanding, Husile; Han, Na; Chen, Fang; Zhao, Guanghua

2008-02-27

Six model compounds having a 2-(1 H-pyrrolyl)carboxylic acid moiety and a hydrophobic R group were synthesized to study their effects on garlic greening, the structures of which are similar to that of 2-(3,4-dimethyl-1 H-pyrrolyl)-3-methylbutanoic acid (PP-Val) (a possible pigment precursor for garlic greening). The puree of freshly harvested garlic bulbs turned green after being soaked in solutions of all these compounds, and with both increasing concentrations and incubation time the green color of the puree became deeper. In contrast, neither pyrrole alone nor pyrrole combined with free amino acids had the ability to discolor the puree. The compounds exhibited a good relationship between structure and activity of garlic greening, namely, the smaller the size of the R group, the larger the contribution. Also, it was found that the unidentified yellow species can be produced by reacting the model compounds with pyruvic acid at room temperature (23-25 degrees C). Moreover, blue species were formed by incubation of the model compounds with di(2-propenyl) thiosulfinate at room temperature. On the basis of these observations, a pathway for garlic greening was proposed.

Molecular diversity and population structure of Chinese green foxtail [Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv.] revealed by microsatellite analysis.

PubMed

Jia, Guanqing; Shi, Shenkui; Wang, Chunfang; Niu, Zhengang; Chai, Yang; Zhi, Hui; Diao, Xianmin

2013-09-01

Green foxtail (Setaria viridis) is a new model plant for the genomic investigation of C4 photosynthesis biology. As the ancestor of foxtail millet (Setaria italica), an ancient cereal of great importance in arid regions of the world, green foxtail is crucial for the study of domestication and evolution of this ancient crop. In the present study, 288 green foxtail accessions, which were collected from all geographical regions of China, were analysed using 77 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) that cover the whole genome. A high degree of molecular diversity was detected in these accessions, with an average of 33.5 alleles per locus. Two clusters, which were inconsistent with the distribution of eco-geographical regions in China, were inferred from STRUCTURE, Neighbor-Joining, and principal component analysis, indicating a partially mixed distribution of Chinese green foxtails. The higher subpopulation diversity was from accessions mainly collected from North China. A low level of linkage disequilibrium was observed in the green foxtail genome. Furthermore, a combined analysis of green foxtail and foxtail millet landraces was conducted, and the origin and domestication of foxtail millet was inferred in North China.

Reduction of facial redness with resveratrol added to topical product containing green tea polyphenols and caffeine.

PubMed

Ferzli, Georgina; Patel, Mital; Phrsai, Natasha; Brody, Neil

2013-07-01

Many topical formulations include antioxidants to improve the antioxidant capability of the skin. This study evaluated the ability of a unique combination of antioxidants including resveratrol, green tea polyphenols, and caffeine to reduce facial redness. Subjects (n=16) presenting with facial redness applied the resveratrol-enriched product twice daily to the entire face. Reduction in redness was evaluated by trained staff members and dermatology house staff officers. Evaluators compared clinical photographs and spectrally enhanced images taken before treatment and at 2-week intervals for up to 12 weeks. 16 of 16 clinical images showed improvement and 13 of 16 spectrally enhanced images were improved. Reduction in facial redness continued to evolve over the duration of the study period but was generally detectable by 6 weeks of treatment. Adverse effects were not observed in any subject. The skin product combination of resveratrol, green tea polyphenols, and caffeine safely reduces facial redness in most patients by 6 weeks of continuous treatment and may provide further improvement with additional treatment.

Effects of bean dregs and crab shell powder additives on the composting of green waste.

PubMed

Zhang, Lu; Sun, Xiangyang

2018-07-01

Composting is an effective and economic technology for the recycling of organic waste. In this study, bean dregs (BD) (at 0, 35, and 45%) and crab shell powder (CSP) (at 0, 15, and 25%) were evaluated as additives during the two-stage composting of green waste (GW). The GW used in this experiment mainly consisted of branch cuttings collected during the maintenance of the urban green landscape. Combined additions of BD and CSP improved composting conditions and compost quality in terms of composting temperature, specific surface area, average pore diameter, pH and EC values, carbon dioxide release, ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions, E 4 /E 6 ratio, elemental composition and atomic ratios, organic matter degradation, microbial numbers, enzyme activities, compost phytotoxicity, and environmental and economic benefits. The combined addition of 35% BD and 25% CSP to the two-stage composting of GW resulted in the highest quality compost product in only 22 days. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decolorization of brilliant green dye using immersed lamp sonophotocatalytic reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gole, Vitthal L.; Priya, Astha; Danao, Sanjay P.

2017-12-01

The textile and dye industries require an enormous amount of water for processing and produce a large volume of wastewater. Generated wastewater had potential hazards and a threat to the aquatic biota. The present work investigates the decolorization of brilliant green dye using a combination of two advanced oxidation techniques viz sonocatalysis and photocatalysis (immersed lamp) known as sonophotocatalysis (3 L capacity). The efficiency of decolorization is further improved in the presence of various additives viz. copper oxide, zinc oxide, and sodium chloride. The maximum decolorization of brilliant green (BG) (94.8% in 120 min) obtained in the presence of zinc oxide. The total organic carbon of the treated samples was measured to monitor complete mineralization of BG. The sonophotocatalytic process (in the presence of zinc oxide) shows maximum mineralization. Synergic combination of two oxidation processes increased the production of oxidizing radicals. Continuous cleaning of catalyst surface (due to sonolysis effect) improves the activity of the catalyst for photolysis operation. The present work is highly useful for the development of a sonophotocatalytic process.

[Experimental assessment of combined effect of nitrates and acute gamma-irradiation on green algae Scenedesmus quadricauda growth].

PubMed

Triapitsyna, G A; Tarasova, S P; Atamaniuk, N I; Osipov, D I; Priakhin, E A

2012-01-01

The combined effect of acute gamma-irradiation at doses of 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 Gy and nitrates in concentrations of 0.04 g/dm3 (that corresponds to maximum permissible concentrations for fishery waters), 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 g/dm3 (that is close to NO3(-) level in water of a reservoir R-17 used as radioactive waste storage of the "Mayak" Production Association) and 5.0 g/dm3 (that is close to NO3(-) level in the water of radioactive waste storage reservoir R-9) on the unicellular green algae Scenedesmus quadricauda growth has been studied in laboratory conditions. It was shown that the joint effects of nitrates and y-radiation had an antagonistic character. Thus, it may be concluded that chemical pollution is the factor limiting the development of green algae in reservoir R-17; probably, both factors, chemical and radiating, are essential to the algocenosis degradation in reservoir R-9.

EnviroAtlas - Durham, NC - Land Cover Summaries by Block Group

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset describes the percentage of each block group that is classified as impervious, forest, green space, wetland, and agriculture. Impervious is a combination of dark and light impervious. Green space is a combination of trees and forest and grass and herbaceous. This dataset also includes the area per capita for each block group for impervious, forest, and green space land cover. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas ) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets ).

"Turn-off" fluorescent sensor for highly sensitive and specific simultaneous recognition of 29 famous green teas based on quantum dots combined with chemometrics.

PubMed

Liu, Li; Fan, Yao; Fu, Haiyan; Chen, Feng; Ni, Chuang; Wang, Jinxing; Yin, Qiaobo; Mu, Qingling; Yang, Tianming; She, Yuanbin

2017-04-22

Fluorescent "turn-off" sensors based on water-soluble quantum dots (QDs) have drawn increasing attention owing to their unique properties such as high fluorescence quantum yields, chemical stability and low toxicity. In this work, a novel method based on the fluorescence "turn-off" model with water-soluble CdTe QDs as the fluorescent probes for differentiation of 29 different famous green teas is established. The fluorescence of the QDs can be quenched in different degrees in light of positions and intensities of the fluorescent peaks for the green teas. Subsequently, with aid of classic partial least square discriminant analysis (PLSDA), all the green teas can be discriminated with high sensitivity, specificity and a satisfactory recognition rate of 100% for training set and 98.3% for prediction set, respectively. Especially, the "turn-off" fluorescence PLSDA model based on second-order derivatives (2nd der) with reduced least complexity (LVs = 3) was the most effective one for modeling. Most importantly, we further demonstrated the established "turn-off" fluorescent sensor mode has several significant advantages and appealing properties over the conventional fluorescent method for large-class-number classification (LCNC) of green teas. This work is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report on the rapid and effective identification of so many kinds of famous green teas based on the "turn-off" model of QDs combined with chemometrics, which also implies other potential applications on complex LCNC classification system with weak fluorescence or even without fluorescence to achieve higher detective response and specificity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fluorometric determination of nucleic acids based on the use of polydopamine nanotubes and target-induced strand displacement amplification.

PubMed

Ge, Jia; Bai, Dong-Mei; -Geng, Xin; Hu, Ya-Lei; Cai, Qi-Yong; Xing, Ke; Zhang, Lin; Li, Zhao-Hui

2018-01-10

The authors describe a fluorometric method for the quantitation of nucleic acids by combining (a) cycled strand displacement amplification, (b) the unique features of the DNA probe SYBR Green, and (c) polydopamine nanotubes. SYBR Green undergoes strong fluorescence enhancement upon intercalation into double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). The polydopamine nanotubes selectively adsorb single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and molecular beacons. In the absence of target DNA, the molecular beacon, primer and SYBR Green are adsorbed on the surface of polydopamine nanotubes. This results in quenching of the fluorescence of SYBR Green, typically measured at excitation/emission wavelengths of 488/518 nm. Upon addition of analyte (target DNA) and polymerase, the stem of the molecular beacon is opened so that it can bind to the primer. This triggers target strand displacement polymerization, during which dsDNA is synthesized. The hybridized target is then displaced due to the strand displacement activity of the polymerase. The displaced target hybridizes with another molecular beacon. This triggers the next round of polymerization. Consequently, a large amount of dsDNA is formed which is detected by addition of SYBR Green. Thus, sensitive and selective fluorometric detection is realized. The fluorescent sensing strategy shows very good analytical performances towards DNA detection, such as a wide linear range from 0.05 to 25 nM with a low limit of detection of 20 pM. Graphical abstract Schematic of a fluorometric strategy for highly sensitive and selective determination of nucleic acids by combining strand displacement amplification and the unique features of SYBR Green I (SG) and polydopamine nanotubes.

Inter-individual variability in the production of flavan-3-ol colonic metabolites: preliminary elucidation of urinary metabotypes.

PubMed

Mena, Pedro; Ludwig, Iziar A; Tomatis, Virginia B; Acharjee, Animesh; Calani, Luca; Rosi, Alice; Brighenti, Furio; Ray, Sumantra; Griffin, Julian L; Bluck, Les J; Del Rio, Daniele

2018-04-03

There is much information on the bioavailability of (poly)phenolic compounds following acute intake of various foods. However, there are only limited data on the effects of repeated and combined exposure to specific (poly)phenol food sources and the inter-individual variability in their bioavailability. This study evaluated the combined urinary excretion of (poly)phenols from green tea and coffee following daily consumption by healthy subjects in free-living conditions. The inter-individual variability in the production of phenolic metabolites was also investigated. Eleven participants consumed both tablets of green tea and green coffee bean extracts daily for 8 weeks and 24-h urine was collected on five different occasions. The urinary profile of phenolic metabolites and a set of multivariate statistical tests were used to investigate the putative existence of characteristic metabotypes in the production of flavan-3-ol microbial metabolites. (Poly)phenolic compounds in the green tea and green coffee bean extracts were absorbed and excreted after simultaneous consumption, with green tea resulting in more inter-individual variability in urinary excretion of phenolic metabolites. Three metabotypes in the production of flavan-3-ol microbial metabolites were tentatively defined, characterized by the excretion of different amounts of trihydroxyphenyl-γ-valerolactones, dihydroxyphenyl-γ-valerolactones, and hydroxyphenylpropionic acids. The selective production of microbiota-derived metabolites from flavan-3-ols and the putative existence of characteristic metabotypes in their production represent an important development in the study of the bioavailability of plant bioactives. These observations will contribute to better understand the health effects and individual differences associated with consumption of flavan-3-ols, arguably the main class of flavonoids in the human diet.

Measuring Flow Reductions in a Combined Sewer System using Green Infrastructure - abstract

EPA Science Inventory

In 2009, the Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) submitted an Integrated Overflow Abatement Plan (IOAP) addressing combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows. Many of the solutions involve gray infrastructure, such as large, end-of...

Improvement of the sentinel lymph node detection rate of cervical sentinel lymph node biopsy using real-time fluorescence navigation with indocyanine green in head and neck skin cancer.

PubMed

Nakamura, Yasuhiro; Fujisawa, Yasuhiro; Nakamura, Yoshiyuki; Maruyama, Hiroshi; Furuta, Jun-ichi; Kawachi, Yasuhiro; Otsuka, Fujio

2013-06-01

The standard technique using lymphoscintigraphy, blue dye and a gamma probe has established a reliable method for sentinel node biopsy for skin cancer. However, the detection rate of cervical sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) is generally lower than that of inguinal or axillary SLN because of the complexity of lymphatic drainage in the head and neck region and the "shine-through" phenomenon. Recently, indocyanine green fluorescence imaging has been reported as a new method to detect SLN. We hypothesized that fluorescence navigation with indocyanine green in combination with the standard technique would improve the detection rate of cervical sentinel nodes. We performed cervical sentinel node biopsies using the standard technique in 20 basins of 18 patients (group A) and using fluorescence navigation in combination with the standard technique in 12 basins of 16 patients (group B). The mean number of sentinel nodes was two per basin (range, 1-4) in group A and three per basin (range, 1-5) in group B. The detection rate of sentinel nodes was 83% (29/35) in group A and 95% (36/38) in group B. The false-negative rate was 6% (1/18 patients) in group A and 0% in group B. Fluorescence navigation with indocyanine green may improve the cervical sentinel node detection rate. However, greater collection of data regarding the usefulness of cervical sentinel node biopsy using indocyanine green is necessary. © 2013 Japanese Dermatological Association.

Recent trends in vegetation greenness in China significantly altered annual evapotranspiration and water yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Xiao, J.

2017-12-01

There has been growing evidence that vegetation greenness has been increasing in many parts of the northern middle and high latitudes including China during the last three to four decades. However, the effects of vegetation greening particularly afforestation on the hydrologic cycle have been controversial. We used a process-based ecosystem model and a satellite-derived leaf area index (LAI) dataset to examine how the changes in vegetation greenness affected annual evapotranspiration (ET) and water yield for China over the period from 2000 to 2014. Significant trends in vegetation greenness were observed in 26.1% of China's land area. We used two model simulations driven with original and detrended LAI, respectively, to assess the effects of vegetation greening and browning on terrestrial ET and water yield. On a per-pixel basis, vegetation greening increased annual ET and decreased water yield or weakened the increase in water yield; vegetation browning reduced ET and increased water yield or weakened the decrease in water yield. At the large river basin and national scales, the greening trends had positive effects on annual ET and had negative effects on water yield. Our results showed that the effects of the greenness changes on ET and water yield varied with spatial scale. Afforestation efforts perhaps should focus on southern China with larger water supply given the water crisis in northern China and the negative effects of vegetation greening on water yield. Future studies on the effects of the greenness changes on the hydrologic cycle are needed to account for the feedbacks to the climate.

World's largest macroalgal bloom caused by expansion of seaweed aquaculture in China.

PubMed

Liu, Dongyan; Keesing, John K; Xing, Qianguo; Shi, Ping

2009-06-01

In late June 2008, just weeks before the opening of the Beijing Olympics, a massive green-tide occurred covering about 600km(2) along the coast of Qingdao, host city for Olympic sailing regatta. Coastal eutrophication was quickly attributed with the blame by the international media and some scientists. However, we explored an alternative hypothesis that the cause of the green-tide was due to the rapid expansion of Porphyra yezoensis aquaculture along the coastline over 180km away from Qingdao, and oceanographic conditions which favoured rapid growth of the bloom and contributed to transport of the bloom north into the Yellow Sea and then onshore northwest to Qingdao. At its peak offshore, the bloom covered 1200km(2) and affected 40,000km(2). This is the largest green-tide ever reported, the most extensive translocation of a green-tide and the first case of expansive seaweed aquaculture leading to a green-tide. Given similar oceanographic conditions to those that occurred in 2008, these green-tides may re-occur unless mitigation measures such as those proposed here are taken.

Hindrances to Green Building Developments in Nigeria’s Built Environment: “The Project Professionals’ Perspectives”

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalibi, S. G.; Feng, J. C.; Shuangqin, Liu; Sadiq, Abubakar; Bello, B. S.; Danja, I. I.

2017-05-01

Developing countries like Nigeria are faced with the growth of residential housing sector accompanied by huge power, water, and material consumptions etc., which were due to the population growth, increased households and the increased urbanization. The construction industry is guilty of many practices because its activities have adversely affected the environment negatively. It responded with new initiative called Eco / green / sustainable buildings to ensure environmental sustainability. Despite all these glaring challenges green building developments and sustainable practices are embraced very slowly and practiced at slow pace in the Nigeria’s construction industry. This is worrisome and is due to some factors hindering such pace. The aim of this paper is to identify, examine and assess the factors that are hindering green building developments based on the project professionals’ perceptions. Reviewed literatures were used to identify the various factors that hindered the adoption of green measures and practices within the Nigeria’s built environment. A questionnaire survey was conducted within the industry. The results showed the major factors hindering green building developments and practices in the Nigeria’s built environment.

