Sacoglossa belongs to the Subclass of Opithsobrabchia (Class: Gastropoda). There are about 300 species in the world. The radula of Sacoglossa is composed of ascending limb, descending limb, and a ascus sac to store used teeth. This ascus sac is a unique character of sacoglossans in mollusus. In this study, I compared the morphology, and the composition of elements in sacoglossan radulae. A total of 16 species in 5 families, including 12 new records, has been observed. Their teeth morphology was triangular or blade-like. The radula sac is surrounded by a layer of epithelium cells and the arrangement of the teeth in the sac was linear, dense or fraction. Positive correlations between body length and the number of ascending radular teeth, descending radular teeth, teeth in ascus sac or the total number of teeth were found except for Volvatella vigourouxi (Family: Volvatellidae). The elemental compositions in various radula parts were examined by energy dispersive spectrometer. I found that sacoglossan teeth were composited by Fe, Na, Mg, Si, P, S and Ca, and no significant difference among parts but significantly different among species. In contrast, elemental compositions of sacoglossans were significantly different from Tambja sp. (Order: Nudibranchia), Aplysia parvula (Order: Anaspidea) and Cellana toreuma (Order: Archaeogastropoda). In the meantime, sacoglossans and Tambja sp. were closer than others. Additionally, hollow or broken teeth were found in some sacogloosan ascus indicates that tooth reabsorption may present. However, further study is necessary to elucidate the reabsorption mechanism.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering / Zhijian Pei / Donghai Wang / Renewable fuels derived from lignocellulosic biomass could reduce our dependence on fossil fuel resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Big bluestem is an ecological-dominant warm-season (C4) perennial native grass that comprises as much as 80% of the plant biomass in prairies in the Midwestern grasslands of North America. Its high cellulosic content and low agricultural input recently have made big bluestem a promising feedstock for ethanol production. The overall goals of this study are to evaluate the potential of big bluestem in terms of ethanol production comparing with other native grasses by diluted sulfuric acid pretreatment and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation and to understand the effects of ecotype and planting location on the chemical and elemental compositions and thermal properties as well as fermentable sugar yield of big bluestem along the Great Plains precipitation gradient. A total conversion efficiency of 79.2% and an ethanol concentration of 9.4 g/L were achieved after 72 h fermentation. About 0.262 kg (~0.332 Liters) ethanol could be produced from one kilogram dry mass of big bluestem under the present condition. Planting location had significant effects on chemical and elemental as well as specific heat, thermogravimetric parameters, high heating value and glucan mass yield. Ecotype had significant effects on glucan, xylan, lignin, and ash contents, and C, O, and H elemental fractions as well as specific heat, high heating value and glucan mass yield, whereas planting location significantly affected all measured variables. The ecotype-location interaction had significant effects on glucan, lignin, hydrogen contents and specific heat. Up to 97%, 88% and 80% of the variation in compositions can be explained by annual precipitation, growing degree days and potential evapotranspiration in 2010 respectively. Among all environmental factors, potential evapotranspiration had the most significant effect on thermal properties. Planting location had a stronger influence than ecotype and interaction between location and ecotype. Precipitation in 2010 possibly played a more significant role in divergence of glucan mass yield of the big bluestem.

The effective air quality management in the heavy polluted areas has to be based on high-quality monitoring with properly designed monitoring network and targeted measurements, which provided information required to source apportionment. The thesis aim was to apportion sources of atmospheric aerosol based on highly time resolved data of mass concentration of size segregated aerosol, its temporal and spatial variability, elemental composition, OC/EC and size distribution of carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Sampling campaigns went during winter and summer in small settlement Březno by Chomutov, residential area Ostrava - Radvanice a Bartovice and Mladá Boleslav in the years 2008 - 2010, 2012, 2013. We determined mass concentrations of PM10, PM1-10, PM1.15-10 and PM0.15-1.5 and their size fraction ratios. Based on the size ratios, the source apportionment of fine fraction (PM0.15-1.15) with focus on PM0.34-1.15 is crucial. We examined seasonal and spatial variability of PM10, PM.2.5, PM1 and PM1-10. Based on the examination, we obtained representative highly-time resolved data with regards to season and sampling locality. We analysed dynamic of size distribution of particle-bond eight carcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons. Based on the results the source apportionment of PM0.34-1.15 is crucial....

