Balancing the amount of N needed for optimum plant growth while minimizing the NO 3 that is transported to ground and surface waters remains a major challenge for everyone attempting to understand and improve agricultural nutrient use efficiency. Our objectives for this review are to examine how changes in agricultural management practices during the past century have affected N in midwestern soils and to identify the types of research and management practices needed to reduce the potential for nonpoint NO 3 leakage into water resources. Inherent soil characteristics and management practices contributing to nonpoint NO 3 loss from midwestern soils, the impact of NO 3 loading on surface water quality, improved N management strategies, and research needs are discussed. Artificial drainage systems can have a significant impact on water quality because they behave like shallow, direct conduits to surface waters. Nonpoint loss of NO 3 from fields to water resources, however, is not caused by any single factor. Rather, it is caused by a combination of factors, including tillage, drainage, crop selection, soil organic matter levels, hydrology, and temperature and precipitation patterns. Strategies for reducing NO 3 loss through drainage include improved timing of N application at appropriate rates, using soil tests and plant monitoring, diversifying crop rotations, using cover crops, reducing tillage, optimizing N application techniques, and using nitrification inhibitors. Nitrate can also be removed from water by establishing wetlands or biofilters. Research that is focused on understanding methods to minimize NO 3 contamination of water resources should also be used to educate the public about the complexity of the problem and the need for multiple management strategies to solve the problem across agricultural landscapes.

Nitrogen Management Strategies to Reduce Nitrate Leaching in Tile-Drained Midwestern Soils

ricultural fields, and increased use of manufactured N fertilizers Balancing the amount of N needed for optimum plant growth while Less than 50 yr ago, corn (Zea mays L) was generally minimizing the NO3 that is transported to ground and surface waters grown in rotation with cereal crops and forage legumes remains a major challenge for everyone attempting to understand such as alfalfa (Medicago sativa L), red clover (Trifoand improve agricultural nutrient use efficiency Our objectives for lium pratense L), and sweetclover (Melilotus spp) this review are to examine how changes in agricultural management practices during the past century have affected N in midwestern soils Through biological N fixation, the legumes generally and to identify the types of research and management practices needed increased the amount of residual N in the soil profile to reduce the potential for nonpoint NO3 leakage into water resources Cycling of this residual, biologically fixed N along with Inherent soil characteristics and management practices contributing N mineralized from SOM added with animal manure to nonpoint NO3 loss from midwestern soils, the impact of NO3 loading or deposited through rainfall was the primary process on surface water quality, improved N management strategies, and through which corn and other grain crops obtained N research needs are discussed Artificial drainage systems can have a Following World War II, increased availability of significant impact on water quality because they behave like shallow, commercial N fertilizer and decreased demand for fordirect conduits to surface waters Nonpoint loss of NO3 from fields age crops led to a significant reduction in crop rotations to water resources, however, is not caused by any single factor Rather, and a general substitution of purchased N for biological it is caused by a combination of factors, including tillage, drainage, N In Iowa, forage pasture represented more than 336% crop selection, soil organic matter levels, hydrology, and temperature and precipitation patterns Strategies for reducing NO3 loss through (3 389 160 ha) of the state’s total cropped area at the drainage include improved timing of N application at appropriate end of World War II (US Dep of Commerce, Bureau rates, using soil tests and plant monitoring, diversifying crop rotations, of the Census, 1945) By 1997, forage pasture area in using cover crops, reducing tillage, optimizing N application techIowa comprised only 128% (1 393 451 ha) of the state’s niques, and using nitrification inhibitors Nitrate can also be removed total cropped area (USDA Natl Agric Stat Serv, from water by establishing wetlands or biofilters Research that is 1997) Incorporation of legumes into a crop rotation focused on understanding methods to minimize NO3 contamination was no longer needed as commercial N inputs gradually of water resources should also be used to educate the public about replaced biological N fixation the complexity of the problem and the need for multiple management The increased availability of commercial N also facilistrategies to solve the problem across agricultural landscapes tated specialization and a national trend for separating crop and animal production enterprises Animal manure no longer served as an important crop nutrient resource, N is essential for growth and reproduction and meadow legumes were not required on farms that of all life forms, and except for legume crops and began to specialize in corn and soybean [Glycine max virgin soils with relatively high soil organic matter (L) Merr] production Although there is considerable (SOM), soil N must usually be supplemented to sustain variation among years and regions in N fertilizer usage, food, feed, and fiber production During the past 20 yr, the net result of this farming-system change was a napublic concern regarding N movement from agricultural tional average increase in commercial N fertilizer use nonpoint sources into broader water resources has inof 24 kg ha 1 yr 1 (Fig 1) between the mid-1960s and creased as problems such as hypoxia (Rabalais et al, the late 1990s The rise in commercial N fertilizer usage 1996) became more evident To understand current within Midwest states (Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, questions about N management in the US northern Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin) Corn and Soybean Belt, it is necessary to examine the has slowed, with average use of commercial N fertilizer changes that have occurred in agriculture during the past increasing by 4 kg ha 1 (05 kg ha 1 yr 1 ) from 1991 to century These changes include the use of less diversified 1999 (Fig 2) However, the trend of steadily increased crop rotations, separation of crop production and animal usage of commercial N fertilizer may change if fossil fuel enterprises, changes in tillage intensity, drainage of agprices increase substantially and the fertilizer industry is Abbreviations: LCD, localized compaction and doming; LSNT, lateUSDA-ARS Natl Soil Tilth Lab, 2150 Pammel Dr, Ames, IA 50011 spring nitrate test; NIR, near infrared; PSNT, presidedress soil nitrate Received 27 Apr 2001 *Corresponding author (dinnes@nstlgov) test; SI–CD, subirrigation with controlled drainage; SOM, soil organic matter; WTM, water table management Published in Agron J 94:153–171 (2002)