Experimental study of the combined calcination and hydrodesulfurization of high-sulfur green petroleum coke

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilic, Saliha Meltem

The primary production of aluminum is done by means of the Hall-Heroult process where large amounts of carbon anodes are required and consumed. The quality of carbon anodes used in electrolysis is one of the most important parameters affecting the production of primary aluminum. The anode quality widely depends on the raw materials, one of which is the petroleum coke. Green petroleum coke is produced from the heavy residual fractions of petroleum. Petroleum cokes produced from sour crude oil sources contain high quantity of sulfur. A certain level of sulfur is needed to reduce the anode reactivities; however, the demand for anode-grade coke with acceptable sulfur content is increasing faster than the available supply. High sulfur levels in carbon anodes would have an adverse effect on environment; hence, the desulfurization of high sulfur green petroleum cokes is necessary. There are different ways of desulfurizing green petroleum cokes: solvent extraction, thermal desulfurization, and hydrodesulfurization. Coke produced by solvent extraction is prone to contamination. The thermal approach requires greater energy consumption and causes an increase in coke porosity. The global objective of this master project is to find an alternative solution for desulfurization that will produce quality calcined coke with minimum impact on environment. Hydrodesulfurization seems to be a viable option and was investigated in this study. Water was used for the hydrodesulfurization of commercially available high sulfur green petroleum coke. Different experimental systems were tried during the hydrodesulfurization experiments. A systematic approach was used to investigate the influence of hydrodesulfurization parameters including water injection temperature, duration, and water flow rate as well as coke particle size on the hydrodesulfurization of green petroleum coke. In addition to hydrodesulfurization, a number of thermal desulfurization experiments were carried out with the same green petroleum coke in this study. Sulfur removal as well as weight loss results which were obtained from the two methods were compared. The petroleum coke sulfur content as well as its structure were characterized using C-S analysis equipment, SEM-EDX, XPS, FT-IR, XRD, and helium pycnometer prior to the experiments. Hydrodesulfurized cokes which gave maximum sulfur removal were compared with thermally desulfurized cokes in terms of the degree of desulfurization and coke structure by using the above characterization techniques. This study has indicated that different parameters affect the rate of desulfurization to different extents. Maximum sulfur removal was obtained when the water was injected to coke surface at 1 ml/min flow rate for 60 min at 650°C and 850°C resulting in the removal of 22.87% and 22.60% sulfur, respectively. Weight loss percentages were 26.07% and 24.34%, respectively, under these conditions. Hydrodesulfurization involves the loss of a small quantity of carbon due to gasification of coke by water. The characterization of hydrodesulfurized coke with the highest desulfurization rate showed similar structure with its counterpart which was thermally desulfurized to the same maximum temperature. This result, thus, reveals that the hydrodesulfurization does not create a more porous calcined coke compared to that of thermal desulfurization. Therefore, it seems to be a promising method to produce anode-grade calcined coke with lower sulfur content and suitable structure for carbon anode production.

Improved color coordinates of green monochromatic pc-LED capped with a band-pass filter.

PubMed

Oh, Ji Hye; Yang, Su Ji; Sung, Yeon-Goog; Do, Young Rag

2013-02-25

This study introduces a "greener" green monochromatic phosphor-converted light-emitting diode (pc-LED) using a band-pass filter (BPF) combined with a long-pass dichroic filter (LPDF) and a short-pass dichroic filter (SPDF) to improve the color quality of our previously developed LPDF-capped green pc-LED. This can also address the drawbacks of III-V semiconductor-type green LEDs, which show a low luminous efficacy and a poor current dependence of the efficacy and color coordinates compared to blue semiconductor-type LEDs. The optical properties of green monochromatic pc-LEDs using a BPF are compared with those of LPDF-capped green pc-LEDs, which have a broad band spectrum, and III-V semiconductor-type green LEDs by changing the transmittance wavelength range of the BPF and the peak wavelength of the green phosphors. BPF-capped green monochromatic pc-LEDs provide a high luminous efficacy (134 lm/W at 60 mA), and "greener" 1931 Commission Internationale d'Eclairage (CIE; CIEx, CIEy) color coordinates (0.24, 0.66) owing to the narrowed emission spectrum. We also propose a two-dimensional (2D) polystyrene (PS) microbead (2-μm diameter) monolayer as a scattering layer to overcome the poor angular dependence of the color coordinates of the transmitted light through a nano-multilayered dichroic filter such as an LPDF or BPF. The 2D PS scattering layer improves the angular dependence of the green color emitted from a BPF-capped green pc-LED with only 3% loss of luminous efficacy.

Combining analytical hierarchy process and agglomerative hierarchical clustering in search of expert consensus in green corridors development management.

PubMed

Shapira, Aviad; Shoshany, Maxim; Nir-Goldenberg, Sigal

2013-07-01

Environmental management and planning are instrumental in resolving conflicts arising between societal needs for economic development on the one hand and for open green landscapes on the other hand. Allocating green corridors between fragmented core green areas may provide a partial solution to these conflicts. Decisions regarding green corridor development require the assessment of alternative allocations based on multiple criteria evaluations. Analytical Hierarchy Process provides a methodology for both a structured and consistent extraction of such evaluations and for the search for consensus among experts regarding weights assigned to the different criteria. Implementing this methodology using 15 Israeli experts-landscape architects, regional planners, and geographers-revealed inherent differences in expert opinions in this field beyond professional divisions. The use of Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering allowed to identify clusters representing common decisions regarding criterion weights. Aggregating the evaluations of these clusters revealed an important dichotomy between a pragmatist approach that emphasizes the weight of statutory criteria and an ecological approach that emphasizes the role of the natural conditions in allocating green landscape corridors.

Molecularly imprinted polymer for selective extraction of malachite green from seawater and seafood coupled with high-performance liquid chromatographic determination.

PubMed

Lian, Ziru; Wang, Jiangtao

2012-12-01

In this paper, a highly selective sample cleanup procedure combining molecular imprinting technique (MIT) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) was developed for the isolation of malachite green in seawater and seafood samples. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared using malachite green as the template molecule, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linking monomer. The imprinted polymer and non-imprinted polymer were characterized by scanning electron microscope and static adsorption experiments. The MIP showed a high adsorption capacity and was used as selective sorbent for the SPE of malachite green. An off-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) method followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diodearray detection for the analysis of malachite green in seawater and seafood samples was also established. Finally, five samples were determined. The results showed that malachite green concentration in one seawater sample was at 1.30 μg L⁻¹ and the RSD (n=3) was 4.15%. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combining Analytical Hierarchy Process and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering in Search of Expert Consensus in Green Corridors Development Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapira, Aviad; Shoshany, Maxim; Nir-Goldenberg, Sigal

2013-07-01

Environmental management and planning are instrumental in resolving conflicts arising between societal needs for economic development on the one hand and for open green landscapes on the other hand. Allocating green corridors between fragmented core green areas may provide a partial solution to these conflicts. Decisions regarding green corridor development require the assessment of alternative allocations based on multiple criteria evaluations. Analytical Hierarchy Process provides a methodology for both a structured and consistent extraction of such evaluations and for the search for consensus among experts regarding weights assigned to the different criteria. Implementing this methodology using 15 Israeli experts—landscape architects, regional planners, and geographers—revealed inherent differences in expert opinions in this field beyond professional divisions. The use of Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering allowed to identify clusters representing common decisions regarding criterion weights. Aggregating the evaluations of these clusters revealed an important dichotomy between a pragmatist approach that emphasizes the weight of statutory criteria and an ecological approach that emphasizes the role of the natural conditions in allocating green landscape corridors.

Porosity structure of green polybag of medium density fiberboard from seaweed waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alamsjah, M. A.; Subekti, S.; Lamid, M.; Pujiastuti, D. Y.; Kurnia, H.; Rifadi, R. R.

2018-04-01

The last decade shown that the needs Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) rapidly growing in Asia Pacific and Europe up to more 15 % per year. MDF made up of fibers lignoselulosa which combined with synthetic resin or tied other suitable but high temperatures and pressure. Technology engineering for green polybag of MDF from seaweed waste of Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gracilaria verrucosa is an alternative effort for ecosystem stability and technological innovations that is environmentally friendly. Structure porosity from the shape of green polybag shows that performance seaweed waste of K. alvarezii is better than seaweed waste of G. verrucosa. The circulation of water happened more optimal in green polybag formed from MDF of seaweed waste of K. alvarezii with size porosity 3.976 µm, while size porosity of seaweed waste of G. verrucosa measurable 4.794 µm. Structure of green polybag of MDF from seaweed waste showed that C components greater 50 % to K. alvarezii while C components less than 50 % to G. verrucosa. This resulted in the ties to structure of MDF stronger found in green polybag derived from seaweed waste of K. alvarezii than G. verrucosa.

The Transcriptional Responses and Metabolic Consequences of Acclimation to Elevated Light Exposure in Grapevine Berries

PubMed Central

du Plessis, Kari; Young, Philip R.; Eyéghé-Bickong, Hans A.; Vivier, Melané A.

2017-01-01

An increasing number of field studies that focus on grapevine berry development and ripening implement systems biology approaches; the results are highlighting not only the intricacies of the developmental programming/reprogramming that occurs, but also the complexity of how profoundly the microclimate influences the metabolism of the berry throughout the different stages of development. In a previous study we confirmed that a leaf removal treatment to Sauvignon Blanc grapes, grown in a highly characterized vineyard, primarily affected the level of light exposure to the berries throughout their development. A full transcriptomic analysis of berries from this model vineyard details the underlying molecular responses of the berries in reaction to the exposure and show how the berries acclimated to the imposing light stress. Gene expression involved in the protection of the photosynthetic machinery through rapid protein-turnover and the expression of photoprotective flavonoid compounds were most significantly affected in green berries. Overall, the transcriptome analysis showed that the berries implemented multiple stress-mitigation strategies in parallel and metabolite analysis was used to support the main findings. Combining the transcriptome data and amino acid profiling provided evidence that amino acid catabolism probably contributed to the mitigation of a likely energetic deficit created by the upregulation of (energetically) costly stress defense mechanisms. Furthermore, the rapid turnover of essential proteins involved in the maintenance of primary metabolism and growth in the photosynthetically active grapes appeared to provide precursors for the production of protective secondary metabolites such as apocarotenoids and flavonols in the ripening stages of the berries. Taken together, these results confirmed that the green grape berries responded to light stress much like other vegetative organs and were able to acclimate to the increased exposure, managing their metabolism and energy requirements to sustain the developmental cycle toward ripening. The typical metabolic consequences of leaf removal on grape berries can therefore now be linked to increased light exposure through mechanisms of photoprotection in green berries that leads toward acclimation responses that remain intact until ripening. PMID:28775728

Can cathodoluminescence of feldspar be used as provenance indicator?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scholonek, Christiane; Augustsson, Carita

2016-05-01

We have studied feldspar from crystalline rocks for its textural and spectral cathodoluminescence (CL) characteristics with the aim to reveal their provenance potential. We analyzed ca. 60 rock samples of plutonic, volcanic, metamorphic, and pegmatitic origin from different continents and of 16 Ma to 2 Ga age for their feldspar CL textures and ca. 1200 feldspar crystals from these rocks for their CL color spectra. Among the analyzed rocks, igneous feldspar is most commonly zoned, whereby oscillatory zoning can be confirmed to be typical for volcanic plagioclase. The volcanic plagioclase also less commonly contains twin lamellae that are visible in CL light than crystals from other rock types. Alkali feldspar, particularly from igneous and pegmatitic rocks, was noted to be most affected by alteration features, visible as dark spots, lines and irregular areas. The size of all textural features of up to ca. 150 μm, in combination with possible alteration in both the source area and the sedimentary system, makes the CL textures of feldspar possible to use for qualitative provenance research only. We observed alkali feldspar mostly to luminesce in a bluish color and sometimes in red, and plagioclase in green to yellow. The corresponding CL spectra are dominated by three apparent intensity peaks at 440-520 nm (mainly blue), 540-620 nm (mainly green) and 680-740 nm (red to infrared). A dominance of the peak in the green wavelength interval over the blue one for plagioclase makes CL particularly useful for the differentiation of plagioclase from alkali feldspar. An apparent peak position in red to infrared at < 710 nm for plagioclase mainly is present in mafic rocks. Present-day coastal sand from Peru containing feldspar with the red to infrared peak position mainly exceeding 725 nm for northern Peruvian sand and a larger variety for sand from southern Peru illustrates a discriminative effect of different source areas. We conclude that the provenance application particularly can reveal first-cycle input from mafic rocks and source variations for detritus from arid areas that has been affected by little feldspar alteration.

The Transcriptional Responses and Metabolic Consequences of Acclimation to Elevated Light Exposure in Grapevine Berries.

PubMed

du Plessis, Kari; Young, Philip R; Eyéghé-Bickong, Hans A; Vivier, Melané A

2017-01-01

An increasing number of field studies that focus on grapevine berry development and ripening implement systems biology approaches; the results are highlighting not only the intricacies of the developmental programming/reprogramming that occurs, but also the complexity of how profoundly the microclimate influences the metabolism of the berry throughout the different stages of development. In a previous study we confirmed that a leaf removal treatment to Sauvignon Blanc grapes, grown in a highly characterized vineyard, primarily affected the level of light exposure to the berries throughout their development. A full transcriptomic analysis of berries from this model vineyard details the underlying molecular responses of the berries in reaction to the exposure and show how the berries acclimated to the imposing light stress. Gene expression involved in the protection of the photosynthetic machinery through rapid protein-turnover and the expression of photoprotective flavonoid compounds were most significantly affected in green berries. Overall, the transcriptome analysis showed that the berries implemented multiple stress-mitigation strategies in parallel and metabolite analysis was used to support the main findings. Combining the transcriptome data and amino acid profiling provided evidence that amino acid catabolism probably contributed to the mitigation of a likely energetic deficit created by the upregulation of (energetically) costly stress defense mechanisms. Furthermore, the rapid turnover of essential proteins involved in the maintenance of primary metabolism and growth in the photosynthetically active grapes appeared to provide precursors for the production of protective secondary metabolites such as apocarotenoids and flavonols in the ripening stages of the berries. Taken together, these results confirmed that the green grape berries responded to light stress much like other vegetative organs and were able to acclimate to the increased exposure, managing their metabolism and energy requirements to sustain the developmental cycle toward ripening. The typical metabolic consequences of leaf removal on grape berries can therefore now be linked to increased light exposure through mechanisms of photoprotection in green berries that leads toward acclimation responses that remain intact until ripening.

The photodynamic effect of far-red range phthalocyanines (AlPc and Pc green) supported by electropermeabilization in human gastric adenocarcinoma cells of sensitive and resistant type.

PubMed

Zielichowska, Anna; Saczko, Jolanta; Garbiec, Arnold; Dubińska-Magiera, Magda; Rossowska, Joanna; Surowiak, Paweł; Choromańska, Anna; Daczewska, Małgorzata; Kulbacka, Julita; Lage, Hermann

2015-02-01

Electroporation (EP) is commonly applied for effective drug transport thorough cell membranes based on the application of electromagnetic field. When applied with cytostatics, it is called electrochemotherapy (ECT) - a quite new method of cancer treatment. A high-voltage pulse causes the formation of temporary pores in the cell membrane which create an additional way for the intracellular drug transport. In the current work, EP was effectively merged with the already known photodynamic therapy (PDT) to selective photosensitizers' delivery to diseased tissue. The application of electroporation can reduce the dose of applied drug. The aim of research was to evaluate the effectiveness of photodynamic reaction using two near infrared cyanines (AlPc and Pc green) combined with electroporation in two human gastric adenocarcinoma cell lines. Two human cell lines - EPG85-257P (parental) and EPG85-257RDB (resistant to daunorubicin) - of gastric cancer were used. The effect of two photosensitizers (aluminum 1,8,15,22-tetrakis(-phenylthio)-29H,31H-phthalocyanine chloride and Phthalocyanine green) was investigated. The efficiency of EP parameters was assessed by propidium iodide uptake. The viability assay was applied to analyse EP, PDT and EP-PDT effect. Cyanine localization was determined by confocal microscopy. Immunocytochemical evaluation of manganese superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase-pi was determined after applied therapies. PDT in combination with EP affected the viability of EPG85-257P and EPG85-257RDB cells negatively while both cyanine were used. The most evident changes were observed in the following concentrations: 15, 10 and 5μM. The optimal field strength for enhanced EP-PDT was 800 and 1200V/cm. AlPc distributed selectively in the lysosomes of parental cell line. PDT, enhanced by EP, caused decreased viability when compared to the application of PDT alone. Both phthalocyanines found to be more effective after electroporation. Due to the low concentration of light-sensitive compounds and safety of electroporation itself, a treatment plan can be an alternative therapeutic modality against gastric adenocarcinomas. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Effect of biweekly shoot tip harvests on the growth and yield of Georgia Jet sweet potato grown hydroponically

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ogbuehi, Cyriacus R.; Loretan, Phil A.; Bonsi, C. K.; Hill, Walter A.; Morris, Carlton E.; Biswas, P. K.; Mortley, Desmond G.

1989-01-01

Sweet potato shoot tips have been shown to be a nutritious green vegetable. A study was conducted to determine the effect of biweekly shoot tip harvests on the growth and yield of Georgia Jet sweet potato grown in the greenhouse using the nutrient film technique (NFT). The nutrient solution consisted of a modified half Hoagland solution. Biweekly shoot tip harvests, beginning 42 days after planting, provided substantial amounts of vegetable greens and did not affect the fresh and dry foliage weights or the storage root number and fresh and dry storage root weights at final harvest. The rates of anion and cation uptake were not affected by tip harvests.

Teasing apart the effects of natural and constructed green ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Summer low flows and stream temperature maxima are key drivers affecting the sustainability of fish populations. Thus, it is critical to understand both the natural templates of spatiotemporal variability, how these are shifting due to anthropogenic influences of development and climate change, and how these impacts can be moderated by natural and constructed green infrastructure. Low flow statistics of New England streams have been characterized using a combination of regression equations to describe long-term averages as a function of indicators of hydrologic regime (rain- versus snow-dominated), precipitation, evapotranspiration or temperature, surface water storage, baseflow recession rates, and impervious cover. Difference equations have been constructed to describe interannual variation in low flow as a function of changing air temperature, precipitation, and ocean-atmospheric teleconnection indices. Spatial statistical network models have been applied to explore fine-scale variability of thermal regimes along stream networks in New England as a function of variables describing natural and altered energy inputs, groundwater contributions, and retention time. Low flows exacerbate temperature impacts by reducing thermal inertia of streams to energy inputs. Based on these models, we can construct scenarios of fish habitat suitability using current and projected future climate and the potential for preservation and restoration of historic habitat regimes th

Contributions to the design of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings with green roofs in a Mediterranean climate.

