Assessment of the Characteristics of the Municipal Solid Waste Compost in Lebanon

Waste management is crucial due to the fast increase of human population, causing an increase in solid waste generation which if not properly managed causes environmental problems. Around 57% of the wastes generated from homes are made up of green material (fruits, vegetables…). Thus, reusing and recycling green wastes through composting is one way of reducing the waste load to landfills. Composting is the transformation of raw organic materials into organic soil amendments that provide nutrients to crops and enhance the tilth, fertility, and productivity of soils. Aerobic windrow composting system at Sukomi Greensite facility located at Karantina is performed, where materials biodegrade under controlled conditions to produce compost. However, assessment of the quality of the compost is fundamental in order to determine its usages. Thus, regular testing of physical, chemical and biological parameters was performed for adequate monitoring purposes. The basic objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of the Lebanese municipal solid waste compost on a yearly basis and compare these characteristics amongst the years. Hence, each parameter was tested and compared to the BNQ international Canadian standards for proper classification of the compost and adequate identification of its usages. The preliminary data obtained were statistically diagnosed through principal component analysis by Spadv55 software. All the data reflected the normal content value of the studied parameters with minor differences between the years except for year 2007 which demonstrated higher levels of Potassium, Phosphate, Lead and Cadmium. The characteristics of the compost enabled it to be used as a soil amendment on all types of agricultural and landscape commodities at the adequate dosages and proper timing. This data will additionally reflect the efficiency of the solid waste management practices adopted via highlighting the importance of the implementation of the integrated solid waste management practices.

Molecular-level proton acceptor boosts oxygen evolution catalysis to enable efficient industrial-scale water splitting

Industrial water splitting has long been suppressed by the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction(OER),which requires a catalyst to be efficient.Herein,we propose a molecular-level proton acceptor strategy to produce an efficient OER catalyst that can boost industrial-scale water splitting.Molecular-level phosphate(-PO_(4))group is introduced to modify the surface of PrBa_(0.5)Ca_(0.5)Co_(2)O_(5)+δ(PBCC).The achieved catalyst(PO_(4)-PBCC)exhibits significantly enhanced catalytic performance in alkaline media.Based on the X-ray absorption spectroscopy results and density functional theory(DFT)calculations,the PO_(4)on the surface,which is regarded as the Lewis base,is the key factor to overcome the kinetic limitation of the proton transfer process during the OER.The use of the catalyst in a membrane electrode assembly(MEA)is further evaluated for industrial-scale water splitting,and it only needs a low voltage of 1.66 V to achieve a large current density of 1 A cm^(-2).This work provides a new molecular-level strategy to develop highly efficient OER electrocatalysts for industrial applications.

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of environmental free Lglutathione grafted graphene oxide/ZnO nanocomposite for highly selective piroxicam sensing

A simple and reliable strategy was proposed to engineer the glutathione grafted graphene oxide/ZnO nanocomposite(glutathione-GO/ZnO)as electrode material for the high-performance piroxicam sensor.The prepared glutathione-GO/ZnO nanocomposite was well characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),Fourier transform infrared spectrum(FTIR),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM),cyclic voltammetry(CV),electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)and differential pulse voltammetry(DPV).The novel nanocomposite modified electrode showed the highest electrocatalytic activity towards piroxicam(oxidation potential is 0.52 V).Under controlled experimental parameters,the proposed sensor exhibited good linear responses to piroxicam concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 500 μM.The detection limit and sensitivity were calculated as 1.8 μM and 0.2 μA/μM·cm^(2),respectively.Moreover,it offered excellent selectivity,reproducibility,and long-term stability and can effectively ignore the interfering candidates commonly existing in the pharmaceutical tablets and human fluids even at a higher concentration.Finally,the reported sensor was successfully employed to the direct determination of piroxicam in practical samples.

