Effect Of Different Substrates Research Articles

Effects of different substrates on nitrogen and phosphorus removal in horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands.

This study aimed to explore the nitrogen and phosphorus removal performance of the horizontal submerged constructed wetland (HSCW) with Ti-bearing blast furnace slag (T). Another two HSCWs, with the converter steelmaking slag (G) and the stone (S) as wetland substrates, respectively, were simultaneously running as control. The results showed that the nitrogen and phosphorus removal capacities of the T-HSCW were generally better than those of another two HSCWs. When the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 6days, the effluent concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) and total nitrogen (TN) were 6.66mgL-1 and 14.02mgL-1, respectively, and the removal rates of NH4+-N and TN reached 77.54% and 71.07%, respectively. The T-HSCW had better removal efficiency of phosphorus. The effluent concentration of total phosphorus (TP) was lower than 0.3mgL-1, and the maximum removal rate could reach 98%. Through the characterization of the three substrates before and after experiments, it was found that the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus by T and G mainly relied on chemical adsorption, while S mainly relied on physical adsorption. Ti could also promote the absorption of nitrogen by plants and increase the nitrogen removal capacity of T-HSCWs.

Effects of different substrates on microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) anodic membrane: biodiversity and hydrogen production performance.

To investigate the effects of different substrates on the biodiversity and hydrogen production performance of microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) anodic membranes, the vital electroactive microorganisms (e.g. in MEC hydrogen production) were worth identifying. In the present study, single-factor experiments were performed. Sodium acetate, sodium propionate, sodium butyrate, glucose and starch served as different substrates for MEC anodic culture experiments under the same condition. The effects of different substrates on the bioactivity, biomass and hydrogen production performance of MEC anodic films were analyzed. Also, the effects of different microbial communities on hydrogen production were studied using 16S rRNA sequencing. According to the experimental results, all the five substrates here can serve as hydrogen-producing raw materials for MEC. All indicators revealed that sodium acetate, sodium propionate and sodium butyrate are excellent biofilm culture materials. The serious acidification of glucose and starch was identified at the same substrate concentration, and the environment of the culture medium was difficult to control, which affected the growth and metabolism of electroactive microorganisms. In comparison, sodium acetate was the best, achieving a maximum output of 23.4 mA and a maximum hydrogen content of 25.85%. The other four were ranked as sodium butyrate > sodium propionate > glucose > starch. According to the results of high-throughput sequencing, when sodium acetate, sodium propionate, sodium butyrate, glucose and starch served as substrates, the number of operational taxonomic units reached 464, 728, 636, 784, and 1,083, respectively. Furthermore, when MEC was cultured with sodium acetate, sodium propionate and sodium butyrate as substrates, the electroactive microorganism Desulfuromonas in the Proteobacteria would contribute the most to producing hydrogen. The relative abundance of the five substrates was ranked as sodium acetate > sodium butyrate > sodium propionate > glucose > starch, suggesting that the MEC anodic film cultured with sodium acetate as the substrate exhibited the best hydrogen production performance, and the starch showed the worst. It is noteworthy that Desulfuromonas was the most abundant species according to sequencing results. When glucose and starch served as substrates, they exhibited high biodiversity. The anodic membranes cultured with sodium acetate, sodium propionate and sodium butyrate were not as good as those cultured with glucose and starch, yet the electroactive microorganisms were up-regulated.

Simulation of the effects of different substrates, temperature, and substrate roughness on the mechanical properties of Al2O3 coating as tritium penetration barrier

Residual thermal stress in the system is a serious problem that affects the application of tritium permeation barrier coatings in fusion reactors. The stress not only determines the adhesion between coating and substrate, but also changes the properties of the material. In this study, finite element analysis was used to investigate the relationship between the residual thermal stress and the mechanical properties of Al2O3 tritium penetration barrier systems. Moreover, the residual thermal stress influenced by factors such as different substrates, temperature, and substrate roughness was also analyzed. The calculation showed that the hardness and elastic modulus increased with increasing compressive stress. However, the hardness and elastic modulus decreased with increasing tensile stress. The systems composed of Al2O3 coatings and different substrates exhibited different trends in mechanical properties. As the temperature increased, the hardness and the elastic modulus increased in an Al2O3/316L stainless steel system; the trend was opposite in an Al2O3/Si system. Apart from this, the roughness of the substrate surface in the system could magnify the change in hardness and elastic modulus of the coating. Results showed that all these factors led to variation in the mechanical properties of Al2O3 tritium permeation barrier systems. Thus, the detailed reasons for the changes in mechanical properties of these materials need to be analyzed.

