Consumption Of Plants Research Articles

Integrated Participatory Approach Reveals Perceived Local Availability of Wild Edible Plants in Northwestern Kenya

Availability is a crucial aspect of wild edible plants (WEPs) consumption by indigenous communities. Understanding the local perception of this availability helps to determine, which contribution WEPs can make to rural communities. We used an integrated participatory approach to investigate important parameters and themes that influenced the perception of availability of woody WEPs. We demonstrate the approach in three communities in Turkana County, Kenya. By availability, we referred to the ease of accessing, harvesting, transporting, and processing WEPs for consumption. We conducted three focus group discussions (FGDs). We asked FGD participants to list, score, and discuss availability. We used logistic regression and mixed-content analysis to identify important parameters and themes, respectively. The most important WEPs were the toothbrush tree (Salvadora persica L.), Indian jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.), and mbamba ngoma (Balanites rotundifolia (Tiegh.) Blatt.). Distance, seasonality, price, and adequacy of harvested WEPs for household consumption were important parameters. Culture and tradition, distribution of WEPs, seasonality, and climate change emerged as important themes. We showed the importance of using an integrated participatory approach when assessing the perception of WEPs’ availability by local communities and could be used in comparable arid and semi-arid areas with semi-nomadic pastoralists across Africa.

Assessment of Antioxidant Capacity, Heavy Metal, Mineral and Protein Contents of Some Medicinal Plants Selected in Van

Objective: Rosa canina L., Malus domestica L., Prunus persica L Siebold & Zucc., Cydonia oblonga Mill., Armenica vulgaris Lam., and Pyracantha coccinea M.Roem. are important fruits of the Rosaceae family, used in a wide variety of industries such as food, perfume, cosmetics, paint, beverage, and for economic and medical purposes. Although medicinal plants act with their natural components against diseases, they can cause toxic and unde-sirable side effects. It is important in terms of human health and food safety to examine plants for their heavy metal, mineral, protein and antioxidant capacities before they are used for treatment, food or cosmetic purposes. The heavy metals (Al, Cr, Cu, Co, Zn), minerals (Fe, Mg, Na, Ca, K), protein and antioxidant capacities of some medicinal plants grown in Van-Turkey were determined and their safety in terms of food and in medical uses were evaluated. Material and Method: After the lyophilized plants were solubilized with a wet burning (microwave) device, Al, Cr, Cu, Co, Zn, Fe, Mg, Na, Ca, K elements were analyzed in the ICPOES device. Protein analyzes were per-formed by the Gerthardt Dumatherm method. Cuprac method was used for antioxidant capacity analysis. Results: The measured values were ranged between (in mg kg−1) Al 10.753-20.407, Co 0.007-9.664, Cr 0.119-0.411, Cu 2.409-6.554, Zn 23.426-33.891, Ca 743.0-2501.7, Fe 31.7-117.6, K 3555.2-4202.9, Mg 498.7-1982.9, Na 839.8-1616.0 and Protein (%) 1.45-5.53. Detected heavy metal amounts are in general within acceptable limits determined by WHO (World Health Organization). While the Cuprac values of the plants ranged between 1.13 and 3.62, the Cuprac values for the standard synthetic antioxidants α-tocopherol and BHT were determined as 2.14 and 3.21 µmol TE g−1DW, respectively. In particular, it was determined that Rosa canina extracts showed high activity (3.62 µmol TE g−1DW) comparable to α-tocopherol and BHT. Conclusion: : For centuries, human beings have benefited from plants in the treatment of diseases. Due to the severe side effects of synthetic drugs, people in the modern world also turn to medicinal plants for the treatment of many diseases. However, conscious consumption of medicinal plants by examining them especially in terms of heavy metal amounts will prevent serious health problems in the long run. The study showed that the heavy metal amounts of some plants belonging to the Rosaceae family, which are cultured, used for therapeutic pur-poses and consumed as fruit by the people of Van, are safe for human consumption and medical uses, and their micronutrient, protein and antioxidant capacities are at the desired level for healthy nutrition and therapeutic uses.

