Digital Commons Network^™

A Pivotal New Approach To Groundwater Quality Assessment, M. L. Cherry, T. Gilmore, T. Messer, Y. Li, J. Westrop

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Plague Risk In The Western United States Over Seven Decades Of Environmental Change, Colin J. Carlson, Sarah N. Bevins, Boris V. Schmid

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

After several pandemics over the last two millennia, the wildlife reservoirs of plague (Yersinia pestis) now persist around the world, including in the western United States. Routine surveillance in this region has generated comprehensive records of human cases and animal seroprevalence, creating a unique opportunity to test how plague reservoirs are responding to environmental change. Here, we test whether animal and human data suggest that plague reservoirs and spillover risk have shifted since 1950. To do so, we develop a new method for detecting the impact of climate change on infectious disease distributions, capable of disentangling long-term trends (signal) and …

Wild Pig Removal Reduces Pathogenic Bacteria In Low-Order Streams, Sara A. Bolds, B. Graeme Lockaby, Latif Kalin, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, Mark D. Smith, Kurt Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive wild pig populations have undergone enormous increases in the United States and particularly across the southern U.S. in recent years. High fecundity rates and abilities to adapt quickly to varied habitats have enabled pig populations to become entrenched and difficult to eliminate. The pigs cause many negative impacts on ecosystems including degradation of water quality through infusion of fecal contamination and other non-point source pollutants. Our goal was to determine the effects of pig removal on water quality in streams that were known to be significantly polluted by pig activity Bolds (J Environ Qual 50: 441–453, 2021). We compared …

A Model For Leveraging Animal Movement To Understand Spatio-Temporal Disease Dynamics, Mark Q. Wilber, Anni Yang, Raoul Boughton, Kezia R. Manlove, Ryan S. Miller, Kim M. Pepin, George Wittemyer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The ongoing explosion of fine-resolution movement data in animal systems provides a unique opportunity to empirically quantify spatial, temporal and individual variation in transmission risk and improve our ability to forecast disease outbreaks. However, we lack a generalizable model that can leverage movement data to quantify transmission risk and how it affects pathogen invasion and persistence on heterogeneous landscapes. We developed a flexible model ‘Movement-driven modelling of spatio-temporal infection risk’ (MoveSTIR) that leverages diverse data on animal movement to derive metrics of direct and indirect contact by decomposing transmission into constituent processes of contact formation and duration and pathogen deposition …

Second Twenty-Five Year Index: Volumes 26–50, 1994–2018, Jane E. Austin

The Prairie Naturalist

The first 50 years of the Prairie Naturalist reside on the shelves of libraries and personal collections. The articles and notes published over those years provide invaluable knowledge about Great Plains biota, communities, conservation, and landscape ecologies. Awareness of the wealth of information in those 50 print volumes has been limited, relying on references from other published papers or the limited number of articles that have been made available online by authors. This index serves as resource for individuals to digitally tap into the information published since 1994. This index, together with the first 25-year index, serves to complement the …

Review Of Loon Lessons: Uncommon Encounters With The Great Northern Diver, By James D. Paruk, Kristin Bianchini

The Prairie Naturalist

Gavia immer Brunnich (Common Loon) is a bird that has captivated bird watchers, wildlife enthusiasts, campers, cottagers, and others interested in the natural world for centuries. The loon also features prominently in Native American mythology. For many, the loon symbolizes the wildness of the north, and it is often used as a sentinel of lake health. Indeed, the Common Loon has inspired a wealth of literature, both scientific and popular, describing this species’ ecology, behavior, and fitness in the face of environmental changes. To this literature, Loon Lessons: Uncommon Encounters with the Great Northern Diver adds a complete and accurate …

Consultation Summary For Proposed Declared Pest Rates 2022/2023, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

In accordance with the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management (Declared Pest Account) Regulations 2014, the Minister for Agriculture and Food carries out consultation on Declared Pest Rates, to be considered prior to the rates being determined and gazetted.

This document is the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's response to the submissions received.

