PhDENV / Department of Ecology and Resource Management / Some industries such as textiles, ceramics, paper and printing are known to use significant amounts of dye to colour their products and during the colouring process, certain quantities of dyes are absorbed by the products, and some of them end up in wastewater. Depending on their application, some synthetic dyes are designed to be chemically or biologically resistant and their presence in the environment can cause severe environmental problems because of their colour impartation to water bodies. Therefore, proper treatment is required to remove these pollutants from wastewater before discharge into the environment. In this thesis, the potential of dye removal from wastewater by calcined magnesite, halloysite nanoclay and calcined magnesite - halloysite nanoclay composite was evaluated. To this end, the study was subdivided to four segments. The first segment of the study focused on evaluating the efficiency of using calcined magnesite to remove Methylene Blue (MB), Direct Red 81 (DR81), Methyl Orange (MO) and Crystal Violet (CV) dyes from aqueous systems using a batch study. To achieve that, several operational factors like residence time, adsorbent dosage, dye concentration and temperature were appraised. The adsorbent was subjected to different kinds of physicochemical characterization to determine the various characteristics that would assist in the dye uptake process. Characterization results showed that the adsorbent material was highly crystalline with magnesite, periclase, dolomite, and quartz as some of the crystalline phases. The batch study proved that calcined magnesite is effective in the treatment of dye contaminated water and moreover it performed well in terms of colour removal, though exceptional results were recorded for CV removal with complete decolourisation occurring in first few minutes of contact. In terms of experimental adsorption capacity, the performance of calcined magnesite was in the order CV (14.99 mg/g) > DR81 (12.56 mg/g) > MO (0.64 mg/g) > MB (0.39 mg/g). Mechanisms of adsorption where explained by fitting the experimental data into adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamic parameters. Neither, the Langmuir, nor the Freundlich nor the Dubinin Radushkevich, nor the Temkin model could perfectly describe the adsorption of the four dyes onto calcined magnesite, however adsorption kinetics obeyed the pseudo second order model, implying that, the dye removal process was primarily a chemical process. In accordance with the results of this study, it can be concluded that calcined magnesite can be used effectively for the removal of dyes in aqueous solution and thus can be applied to treat wastewater containing dyes. The second segment of the study focused on the removal of MB, DR81, MO and CV dyes by halloysite nanoclay. Physicochemical characterisation revealed that the nanoclay has a surface area of 42 m²/g and its ABSTRACT iv morphology is predominated by tubular structures, which exhibit some hollow rod like structures. Various important parameters namely contact time, initial concentration of dyes, dosage, solution temperature and solution pH were optimized to achieve maximum adsorption capacity and it was observed that the effect of initial pH and temperature of the aqueous solution was neglibible on removal of the four dyes. The experimental adsorption capacities towards 40 mg/L of MB, DR81, MO and CV dyes were 17.51, 14.11, 0.38, and 4.75 mg/g respectively. The results indicate that natural halloysite nanoclay is an efficient material for the removal of the selected dyes. Due to its low cost and non-toxicity, halloysite nanoclay can be considered a good replacement option of other high cost materials used to treat coloured wastewater especially in developing countries like South Africa. Having observed the performance of calcined magnesite and halloysite nanoclay individually in the removal of selected dyes, a third study was designed with the aim of preparing a nanocomposite adsorbent from the aforementioned adsorbent materials and then evaluating the synergistic influence of the mechanochemical modification by a ball miller on the removal of MB, DR81, MO and CV dyes. Physicochemical characterization was carried out to get an insight of pre- and -post adsorption characteristics of the nanocomposite material and results showed major changes which could be an indication of dye uptake by the nanocomposite material. According to the results, the nanocomposite material outcompeted its component individual constituent materials i.e (calcined magnesite and halloysite nanoclay material) in