PubMed

Monteiro, Cristina M; Calheiros, Cristina S C; Pimentel-Rodrigues, Carla; Silva-Afonso, Armando; Castro, Paula M L

2016-01-01

Green roofs (GRs) are becoming a trend in urban areas, favouring thermal performance of buildings, promoting removal of atmospheric pollutants, and acting as possible water collection spots. Rainwater harvesting systems in buildings can also contribute to the management of stormwater runoff reducing flood peaks. These technologies should be enhanced in Mediterranean countries where water scarcity is increasing and the occurrence of extreme events is becoming very significant, as a result of climate change. An extensive pilot GR with three aromatic plant species, Satureja montana, Thymus caespititius and Thymus pseudolanuginosus, designed to study several parameters affecting rainwater runoff, has been in operation for 12 months. Physico-chemical analyses of roof water runoff (turbidity, pH, conductivity, NH4(+), NO3(-), PO4(3-), chemical oxygen demand) have shown that water was of sufficient quality for non-potable uses in buildings, such as toilet flushing. An innovative approach allowed for the development of an expression to predict a 'monthly runoff coefficient' of the GR system. This parameter is essential when planning and designing GRs combined with rainwater harvesting systems in a Mediterranean climate. This study is a contribution to improving the basis for the design of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings with extensive GRs under a Mediterranean climate.

The role of landscape characteristics for forage maturation and nutritional benefits of migration in red deer.

PubMed

Mysterud, Atle; Vike, Brit Karen; Meisingset, Erling L; Rivrud, Inger Maren

2017-06-01

Large herbivores gain nutritional benefits from following the sequential flush of newly emergent, high-quality forage along environmental gradients in the landscape, termed green wave surfing. Which landscape characteristics underlie the environmental gradient causing the green wave and to what extent landscape characteristics alone explain individual variation in nutritional benefits remain unresolved questions. Here, we combine GPS data from 346 red deer ( Cervus elaphus ) from four partially migratory populations in Norway with the satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), an index of plant phenology. We quantify whether migratory deer had access to higher quality forage than resident deer, how landscape characteristics within summer home ranges affected nutritional benefits, and whether differences in landscape characteristics could explain differences in nutritional gain between migratory and resident deer. We found that migratory red deer gained access to higher quality forage than resident deer but that this difference persisted even after controlling for landscape characteristics within the summer home ranges. There was a positive effect of elevation on access to high-quality forage, but only for migratory deer. We discuss how the landscape an ungulate inhabits may determine its responses to plant phenology and also highlight how individual behavior may influence nutritional gain beyond the effect of landscape.

Experimental investigation of distinguishable and non-distinguishable grayscales applicable in active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes for quality engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Henglong; Chang, Wen-Cheng; Lin, Yu-Hsuan; Chen, Ming-Hong

2017-08-01

The distinguishable and non-distinguishable 6-bit (64) grayscales of green and red organic light-emitting diode (OLED) were experimentally investigated by using high-sensitive photometric instrument. The feasibility of combining external detection system for quality engineering to compensate the grayscale loss based on preset grayscale tables was also investigated by SPICE simulation. The degradation loss of OLED deeply affects image quality as grayscales become inaccurate. The distinguishable grayscales are indicated as those brightness differences and corresponding current increments are differentiable by instrument. The grayscales of OLED in 8-bit (256) or higher may become nondistinguishable as current or voltage increments are in the same order of noise level in circuitry. The distinguishable grayscale tables for individual red, green, blue, and white colors can be experimentally established as preset reference for quality engineering (QE) in which the degradation loss is compensated by corresponding grayscale numbers shown in preset table. The degradation loss of each OLED colors is quantifiable by comparing voltage increments to those in preset grayscale table if precise voltage increments are detectable during operation. The QE of AMOLED can be accomplished by applying updated grayscale tables. Our preliminary simulation result revealed that it is feasible to quantify degradation loss in terms of grayscale numbers by using external detector circuitry.

ZnO Luminescence and scintillation studied via photoexcitation, X-ray excitation, and gamma-induced positron spectroscopy.

PubMed

Ji, J; Colosimo, A M; Anwand, W; Boatner, L A; Wagner, A; Stepanov, P S; Trinh, T T; Liedke, M O; Krause-Rehberg, R; Cowan, T E; Selim, F A

2016-08-23

The luminescence and scintillation properties of ZnO single crystals were studied by photoluminescence and X-ray-induced luminescence (XRIL) techniques. XRIL allowed a direct comparison to be made between the near-band emission (NBE) and trap emissions providing insight into the carrier recombination efficiency in the ZnO crystals. It also provided bulk luminescence measurements that were not affected by surface states. The origin of a green emission, the dominant trap emission in ZnO, was then investigated by gamma-induced positron spectroscopy (GIPS) - a unique defect spectroscopy method that enables positron lifetime measurements to be made for a sample without contributions from positron annihilation in the source materials. The measurements showed a single positron decay curve with a 175 ps lifetime component that was attributed to Zn vacancies passivated by hydrogen. Both oxygen vacancies and hydrogen-decorated Zn vacancies were suggested to contribute to the green emission. By combining scintillation measurements with XRIL, the fast scintillation in ZnO crystals was found to be strongly correlated with the ratio between the defect luminescence and NBE. This study reports the first application of GIPS to semiconductors, and it reveals the great benefits of the XRIL technique for the study of emission and scintillation properties of materials.

ZnO Luminescence and scintillation studied via photoexcitation, X-ray excitation, and gamma-induced positron spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, J.; Colosimo, A. M.; Anwand, W.; Boatner, L. A.; Wagner, A.; Stepanov, P. S.; Trinh, T. T.; Liedke, M. O.; Krause-Rehberg, R.; Cowan, T. E.; Selim, F. A.

2016-08-01

The luminescence and scintillation properties of ZnO single crystals were studied by photoluminescence and X-ray-induced luminescence (XRIL) techniques. XRIL allowed a direct comparison to be made between the near-band emission (NBE) and trap emissions providing insight into the carrier recombination efficiency in the ZnO crystals. It also provided bulk luminescence measurements that were not affected by surface states. The origin of a green emission, the dominant trap emission in ZnO, was then investigated by gamma-induced positron spectroscopy (GIPS) - a unique defect spectroscopy method that enables positron lifetime measurements to be made for a sample without contributions from positron annihilation in the source materials. The measurements showed a single positron decay curve with a 175 ps lifetime component that was attributed to Zn vacancies passivated by hydrogen. Both oxygen vacancies and hydrogen-decorated Zn vacancies were suggested to contribute to the green emission. By combining scintillation measurements with XRIL, the fast scintillation in ZnO crystals was found to be strongly correlated with the ratio between the defect luminescence and NBE. This study reports the first application of GIPS to semiconductors, and it reveals the great benefits of the XRIL technique for the study of emission and scintillation properties of materials.

ZnO Luminescence and scintillation studied via photoexcitation, X-ray excitation, and gamma-induced positron spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Ji, J.; Colosimo, A. M.; Anwand, W.; Boatner, L. A.; Wagner, A.; Stepanov, P. S.; Trinh, T. T.; Liedke, M. O.; Krause-Rehberg, R.; Cowan, T. E.; Selim, F. A.

2016-01-01

The luminescence and scintillation properties of ZnO single crystals were studied by photoluminescence and X-ray-induced luminescence (XRIL) techniques. XRIL allowed a direct comparison to be made between the near-band emission (NBE) and trap emissions providing insight into the carrier recombination efficiency in the ZnO crystals. It also provided bulk luminescence measurements that were not affected by surface states. The origin of a green emission, the dominant trap emission in ZnO, was then investigated by gamma-induced positron spectroscopy (GIPS) - a unique defect spectroscopy method that enables positron lifetime measurements to be made for a sample without contributions from positron annihilation in the source materials. The measurements showed a single positron decay curve with a 175 ps lifetime component that was attributed to Zn vacancies passivated by hydrogen. Both oxygen vacancies and hydrogen-decorated Zn vacancies were suggested to contribute to the green emission. By combining scintillation measurements with XRIL, the fast scintillation in ZnO crystals was found to be strongly correlated with the ratio between the defect luminescence and NBE. This study reports the first application of GIPS to semiconductors, and it reveals the great benefits of the XRIL technique for the study of emission and scintillation properties of materials. PMID:27550235

Copper oxide nanoparticles and bulk copper oxide, combined with indole-3-acetic acid, alter aluminum, boron, and iron in Pisum sativum seeds.

PubMed

Ochoa, Loren; Zuverza-Mena, Nubia; Medina-Velo, Illya A; Flores-Margez, Juan Pedro; Peralta-Videa, José R; Gardea-Torresdey, Jorge L

2018-09-01

The interaction of CuO nanoparticles (nCuO), a potential nanopesticide, with the growth hormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is not well understood. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional components in seeds of green pea (Pisum sativum) cultivated in soil amended with nCuO at 50 or 100mgkg -1 , with/without IAA at 10 or 100μM. Similar treatments including bulk CuO (bCuO) and CuCl 2 were set as controls. Bulk CuO at 50mgkg -1 reduced seed yield (52%), compared with control. Bulk CuO at 50mgkg -1 and nCuO at 100mgkg -1 , plus IAA at 100μM, increased iron in seeds (41 and 42%, respectively), while nCuO at 50mgkg -1 , plus IAA at 100μM reduced boron (80%, respect to control and 63%, respect to IAA at 100μM). IAA, at 10μM increased seed protein (33%), compared with control (p≤0.05). At both concentrations IAA increased sugar in seeds (20%). Overall, nCuO, plus IAA at 10μM, does not affect the production or nutritional quality of green pea seeds. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The DCL gene of tomato is required for chloroplast development and palisade cell morphogenesis in leaves.

PubMed

Keddie, J S; Carroll, B; Jones, J D; Gruissem, W

1996-08-15

The defective chloroplasts and leaves-mutable (dcl-m) mutation of tomato was identified in a Ds mutagenesis screen. This unstable mutation affects both chloroplast development and palisade cell morphogenesis in leaves. Mutant plants are clonally variegated as a result of somatic excision of Ds and have albino leaves with green sectors. Leaf midribs and stems are light green with sectors of dark green tissue but fruit and petals are wild-type in appearance. Within dark green sectors of dcl-m leaves, palisade cells are normal, whereas in albino areas of dcl-m leaves, palisade cells do not expand to become their characteristic columnar shape. The development of chloroplasts from proplastids in albino areas is apparently blocked at an early stage. DCL was cloned using Ds as a tag and encodes a novel protein of approximately 25 kDa, containing a chloroplast transit peptide and an acidic alpha-helical region. DCL protein was imported into chloroplasts in vitro and processed to a mature form. Because of the ubiquitous expression of DCL and the proplastid-like appearance of dcl-affected plastids, the DCL protein may regulate a basic and universal function of the plastid. The novel dcl-m phenotype suggests that chloroplast development is required for correct palisade cell morphogenesis during leaf development.

Dietary green tea polyphenols do not affect vitamin E status, antioxidant capacity and meat quality of growing pigs.

PubMed

Augustin, K; Blank, R; Boesch-Saadatmandi, C; Frank, J; Wolffram, S; Rimbach, G

2008-12-01

Supplementation of pigs with vitamin E, the most important lipid-soluble antioxidant, has been shown to improve meat quality and animal health. Previous studies in cultured cells and laboratory animals indicate synergistic effects between polyphenols and vitamin E. The present feeding trial was undertaken to investigate the effects of dietary green tea polyphenols (GTP) on vitamin E status, antioxidative capacity and parameters of meat quality in growing pigs. Eighteen castrated, crossbred, male pigs received a flavonoid-poor diet based on corn starch, caseinate and rapeseed oil with a total vitamin E content of 17 IU/kg diet over a period of 5 weeks. This basal diet was supplemented with green tea extract to provide daily doses of 0 (control), 10 and 100 mg GTP/kg body weight. Dietary supplementation of growing pigs with GTP did not affect serum, liver, lung and muscle vitamin E (alpha- and gamma-tocopherol) concentrations, plasma antioxidant capacity (ferric reducing ability of plasma, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity) or parameters of meat quality including meat temperature, pH, conductivity, colour and drip loss. In conclusion, supplementation of pig diets with green tea catechins is not associated with improved antioxidant status and meat quality under practice-oriented conditions.

Quantifying Crop Specific Blue and Green Water Footprints and the Spatial Allocation of Virtual Water in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, J.; Smith, T.; McLaughlin, D.

2016-12-01

China, which had a population of 1.38 billion in 2013, is expected to peak at about 1.45 billion around 2030, with per capita food demand likely to increase significantly. The population growth and diet change make prospects of future available water and food worrisome for China. Quantitative estimates of crop specific blue and green water footprints provide useful insight about the roles of different water sources and give guidance for agricultural and water resource planning. This study uses reanalysis methods to merge diverse datasets, including information on water fluxes and land use, to estimate crop-specific green and blue water consumption at 0.5 degree spatial resolution. The estimates incorporate, through constraints in the reanalysis procedure, important physical connections between the water and land resources that support agriculture. These connections are important since land use affects evapotranspiration and runoff while water availability and crop area affect crop production and virtual water content. The results show that green water accounts for 86% and blue water accounts for 14% of the total national agricultural water footprint, respectively. The water footprints of cereals (wheat, maize and rice) and soybeans account for 51% of the total agricultural water footprint. Cereals and soybeans together account for 85% of the total blue water footprint.

Identification of Intestinal UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase Inhibitors in Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) Using a Biochemometric Approach: Application to Raloxifene as a Test Drug via In Vitro to In Vivo Extrapolation.

PubMed

Tian, Dan-Dan; Kellogg, Joshua J; Okut, Neşe; Oberlies, Nicholas H; Cech, Nadja B; Shen, Danny D; McCune, Jeannine S; Paine, Mary F

2018-05-01

Green tea ( Camellia sinensis ) is a popular beverage worldwide, raising concern for adverse interactions when co-consumed with conventional drugs. Like many botanical natural products, green tea contains numerous polyphenolic constituents that undergo extensive glucuronidation. As such, the UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), particularly intestinal UGTs, represent potential first-pass targets for green tea-drug interactions. Candidate intestinal UGT inhibitors were identified using a biochemometrics approach, which combines bioassay and chemometric data. Extracts and fractions prepared from four widely consumed teas were screened (20-180 μ g/ml) as inhibitors of UGT activity (4-methylumbelliferone glucuronidation) in human intestinal microsomes; all demonstrated concentration-dependent inhibition. A biochemometrics-identified fraction rich in UGT inhibitors from a representative tea was purified further and subjected to second-stage biochemometric analysis. Five catechins were identified as major constituents in the bioactive subfractions and prioritized for further evaluation. Of these catechins, (-)-epicatechin gallate and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate showed concentration-dependent inhibition, with IC 50 values (105 and 59 μ M, respectively) near or below concentrations measured in a cup (240 ml) of tea (66 and 240 μ M, respectively). Using the clinical intestinal UGT substrate raloxifene, the K i values were ∼1.0 and 2.0 μ M, respectively. Using estimated intestinal lumen and enterocyte inhibitor concentrations, a mechanistic static model predicted green tea to increase the raloxifene plasma area under the curve up to 6.1- and 1.3-fold, respectively. Application of this novel approach, which combines biochemometrics with in vitro-in vivo extrapolation, to other natural product-drug combinations will refine these procedures, informing the need for further evaluation via dynamic modeling and clinical testing. Copyright © 2018 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Integrating shotcrete walls into the natural landscape by application of 'Green Walls'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medl, Alexandra; Kikuta, Silvia

2017-04-01

Steep slopes resulting from major road infrastructure constructions are increasingly perceived as disagreeable disturbance in the landscape. Thus, a tool to consider landscape aspects and integrate these slopes into the natural environment is required. The challenge is to establish a sustainable vegetation layer despite of adverse circumstances such as inclinations of almost 90⁰, exposed position of slopes near streets and lack of soil and water supply. The objective of this study was to assess the performance of an innovative greening technology for vertical structures (shotcrete wall) in terms of vegetation development on varying plant substrates and geotextiles. The field experiment in Steinach am Brenner, Tyrol, Austria, included testing three plant substrates on basis of nearby rocky excavation material ('Innsbrucker Quarzphyllit', 'Bündnerschiefer' and 'Zentralgneis') combined with compost. Additionally, five geotextiles (geogrid (3x4 mm), geogrid (9x10 mm), coir net, coir mat, geo mat) were applied for evaluation. All test combinations were evaluated regarding vegetation cover and biomass production from 2015 to 2016. Analyses of chemical properties were conducted for all plant substrates. Results showed highest vegetation cover ratio on 'Bündnerschiefer' and 'Innsbrucker Quarzphyllit', which can be explained by the favorable mineral composition (nutrient storage capacity) and chemical properties of compost (lower values of electrical conductivity and C/N ratio). In conclusion, the use of 'Green Walls' filled with 'Bündnerschiefer' or 'Innsbrucker Quarzphyllit' plant substrate in combination with netlike geotextiles proved best, since geo grid and coir net turned out as most successful one year after installation. 'Green Walls' are promising in terms of establishing an optimal vegetation cover on vertical structures and are well suited for integrating shotcrete walls into the landscape. The use of local excavation material for greening purposes can be confirmed, whereby the admixture of high-quality compost is necessary to guarantee satisfying results.