The Effect of Ethanolic Extract of Justicia Secunda (Bloodroot) on the Liver Function Indices of Albino Wistar Rat

Purpose: Few articles have linked the consumption of some medicinal plants to certain liver diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of oral administration of ethanolic extract of Justicia secunda on the liver of Wistar rats.
 Methodology: 30 adult female Wistar rats were grouped into 6, with each group consisting of 5 rats.The 1st group was on a normal diet and distilled water while the other groups received 250mg/bodywt, 300mg/bodywt, 350mg/bodywt, 400mg/body wt, 450mg/ body wt of ethanolic extract Justicia secunda for 42 days respectively . Their blood samples were analyzed for total and conjugated bilirubin, total protein, albumin, globulin, gamma-glutamyl transferase, Lactate dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase.
 Findings: The liver tissues were also processed for histological examination. There was a statistically significant increase in ALT, AST, and ALP in group 4, and a statistically significant decrease in conjugated bilirubin seen in groups 5 and 6. The Histology revealed that the extract produced moderate but insignificant degeneration of hepatocytes.
 Unique contribution to policy, theory, and practice: Long-term administration is likely to contain toxic effects; caution should be taken in consuming this plant.

Wastewater treatment plant and enhancing renewable energy production towards achieving environmental sustainability

Carbon emissions from non-renewable energy consumption account for 38 percent to 50 percent of conservatory smoke production in the world, and wastewater treatment plants happen to be one of the most significant drivers of orangery vapor discharges universally. So, to meet the target of achieving a significant reduction of carbon pollution in 2030, we must focus on energy savings and Waste Water Treatment Plant consumption reduction. The demand for future urban wastewater Treatment Plant construction and technical enhancements remains high. The energy ingestion of treatment plants is related development of influent plants, effluent standards, and so on. This study is meant to offer directions for emerging new strategies to facilitate the reduction of water scarcity now and in the future as a powerful and reliable form of treating wastewater technology in particular. This current study keeps its focus on the stimulus of guiding principle on treatment plant structure using scenario-based investigation. This article focuses on approaches used for water purification and the level of energy used. This research analyses the viability of energy self-sufficiency by examining existing energy consumption efficiency. It also investigates the water-energy link in plants and the sustainable approach to solving water scarcity problems, thereby providing the academic source for improving energy management systems and the formulation of energy policy and infrastructures. The research finds out that renewable energy is eco-friendly and is not regenerated by human efforts, nor does it emit any harmful gases into the atmosphere that could contribute to global warming, and it also notes that it is one of the major solutions to water scarcity problems now and later.

Sequencing and Variant Detection of Eight Abundant Plant-Infecting Tobamoviruses across Southern California Wastewater.

Tobamoviruses are agriculturally relevant viruses that cause crop losses and have infected plants in many regions of the world. These viruses are frequently found in municipal wastewater, likely coming from human diet and industrial waste across wastewater catchment areas. As part of a large wastewater-based epidemiology study across Southern California, we analyzed RNA sequence data from 275 influent wastewater samples obtained from eight wastewater treatment plants with a catchment area of approximately 16 million people from July 2020 to August 2021. We assembled 1,083 high-quality genomes, enumerated viral sequencing reads, and detected thousands of single nucleotide variants from eight common tobamoviruses: bell pepper mottle virus, cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, pepper mild mottle virus, tobacco mild green mosaic virus, tomato brown rugose fruit virus, tomato mosaic virus, tomato mottle mosaic virus, and tropical soda apple mosaic virus. We show that single nucleotide variants had amino acid-altering consequences along with synonymous mutations, which represents potential evolution with functional consequences in genomes of these viruses. Our study shows the importance of wastewater sequencing to monitor the genomic diversity of these plant-infecting viruses, and we suggest that our data could be used to continue tracking the genomic variability of such pathogens. IMPORTANCE Diseases caused by viruses in the genus Tobamovirus cause crop losses around the world. As with other viruses, mutation occurring in the virus's genomes can have functional consequences and may alter viral infectivity. Many of these plant-infecting viruses have been found in wastewater, likely coming from human consumption of infected plants and produce. By sequencing RNA extracted from influent wastewater obtained from eight wastewater treatment plants in Southern California, we assembled high-quality viral genomes and detected thousands of single nucleotide variants from eight tobamoviruses. Our study shows that Tobamovirus genomes vary at many positions, which may have important consequences when designing assays for the detection of these viruses by agricultural or environmental scientists.