the removal of DR81, which in turn was the highest removal efficiency observed for the whole batch adsorption study recording a maximum adsorption capacity and percentage removal of 19.89 mg/g and 99.40% respectively. Experimental results fitted the Langmuir and pseudo-second order models perfectly hence demonstrating that adsorption took place on a homogenous adsorbent layer via chemisorption. In overall, the results suggested that the nanocomposite is a suitable adsorbent for decolourising industrial wastewater. Based on the overall performance of the adsorbents in removing the four dyes, it was observed that the nanocomposite material had a high affinity for DR81 dye hence it was chosen as the model dye for further application in column studies. The effect of flow rate, bed height and initial dye concentration on the removal of DR81 was investigated. Maximum bed capacity and equilibrium dye uptake were determined and break through curves were plotted. Percentage dye removal increased with decrease in flow rate and increase in bed height. The maximum capacity of column was found to be about 51.73 mg DR81 per gram of the nanocomposite adsorbent for a flow rate of 3 mL/min, initial concentration of 10 mg/L and 4 cm bed height. Data from column studies was fitted to the Thomas model and Adams-Bohart models. The comparison of the R2 values obtained from both models showed a better fit for the nanocomposite material than the individual halloysite nanoclay and calcined magnesite materials. The study revealed the applicability of calcined magnesite- halloysite nanoclay composite in fixed bed column for the removal of DR81 dye from aqueous solution. v The reuse of an adsorbent is essential in order to make the adsorption process economic and environmentally friendly. To recover the adsorbate and renew the adsorbent for further use, a chemical method of regeneration was applied by using 0.1 M NaOH as the desorbent. Regeneration with 0.1 M NaOH proved very efficient for some dyes and less efficient for others depending on the adsorbent material used at the time. The general observation was that the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent materials decreased with successive adsorption – desorption cycles. Furthermore, regeneration with NaOH, favoured the acidic dyes (DR81 and MO) more than the basic dyes (MB and CV) possibly due to electrostatic interactions between oppositely charged molecules allowing for reversible reactions to take place. The three tested adsorbents namely calcined magnesite, halloysite nanoclay and their nanocomposite thereof were applied for the treatment of real wastewater effluent from a printing and ink industry. The adsorbents performed very well in terms of colour removal as recommended by the South African standards of wastewater discharge, However, in terms of pH, calcined magnesite and the nanocomposite produced a highly alkaline solution hence wastewater neutralisation by an acid is recommended before discharge. These findings show that the two natural clay-based materials (calcined magnesite and halloysite nanoclay) and their nanocomposite thereof have a great potential for application in dye wastewater remediation since the materials used in the process are inexpensive, abundant and require minimal modifications. / NRF

Conifers are important both ecologically and socioeconomically, however, same parts of their biology are not that well researched. This includes genetics and breeding and partly even physiology. Because quantitative genetic analyzes applied in breeding necessitate an analysis of a large number of samples, and conventional methods of analysis are quite time-consuming, certain parameters describing e.g. the activity of photosynthetic electron-transport chain (ETC) are considered for such use. Several methods of the measurement of the activity of photosynthetic ETC exist, but there are some problems with their usage in conifers. I studied this issue from different points of view in three parts of this thesis. 1) I compared the photosynthetic ETC activity in 8 species of conifers using chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence measurements on intact needles and polarographic measurements in isolated chloroplasts. Each method brought different information. 2) I measured Chl fluorescence parameters, reflectance spectra and pigment content in 536 genetically defined trees of Pinus sylvestris L. Many parameters showed relatively high genetic variability and heritability. I have also determined the suitability of various reflectance indices to estimate pigment and water content of needles. 3) I have optimized the...