Structural and tribological characterization of amorphous and crystalline titanium-nickel coatings

The interest in titanium-nickel (TiNi) alloys has increased with the discovery of the versatile properties of these alloys. In this study, the structural, mechanical and tribological properties of amorphous and crystalline TiNi coatings were investigated. The TiNi coatings were deposited with magnetron sputtering system. The crystallization process was conducted in a vacuum heat treatment furnace. The structural properties of the coatings were investigated with XRD, SEM and EDS analyses. Micro-hardness and pin-on-disc wear tests were used to obtain the mechanical and tribological properties of the coatings. AISI D2 steel, AISI 52100 steel, Aluminum 2024 alloy and copper were used as substrate materials, hence the effects of different substrates were also investigated. The highest coating hardness was obtained as 8.5 GPa and the lowest coefficient of friction value was obtained as 0.18. The tribological tests showed that the amorphous and crystalline TiNi coatings have different coefficient of friction and wear rate and using different substrate affects these properties.

Screening of new yeast Pichia manchurica for arabitol production.

Arabitol has several applications in food and pharmaceutical industries as a natural sweetener, dental caries inhibitor, and texturing agent. Newly isolated yeast strains from seawater, sugarcane plantation soil samples, and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii 2635 from MTCC were tested for arabitol production. The yield of arabitol was found to be higher in seawater isolate (24.6 g L-1 ) compared to two soil isolates (22.5 g L-1 ) and Z. rouxii (19.4 g L-1 ). Based on ITS 26S rDNA sequence analysis, the seawater isolate was identified as Pichia manchurica. In the present study, the effect of different substrates, trace elements, nitrogen sources, pH, and temperature on arabitol production was examined. Three different carbon sources viz. glucose, arabinose, and galactose were studied. Glucose was determined to be the best substrate for arabitol production (27.6 g L-1 ) followed by arabinose (13.7 g L-1 ) and galactose (7.7 g L-1 ). Maximum production of arabitol was observed at pH 6.0 (34.7 g L-1 ). In addition, arabitol production was high (35.7 g L-1 ) at temperature of 30 °C. Among the different concentrations of ammonium sulfate tested (3, 4.5, 6, 7.5, and 9 g L-1 ) concentration of 6 g L-1 resulted in higher arabitol Individual metal ions had no effect on arabitol production by this strain as compared to control. Results obtained in this study identify ways for improved arabitol production with natural isolates using microbial processes.

An ultra-wideband three-way power divider based on spoof surface plasmon polaritons

In this paper, an ultra-wideband spoof surface plasmon polaritons’ (SSPPs) power divider with simplest odds ratio (1:3) composed of hexagonal ring unit cells is proposed. The creation of electromagnetic waves with high confinement in a collision between periodically decorated metal and dielectric is a fundamental property of SSPPs. Flexibility, low loss, decreasing cross coupling, and ability for integration are other advantages of SSPP transmission lines. In order to realize the proposed 3-way power divider, first, a novel low loss and compact subwavelength hexagonal unit cell is presented. Next, a plasmonic waveguide is designed. To decrease the dielectric losses, the effect of different substrates on transmission coefficient is investigated too. In the best condition, we have a transmission line with an excellent operation in the frequency range of 3 to 11.8 GHz with a fractional bandwidth (FBW) of 119%. Then, an equal and in-phase 3-way power divider with good isolation between three output ports is designed in a wide frequency range of 2.5–8 GHz with an FBW of 105%. Finally, the proposed 3-way power divider is fabricated and tested in the laboratory. A good agreement between simulations and measurement results proves the functionality of design properly. The ultra wide-bandwidth, low loss, flexibility, and stable performance of this power divider prove its high capability compared with the state-of-the-art references. The proposed power divider can be utilized in developing an integrated plasmonic feeding network of antenna arrays in microwave and millimeter wave frequency bands.