Relations between nature-based solutions of green-blue area accessibility and socio-economic-ethnic patterns in the urban Stockholm region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldenberg, Romain; Kalantari, Zahra; Destouni, Georgia

2017-04-01

More than half of the world's population lives in cities, a proportion expected to increase to two thirds by 2050 (United Nations (UN), 2015). In this study, we investigate the spatial relationships that may exist between income and/or nationality homogeneity/heterogeneity levels of urban populations and their accessibility to local green-blue areas as possible nature-based solutions for sustainable urban design. For this investigation, we consider as a concrete case study the urban region of Stockholm, Sweden, for which we compile and use available land-cover and vegetation density data (the latter in terms of Normalised Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI) in order to identify and assess the spatial distributions of various green-blue area types and aspects. We further combine this data with spatial distribution data for population density, income and nationality, as well as with road-network data for assessing population travel times to nearby green-blue areas within the region. The present study results converge with those of other recent studies in showing large socio-economic-ethnic segregation in the Stockholm region. Moreover, the present data combination and analysis also show large spatial differences in and important socio-economic-ethnic correlations with accessibility to local green areas and nearby water bodies. Specifically, population income and share of Swedish nationals are well correlated in this region, with increases in both of these variables implying greater possibility to choose where to live within the region. The living choices of richer and more homogeneous (primarily Swedish) population parts are then found to be areas with greater local vegetation density (local green areas as identified by high-resolution NDVI data) and greater area extent of nearby water bodies (blue areas). For comparison, no such correlation is found between increased income or Swedish nationality homogeneity and accessibility to nearby forest areas (overall green area extent) or built facilities for recreation and sports. The found living choice correlations point at the importance of green-blue area parts as possible nature-based solutions in urban design and planning, with potential to improve wellbeing and social sustainability for the whole urban population and not just its rich component.

Data on green tea flavor determinantes as affected by cultivars and manufacturing processes.

PubMed

Han, Zhuo-Xiao; Rana, Mohammad M; Liu, Guo-Feng; Gao, Ming-Jun; Li, Da-Xiang; Wu, Fu-Guang; Li, Xin-Bao; Wan, Xiao-Chun; Wei, Shu

2017-02-01

This paper presents data related to an article entitled "Green tea flavor determinants and their changes over manufacturing processes" (Han et al., 2016) [1]. Green tea samples were prepared with steaming and pan firing treatments from the tender leaves of tea cultivars 'Bai-Sang Cha' ('BAS') and 'Fuding-Dabai Cha' ('FUD'). Aroma compounds from the tea infusions were detected and quantified using HS-SPME coupled with GC/MS. Sensory evaluation was also made for characteristic tea flavor. The data shows the abundances of the detected aroma compounds, their threshold values and odor characteristics in the two differently processed tea samples as well as two different cultivars.

Indoor air pollution and preventions in college libraries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zengzhang

2017-05-01

The college library is a place where it gets the comparatively high density of students often staying long time with it. Therefore, the indoor air quality will affect directly reading effect and physical health of teachers and students in colleges and universities. The paper analyzes the influenced factors in indoor air pollution of the library from the selection of green-environmental decorating materials and furniture, good ventilation maintaining, electromagnetic radiation reducing, regular disinfection, indoor green building and awareness of health and environmental protection strengthening etc. six aspects to put forward the ideas for preventions of indoor air pollution and construction of the green low-carbon library.

Optical ridge waveguides in Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped phosphate glass produced by ion irradiation combined with femtosecond laser ablation for guided-wave green and red upconversion emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chen; He, Ruiyun; Tan, Yang; Wang, Biao; Akhmadaliev, Shavkat; Zhou, Shengqiang; de Aldana, Javier R. Vázquez; Hu, Lili; Chen, Feng

2016-01-01

This work reports on the fabrication of ridge waveguides in Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped phosphate glass by the combination of femtosecond laser ablation and following swift carbon ion irradiation. The guiding properties of waveguides have been investigated at 633 and 1064 nm through end face coupling arrangement. The refractive index profile on the cross section of the waveguide has been constructed. The propagation losses can be reduced considerably after annealing treatment. Under the optical pump laser at 980 nm, the upconversion emission of both green and red fluorescence has been realized through the ridge waveguide structures.

78 FR 41791 - Combined Notice of Filings #2

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-11

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Combined Notice of Filings 2 Take notice.... Applicants: Sundevil Power Holdings, LLC, Castleton Energy Services, LLC, Castleton Power, LLC. Description...-1971-011. Applicants: Diablo Winds, LLC, FPL Energy Cabazon Wind, LLC, FPL Energy Green Power Wind, LLC...

75 FR 62374 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-08

... Energy Storage, LLC. Description: AES Energy Storage, LLC submits tariff filing per 35.12: AES Energy... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Combined Notice of Filings 1 September... Numbers: EC10-102-000. Applicants: NRG Energy, Inc, NRG Retail Acquisition Inc., Green Mountain Energy...

76 FR 1425 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-10

...: Puget Sound Energy, Inc. Description: Puget Sound Energy, Inc. submits tariff filing per 35: OATT..., Colorado Green Holdings LLC, Klamath Energy LLC, Klamath Generation LLC, Klondike Wind Power LLC, Twin... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Combined Notice of Filings 1 December 29...

Characterization of the volatile components in green tea by IRAE-HS-SPME/GC-MS combined with multivariate analysis.

PubMed

Yang, Yan-Qin; Yin, Hong-Xu; Yuan, Hai-Bo; Jiang, Yong-Wen; Dong, Chun-Wang; Deng, Yu-Liang

2018-01-01

In the present work, a novel infrared-assisted extraction coupled to headspace solid-phase microextraction (IRAE-HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for rapid determination of the volatile components in green tea. The extraction parameters such as fiber type, sample amount, infrared power, extraction time, and infrared lamp distance were optimized by orthogonal experimental design. Under optimum conditions, a total of 82 volatile compounds in 21 green tea samples from different geographical origins were identified. Compared with classical water-bath heating, the proposed technique has remarkable advantages of considerably reducing the analytical time and high efficiency. In addition, an effective classification of green teas based on their volatile profiles was achieved by partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). Furthermore, the application of a dual criterion based on the variable importance in the projection (VIP) values of the PLS-DA models and on the category from one-way univariate analysis (ANOVA) allowed the identification of 12 potential volatile markers, which were considered to make the most important contribution to the discrimination of the samples. The results suggest that IRAE-HS-SPME/GC-MS technique combined with multivariate analysis offers a valuable tool to assess geographical traceability of different tea varieties.

Growing substrates for aromatic plant species in green roofs and water runoff quality: pilot experiments in a Mediterranean climate.

PubMed

Monteiro, Cristina M; Calheiros, Cristina S C; Palha, Paulo; Castro, Paula M L

2017-09-01

Green roof technology has evolved in recent years as a potential solution to promote vegetation in urban areas. Green roof studies for Mediterranean climates, where extended drought periods in summer contrast with cold and rainy periods in winter, are still scarce. The present research study assesses the use of substrates with different compositions for the growth of six aromatic plant species - Lavandula dentata, Pelargonium odoratissimum, Helichrysum italicum, Satureja montana, Thymus caespititius and T. pseudolanuginosus, during a 2-year period, and the monitoring of water runoff quality. Growing substrates encompassed expanded clay and granulated cork, in combination with organic matter and crushed eggshell. These combinations were adequate for the establishment of all aromatic plants, allowing their propagation in the extensive system located on the 5th storey. The substrate composed of 70% expanded clay and 30% organic matter was the most suitable, and crushed eggshell incorporation improved the initial plant establishment. Water runoff quality parameters - turbidity, pH, conductivity, NH 4 + , NO 3 - , PO 4 3- and chemical oxygen demand - showed that it could be reused for non-potable uses in buildings. The present study shows that selected aromatic plant species could be successfully used in green roofs in a Mediterranean climate.

Field data collection, analysis, and adaptive management of green infrastructure in the urban water cycle in Cleveland and Columbus, OH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darner, R.; Shuster, W.

2016-12-01

Expansion of the urban environment can alter the landscape and creates challenges for how cities deal with energy and water. Large volumes of stormwater in areas that have combined septic and stormwater systems present on challenge. Managing the water as near to the source as possible by creates an environment that allows more infiltration and evapotranspiration. Stormwater control measures (SCM) associated with this type of development, often called green infrastructure, include rain gardens, pervious or porous pavements, bioswales, green or blue roofs, and others. In this presentation, we examine the hydrology of green infrastructure in urban sewersheds in Cleveland and Columbus, OH. We present the need for data throughout the water cycle and challenges to collecting field data at a small scale (single rain garden instrumented to measure inflows, outflow, weather, soil moisture, and groundwater levels) and at a macro scale (a project including low-cost rain gardens, highly engineered rain gardens, groundwater wells, weather stations, soil moisture, and combined sewer flow monitoring). Results will include quantifying the effectiveness of SCMs in intercepting stormwater for different precipitation event sizes. Small scale deployment analysis will demonstrate the role of active adaptive management in the ongoing optimization over multiple years of data collection.

Characterization of the volatile components in green tea by IRAE-HS-SPME/GC-MS combined with multivariate analysis

PubMed Central

Yin, Hong-Xu; Yuan, Hai-Bo; Jiang, Yong-Wen; Dong, Chun-Wang; Deng, Yu-Liang

2018-01-01

In the present work, a novel infrared-assisted extraction coupled to headspace solid-phase microextraction (IRAE-HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for rapid determination of the volatile components in green tea. The extraction parameters such as fiber type, sample amount, infrared power, extraction time, and infrared lamp distance were optimized by orthogonal experimental design. Under optimum conditions, a total of 82 volatile compounds in 21 green tea samples from different geographical origins were identified. Compared with classical water-bath heating, the proposed technique has remarkable advantages of considerably reducing the analytical time and high efficiency. In addition, an effective classification of green teas based on their volatile profiles was achieved by partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). Furthermore, the application of a dual criterion based on the variable importance in the projection (VIP) values of the PLS-DA models and on the category from one-way univariate analysis (ANOVA) allowed the identification of 12 potential volatile markers, which were considered to make the most important contribution to the discrimination of the samples. The results suggest that IRAE-HS-SPME/GC-MS technique combined with multivariate analysis offers a valuable tool to assess geographical traceability of different tea varieties. PMID:29494626

Synergistic effects and related bioactive mechanisms of Potentilla fruticosa Linn. leaves combined with green tea polyphenols studied with microbial test system (MTS).

PubMed

Liu, Ze-Hua; Luo, Zi-Wen; Li, Deng-Wu; Wang, Dong-Mei; Ji, Xia

2018-06-01

Previous research found Potentilla fruticosa leaf extracts (PFE) combined with green tea polyphenols (GTP) showed obvious synergistic effects based on chemical mechanisms. This study further confirmed the synergy of PFE + GTP viewed from bioactivities using the microbial test system (MTS). The MTS antioxidant activity results showed the combination of PFE + GTP exhibited synergistic effect and the ratio 3:1 showed the strongest synergy, which were in accordance with the results in H 2 O 2 production rate. The combination of PFE + GTP promoted CAT and SOD enzyme activity and their gene expression especially at the ratio 3:1. Therefore, the synergism of PFE + GTP may be due to the promotion of CAT and SOD genes expression which enhanced the CAT and SOD enzyme activities. These results confirmed the synergy of PFE + GTP and could provide theoretical basis to produce a compounded tea made of a mixture of leaves from Potentilla species.

NASA Fixed Wing Project: Green Technologies for Future Aircraft Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Del Rosario, Ruben; Koudelka, John M.; Wahls, Rich; Madavan, Nateri

2014-01-01

Commercial aviation relies almost entirely on subsonic fixed wing aircraft to constantly move people and goods from one place to another across the globe. While air travel is an effective means of transportation providing an unmatched combination of speed and range, future subsonic aircraft must improve substantially to meet efficiency and environmental targets.The NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Fixed Wing (FW) Project addresses the comprehensive challenge of enabling revolutionary energy efficiency improvements in subsonic transport aircraft combined with dramatic reductions in harmful emissions and perceived noise to facilitate sustained growth of the air transportation system. Advanced technologies and the development of unconventional aircraft systems offer the potential to achieve these improvements. Multidisciplinary advances are required in aerodynamic efficiency to reduce drag, structural efficiency to reduce aircraft empty weight, and propulsive and thermal efficiency to reduce thrust-specific energy consumption (TSEC) for overall system benefit. Additionally, advances are required to reduce perceived noise without adversely affecting drag, weight, or TSEC, and to reduce harmful emissions without adversely affecting energy efficiency or noise.The paper will highlight the Fixed Wing project vision of revolutionary systems and technologies needed to achieve these challenging goals. Specifically, the primary focus of the FW Project is on the N+3 generation; that is, vehicles that are three generations beyond the current state of the art, requiring mature technology solutions in the 2025-30 timeframe

Simulations of Coulomb systems confined by polarizable surfaces using periodic Green functions.

PubMed

Dos Santos, Alexandre P; Girotto, Matheus; Levin, Yan

2017-11-14

We present an efficient approach for simulating Coulomb systems confined by planar polarizable surfaces. The method is based on the solution of the Poisson equation using periodic Green functions. It is shown that the electrostatic energy arising from the surface polarization can be decoupled from the energy due to the direct Coulomb interaction between the ions. This allows us to combine an efficient Ewald summation method, or any other fast method for summing over the replicas, with the polarization contribution calculated using Green function techniques. We apply the method to calculate density profiles of ions confined between the charged dielectric and metal surfaces.

The first report on mushroom green mould disease in Croatia.

PubMed

Hatvani, Lóránt; Sabolić, Petra; Kocsubé, Sándor; Kredics, László; Czifra, Dorina; Vágvölgyi, Csaba; Kaliterna, Joško; Ivić, Dario; Đermić, Edyta; Kosalec, Ivan

2012-12-01

Green mould disease, caused by Trichoderma species, is a severe problem for mushroom growers worldwide, including Croatia. Trichoderma strains were isolated from green mould-affected Agaricus bisporus (button or common mushroom) compost and Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom) substrate samples collected from Croatian mushroom farms. The causal agents of green mould disease in the oyster mushroom were T. pleurotum and T. pleuroticola, similar to other countries. At the same time, the pathogen of A. bisporus was exclusively the species T. harzianum, which is different from earlier findings and indicates that the range of mushroom pathogens is widening. The temperature profiles of the isolates and their hosts overlapped, thus no range was found that would allow optimal growth of the mushrooms without mould contamination. Ferulic acid and certain phenolic compounds, such as thymol showed remarkable fungistatic effect on the Trichoderma isolates, but inhibited the host mushrooms as well. However, commercial fungicides prochloraz and carbendazim were effective agents for pest management. This is the first report on green mould disease of cultivated mushrooms in Croatia.

Antecedents of willingness to pay for green products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pratiwi, S. I.; Pratomo, L. A.

2018-01-01

The main purpose of this paper is to examine whether there is a positive influence of pro-environmental behavior and environmental locus of control toward the willingness to pay for green products. The data obtained by distributing online and offline questionnaires, reaching 419 respondents of 18 to ≥55 years old that have the knowledge and already bought a green product. The purposive sampling was used as the sampling technique, and the data were tested by Statistical Equation Modeling (SEM).The results show that environmental locus of control does not positively affect pro-environmental behavior. However, the environmental locus of control and pro-environmental behavior do have a positive influence on the willingness to pay. Based on the findings, it is essential for green product companies to improve customers’ pro-environmental behavior and environmental locus of control. To do so, the marketer of green products should increase consumers’ concern, awareness, and behavior of conserving nature through activities such as campaigns and demonstrations.

Is the Lateralized Categorical Perception of Color a Situational Effect of Language on Color Perception?

PubMed

Zhong, Weifang; Li, You; Huang, Yulan; Li, He; Mo, Lei

2018-01-01

This study investigated whether and how a person's varied series of lexical categories corresponding to different discriminatory characteristics of the same colors affect his or her perception of colors. In three experiments, Chinese participants were primed to categorize four graduated colors-specifically dark green, light green, light blue, and dark blue-into green and blue; light color and dark color; and dark green, light green, light blue, and dark blue. The participants were then required to complete a visual search task. Reaction times in the visual search task indicated that different lateralized categorical perceptions (CPs) of color corresponded to the various priming situations. These results suggest that all of the lexical categories corresponding to different discriminatory characteristics of the same colors can influence people's perceptions of colors and that color perceptions can be influenced differently by distinct types of lexical categories depending on the context. Copyright © 2017 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Biosorption of malachite green onto Haematococcus pluvialis observed through synchrotron-FTIR microspectroscopy.

PubMed

Liu, J H; Zhang, L; Zha, D C; Chen, L Q; Chen, X X; Qi, Z M

2018-06-28

Microalgae have emerged as promising biosorbents for the treatment of malachite green in wastewater. However, the underlying mechanism for the biosorption of malachite green onto microalgae is still unclear and needs further intensive study. In this work, synchrotron Fourier-transform infrared (synchrotron-FTIR) microspectroscoy in combination with biochemical assay is employed to evaluate malachite green removal efficiency (95.2%, 75.6% and 66.5%) by three stages of Haematococcus pluvialis. Meanwhile, the various vital changes of algal cells including lipids, proteins, polysaccharides and carotenoids, is distinguished and quantified in situ. This study illustrates that synchrotron-FTIR microspectroscopy is an effective and powerful tool to scrutinize the mechanism for the interactions between the malachite green dye and microalgal cells and it even provides an effective and none-invasive new approach to screen potentially proper biosorbents for the removal of dyes from wastewater. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Spatially controlled immobilisation of biomolecules: A complete approach in green chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinenval, Eva; Nonglaton, Guillaume; Vinet, Françoise

2014-01-01

The development of 'green' sensors is a challenging task in the field of biomolecule sensing, for example in the detection of cardiac troponin-I (cTnI). In the present work a complete approach in green chemistry was developed to create chemically active patterns for the immobilisation of biological probes. This key technology is discussed on the basis of the twelve green chemistry principles, and is a combination of surface patterning by spotting and surface chemistries modified by molecular vapour deposition. The (1H,1H,2H,2H)-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane (FDTS) was used as a novel anti-adsorption layer while the 3,4-epoxybutyltrimethoxysilane (EBTMOS) was used to immobilise probes. Oligonucleotides and the anti-cTnI antibody were studied. The spatially controlled immobilisation of probes was characterised by fluorescence. The demonstrated surface modification has broad applications in areas such as diagnostics and bio-chemical sensing. Moreover, the environmental impacts of surface patterning and surface chemistry were discussed from a 'greenness' point of view.

