Replacement of volatile organic compounds （VOCs） by greener or more environmentally sustainable solvents is becoming increasingly important due to the increasing health and environmental concerns as well as economic...Replacement of volatile organic compounds （VOCs） by greener or more environmentally sustainable solvents is becoming increasingly important due to the increasing health and environmental concerns as well as economic pressures associated with VOCs. Solvents that are derived from biomass, namely bio-derived solvents, are a type of green solvent that have attracted intensive investigations in recent years because of their advantages over con- ventional VOCs, such as low toxicity, biodegradability and renewability. This review aims to summarize the use of bio-derived solvents in solvent extraction applications, with special emphasis given to utilization of biodiesels and terpenes. Compared with the conventional VOCs, the overall performance of these bio-derived solvents is comparable in terms of extraction yields and selectivity for natural product extraction and no difference was found for metal extraction. To date most researchers have focused on laboratory scale thermodynamics studies. Future work is required to develop and test new bio-derived solvents and understand the kinetic performance as well as solvent extraction nilnt nlant studies.展开更多
We argue that genuine biological autonomy, or described at human level as free will, requires taking into account quantum vacuum processes in the context of biological teleology. One faces at least three basic problem...We argue that genuine biological autonomy, or described at human level as free will, requires taking into account quantum vacuum processes in the context of biological teleology. One faces at least three basic problems of genuine biological autonomy： （1） if biological autonomy is not physical, where does it come from？ （2） Is there a room for biological causes？ And （3） how to obtain a workable model of biological teleology？ It is shown here that the solution of all these three problems is related to the quantum vacuum. We present a short review of how this basic aspect of the fundamentals of quantum theory, although it had not been addressed for nearly 100 years, actually it was suggested by Bohr, Heisenberg, and others. Realizing that the quantum mechanical measurement problem associated with the ＂collapse＂ of the wave function is related, in the Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics, to a process between self-consciousness and the external physical environment, we are extending the issue for an explanation of the different processes occurring between living organisms and their internal environment. Definitions of genuine biological autonomy, biological aim, and biological spontaneity are presented. We propose to improve the popular two-stage model of decisions with a biological model suitable to obtain a deeper look at the nature of the mind-body problem. In the newly emerging picture biological autonomy emerges as a new, fundamental and inevitable element of the scientific worldview.展开更多
Laboratory scale model of DMMBF （dual mixed media biofilter） were designed and installed in AI-Mustansiriya University Environmental Hydraulic Lab. Experiments were conducted using two mixed layers through PVR colum...Laboratory scale model of DMMBF （dual mixed media biofilter） were designed and installed in AI-Mustansiriya University Environmental Hydraulic Lab. Experiments were conducted using two mixed layers through PVR column--2.2 m height and 300 mm diameter. The first mixed media filter of depth 640mm mixed of sand, rice husk and granular activated carbon. The percentage volume mix is 1：1：1. While the other mixed media of depth 740 mm, consisting of coal, crash porcelinaite, rock and granite with equally percentage volume. Fifty samples were collected during the experiments, which was spread over a period of forty two weeks. The obtained results indicate that when the flow loading raised from 0.15 L/min to 2.7 L/rain, the removal efficiency of BOD decreased 8%-11%, and the removal efficiency of COD deceased 3%-4%, while the removal efficiency of turbidity increased with the decreasing of hydraulic loading. The results showed that the removal efficiency of turbidity is more than 95% at the lower discharge （0.15 L/min）. Therefore, infiltration should be conservatively designed using low loading rates.展开更多
River estuarine environment plays a key role in the cycling of biological and chemical parameters and a significant region for the transaction of freshwater and seawater. In the present study, a first attempt has been...River estuarine environment plays a key role in the cycling of biological and chemical parameters and a significant region for the transaction of freshwater and seawater. In the present study, a first attempt has been made towards the development of a coupled three-dimensional hydrodynamic circulation model with four compartment （nitrate, phytoplankton, zooplankton and detritus） biogeochemical model in the Hooghly estuary （21 °36′-22° 16′1 and 87°42＇-88°15′E） to simulate the varying effect of plankton biomass with the heavy input of anthropogenic litter from industrial effluents of Haldia port which is effecting the chemical and biological processes that control the plankton dynamics in the estuary. In-situ observational data for physico-chemical and biological parameters are collected from Calcutta University during 2010 are assimilated using multiscale OA （objective analysis） for different seasons and incorporated in ROMS （Regional Ocean Modeling System） to develop a high resolution （0.5 km x 0.5 kin） biogeochemical model. Recent analysis on physico-chemical parameters of the estuary is done as it is one of the largest estuaries in India and is the habitat for vast biodiversity. Influence of high nitrate （above 34 μg/L） and phosphate （5.22 μg/L） is predominant whereas DO （dissolved oxygen） is low （4.07 mg/L） in the Haldi River mouth which is sliding the productivity （less than 1 mg/L） and also affects water quality.展开更多