Habitat Use And Diel Movements Of Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys Molitrix In Two Southeastern Reservoirs, Levi Umland

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Bigheaded carp have spread rampantly throughout the Mississippi watershed and continue to spread by navigating through rivers, locks, and dams. The long-term effects these species will have on our ecosystems and natural resources is unknown. Their movements, behavior, and general seasonal patterns are well studied within rivers. However, their movements and behavior within reservoirs is poorly understood due to their initial numbers within reservoirs being lower than in rivers. To address this gap, I investigated the distribution and movement rates of Silver Carp within two reservoirs, Kentucky Reservoir and Barkley Reservoir, and possible correlative variables, including wind, temperature, residency, sex, …

Gaia Contributions To Agroecology By James Lovelock (1919-2022), Steve Gliessman, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In writing about the history of agroecology we too often ignore the valuable contributions of British scientist James Lovelock who recently died on his 103rd birthday. A prolific inventor and influential theorist, Lovelock is best known for the Gaia hypothesis first proposed during his innovative work in the 1960s with the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He suggested that ‘the biosphere has a regulatory effect on the Earth’s environment that acts to sustain life’ as written in Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (Lovelock 1979). Lovelock further proposed that humans have strongly impacted the planet’s capacity …

Combining Green Metrics And Digital Twins For Sustainability Planning And Governance Of Smart Buildings And Cities, Casey R. Corrado, Suzanne M. Delong, Emily G. Holt, Edward Y. Hua, Andreas Tolk

VMASC Publications

Creating a more sustainable world will require a coordinated effort to address the rise of social, economic, and environmental concerns resulting from the continuous growth of cities. Supporting planners with tools to address them is pivotal, and sustainability is one of the main objectives. Modeling and simulation augmenting digital twins can play an important role to implement these tools. Although various green best practices have been utilized over time and there are related attempts at measuring green success, works in the published literature tend to focus on addressing a single problem (e.g., energy efficiency), and a comprehensive approach that takes …

A Trait‐Based Framework For Assessing The Vulnerability Of Marine Species To Human Impacts, Nathalie Butt, Benjamin S. Halpern, Casey S. O'Hara, A. Louise Allcock, Beth Polidoro, Samantha Sherman, Maria Byrne, Charles Birkeland, Ross G. Dwyer, Melanie Frazier, Bradley K. Woodworth, Claudia P. Arango, Michael J. Kingsford, Vinay Udyawer, Pat Hutchings, Elliot Scanes, Emily Jane Mcclaren, Sara M. Maxwell, Guillermo Diaz-Pulido, Emma Dugan, Blake Alexander Simmons, Amelia S. Wenger, Christi Linardich, Carissa J. Klein

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Marine species and ecosystems are widely affected by anthropogenic stressors, ranging from pollution and fishing to climate change. Comprehensive assessments of how species and ecosystems are impacted by anthropogenic stressors are critical for guiding conservation and management investments. Previous global risk or vulnerability assessments have focused on marine habitats, or on limited taxa or specific regions. However, information about the susceptibility of marine species across a range of taxa to different stressors everywhere is required to predict how marine biodiversity will respond to human pressures. We present a novel framework that uses life-history traits to assess species’ vulnerability to a …

Mismatches In Scale Between Highly Mobile Marine Megafauna And Marine Protected Areas, Melinda G. Conners, Nicholas B. Sisson, Pierre D. Agamboue, Philip W. Atkinson, Alastair M.M. Baylis, Scott R. Benson, Barbara A. Block, Steven J. Bograd, Pablo Bordino, W. D. Bowen, Paul Brickle, Ignacio M. Bruno, Victoria González Carman, Cory D. Champagne, Daniel E. Crocker, Daniel P. Costa, Tiffany M. Dawson, Tomohiro Deguchi, Heidi Dewar, Philip D. Doherty, Tomo Eguchi, Angela Formia, Brendan J. Godley, Rachel T. Graham, Christian Gredzens, Kristen M. Hart, Lucy A. Hawkes, Suzanne Henderson, Robert William Henry Iii, Luis A. Hückstädt, Ladd M. Irvine, Sarah S. Kienle, Carey E. Kuhn, Damian Lidgard, Stephanie A. Loredo, Bruce R. Mate, Kristian Metcalfe, Jacob Nzegoue, Carmen K. Kouerey Oliwina, Rachel A. Orben, Kiyoaki Ozaki, Richard Parnell, Elizabeth P. Pike, Patrick W. Robinson, Howard C. Rosenbaum, Fumio Sato, Scott A. Shaffer, Donna J. Shaver, Samantha E. Simmons, Brian J. Smith, Guy-Philippe Sounguet, Robert M. Suryan, David R. Thompson, Megan Tierney, Dominic Tilley, Hillary S. Young, Victoria Warwick-Evans, Michael J. Weise, Randall S. Wells, Bradley P. Wilkinson, Matthew J. Witt, Sarah M. Maxwell