Green and Sustainable Separation of Natural Products from Agro-Industrial Waste: Challenges, Potentialities, and Perspectives on Emerging Approaches.

PubMed

Zuin, Vânia G; Ramin, Luize Z

2018-01-17

New generations of biorefinery combine innovative biomass waste resources from different origins, chemical extraction and/or synthesis of biomaterials, biofuels, and bioenergy via green and sustainable processes. From the very beginning, identifying and evaluating all potentially high value-added chemicals that could be removed from available renewable feedstocks requires robust, efficient, selective, reproducible, and benign analytical approaches. With this in mind, green and sustainable separation of natural products from agro-industrial waste is clearly attractive considering both socio-environmental and economic aspects. In this paper, the concepts of green and sustainable separation of natural products will be discussed, highlighting the main studies conducted on this topic over the last 10 years. The principal analytical techniques (such as solvent, microwave, ultrasound, and supercritical treatments), by-products (e.g., citrus, coffee, corn, and sugarcane waste) and target compounds (polyphenols, proteins, essential oils, etc.) will be presented, including the emerging green and sustainable separation approaches towards bioeconomy and circular economy contexts.

Influences of reverse outsourcing on green technological progress from the perspective of a global supply chain.

PubMed

Wang, Shuhong; Song, Malin

2017-10-01

As a newly appeared trade mode in recent years, reverse outsourcing has made a great impact on traditional trade modes. This paper researched the influences of reverse outsourcing on green technological progress from the perspective of a global supply chain by using micro-data of enterprises. It worked out the rate of green technological progress from two innovative concepts: potential production technology and practical production technology. The empirical analysis results indicated that reverse outsourcing stimulates, and enterprise size and ownership type potentially affects, green technological progress. State-owned or foreign enterprises with high income levels would pay more attention to environmental protection, energy saving, and emission reduction, while small and micro enterprises with low incomes would choose to ignore environmental protection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of road traffic noise abatement by vegetation treatment in a 1:10 urban scale model.

PubMed

Jang, Hyung Suk; Lee, Sung Chan; Jeon, Jin Yong; Kang, Jian

2015-12-01

A 1:10 scale of a street canyon and courtyard was constructed to evaluate sound propagation when various vegetation treatments including trees, shrubs, vegetated facades, and green roofs were installed in the urban environment. Noise reductions in the street canyon and courtyard were measured for both single and combined vegetation treatments. Vegetated facades mitigated the overall noise level up to 1.6 dBA in the street canyon, and greening facades were effective to reduce low frequency noise levels below 1 kHz. Trees increased the noise level at high frequency bands to some extent in the street canyon, while the noise level over 1 kHz decreased in the courtyard after installing the street trees. This is because tree crowns diffused and reflected high frequency sounds into the street canyon. Green roofs offered significant noise abatement over 1 kHz in the courtyard, while the vegetated facade was effective to reduce noise levels at low frequencies. In terms of the integrated effects of vegetation treatments, a combined vegetation treatment was less effective than the sum of single treatments in the street canyon. The maximum noise reduction observed for all combinations of vegetation treatments provided 3.4 dBA of insertion loss in the courtyard.

Combination of curcumin and green tea catechins prevents dimethylhydrazine-induced colon carcinogenesis.

PubMed

Xu, Gang; Ren, Guijie; Xu, Xia; Yuan, Huiqing; Wang, Zhenzheng; Kang, Ludong; Yu, Wenguang; Tian, Keli

2010-01-01

The chemopreventive effects of curcumin and green tea catechins individually and in combination on 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced colon carcinogenesis were studied in male Wister rats following 32 weeks of dietary treatment. The incidence, number and size of colorectal cancer were measured. Colorectal aberrant crypt foci (ACF) were analyzed by methylene blue staining. Proliferation indices and apoptotic indices were determined by PCNA immunostaining and TUNEL assay, respectively. The results showed that dietary curcumin, catechins and combination administration significantly inhibited the total number of ACF per rat. The combination treatment displayed the most potent inhibitory effect, while there was no difference of inhibition between curcumin and catechins-treated groups. The incidence of colorectal cancer in the treated groups was significantly lower than that of positive control group. Compared with the positive control group, the proliferation index was significantly decreased and the apoptotic index was significantly increased in all treatment groups, while the effect of the combination was the greatest among the treated groups. Our findings suggest that the combination of curcumin and catechins may produce a synergistic colon cancer-preventative effect that would be more potent than each of the compounds alone. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of blue and green water resources in the upper Yellow River basin of China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xiaoxi; Zuo, Depeng; Xu, Zongxue; Cai, Siyang; Xianming, Han

2018-06-01

The total amount of water resources severely affects socioeconomic development of a region or watershed, which means that accurate quantification of the total amount of water resources is vital for the area, especially for the arid and semi-arid regions. Traditional evaluation of water resources only focused on the qualification of blue water, while the importance of green water was not fully considered. As the second largest river in China, the Yellow River plays an important role in socioeconomic development of the Yellow River basin. Therefore, the blue and green water resources in the upper Yellow River basin (UYRB) were evaluated by the SWAT model in this study. The results show that the average annual total amount of water resources in the UYRB was 140.5 billion m3, in which the blue water resources is 37.8 billion m3, and green water resources is 107.7 billion m3. The intra-annual variability of the blue water and green water is relatively similar during the same period. The higher temperature, the greater difference between the blue and green water. The inter-annual variability of the blue and green water shows that the trends in precipitation, blue and green water have a relatively similar characteristic. The spatial distribution of the blue and green water is characteristic with gradually decreasing from the northwest to the southeast, and the blue water around the main stream is greater than that in the other areas.

Recent trends in vegetation greenness in China significantly altered annual evapotranspiration and water yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yibo; Xiao, Jingfeng; Ju, Weimin; Xu, Ke; Zhou, Yanlian; Zhao, Yuntai

2016-09-01

There has been growing evidence that vegetation greenness has been increasing in many parts of the northern middle and high latitudes including China during the last three to four decades. However, the effects of increasing vegetation greenness particularly afforestation on the hydrological cycle have been controversial. We used a process-based ecosystem model and a satellite-derived leaf area index (LAI) dataset to examine how the changes in vegetation greenness affected annual evapotranspiration (ET) and water yield for China over the period from 2000 to 2014. Significant trends in vegetation greenness were observed in 26.1% of China’s land area. We used two model simulations driven with original and detrended LAI, respectively, to assess the effects of vegetation ‘greening’ and ‘browning’ on terrestrial ET and water yield. On a per-pixel basis, vegetation greening increased annual ET and decreased water yield, while vegetation browning reduced ET and increased water yield. At the large river basin and national scales, the greening trends also had positive effects on annual ET and had negative effects on water yield. Our results showed that the effects of the changes in vegetation greenness on the hydrological cycle varied with spatial scale. Afforestation efforts perhaps should focus on southern China with larger water supply given the water crisis in northern China and the negative effects of vegetation greening on water yield. Future studies on the effects of the greenness changes on the hydrological cycle are needed to account for the feedbacks to the climate.

Vessel extraction in retinal images using automatic thresholding and Gabor Wavelet.

PubMed

Ali, Aziah; Hussain, Aini; Wan Zaki, Wan Mimi Diyana

2017-07-01

Retinal image analysis has been widely used for early detection and diagnosis of multiple systemic diseases. Accurate vessel extraction in retinal image is a crucial step towards a fully automated diagnosis system. This work affords an efficient unsupervised method for extracting blood vessels from retinal images by combining existing Gabor Wavelet (GW) method with automatic thresholding. Green channel image is extracted from color retinal image and used to produce Gabor feature image using GW. Both green channel image and Gabor feature image undergo vessel-enhancement step in order to highlight blood vessels. Next, the two vessel-enhanced images are transformed to binary images using automatic thresholding before combined to produce the final vessel output. Combining the images results in significant improvement of blood vessel extraction performance compared to using individual image. Effectiveness of the proposed method was proven via comparative analysis with existing methods validated using publicly available database, DRIVE.

Indoor air quality in green vs conventional multifamily low-income housing.

PubMed

Colton, Meryl D; MacNaughton, Piers; Vallarino, Jose; Kane, John; Bennett-Fripp, Mae; Spengler, John D; Adamkiewicz, Gary

2014-07-15

Indoor air quality is an important predictor of health, especially in low-income populations. It is unclear how recent trends in "green" building affect the indoor exposure profile. In two successive years, we conducted environmental sampling, home inspections, and health questionnaires with families in green and conventional (control) apartments in two public housing developments. A subset of participants was followed as they moved from conventional to green or conventional to conventional housing. We measured particulate matter less than 2.5 μm aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5), formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nicotine, carbon dioxide (CO2), and air exchange rate (AER) over a seven-day sampling period coincident with survey administration. In multivariate models, we observed 57%, 65%, and 93% lower concentrations of PM2.5, NO2, and nicotine (respectively) in green vs control homes (p=0.032, p<0.001, p=0.003, respectively), as well as fewer reports of mold, pests, inadequate ventilation, and stuffiness. Differences in formaldehyde and CO2 were not statistically significant. AER was marginally lower in green buildings (p=0.109). Participants in green homes experienced 47% fewer sick building syndrome symptoms (p<0.010). We observed significant decreases in multiple indoor exposures and improved health outcomes among participants who moved into green housing, suggesting multilevel housing interventions have the potential to improve long-term resident health.

Green-light supplementation for enhanced lettuce growth under red- and blue-light-emitting diodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Hyeon-Hye; Goins, Gregory D.; Wheeler, Raymond M.; Sager, John C.

2004-01-01

Plants will be an important component of future long-term space missions. Lighting systems for growing plants will need to be lightweight, reliable, and durable, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have these characteristics. Previous studies demonstrated that the combination of red and blue light was an effective light source for several crops. Yet the appearance of plants under red and blue lighting is purplish gray making visual assessment of any problems difficult. The addition of green light would make the plant leave appear green and normal similar to a natural setting under white light and may also offer a psychological benefit to the crew. Green supplemental lighting could also offer benefits, since green light can better penetrate the plant canopy and potentially increase plant growth by increasing photosynthesis from the leaves in the lower canopy. In this study, four light sources were tested: 1) red and blue LEDs (RB), 2) red and blue LEDs with green fluorescent lamps (RGB), 3) green fluorescent lamps (GF), and 4) cool-white fluorescent lamps (CWF), that provided 0%, 24%, 86%, and 51% of the total PPF in the green region of the spectrum, respectively. The addition of 24% green light (500 to 600 nm) to red and blue LEDs (RGB treatment) enhanced plant growth. The RGB treatment plants produced more biomass than the plants grown under the cool-white fluorescent lamps (CWF treatment), a commonly tested light source used as a broad-spectrum control.

Combination of grape extract-silver nanoparticles and liposomes: A totally green approach.

PubMed

Castangia, Ines; Marongiu, Francesca; Manca, Maria Letizia; Pompei, Raffaello; Angius, Fabrizio; Ardu, Andrea; Fadda, Anna Maria; Manconi, Maria; Ennas, Guido

2017-01-15

In the present work, silver nanoparticles were prepared using a totally green procedure combining silver nitrate and an extract of grape pomace as a green source. Additionally, nanoparticles were stabilized using phospholipid and water and/or a mixture of water and propylene glycol (PG). To the best of our knowledge, grape-silver nanoparticle stabilized liposomes or PG-liposomes were formulated, for the first time, combining the residual products of wine-made industry, silver nitrate and phospholipids, avoiding the addition of hazardous substances to human health and the environment, in an easy, scalable and reproducible method. The structure and morphology of grape-silver nanoparticle stabilized vesicles were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectroscopy and photon correlation spectroscopy. Samples were designed as possible carrier for skin protection because of their double function: the grape extract acts as antioxidant and the colloidal silver as antimicrobial agent, which might be helpful in eliminating dangerous free radicals and many pathogenic microorganisms. Obtained nanoparticles were small in size and their combination with phospholipids did not hamper the vesicle formation, which were multilamellar and sized ~100nm. TEM images shows a heterogeneous distribution of nanoparticles, which were located both in the intervesicular medium and in the vesicular structure. Further, grape-silver nanoparticles, when stabilized by liposomes, were able to inhibit the proliferation of both Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and provided a great protection of keratinocytes and fibroblasts against oxidative stress avoiding their damage and death. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Green Infrastructures on Community Stormwater Reduction and Utilization: A Case of Beijing, China.

PubMed

Liu, Wen; Chen, Weiping; Feng, Qi; Peng, Chi; Kang, Peng

2016-12-01

Cost-benefit analysis is demanded for guiding the plan, design and construction of green infrastructure practices in rapidly urbanized regions. We developed a framework to calculate the costs and benefits of different green infrastructures on stormwater reduction and utilization. A typical community of 54,783 m 2 in Beijing was selected for case study. For the four designed green infrastructure scenarios (green space depression, porous brick pavement, storage pond, and their combination), the average annual costs of green infrastructure facilities are ranged from 40.54 to 110.31 thousand yuan, and the average of the cost per m 3 stormwater reduction and utilization is 4.61 yuan. The total average annual benefits of stormwater reduction and utilization by green infrastructures of the community are ranged from 63.24 to 250.15 thousand yuan, and the benefit per m 3 stormwater reduction and utilization is ranged from 5.78 to 11.14 yuan. The average ratio of average annual benefit to cost of four green infrastructure facilities is 1.91. The integrated facilities had the highest economic feasibility with a benefit to cost ratio of 2.27, and followed by the storage pond construction with a benefit to cost ratio of 2.14. The results suggested that while the stormwater reduction and utilization by green infrastructures had higher construction and maintenance costs, their comprehensive benefits including source water replacements benefits, environmental benefits and avoided cost benefits are potentially interesting. The green infrastructure practices should be promoted for sustainable management of urban stormwater.

Environmental Warming and Feminization of One of the Largest Sea Turtle Populations in the World.

PubMed

Jensen, Michael P; Allen, Camryn D; Eguchi, Tomoharu; Bell, Ian P; LaCasella, Erin L; Hilton, William A; Hof, Christine A M; Dutton, Peter H

2018-01-08

Climate change affects species and ecosystems around the globe [1]. The impacts of rising temperature are particularly pertinent in species with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), where the sex of an individual is determined by incubation temperature during embryonic development [2]. In sea turtles, the proportion of female hatchlings increases with the incubation temperature. With average global temperature predicted to increase 2.6°C by 2100 [3], many sea turtle populations are in danger of high egg mortality and female-only offspring production. Unfortunately, determining the sex ratios of hatchlings at nesting beaches carries both logistical and ethical complications. However, sex ratio data obtained at foraging grounds provides information on the amalgamation of immature and adult turtles hatched from different nesting beaches over many years. Here, for the first time, we use genetic markers and a mixed-stock analysis (MSA), combined with sex determination through laparoscopy and endocrinology, to link male and female green turtles foraging in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) to the nesting beach from which they hatched. Our results show a moderate female sex bias (65%-69% female) in turtles originating from the cooler southern GBR nesting beaches, while turtles originating from warmer northern GBR nesting beaches were extremely female-biased (99.1% of juvenile, 99.8% of subadult, and 86.8% of adult-sized turtles). Combining our results with temperature data show that the northern GBR green turtle rookeries have been producing primarily females for more than two decades and that the complete feminization of this population is possible in the near future. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Ethanol self-administration and nicotine treatment increase brain levels of CYP2D in African green monkeys

PubMed Central

Miller, R T; Miksys, S; Hoffmann, E; Tyndale, R F

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE CYP2D6 metabolizes many centrally acting drugs, neurotoxins and endogenous neurochemicals, and differences in brain levels of CYP2D have been associated with brain function and drug response. Alcohol consumers and smokers have higher levels of CYP2D6 in brain, but not liver, suggesting ethanol and/or nicotine may induce human brain CYP2D6. We investigated the independent and combined effects of chronic ethanol self-administration and nicotine treatment on CYP2D expression in African green monkeys. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Forty monkeys were randomized into control, ethanol-only, nicotine-only and ethanol + nicotine groups. Two groups voluntarily self-administered 10% ethanol in sucrose solution for 4 h·day−1, whereas two groups consumed sucrose solution on the same schedule. Two groups received daily s.c. injections of 0.5 mg·kg−1 nicotine in saline bid, whereas two groups were injected with saline on the same schedule. KEY RESULTS Both nicotine and ethanol dose-dependently increased CYP2D in brain; brain mRNA was unaffected, and neither drug altered hepatic CYP2D protein or mRNA. The combination of ethanol and nicotine increased brain CYP2D protein levels to a greater extent than either drug alone (1.2–2.2-fold, P < 0.05 among the eight brain regions assessed). Immunohistochemistry revealed the induction of brain CYP2D protein within specific cell types and regions in the treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Ethanol and nicotine increase brain CYP2D protein levels in monkeys, in a region and treatment-specific manner, suggesting that CNS drug responses, neurodegeneration and personality may be affected among people who consume alcohol and/or nicotine. PMID:24611668

Near Infrared Imaging of Indocyanine Green Distribution in Pregnant Mice and Effects of Concomitant Medications.

PubMed

Bishara, Ameer; Meir, Michal; Portnoy, Emma; Shmuel, Miri; Eyal, Sara

2015-09-08

The transfer of indocyanine green (ICG) across the placenta is considered to be very low based on measurements in fetal blood. The goal of this study was to evaluate in mice ICG's distribution within fetuses themselves and effects of concomitant medications on fetal exposure. Mid-gestational (day 12.5) and late-gestational (day 17.5) age mice were imaged after administration of ICG (0.167 mg), in the presence and the absence of the organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) inhibitor rifampin (10 mg/kg, n = 11, or 20 mg/kg, n = 1) or the P-glycoprotein inhibitor valspodar (12.5 mg/kg). In vivo ICG emission intensity was followed by ex vivo analysis of blood and tissue emission. Both valspodar and rifampin increased ICG's emission intensity within maternal tissues. In addition, valspodar enhanced the ex vivo signal in mid-pregnancy placentae (2.1-fold; p < 0.01) and fetuses (2.4-fold; p < 0.01), and reduced late-pregnancy placenta:blood and fetus:blood ratios. Rifampin increased placental (1.4-fold, p < 0.05, and 2.3-fold, p < 0.01, in mid- and late-pregnancy, respectively) and fetal (2.2-fold, p < 0.01, and 3.2-fold, p < 0.01, in mid- and late-pregnancy) ICG signal. Similarly to valspodar, late-pregnancy placenta:blood and fetus:blood ratios were reduced by rifampin. Both inhibitors enhanced ICG's emission in fetal leg, liver, and brain. In conclusion, ICG distribution into the mouse fetus can be enhanced when used concomitantly with OATP or P-glycoprotein inhibitors. The greater distribution within individual fetal tissues is likely related to ICG's greater transplacental transfer. Until further data are available on ICG's safety when combined with medications that affect its maternal handling, such combinations should be used with caution.