The Relative Importance of Water Vapor Flux from the Perspective of Heat and Mass Movement

Water movement is normally modelled in the soil to quantify spatial and temporal soil moisture distribution. This is important given that soil moisture indicates the amount of water available to plant consumption and also imply the necessity of water sourcing, storage and distribution system to maintain agricultural activities. Modelling soil moisture content in soil is often limited to water mass flux in the mass balance equation. A limited account is given to water vapor contribution to mass flux. Adding to the complexity, the liquid water, and water vapor mass fluxes are influenced by soil heat flux. In this study, five mechanisms driving overall mass fluxes, and seven mechanisms driving overall heat fluxes were quantified based on the published experimental data from Heitman and his co-workers. The study was carried out on silt loam and sandy soil in a drier soil condition at 0.1 and 0.08 m3∙m-3, respectively. The relative comparison between the mechanisms and the soil types clearly shows that water vapor mass flux dominates in the overall mass fluxes, while water vapor heat flux repeatedly ranked second the most important among the seven mechanisms quantified on overall heat fluxes in which there were only three water vapor-heat flux mechanisms exist, the rest four mechanisms are from liquid water-heat flux. Clearly, water vapor flux is a necessary inclusion in heat and mass movement estimation.

Lipid residues in ancient pastoralist pottery from Kazakhstan reveal regional differences in cooking practices

The Bronze Age—Iron Age transition in Central Asia (ca. 800 BCE) was a period of significant cultural change that was heavily influenced by greater population interaction and mobility. Indeed, scholars have increasingly emphasized the role that “food globalization in prehistory” has played in defining this period. In the mountain foothills of Kazakhstan, culinary traditions from across Eurasia were combined through the use of Southwest Asian wheat, barley, and livestock (cattle, sheep, and goats) with East Asian foxtail and broomcorn millets. The development of food cultures during this period has been investigated by archaeobotanical and isotopic analysis, yet lipid residues from pottery, which directly represent culinary practices, have not been adequately examined. In this study, lipid residue analysis was conducted on 72 pottery sherds, excavated from three burial mounds and one non-burial, ritual site located in Kazakhstan, dating to ca. 700–200 BCE. A particularly informative observation was the frequency of miliacin, a biomarker of broomcorn millet, detected in residues that corresponded well with previously published regional differences observed in carbon isotope ratios of human remains that indicate the consumption of C4 plants. This study also demonstrates continuity of Bronze Age dairying traditions into the Iron Age. Finally, this study sheds new light on the diversity of food cultures and mortuary practices in this region, which were not uniform across either space or time.

Freezing-Based Acid Gas Removal and Its Integration with the Cold Section in an LNG Plant

Natural gas (NG) feed undergoes a series of liquefaction and upgradation processes to produce the final liquefied natural gas (LNG) product that meets customer specifications. LNG processes have a significant capital investment and a high energy requirement, and hence many researchers have focused on process improvement and optimization. While much of the previous research has concentrated on the development of more energy-efficient processes (such as acid gas removal unit (AGRU), liquefaction, natural gas liquid (NGL) recovery, and nitrogen removal), reducing the energy consumption of the whole LNG plant has received little attention. Moreover, the power needs of the LNG plant and LNG product and fuel gas quality constraints remain briefly addressed. The present work proposes an integration between the acid gas freezing unit (FAGRU) with the cold section and suggests multiple structural changes to the cold section. The results showcase that the proposed integration and structural design changes lower the total energy requirement by 16.6% and increase the production rate by 60 kt/a (1.76%). Both these reduce specific energy consumption (SEC) by 17.98%. The feed-to-fuel (FFF) ratio decreases from 6.94% for the base process to 5.7% for the integrated process.