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Marine protected areas (MPAs), particularly large MPAs, are increasing in number and size around the globe in part to facilitate the conservation of marine megafauna under the assumption that large-scale MPAs better align with vagile life histories; however, this alignment is not well established. Using a global tracking dataset from 36 species across five taxa, chosen to reflect the span of home range size in highly mobile marine megafauna, we show most MPAs are too small to encompass complete home ranges of most species. Based on size alone, 40% of existing MPAs could encompass the home ranges of the smallest …

U.S. Public Opinion Of Reproductive Control Options For Free-Roaming Horses On Western Public Lands, S. Nicole Frey, Jeffrey L. Beck, John Derek Scasta, Loretta Singletary

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Free-roaming horses (Equus ferus caballus; horses) inhabit public rangelands located primarily in 10 western U.S. states. Recent horse population increases are impacting rangeland ecosystems, native wildlife species and their habitats, and exacerbating conflicts with domestic livestock grazing. While contraceptives and physical sterilization are promising options to manage horse herd levels, public opinion concerning the use of fertility control is not well understood. To better inform policymakers, we completed a rigorous study of a random sample of public land stakeholders across the United States (n = 3,500) in 2020 using a Likert scale online survey to assess their …

Re-Storying Grant Creek: A Case Study Of Relational Dynamics On A Degraded Montana Stream, Seamus Rucci Land

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration began in 2021, and after a history of contentious ethical debates, ecological restoration is increasingly portrayed as a viable framework for combating environmental degradation and supporting more healthy and stable social-ecological systems. The proposed ecological restoration of Grant Creek, a degraded stream near Missoula, Montana, offers an opportunity to connect a restoration site to the broader, rapidly growing field of restoration practice. It also allows the opportunity to forward the ‘relational turn’ proposed by many in the sustainability sciences as an ontological and methodological means to move beyond positivist portrayals of social-ecological systems, which …

Disentangling The Complex Evolutionary History Of Invasive Russian Thistle: Phylogenetic Relationships, The Role Of Hybridization, And Public Engagement, Deva Raj Khanal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species are forces of environmental, economic, and social change with detrimental impacts on ecosystems, commerce, agriculture, and human health. However, we still have a poor understanding of the processes that could be driving invasive potential. Hybridization may contribute to the establishment and spread of invasive lineages, as it may enhance genetic variation and facilitate rapid adaptation. Focusing on Russian thistle (Salsola tragus s.l., family Amaranthaceae) and closely related species, my thesis aims to clarify phylogenetic relationships and investigate how hybridization has shaped the invasion dynamics of these lineages. Known as one of the fastest plant invasions in the United …

A Post-Pneumonia Epizootic Evaluation Of The Rapid City, South Dakota Bighorn Sheep Herd, Amanda N. Ensrud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pneumonia is a major factor affecting populations of free-ranging bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) across western North America. Pneumonia can occur in large-scale epizootics, during which greater than half of the population typically dies. After these epizootics, surviving ewes continue to conceive and bear lambs. However, lamb recruitment may remain low due to periodic or annual pneumonia outbreaks causing high lamb mortality rates, sometimes greater than 90%. Our study focused on the Rapid City, South Dakota bighorn sheep (BHS) herd that has recorded pneumonia-induced population decline since 2009. The first objective was to improve lamb health and survival by identifying and …

Post-Fledging Habitat Selection And Movements Of Juvenile Mallards In The Prairie Pothole Region, Cynthia E. Anchor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America provides critical habitat for waterfowl across life stages, but anthropogenic changes to the landscape have negatively impacted habitat quality for waterfowl. The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is abundant and socioeconomically valuable in the PPR, as it is a preferred target species of waterfowl hunters. Extensive research has evaluated breeding ecology of mallards in the PPR, but the period between juvenile mallards fledging and migrating has rarely been studied. The post-fledging ecology of juvenile mallards is a vital consideration for comprehensive waterfowl management. Further, juvenile mallards are a significant portion of hunter harvest at …

Knowledge, Attitude And Practices On Potato Pest Management Of Ethnic Farmers In Southern Shan State, Myanmar, Pyae Pa Pa Aung