Stormwater management and ecosystem services: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prudencio, Liana; Null, Sarah E.

2018-03-01

Researchers and water managers have turned to green stormwater infrastructure, such as bioswales, retention basins, wetlands, rain gardens, and urban green spaces to reduce flooding, augment surface water supplies, recharge groundwater, and improve water quality. It is increasingly clear that green stormwater infrastructure not only controls stormwater volume and timing, but also promotes ecosystem services, which are the benefits that ecosystems provide to humans. Yet there has been little synthesis focused on understanding how green stormwater management affects ecosystem services. The objectives of this paper are to review and synthesize published literature on ecosystem services and green stormwater infrastructure and identify gaps in research and understanding, establishing a foundation for research at the intersection of ecosystems services and green stormwater management. We reviewed 170 publications on stormwater management and ecosystem services, and summarized the state-of-the-science categorized by the four types of ecosystem services. Major findings show that: (1) most research was conducted at the parcel-scale and should expand to larger scales to more closely understand green stormwater infrastructure impacts, (2) nearly a third of papers developed frameworks for implementing green stormwater infrastructure and highlighted barriers, (3) papers discussed ecosystem services, but less than 40% quantified ecosystem services, (4) no geographic trends emerged, indicating interest in applying green stormwater infrastructure across different contexts, (5) studies increasingly integrate engineering, physical science, and social science approaches for holistic understanding, and (6) standardizing green stormwater infrastructure terminology would provide a more cohesive field of study than the diverse and often redundant terminology currently in use. We recommend that future research provide metrics and quantify ecosystem services, integrate disciplines to measure ecosystem services from green stormwater infrastructure, and better incorporate stormwater management into environmental policy. Our conclusions outline promising future research directions at the intersection of stormwater management and ecosystem services.

A real-time moment-tensor inversion system (GRiD-MT-3D) using 3-D Green's functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagao, A.; Furumura, T.; Tsuruoka, H.

2016-12-01

We developed a real-time moment-tensor inversion system using 3-D Green's functions (GRiD-MT-3D) by improving the current system (GRiD-MT; Tsuruoka et al., 2009), which uses 1-D Green's functions for longer periods than 20 s. Our moment-tensor inversion is applied to the real-time monitoring of earthquakes occurring beneath Kanto basin area. The basin, which is constituted of thick sediment layers, lies on the complex subduction of the Philippine-Sea Plate and the Pacific Plate that can significantly affect the seismic wave propagation. We compute 3-D Green's functions using finite-difference-method (FDM) simulations considering a 3-D velocity model, which is based on the Japan Integrated Velocity Structure Model (Koketsu et al., 2012), that includes crust, mantle, and subducting plates. The 3-D FDM simulations are computed over a volume of 468 km by 432 km by 120 km in the EW, NS, and depth directions, respectively, that is discretized into 0.25 km grids. Considering that the minimum S wave velocity of the sedimentary layer is 0.5 km/s, simulations can compute seismograms up to 0.5 Hz. We calculate Green's functions between 24,700 sources, which are distributed every 0.1° in the horizontal direction and every 9 km in depth direction, and 13 F-net stations. To compute this large number of Green's functions, we used the EIC parallel computer of ERI. The reciprocity theory, which switches the source and station positions, is used to reduce total computation costs. It took 156 hours to compute all the Green's functions. Results show that at long-periods (T>15 s), only small differences are observed between the 3-D and 1-D Green's functions as indicated by high correlation coefficients of 0.9 between the waveforms. However, at shorter periods (T<10 s), the differences become larger and the correlation coefficients drop to 0.5. The effect of the 3-D heterogeneous structure especially affects the Green's functions for the ray paths that across complex geological structures, such as the sedimentary basin or the subducting plates. After incorporation of the 3-D Green's functions in the GRiD-MT-3D system, we compare the results to the former GRiD-MT system to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new system in terms of variance reduction and accuracy of the moment-tensor estimation for much smaller events than the current one.

Green materials for sustainable development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwasasmita, B. S.

2017-03-01

Sustainable development is an integrity of multidiscipline concept combining ecological, social and economic aspects to construct a liveable human living system. The sustainable development can be support through the development of green materials. Green materials offers a unique characteristic and properties including abundant in nature, less toxic, economically affordable and versatility in term of physical and chemical properties. Green materials can be applied for a numerous field in science and technology applications including for energy, building, construction and infrastructures, materials science and engineering applications and pollution management and technology. For instance, green materials can be developed as a source for energy production. Green materials including biomass-based source can be developed as a source for biodiesel and bioethanol production. Biomass-based materials also can be transformed into advanced functionalized materials for advanced bio-applications such as the transformation of chitin into chitosan which further used for biomedicine, biomaterials and tissue engineering applications. Recently, cellulose-based material and lignocellulose-based materials as a source for the developing functional materials attracted the potential prospect for biomaterials, reinforcing materials and nanotechnology. Furthermore, the development of pigment materials has gaining interest by using the green materials as a source due to their unique properties. Eventually, Indonesia as a large country with a large biodiversity can enhance the development of green material to strengthen our nation competitiveness and develop the materials technology for the future.

Extraction and preparation of high-aroma and low-caffeine instant green teas by the novel column chromatographic extraction method with gradient elution.

PubMed

Li, Qing-Rong; Wu, Min; Huang, Rui-Jie; Chen, Ya-Fei; Chen, Chan-Jian; Li, Hui; Ni, He; Li, Hai-Hang

2017-06-01

The lack of aroma and natural taste is a critical problem in production and consumption of instant green teas. A method to prepare instant green teas high in-natural-aroma and low-caffeine by the novel column chromatographic extraction with gradient elution is reported. This method simultaneously extracted aroma (or volatile) and non-aroma compounds from green tea. Green tea was loaded into columns with 2.0-fold of petroleum ether (PE): ethanol (8:2). After standing for 3 h until the aroma compounds dissolved, the column was sequentially eluted with 3.0-fold 40% ethanol and 3.5-fold water. The eluant was collected together and automatically separated into PE and ethanol aqueous phases. The aroma extracts was obtained by vacuum-evaporation of PE phase at 45 °C. The ethanol aqueous phase was vacuum-concentrated to aqueous and partially or fully decaffeinated with 4% or 9% charcoal at 70 °C. A regular instant green tea with epigallocatechin-3-gallate: caffeine of 3.5:1 and a low-caffeine instant green tea (less than 1% caffeine) with excellent aroma and taste were prepared, by combining the aroma and non-aroma extracts at a 1:10 ratio. This work provides a practical approach to solve the low-aroma and low-taste problems in the production of high quality instant green teas.

Effect of VOC emissions from vegetation on urban air quality during hot periods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churkina, Galina; Kuik, Friderike; Bonn, Boris; Lauer, Axel; Grote, Ruediger; Butler, Tim

2016-04-01

Programs to plant millions of trees in cities around the world aim at the reduction of summer temperatures, increase of carbon storage, storm water control, and recreational space, as well as at poverty alleviation. These urban greening programs, however, do not take into account how closely human and natural systems are coupled in urban areas. Compared with the surroundings of cities, elevated temperatures together with high anthropogenic emissions of air and water pollutants are quite typical in urban systems. Urban and sub-urban vegetation respond to changes in meteorology and air quality and can react to pollutants. Neglecting this coupling may lead to unforeseen negative effects on air quality resulting from urban greening programs. The potential of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from vegetation combined with anthropogenic emissions of air pollutants to produce ozone has long been recognized. This ozone formation potential increases under rising temperatures. Here we investigate how emissions of VOC from urban vegetation affect corresponding ground-level ozone and PM10 concentrations in summer and especially during heat wave periods. We use the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with coupled atmospheric chemistry (WRF-CHEM) to quantify these feedbacks in the Berlin-Brandenburg region, Germany during the two summers of 2006 (heat wave) and 2014 (reference period). VOC emissions from vegetation are calculated by MEGAN 2.0 coupled online with WRF-CHEM. Our preliminary results indicate that the contribution of VOCs from vegetation to ozone formation may increase by more than twofold during heat wave periods. We highlight the importance of the vegetation for urban areas in the context of a changing climate and discuss potential tradeoffs of urban greening programs.

Habitat connectivity and local conditions shape taxonomic and functional diversity of arthropods on green roofs.

PubMed

Braaker, Sonja; Obrist, Martin Karl; Ghazoul, Jaboury; Moretti, Marco

2017-05-01

Increasing development of urban environments creates high pressure on green spaces with potential negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. There is growing evidence that green roofs - rooftops covered with vegetation - can contribute mitigate the loss of urban green spaces by providing new habitats for numerous arthropod species. Whether green roofs can contribute to enhance taxonomic and functional diversity and increase connectivity across urbanized areas remains, however, largely unknown. Furthermore, only limited information is available on how environmental conditions shape green roof arthropod communities. We investigated the community composition of arthropods (Apidae, Curculionidae, Araneae and Carabidae) on 40 green roofs and 40 green sites at ground level in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. We assessed how the site's environmental variables (such as area, height, vegetation, substrate and connectivity among sites) affect species richness and functional diversity using generalized linear models. We used an extension of co-inertia analysis (RLQ) and fourth-corner analysis to highlight the mechanism underlying community assemblages across taxonomic groups on green roof and ground communities. Species richness was higher at ground-level sites, while no difference in functional diversity was found between green roofs and ground sites. Green roof arthropod diversity increased with higher connectivity and plant species richness, irrespective of substrate depth, height and area of green roofs. The species trait analysis reviewed the mechanisms related to the environmental predictors that shape the species assemblages of the different taxa at ground and roof sites. Our study shows the important contribution of green roofs in maintaining high functional diversity of arthropod communities across different taxonomic groups, despite their lower species richness compared with ground sites. Species communities on green roofs revealed to be characterized by specific trait assemblages. The study also provides details on the environmental conditions that influence arthropod diversity and gives new perspectives on how the design of green roofs can be improved to increase their ecological value. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of integrating green roofs in planning policies which aim to enhance urban habitat connectivity. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2017 British Ecological Society.

Response of bats to light with different spectra: light-shy and agile bat presence is affected by white and green, but not red light

PubMed Central

van Grunsven, Roy H. A.; Ramakers, Jip J. C.; Ferguson, Kim B.; Raap, Thomas; Donners, Maurice; Veenendaal, Elmar M.; Visser, Marcel E.

2017-01-01

Artificial light at night has shown a remarkable increase over the past decades. Effects are reported for many species groups, and include changes in presence, behaviour, physiology and life-history traits. Among these, bats are strongly affected, and how bat species react to light is likely to vary with light colour. Different spectra may therefore be applied to reduce negative impacts. We used a unique set-up of eight field sites to study the response of bats to three different experimental light spectra in an otherwise dark and undisturbed natural habitat. We measured activity of three bat species groups around transects with light posts emitting white, green and red light with an intensity commonly used to illuminate countryside roads. The results reveal a strong and spectrum-dependent response for the slow-flying Myotis and Plecotus and more agile Pipistrellus species, but not for Nyctalus and Eptesicus species. Plecotus and Myotis species avoided white and green light, but were equally abundant in red light and darkness. The agile, opportunistically feeding Pipistrellus species were significantly more abundant around white and green light, most likely because of accumulation of insects, but equally abundant in red illuminated transects compared to dark control. Forest-dwelling Myotis and Plecotus species and more synanthropic Pipistrellus species are thus least disturbed by red light. Hence, in order to limit the negative impact of light at night on bats, white and green light should be avoided in or close to natural habitat, but red lights may be used if illumination is needed. PMID:28566484

Does a Professor's Reputation Affect Course Selection?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoag, John H.; And Others

To examine whether a professor's reputation affects course selection, a survey was conducted of about 280 students in a junior level marketing class required of all business students at Bowling Green State University (Ohio). The questionnaire listed 25 economics professors and asked what the students had heard about the professors in five…

An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment for Upper-Level Forensic Science, Biochemistry, or Molecular Biology Courses: Human DNA Amplification Using STR Single Locus Primers by Real-Time PCR with SYBR Green Detection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elkins, Kelly M.; Kadunc, Raelynn E.

2012-01-01

In this laboratory experiment, real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) was conducted using published human TPOX single-locus DNA primers for validation and various student-designed short tandem repeat (STR) primers for Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) loci. SYBR Green was used to detect the amplification of the expected amplicons. The…

Factors affecting long-term trends in surface-water quality in the Gwynns Falls watershed, Baltimore City and County, Maryland, 1998–2016

USGS Publications Warehouse

Majcher, Emily H.; Woytowitz, Ellen L.; Reisinger, Alexander J.; Groffman, Peter M.

2018-03-30

Factors affecting water-quality trends in urban streams are not well understood, despite current regulatory requirements and considerable ongoing investments in gray and green infrastructure. To address this gap, long-term water-quality trends and factors affecting these trends were examined in the Gwynns Falls, Maryland, watershed during 1998–2016 in cooperation with Blue Water Baltimore. Data on water-quality constituents and potential factors of influence were obtained from multiple sources and compiled for analysis, with a focus on data collected as part of the National Science Foundation funded Long-Term Ecological Research project, the Baltimore Ecosystem Study.Variability in climate (specifically, precipitation) and land cover can overwhelm actions taken to improve water quality and can present challenges for meeting regulatory goals. Analysis of land cover during 2001–11 in the Gwynns Falls watershed indicated minimal change during the study time frame; therefore, land-cover change is likely not a factor affecting trends in water quality. However, a modest increase in annual precipitation and a significant increase in winter precipitation were apparent in the region. A higher proportion of runoff producing storms was observed in the winter and a lower proportion in the summer, indicating that climate change may affect water quality in the watershed. The increase in precipitation was not reflected in annual or seasonal trends of streamflow in the watershed. Nonetheless, these precipitation changes may exacerbate the inflow and infiltration of water to gray infrastructure and reduce the effectiveness of green infrastructure. For streamflow and most water-quality constituents examined, no discernable trends were noted over the timeframe examined. Despite the increases in precipitation, no trends were observed for annual or seasonal discharge at the various sites within the study area. In some locations, nitrate, phosphate, and total nitrogen show downward trends, and total phosphorus and chloride show upward trends.Sanitary sewer overflows (gray infrastructure) and best management practices (green infrastructure) were identified as factors affecting water-quality change. The duration of sanitary sewer overflows was positively correlated with annual loads of nutrients and bacteria, and the drainage area of best management practices was negatively correlated with annual loads of phosphate and sulfate. Results of the study indicate that continued investments in gray and green infrastructure are necessary for urban water-quality improvement. Although this outcome is not unexpected, long-term datasets such as the one used in this study, allow the effects of gray and green infrastructures to be quantified.Results of this study have implications for the Gwynns Falls watershed and its residents and Baltimore City and County managers. Moreover, outcomes are relevant to other watersheds in the metropolitan region that do not have the same long-term dataset. Further, this study has established a framework for ongoing statistical analysis of primary factors affecting urban water-quality trends as regulatory programs mature.

Efficiency of blue-green stormwater retrofits for flood mitigation - Conclusions drawn from a case study in Malmö, Sweden.

PubMed

Haghighatafshar, Salar; Nordlöf, Beatrice; Roldin, Maria; Gustafsson, Lars-Göran; la Cour Jansen, Jes; Jönsson, Karin

2018-02-01

Coupled one-dimensional (1D) sewer and two-dimensional (2D) overland flow hydrodynamic models were constructed to evaluate the flood mitigation efficiency of a renowned blue-green stormwater retrofit, i.e. Augustenborg, in Malmö, Sweden. Simulation results showed that the blue-green stormwater systems were effective in controlling local surface flooding in inner-city catchments, having reduced the total flooded surfaces by about 70%. However, basement flooding could still be a potential problem depending on the magnitude of the inflows through combined sewer from upstream areas. Moreover, interactions between blue-green retrofits and the surrounding pipe-system were studied. It was observed that the blue-green retrofits reduced the peak flows by approximately 80% and levelled out the runoff. This is a substantial advantage for downstream pipe-bound catchments, as they do not receive a cloudburst-equivalent runoff from the retrofitted catchment, but a reduced flow corresponding to a much milder rainfall. Blue-green retrofits are more effective if primarily implemented in the upstream areas of a pipe-bound catchment since the resulting reduced runoff and levelled out discharge would benefit the entire network lying downstream. Implementing blue-green retrofits from upstream towards downstream can be considered as a sustainable approach. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Variable effects of plant colonization on black slate uptake into microbial PLFAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seifert, Anne-Gret; Trumbore, Susan; Xu, Xiaomei; Zhang, Dachung; Gleixner, Gerd

2013-04-01

Microbial degradation of carbon derived from black shale and slate has been shown in vitro. However, in natural settings where other labile carbon sources are likely to exist, this has not been previously demonstrated. We investigated the uptake of ancient carbon derived from slate weathering and from recently photosynthesised organic matter by different groups of microorganisms. Therefore we isolated microbial biomarkers (phospholipid fatty acids, PLFAs) from black slates collected at a chronosequence of waste piles which differed in age and vegetation cover. We quantified the amount of PLFAs and performed stable isotope and radiocarbon measurements on individual or grouped PLFAs to quantify the fraction of slate derived carbon. We used black slate from a pile heaped in the 1950s with either uncovered black slate material (bare site) or material slightly colonized by small plants (greened site) and from a forested leaching pile (forested site) used for alum-mining in the 19th century. Colonization by plants influenced the amount and composition of the microbial community. Greater amounts of PLFAs (5410 ng PLFA/g dw) were extracted from slate sampled at the forested site as opposed to the bare site (960 ng PLFAs/g dw) or the greened (annual grasses and mosses) rock waste pile (1050 ng PLFAs/g dw). We found the highest proportion of PLFAs representing Gram-negative bacteria on the forested site and the highest proportion of PLFAs representing Gram-positive bacteria on the bare site. The fungal PLFA was most abundant at the greened site. Sites with less plant colonization (bare and greened site) tended to have more depleted δ13C values compared to the forested site. Radiocarbon measurements on PLFAs indicated that fungi and Gram-positive bacteria were best adapted to black slate carbon uptake. In the fungal PLFA (combined bare and greened waste pile sample) and in PLFAs of Gram-positive bacteria (greened site) we measured 39.7% and 28.9% ancient carbon uptake, respectively. Our results prove that black slate degradation followed by carbon uptake takes place in situ. Results imply that plant colonization might additionally affect this process. Slight colonization with few plants increased slate derived carbon uptake in PLFAs of Gram-positive bacteria. Evidently, Gram-positive bacteria represented by specific PLFAs from the greened site held more ancient carbon than from the bare site. In contrast, no black slate derived carbon was used by microorganisms at the forested site with 2-3 times greater carbon content. Results suggest that the use of ancient slate derived carbon dominates mainly in early stages of microbial colonization of surfaces and that with increasing ecosystem development recycling of plant derived carbon dominates.