Effects of physicochemical properties of different substrates on characters and yield of maize

A reasonable method was used to analyze the effects of different substrates on the characters and yield of maize, and to improve the quality and yield of maize. The effects of the maize characters and yield of national Fluvo-aquic soil fertility and fertilizer efficiency monitoring base were analyzed from 6 aspects: fertilization and combined application, fertilization and density coupling, controlled release fertilizer (CRF), fertilization level, fertilization depth and proportion, and the amount of organic manure (chicken manure). Data processing is done by using Excel2003 and SPSS17.0 software, and multiple comparisons are made by using Duncan’s new multiple range test method. The experiment of the influence factor of fertilization and combined application shows that the combination of NPK+ organic fertilizer (constant and high) can increase maize character ratio and NPK+ high-amount organic manure can increase maize yield. The experiment of the influence factor of fertilization and density coupling shows that the maize characters reached the optimum under the condition of high fertilizer. The yield of maize is highest when the density is 60000 plants /hm2 and the amount of fertilizer is 10.71kg, 3.57kg and 8.93kg per 667m2. The experiment of the influence factor of controlled release fertilizer shows that the characters of CRF V and CRF VI are the best. The control time of CRF III, CRF V, CRF VI, and CRF IV compound fertilizer is long, which can increase maize yield. The experiment of the influence factor of fertilizer level shows that the best character of maize is achieved by using the controlled release fertilizer of Agricultural University 450 kg/hm2 and two-topdressing 600 kg/hm2. In the process of corn production, the use of A-40 treatment (Volfertile controlled release fertilizer 600kg/hm2) and the one-time application of base fertilizer can increase the yield of maize. The experiment of the influence factor of fertilization depth and proportion show that the best combination is that seed fertilizer 20% urea, 40% diammonium phosphate and potassium sulfate were applied under the surface of 8cm and base fertilizer 40% urea, 60% diammonium phosphate and potassium sulfate were applied under the surface of 16cm. It can improve the character and yield of maize at the same time. The experiment of the influence factor of organic manure (chicken manure) shows that the amount of organic fertilizer (chicken manure) 26923kg per hectare with fertilizing 35kg per plot is the best amount of fertilizer, and the yield of maize increases. The proposed method can comprehensively and accurately analyze the effects of different substrates on the character and yield of maize, which can promote rational fertilization in maize and improve the quality and yield of maize steadily.

Effects of different substrates on the germination and growth performance of chestnut nursery trees

Effects of different substrates on the germination and growth performance of chestnut nursery trees

Effects of different substrates on growth and yield of Limnophila rugosa (Roth) Merr. under organic-oriented farming

The research was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of public & private partnership (PPP) in solid waste management of Ho Chi Minh City, where many pilot projects have been developed as illustrations for Vietnam in the past years. The research used OECD criteria for policy evaluation and had discussions with specialists to evaluate the effectiveness of public & private partnership (PPP) in solid waste management of Ho Chi Minh City. The results indicated that the pilot projects achieved significant successes in meeting the management objectives such as reducing burdens on public investment for urban environmental services, minimizing pollutions caused by municipal solid waste, and applying advanced technologies to the final treatment and/or disposal. The research, however, also pointed out the disadvantages of PPP during development, which are mostly relevant to supporting regulations or implementation capacity. From those outputs and lessons learnt from other cases in the world, some recommendations have been proposed for improving the effectiveness and spreading the implementation of PPP in other places.