/pdf/review-and-interpretation-nitrogen-management-strategies-to-3jpvddy4kb.pdf

Review and Interpretation: Nitrogen Management Strategies to Reduce Nitrate Leaching in Tile-Drained Midwestern Soils

Minimization of excess sludge production for biological wastewater treatment.

For cultivation-independent detection of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRPs) an oligonucleotide microarray consisting of 132 16S rRNA gene-targeted oligonucleotide probes (18-mers) having hierarchical and parallel (identical) specificity for the detection of all known lineages of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP-PhyloChip) was designed and subsequently evaluated with 41 suitable pure cultures of SRPs The applicability of SRP-PhyloChip for diversity screening of SRPs in environmental and clinical samples was tested by using samples from periodontal tooth pockets and from the chemocline of a hypersaline cyanobacterial mat from Solar Lake (Sinai, Egypt) Consistent with previous studies, SRP-PhyloChip indicated the occurrence of Desulfomicrobium spp in the tooth pockets and the presence of Desulfonema- and Desulfomonile-like SRPs (together with other SRPs) in the chemocline of the mat The SRP-PhyloChip results were confirmed by several DNA microarray-independent techniques, including specific PCR amplification, cloning, and sequencing of SRP 16S rRNA genes and the genes encoding the dissimilatory (bi)sulfite reductase (dsrAB)

Oligonucleotide microarray for 16S rRNA gene-based detection of all recognized lineages of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes in the environment.

Thank you very much for reading understanding by design. As you may know, people have look hundreds times for their favorite readings like this understanding by design, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they cope with some malicious virus inside their desktop computer. understanding by design is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our books collection saves in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Merely said, the understanding by design is universally compatible with any devices to read.

