Recycled effluent irrigation in vineyards : an Australian case study. I. issues and monitoring

The viticultural industry is becoming an increasingly significant part of the Australian agricultural sector, with gross earnings of over $4 billion in 2002. Expansion of the industry in the last decade has been rapid, however its heavy reliance on irrigation has resulted in further expansion in many wine growing regions being limited by the availability of water. This problem is not confined to the viticultural industry, with ever increasing pressures on water resources worldwide. As demands for water continue to rise, new strategies to meet demands must be adopted. One of the strategies being increasingly employed is the recycling of waste waters for a number of applications such as irrigation and industrial uses. The use of recycled water for vineyard irrigation provides a number of benefits. Among them are the reduced demands on potable supplies, reduced waste discharges to surface waters, and the opportunity for expansion of production. Recycled waters however, contain constituents which have the potential to cause deleterious effects to both production and the environment. Therefore, the use of recycled water for irrigation requires targetted monitoring and management to ensure the long-term sustainability of both the vineyard and the surrounding environment. Traditional monitoring techniques including water quality monitoring and soil testing can be complimented by new technologies and techniques which provide large quantities of information with relatively less labour and time. Such techniques can be used to monitor the vineyard environment to identify impacts arising from management practices, allowing vineyard managers to adjust management for sustainable production

Variability of soil chemistry following irrigation with recycled municipal effluent: a Great Western vineyard case study

In areas of Australia where viticultural operations have been limited by lack of an acceptable irrigation water source, considerable expansion has occurred through the use of recycled wastewater. Despite this rapid expansion, little is known of the potential impacts of the water’s chemical constituents on soil properties, or the long-term sustainability of the vineyards using the water. In order to establish the impacts of drip irrigated recycled wastewater on a vineyard in Great Western, Australia, a study comparing the soils from the vineyard inter-row and row area was undertaken. Chemical and physical properties of the soil with varying distances from the drip emitter were also investigated. During the irrigation season, significant differences between the inter-row and row area were found for several chemical parameters including pH(1:5soil/water) (P<0.001), electrical conductivity (EC1:5) (P<0.001), water-soluble sodium (WS Na+) (P<0.001), and water-soluble chloride (WS Cl-) (P<0.001). This paper will discuss differences observed between soil properties of the inter-row and vine row area, as well as the spatial distribution of solutes under the drip emitter.

An analysis of factors influencing waste minimisation and use of recycled materials for the construction of residential buildings

Residential building construction activities, whether it is new build, repair or maintenance, consumes a large amount of natural resources. This has a negative impact on the environment in the form depleting natural resources, increasing waste production and pollution. Previous research has identified the benefits of preventing or reducing material waste, mainly in terms of the limited available space for waste disposal, and escalating costs associated with landfills, waste management and disposal and their impact on a  building company's profitability. There has however been little development internationally of innovative waste management strategies aimed at reducing the resource requirement of the construction process. The authors contend that embodied energy is a useful indicator of resource value. Using data provided by a regional high-volume residential builder in the State of Victoria, Australia, this paper identifies the various types of waste that are generated from the construction of a typical standard house. It was found that in this particular case, wasted amounts of materials were less than those found previously by others for cases in capital cities (5-10 per cent), suggesting that waste minimisation strategies are successfully being implemented. Cost and embodied energy savings from using materials with recycled content are potentially more beneficial in terms of embodied energy and resource depletion than waste minimisation strategies.

Generating heat from conducting polypyrrole-coated PET fabrics

Heating effects in polypyrrole-coated polyethyleneterephthalate (PET)-Lycra® fabrics were studied. Chemical synthesis was employed to coat the PET fabrics by polypyrrole using ferric chloride as oxidant and antraquinone- 2-sulfonic acid (AQSA) and naphthalene sulfonic acid (NSA) as dopants. The coated fabrics exhibited reasonable electrical stability, possessed high electrical conductivity, and were effective in heat generation. Surface resistance of polypyrrole-coated fabrics ranged from approximately 150 to 500 /square. Different connections between conductive fabrics and the power source were examined. When subjected to a constant voltage of 24 V, the current transmitted through the fabric decreased about 10% in 72 h. An increase in resistance of conductive fabrics subjected to constant voltage was observed

The importance of pet loss and some implications for services

Understanding the meaning of companion animals and their loss in peoples' lives has major implications for the way professional services are organized and delivered. There is much research and literature which argues for the major social, emotional and physical benefits of animal companionship, and the widespread nature of pet ownership. Yet ironically, much of the professional service literature has tended to marginalize or pathologize the human-animal bond, often dichotomizing it against human relationships and assuming its inferiority. We argue that this reflects a tendency to individualize what should be a major social concern. Therefore service design and delivery needs to reflect a recognition of human-animal relationships as a significant part of normal experience. Services and policies need to factor in both the inclusion and loss of these.