Effects of elevated CO2 on the foraging behavior of cotton bollworm Helicoverpa arrnigera Hübner reared on milky grains of spring wheat grown in ambient, 550μL/L and 750μL/L CO2 concentration atmospheres in ope...Effects of elevated CO2 on the foraging behavior of cotton bollworm Helicoverpa arrnigera Hübner reared on milky grains of spring wheat grown in ambient, 550μL/L and 750μL/L CO2 concentration atmospheres in open-top chambers （OTC） were studied. The results indicated that： （i） elevated CO2 significantly affected both the type and amount of food eaten by H.arrnigera reared on milky grains of ambient CO2-grown wheat were significant higher than those for bollworm larvae reared on wheat grains grown in 550 and 750μL/L CO2 atmospheres; （ii） when bollworm larvae were reared on mixed milky grains from different CO2-grown wheat （food-choice condition）, larval duration increased significantly-pupal weight, adult longevity, and fecundity decreased significantly, comparing with those reared on milky grains of ambient CO2-grown wheat, 550μL/L CO2-grown wheat and 750μL/L CO2-grown wheat respectively; （iii） significant decreases in the contents of fructose and gross protein （GP） and significant increases in the contents of glucose, amylose, total saccharides （TSC）, TSC： GP ratio, free amino acids and soluble protein in the wheat grains with CO2 rising; （iv） and selected-foraging amount/food-choice index of cotton bollworm H.armigera were significantly positive correlated with the contents of fructose and GP of wheat grains, but they had significantly negative relationships with the contents of glucose, amylose, TSC and TSC： GP ratio of wheat grains.展开更多
In this paper, we consider three species harvesting model and develop a solution proce- dure which is able to calculate the equilibrium points of the model where some biological parameters of the model are interval nu...In this paper, we consider three species harvesting model and develop a solution proce- dure which is able to calculate the equilibrium points of the model where some biological parameters of the model are interval numbers. A parametric mathematical program is formulated to find the biological equilibrium of the model for different values of parame- ters. This interval-valued problem is converted into equivalent crisp model using interval operations. The main advantage of the proposed procedure is that we can present dif- ferent characteristics of the model in a single framework. Analytically, the existence of steady state and stabilities are looked into. Using mathematical software, the model is illustrated and the results are obtained and presented in tabular and graphical forms.展开更多
基金Support from the Australian Research Council (project ID:LP140100650)
文摘Replacement of volatile organic compounds （VOCs） by greener or more environmentally sustainable solvents is becoming increasingly important due to the increasing health and environmental concerns as well as economic pressures associated with VOCs. Solvents that are derived from biomass, namely bio-derived solvents, are a type of green solvent that have attracted intensive investigations in recent years because of their advantages over con- ventional VOCs, such as low toxicity, biodegradability and renewability. This review aims to summarize the use of bio-derived solvents in solvent extraction applications, with special emphasis given to utilization of biodiesels and terpenes. Compared with the conventional VOCs, the overall performance of these bio-derived solvents is comparable in terms of extraction yields and selectivity for natural product extraction and no difference was found for metal extraction. To date most researchers have focused on laboratory scale thermodynamics studies. Future work is required to develop and test new bio-derived solvents and understand the kinetic performance as well as solvent extraction nilnt nlant studies.
文摘We argue that genuine biological autonomy, or described at human level as free will, requires taking into account quantum vacuum processes in the context of biological teleology. One faces at least three basic problems of genuine biological autonomy： （1） if biological autonomy is not physical, where does it come from？ （2） Is there a room for biological causes？ And （3） how to obtain a workable model of biological teleology？ It is shown here that the solution of all these three problems is related to the quantum vacuum. We present a short review of how this basic aspect of the fundamentals of quantum theory, although it had not been addressed for nearly 100 years, actually it was suggested by Bohr, Heisenberg, and others. Realizing that the quantum mechanical measurement problem associated with the ＂collapse＂ of the wave function is related, in the Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics, to a process between self-consciousness and the external physical environment, we are extending the issue for an explanation of the different processes occurring between living organisms and their internal environment. Definitions of genuine biological autonomy, biological aim, and biological spontaneity are presented. We propose to improve the popular two-stage model of decisions with a biological model suitable to obtain a deeper look at the nature of the mind-body problem. In the newly emerging picture biological autonomy emerges as a new, fundamental and inevitable element of the scientific worldview.