O processo de cultivo da uva e elaboração do vinho tinto varietal Marselan foi parcialmente acompanhado junto a uma vinícola do Vale dos Vinhedos (RS, Brasil), com o objetivo de verificar, com técnicas analíticas baseadas em feixes iônicos, como PIXE, alterações elementares no vinho devido ao seu processamento. Amostras de solo, folhas e galhos das videiras, uvas, mosto e vinhos foram coletadas nas etapas mais importantes do ciclo de cultivo da uva e de produção do vinho. Os alvos foram preparados de acordo com as características de cada material e exigências da técnica e, então, irradiados no sistema de PIXE do Laboratório de Implantação Iônica (IFUFRGS). Os resultados, de acordo com as análises estatísticas realizadas com teste t, ANOVA FATOR ÚNICO e Tukey, mostraram que a composição elementar do solo é constituída por Mg, Al, P, K, Ti, Mn, Fe, As, Rb e Zr. Além disso, foi verificada contaminação superficial devido, principalmente, ao Ca e Cu. Quanto ao cultivo, folhas e galhos revelaram a influência das aplicações de produtos químicos pelo acúmulo de alguns elementos no período de latência. A concentração elementar das uvas variou em função do crescimento e amadurecimento dos bagos. Em geral, durante o processo de vinificação e, em especial durante a fermentação, a concentração de vários elementos aumentou. Este foi o caso de elementos como o Mg, K, Rb e Sr. Por outro lado, alguns elementos tiveram um decréscimo na concentração devido a precipitação, como o Ca e o Cu. / The study of the Marselan grape cultivation and winemaking process was partially carried out in a winery located in Vale dos Vinhedos (RS, Brazil). The main goal was to employ ion-based techniques like PIXE in order to obtain elemental variations throughout the production chain of wine. Soil, vine leaves and branches, grapes, must and wine samples were collected at every important step of the production chain. Samples were prepared according to the peculiarities of each material and technique requirements. All PIXE measurements were carried at the Ionic Implantation Laboratory (IF-UFRGS). The data were analyzed with t test, ANOVA ONE WAY and Tukey. The elemental composition of soil comprises Mg, Al, P, K, Ti, Mn, Fe, As, Rb and Zr. Other elements like Cu and Ca were present over superficial layers and might be related to contaminants. With respect to the cultivation process, leaves and branches suffered from the influence of chemicals accumulated during the latency period. The elemental concentration of grapes changed during the berry growth and ripening. In general, later steps including fermentation tended to increase the concentrations of several elements like Mg, K, Rb and Sr. On the other hand, other elemental concentrations decreased due to precipitation, like Ca and Cu.

Climate change is predicted to impact organismal nutritional ecology. Increased temperatures can directly accelerate physiological rate processes, which in turn, impact nutritional requirements. Climate change can also impact organisms indirectly by altering the quality and quantity of nutritional resources, creating the potential for nutritional mismatch between what nutrients are available in the environment and what organisms require. Investigation of organismal stoichiometry, particularly the balance of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content of organisms, can help illuminate the extent to which changes in climate may impact organism nutritional ecology. Ants represent an excellent system to examine stoichiometry because they occur across a broad range of environmental conditions and perform important ecosystem services, such as seed dispersal, which may impact ecosystem functioning. In this thesis, I examined how climate variables influence ant stoichiometry across a broad latitudinal gradient in natural populations of three closely-related ant species in the genus Aphaenogaster. In a common garden study, I tested the extent to which such stoichiometric variation was due to plastic or evolved variation. I found significant species-specific differences in how ant stoichiometry responded to climate gradients. The northern species, A. picea contained more C, and less N and P at higher latitudes and elevation, consistent with increased winter lipid storage. In contrast, the more southern species, A. rudis, showed the opposite pattern, which may reflect N and P limitation at southern extremes. Aphaenogaster fulva, whose range is intermediate in latitude and partially overlaps with both congeners, contained more C in environments with more seasonal precipitation. Thus, these species appear to use different nutrient storage strategies in response to the variation in abiotic and trophic conditions across their range. When reared under the same feeding regime and thermal conditions, site-level differences in nitrogen storage between a northern and a southern ant population were retained over time and across years, suggesting that adaptive divergence in elemental composition is at least partially responsible for clinal patterns in the field. To connect latitudinal patterns to temporal changes projected under climate change, I evaluated how increases in temperature impact ant stoichiometry and associated functional traits at the individual and colony level using an experimental field mesocosm experiment at two sites, Harvard Forest (HF) and Duke Forest (DF). I examined how experimental increases in temperature impacted ant body size, colony demography, and nutritional status of two Aphaenogaster ant species. I found that Aphaenogaster ants at the northern site, HF, responded positively to direct increases in temperature, with increases in colony biomass, colony size, total reproductive output, and shifts toward increased nitrogen content with increases in temperature. In contrast, Aphaenogaster ants at the southern site, DF, were generally unaffected by temperature except for a decrease in maximum colony size with increases in temperature. Together, my findings provide evidence that both climate variables and evolutionary history impacts ant stoichiometry, which in turn, may impact ant colony fitness. Examination of the biochemical basis of stoichiometric trait variation is needed to ascertain the role stoichiometry may play in how ant species adapt to changing environmental conditions.