Multiproxy paleodietary reconstruction using stable isotopes and starch analysis: The case of the archaeological site of Playa del Mango, Granma, Cuba

Paleoethnobotanical and stable isotope studies have demonstrated that the indigenous groups that populated the Antilles, traditionally understood as dependent exclusively on wild resources, cultivated and consumed both C3 and C4 plants even before the arrival of the ceramic-bearing Arawak groups. However, the relative importance of cultigens and the differential use of plants, especially maize, between populations and individuals remains unknown. In this paper we combined the analysis of stable isotopes (δ15N, δ13Cco, δ13Cen, δ13Cap, δ34S) of 27 individuals from the archaeological site of Playa del Mango, Cuba with the identification of starch grains in dental calculus. The stable isotope results indicate that the sampled population had a 70:30 C3/C4 diet, where at least 65 % was based on C3 protein. Starches from C3 (e.g., Marantaceae, Ipomoea batatas) and C4 plants (Zea mays) were found in similar proportions (50:50). These results support that the lack or abundance of starch grains cannot be used to infer directly the frequency at which C3 and C4 plants were consumed within a small population. Statistically significant differences between females and males in the carbon isotope composition of diet, and its energy portion, suggests a differential consumption of plants by sex. Playa del Mango individual diets were statistically different from those of coeval sites, supporting our previous findings that groups with different dietary traditions concurrently inhabited Cuba in precolonial times. The study demonstrates the power of combined use of stable isotope models, and starch analysis, to provide a more nuanced reconstruction of dietary practices in past human populations.

Analysis of the Electricity Consumption in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants in Northeast China in Terms of Wastewater Characteristics.

A municipal wastewater treatment plant plays an important role in treating urban sewage and reducing the quantity of pollutants discharged into rivers. However, the energy consumption of the municipal wastewater treatment industry is large. High energy consumption indirectly produces ecological damage, accelerates the energy crisis, and increases carbon emissions. For energy conservation and emission reduction in wastewater treatment plants, it is first necessary to identify the main factors influencing energy consumption. Electricity consumption accounts for more than 80% of the energy consumption of wastewater treatment plants. Wastewater quantity and wastewater quality have become the key influencing factors of energy conservation and consumption reduction in wastewater treatment plants. In this study, a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Northeast China was selected as the research object, and the measured data, such as air temperature, wastewater quantity, wastewater quality, and electricity consumption of the plant from 2017 to 2020 were statistically analyzed to explore the influences of temperature and wastewater quantity and wastewater quality indicators of influent and effluent on energy consumption. Firstly, the range of influent quantity in the wastewater treatment plant was large. The influent quantity in summer was high because some rainwater entered the sewage treatment plant. In winter, average daily electricity consumption (ADEC) was higher than that in summer. The relationship between ADEC and the wastewater quantity showed a positive correlation, and ADEC slowly increased with the increase in wastewater quantity. Electricity consumption per unit of wastewater (UEC) was negatively correlated with the wastewater quantity, but the correction coefficient in winter was larger than that in summer. Secondly, the ranges of chemical oxygen demand (CODCr) and ammonia nitrogen in influent were large, and the ranges of CODCr and ammonia nitrogen in effluent were small. Influent CODCr concentration was negatively correlated with influent ammonia nitrogen concentration. ADEC increased slightly with the increase in influent CODCr concentration. In winter, the increasing trend of ADEC with the influent CODCr concentration was higher than that in the summer. The increasing trend of UEC with the increase in influent COD concentration in summer was more significant than that in winter. Thirdly, influent CODCr in 11.6% of the samples exceeded the corresponding designed value, and influent ammonia nitrogen concentration in 41.4% of the samples exceeded the corresponding designed value. Effluent CODCr in 10.6% of the samples exceeded the First Level Class B standard in "Discharge Standard of Pollutants for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (GB18918-2002)", and unqualified CODCr in 94% of the effluent samples was ascribed to the unqualified ammonia nitrogen concentration in the influent samples. The electricity consumption level under abnormal conditions was higher than that under normal conditions. Fourthly, ADEC was positively correlated with the average daily CODCr reduction. The correction coefficient of ADEC with average daily CODCr reduction was greater in winter than that in summer. Fifthly, the average electricity consumption per unit of wastewater was close to the national average energy consumption, displaying the characteristics of high energy consumption in winter and low energy consumption in summer. The correlation analysis results of unit electricity consumption and temperature showed that when it was below 0 °C, the lower the temperature, the higher the electricity consumption. In Northeast China, the influences of seasons and temperatures on the electricity consumption of sewage plants were obvious. Accordingly, it is necessary to implement the diversion of rainwater and sewage, reduce the discharge of unqualified wastewater from enterprises, and take thermal insulation measures in winter. In addition, activated sludge microorganisms suitable for a low temperature area and the optimal scheduling of sewage pipe networks can also improve the operation and management of sewage treatment plants.