Analysis of Some Important Forage Quality Attributes of Southeastern Wildrye (Elymus glabriflorus) Using Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy

Southeastern wildrye (Elymus glabriflorus, Vasey ex L.H. Dewey) is a cool-season, perennial grass native to southeastern United States. Recently, there is a growing interest in its development as a grazing and haying forage crop due to its wide area of adaptation across this region. Consequently, there is a great need for the evaluation of its forage quality by rapid, but accurate analytical methods like Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS). In this study, acceptable NIRS calibration models were developed for: dry matter, DM (n = 113, R2 = 0.904, RSCD = 2.54, RSCIQ = 4.65);crude protein, CP (n = 113, R2 = 0.974, RSCD = 5.16, RSCIQ = 5.92);acid detergent fiber, ADF (n = 116, R2 = 0.896, RSCD = 2.35, RSCIQ = 1.28);neutral detergent fiber, NDF (n = 118, R2 = 0.934, RSCD = 2.53, RSCIQ = 3.38);digestible dry matter, DDM (n = 116, R2 = 0.895, RSCD = 2.36, RSCIQ = 1.35);dry matter intake, DMI (n = 115, R2 = 0.924, RSCD = 2.40, RSCIQ = 2.53);and relative feed value, RFV (n = 114, R2 = 0.932, RSCD = 2.94, RSCIQ = 2.81). Prediction of independent validation sets yielded good agreement between the NIRS predicted values and the laboratory reference values for each of: DM (n = 53, R2 = 0.831, RPD = 2.45, RPIQ = 4.24);CP (n = 57, R2 = 0.967, RPD = 5.37, RPIQ = 7.16);ADF (n = 49, R2 = 0.895, RPD = 2.97, RPIQ = 1.51);NDF (n = 53, R2 = 0.928, RPD = 3.75, RPIQ = 4.22);digestible dry matter, DDM (n = 55, R2 = 0.860, RSCD = 265, RSCIQ = 1.15);dry matter intake, DMI (n = 156, R2 = 0.845, RSCD = 2.48, RSCIQ = 2.11);and relative feed value, RFV (n = 55, R2 = 0.916, RSCD = 3.45, RSCIQ = 3.04) contents, indicating that all seven calibration models had good quantitative information. Therefore, precise, accurate, and rapid analysis of these important forage quality attributes of southeastern wildrye can be routinely done using the developed NIRS calibration models.

Automated Lamp Detection System Developed by LabVIEW

The automated detection and lighting control system is proposed in this paper.It is used to reduce the investment of human resources and reduce the incidence of misjudgment or disoperation caused by human fatigue,which will greatly help the investment cost and efficiency.This paper used NI LabVIEW’s program control interface with microcontroller(MCU)and oscilloscope kit(GentryUSB)to develop an oscilloscope and logical analysis functions with automatic detection of LED lamps.The proposed system has data detection,logic analysis,waveform photo capture,lamp control,RS232 packet transmission.Its characteristic is to complete the complicated control/detection process through automation by one click to reduce the error rate and labor cost.In addition,the software and firmware are designed independently,which has extremely high function expansion flexibility and can also accept customized functions and interface custom design.It is expected to bring a lot of benefits and convenience to the laboratory or factory in the future.

Implementation of natural hand gestures in holograms for 3D object manipulation

Holograms provide a characteristic manner to display and convey information, and have been improved to provide better user interactions Holographic interactions are important as they improve user interactions with virtual objects. Gesture interaction is a recent research topic, as it allows users to use their bare hands to directly interact with the hologram. However, it remains unclear whether real hand gestures are well suited for hologram applications. Therefore, we discuss the development process and implementation of three-dimensional object manipulation using natural hand gestures in a hologram. We describe the design and development process for hologram applications and its integration with real hand gesture interactions as initial findings. Experimental results from Nasa TLX form are discussed. Based on the findings, we actualize the user interactions in the hologram.

Design of Digital Linear Power Supply with Low Current Ripple

A linear power supply is a circuit architecture directly driven by AC. Multiple high-voltage LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are connected in series to withstand the input voltage. The LEDs are divided into multiple segments through a segment switching mechanism to adapt to the pulsating DC changes after bridge rectification. Due to imperfect switching between control signals, there may be signal overlap or misalignment, which reduces circuit performance and component lifespan. Firstly, signal overlap occurs when the next segment opens before the previous segment is about to close. This state causes overlapping intervals where two segments of current combine, resulting in a high combined current that can lead to significant power losses and generate heat, potentially reducing the lifespan of the components. Secondly, signal misalignment occurs when the next segment prepares to open after the previous segment has completely closed. In this state, there is a time gap with no current flow, resulting in reduced output power and exacerbating LED flickering. Both of these undesirable phenomena introduce ripple into the LED output current. In this paper, a digitalized design is proposed to precisely compensate for the timing between alternating signals, significantly reducing output current ripple. This approach helps enhance power supply performance, extend component lifespan, and reduce LED index flicker.