<p>The aim of the project was to study the manufacturing of synthetic soda ash (sodium carbonate, Na2CO3) on an industrial scale. Currently all Soda ash that is used in South Africa for manufacturing glass is imported at a high cost, and the company Nampak Wiegand Glass (South Africa) is investigating the possibility to locally manufacture synthetic soda ash. About 75% of soda ash is synthetically produced from either the Leblanc process, Solvay process, Modified Solvay (Dual) process or dry lime process. This study concentrated on the Solvay process on a laboratory scale for eventual input into a larger pilot plant. The produced material was analyzed using analytical techniques such as FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy), Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). There are certain standard requirements for impurities in the soda ash, and this needed to be measured and determined what changes to the process will bring the impurities to the required minimum standard. Environmental issues around the manufacturing process were also studied. After completing of the laboratory experiments and the extraction of required data from the results, Nampak will use the information to decide on a followup to the building of a small pilot plant to further test and develop the engineering and economical aspects of a full plant. If successful a full scale manufacturing plant can be developed in South Africa for producing soda ash.&nbsp / This study thus will not only help Nampak Wiegand Glass in finalizing the decision to go ahead, but its result will also benefit other companies that use the soda ash in oil refining, water treatment, pulp and paper, chemical industry etc. Some parts of the work done will be proprietary to Nampak and subject to confidentiality agreement.</p>

<p>The aim of the project was to study the manufacturing of synthetic soda ash (sodium carbonate, Na2CO3) on an industrial scale. Currently all Soda ash that is used in South Africa for manufacturing glass is imported at a high cost, and the company Nampak Wiegand Glass (South Africa) is investigating the possibility to locally manufacture synthetic soda ash. About 75% of soda ash is synthetically produced from either the Leblanc process, Solvay process, Modified Solvay (Dual) process or dry lime process. This study concentrated on the Solvay process on a laboratory scale for eventual input into a larger pilot plant. The produced material was analyzed using analytical techniques such as FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy), Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). There are certain standard requirements for impurities in the soda ash, and this needed to be measured and determined what changes to the process will bring the impurities to the required minimum standard. Environmental issues around the manufacturing process were also studied. After completing of the laboratory experiments and the extraction of required data from the results, Nampak will use the information to decide on a followup to the building of a small pilot plant to further test and develop the engineering and economical aspects of a full plant. If successful a full scale manufacturing plant can be developed in South Africa for producing soda ash.&nbsp / This study thus will not only help Nampak Wiegand Glass in finalizing the decision to go ahead, but its result will also benefit other companies that use the soda ash in oil refining, water treatment, pulp and paper, chemical industry etc. Some parts of the work done will be proprietary to Nampak and subject to confidentiality agreement.</p>

O processo de cultivo da uva e elaboração do vinho tinto varietal Marselan foi parcialmente acompanhado junto a uma vinícola do Vale dos Vinhedos (RS, Brasil), com o objetivo de verificar, com técnicas analíticas baseadas em feixes iônicos, como PIXE, alterações elementares no vinho devido ao seu processamento. Amostras de solo, folhas e galhos das videiras, uvas, mosto e vinhos foram coletadas nas etapas mais importantes do ciclo de cultivo da uva e de produção do vinho. Os alvos foram preparados de acordo com as características de cada material e exigências da técnica e, então, irradiados no sistema de PIXE do Laboratório de Implantação Iônica (IFUFRGS). Os resultados, de acordo com as análises estatísticas realizadas com teste t, ANOVA FATOR ÚNICO e Tukey, mostraram que a composição elementar do solo é constituída por Mg, Al, P, K, Ti, Mn, Fe, As, Rb e Zr. Além disso, foi verificada contaminação superficial devido, principalmente, ao Ca e Cu. Quanto ao cultivo, folhas e galhos revelaram a influência das aplicações de produtos químicos pelo acúmulo de alguns elementos no período de latência. A concentração elementar das uvas variou em função do crescimento e amadurecimento dos bagos. Em geral, durante o processo de vinificação e, em especial durante a fermentação, a concentração de vários elementos aumentou. Este foi o caso de elementos como o Mg, K, Rb e Sr. Por outro lado, alguns elementos tiveram um decréscimo na concentração devido a precipitação, como o Ca e o Cu. / The study of the Marselan grape cultivation and winemaking process was partially carried out in a winery located in Vale dos Vinhedos (RS, Brazil). The main goal was to employ ion-based techniques like PIXE in order to obtain elemental variations throughout the production chain of wine. Soil, vine leaves and branches, grapes, must and wine samples were collected at every important step of the production chain. Samples were prepared according to the peculiarities of each material and technique requirements. All PIXE measurements were carried at the Ionic Implantation Laboratory (IF-UFRGS). The data were analyzed with t test, ANOVA ONE WAY and Tukey. The elemental composition of soil comprises Mg, Al, P, K, Ti, Mn, Fe, As, Rb and Zr. Other elements like Cu and Ca were present over superficial layers and might be related to contaminants. With respect to the cultivation process, leaves and branches suffered from the influence of chemicals accumulated during the latency period. The elemental concentration of grapes changed during the berry growth and ripening. In general, later steps including fermentation tended to increase the concentrations of several elements like Mg, K, Rb and Sr. On the other hand, other elemental concentrations decreased due to precipitation, like Ca and Cu.