While animal steroid hormones are very well known and have been studied for a long time, in plants no steroid substances were known until relatively recently. Only in the second half of the past century brassinosteroids were discovered; later on, their hormonal function in plants was confirmed. Still a lot of unknown remains as regards their function in plant cells. This paper presents in its first part the evidence that brassinosteroids control in maize (Zea mays L.) grown under field conditions not only its morphology and yield but also some developmental/reproduction characteristics like e.g. number of female inflorescences or speed of the development of male inflorescences. Particular response of a plant depends, however, on the type of applied brassinosteroid, its concentration, and last but not least also on a particular maize genotype and developmental stage of the plant during applicatin. Impact of brassinosteroids on primary photosynthetic processes in plants has not been proven under these conditions, neither on the activity of photosystem (PS) I nor on the Hill reaction. No statistically significant differences in the content of photosynthetic pigments have been found either. Another topic dealt with in this thesis is the possible protective influence of brassinosteroids on plants...

Historical painted works of art have a very complex inner structure. The period painting technique led to the execution of a ground layer followed by several layers of underpainting and a top paint layer, over which a layer of glaze has been applied to increase the resistance to external wear. Each of these colour layers is composed of a dye or a pigment (or their mixture) bound by organic binder. Throughout the history, pigments were commonly prepared from minerals, either extracted from natural deposits or created artificially. In these heterogeneous layers containing both inorganic and organic components, undesirable degradation changes either driven by processes taking place directly in the colour layer or influenced by external agents may occur. Mineralogical approach, which focuses primarily on the structure of studied pigments, helps in the clarification of the occurring processes, in the determination of conditions leading to degradation as well as in the identification of original/degradation phases. Furthermore, it can be profitably applied in the micro- analysis of mineral pigments present in tiny micro-samples obtained from works of art, contributes to the artwork's provenance/authorship studies and the determination of regional provenance of the employed mineral pigments. This Ph.D....

Ce mémoire analyse la communication dans Pigments et dans Névralgies de Léon-Gontran Damas. Il vise à examiner les multiples composantes d'une situation d'interaction et à évaluer leurs fonctions dans le recueil. Nous soutenons que l'auteur, vivant dans un monde d'exclusion qui trouve pourtant sa force dans le regroupement, représente dans ses poèmes des rapports interpersonnels infructueux entre des instances énonciatrices complexes. Nous nous efforçons de montrer que les paroles, les silences et les autres procédés de communication impliquent et affectent l'énonciateur autant que le récepteur. À partir d'un contexte où l'Autre est parfois désiré, parfois imposé, mais où il menace toujours la stabilisé intérieure de soi, nous cherchons un équilibre qui ne sera rendu que par le partage d'une reconnaissance mutuelle.

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Background: As a company it is more important than ever to consider the environmental sustainability aspect within the whole supply chain and all the stakeholders. Studies show that people's concerns about environmental sustainability increases and will continue to grow in the future. The wet dyeing process is the part of the textile production that consists of liquor and contains three main steps which are pretreatment, coloration and finishing. This process is presented as the most water, energy and chemicals consuming process within the textile industry and because of that, it is important to investigate it to be able to improve the environmental sustainability.  Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to increase the understanding of IKEA’s suppliers' current usage of water, energy and chemicals within the wet dyeing process. Followed by an identification of opportunities for improvements in the wet dyeing process, aiming to become more environmentally sustainable.  Method: Through interviews with two suppliers, information regarding IKEA’s current wet dyeing processes will be collected. After that, data from relevant theoretical sources will be collected to analyze possible improvements of methods and colorants that can be relevant for IKEA as well as other companies within the textile industry to implement.  Conclusion: For research question 1, the researchers reach the conclusion that IKEA’s supplier number one has a more environmentally sustainable wet dyeing process compared to the second supplier.. A conclusion is nevertheless drawn that improvements within both suppliers wet dyeing processes should be considered to become more environmentally sustainable. For research question 2, the researchers come to the conclusion that Spray dyeing is the best alternative method to implement for improving environmental sustainability within the wet dyeing process. The researchers also recommend companies to actively become a part of the development of bacterial colorants, the future of coloration.