The effect of different substrates on the growth of six cultivated mushroom species and composition of macro and trace elements in their fruiting bodies

There is an ongoing interest in the production of mushrooms as food, and with their consumption on the rise, there is a need to establish different safety measures. In the present study, six mushroom species (Agrocybe cylindracea, Clitocybe maxima, Flammulina velutipes, Ganoderma lucidum, Lentinula edodes and Pleurotus eryngii) were cultivated on two commonly used substrates (A—based on alder and beech sawdust; B—based on oak sawdust and flax shives). The aims were to determine their growth and the accumulation of 70 elements in their fruiting bodies, 33 of which were detected in all analysed samples and were used for statistical evaluation. Cultivation of C. maxima, G. lucidum and L. edodes resulted in higher yield and mineral content when substrate A was used, cultivation of A. cylindracea and F. velutipes yielded better results on substrate B, P. eryngii cultivation outcomes were similar for both substrates. L. edodes was found to have a high affinity to accumulate Cd, C. maxima can bioconcentrate Al and Ni, Ganoderma lucidum—Pb, while F. velutipes—Hg. The study indicated that the chemical composition of substrates could affect both the yield and the level of various toxic and nutritional elements.

Substrates and Irrigation Frequencies in the Development of Seedlings of Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum

Knowledge on the ideal conditions for the formation of high quality seedlings is fundamental to guarantee establishment success of crops in a safe and efficient manner. Here, we evaluate the effect of different substrates and irrigation frequencies on the initial growth of parica (Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum) seedlings. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Federal Rural University of Amazônia, Capitão Poço, PA. Several variables were analyzed including seedling height, stem diameter, number of leaflets, shoot dry matter, root dry matter, total dry matter, height and stem diameter ratio, shoot dry matter ratio and root dry matter. We found significant differences in seedling development between the applied treatments, including a significant interaction between substrate type and irrigation regime on seedling height, stem diameter, the number of leaflets and plant growth indices, with the best response for proportions 75% soil + 25% bovine manure and 50% soil + 50% bovine manure. Therefore, the substrates containing organic compounds resulted in a higher quality of the seedlings, while the sand consistently presented the lowest increases in seedling production under the three experimental irrigation frequencies, and thus is not recommended as a substrate for the development of Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum.

Generation of polarization enhanced THz waves from holey nitrogenated graphene

We manipulate amplitude of terahertz waves emitted from holey nitrogenated graphene by circularly polarized light which is further substantiated by considering components of photocurrents in holey structure. In addition, variations in parameters such as excitation fluence and azimuthal angle along with effect of different substrates and in-plane magnetic field provide insight into underlying mechanism for THz generation. The different forms of graphite have also been experimentally compared in order to elaborate the effect of material’s parameters on generated THz amplitude.

Comparative study on the effects of different structural Ti substrates on the properties of SnO2 electrodes

To investigate the influence of substrate structure on the properties of titanium-based tin oxide electrodes, Ti/SnO2 with porous titanium, planar titanium, titanium mesh, and titanium-copper alloy as substrates was prepared by a thermal decomposition method. Electrodes were characterized and tested by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electrochemical techniques, and accelerated life tests. The surface morphology, phase composition, electrochemical performance, and service life of the electrodes were studied and analysed. With phenol as the target pollutant, the effects of different substrates on the electrocatalytic degradation performance of the electrodes were investigated. The porous Ti/SnO2-Sb-La electrode prepared by the porous titanium substrate has finer surface grains and a larger specific surface area. The phenomena of “cracking” and “agglomeration” are obviously improved. At the same time, the oxygen evolution potential increased to 2.09 V, and the membrane impedance decreased to 5.722 Ω. The degradation experiment of simulated phenol wastewater reveals that the porous Ti/SnO2-Sb-La electrode has the highest phenol degradation rate of 90.8% and a removal rate of COD of 79.9% within 120 min. Additionally, the porous Ti/SnO2-Sb-La electrode has the longest accelerated service lifetime of 105 min, which is 5 times that of the planar Ti/SnO2-Sb-La electrode. It can be seen from the experimental results that the electrode prepared by using the novel porous titanium as the matrix has obvious electrochemical performance, service life and current utilization efficiency advantages in the degradation process. At the same time, it is further proved that the electrode substrate has a significant effect on the electrode performance in the electrochemical treatment of phenol-containing water.

