Resource-Efficient Methods to Facilitate the Preservation of a Reservoir's Self-Cleaning Potential

The aim of this research was to develop environmental methods for the restoration and rehabilitation of Moscow’s water bodies. A number of methods are recommended. These can help to improve the environmental condition and water quality of water bodiesin Moscow. Keywords: ehabilitation of water body, engineering biology, environmental preservation

Seismic Fragility Assessment of a Novel Suction Bucket Foundation for Offshore Wind Turbine under Scour Condition

This study proposed a new suction bucket (SB) foundation model for offshore wind turbines (OWT) suitable for a shallow muddy seabed, using more than three single buckets through kinetic derivation. The performance of new optimal foundation was evaluated by its horizontal displacement capacity and compared with a conventional SB composed of three buckets. Under external loads such as earthquakes, wind, and the combination of the both, the stability of this novel SB foundation was verified. The seismic fragility curve was also evaluated at some scour depths. These results were compared with the response of a tripod suction bucket (TSB) foundation, which was also designed for a shallow muddy seabed. The results indicated that scour significantly changed the dynamic response of this novel SB foundation but it had a better bearing capacity than the TSB foundation, despite its smaller size and weight. The fragility of TSB is always higher than the developed foundation in the same environmental condition. With reasonable volume and size, this novel SB foundation has great potential for future industrialization and commercialization.

Automatic monitoring system of Apis cerana based on image processing

The flight behavior of honey bee Apis cerana is influenced by environmental conditions. The observation of the number of bees flying in and out from the hives is needed to detect the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) phenomena. In this research, we build a prototype of an automatic monitoring system based on image processing. This instrument is intended to automatically monitor and count the number of in and out activities of A. cerana forager bees. This monitoring system detects the red, green, blue, and yellow marked bees by using a camera module of Raspbery Pi mini-computer which is programmed in Python language (and assisted by OpenCV library). The monitoring system is also equipped with temperature, humidity, and light intensity sensors to accurately describe the environmental condition during the measurement. The results show that the highest number of flight activities occurred around 8:00.-09:00 am, then decrease to noon and increased again at 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm.

Investigation of soil nutrients and associated rhizobacterial communities in different sugarcane genotypes in relation to sugar content

Background Plant microbiomes and soil are bridged by rhizobacteria, maintaining and improving plant health and growth in different aspects. This study was conducted in the field station of the Guangxi University, Fusui, China. We investigated soil nutrients, root morphology and rhizosphere bacterial composition, and community structures in 18 sugarcane genotypes concerning sugar content under the same environmental condition. Results Most of the rhizosphere microbiomes of these genotypes exhibited similar bacterial compositions. However, the evaluated genotypes harbored a significant effect and difference in the abundance of operational taxonomic units and bacterial composition in the rhizosphere compartments. Alpha diversity analysis on the rhizosphere microbiome showed a significant difference in the bacterial diversity (Shannon index, p < 0.001) and OTU richness (Chao1, p < 0.001). The principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that the genotype replicated samples grouped, indicating their similarity. Besides, these genotypes also differed significantly in terms of root structure and soil properties. A significant genotypic effect (p < 0.05) was found in the root traits except for rooting depth. The soil chemical properties were significantly different among the evaluated genotypes. Furthermore, sucrose content was strongly correlated with the total root length (TRL) and rooting depth. Genotypes (FN-1702, GUC-3, ZZ-13, ZZ-10, ZZ-6) were the best performing and distinct in bacterial diversity, root structure, soil parameters and sucrose content. Conclusion The results showed a closely related and highly conserved bacterial community of the rhizosphere microbiome. The rhizosphere microbiome diversity and related bacterial communities were highly associated with the relevant plant taxa, probably at the order level. As a result, it is possible to conclude that the host genotype and the same environmental condition influenced the rhizosphere microbiome via root phenes. Future research regarding plant phenes and microbiome functional groups could be considered an essential factor. Graphic abstract

Biotization of tissue culture banana plantlets with Methylobacterium salsuginis to enhance the survival and growth under greenhouse and open environment condition

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the impact of M. salsuginis TNMB03 biotization on tissue culture banana cv. Grande Naine plantlets growth and survival under greenhouse and open environmental condition (exposed to direct sunlight). Methodology: Banana plantlets were transferred from culture flasks to protray and maintained under the greenhouse and open environmental condition for 30 days with or without M. salsuginis TNMB03 treatment. After 30 days, plant growth parameters like pseudostem height, girth, number of leaves, leaf area, fresh and dry biomass, root parameters, plantlet survival, chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids and soluble protein and Methylobacterium population in upper and lower surface of leaf, as well as endophytic population were assessed. Results: This study showed that the plantlets biotized with M. salsuginis TNMB03 had better acclimatization response under both the experimental condition than that of uninoculated plantlets. Positive influence on the survival and growth of M. salsuginis TNMB03 biotized plantlets was observed when transferred directly to greenhouse and open environmental condition. Inoculation of M. salsuginis TNMB03 increased the plant height, girth and number of leaves, root length, lateral root and biomass in comparison to the uninoculated plantlets in greenhouse and open environment. Uninoculated plantlets kept under open environment had lower chlorophyll content and sun scorching damages compared to M. salsuginis TNMB03 inoculated plants, which had dark green leaves and increased chlorophyll content. Interpretation: This study shows a new potential technique of using M. salsuginis TNMB03 in tissue culture plantlets, which can help in enhancing the growth of plantlets transferred from culture vessel to greenhouse or open environmental condition without undergoing the routine acclimatization procedure.