Kinetics of hydrogen sulfide decomposition in a DBD plasma reactor operated at high temperature

The present study investigates the kinetics of hydrogen sulfide （H2S） decomposition into hydrogen and sulfur carded out in a nonthermal plasma dielectric barrier discharge （NTP-DBD） reactor operated at ,-430 K for in situ removal of sulfur condensed inside the reactor walls. The dissociation of H2S was primarily initiated by the excitation of carder gas （At） through electron collisions which appeared to be the rate determining step. The experiments were carded out with initial concentration of H2S varied between 5 and 25 vol% at 150 mL/min （at standard temperature and pressure） flow rate in the input power range of 0.5 to 2 W. The reaction rate model based on continuous stirred tank reactor （CSTR） model failed to explain the global kinetics of H2S decomposition, probably due to the multiple complex reactions involved in H2S decomposition, whereas Michaelis-Menten model was satisfactory. Typical results indicated that the reaction order approached zero with increasing inlet concentration.

Lanthanum(Ⅲ) sorption studies on poly[dibenzo-18-crown-6] and its separation from uranium(Ⅵ) and thorium(Ⅳ) in L-valine medium

The sorption study of La(Ⅲ) was carried out on poly[dibenzo-18-crown-6] and L-valine medium. The quantitative adsorption of La(Ⅲ) was found at 1×10-2 to 1×10-5 mol/L L-valine. The various eluting agents were found efficient eluents for La(Ⅲ). The capacity of crown polymer for La(Ⅲ) was found to be 0.43 ±0.01 mmol/g. The tolerance limit of various cations and anions for La(Ⅲ) was determined. La(Ⅲ) was quantitatively separated from other metal ions in binary as well as multicomponent mixtures. The study was extended to sequential separation of La(Ⅲ), U(VI) and Th(IV). The good separation yields were obtained and had good reproducibility (±2%). The method incorporated the determination of La(Ⅲ) in real sample. The method was simple, rapid and selective.

在L-缬氨酸介质中应用聚二苯并-18-冠醚-6分离铈(Ⅲ)(英文)

A column chromatographic method has been developed for the separation and determination of cerium(Ⅲ) using poly[dibenzo-18-crown-6].The separation was carried out in L-valine medium.The adsorption of cerium(Ⅲ) was quantitative from 1×10-1 to 1×10-4 mol/L L-valine.Amongst the various eluents,1.0-8.0 mol/L hydrochloric acid,1.0-8.0 mol/L hydrobromic acid,1.0-8.0 mol/L perchloric acid,1.0-2.0 mol/L sulfuric acid and 4.0-5.0 mol/L acetic acid,were found to be the efficient eluents for cerium(Ⅲ).The capacity of poly[dibenzo-18-crown-6] for cerium(Ⅲ) was(0.428±0.01) mmol/g.The method was applied to the separation of cerium(Ⅲ) from associated elements link uranium(Ⅵ) and thorium(Ⅳ).It was also applied for the determination of cerium(Ⅲ) in geological samples.The method is simple,rapid and selective with good reproducibility(approximately±2%).

ECOLOGICAL STUDY OF PICOPLANKTON IN NORTHERN SOUTH CHINA SEA

Abundance, carbon biomass and composition of picoplankton along a transect (fromthe Pearl River estuary to Dongsha Island) in the northern South China Sea were measured by flow cytom-etry (FCM); and the vertical structure, composition variation, relationship between heterotrophic and au-totrophic picoplankton as well as the controlling mechanism of diel variation were studied. Results showedthat along the horizontal direction, both Synechococcus (SYN) and picoeukaryote (PEUK) were highest inabundance and dominated autotrophic picoplankton in the Pearl River estuary, but decreased