Mechanistic Insights into the Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reaction of Benzaldehyde with Benzyl Alcohol via C–H Activation: A Theoretical Investigation

With the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, mechanistic investigations have been carried out for the nickel-catalyzed dehydrogenative cross-coupling reaction of benzaldehyde with benzyl alcohol in the presence of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand. The overall Ni(0)/Ni(II) catalytic cycle consists of four basic steps: ligand exchange, oxidative addition, hydrogen transfer, and reductive elimination. Considerable interests are paid on detecting the transition state of the rate-determining step, with particular emphasis on the structural and electronic properties, together with clarifying the important roles of external oxidant and hydrogen acceptor. The hydrogen transfer process in the oxidative addition step is rate-determining in the whole catalytic cycle, which is accomplished by C-Ha (active Ha) activation without generating the high energy nickel hydride intermediate. Such process could be understood as the direct hydrogen transfer, instead of general concerted oxidative addition to low valent transition metal. The analysis of the bond distances, electrondistributions, and orbital interactions highlights the direct hydrogen transfer mechanism. Furthermore, by exploring the influences from the electronic effect of different substrates on the reaction energy barriers, the a,a,a-trifluoroacetophenone could accelerate the direct hydrogen transfer with low activate energy.

Effects of Different Substrates and Particle Sizes on Wastewater Purification

Choosing suitable substrate is key to improving the efficiency of wetland decontamination. However, little is known about the effect of particle size. In order to study the effect of substrate type and size on COD, TN, and TP removal from sewage, 1-2, 2-4, and 4-8 mm zeolite, 2-4, 4-8, and 8-16 mm gravel, and 2-4, 3-5, and 6-8 mm anthracite were selected for establishment of the constructed system of experimental media with three replications. Results showed that removal efficiency of COD, TN, and TP varied with different particle sizes of the same material. The greatest COD removal was achieved with 4-8 mm zeolite and gravel and 6-8 mm anthracite, with removal rates of 53.74%, 60.76%, and 62.93%, respectively. Denitrification is the main pattern of nitrogen removal in the artificial test column; results show that smaller particle size is more effective for removal of TN. The removal rate of TP is also higher with smaller sizes of gravel and anthracite, but the opposite pattern occurred with zeolite. The removal of COD, TP, and TN also varied by substrate type. Anthracite led to good removal of COD, TP, and TN. Zeolite was most effective for removal of TN but had lower removal of TP. Gravel has high removal rate for COD, and has a general removal effect on TP.

Effect of Different Substrates with Organic and Inorganic Fertilization under Closed System Condition on Lettuce Production

Effect of Different Substrates with Organic and Inorganic Fertilization under Closed System Condition on Lettuce Production

Biomass corrosion behavior of steels and coatings in contact with KCl/K2SO4 at 550 °C under an oxy-fuel combustion atmosphere: A screening laboratory test

Increasing the operating temperature in biomass-fueled power plants is a very difficult task as the corrosion rate generated by alkaline deposits, sulphur and/or chlorine present in biomass, will dramatically rise with increasing temperature, and a higher content of water vapor and SO2 characteristic of oxy-combustion will likely further increase it. Due to these aggressive conditions, it is very important to develop laboratory testing facilities to evaluate the viability of using new materials and to provide information allowing to design new ones, in particular if the operating parameters change. In this work, laboratory testing was carried out to evaluate the effects of salt deposits, as well as the effect of different substrates and coating compositions on the corrosion mechanism. Exposure was performed at 550°C for >600h in a flowing model biomass oxy-combustion atmosphere containing 60%CO2, 30%H2O, 8%O2, 2%N2 (v.%), 400 vppm HCl and 2 vppm SO2. The samples were covered with KCl+K2SO4 prior to exposure. The behavior of three steels (P92, T22 and SANICRO 28) and several coatings in the above described biomass model atmosphere is compared. The coatings include a slurry applied diffusion aluminide, a Cr aluminide as well as Fe50Cr, Ni20Cr and Ni5Al deposited by HVOF thermal spray. The observed corrosion rate tendency based on mass variations, do not match that observed by microstructural and phase composition analysis (FESEM and XRD) of the exposed samples due in some cases to spallation and in others to corrosion products stuck to the samples. The ranking of the studied materials and coatings based on oxide scales thickness spallation and coating degradation is as follow (from higher to lower degradation): T22>Ni5A l>P92>SANICRO28>Cr Aluminide>Ni20Cr>Fe50Cr>Aluminide. Both composition and morphology played an important role in the corrosion resistance of the materials.