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Potato is cultivated as the main tuber crop which is essential for ethnic farmers’ household income in Southern Shan State, Myanmar. Most ethnic farmers use chemical pesticides widely to enhance crop yield and to control pests in the farm. The use of chemical pesticides could lead to a series of health impacts of the farmers and environmental issues. The main aim of the study is to explore farmers’ knowledge, attitude and current farm practices on pest management in potato production. The participants of 100 farmers were chosen from each village with a cluster and purposive sampling technique using structured questionnaires …

The Potential Risk And Occupational Exposure Of Pesticides Among Rice Farmers In Delta Ayeyarwady Division, Myanmar, Moe Thu Khin

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study aims to assess the potential risk and occupational exposure of pesticides among rice farmers in the Delta Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 454 rice farmers from March-April 2022. Data collection was done through face-to-face interviews used with a semi-structured questionnaire. The study showed that the mean age of farmers was 44.36 years old while the range was 16 and 74 years old. Rice farmers' average weight (± standard deviation) was 56.86 (± 7.30) kg. In this study, over two-thirds of the rice farmers (77 %) had a moderate level of knowledge regarding environmental …

Assessment Of Greenhouse Gases Emissions From Dairy Cattle Production In Thailand, Phoo Pwint Pwint Thu

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Thailand’s agriculture sector plays a vital role in driving economic growth. Globally, livestock production is estimated to contribute about 18% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Despite its importance, there is a relative lack of research on GHGs assessment in the livestock sector in Thailand. The aim of this research was to estimate GHGs emissions from dairy cattle production in Saraburi and Ratchaburi provinces of Thailand. The 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories was applied in this research. Twenty dairy farms (n=20) including both small farms (n=10) and medium farms (n=10) were selected as the …

Water-Use Characteristics Of Syzygium Antisepticum And Adinandra Integerrima In A Secondary Tropical Forestin Khao Yai National Park For Environmental Management, Ratchanon Ampornpitak

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Forests in Southeast Asia have been disrupted by widespread deforestation and land use change. Most countries in this region attempt to return the forested areas through reforestation. However, planting trees efficiently is difficult because changing environmental conditions and tree size could affect the water consumption of different tree-species under climate change. Hence, the information regarding water use characteristics of different tree-species in different tree size classes is important to the selection of tree species for reforestation. Nonetheless, available information on species-specific water-use characteristics is less investigated, especially in secondary tropical forests. To gain the information on species-specific water-use characteristics in …

Assessment Of Municipality Roles In Adaptation To Climate Change: A Case Study From Mangalsen Municipality Of Acchham Nepal., Samridhi Kharel

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis aims to 1) analyze the impact of climate change on agriculture, 2) explore adaptation initiatives being applied and potential ways to cope with it 3) understand Mangalsen Municipality’s role in solving the climate change issues 4) assess climate induce vulnerabilities which affect farming communities. 110 household surveys, 30 key informant surveys, 6 focus group discussions, and informal direct field observation were undertaken from 1 December 2021- 30 January 2022 for primary data collection, whereas secondary data were collected from journals, newspapers, and research papers. SPSS and MS excel were used for data analysis and interpretation. The study area's …

Policy Implications Of Urban Greening To Sustainable Gentrification: A Case Study Of Quezon City, Philippines, Joachim James De Castro

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Rapid urbanization entails a number of urban problems that need to be confronted. There is a call to utilize urban spaces while observing the pillars of sustainability wherein the harmony among aspects such as economic, social, and environmental must be achieved. Urban greening, a tool for urban planning is one of the solutions being seen by different stakeholders globally in addressing urban problems. However, in the process of urban development, gentrification, an unchecked phenomenon arises. The movement of middle class people to either developed or redeveloped urban areas can possibly entail social issues such as displacement and exclusivity of urban …

Degradation Of Di (2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate By Marine Sediment Bacteria And Identification Of Key Degraders And Degradative Genes, Ritu Ningthoujam

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a toxic phthalate ester (PAE) plasticizer that is predominantly detected in marine sediment and biota. DEHP degradation by bacteria from several environments has been studied, but very little is known about marine sediment bacteria that can degrade DEHP and other PAEs. Therefore, in this study, we enriched a bacterial consortium C10 that can degrade four PAEs of varying alkyl chain lengths (DEHP, dibutyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, and dimethyl phthalate ; separately and as a mixture) from marine sediment. The major bacterial genera in C10 during the degradation of the PAEs were Glutamicibacter, Ochrobactrum, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, …

