Nitrogen Deposition in Different Mediterranean Forest Types along the Eastern Adriatic Coast

Mediterranean forests along the eastern Adriatic coast have an important ecological role. However, few studies have been conducted on nitrogen deposition so far. To improve this knowledge, the main aims of our study were: (i) to estimate nitrogen inputs and determine differences among the four Mediterranean forests, (ii) to determine the seasonal behaviour of N deposition compounds, and (iii) to discuss the results in relation to forest type and precipitation. Measurements were carried out over a two-year period on four plots in two regions: holm oak and pubescent oak in Istria, Aleppo pine and black pine in Dalmatia. Bulk open field and throughfall deposition were sampled with continuously exposed collectors. Measurements, analyses and data validation of precipitation and N compounds were carried out. The results showed that the highest average monthly precipitation was recorded in the black pine plot and the lowest in the Aleppo pine plot. Nitrate and ammonia in conifer plots in throughfall samples were lower than in bulk open field samples, indicating possible retention by the tree canopy. The results revealed a higher amount of N deposition collected in broadleaved forests than in conifer forests indicating the washing out of N compounds previously deposited and accumulated in forest canopy. The chemistry of N deposition was strongly influenced by local and anthropogenic sources as well as neighbouring countries. Our results may fill the knowledge gap in understanding the influence of precipitation and seasonality of N compounds in different Mediterranean forest types along the eastern Adriatic coast.

Microstructure Formation and Mechanical Properties of Multi-Phase Coating by Thermos Plasma Nitriding of Gradient Cu-Ti Films on C61900 Cu Alloy

To improve the processing efficiency and the surface properties of C61900 Cu alloy, a gradient Cu-Ti film with a Ti/Cu atom ratio of 7:1, 7:4, and 1:2 was pre-fabricated by the unbalanced magnetron sputtering process and then nitrided by thermos plasma nitriding. The phase structure, elemental composition, and morphology of the modified surface were characterized, and the mechanical properties, including the wear resistance and adhesion properties, were examined. Combining calculation by the first principle method with thermodynamic analysis, the microstructural formation and phase composition of the Cu-Ti-N system were investigated to reveal the mechanism of improved wear resistance, which indicated the possible formation of various Cu-Ti intermetallics and Ti-N compounds. The Al in the C61900 Cu substrate also participated in the generation of the AlCu2Ti compound, which is a ductile phase with good hardness and elastic modulus. Based on the results of a mechanical properties test, it was concluded that an optimized layer structure for the multi-phase coating should include Ti-N compounds as the surface layer and Cu-Ti intermetallics as the intermediate layer.

Some new insights into the semantics of English N+N compounds

<p>This thesis focuses on English N+N compounds and the primary purpose of the study is to investigate the way in which compounded structures acquire their meaning and to check the way in which the semantics of each of the constituents contributes to the overall meaning of the structure. The way in which such contributions are made should be inferable from the linguistic analysis of the structure and meaning of compounds. In order to do this, the thesis looks first at the morphological productivity of the constituents comprising a compound. The second aim is to identify whether the productivity of a compound constituent on the morphological level coincides with the productivity of the semantic relation realised in the constituent family. The discussion of the results obtained from a corpus study provides plausible explanations for the regularities noted in the course of the analysis by using some of the relevant principles from the complex of approaches including the Construction Grammar and Cognitive Grammar approaches. Examples of compounds were collected from the printed media (NZ broadsheets) and the BNC. The analysis of the data used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative analysis of the data confirms two hypotheses: (1) that a constituent is more productive in just one of the positions (modifier or head), and (2) the more productive a constituent is, the more likely it is to realise a single semantic relation in a constituent family. The qualitative analysis involves consideration of the semantic content of the concepts in each constituent in order to see how this content is reflected in the semantic relations realised by a constituent. It is discovered that the semantic content of the head is a stronger predictor of the relation realised in a compound than that of the modifier. The study is important in order to better understand the factors that govern the formation of compounds and the patterns that speakers use in the process of coining complex lexical items ...</p>

Some new insights into the semantics of English N+N compounds

<p>This thesis focuses on English N+N compounds and the primary purpose of the study is to investigate the way in which compounded structures acquire their meaning and to check the way in which the semantics of each of the constituents contributes to the overall meaning of the structure. The way in which such contributions are made should be inferable from the linguistic analysis of the structure and meaning of compounds. In order to do this, the thesis looks first at the morphological productivity of the constituents comprising a compound. The second aim is to identify whether the productivity of a compound constituent on the morphological level coincides with the productivity of the semantic relation realised in the constituent family. The discussion of the results obtained from a corpus study provides plausible explanations for the regularities noted in the course of the analysis by using some of the relevant principles from the complex of approaches including the Construction Grammar and Cognitive Grammar approaches. Examples of compounds were collected from the printed media (NZ broadsheets) and the BNC. The analysis of the data used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative analysis of the data confirms two hypotheses: (1) that a constituent is more productive in just one of the positions (modifier or head), and (2) the more productive a constituent is, the more likely it is to realise a single semantic relation in a constituent family. The qualitative analysis involves consideration of the semantic content of the concepts in each constituent in order to see how this content is reflected in the semantic relations realised by a constituent. It is discovered that the semantic content of the head is a stronger predictor of the relation realised in a compound than that of the modifier. The study is important in order to better understand the factors that govern the formation of compounds and the patterns that speakers use in the process of coining complex lexical items ...</p>