How different domains of quality of life are associated with latent dimensions of mental health measured by GHQ-12

Background and objectives A short form of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) is a useful screening instrument for assessing mental health. Furthermore, Quality of life (QoL) is a critical treatment outcome in many clinical and health care research settings. This study aimed to reassess the dimensionality of GHQ-12 using Multidimensional Graded Response Model (MGRM) and evaluate how its extracted dimensions are associated with the QoL's domains. Methods Isfahan Cohort Study 2 (ICS2) is a population-based, ongoing prospective cohort study among adults aged 35 years and older who were free of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) at the beginning of the study in 2013. A total of 1316 participants, all living in urban and rural areas of Isfahan and Najafabad, Iran was completed the GHQ-12 and WHO QoL-brief version at baseline. Five competing MGRMs with different latent structures were specified for GHQ-12. Factor scores derived from the best fitted model were used to associate with various domains of QoL. Results: The Three-Dimensional model for GHQ-12 was the best-fitted model explaining the Social Function (SF), Self Confidence (SC), and Anxiety/Depression (A/D) as three correlated yet different latent dimensions of mental health. Our findings in full adjusted multivariate regression models showed that a one-SD increase in dimensions of SC and SF was associated with a 38- to 48%-SD and 27- to 38%-SD increase in the domains scores of QoL, respectively. Moreover, for each one‐SD increase in score of A/D dimension, the domains scores of QoL decreased by 29- to 40%-SD. The highest to the lowest standardized coefficients for all latent dimensions of mental health were respectively related to the psychological, physical health, social relationships, and environmental condition domains of QoL. Furthermore, SC, A/D, and SF dimensions of GHQ-12 showed the highest to the lowest degree of association with all domains of QoL. Conclusions Our findings confirm that the GHQ-12 as a multidimensional rather than unitary instrument measures distinct dimensions of mental health. Furthermore, all aspects of QoL changed when the intensity of latent dimensions of mental health increased. Moreover, the psychological domain of QoL is the most affected by all latent dimensions of mental health, followed by physical health, social relationships, and environmental condition domains. It seems that in an attempt to full recovery as assessed by improved QoL outcomes, treatment of clinical symptoms may not be sufficient. Identifying and differentiating the structures of mental health in each community as well as implementing intervention programs aimed at focusing on specific dimensions may help in the prevention of further deterioration of mental health and improved QoL in the community.

To Study the Effect of Auxin Concentrations (IBA and IAA) on Growth Performance of Stem Cutting of Hardwickia binata (Roxb.)

The present studies on “Effect of Plant Growth Regulators on Growth Performance of Stem Cutting of Hardwickia binata Roxb” was carried out in the mist chamber of Institute of Forest Biodiversity, Dulapally, Kompally, Hyderabad, during January- April, 2021. The cuttings of Hardwickia binata Roxb were prepared from selected superior phenotypes from the surrounding environments of Kompally, Hyderabad. Hardwickia binata Roxb. is difficult to root and need auxin treatment and controlled environment to successful survival and rooting. The cuttings were treated with 0, 200, 500,1000, 1500, 2000 mg/l concentrations of IBA and IAA and planted in poly bags under mist chamber. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design. Analysis of variance was worked out to assess the variation in Hardwickia binata Roxb. for eight characters. Treatment with IBA at 2000mg was found to be the best treatment as it achieved maximum in survival percentage (52.64%), shoot length (31.92cm), rooting percentage (81.69%), number of roots per cutting (20.44) and root biomass (6.32g) followed by treatment with IAA at 2000mg/l (T10) achieved maximum. The performance increased with an increase in concentrations of both IBA and IAA. Among the two auxins treatments, IBA was found to be most effective, showed significantly higher values compared to IAA. It is possible to successfully multiply the Hardwickia binata Roxb. cuttings by treating with 2000 mg/l of IBA under controlled phyto-environmental condition. The study evolved an easy and efficient protocol for vegetative propagation of HardwickiabinataRoxb.via stem cuttings to establish clonal forestry.

In situ U g-value measurement on three different glazing types

This study presents in situ monitoring data of three different glazing systems over a period of one year. An insulated glass unit (IGU), a Vacuum Insulated Glass hybrid unit (VIG-hybrid) and an opaque architectural insulation module (AIM) were monitored under the equivalent environmental condition in this study. Different issues were observed and analyzed. It was found that the Ug-value cited by the manufacturers agrees with the Ug-values derived from the measured data, to within less than 5 % for the IGU and the VIG-hybrid. The consistency of the Ug-value of each glazing types one year after the start of monitoring was validated for similar environmental conditions. Depending on the magnitude of the resistance to heat flow, an increasing Ug-value was observed for a higher temperature difference between the inside and outside environments. The effect is much more significant for the glazing type with the largest Ug-value (IGU) and less significant for the glazing types with a high thermal resistance (VIG-hybrid, AIM).