Application of transition metal isotope tracers in global change research

High-precision isotope composition determinations using multicollector, magnetic-sector induc- tively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) have recently revealed that some transition metal isotopes such as those of Mo, Fe, Cu, Zn etc. can be used as biogeochemical tracers in global change research. The Mo isotope system may be useful in paleoredox investigations indicating that δ97/95Mo in seawater may co-vary with changes in the relative proportions of anoxic and oxic sedimentation in the ocean, and that this variation may be recorded inδ97/95Mo of anoxic sediments. The Mo continental flux into the oceans and the global Mo isotope budget can be estimated fromδ97/95Mo values. The Fe isotope composition in seawater is an important issue because Fe plays a controlling role in biological productivity in the oceans and its abundance in seawater may have substantial effect on climate changes. Iron isotope fractionations could result from bio- and abio-processes and have about 0.1% variation (δ56/54Fe), so Fe isotopes considered alone cannot be used to distinguish the products of abiotic and biotic Fe processing in geological records. Cu and Zn isotopes are also used as biogeochemical tracers, but the researches are relatively less. This review mainly focuses on the methods for preparation, purification and determination of new isotope tracer samples, and on isotope applications in marine environmental changes.

Modeling height–diameter relationship for Populus euphratica in the Tarim riparian forest ecosystem, Northwest China

Modeling height–diameter relationships is an important component in estimating and predicting forest development under different forest management scenarios. In this paper, ten widely used candidate height–diameter models were fitted to tree height and diameter at breast height（DBH）data for Populus euphratica Oliv. within a 100 ha permanent plots at Arghan Village in the lower reaches of the Tarim River, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Data from 4781 trees were used and split randomly into two sets：75 % of the data were used to estimate model parameters（model calibration）, and the remaining data（25 %） were reserved for model validation. All model performances were evaluated and compared by means of multiple model performance criteria such as asymptotic t-statistics of model parameters, standardized residuals against predicted height,root mean square error（RMSE）, Akaike’s informationcriterion（AIC）, mean prediction error（ME） and mean absolute error（MAE）. The estimated parameter a for model（6） was not statistically significant at a level of a = 0.05. RMSE and AIC test result for all models showed that exponential models（1）,（2）,（3） and（4） performed significantly better than others. All ten models had very small MEs and MAEs. Nearly all models underestimated tree heights except for model（6）. Comparing the MEs and MAEs of models, model（1） produced smaller MEs（0.0059） and MAEs（1.3754） than other models. To assess the predictive performance of models, we also calculated MEs by dividing the model validation data set into 10-cm DBH classes. This suggested that all models were likely to create higher mean prediction errors for tree DBH classes[20 cm. However, no clear trend was found among models.Model（6） generated significantly smaller mean prediction errors across all tree DBH classes. Considering all the aforementioned criteria, model（1）： TH ？ 1：3 t a= e1 t b？eàc？DBHT and model（6）： TH ？ 1：3 t DBH2= ea t b？DBH t c ？ DBH2T are recommended as suitable models for describing the height–diameter relationship of P. euphratica. The limitations of other models showing poor performance in predicting tree height are discussed. We provide explanations for these shortcomings.

The Wear Process of PTFE Coatings Under Vacuum Conditions

The wear process of PTFE coatings sliding against GCr15-bearing steel ball under vacuum conditions was investigated,and the hardness of the PTFE coatings on both sides of wear track was measured. The experimental results showed that the friction coefficient of the PTFE coatings increases with the increase of sliding distance under different sliding velocities. And the friction coefficient of the PTFE coatings increases with the increase of sliding distance under different sliding loads. The wear rate of PTFE coatings decreases with the increase of sliding distance. And the majority of the wear produced during the whole wear process of PTFE coatings sliding against GCr-15 steel ball comes from the early period of friction. The hardness of PTFE coatings on both sides of wear track increases as the distance increases and distributes symmetrically around the wear track. Scanning electron microscope( SEM) was utilized to investigate the worn surface of PTFE coating. It was found that the worn surface of PTFE coating is characterized by sever plastic deformation and spalling of the PTFE coating. The edge of wear track is characterized by micro cracking.