Use of European pulses to produce functional beverages – From chickpea and lupin as dairy alternatives

• “Beany” volatile compounds extinction after chosen technology processing steps. • The impact of the beverage processing step on the flatulence sugars amount. • Structural changes of starch induced by thermal processing. • Lactic fermentation of chickpea- and lupin- beverages. • Time and temperature of fermentation tunning to obtain a yogurt-like gel structure. Consumption of plant based products as dairy alternatives is increasing steeply. This diet transition can only be achieved if these products keep the nutritional value and meet consumer's sensory acceptance. This work aimed to evaluate the decrease of the “beany” flavour and of raffinose, stachyose and verbascose contents in EU pulse beveragés production, and also the best lactic fermentation conditions of the beverages, towards chickpea- and lupin-based yoghurts, with rheology properties similar to the commercial soy yoghurts. The reduction of “beany” volatile compounds of chickpea and lupin beverages during processing was confirmed through GC–MS analysis. Soaking and cooking processes were effective in removing flatulence sugars with almost 48% loss from the initial content in lupin beverage. The fermentation conditions at 40 °C, 12 h and 2% (w/v) of starter concentration evidenced the best viscoelastic structure and flow properties. The lupin yoghurt-type showed a similar gel structure to commercial soy yoghurt.

A Clinical Outcome of the Anti-PD-1 Therapy of Melanoma in Polish Patients Is Mediated by Population-Specific Gut Microbiome Composition.

The gut microbiota is considered a key player modulating the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. The study investigated the association between the response to anti-PD-1 therapy and the baseline gut microbiome in a Polish cohort of melanoma patients, alongside selected agents modifying the microbiome. Sixty-four melanoma patients enrolled for the anti-PD-1 therapy, and ten healthy subjects were recruited. The response to the treatment was assessed according to the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors, and patients were classified as responders or non-responders. The association between selected extrinsic factors and response was investigated using questionnaire-based analysis and the metataxonomics of the microbiota. In the responders, the Bacteroidota to Firmicutes ratio was higher, and the richness was decreased. The abundance of Prevotella copri and Bacteroides uniformis was related to the response, whereas the non-responders' gut microbiota was enriched with Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Desulfovibrio intestinalis and some unclassified Firmicutes. Dietary patterns, including plant, dairy, and fat consumption as well as gastrointestinal tract functioning were significantly associated with the therapeutic effects of the therapy. The specific gut microbiota along with diet were found to be associated with the response to the therapy in the population of melanoma patients.

Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi-Colonized Populus alba × P. berolinensis Seedlings on the Microbial and Metabolic Status of Gypsy Moth Larvae.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are considered as important biological factors that can affect insect resistance of plants. Herein, we used AMF-poplar seedlings that could either increase or decrease the resistance to gypsy moth larvae, to elucidate the mechanism of mycorrhizal-induced insect resistance/susceptibility at the larval microbial and metabolic levels. Our results found that larval plant consumption and growth were significantly inhibited in the Glomus mossae (GM)-colonized seedlings, whereas they were enhanced in the Glomus intraradices (GI)-colonized seedlings. GM inoculation reduced the beneficial bacteria abundance in the larval gut and inhibited the detoxification and metabolic functions of gut microbiota. However, GI inoculation improved the larval gut environment by decreasing the pathogenic bacteria and activating specific metabolic pathways. Furthermore, GM inoculation triggers a metabolic disorder in the larval fat body, accompanied by the suppression of detoxification and energy production pathways. The levels of differentially accumulated metabolites related to amino acid synthesis and metabolism and exogenous toxin metabolism pathways were significantly increased in the GI group. Taken together, the disadaptation of gypsy moth larvae to leaves of GM-colonized seedlings led to the GM-induced insect resistance in poplar, and to the GI-induced insect susceptibility involved in the improvement of larval gut environment and fat body energy metabolism.