New Media Components and Fertilization to Accelerate the Growth of Citrus Rootstocks Grown in a Greenhouse

In Puerto Rico, oranges made up $6,452,000 of the agricultural gross income for 2014–2015. Today, citrus greening (CG) is the most aggressive disease affecting the citrus industry in the whole world. This disease causes dieback of the plant, among other symptoms, which is resulting in the reduction of citrus trees in the field across the world. Currently, it is recommended to grow citrus rootstocks in nurseries to produce disease-free trees. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate (before and after grafting) the effect of different substrate mixes and quantities of fertilizers on the rootstocks Carrizo citrange and Swingle citrumelo in order to accelerate their development inside of a protected structure. The treatments were: Promix + sand (control) (1:1), Promix + sand + coco peat (1:1:1), Promix + sand + coffee compost (1:1:1) and Promix + sand + rice husk (1:1:1). Two 18-6-2 fertilizer treatments were also evaluated: 5.6 g and 8.5 g. The substrate that contained 33% rice husks negatively influenced every parameter evaluated for both rootstocks. Carrizo presented better development on the coffee compost mix, while Swingle did not exhibit significant differences among any substrates, except on rice husk, for most of the parameters. “Rhode Red Valencia” presented better results for dry weight when grafted on Carrizo with the coffee substrate. The rice husk substrate is not recommended for the citrus tree production at the nursery level.

Crecimiento y rendimiento del pepino holandés en ambiente protegido y con sustratos orgánicos alternativos

The replacement of imported substrates by local materials is a trend in severaltechnifiedproduction systems, given the cost reduction and the importance of agricultural by-products, formerly considered to be waste. The main objective of this work was to validate the effect of different substrates on the growth and productivity of Dutch cucumber plants under greenhouse conditions. The study took place from October 2012 to January 2013, at the Agricultural Experiment Station Fabio Baudrit, Alajuela, Costa Rica. Variety Fuerte was used and four mixed substrates (volume ratio) made of local raw materials as coconut fiber (FC), oil palm leaf fiber (FP), organic compost (ABO), and sawdust (AS) as well as a commercial treatment (control) constituted by coco coir slabs were analyzed. Substrate water content, plant growth (vegetative phase), and yield were evaluated according to commercial size (S, M, L, XL, and rejected). The growth of Dutch cucumber plants, variety Fuerte, was higher on substrates with coconut fiber 40% + oil palm leaf fiber 40% + organic compost 20%, and coconut fiber 70% + organic compost 30%, while yield of the same two substrates was 15.57 and 15.44 kg/m2, respectively. Both treatments were statistically equal to the commercial coco coir substrate slabs with a yield of 14.77 kg/m2. Result attributed to the nutritional contribution of the organic compost (high K, Ca, and Mg) along with and to the effects of aeration and water retention of fibers.

Effect of Different Substrates on the Acceptance of Grafted Larvae in Commercial Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) Queen Rearing

Abstract The need for the increased production of honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens has led beekeepers to use different substrates in artificial queen cups where larvae destined to become queens are deposited (grafting). However, not enough scientific evidence exists that indicates that this practice is useful and what substance offers the best results. This study was conducted to determine with the Doolittle queen rearing method the acceptance rate of larvae deposited on different substrates during grafting and to determine if the sugar content and pH of the substrates used affect the acceptance of larvae in cell builder colonies. The evaluated substrates were coconut water, apple nectar, royal jelly, cola soda and distilled water, plus control (without substrate). Grafted larvae of the six treatments were introduced into cell builder colonies and their acceptance verified after 72 h. Apple nectar provided the highest rate of larvae acceptance with 81.06%, followed by cola soda with 62.93%, coconut water with 60.90%, royal jelly with 57.82% and distilled water with 58.99%. The larvae acceptance rates of all substrates were significantly higher than the control, which had an acceptance rate of 47.04%. No significant relationship was found between the sugar content of the substrates and larvae acceptance. However, although not significant, a high negative correlation was found between the substrate pH and the number of accepted larvae (Rho = - 0.90, p = 0.07). These results suggest that the use of liquid acidic substrates during larvae grafting, in particular apple nectar, may increase the production of honey bee queens.