Effect of Green Tea Phytochemicals on Mood and Cognition.

PubMed

Dietz, Christina; Dekker, Matthijs

2017-01-01

Green tea is traditionally known to induce mental clarity, cognitive function, physical activation and relaxation. Recently, a special green tea, matcha tea, is rapidly gaining popularity throughout the world and is frequently referred to as a mood- and brain food. Matcha tea consumption leads to much higher intake of green tea phytochemicals compared to regular green tea. Previous research on tea constituents caffeine, L-theanine, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) repeatedly demonstrated benefits on mood and cognitive performance. These effects were observed when these phytochemicals were consumed separately and in combination. A review was conducted on 49 human intervention studies to summarize the research on acute psychoactive effects of caffeine, L-theanine, and EGCG on different dimensions of mood and cognitive performance. Caffeine was found to mainly improve performance on demanding long-duration cognitive tasks and self-reported alertness, arousal, and vigor. Significant effects already occurred at low doses of 40 mg. L-theanine alone improved self-reported relaxation, tension, and calmness starting at 200 mg. L-theanine and caffeine combined were found to particularly improve performance in attention-switching tasks and alertness, but to a lesser extent than caffeine alone. No conclusive evidence relating to effects induced by EGCG could be given since the amount of intervention studies was limited. These studies provided reliable evidence showing that L-theanine and caffeine have clear beneficial effects on sustained attention, memory, and suppression of distraction. Moreover, L-theanine was found to lead to relaxation by reducing caffeine induced arousal. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Implementing Green Walls in Schools.

PubMed

McCullough, Michael B; Martin, Michael D; Sajady, Mollika A

2018-01-01

Numerous studies in applied pedagogical design have shown that, at all educational levels, direct exposure to the natural environment can enhance learning by improving student attention and behaviors. Implementing green walls-a "vertical garden," or "living wall" interior wall that typically includes greenery, a growing medium (soil or substrate) and a water delivery system-provides environmental health benefits, but also provides a practical application within classrooms for minimizing directed attention fatigue in students by connecting them to "outdoor nature" within the indoor environment. Hands-on "project-based" learning is another pedagogical strategy that has proved to be effective across the spectrum of educational levels and across subject areas. Green walls have the potential to inspire critical thinking through a combination of project-based learning strategies and environmental education. The authors have outlined a curriculum involving the implementation of an indoor living wall system within a classroom-learning environment, incorporating project-based learning modules that interact with the wall. In conjunction with the passive health benefits of a green wall, project-based curriculum models can connect students interactively with indoor nature and have the potential to inspire real-world thinking related to science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics fields within the indoor learning environment. Through a combination of these passive and interactive modes, students are connected to nature in the indoor environment regardless of weather conditions outdoors. Future research direction could include post-construction studies of the effectiveness of project-based curricula related to living walls, and the long-term impacts of implementing green walls in classrooms on school achievement and student behaviors.

Digging the New York City Skyline: Soil Fungal Communities in Green Roofs and City Parks

PubMed Central

McGuire, Krista L.; Payne, Sara G.; Palmer, Matthew I.; Gillikin, Caitlyn M.; Keefe, Dominique; Kim, Su Jin; Gedallovich, Seren M.; Discenza, Julia; Rangamannar, Ramya; Koshner, Jennifer A.; Massmann, Audrey L.; Orazi, Giulia; Essene, Adam; Leff, Jonathan W.; Fierer, Noah

2013-01-01

In urban environments, green roofs provide a number of benefits, including decreased urban heat island effects and reduced energy costs for buildings. However, little research has been done on the non-plant biota associated with green roofs, which likely affect their functionality. For the current study, we evaluated whether or not green roofs planted with two native plant communities in New York City functioned as habitats for soil fungal communities, and compared fungal communities in green roof growing media to soil microbial composition in five city parks, including Central Park and the High Line. Ten replicate roofs were sampled one year after planting; three of these roofs were more intensively sampled and compared to nearby city parks. Using Illumina sequencing of the fungal ITS region we found that green roofs supported a diverse fungal community, with numerous taxa belonging to fungal groups capable of surviving in disturbed and polluted habitats. Across roofs, there was significant biogeographical clustering of fungal communities, indicating that community assembly of roof microbes across the greater New York City area is locally variable. Green roof fungal communities were compositionally distinct from city parks and only 54% of the green roof taxa were also found in the park soils. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis revealed that park soils had greater microbial biomass and higher bacterial to fungal ratios than green roof substrates. City park soils were also more enriched with heavy metals, had lower pH, and lower quantities of total bases (Ca, K, and Mg) compared to green roof substrates. While fungal communities were compositionally distinct across green roofs, they did not differentiate by plant community. Together, these results suggest that fungi living in the growing medium of green roofs may be an underestimated component of these biotic systems functioning to support some of the valued ecological services of green roofs. PMID:23469260

Digging the New York City Skyline: soil fungal communities in green roofs and city parks.

PubMed

McGuire, Krista L; Payne, Sara G; Palmer, Matthew I; Gillikin, Caitlyn M; Keefe, Dominique; Kim, Su Jin; Gedallovich, Seren M; Discenza, Julia; Rangamannar, Ramya; Koshner, Jennifer A; Massmann, Audrey L; Orazi, Giulia; Essene, Adam; Leff, Jonathan W; Fierer, Noah

2013-01-01

In urban environments, green roofs provide a number of benefits, including decreased urban heat island effects and reduced energy costs for buildings. However, little research has been done on the non-plant biota associated with green roofs, which likely affect their functionality. For the current study, we evaluated whether or not green roofs planted with two native plant communities in New York City functioned as habitats for soil fungal communities, and compared fungal communities in green roof growing media to soil microbial composition in five city parks, including Central Park and the High Line. Ten replicate roofs were sampled one year after planting; three of these roofs were more intensively sampled and compared to nearby city parks. Using Illumina sequencing of the fungal ITS region we found that green roofs supported a diverse fungal community, with numerous taxa belonging to fungal groups capable of surviving in disturbed and polluted habitats. Across roofs, there was significant biogeographical clustering of fungal communities, indicating that community assembly of roof microbes across the greater New York City area is locally variable. Green roof fungal communities were compositionally distinct from city parks and only 54% of the green roof taxa were also found in the park soils. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis revealed that park soils had greater microbial biomass and higher bacterial to fungal ratios than green roof substrates. City park soils were also more enriched with heavy metals, had lower pH, and lower quantities of total bases (Ca, K, and Mg) compared to green roof substrates. While fungal communities were compositionally distinct across green roofs, they did not differentiate by plant community. Together, these results suggest that fungi living in the growing medium of green roofs may be an underestimated component of these biotic systems functioning to support some of the valued ecological services of green roofs.

Green space definition affects associations of green space with overweight and physical activity.

PubMed

Klompmaker, Jochem O; Hoek, Gerard; Bloemsma, Lizan D; Gehring, Ulrike; Strak, Maciej; Wijga, Alet H; van den Brink, Carolien; Brunekreef, Bert; Lebret, Erik; Janssen, Nicole A H

2018-01-01

In epidemiological studies, exposure to green space is inconsistently associated with being overweight and physical activity, possibly because studies differ widely in their definition of green space exposure, inclusion of important confounders, study population and data analysis. We evaluated whether the association of green space with being overweight and physical activity depended upon definition of greenspace. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from a Dutch national health survey of 387,195 adults. Distance to the nearest park entrance and surrounding green space, based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) or a detailed Dutch land-use database (TOP10NL), was calculated for each residential address. We used logistic regression analyses to study the association of green space exposure with being overweight and being moderately or vigorously physically active outdoors at least 150min/week (self-reported). To study the shape of the association, we specified natural splines and quintiles. The distance to the nearest park entrance was not associated with being overweight or outdoor physical activity. Associations of surrounding green space with being overweight or outdoor physical activity were highly non-linear. For NDVI surrounding greenness, we observed significantly decreased odds of being overweight [300m buffer, odds ratio (OR) = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.86, 0.91] and increased odds for outdoor physical activity [300m buffer, OR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.17] in the highest quintile compared to the lowest quintile. For TOP10NL surrounding green space, associations were mostly non-significant. Associations were generally stronger for subjects living in less urban areas and for the smaller buffers. Associations of green space with being overweight and outdoor physical activity differed considerably between different green space definitions. Associations were strongest for NDVI surrounding greenness. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Safe driving in a green world: a review of driver performance benchmarks and technologies to support 'smart' driving.

PubMed

Young, Mark S; Birrell, Stewart A; Stanton, Neville A

2011-05-01

Road transport is a significant source of both safety and environmental concerns. With climate change and fuel prices increasingly prominent on social and political agendas, many drivers are turning their thoughts to fuel efficient or 'green' (i.e., environmentally friendly) driving practices. Many vehicle manufacturers are satisfying this demand by offering green driving feedback or advice tools. However, there is a legitimate concern regarding the effects of such devices on road safety--both from the point of view of change in driving styles, as well as potential distraction caused by the in-vehicle feedback. In this paper, we appraise the benchmarks for safe and green driving, concluding that whilst they largely overlap, there are some specific circumstances in which the goals are in conflict. We go on to review current and emerging in-vehicle information systems which purport to affect safe and/or green driving, and discuss some fundamental ergonomics principles for the design of such devices. The results of the review are being used in the Foot-LITE project, aimed at developing a system to encourage 'smart'--that is safe and green--driving. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

A modelling study of the event-based retention performance of green roof under the hot-humid tropical climate in Kuching.

PubMed

Chai, C T; Putuhena, F J; Selaman, O S

2017-12-01

The influences of climate on the retention capability of green roof have been widely discussed in existing literature. However, knowledge on how the retention capability of green roof is affected by the tropical climate is limited. This paper highlights the retention performance of the green roof situated in Kuching under hot-humid tropical climatic conditions. Using the green roof water balance modelling approach, this study simulated the hourly runoff generated from a virtual green roof from November 2012 to October 2013 based on past meteorological data. The result showed that the overall retention performance was satisfactory with a mean retention rate of 72.5% from 380 analysed rainfall events but reduced to 12.0% only for the events that potentially trigger the occurrence of flash flood. By performing the Spearman rank's correlation analysis, it was found that the rainfall depth and mean rainfall intensity, individually, had a strong negative correlation with event retention rate, suggesting that the retention rate increases with decreased rainfall depth. The expected direct relationship between retention rate and antecedent dry weather period was found to be event size dependent.

Age and gender differences in the influence of extrinsic product information on acceptability for RTD green tea beverages.

PubMed

Bae, Ye-Won; Lee, Soh Min; Kim, Kwang-Ok

2016-03-15

The introduction of ready-to-drink (RTD) green tea beverage has allowed diverse consumers to consume green teas and related products. Green tea that has been traditionally consumed for its delicate flavor characteristics is also widely consumed for its recognition as a healthy product. Because it is reported that age difference exists in consideration of health-related information, the objective of the study was to investigate how sensory and non-sensory factors, in particular health-related information, price and packaging, would affect the flavor acceptability of green tea beverages, depending on consumers' age and gender. Regardless of the product information, old consumers preferred products that provided an indication of health beneficial effect. On the other hand, young consumers tended to be influenced by extrinsic product information such as packaging, brand/manufacturer and/or price, though these consumers were not so much influenced by health beneficial information as were the old consumers. The findings of the study implied that the influence of non-sensory information such as health beneficial information in flavor liking differed depending mostly on consumers' age, and little on gender, for RTD green tea beverages. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Color us (or somebody) green

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hill, L.W.

1993-04-01

Customers are turning green with environmental awareness in the marketplace. This movement is quickly gaining momentum with increasing demand for natural ingredients, recyclable materials, and low pollution technology. Although foresters have practiced environmental awareness for a long time and have become pretty good at it, the green consumerism needs their attention. Products from the world's forests circulate in world trade. Consumer attitudes about what these products are, where they come from and how they are produced and transported affect our profession. The international Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was formed in 1992 to set a worldwide standard for good forest managementmore » by promoting widely recognized and respected principles of good forest management. The ten principles are listed.« less

Study on disinfestation of pulses using microwave technique.

PubMed

Singh, Ranjeet; Singh, K K; Kotwaliwale, N

2012-08-01

Mortality of the pulse beetle (Callosobruchus chinensis L.) exposed, continuously, to microwave radiation (2450 MHz) was evaluated as a function of exposure time and percent power level, at adult stages. The microwave exposure time to attain 100% insect mortality at 100 %, 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20% power levels for Chickpea, Pigeon Pea and Green Gram was optimized. Effect of optimized microwave exposure time on viability, germination, cooking and milling characteristics of Chickpea, Pigeon Pea and Green Gram was also evaluated. Adult stage study was characterized by a distinct dose-exposure curve. The mortality curve was following third degree polynomial equation. The seed viability and germination of Chickpea, Pigeon Pea and Green Gram was affected by microwave exposure time and power level. It was observed that as the power level is decreasing the germination and viability of all the pulses are increasing. The effect on cooking and milling characteristics are not affected by microwave exposure time and power level. The insects in the mobile state were observed to move towards the surface from inside the nutrient medium during microwave exposure. They also curled up and in some cases aggregation was observed.

Quercetin increased bioavailability and decreased methylation of green tea polyphenols in vitro and in vivo

PubMed Central

Wang, Piwen; Heber, David; Henning, Susanne M.

2013-01-01

The extensive methylation of green tea polyphenols (GTPs) in vivo may limit their chemopreventive potential. We investigated whether quercetin, a natural inhibitor of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and multidrug resistance proteins (MRPs), will differentially increase the intracellular concentration and decrease the methylation of GTPs in different cancer cell lines. Intrinsic COMT activity was lowest in lung cancer A549 cells, intermediate in kidney 786-O cells and highest in liver HepG2 cells. Quercetin increased the cellular absorption of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) four-fold in A549 cells with a decreased methylation rate from 63% to 19%, 2-fold in 786-O cells with a decreased methylation from 97% to 56%, while no significant effect was observed in HepG2 cells. The combination significantly decreased the activity and protein expression of COMT and decreased the protein expression of MRP1 compared to individual treatments. The combination exhibited the strongest increase in antiproliferation in A549 cells, an intermediate effect in 786-O cells and lowest effect in HepG2 cells. The effect of quercetin on bioavailability and metabolism of GTPs was confirmed in vivo. SCID mice were administered brewed green tea (GT) and a diet supplemented with 0.4% quercetin alone or in combination for 2 weeks. We observed a 2 to 3-fold increase of total and non-methylated EGCG in lung and kidney and a trend to increase in liver. In summary, combining quercetin with GT provides a promising approach to enhance the chemoprevention of GT. Responses of different cancers to the combination may vary by tissue depending on the intrinsic COMT and MRP activity. PMID:22438067

Munsell color analysis of Landsat color-ratio-composite images of limonitic areas in southwest New Mexico

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kruse, F. A.

1985-01-01

The causes of color variations in the green areas on Landsat 4/5-4/6-6/7 (red-blue-green) color-ratio-composite (CRC) images, defined as limonitic areas, were investigated by analyzing the CRC images of the Lordsburg, New Mexico area. The red-blue-green additive color system was mathematically transformed into the cylindrical Munsell color coordinates (hue, saturation, and value), and selected areas were digitally analyzed for color variation. The obtained precise color characteristics were then correlated with properties of surface material. The amount of limonite (L) visible to the sensor was found to be the primary cause of the observed color differences. The visible L is, is turn, affected by the amount of L on the material's surface and by within-pixel mixing of limonitic and nonlimonitic materials. The secondary cause of variation was vegetation density, which shifted CRC hues towards yellow-green, decreased saturation, and increased value.

Physical and sensory quality of Java Arabica green coffee beans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sunarharum, W. B.; Yuwono, S. S.; Pangestu, N. B. S. W.; Nadhiroh, H.

2018-03-01

Demand on high quality coffee for consumption is continually increasing not only in the consuming countries (importers) but also in the producing countries (exporters). Coffee quality could be affected by several factors from farm to cup including the post-harvest processing methods. This research aimed to investigate the influence of different post-harvest processing methods on physical and sensory quality of Java Arabica green coffee beans. The two factors being evaluated were three different post-harvest processing methods to produce green coffee beans (natural/dry, semi-washed and fully-washed processing) under sun drying. Physical quality evaluation was based on The Indonesian National Standard (SNI 01-2907-2008) while sensory quality was evaluated by five expert judges. The result shows that less defects observed in wet processed coffee as compared to the dry processing. The mechanical drying was also proven to yield a higher quality green coffee beans and minimise losses.

