Taxonomic studies on species belonging to subgenus  Eutricharaea Thomson of the genus Megachile (Hymenoptera:  Megachilidae)

Waterlogged wooden artifacts represent an important historical legacy of our past. They are very fragile, especially due to the severe phenomenon of acidification that may occur in the presence of acid precursors. To date, a satisfactory solution for the deacidification of ancient wood on a large scale has still not been found. In this paper, we propose, for the first time, eco-friendly curative and preventive treatments using nanoparticles (NPs) of earth alkaline hydroxides dispersed in water and produced on a large scale. We present the characterization of the NPs (by X-ray diffraction, atomic-force and electron microscopy, and small-angle neutron scattering), together with the study of the deacidification efficiency of our treatments. We demonstrate that all our treatments are very effective for both curative and preventive aims, able to assure an almost neutral or slightly alkaline pH of the treated woods. Furthermore, the use of water as a solvent paves the way for large-scale and eco-friendly applications which avoid substances that are harmful for the environment and for human health.

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Characterization of Excavated Waste of Different Ages in View of Multiple Resource Recovery in Landfill Mining

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12051780 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 1780 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Isabella Pecorini ◽

Renato Iannelli

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Calorific Value ◽

Landfill Mining ◽

Specific Objective ◽

Methane Potential ◽

Mining Projects ◽

Multiple Resource ◽

First Time

With the aim of examining the forcing factors in postmanagement landfills, in this study, excavation waste from nonhazardous municipal waste landfill in Tuscany was characterized for the first time. The specific objective was to estimate the feasibility of sampling and analyzing the excavated waste in order to define its properties and provide information about possible landfill mining projects. Based on the biochemical methane potential assays, it was shown that the excavated waste had not yet been stabilized (i.e., with a production of 52.2 ± 28.7 NlCH4/kgTS) in the landfill, probably due to the low excavated waste moisture content (36% ± 6% w/w). Furthermore, excavated waste has a high calorific value, i.e., 15.2 ± 4.1 MJ/kg; the quantity of combustibles in the industrial shredder waste (16 MJ/kg) was rather modest compared to that of municipal solid waste (20.8 MJ/Kg). In conclusion, during large scale excavation of the landfill, it was possible to evaluate how a dedicated treatment plant could be designed to treat and select waste which might appear in a different category. For excavated industrial waste, detailed mechanical sorting may be convenient for end-of-waste recovery to improve calorific value.

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Large scale spatio-temporal patterns of road development in the Amazon rainforest

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892913000520 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 253-264 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

SADIA E. AHMED ◽

ROBERT M. EWERS ◽

MATTHEW J. SMITH

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Temporal Patterns ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Road Density ◽

Road Development ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

Dominant Direction ◽

Dynamics Of Populations

SUMMARYThere is burgeoning interest in predicting road development because of the wide ranging important socioeconomic and environmental issues that roads present, including the close links between road development, deforestation and biodiversity loss. This is especially the case in developing nations, which are high in natural resources, where road development is rapid and often not centrally managed. Characterization of large scale spatio-temporal patterns in road network development has been greatly overlooked to date. This paper examines the spatio-temporal dynamics of road density across the Brazilian Amazon and assesses the relative contributions of local versus neighbourhood effects for temporal changes in road density at regional scales. To achieve this, a combination of statistical analyses and model-data fusion techniques inspired by studies of spatio-temporal dynamics of populations in ecology and epidemiology were used. The emergent development may be approximated by local growth that is logistic through time and directional dispersal. The current rates and dominant direction of development may be inferred, by assuming that roads develop at a rate of 55 km per year. Large areas of the Amazon will be subject to extensive anthropogenic change should the observed patterns of road development continue.

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Polyphasic taxonomic characterization of nine Penicillium species from soil of different parts of India

Journal of Environmental Biology ◽

10.22438/jeb/42/5/mrn-1590 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 42 (5) ◽

pp. 1307-1313

Author(s):