Advancements and future prospective of DNA barcodes in the herbal drug industry.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The past couple of decades have witnessed the global resurgence of medicinal plants in the field of herbal-based health care. Increased consumption of medicinal plants and their derivative products is the major cause of the adulteration issues in herbal industries. As a result, the quality of herbal products is affected by spurious and unauthorized raw materials. Recent development in molecular plant identification using DNA barcodes has become a robust methodology to identify and authenticate the adulterants in herbal samples. Hence, rapid and accurate identification of medicinal plants is the key to success for the herbal industry. Aim of the study: This paper provides a comprehensive review of the application of DNA barcoding and advanced technologies that have emerged over the past 10years related to medicinal plant identification and authentication and the future prospects of this technology. Materials and methods: Information on DNA barcodes was compiled from scientific databases (Google Scholar, Web of Science, SciFinder and PubMed). Additional information was obtained from books, Ph.D. thesis and MSc. Dissertations. Results: Working out an appropriate DNA barcode for plants is challenging; the single locus-based DNA barcodes (rbcL, ITS, ITS2, matK, rpoB, rpoC, trnH-psbA) to multi-locus DNA barcodes have become the successful species-level identification among herbal plants. Additionally, multi-loci have become efficient in the authentication of herbal products. Emerging advances in DNA barcoding and related technologies such as next-generation sequencing, high-resolution melting curve analysis, meta barcodes and mini barcodes have paved the way for successful herbal plant/samples identification. Conclusion: DNA barcoding needs to be employed together with other techniques to check and rationally and effectively quality control the herbal drugs. It is suggested that DNA barcoding techniques combined with metabolomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics could authenticate the herbal products. The invention of simple, cost-effective and improved DNA barcoding techniques to identify herbal drugs and their associated products of medicinal value in a fool-proof manner will be the future thrust of Pharmacopoeial monograph development for herbal drugs.

Novel metallomic profiling and non-carcinogenic risk assessment of botanical ingredients for use in herbal, phytopharmaceutical and dietary products using HR-ICP-SFMS

Knowledge of element concentrations in botanical extracts is relevant to assure consumer protection given the increased interest in plant-based ingredients. This study demonstrates successful multi-element investigations in order to address the lack of comprehensive profiling data for botanical extracts, while reporting for the first time the metallomic profile(s) of arnica, bush vetch, sweet cicely, yellow rattle, bogbean, rock-tea and tufted catchfly. Key element compositions were quantified using a validated HR-ICP-SFMS method (µg kg−1) and were found highly variable between the different plants: Lithium (18–3964); Beryllium (3–121); Molybdenum (75–4505); Cadmium (5–325); Tin (6–165); Barium (747–4646); Platinum (2–33); Mercury (5–30); Thallium (3–91); Lead (12–4248); Bismuth (2–30); Titanium (131–5827); Vanadium (15–1758); Chromium (100–4534); Cobalt (21–652); Nickel (230–6060) and Copper (1910–6340). Compendial permissible limits were not exceeded. Overall, no evidence of a health risk to consumers could be determined from consumption of the investigated plants at reasonable intake rates. Mathematical risk modelling (EDI, CDI, HQ, HI) estimated levels above safe oral thresholds only for Cd (16%) and Pb (8%) from higher intakes of the respective plant-derived material. Following high consumption of certain plants, 42% of the samples were categorised as potentially unsafe due to cumulative exposure to Cu, Cd, Hg and Pb. PCA suggested a potential influence of post-harvest processing on Cr, Ti and V levels in commercially-acquired plant material compared to wild-collected and farm-grown plants. Moreover, a strong correlation was observed between Pb-Bi, Be-V, Bi-Sn, and Tl-Mo occurrence. This study may support future research by providing both robust methodology and accompanying reference profile(s) suitable for the quality evaluation of essential elements and/or metal contaminants in botanical ingredients.

Insight into Greenhouse Gases Emissions and Energy Consumption of Different Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plants via ECAM Tool.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) production is one of the urgent problems to be solved in the wastewater treatment industry in the context of “carbon neutrality”. In this study, the carbon emissions and energy consumption of typical wastewater treatment processes in China were evaluated, starting from different cities and water treatment plants. Tool of Energy Performance and Carbon Emission Assessment and Monitoring (ECAM) was used. By comparing the influent BOD5, it was found that the energy consumption for wastewater treatment was positively correlated with the influent organic load. The annual CH4 emission of Xi’an WWTP can reach 19,215 t CO2eq. Moreover, GHGs are closely related to the wastewater treatment process chosen. WWTP B of Kunming used only an anaerobic process without continuous aeration, with an average monthly energy consumption of 8.63 × 105 kW·h. The proportion of recoverable biogas was about 90% in the GHG discharged by the traditional process. However, the anaerobic digestion-thermoelectric cogeneration process can make the recovery of the biogas utilization ratio reach 100%. Compared to the Shuozhou WWTP and WWTP A of Kunming, the Strass WWTP served the smallest population and had the largest treatment capacity, reaching the lowest energy consumption, consuming only 23,670 kW·h per month. The evaluation and analysis of ECAM provide data support and research foundation for the wastewater treatment plants to improve energy utilization and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Water consumption of the integration of coal-fired power plant with CO2 post combustion system with different cooling methods