Droplets diameter distribution using maximum entropy formulation combined with a new energy-based sub-model

The maximum entropy principle(MEP) is one of the first methods which have been used to predict droplet size and velocity distributions of liquid sprays. This method needs a mean droplets diameter as an input to predict the droplet size distribution. This paper presents a new sub-model based on the deterministic aspects of liquid atomization process independent of the experimental data to provide the mean droplets diameter for using in the maximum entropy formulation(MEF). For this purpose, a theoretical model based on the approach of energy conservation law entitled energy-based model(EBM) is presented. Based on this approach, atomization occurs due to the kinetic energy loss. Prediction of the combined model(MEF/EBM) is in good agreement with the available experimental data. The energy-based model can be used as a fast and reliable enough model to obtain a good estimation of the mean droplets diameter of a spray and the combined model(MEF/EBM) can be used to well predict the droplet size distribution at the primary breakup.

Effect of Using Magnetic Brackish Water on Irrigated Bell Pepper Crop （Capsicum annuum L.） Characteristics in Lower Jordan Valley/West Bank

Increasing salinity of the groundwater is one of major challenges faced by agricultural sector in West Bank/Palestine. This study was carried out in the Lower Jordan Valley （LJV） under greenhouse field condition, where an area of 0.12 ha was irrigated with 3.5 dS/m magnetic treated water during the growing season 2012/2013. The results of this pilot project show that there are significant increases in the yield of red and yellow bell pepper of about 20% and 18% on fresh weight basis, respectively. Water use efficiency increased by 15% and an increase in shelf time of 7 d were also recorded. The chlorophyll content raised significantly in the leaves of treated plants compared to the controlled one by 2.5 mg/g. Bell pepper irrigated with magnetic water produces 37% more four champers than that of the controlled one. On the other hand, there were no clear significant effects on the height of the plant, number of fruits, distance between nods, size of fruits, number and thickness of walls and sugar contents. Applying visible/near infrared （VIS/N｜R） spectroscopy test shows that it is possible to distinguish between treated and controlled bell pepper fruits. Multivariate data analysis （MVDA） method was used to test the classification of chemical elements in the fruit and it was found that treated and controlled fruit samples are divided into two groups according to their water treatment. An increase in all nutrient concentrations was found in fruits irrigated with magnetic treated water compared with the controlled one. Further testing is needed especially by involving other variables such as decreasing the volume of irrigated water and fertilizers.

A coupled ice-ocean ecosystem model for 1-D and 3-D applications in the Bering and Chukchi Seas

Primary production in the Bering and Chukchi Seas is strongly influenced by the annual cycle of sea ice. Here pelagic and sea ice algal ecosystems coexist and interact with each other. Ecosystem modeling of sea ice associated phytoplankton blooms has been understudied compared to open water ecosystem model applications. This study introduces a general coupled ice-ocean ecosystem model with equations and parameters for 1-D and 3-D applications that is based on 1-D coupled ice-ocean ecosystem model development in the landfast ice in the Chukchi Sea and marginal ice zone of Bering Sea. The biological model includes both pelagic and sea ice algal habitats with 10 compartments： three phytoplankton （pelagic diatom, flagellates and ice algae： D, F, and Ai） , three zooplankton （copepods, large zooplankton, and microzooplankton ： ZS, ZL, ZP） , three nutrients （ nitrate ＋ nitrite, ammonium, silicon ： NO3 , NH4, Si） and detritus （Det）. The coupling of the biological models with physical ocean models is straightforward with just the addition of the advection and diffusion terms to the ecosystem model. The coupling with a multi-category sea ice model requires the same calculation of the sea ice ecosystem model in each ice thickness category and the redistribution between categories caused by both dynamic and thermodynamic forcing as in the physical model. Phytoplankton and ice algal self-shading effect is the sole feedback from the ecosystem model to the physical model.