Growth promotion of giant duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza (Lemnaceae) by Ensifer sp. SP4 through enhancement of nitrogen metabolism and photosynthesis

Duckweeds (Lemnaceae) are representative producers in fresh aquatic ecosystems and also yield sustainable biomass for animal feeds, human foods, and biofuels, and contribute toward effective wastewater treatment, thus enhancing duckweed productivity is a critical challenge. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) can improve the productivity of terrestrial plants; however, duckweed–PGPB interactions remain unclear and no previous study has investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying duckweed–PGPB interaction. Herein, a PGPB, Ensifer sp. strain SP4, was newly isolated from giant duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleid.), and the interactions between S. polyrhiza and SP4 were investigated through physiological, biochemical, and metabolomic analyses. In S. polyrhiza and SP4 co-culture, SP4 increased the nitrogen (N), chlorophyll, and RuBisCO contents and the photosynthesis rate of S. polyrhiza by 2.5-, 2.5-, 2.7-, and 2.4-fold, respectively. Elevated photosynthesis increased the relative growth rate and biomass productivity of S. polyrhiza by 1.5- and 2.7-fold, respectively. SP4 significantly altered the metabolomic profile of S. polyrhiza, especially its amino acid profile. N stable isotope analysis revealed that organic N compounds were transferred from SP4 to S. polyrhiza. These N compounds, particularly glutamic acid, possibly triggered the increase in photosynthetic and growth activities. Accordingly, we propose a new model for the molecular mechanism underlying S. polyrhiza growth promotion by its associated bacteria Ensifer sp. SP4, which occurs through enhanced N compound metabolism and photosynthesis. Our findings show that Ensifer sp. SP4 is a promising PGPB for increasing biomass yield, wastewater purification activity, and CO2 capture of S. polyrhiza.

Novel AOPs-Based Dual-Environmental Digestion Method for Determination of Total Dissolved Nitrogen in Water

Based on a synergistic digestion method of ultraviolet combined with ozone (UV/O3), this article investigates the reaction characteristics of nitrogen-containing compounds (N-compounds) in water and the influence of ions on digestion efficiency. In this respect, a novel and efficient AOPs-based dual-environmental digestion method for the determination of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) in waters with complex components is proposed, in the hopes of improving the detection efficiency and accuracy of total nitrogen via online monitoring. The results show that inorganic and organic N-compounds have higher conversion rates in alkaline and acidic conditions, respectively. Meanwhile, the experimental results on the influence of Cl−, CO32−, and HCO3− on the digestion process indicate that Cl− can convert to radical reactive halogen species (RHS) in order to promote digestion efficiency, but CO32− and HCO3− cause a cyclic reaction consuming numerous •OH, weakening the digestion efficiency. Ultimately, to verify the effectiveness of this novel digestion method, total dissolved nitrogen samples containing ammonium chloride, urea, and glycine in different proportions were digested under the optimal conditions: flow rate, 0.6 L/min; reaction temperature, 40 °C; pH in acidic conditions, 2; digestion time in acidic condition, 10 min; pH in alkaline conditions, 11; digestion time in alkaline conditions, 10 min. The conversion rate (CR) of samples varied from 93.23% to 98.64%; the mean CR was greater than 95.30%. This novel and efficient digestion method represents a potential alternative for the digestion of N-compounds in the routine analysis or online monitoring of water quality.

The structure of plural last names in Spanish and other languages

Spanish plural last name noun phrases appear with a plural determiner and a singular or plural noun. Last names marked as singular are interpreted as a group, whereas plural ones are interpreted as collection of individuals (additive reading), although both behave like fully plural DPs. Based on a comparison with first names, I propose that last names involve a null nominal ‘group’ head dominated by an associative plural realized as the plural morpheme on the determiner. When the last name is plural, it has an additional NUM head that forces the additive reading. The last name number patterns are shown to be similar to those of N-N compounds, with which they share other similarities. The paper also surveys crosslinguistic pluralization patterns, proposing potential patterns of variation: the presence/absence of the null nominal and the structural location of the associative plural head.