Superplasticity and cavitation of recycled AZ31 magnesium alloy fabricated by solid recycling process

Superplastic behaviour of Mg-alloy AZ31 was investigated to clarify the possibility of its use for superplastic forming (SPF) and to accurately evaluate material characteristics under a biaxial stress by utilizing a multi-dome test. The material characteristics were evaluated under three different superplastic temperatures , 643, 673, and 703 K in order to determine the most suitable superplastic temperature. Finite Element Method (FEM) simulation of rectangular pan forming was carried out to predict the formability of the material into a complex shape. The superplastic material properties are used for the simulation of a rectangular pan. Finally, the simulation results are compared with the experimental results to determine the accuracy of the superplastic material characteristics. The experimental results revealed that the m values are greater than 0.3 under the three superplastic temperatures, which is indicative of superplasticity. The optimum superplastic temperature is 673 K, at which a maximum m value and no grain growth were observed. The results of the FEM simulation revealed that certain localized thinning occurred at the die entrance of the deformed rectangular pan due to the insufficient ductility of the material. The simulation results also showed that the optimum superplastic temperature of AZ31 is 673 K.

MRI-negative PET-positive temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and mesial TLE differ with quantitative MRI and PET: a case control study

Background: 'MRI negative PET positive temporal lobe epilepsy' represents a substantial minority of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Clinicopathological and qualitative imaging differences from mesial temporal lobe epilepsy are reported. We aimed to compare TLE with hippocampal sclerosis (HS+ve) and non lesional TLE without HS (HS-ve) on MRI, with respect to quantitative FDG-PET and MRI measures.

Methods: 30 consecutive HS-ve patients with well-lateralised EEG were compared with 30 age- and sex-matched HS+ve patients with well-lateralised EEG. Cerebral, cortical lobar and hippocampal volumetric and co-registered FDG-PET metabolic analyses were performed.

Results: There was no difference in whole brain, cerebral or cerebral cortical volumes. Both groups showed marginally smaller cerebral volumes ipsilateral to epileptogenic side (HS-ve 0.99, p = 0.02, HS+ve 0.98, p < 0.001). In HS+ve, the ratio of epileptogenic cerebrum to whole brain volume was less (p = 0.02); the ratio of epileptogenic cerebral cortex to whole brain in the HS+ve group approached significance (p = 0.06). Relative volume deficits were seen in HS+ve in insular and temporal lobes. Both groups showed marked ipsilateral hypometabolism (p < 0.001), most marked in temporal cortex. Mean hypointensity was more marked in epileptogenic-to-contralateral hippocampus in HS+ve (ratio: 0.86 vs 0.95, p < 0.001). The mean FDG-PET ratio of ipsilateral to contralateral cerebral cortex however was low in both groups (ratio: HS-ve 0.97, p < 0.0001; HS+ve 0.98, p = 0.003), and more marked in HS-ve across all lobes except insula.

Conclusion: Overall, HS+ve patients showed more hippocampal, but also marginally more ipsilateral cerebral and cerebrocortical atrophy, greater ipsilateral hippocampal hypometabolism but similar ipsilateral cerebral cortical hypometabolism, confirming structural and functional differences between these groups.

Hippocampal deformation mapping in MRI-negative PET-positive temporal lobe epilepsy

Objectives: To compare hippocampal surface structure, using large deformation high dimensional mapping (HDM-LD), in subjects with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) with (HS+ve) and without (HS−ve) hippocampal sclerosis.

Methods: The study included 30 HS−ve subjects matched with 30 HS+ve subjects from the previously reported epilepsy patient cohort. To control for normal right–left asymmetries of hippocampal surface structure, subjects were regrouped based on laterality of onset of epileptic seizures and presence of HS. Gender ratio, age, duration of epilepsy and seizure frequency were calculated for each of the four groups. Final HDM-LD surface maps of the right and left TLE groups were compared to define differences in subregional hippocampal involvement within the groups.