Effect of Microwave Vacuum Drying on the Drying Characteristics, Color, Microstructure, and Antioxidant Activity of Green Coffee Beans.

PubMed

Dong, Wenjiang; Cheng, Ke; Hu, Rongsuo; Chu, Zhong; Zhao, Jianping; Long, Yuzhou

2018-05-11

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of microwave vacuum drying (MVD) on the drying characteristics and quality attributes of green coffee beans. We specifically focused on the effective moisture diffusion coefficient ( D eff ), surface temperature, glass transition temperature ( T g ), water state, and microstructure. The kinetics of color changes during drying, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS) were also characterized. Microwave power during MVD affected the porosity of coffee beans, their color, TPC, and antioxidant activity. The Allometric 1 model was the most suitable for simulating surface temperature rise kinetics. Thermal processing of green coffee beans resulted in increased b* , L* , Δ E , and TPC values, and greater antioxidant capacity. These findings may provide a theoretical reference for the technical improvement, mechanisms of flavor compound formation, and quality control of dried green coffee beans.

Red vs. green: Does the exam booklet color matter in higher education summative evaluations? Not likely.

PubMed

Arthur, Winfred; Cho, Inchul; Muñoz, Gonzalo J

2016-10-01

We examined the so-called "red effect" in the context of higher education summative exams under the premise that unlike the conditions or situations where this effect typically has been obtained, the totality of factors, such as higher motivation, familiarity with exam material, and more reliance on domain knowledge that characterize high-stakes testing such as those in operational educational settings, are likely to mitigate any color effects. Using three naturally occurring archival data sets in which students took exams on either red or green exam booklets, the results indicated that booklet color (red vs. green) did not affect exam performance. From a scientific perspective, the results suggest that color effects may be attenuated by factors that characterize high-stakes assessments, and from an applied perspective, they suggest that the choice of red vs. green exam booklets in higher education summative evaluations is likely not a concern.

Disaggregating tree and grass phenology in tropical savannas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Qiang

Savannas are mixed tree-grass systems and as one of the world's largest biomes represent an important component of the Earth system affecting water and energy balances, carbon sequestration and biodiversity as well as supporting large human populations. Savanna vegetation structure and its distribution, however, may change because of major anthropogenic disturbances from climate change, wildfire, agriculture, and livestock production. The overstory and understory may have different water use strategies, different nutrient requirements and have different responses to fire and climate variation. The accurate measurement of the spatial distribution and structure of the overstory and understory are essential for understanding the savanna ecosystem. This project developed a workflow for separating the dynamics of the overstory and understory fractional cover in savannas at the continental scale (Australia, South America, and Africa). Previous studies have successfully separated the phenology of Australian savanna vegetation into persistent and seasonal greenness using time series decomposition, and into fractions of photosynthetic vegetation (PV), non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) and bare soil (BS) using linear unmixing. This study combined these methods to separate the understory and overstory signal in both the green and senescent phenological stages using remotely sensed imagery from the MODIS (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor. The methods and parameters were adjusted based on the vegetation variation. The workflow was first tested at the Australian site. Here the PV estimates for overstory and understory showed best performance, however NPV estimates exhibited spatial variation in validation relationships. At the South American site (Cerrado), an additional method based on frequency unmixing was developed to separate green vegetation components with similar phenology. When the decomposition and frequency methods were compared, the frequency method was better for extracting the green tree phenology, but the original decomposition method was better for retrieval of understory grass phenology. Both methods, however, were less accurate than in the Cerrado than in Australia due to intermingling and intergrading of grass and small woody components. Since African savanna trees are predominantly deciduous, the frequency method was combined with the linear unmixing of fractional cover to attempt to separate the relatively similar phenology of deciduous trees and seasonal grasses. The results for Africa revealed limitations associated with both methods. There was spatial and seasonal variation in the spectral indices used to unmix fractional cover resulting in poor validation for NPV in particular. The frequency analysis revealed significant phase variation indicative of different phenology, but these could not be clearly ascribed to separate grass and tree components. Overall findings indicate that site-specific variation and vegetation structure and composition, along with MODIS pixel resolution, and the simple vegetation index approach used was not robust across the different savanna biomes. The approach showed generally better performance for estimating PV fraction, and separating green phenology, but there were major inconsistencies, errors and biases in estimation of NPV and BS outside of the Australian savanna environment.

Influence of bulking agents on physical, chemical, and microbiological properties during the two-stage composting of green waste.

PubMed

Zhang, Lu; Sun, Xiangyang

2016-02-01

A recyclable organic bulking agent (BA) that can be screened and was developed to optimize green waste (GW) composting. This study investigated the use of wood chips (WC) (at 0%, 15%, and 25%) and/or composted green waste (CGW) (at 0%, 25%, and 35%) as the BAs in the two-stage composting of GW. The combined addition of WC and CGW improved the conditions of composting process and the quality of compost product in terms of composting temperature, porosity, water retention, particle-size distribution, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), nitrogen losses, humification indices, microbial numbers, enzyme activities, macro- and micro-nutrient contents, and toxicity to germinating seeds. The compost matured in only 22days with the optimized two-stage composting method rather than in the 90-270days typically required for traditional composting. The optimal two-stage composting process and the best quality of compost product were obtained with the combined addition of 15% WC and 35% CGW. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energetic-environmental-economic assessment of the biogas system with three utilization pathways: Combined heat and power, biomethane and fuel cell.

PubMed

Wu, Bin; Zhang, Xiangping; Shang, Dawei; Bao, Di; Zhang, Suojiang; Zheng, Tao

2016-08-01

A typical biogas system with three utilization pathways, i.e., biogas upgrading, biogas combined heat and power (CHP), biogas solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) were designed. It was assessed from the viewpoint of energy, environment and economy by using energy efficiency, green degree and net present value index respectively. The assessment considered the trade-off relationships among these indexes, which is more comprehensive than previous systematic evaluation work only included single or two of the pathway(s) by using one or two of the index(es). Assessment results indicated that biogas upgrading pathway has the highest systematic energy efficiency (46.5%) and shortest payback period (8.9year) with the green degree production is the lowest (9.29gd/day). While for biogas SOFC pathway, although the green degree production is the highest (21.77gd/day), the payback period is longer (14.5year) and the energy efficiency is 13.6% lower than the biogas upgrading pathway. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metabolite profiling approach reveals the interface of primary and secondary metabolism in colored cauliflowers (Brassica oleracea L. ssp. botrytis).

PubMed

Park, Soo-Yun; Lim, Sun-Hyung; Ha, Sun-Hwa; Yeo, Yunsoo; Park, Woo Tae; Kwon, Do Yeon; Park, Sang Un; Kim, Jae Kwang

2013-07-17

In the present study, carotenoids, anthocyanins, and phenolic acids of cauliflowers ( Brassica oleracea L. ssp. botrytis) with various colored florets (white, yellow, green, and purple) were characterized to determine their phytochemical diversity. Additionally, 48 metabolites comprising amino acids, organic acids, sugars, and sugar alcohols were identified using gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS). Carotenoid content was considerably higher in green cauliflower; anthocyanins were detected only in purple cauliflower. Phenolic acids were higher in both green and purple cauliflower. Results of partial least-squares discriminant, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical clustering analyses showed that green cauliflower is distinct on the basis of the high levels of amino acids and clusters derived from common or closely related biochemical pathways. These results suggest that GC-TOFMS-based metabolite profiling, combined with chemometrics, is a useful tool for determining phenotypic variation and identifying metabolic networks connecting primary and secondary metabolism.

Tea, coffee, and cocoa as ultraviolet radiation protectants for the beet armyworm nucleopolyhedrovirus.

PubMed

El-Salamouny, S; Ranwala, D; Shapiro, M; Shepard, B M; Farrar, Robert R

2009-10-01

The addition of 1% (wt:vol) aqueous extracts of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) (Malvales: Malvaceae), coffee (Coffea arabica L.) (Gentianales: Rubiaceae), and green and black tea (Camellia sinensis L.) (Ericales: Theaceae) provided excellent UV radiation protection for the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), nucleopolyhedrovirus under laboratory conditions. Aqueous extracts of coffee, green tea, and black tea at 0.5% provided 85-100% UV protection, whereas cocoa provided 50% UV protection. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a component of green tea, and caffeine, a component of tea and coffee, also were tested as UV protectants. Both compounds were ineffective when tested alone. When EGCG and caffeine were combined, UV protection increased in a synergistic manner, but <35% of the original virus activity was maintained. This study demonstrated that coffee was comparable to green tea and black tea as a UV protectant. Further studies should be conducted to optimize their use in biopesticide formulations.

[Location selection for Shenyang urban parks based on GIS and multi-objective location allocation model].

PubMed

Zhou, Yuan; Shi, Tie-Mao; Hu, Yuan-Man; Gao, Chang; Liu, Miao; Song, Lin-Qi

2011-12-01

Based on geographic information system (GIS) technology and multi-objective location-allocation (LA) model, and in considering of four relatively independent objective factors (population density level, air pollution level, urban heat island effect level, and urban land use pattern), an optimized location selection for the urban parks within the Third Ring of Shenyang was conducted, and the selection results were compared with the spatial distribution of existing parks, aimed to evaluate the rationality of the spatial distribution of urban green spaces. In the location selection of urban green spaces in the study area, the factor air pollution was most important, and, compared with single objective factor, the weighted analysis results of multi-objective factors could provide optimized spatial location selection of new urban green spaces. The combination of GIS technology with LA model would be a new approach for the spatial optimizing of urban green spaces.

Characterization of fibropapillomatosis in green turtles Chelonia mydas (Cheloniidae) captured in a foraging area in southeastern Brazil.

PubMed

Tagliolatto, Alícia Bertoloto; Guimarães, Suzana Machado; Lobo-Hajdu, Gisele; Monteiro-Neto, Cassiano

2016-10-27

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a multifactorial disease that affects all species of marine turtles, including green turtles Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758). It is characterised by the development of internal or external tumours that, depending on their locations and sizes, may intensely impact the health condition of sea turtles. The goal of this study was to characterise the disease in C. mydas found in a foraging area in southeastern Brazil, evaluate the prevalence in this region, and correlate presence and absence, size, body distribution, number of tumours, and disease severity with biometric variables of the captured green turtles. Between 2008 and 2014, the prevalence rate of FP was 43.09%, out of 246 green turtles. The size of the animals with FP was relatively greater than animals without tumours, and the prevalence of FP increased with animal size, peaking in the 60-80 cm size class. From 2013 to 2014, gross evaluation of fibropapillomas was performed. The number of tumours per turtle ranged from 1 to 158. The size of tumours ranged from <1 cm (Size A) to >10 cm (Size D); Size A tumours and turtles slightly affected by the disease (Score 1) predominated. Tumour progression (72.1%) and regression (32.8%) were seen in some recaptured individuals (n = 61). Moreover, 24.6% of these turtles showed both progressions and regressions of tumours.

Magnetoreception in birds: different physical processes for two types of directional responses

PubMed Central

Wiltschko, Roswitha; Stapput, Katrin; Ritz, Thorsten; Thalau, Peter; Wiltschko, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

Migratory orientation in birds involves an inclination compass based on radical-pair processes. Under certain light regimes, however, “fixed-direction” responses are observed that do not undergo the seasonal change between spring and autumn typical for migratory orientation. To identify the underlying transduction mechanisms, we analyzed a fixed-direction response under a combination of 502 nm turquoise and 590 nm yellow light, with migratory orientation under 565 nm green light serving as the control. High-frequency fields, diagnostic for a radical-pair mechanism, disrupted migratory orientation without affecting fixed-direction responses. Local anaesthesia of the upper beak where magnetite is found in birds, in contrast, disrupted the fixed-direction response without affecting migratory orientation. The two types of responses are thus based on different physical principles, with the compass response based on a radical pair mechanism and the fixed-direction responses probably originating in magnetite-based receptors in the upper beak. Directional input from these receptors seems to affect the behavior only when the regular inclination compass does not work properly. Evolutionary considerations suggest that magnetite-based receptors may represent an ancient mechanism that, in birds, has been replaced by the modern inclination compass based on radical-pair processes now used for directional orientation. PMID:19404459

Comparison of blue-green response between transmission-mode GaAsP- and GaAs-based photocathodes grown by molecular beam epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gang-Cheng, Jiao; Zheng-Tang, Liu; Hui, Guo; Yi-Jun, Zhang

2016-04-01

In order to develop the photodetector for effective blue-green response, the 18-mm-diameter vacuum image tube combined with the transmission-mode Al0.7Ga0.3As0.9 P 0.1/GaAs0.9 P 0.1 photocathode grown by molecular beam epitaxy is tentatively fabricated. A comparison of photoelectric property, spectral characteristic and performance parameter between the transmission-mode GaAsP-based and blue-extended GaAs-based photocathodes shows that the GaAsP-based photocathode possesses better absorption and higher quantum efficiency in the blue-green waveband, combined with a larger surface electron escape probability. Especially, the quantum efficiency at 532 nm for the GaAsP-based photocathode achieves as high as 59%, nearly twice that for the blue-extended GaAs-based one, which would be more conducive to the underwater range-gated imaging based on laser illumination. Moreover, the simulation results show that the favorable blue-green response can be achieved by optimizing the emission-layer thickness in a range of 0.4 μm-0.6 μm. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61301023) and the Science and Technology on Low-Light-Level Night Vision Laboratory Foundation, China (Grant No. BJ2014001).

A Novel Strategy for Human Papillomavirus Detection and Genotyping with SybrGreen and Molecular Beacon Polymerase Chain Reaction

PubMed Central

Szuhai, Károly; Sandhaus, Emily; Kolkman-Uljee, Sandra M.; Lemaître, Marc; Truffert, Jean-Christophe; Dirks, Roeland W.; Tanke, Hans J.; Fleuren, Gert Jan; Schuuring, Ed; Raap, Anton K.

2001-01-01

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer. For identification of the large number of different HPV types found in (pre)malignant lesions, a robust methodology is needed that combines general HPV detection with HPV genotyping. We have developed for formaldehyde-fixed samples a strategy that, in a homogenous, real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay, accomplishes general HPV detection by SybrGreen reporting of HPV-DNA amplicons, and genotyping of seven prevalent HPV types (HPV-6, -11, -16, -18, -31, -33, -45) by real-time molecular beacon PCR. The false-positive rate of the HPV SybrGreen-PCR was 4%, making it well suited as a prescreening, general HPV detection technology. The type specificity of the seven selected HPV molecular beacons was 100% and double infections were readily identified. The multiplexing capacity of the HPV molecular beacon PCR was analyzed and up to three differently labeled molecular beacons could be used in one PCR reaction without observing cross talk. The inherent quantitation capacities of real-time fluorescence PCR allowed the determination of average HPV copy number per cell. We conclude that the HPV SybrGreen-PCR in combination with the HPV molecular beacon PCR provides a robust, sensitive, and quantitative general HPV detection and genotyping methodology. PMID:11696426

Green supply chain: Simulating road traffic congestion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalal, Muhammad Zulqarnain Hakim Abd; Nawawi, Mohd Kamal Mohd; Laailatul Hanim Mat Desa, Wan; Khalid, Ruzelan; Khalid Abduljabbar, Waleed; Ramli, Razamin

2017-09-01

With the increasing awareness of the consumers about environmental issues, businesses, households and governments increasingly want use green products and services which lead to green supply chain. This paper discusses a simulation study of a selected road traffic system that will contribute to the air pollution if in the congestion state. Road traffic congestion (RTC) can be caused by a temporary obstruction, a permanent capacity bottleneck in the network itself, and stochastic fluctuation in demand within a particular sector of the network, leading to spillback and queue propagation. A discrete-event simulation model is developed to represent the real traffic light control (TLC) system condition during peak hours. Certain performance measures such as average waiting time and queue length were measured using the simulation model. Existing system uses pre-set cycle time to control the light changes which is fixed time cycle. In this research, we test several other combination of pre-set cycle time with the objective to find the best system. In addition, we plan to use a combination of the pre-set cycle time and a proximity sensor which have the authority to manipulate the cycle time of the lights. The sensors work in such situation when the street seems to have less occupied vehicles, obviously it may not need a normal cycle for green light, and automatically change the cycle to street where vehicle is present.

Phototherapy with blue and green mixed-light is as effective against unconjugated jaundice as blue light and reduces oxidative stress in the Gunn rat model.

PubMed

Uchida, Yumiko; Morimoto, Yukihiro; Uchiike, Takao; Kamamoto, Tomoyuki; Hayashi, Tamaki; Arai, Ikuyo; Nishikubo, Toshiya; Takahashi, Yukihiro

2015-07-01

Phototherapy using blue light-emitting diodes (LED) is effective against neonatal jaundice. However, green light phototherapy also reduces unconjugated jaundice. We aimed to determine whether mixed blue and green light can relieve jaundice with minimal oxidative stress as effectively as either blue or green light alone in a rat model. Gunn rats were exposed to phototherapy with blue (420-520 nm), filtered blue (FB; 440-520 nm without<440-nm wavelengths, FB50 (half the irradiance of filtered blue), mixed (filtered 50% blue and 50% green), and green (490-590 nm) LED irradiation for 24h. The effects of phototherapy are expressed as ratios of serum total (TB) and unbound (UB) bilirubin before and after exposure to each LED. Urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) was measured by HPLC before and after exposure to each LED to determine photo-oxidative stress. Values < 1.00 indicate effective phototherapy. The ratios of TB and UB were decreased to 0.85, 0.89, 1.07, 0.90, and 1.04, and 0.85, 0.94, 0.93, 0.89, and 1.09 after exposure to blue, filtered blue, FB50, and filtered blue mixed with green LED, respectively. In contrast, urinary 8-OHdG increased to 2.03, 1.25, 0.96, 1.36, 1.31, and 1.23 after exposure to blue, filtered blue, FB50, mixed, green LED, and control, indicating side-effects (> 1.00), respectively. Blue plus green phototherapy is as effective as blue phototherapy and it attenuates irradiation-induced oxidative stress. Combined blue and green spectra might be effective against neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.