Amb l'objectiu d'analitzar com la biodiversitat i l'adaptació al clima mediterrani es tradueixen en una diversitat de trets ecofisiològics i la seva resposta a la sequera, i d'estudiar si aquesta diversitat està relacionada amb formes de creixement i amb la història evolutiva de les espècies, es van seleccionar 24 espècies mediterrànies de les Illes Balears. Es va analitzar la capacitat germinativa, els efectes de la sequera en el creixement de plàntules, respostes ecofisiològiques a la sequera a nivell foliar i l'adaptació de l'especificitat de la Rubisco. Es va observar una elevada variabilitat entre espècies, la meitat de la qual associada a les diferents formes de creixement. No s'observà cap diferenciació entre les espècies endèmiques i les no endèmiques. Aquesta elevada diversitat en els trets ecofisiològics i la seva resposta a la sequera suposa un recurs potencial per identificar caràcters adaptatius i un banc genètic per millorar la productivitat de cultius. / Con el objetivo de analizar como la biodiversidad y la adaptación al clima mediterráneo se traducen en una diversidad de caracteres ecofisiológicos y su respuesta a la sequía, y de estudiar si esta diversidad está relacionada con formas de crecimiento y con la historia evolutiva de las especies, se seleccionaron 24 especies mediterráneas de las Islas Baleares. Se analizaron la capacidad germinativa, los efectos de la sequía sobre el crecimiento de las plántulas, las respuestas ecofisiológicas a la sequía a nivel foliar y la adaptación de la especificidad de la Rubisco. Se observó una elevada variabilidad entre especies, la mitad de la cual asociada a las diferentes formas de crecimiento. No se encontraron diferencias entre las especies endémicas y las no endémicas. Esta elevada biodiversidad en respuesta a la sequía supone un recurso potencial para identificar caracteres adaptativos y un banco genético para la mejora de la productividad de cultivos. / The objectives of this work were to analyze how biodiversity and adaptation to Mediterranean climate is reflected in a diversity of ecophysiological traits and their responses to drought, and to study whether such diversity was related to growth forms and endemicity. The analysis covered the germination capacity, the effects of drought on seedling growth, the leaf ecophysiological responses to drought, and the adaptation of Rubisco specificity, in 24 Mediterranean species from the Balearic Islands. A wide range of variation has been observed among the species, with about half of this variability associated to different growth forms. However, no differentiation was found between endemic and non-endemic species of the Balearic Islands. The high diversity in the ecophysiological traits and their responses to drought found among Mediterranean species must be considered as a 'resource' to identify target adaptive traits for breeding plans, but also as a genetic bank to improve crop productivity.

Visual pigments are light sensitive receptors in the eye that form the basis of sensory visual transduction. This thesis presents three studies that explore visual pigment proteins in vertebrates using a number of computational and experimental methods in an evolutionary framework. The objective is not only to identify, but also to experimentally investigate the functional consequences of genetic variation in vertebrate visual pigments. The focus is on great bowerbirds (Chlamydera nuchalis), which are a model system in visual ecology due to their spectacular behaviour of building and decorating courtship bowers. There are 4 chapters: Chapter 1 introduces background information on visual pigments and vision in birds. Among visual pigment types, the short-wavelength-sensitive (SWS1) pigments have garnered particular interest due to the broad spectral range among vertebrates and the importance of UV signals in communication. Chapter 2 investigates the evolutionary history of SWS1 in vertebrates with a view toward its utility as a phylogenetic marker. Chapter 3 investigates SWS1 evolution and short-wavelength vision in birds, with particular focus on C. nuchalis and its SWS1. The evolution of spectral tuning mechanisms mediating UV/violet vision in passerines and parrots is elucidated in this chapter using site-directed mutagenesis, protein expression, and phylogenetic recreation of ancestral opsins. While cone opsins mediate colour vision in bright light, the rhodopsin visual pigment contained in rod photoreceptors is critical for dim light vision. Detailed characterization of rhodopsin function has only been conducted on a few model systems. Chapter 4 examines C. nuchalis RH1 using a number of functional assays in addition to absorbance spectra, including hydroxylamine sensitivity and the rate of retinal release. This chapter includes an investigation into the role of amino acid mutations typical of dim-light adapted vertebrates, D83N and A292S, in regulating functional properties of bovine and avian RH1s using site-directed mutagenesis. Together these chapters describe naturally occurring mutations in visual pigments and explore the way they can influence visual perception. These represent one of the few investigations of visual pigments from a species that is not a model lab organism and form a significant contribution to the field of visual pigment biochemistry and evolution.

