Due to recent climate change and energy consumption concerns, several markets have emerged for agricultural biomass in the province of Ontario, Canada. Understanding variation of residue nutrient concentrations across the province and the causal factors is crucial for determining the feasibility of crop residue use in Ontario. The purpose of this study was to survey variation of Ontario winter wheat, soybean and corn residue nutrient concentrations and removals, as well as to determine the effect of altering cutting height and delaying harvest on the nutrient concentrations and removals of these residues. It was found that across-site nutrient concentration and removal variation were greater than within-site concentration and removal variation, and that site-scale climatological events, such as precipitation, are largely responsible. Concentration and removals differed significantly by year. Variation of nutrient concentration and removal did not correlate with crop grain yield, or soil characteristics such as organic matter, pH or texture. A leaching treatment significantly reduced residue nutrient concentrations and removals, but had no significant effect on the variation among residue samples. Finally, concentrations and removals differed significantly with cutting height and harvested corn component, highlighting the importance of harvest method in the system nutrient balances. / Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs, University of Guelph

This thesis investigates the sensitivity and separability of post-harvest tillage conditions using polarimetric Synthetic Aperture RADAR in southwestern Ontario. Variables examined include: linear polarizations HH, HV, and VV and polarimetric variables: pedestal height, co-polarized complex correlation coefficient magnitude, left and right co-polarized circular polarizations and co-polarized phase difference. Six fine-quad polarimetric, high incidence angle (49°) RADARSAT-2 images acquired over three dates in fall 2010 were used. Over 100 fields were monitored, coincident with satellite overpasses. OMAFRA’s AgRI, a high-resolution polygon network was used to extract average response from fields. Discrimination between tillage practices was best later in the fall season, due to sample size and low soil moisture conditions. Variables most sensitive to tillage activities include HH and VV polarizations and co-polarized complex correlation coefficient magnitude. A supervised support vector machine (SVM) classifier classified no-till and conventional tillage with 91.5% overall accuracy. These results highlight the potential of RADARSAT-2 for monitoring tillage conditions.

No description available.

This dissertation will focus on the extraction of volatile organic compounds associated with gunshot residue from articles of clothing, followed by analysis with mass spectrometry. During the discharge of a weapon, a cloud of volatile organic gunshot residue (OGSR) is dispersed around a firearm. This will create a high probability of transfer between the OGSR and the clothing of individuals who are near a discharged weapon. The first part of this dissertation will be the development of a method for removal of volatile OGSR from articles of clothing. Extraction of OGSR will be completed by solid phase microextraction (SPME), followed by separation and analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Many parameters will require optimization for proper extraction of OGSR from articles of clothing. Following development of a SPME procedure, figures of merit were determined such as linearity and limits of detection/quantification, obtaining levels of detection of 0.206 ng/cm2 on a 100 cm2 cotton cloth. Applications of this extraction method were investigated including the determination of the distance OGSR travels from a discharged weapon and the extraction of OGSR with different clothing materials by SPME. The second part of this dissertation will focus on the development of an on-line solvent extraction method for removal of OGSR from articles of clothing, followed by analysis with paper spray mass spectrometry. Issues using SPME of certain types of clothing materials required the development of an alternative method for removal of OGSR from articles of clothing. Use of an on-line solvent extraction technique of OGSR from articles of clothing followed by analysis with paper spray mass spectrometry allowed for detection of OGSR at comparable levels to a headspace SPME procedure. Use of paper spray with an ion trap mass spectrometer permitted the soft ionization of OGSR compounds followed by tandem mass spectrometry to obtain structural information. Extraction of OGSR from articles of clothing has potential to determine if an individual was present during the discharge of a firearm. Extraction of OGSR from articles of clothing will provide an alternative to traditional methods of gunshot residue analysis currently in use.

In this essay we use complex analysis, in particular modern residue calculus, to compute certain Riemann integrals. / I den har uppsatsen använder vi komplex analys, då särskilt modern residykalkyl, for att beräkna vissa Riemann-integraler.

With a growing population on earth the amount of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) and other scrap steel increases. The European Directive 2000/53/CE” requires a minimum of 95 % reuse and recovery and 85 % re-use and recycling no later than 1 January 2015, for end-of life vehicles. This imposes a need for more efficient recycling and recovery. Despite this shredder residue (SR) is commonly land filled. This report investigated the magnetic fines residue generated at Stena Metall shredder facility in Halmstad, Sweden. Magnetic fines is a complex material containing e.g. ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, glass, plastic, rubber, polyurethane, sand, dirt, brominated flame retardants and PCB. Characterisation of the material and discussion around area of application resulted in suggestions for possible recycling alternatives. Characterisation included e.g. particle size, total organic content, x-ray fluorescence, x-ray powder diffraction and elemental analysis with a focus on the metals. The results indicated a higher organic content in larger particles and an increasing content of e.g. lead, cadmium and mercury in smaller particles. X-ray fluorescence can be used to measure lead in magnetic fines. The conclusion was that the combustible organic content needs to be separated before further metal recycling can be applied. If magnetic fines should be used in construction pollutants probably either needs to be removed or encapsulated to prevent exposure to humans and environment.

Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, den Einfluss einer therapeutischen Behandlung mit β Lactamantiobiotika auf die Resistenzlage der intestinalen Flora beim Schwein zu untersuchen. Im Anschluss an eine Behandlung mit Ceftiofur konnte die Entwicklung resistenter E. coli bei den behandelten Tieren, sowie unbehandelten Tieren, die sich mit im selben Stall befanden, beobachtet werden. Zusätzlich wurden mittels PCR Extended-Sprectrum-Lactamasen (ESBL)-codierende Gene bei diesen Keimen nachgewiesen. Da subtherapeutische Antibiotikadosen die Entwicklung von Resistenzen fördern können, wurden die Konzentrationen an Desfuroylceftiofur in Kot, Urin, Stallaerosole und Sedimentationsstäube im Anschluss an die Behandlung mit Ceftiofur untersucht. Die Bestimmung erfolgte mittels UPLC MS/MS. In allen Matrices konnten Wirkstoffrückstände detektiert werden und beweist den Eintrag von mikrobiologisch aktiven Substanzen in die Umgebung. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie machen noch einmal deutlich, dass der Einsatz von Antibiotika zurückhaltend und in Kombination mit einer guten Stallhygiene erfolgen sollte.

The major aim of this study was to investigate various leaching methods for the recovery of zinc and lead from blended neutral leach residues of &Ccedil / inkur having a composition of 12.59 % Zn, 15.21 % Pb, 6.45 % Fe, 0.054 % Cd. Initially water leaching tests were performed at various conditions of leaching temperature, reaction time and particle size. The optimized conditions for water leaching were found to be 2 h, 95&amp / #61616 / C and 250 g/l pulp density with a final pH of 5.9. However, the zinc recovery value of 10.26 % was not adequate for industrial scale operations itself. In acid leaching trials / acid concentration, temperature, reaction time and particle size were the chosen variables. At the optimized condition of 150 g/l H2SO4, 95&amp / #61616 / C, 2 h at 250 g/l pulp density with a final pregnant solution pH of 4.2, the extraction values were determined as 74.87 % for Zn and 39.59 % for Fe. These recovery values were evaluated as suitable for industrially feasible operations while creating a secondary leach residue of a composition of 4.10 % Zn, 19.17 % Pb, 5.52 % Fe and 85 ppm Cd that would not be suitable for pyrometallurgical lead production. After recovering zinc in considerable amount by hot sulphuric acid leaching, NaCl leaching experiments for the extraction of lead were done on the secondary leach residue by taking temperature, time and pulp density into account. The most promising conditions of brine leaching for lead recovery were found as 300 g/l NaCl, 20&amp / #61616 / C, 15 minutes and 20 g/l pulp density that gave approximately 82 % lead recovery with a final residue of 7.87 % Pb, 6.86 % Zn, 8.79 % Fe.

Progress in the microelectronics industry is driven by smaller and faster transistors. As feature sizes in integrated circuits become smaller and liquid chemical waste becomes an even greater environmental concern, gas expanded liquids (GXLs) may provide a possible solution to future device fabrication limitations relative to the use of liquids. The properties of GXLs such as surface tension can be tuned by the inclusion of high pressure gases; thereby, the reduced surface tension will allow penetration of cleaning solutions into small features on the nanometer scale. In addition, the inclusion of the gas decreases the amount of liquid necessary for the photoresist and etch residue removal processes. This thesis explores the role of CO2-based GXLs for photoresist and etch residue removal. The gas used for expansion is CO2 while the liquid used is methanol. The cosolvent serving as the removal agent is tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) which upon reacting with CO2 becomes predominantly tetramethyl ammonium bicarbonate (TMAB).