CO2 capture is one of the most effective methods to reduce CO2 emissions. Integration with CO2 capture system will cause an energy penalty for the coal-fired power plant which has been extensively studied, while it also increases the water consumption that has less focus. This paper analyzes the water consumption of a coal-fired power plant integrated with CO2 capture system under three operation modes which is (1) power reduction mode, (2) constant total output power, and constant CO2 capture quantity, (3) constant total output power, and constant CO2 capture rate. Regardless of the cooling method, the thermal efficiency of the integration system is the highest when the output power is constant, and the carbon capture amount is constant. Combined with coal consumption, water consumption, output power, and CO2 emissions, the system operating in a mode with constant output power and a constant carbon capture rate is further analyzed. When the temperature rises from 130 °C to 160 °C, the total water consumption increased from 1024.71m3/h to 1069.66 m3/h. When the heat duty rises from 2.0 MJ/kg CO2 to 4.0 MJ/kg CO2, the total water consumption decreases from 1081.55 m3/h to 1000.89 m3/h due to the significant reduction in water consumption in coal-fired systems. Unit water consumption has the same trend.

Do porcupines self-medicate? The seasonal consumption of plants with antiparasitic properties coincides with that of parasite infections in Hystrix cristata of Central Italy

Do porcupines self-medicate? The seasonal consumption of plants with antiparasitic properties coincides with that of parasite infections in Hystrix cristata of Central Italy

Ingredientes rituales en las ceremonias andinas propiciatorias del desierto de Atacama: El mineral de cobre, su relación con los atados de remedios, y el complejo alucinógeno

This research explores the role of minerals in propitiation and fertility rites in the Andes. An ontological perspective is employed, using an ethnohistorical account and ethnographic sources, to open the way to discussion and contextualization of the archaeological evidence of copper found in the Atacama Desert. Focusing on its affective and propitiatory potential for the germination of life, we look at the presence of copper elements in various archaeological contexts. The so-called “hallucinogenic tablets” associated with these pieces suggest a new understanding of the ritual consumption of psychotropic plants, where the offering and dialogue with non-human entities played important roles.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. Rincon) Production Using Organic Nutrient Solution under Hydroponics System

Lettuce is one of the most widely hydroponically grown crops and studies showed that lettuce has a high yield and good quality under a soilless production. However, the nutrient solution used in hydroponic systems is based on chemical fertilizers and recently, there has been an increased interest in organic hydroponics as the market for organic food continues to grow. The study was conducted to evaluate commercially available organic nutrient solutions (Vermitea, BioVoltin, Ramils, Healthynest) in comparison to conventional inorganic fertilizers (Snap) in hydroponic lettuce production with water as a negative control. The crop experiment was carried out in a plastic polyhouse with a mesh net at the Institute of Agriculture, Camiguin Polytechnic State College – Catarman Campus, Tangaro, Catarman, Camiguin, from November 1, 2021, to December 15, 2021, using a Randomized Complete Blocked Design with three replications. Results of the study showed that among organic nutrient solutions, Treatment 5 (Ramils) and Treatment 7 (Healthynest,), showed comparable results to conventional inorganic fertilizer, Treatment 1 (Snap) in terms of horticultural characteristics, root development, survival rate, yield, and sensory quality attributes and cost and return analysis. However, different organic nutrient solutions exhibited no significant effects on nutrient solution consumption per plant and total nutrient solution consumption. Treatment 5 (Ramils) was considered best overall in terms of sensory quality attributes, overall acceptability and overall marketability except for color, succulence, and bitterness, followed by T1 and T7. Also, Treatment 5 (Ramils) and Treatment 7 (Healthynest) have the highest yield, hence generating the highest net returns, net profit margin, and return on investment.