O processo de cultivo da uva e elaboração do vinho tinto varietal Marselan foi parcialmente acompanhado junto a uma vinícola do Vale dos Vinhedos (RS, Brasil), com o objetivo de verificar, com técnicas analíticas baseadas em feixes iônicos, como PIXE, alterações elementares no vinho devido ao seu processamento. Amostras de solo, folhas e galhos das videiras, uvas, mosto e vinhos foram coletadas nas etapas mais importantes do ciclo de cultivo da uva e de produção do vinho. Os alvos foram preparados de acordo com as características de cada material e exigências da técnica e, então, irradiados no sistema de PIXE do Laboratório de Implantação Iônica (IFUFRGS). Os resultados, de acordo com as análises estatísticas realizadas com teste t, ANOVA FATOR ÚNICO e Tukey, mostraram que a composição elementar do solo é constituída por Mg, Al, P, K, Ti, Mn, Fe, As, Rb e Zr. Além disso, foi verificada contaminação superficial devido, principalmente, ao Ca e Cu. Quanto ao cultivo, folhas e galhos revelaram a influência das aplicações de produtos químicos pelo acúmulo de alguns elementos no período de latência. A concentração elementar das uvas variou em função do crescimento e amadurecimento dos bagos. Em geral, durante o processo de vinificação e, em especial durante a fermentação, a concentração de vários elementos aumentou. Este foi o caso de elementos como o Mg, K, Rb e Sr. Por outro lado, alguns elementos tiveram um decréscimo na concentração devido a precipitação, como o Ca e o Cu. / The study of the Marselan grape cultivation and winemaking process was partially carried out in a winery located in Vale dos Vinhedos (RS, Brazil). The main goal was to employ ion-based techniques like PIXE in order to obtain elemental variations throughout the production chain of wine. Soil, vine leaves and branches, grapes, must and wine samples were collected at every important step of the production chain. Samples were prepared according to the peculiarities of each material and technique requirements. All PIXE measurements were carried at the Ionic Implantation Laboratory (IF-UFRGS). The data were analyzed with t test, ANOVA ONE WAY and Tukey. The elemental composition of soil comprises Mg, Al, P, K, Ti, Mn, Fe, As, Rb and Zr. Other elements like Cu and Ca were present over superficial layers and might be related to contaminants. With respect to the cultivation process, leaves and branches suffered from the influence of chemicals accumulated during the latency period. The elemental concentration of grapes changed during the berry growth and ripening. In general, later steps including fermentation tended to increase the concentrations of several elements like Mg, K, Rb and Sr. On the other hand, other elemental concentrations decreased due to precipitation, like Ca and Cu.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / The aim of the project was to study the manufacturing of synthetic soda ash (sodium carbonate, Na2CO3) on an industrial scale. Currently all Soda ash that is used in South Africa for manufacturing glass is imported at a high cost, and the company Nampak Wiegand Glass (South Africa) is investigating the possibility to locally manufacture synthetic soda ash. About 75% of soda ash is synthetically produced from either the Leblanc process, Solvay process, Modified Solvay (Dual) process or dry lime process. This study concentrated on the Solvay process on a laboratory scale for eventual input into a larger pilot plant. The produced material was analyzed using analytical techniques such as FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy), Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). There are certain standard requirements for impurities in the soda ash, and this needed to be measured and determined what changes to the process will bring the impurities to the required minimum standard. Environmental issues around the manufacturing process were also studied. After completing of the laboratory experiments and the extraction of required data from the results, Nampak will use the information to decide on a followup to the building of a small pilot plant to further test and develop the engineering and economical aspects of a full plant. If successful a full scale manufacturing plant can be developed in South Africa for producing soda ash. This study thus will not only help Nampak Wiegand Glass in finalizing the decision to go ahead, but its result will also benefit other companies that use the soda ash in oil refining, water treatment, pulp and paper, chemical industry etc. Some parts of the work done will be proprietary to Nampak and subject to confidentiality agreement. / South Africa