Gracilaria. caudata J. Agardh é uma das espécies mais comuns no Oceano Atlântico tropical e subtropical. No nordeste do Brasil a espécie é explotada como uma importante agarófita, onde recentemente foram encontradas variantes de coloração marrom-esverdeada crescendo lado a lado a indivíduos de coloração vermelha (mais comuns) em uma população natural. Este estudo teve por objetivo averiguar a estabilidade e o padrão de herança de cor marrom-esverdeada de indivíduos de G. caudata procedentes de uma população natural, bem como avaliar o desempenho somático e reprodutivo das diferentes fases do histórico de vida, levando-se em consideração indivíduos de coloração marrom-esverdeada e vermelha. A partir de cruzamentos teste foi possível verificar que a coloração marrom-esverdeada é estável e herdável, sendo o padrão de herança dessa coloração do tipo nuclear codominante, em que tetrasporófitos homozigotos são vermelhos (vmvm) ou marrom-esverdeados (meme) e os heterozigotos apresentam o fenótipo marrom (vmme e mevm). Variantes pigmentares, independentemente da fase do histórico, atingiram precocemente a maturidade reprodutiva quando comparadas a espécimes do tipo selvagem. Essa característica pode favorecer a manutenção da variante marrom-esverdeada na natureza. No entanto, apesar da diferenciação tardia de cistocarpos, gametófitos femininos, provenientes de tetrasporófitos vmvm, apresentaram um melhor desempenho reprodutivo em relação a gametófitos femininos provenientes de tetrasporófitos com variação pigmentar (meme, vmme e mevm); essa característica poderia contribuir para a predominância de espécimes selvagens na natureza. Entretanto, tetrasporófitos com variação pigmentar não só atingiram precocemente a maturidade reprodutiva como se tornaram mais férteis em relação ao tipo selvagem. Apenas na descendência de tetrasporófitos selvagens (vmvm) foi observada a proporção sexual esperada, entre gametófitos femininos e masculinos. Na progênie de tetrasporófitos com variação pigmentar foram observadas alterações na proporção sexual, devido à presença de gametófitos bissexuais. Essa condição de bissexualidade, provavelmente, é decorrente da presença de um alelo recessivo denominado bi, o qual possibilitaria a expressão de funções femininas em gametófitos masculinos. No presente estudo, pudemos evidenciar que a bissexualidade em G. caudata é herdável, e que gametófitos femininos que portam a mutação bi foram capazes de transmitir a mutação aos descendentes, porém o alelo não é fenotipicamente detectável. Como não foram observados gametófitos bissexuais na descendência de tetrasporófitos vmvm (provenientes do cruzamento feminino vm x masculino vm) sugere-se que a mutação bi estaria presente apenas em tetrasporófitos marrom-esverdeados oriundos da natureza. No entanto, permanece a possibilidade de ocorrência de espécimes bissexuais de coloração vermelha em populações naturais, já que tais indivíduos foram observados na progênie de tetrasporófitos vmme e mevm, indicando assim, que não há ligação entre a bissexualidade e a coloração do talo. Gametófitos femininos vermelhos apresentam melhor desempenho somático quando comparados a gametófitos femininos marrom-esverdeados. Esse aspecto foi evidenciado por meio de taxas de crescimento, número de ápices diferenciados e percentual de fixação ao frasco de cultura. Essas características devem contribuir para a predominância de espécimes do tipo selvagem na natureza. Gametófitos marrom-esverdeados, em contrapartida, apresentaram melhor desempenho fotossintetizante, o que poderia representar uma vantagem, considerando-se o ambiente heterogêneo de ocorrência da espécie, e desse modo, contribuir para a manutenção dessa variante em população natural. Entretanto, não foram observadas diferenças com relação às taxas crescimento entre tetrasporófitos dos quatro genótipos (vmvm, meme, vmme e mevm), apesar das diferenças quanto à fertilidade, concentração pigmentar, número de ápices diferenciados e desempenho fotossintetizante. Tais tetrasporófitos apresentaram taxas de crescimento semelhantes às observadas para gametófitos femininos marrom-esverdeados, apesar do melhor desempenho fotossintetizante desses