R. Debbarma ◽

◽

T. Prameeladevi ◽

A. Tyagi ◽

D. Kamil ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Morphological Data ◽

Gene Marker ◽

New Delhi ◽

Tubulin Gene ◽

Penicillium Species ◽

Molecular Analyses ◽

Taxonomic Characterization ◽

Different Parts ◽

Β Tubulin

Aim: Morpho-molecular analyses for taxonomic characterization of nine predominant Penicillium species present in the soil of different parts of India. Methodology: Fifteen Penicillium isolates were isolated from the soil samples collected from the experimental field of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. Another twenty-six isolates were procured from Indian Type Culture Collection (ITCC), Division of Plant Pathology, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi which were isolated from the soil of different parts of India. Total 41 isolates were characterized following distinct macroscopic (colony texture, colony colour exudate production; soluble pigmentation; reverse coloration and mycelial growth) and microscopic observations (type of penicillus; shape of phialides; conidial shape, size and pigmentation). Molecular characterization was done using partial β-tubulin gene sequence which is considered an excellent marker in differentiating Penicillium species. Results: The morphological data in species description perfectly matched with molecular data generated using β-tubulin gene marker and nine different species viz., P. aethiopicum, P. chrysogenum, P. crustosum, P. janthinellum, P. mononematosum, P. oxalicum, P. polonicum, P. singorense and Talaromyces pinophilus (Syn. P. pinophilum) were confirmed. Interpretation: Above nine Penicillium species are found predominantly in the soil collected from different parts of India. The β-tubulin gene can be considered as an excellent marker to differentiate Penicillium species as confirmed from this study. The combined morpho- molecular analyses can be further utilized to delineate morphologically similar Penicillium species and also helpful to establish new species of Penicillium.

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Micro-PIXE and Micro-RBS Characterization of Micropores in Porous Silicon Prepared Using Microwave-Assisted Hydrofluoric Acid Etching

Microscopy and Microanalysis ◽

10.1017/s1431927612014262 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 261-267 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Muthanna Ahmad ◽

Geoffrey W. Grime

Keyword(s):

Porous Silicon ◽

Hydrofluoric Acid ◽

Large Scale ◽

Porous Structures ◽

Microwave Assisted ◽

Imaging Results ◽

Concentric Circles ◽

First Time ◽

Cu Ions

AbstractPorous silicon (PS) has been prepared using a microwave-assisted hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching method from a silicon wafer pre-implanted with 5 MeV Cu ions. The use of microbeam proton-induced X-ray emission (micro-PIXE) and microbeam Rutherford backscattering techniques reveals for the first time the capability of these techniques for studying the formation of micropores. The porous structures observed from micro-PIXE imaging results are compared to scanning electron microscope images. It was observed that the implanted copper accumulates in the same location as the pores and that at high implanted dose the pores form large-scale patterns of lines and concentric circles. This is the first work demonstrating the use of microwave-assisted HF etching in the formation of PS.

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Precise Identification and Characterization of Catalytically Active Sites on the Surface of γ-Alumina

10.26434/chemrxiv.11829576 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Konstantin Khivantsev ◽

Nicholas R. Jaegers ◽

Ja-Hun Kwak ◽

János Szanyi ◽

Libor Kovarik

Keyword(s):

Active Sites ◽

Large Scale ◽

High Surface ◽

High Surface Area ◽

Carbonyl Complexes ◽

True Nature ◽

Catalytically Active ◽

Active Research ◽

First Time

γ-alumina is one of the oldest and most important commercial catalytic materials with high surface area and stability. These attributes enabled its use as the first commercial large-scale heterogeneous catalyst for ethanol dehydration. Despite progress in materials characterization and over a hundred years of active research, the nature of the specific sites on the surface of γ-alumina which are responsible for its unique catalytic properties has remained obscure and controversial. Herein, we identify for the first time using combined infrared spectroscopy, electron microscopy and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance measurements that the octahedral amphoteric (O)5Al(VI)-OH sites on the massively restructured (110) facets on typical rhombus-platelet γ-alumina as well as (100) segments of irrational surfaces (invariably always present in all γ-alumina samples) are largely responsible for its unique catalytic activity. Such (O)5Al(VI)-OH sites are also present on macroscopically defined (100) facets γ-alumina of different, more elongated/rod-like geometry. They anchor organometallic fragments and isolated metal atoms. The exact mechanism by which these sites lose -OH group upon thermal dehydroxylation is clarified, resulting in coordinatively unsaturated penta-coordinate Al+3O5 sites that can activate nitrogen. These coordinatively unsaturated Al penta-coordinate sites demonstrate new chemistry, producing the first well-defined thermally stable Al-carbonyl complexes. Our findings reunite and successfully clarify the contradictory findings in the literature over the last century, illuminating the true nature and the relationship between the catalytically active and coordinatively unsaturated Al sites on the surface of γ-alumina.

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Taxonomic studies on subgenus Pseudomegachile Friese under genus Megachile Latreille (Hymenoptera) from Sutlej basin plains (India)

Journal of Applied and Natural Science ◽

10.31018/jans.vi.2259 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 146-155

Author(s):

Priyanka Kumari ◽

Neelima R. Kumar ◽

Avtar K. Sidhu

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

New Records ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Solitary Bees ◽

Temporal Data ◽

Taxonomic Studies ◽

First Time ◽

Cultivated Flora

Genus Megachile forms an integral part of the ecosystem as its members are important pollinators of both wild and cultivated flora. Surveying on a large scale helps in gathering a lot of information about their spatial and temporal data. This also helps in studying their biodiversity and taxonomy. Three species of solitary bees under subgenus Pseudomegachile Friese of the genus Megachile Latreille collected from Sutlej basin plains of India have been studied and described taxonomically. Megachile (Pseudomegachile) creusa (Bingham), M. (P.) ramakrishnae Cockerell and M. (P.) elfrona (Cameron) with 21 examples are described including their morphological characters, taxonomically important characters, zoogeographic records, floral associations along with genitalic and sternal plates. Since most of the areas included in the study have been surveyed first time for Megachile study, these are new records for the studied area.