Strengthening Local Government To Enhance Flood Risk Management:A Case Study Of Xay District, Lao Pdr., Souksamay Manhmanyvong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The Xay district of Lao PDR is vulnerable to flooding because around 80% of the total geographic area consists of mountains, rivers, and tributaries. While the district has limited coping capability. Therefore, strengthening the local government to enhance flood risk management was investigated in the present study with the following four objectives. Desk research, on-site observation, in-depth interviews, and expert focus group were used for data collection. The study found that local people always suffer from flooding in the Xay district almost every year because the district locates on a high mountain surrounded by canals and a high population along …

ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างประสิทธิภาพการใช้น้ำกับปัจจัยทางสิ่งแวดล้อมของพรรณไม้ในเมืองในพื้นที่สีเขียวเขตเมือง บริเวณจุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, นิศาชล กุลสิริลักษณ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ปัจจุบันมีการพัฒนาพื้นที่สีเขียวในเมืองเพื่อเป็นที่พักผ่อนหย่อนใจและให้บริการเชิงนิเวศอย่างต่อเนื่อง ทำให้เกิดพื้นที่สีเขียวที่มีอายุการก่อตั้งแตกต่างกัน อันประกอบด้วยพืชพรรณและไม้ต้นที่มีขนาดและอายุต่างกัน ซึ่งอาจมีการตอบสนองต่อการเปลี่ยนแปลงของปัจจัยสิ่งแวดล้อมต่างกัน ได้แก่ สภาพอากาศและความชื้นในดิน การทราบรูปแบบการตอบสนองของต้นไม้ในสวนสาธารณะที่มีอายุนับตั้งแต่ก่อตั้งต่างกันอาจช่วยเป็นข้อมูลในการดูแลต้นไม้รวมถึงการเลือกพันธุ์ไม้ที่เหมาะสมต่อวัตถุประสงค์ของพื้นที่สีเขียวให้พื้นที่นั้นมีประสิทธิภาพมากยิ่งขึ้น งานวิจัยนี้จึงสนใจศึกษาประสิทธิภาพการใช้น้ำ ซึ่งหมายถึงปริมาณคาร์บอนที่สังเคราะห์ได้ต่อหน่วยหนึ่งการใช้น้ำ หรือน้ำที่รดให้แก่ต้นไม้ โดยศึกษาเบื้องต้นในระดับใบ คำนวณจากอัตราส่วนระหว่างการสังเคราะห์ด้วยแสงต่อการคายน้ำของใบของจามจุรี ชมพูพันธุ์ทิพย์ และปีบ ในสองพื้นที่ที่มีอายุในการก่อตั้งแตกต่างกัน ได้แก่ พื้นที่สีเขียวบริเวณจุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย (CU) ซึ่งมีอายุในการก่อตั้งมากกว่า 80 ปี และ อุทยาน 100 ปี จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย (CU100) ซึ่งเป็นสวนสาธารณะแห่งใหม่ที่เพิ่งสร้างได้ประมาณ 5 ปี โดยมีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาการแลกเปลี่ยนแก๊สและประสิทธิภาพการใช้น้ำ และความสัมพันธ์ของค่าเหล่านี้กับปัจจัยทางสิ่งแวดล้อมของต้นไม้ทั้ง 3 ชนิดที่กล่าวมา ผลการศึกษาพบว่า จามจุรีและชมพูพันธุ์ทิพย์ในพื้นที่ CU100 มีอัตราการแลกเปลี่ยนแก๊สสูงกว่าพื้นที่ CU ในฤดูฝน อาจเป็นเพราะต้นไม้ในพื้นที่ CU มีอายุมากกว่า ประกอบด้วยขนาดต้นไม้ใหญ่กว่า และดินในพื้นที่ CU มีน้ำขัง ทำให้ค่าดังกล่าวต่ำกว่าพื้นที่ CU100 แต่ไม่พบความแตกต่างของค่าดังกล่าวของปีบใน 2 พื้นที่ ซึ่งอาจเป็นเพราะปีบเป็นไม้ที่ทนต่อสภาพแวดล้อมที่ต่างกันได้ดี รูปแบบความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างการแลกเปลี่ยนแก๊สและประสิทธิภาพการใช้น้ำกับภาวะพร่องความดันไอระหว่างใบกับอากาศเป็นไปตามรูปแบบสมการลอการิทึมในต้นไม้ทั้ง 3 ชนิด และมีรูปแบบการตอบสนองของค่าประสิทธิภาพการใช้น้ำนั้นเหมือนกันในสองพื้นที่ แม้จะมีค่าต่างกันระหว่างพื้นที่ในจามจุรีและชมพูพันธุ์ทิพย์ก็ตาม แสดงให้เห็นว่าต้นไม้ทั้ง 3 ชนิดอาจมีการปรับตัวให้เข้ากับสภาพแวดล้อมมาในช่วงเวลาหนึ่งแล้วจึงมีรูปแบบตอบสนองต่อสภาพอากาศที่คล้ายคลึงกันของสองพื้นที่ ดังนั้น หากจะพิจารณาถึงชนิดไม้ที่จะเลือกมาปลูกในพื้นที่สีเขียวแห่งใหม่ อาจพิจารณาเพียงค่าประสิทธิภาพการใช้น้ำที่สูง กล่าวคือให้ผลผลิตเชิงคาร์บอนได้มากต่อหน่วยปริมาณน้ำที่รดเท่ากัน โดยต้นไม้เหล่านี้สามารถปรับตัวให้เข้ากับสภาพแวดล้อมได้เมื่อให้เวลาเติบโตสักระยะ