últimos. Os dados obtidos nesse trabalho sugerem que a variante marrom-esverdeada apresente vantagens adaptativas para G. caudata / Gracilaria caudata J. Agardh is one of the most common species in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean. In the northeast of Brazil the species is exploited as an important agar producer, where greenish-brown color variants have recently been found growing side by side with individuals of red color (more common) in a natural population. The aim of this study was to investigate the stability and pattern of green-brown inheritance of G. caudata individuals from a natural population, as well as to evaluate the somatic and reproductive performance of the different stages of life history, considering individuals of greenish-brown and red colors. From test crosses it was possible to verify that the greenish-brown color is stable and inheritable. Codominant nuclear inheritance was found in the greenish-brown strains. Homozygous tetrasporophytes are red (rdrd) or greenish-brown (gbgb) while heterozygous tetrasporophytes present the brown phenotype (rdgb and gbrd). Color variants, regardless of the history phase, reached early reproductive maturity when compared to wild type specimens. This feature may favor the maintenance of the greenish-brown variant in nature. However, in spite of the late differentiation of cystocarps, female gametophytes derived from rdrd tetrasporophytes had a better reproductive performance in relation to female gametophytes from tetrasporophytes with color variation (gbgb, rdgb and gbrd); this feature could contribute to the predominance of wild specimens in nature. However, tetrasporophytes with color variation not only reached reproductive maturity early but also became more fertile in relation to the wild type. The expected sexual ratio between female and male gametophytes was only observed in the offspring of wild tetrasporophytes (rdrd). There were changes in the sexual proportion in the progeny of tetrasporophytes with color variation due to the presence of bisexual gametophytes. This condition of bisexuality is probably due to the presence of a recessive allele called bi, which would allow the expression of female functions in male gametophytes. In the present study, we could show that bisexuality in G. caudata is inheritable, and that female gametophytes, which carry the bi mutation, were able to transmit the mutation to the offspring, but the allele is not phenotypically detectable. As no bisexual gametophytes were found in the offspring of rdrd tetrasporophytes (from the cross female rd x male rd), it is suggested that the bi mutation would only be present in brown-green tetrasporophytes from the natural population. However, it remains the possibility of occurrence of bisexual specimens of red color in natural populations, since such individuals were observed in the progeny of tetrasporophytes rdgb and gbrd, thus indicating that there is no link between bisexuality and the thallus color. Red female gametophytes show better somatic performance when compared to the greenish-brown female gametophytes. This aspect was evidenced by means of growth rates, number of differentiated apices, and percentage of attachment to the culture flask. These characteristics should contribute to the predominance of wild type specimens in natural populations. Otherwise, the greenish-brown gametophytes showed better photosynthetic performance, which could represent an advantage considering the heterogeneous environment of the species occurrence, thus contributing to the maintenance of this variant in the natural population. However, no differences were observed among tetrasporophytes of the four genotypes (rdrd, gbgb, rdgb and gbrd), regarding the growth rates, despite of the differences in fertility, pigment concentration, number of differentiated apices, and photosynthetic performance. These tetrasporophytes presented similar growth rates to those observed for greenish-brown female gametophytes, despite of the better photosynthetic performance of the latter. The data obtained in this work suggest that the greenish-brown variant presents adaptive advantages for G. caudata