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Characterization of Adhesive Joints Under Shock-Wave Loading

Volume 9: Mechanics of Solids, Structures and Fluids; NDE, Diagnosis, and Prognosis ◽

10.1115/imece2016-66757 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Salih Yildiz ◽

Daniel Shaffren ◽

Doug Jahnke ◽

Feridun Delale ◽

Yiannis Andreopoulos

Keyword(s):

Shock Wave ◽

High Speed ◽

Large Scale ◽

Element Model ◽

Adhesive Joints ◽

Failure Behavior ◽

Transient Strain ◽

Experimental Values ◽

First Time

The failure behavior of adhesive joints under shock-wave loadings was investigated in a large scale shock tube facility for the first time. An overlapping specimen consisting of two parts, one circular patch and one supporting ring were bonded together in a specially designed jig. Sub-miniature semi-conductor strain gauges were attached on the specimen to monitor the transient strain on specific locations. A high speed camera was used to record the detachment of the patch from the ring. Image processing tool was used to track the position of the patch as a function of time. This information yield estimates of velocity, acceleration and kinetic energy of the patch. A finite element model was also created and the computation results were compared to the experimental values obtained.

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Further taxonomic characterization of the genus Bdellovibrio

Canadian Journal of Microbiology ◽

10.1139/m78-222 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 24 (11) ◽

pp. 1387-1394 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Francisco Torrella ◽

Richard Guerrero ◽

Ramon J. Seidler

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Dna Hybridization ◽

Deoxyribonucleic Acid ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

C Genome ◽

Time Differential ◽

High Level ◽

First Time ◽

Taxonomic Characterization

Cultures of Bdellovibrio isolated from different geographic locations have been studied in terms of deoxyribonucleic acid analysis (% G + C, genome size, and DNA hybridization), cytochrome spectrum, and host range. Isolates of the genus exhibit a broad range of % G + C ranging from 37 to 51% and the genome sizes extend from 1300 × 106 to 1700 × 106 daltons. DNA hybridization continues to reveal a high level of genetic heterogeneity. Bdellovibrio 3294 exhibits 32% relative reassociation to Bdellovibrio W, 37% to Bdellovibrio stolpii Uki2, and an undetectible level to Bdellovibrio starrii A3.12. Bdellovibrio W is 23% related to B. starrii A3.12 and 28.5%to B. stolpii Uki2. For the first time differential absorption techniques have revealed peaks of cytochrome b. The analysis of the cytochrome spectrum seems to be limited as a taxonomic tool since most of the recent isolates studied share a common cytochrome spectrum. Host-range studies have been found to be dependent on the experimental conditions, and with the exception of one isolate (B. starrii A3.12) the taxonomic significance of such techniques must be taken with caution.

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Precise Identification and Characterization of Catalytically Active Sites on the Surface of γ-Alumina

10.26434/chemrxiv.11829576.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Konstantin Khivantsev ◽

Nicholas R. Jaegers ◽

Ja-Hun Kwak ◽

János Szanyi ◽

Libor Kovarik

Keyword(s):

Active Sites ◽

Large Scale ◽

High Surface ◽

High Surface Area ◽

Carbonyl Complexes ◽

True Nature ◽

Catalytically Active ◽

Active Research ◽

First Time

γ-alumina is one of the oldest and most important commercial catalytic materials with high surface area and stability. These attributes enabled its use as the first commercial large-scale heterogeneous catalyst for ethanol dehydration. Despite progress in materials characterization and over a hundred years of active research, the nature of the specific sites on the surface of γ-alumina which are responsible for its unique catalytic properties has remained obscure and controversial. Herein, we identify for the first time using combined infrared spectroscopy, electron microscopy and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance measurements that the octahedral amphoteric (O)5Al(VI)-OH sites on the massively restructured (110) facets on typical rhombus-platelet γ-alumina as well as (100) segments of irrational surfaces (invariably always present in all γ-alumina samples) are largely responsible for its unique catalytic activity. Such (O)5Al(VI)-OH sites are also present on macroscopically defined (100) facets γ-alumina of different, more elongated/rod-like geometry. They anchor organometallic fragments and isolated metal atoms. The exact mechanism by which these sites lose -OH group upon thermal dehydroxylation is clarified, resulting in coordinatively unsaturated penta-coordinate Al+3O5 sites that can activate nitrogen. These coordinatively unsaturated Al penta-coordinate sites demonstrate new chemistry, producing the first well-defined thermally stable Al-carbonyl complexes. Our findings reunite and successfully clarify the contradictory findings in the literature over the last century, illuminating the true nature and the relationship between the catalytically active and coordinatively unsaturated Al sites on the surface of γ-alumina.

Download Full-text