Influence Of Temperature Variation On Community Structure Of Ammonia-Oxidizing Microorganisms And Ammonia Oxidation Performance Under Low Substrate Environment, Napong Songkriengkrai

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objectives of this study were to evaluate effect of temperature on ammonia removal efficiency and community structure of ammonia oxidizers including ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA), ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), and complete ammonia oxidizer (comammox). The bioreactors were set up using the seed sludge from municipal and industrial WWTPs. The bioreactors were fed with inorganic medium containing ammonia as the only energy source and were operated with continuous-flow mode without sludge recycling under low ammonia loading condition. The temperature of the bioreactors was varied at 10.5, 14, 17.5, 21, 35, 38.5, 42, and 45.5°C together with the control bioreactor operated …

Pretreatment Of Polylactic Acid (Pla) Plastics By Uv-C Irradiation, Biosurfactants And Deep Eutectic Solvent (Des) To Enhance Biodegradation, Patamavadee Treeson

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Polylactic acid (PLA) is an interesting alternative to petroleum-based plastic due to its compostability. However, PLA requires around six months to two years to be degraded in conventional compost and natural environment. To enhance the biodegradation of PLA by a bacterial consortium (Nocardiodes zeae EA12, Stenotrophomonas pavanii EA33, Gordonia desulfuricans EA63, and Chitinophaga jiangningesis EA02), this study applied UV-C irradiation and surface coating with biosurfactants and deep eutectic solvent (DES) as pretreatment steps. The PLA film deterioration after UV-C exposure was analyzed by the reduction in viscosity average molecular weight, tensile properties, and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The deterioration and hydrophilicity of …

Assessment Of Emissions From Cement Plants Using Aermod Modeling, Atef I. Abdel-Gawad, Mahmoud Noureldeen, Hamada Mahmaoud, Asmaa S. Hamouda

Applied Environmental Research

Coal combustion generates many gases and emissions which are harmful to public health and the environment. So, it is necessary to assess the health risks for the people living in the nearby cement plants that use coal as a fuel. In this article, a health risk assessment HRA was carried out concerning the air emissions from a cement plant in the heavy industry area located at Beni Suef governorate - Egypt. The article handles the assessment of the health risks for pollutants classified as non-carcinogenic i.e. sulfur dioxide - mercury and the health risks for pollutants classified as carcinogenic i.e. …

Preliminary Study And First Evidence Of Presence Of Microplastics In Green Mussel, Perna Viridis From Phuket, Phaothep Cherdsukjai, Vararin Vongpanich, Pensiri Akkajit

Applied Environmental Research

Plastics can reach the coastal environment and could impact the marine environment. Mussels are marine organisms which are prone to be exposed to microplastics pollution. Therefore, in this preliminary study, the commercially important green mussel (Perna viridis) collected at the Koh Phee Canal in Phuket, Phuket Province, southern peninsular Thailand, was investigated. The collected mussels from aquaculture farm fell into three age groups, namely 1 year-1 month, 1 year-7 months, and 1 year-9 months. Results from the investigation showed 200 items of microplastics present in Perna viridis with 76 items (38%) in flushed water and 124 items (62%) …