The Carbon Sequestration Potential of Regenerative Farming Practices in South Carolina, USA

Current production agriculture systems typically focus on yield outcomes at all costs. By shifting to best management practices based on regenerative farming principles, however, agricultural systems worldwide could maintain or even improve yields while sequestering atmospheric carbon (C) into soil organic matter (SOM). To demonstrate the effectiveness of regenerative principles at simultaneously benefiting agriculture and reducing greenhouse gasses, their C sequestration potential was examined through SOM data from 486 soil sampling locations from multiple farms throughout the coastal plains of South Carolina. These data were compared over varying multiple-year periods between 2013 and 2017 as their land management practices shifted from conventional methods to those based on the regenerative-based practice of cover cropping. The implementation of cover crops in crop rotations resulted in statistically significant mean SOM percentage increases of 0.11 (p ≤ 0.001), 0.11 (p ≤ 0.001), and 0.55 (p ≤ 0.001) for sampling sites converted into rotations utilizing cover crops for two, three, and four years, respectively. When averaged out per year for each sampling group, this results in an average of 622, 425, and 1584 lbs./acre/year of C fixed from the atmosphere and retained in the soil as organic matter. Increases were observed across all soil types sampled in the study with soil texture not significantly influencing a soils’ ability to increase soil OM or sequester atmospheric C through cover crop implementation. The calculations based on the coastal plains’ soils studied here demonstrate the promising potential of the application of regenerative farming principles to not only restore degraded biodiversity, recycle nutrients, improve farm profitability, and reduce chemical inputs, but also to sequester atmospheric C and simultaneously help reduce the effect of global climate change while creating healthy soils.

Influence of Human Activities on Wintertime Haze-Related Meteorological Conditions over the Jing–Jin–Ji Region

This work analyzes and discusses the influence of human activities on the meteorological conditions related to winter haze events in Beijing,Tianjin,and Hebei(i.e.,the Jing-Jin-Ji region)during 1961-2016,using the results of two numerical simulation experiments based on the Community Atmosphere Model version 5.1.1(http://www.cesm.ucar.edu/models/cesm1.0/cam/docs/ug5_1_1/book1.html)used in the international Climate Variability and Predictability Programme(CLIVAR)Climate of the 20th Century Detection and Attribution Project(C20C+D&A).The results show that,under the influence of human activities,the changes in dynamical and thermal meteorological conditions related to winter haze events in the Jing–Jin–Ji region are conducive to the formation and accumulation of haze,and prevent the diffusion of pollutants.The dynamical conditions mainly include the obvious weakening of the East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM)and the enhancement of the near-surface anomalous southerly wind.The thermal conditions include the obvious increase in surface temperature,and the enhancement of water vapor transport and near-surface inversion.The relative contribution of dynamical and thermal conditions to the variation of haze days in the Jing-Jin-Ji region is analyzed using statistical methods.The results show that the contribution of human activities to the increase of haze days in the Jing-Jin-Ji region is greater than that of natural forcing for the study period.To be specific,the dynamical meteorological factors contribute more to the haze days than the thermal meteorological factors.The contribution of thermal meteorological factors is basically the same in both scenarios.

Clogging mechanisms and preventive measures in artificial recharge systems

The study aims to identify a suitable site for open and bore well in a farmhouseusing ground magnetic survey in south India.It also aims to define depth to granitoid and structural elements which traverse the selected area.Magnetic data(n=84)measured,processed and interpreted as qualitative and quantitatively.The results of total magnetic intensities indicate that the area is composed of linear magnetic lows trending NE-SW direction and circular to semi-circular causative bodies.The magnetic values ranged from-137 nT to 2345 nT with a mean of 465 nT.Reduction to equator shows significant shifting of causative bodies in the southern and northern directions.Analytical signal map shows exact boundary of granitic bodies.Cosine directional filter has brought out structural element trending NE-SW direction.Results of individual profile brought to light structurally weak zone between 90 m and 100 m in all the profile lines.Sudden decrease of magnetic values from 2042 nT to 126 nT noticed in profile line 6 between 20 m and 30 m indicates fault occurrence.Magnetic breaks obtained from these maps were visualized,interpreted and identified two suitable sites for open and bore well.Radially averaged power spectrum estimates depth of shallow and deep sources in 5 m and 50 m,respectively.Euler method has also been applied to estimate depth of granitoid and structural elements using structural indexes 0,1,2,and 3 and found depth ranges from<10 m to>90 m.Study indicates magnetic method is one of the geophysical methods suitable for groundwater exploration and site selection for open and borewells.