文摘Laboratory scale model of DMMBF （dual mixed media biofilter） were designed and installed in AI-Mustansiriya University Environmental Hydraulic Lab. Experiments were conducted using two mixed layers through PVR column--2.2 m height and 300 mm diameter. The first mixed media filter of depth 640mm mixed of sand, rice husk and granular activated carbon. The percentage volume mix is 1：1：1. While the other mixed media of depth 740 mm, consisting of coal, crash porcelinaite, rock and granite with equally percentage volume. Fifty samples were collected during the experiments, which was spread over a period of forty two weeks. The obtained results indicate that when the flow loading raised from 0.15 L/min to 2.7 L/rain, the removal efficiency of BOD decreased 8%-11%, and the removal efficiency of COD deceased 3%-4%, while the removal efficiency of turbidity increased with the decreasing of hydraulic loading. The results showed that the removal efficiency of turbidity is more than 95% at the lower discharge （0.15 L/min）. Therefore, infiltration should be conservatively designed using low loading rates.
文摘River estuarine environment plays a key role in the cycling of biological and chemical parameters and a significant region for the transaction of freshwater and seawater. In the present study, a first attempt has been made towards the development of a coupled three-dimensional hydrodynamic circulation model with four compartment （nitrate, phytoplankton, zooplankton and detritus） biogeochemical model in the Hooghly estuary （21 °36′-22° 16′1 and 87°42＇-88°15′E） to simulate the varying effect of plankton biomass with the heavy input of anthropogenic litter from industrial effluents of Haldia port which is effecting the chemical and biological processes that control the plankton dynamics in the estuary. In-situ observational data for physico-chemical and biological parameters are collected from Calcutta University during 2010 are assimilated using multiscale OA （objective analysis） for different seasons and incorporated in ROMS （Regional Ocean Modeling System） to develop a high resolution （0.5 km x 0.5 kin） biogeochemical model. Recent analysis on physico-chemical parameters of the estuary is done as it is one of the largest estuaries in India and is the habitat for vast biodiversity. Influence of high nitrate （above 34 μg/L） and phosphate （5.22 μg/L） is predominant whereas DO （dissolved oxygen） is low （4.07 mg/L） in the Haldi River mouth which is sliding the productivity （less than 1 mg/L） and also affects water quality.
基金Acknowledgments We are grateful to Mrs Ding Yu Lei, the dean of Beiai Science and Technology Center of Hebei Province for her help in the field 0TC experiments. This experiment was funded by the National Key Basic Research Project on pest management （G200016209） and Innovation Research of Chinese Academy of Science （Project KSCX2-01-02 and KSCX2-sw-103） and National Natural Science Foundation of China （39970137）.
文摘Effects of elevated CO2 on the foraging behavior of cotton bollworm Helicoverpa arrnigera Hübner reared on milky grains of spring wheat grown in ambient, 550μL/L and 750μL/L CO2 concentration atmospheres in open-top chambers （OTC） were studied. The results indicated that： （i） elevated CO2 significantly affected both the type and amount of food eaten by H.arrnigera reared on milky grains of ambient CO2-grown wheat were significant higher than those for bollworm larvae reared on wheat grains grown in 550 and 750μL/L CO2 atmospheres; （ii） when bollworm larvae were reared on mixed milky grains from different CO2-grown wheat （food-choice condition）, larval duration increased significantly-pupal weight, adult longevity, and fecundity decreased significantly, comparing with those reared on milky grains of ambient CO2-grown wheat, 550μL/L CO2-grown wheat and 750μL/L CO2-grown wheat respectively; （iii） significant decreases in the contents of fructose and gross protein （GP） and significant increases in the contents of glucose, amylose, total saccharides （TSC）, TSC： GP ratio, free amino acids and soluble protein in the wheat grains with CO2 rising; （iv） and selected-foraging amount/food-choice index of cotton bollworm H.armigera were significantly positive correlated with the contents of fructose and GP of wheat grains, but they had significantly negative relationships with the contents of glucose, amylose, TSC and TSC： GP ratio of wheat grains.
文摘In this paper, we consider three species harvesting model and develop a solution proce- dure which is able to calculate the equilibrium points of the model where some biological parameters of the model are interval numbers. A parametric mathematical program is formulated to find the biological equilibrium of the model for different values of parame- ters. This interval-valued problem is converted into equivalent crisp model using interval operations. The main advantage of the proposed procedure is that we can present dif- ferent characteristics of the model in a single framework. Analytically, the existence of steady state and stabilities are looked into. Using mathematical software, the model is illustrated and the results are obtained and presented in tabular and graphical forms.