Plant residues added to soil are a source of nutrients for plants and soil organisms and increase soil organic matter which has an important role in improving soil structure and fertility, hence maintaining soil quality for sustainable agriculture. In order to utilize plant residues for increasing soil organic matter more effectively, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms of plant residue decomposition. Soil organic matter decomposition is influenced by several factors such as plant residue quality, temperature, water availability, soil structure and soil texture, particularly clay content. The interaction of clay and decomposition of organic matter has been studied in the past. Nevertheless, many studies investigated this interaction in natural soil or under field conditions over long periods of time. Variation in environmental factors may influence the interaction of clay and decomposition of organic matter, thus in most previous studies their effect cannot be separated from the direct effect of clay on decomposition. To study the direct effect of clay on organic matter decomposition, four experiments with different objectives were carried out using isolated natural clay, under controlled conditions (e.g. temperature and organic matter input) and a short incubation period (approximately one month). All experiments were carried out using a sand matrix to which different clay types, clay fractions (natural or with iron oxide partially removed) or clay concentrations were added together with mature wheat straw (C/N 122 in most experiments, except Experiment 2 where the wheat straw had a C/N of 18) and a microbial inoculum. To investigate the effect of clay type, two clay types were added. They were isolated from Wiesenboden (W) and Red Brown Earth (RBE) soil. Clay types from both soils contained kaolinite and illite, but smectite only occurred in W clay. Iron oxide is thought to be important for the binding of organic matter to clay, therefore two clay fractions were used, the clay with native iron oxide (natural clay) and clay from which iron oxide was partially removed by citrate-dithionite-bicarbonate treatment (citrate-dithionite clay, CD clay). The following parameters were measured: pH, water loss, respiration rate, microbial community structure using phospholipid fatty acid analysis and, in some experiments, particulate organic matter. In all experiments, the water content of the substrate mixes was adjusted only at the start; water loss was greatest in the control and decreased with increasing clay content. The aim of the first experiment was to study the effect of the concentration of W clay on decomposition of wheat residues. Respiration (i.e. decomposition of the wheat straw) was affected by clay in two ways (i) decreased decomposition, thus protection of organic matter, in the initial phase at all concentrations (5, 10, 20 and 40%) and throughout the incubation period at ≤ 20% clay, and (ii) greater water retention at higher clay concentration particularly 40% clay that allowed maintenance of higher respiration rates towards the end of incubation. Generally, clay concentration had an effect on microbial community structure but not on microbial biomass. The effect of clay concentration was also investigated in the second experiment, but using RBE clay and a narrower range of concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20% clay) than in the first experiment with W clay. The wheat residue used in this experiment had a lower C/N ratio compared to the other three experiments (C/N 18 compared to 122). In contrast to the first experiment, cumulative respiration of the clay treatments was greater than that of control throughout the incubation, thus clay increased rather than decreased decomposition. This may be due to the properties of the wheat residue used in this experiment which contained more water-soluble compounds, the diffusion of which would be enhanced in treatments with clay compared to the control due to their higher water availability. However, considering only the treatments with added clay, cumulative respiration followed the same pattern as in the first experiment, with highest cumulative respiration at 20% clay. In general, microbial community structure, microbial biomass and microbial groups (i.e. bacterial and fungal fatty acids) were affected by the presence of clay and sampling time, but there was no clear relationship between these factors and the richness and diversity of the microbial community. The aim of the third experiment was to determine the effect of clay concentration (5 and 40% of W clay) and fraction (natural or citrate-dithionite clay) on decomposition of wheat straw and microbial community structure. Clay fraction and concentration strongly affected the respiration rate and microbial community structure as well as microbial biomass but not the concentration of particulate organic matter (POM). Compared to the control, partial removal of iron oxide strongly increased decomposition at both concentrations whereas clay with iron oxides reduced the decomposition. Microbial community structure was affected by clay fractions, particularly at 40% clay. The aim of the fourth experiment was to determine the effect of clay fraction (natural and citrate-dithionite clay) and clay type (W clay or RBE clay) at 5% clay on decomposition of wheat straw and microbial community structure. Clay type and the partial removal of iron oxide had a significant effect on the decomposition rate but did not affect POM concentration. As in the third experiment, partial removal of iron oxide increased respiration rate, the effect was less pronounced in RBE clay than in W clay. Clay type and fraction strongly affected microbial community structure. In conclusion, the experiments showed that native clay generally reduces organic matter decomposition by binding and occlusion. The importance of iron oxide for the protective effect of clay on organic matter decomposition was shown by the fact that partial removal of iron oxide strongly increased decomposition rate compared to the native clay. The two clay types differed in their effect. The W clay containing smectite protects organic matter to a greater extent than RBE clay with predominantly illite and kaolinite due to its higher surface area and CEC that lead to binding and or occlusion. The results also showed that although clay reduces organic matter decomposition under optimal water availability, this effect can be reversed as the substrates dry out because the greater water retention of substrates with clay concentrations > 10% compared to the pure sand matrix allows maintenance of a greater microbial activity. Clay type, fraction and concentration affected microbial community structure via their effect on organic matter and water availability. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1521949 / Thesis (M.Ag.Sc.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environment Science, 2010