Understanding By Design

Rainwater tanks for larger roof areas need optimisation of tank size, which is often not carried out before installation of these tanks. This paper presents a case study of rainwater tank evaluation and design for large roof areas, located in Melbourne, Australia, based on observed daily rainfall data representing three different climatic regimes (i.e. dry average, and wet years). With the aim of developing a comprehensive Decision Support Tool for the performance analysis and design of rainwater tanks, a simple spreadsheet based daily water balance model is developed using daily rainfall data, contributing roof area, rainfall loss factor, available storage volume, tank overflow and irrigation water demand. In this case study, two (185 m3 and 110 m3) underground rainwater tanks are considered. Using the developed model, effectiveness of each tank under different climatic scenarios are assessed. The analysis shows that both the tanks are quite effective in wet and average years, however less effective in dry years. A payback period analysis of the tanks is preformed which reveals that the total construction cost of the tanks can be recovered within 15–21 years time depending on tank size, climatic conditions and future water price increase rates. For the tanks, a relationship between water price increase rates and payback periods is developed. The study highlights the need for detailed optimisation and financial analysis for large rainwater tanks to maximise the benefits.

/pdf/optimisation-of-rainwater-tank-design-from-large-roofs-a-29wporowvw.pdf

Optimisation of rainwater tank design from large roofs: A case study in Melbourne, Australia

http://www.adktroutguide.com/files/2000_PRODUCTION_OF_USEFUL_ORGANIC_MATTER_FROM.pdf

Production of useful organic matter from sludge using hydrothermal treatment

For the performance analysis and design of rainwater tanks, a simple spreadsheet based daily water balance model was developed using daily rainfall data, contributing roof area, rainfall loss factor, available storage volume, tank overflow and rainwater demand. This water balance model was then used to design an optimum size of domestic rainwater tank to be used for southwest Nigeria. The optimisation criterion was set to provide uninterrupted intended demand from the selected rainwater tank during the critical (dry) months. For the tank water, two demand scenarios were assessed: (i) toilet flushing only; and (ii) toilet flushing and laundry use. Analysis was performed for a typical dry year (1998) in southwest Nigeria. Current analysis outcomes were compared with an earlier analysis using monthly average rainfall data. It is found that analysis using monthly average rainfall data overestimates the required rainwater tank size. In addition, the newly developed model was used to assess the reliability of domestic rainwater tanks in augmenting partial household water demand. This analysis showed that a reliability of 100% is possible to achieve with a tank size of 7000 L under low demand. However, with higher demand a bigger tank size (∼10,000 L) is required to achieve 100% reliability even though very high reliability could also be attained with a tank size of 7000 L. From overflow analysis, the results of this study showed that a large quantity of water is lost as overflow, even in a dry year with a tank size of 10,000 L. Thus, harvested rainwater could be used for other purposes if larger tanks are used as these would capture more of the excess rainwater which could then be tasked to other purposes without compromising the reliability of water availability for primary uses.

Rainwater harvesting potential for southwest Nigeria using daily water balance model

Stabilization of Cd, Ni and Pb in soil using natural zeolite

Remote sensing technologies and machine learning (ML) algorithms play an increasingly important role in accurate detection and monitoring of oil spill slicks, assisting scientists in forecasting their trajectories, developing clean-up plans, taking timely and urgent actions, and applying effective treatments to contain and alleviate adverse effects. Review and analysis of different sources of remotely sensed data and various components of ML classification systems for oil spill detection and monitoring are presented in this study. More than 100 publications in the field of oil spill remote sensing, published in the past 10 years, are reviewed in this paper. The first part of this review discusses the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of remotely sensed data used for oil spill detection. Necessary preprocessing and preparation of data for developing classification models are then highlighted. Feature extraction, feature selection, and widely used handcrafted features for oil spill detection are subsequently introduced and analyzed. The second part of this review explains the use and capabilities of different classical and developed state-of-the-art ML techniques for oil spill detection. Finally, an in-depth discussion on limitations, open challenges, considerations of oil spill classification systems using remote sensing, and state-of-the-art ML algorithms are highlighted along with conclusions and insights into future directions.

Abdallah Shanableh

Papers

Optimisation of rainwater tank design from large roofs: A case study in Melbourne, Australia

Production of useful organic matter from sludge using hydrothermal treatment

Rainwater harvesting potential for southwest Nigeria using daily water balance model

Stabilization of Cd, Ni and Pb in soil using natural zeolite

Sensors, Features, and Machine Learning for Oil Spill Detection and Monitoring: A Review