Results: There were no significant differences in comparisons of the left TLE (left HS−ve compared with HS+ve) or right TLE (right HS−ve compared with HS+ve) groups with respect to age, duration of epilepsy or seizure severity scores. HDM-LD maps showed accentuated surface changes over the lateral hippocampal surface, in the region of the Sommer sector, in the hippocampi affected by HS. However, HS−ve hippocampi showed maximal surface changes in a different pattern, and did not involve the region of Sommer sector.

Conclusion: We conclude that differences in segmental volume loss between the HS−ve and HS+ve groups are suggestive that the underlying pathophysiology of hippocampal changes in the two groups is different, and not related to chronic seizure duration or severity.

Competitive sorbtion of metals in water repellent soils: implications for irrigation recycled water

Australia is a water-stressed nation and demand on potable water supply is increasing. Consequently water conservation and reuse are increasingly becoming important. Irrigation of recycled wastewater on water repellent soils is a technology that is being trialled as a means of improving crop production and conserving potable supply. However, recycled water contains potentially harmful heavy metals. This paper reports the competitive sorption and desorption of several common heavy metals found in soils collected from a farm located in the south-east of South Australia. The soil from this location is severely water repellent, but some sites were amended with kaolinite clay (Si₄Al₄O₁₀(OH)₈) about 7 and 15 years ago. The metals studied were Cu, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Zn. Competitive sorption of the metals was distinctly observed. For all heavy metals, the quantity of metal sorbed was higher in amended soil, and there was a strong correlation between the specific sorption to total sorption ratio and the amount of clay in the soil. The sorption intensities varied with metal, Cr, Pb, and Cu having a high sorption tendencies and Zn, Cd, and Ni having comparatively low sorption tendencies. The total sorption capacity for all metals increased in clay-treated soils compared with non-treated soils. On average, clay-amended water repellent soils had a 20–40% increased capacity to adsorb total metals; however, this increase was largely caused by the increased capacities to adsorb Zn, Cd, and Ni. The effect of clay treatment largely enhanced the sorption capacity of relatively weakly adsorbing heavy metals. The implications for using recycled wastewater on the long-term sustainable agro-environmental management of these soils are discussed.

Fluorescent photoinduced electron transfer (PET) sensors for anions; from design to potential application

This mini review highlights the synthesis and photophysical evaluation of anion sensors, for nonaqueous solutions, that have been developed in our laboratories over the last few years. We have focused our research mainly on developing fluorescent photoinduced electron transfer (PET) sensors based on the fluorophore-spacer-anion receptor principle using several anthracene (emitting in the blue) and 1,8-naphthalimide (emitting in the green) fluorophores, with the aim of targeting biologically and industrially relevant anions such as acetates, phosphate and amino acids, as well as halides such as fluoride. The receptors and the fluorophore are separated by a short methyl or ethyl spacer, where the charge neutral anion receptors are either aliphatic or aromatic urea (or thiourea) moieties. For these, the anion recognition is through hydrogen bonding, yielding anion:receptor complexes. Such bonding gives rise to enhanced reduction potential in the receptor moieties which causes enhancement in the rate of PET quenching of the fluorophore excited state from the anion:receptor moiety. This design can be further elaborated on by incorporating either two fluorophores, or urea/thiourea receptors into the sensor structures, using anthracene as a fluorophore. For the latter design, the sensors were designed to achieve sensing of bis-anions, such as di-carboxylates or pyrophosphate, where the anion bridged the anthracene moiety. In the case of the naphthalimide based mono-receptor based PET sensors, it was discovered that in DMSO the sensors were also susceptible to deprotonation by anions such as F− at high concentrations. This led to substantial changes in the absorption spectra of these sensors, where the solution changed colour from yellow/green to deep blue, which was clearly visible to the naked eye. Hence, some of the examples presented can act as dual fluorescent-colorimetric sensors for anions. Further investigations into this phenomenon led to the development of simple colorimetric sensors for fluorides, which upon exposure to air, were shown to fix carbon dioxide as bicarbonate.

Sequential 123-I-iododexetimide scans in temporal lobe epilepsy: comparison with neuroimaging scans (MR imaging and 18-F-FDG-PET imaging)

Purpose Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) play an important role in the generation of seizures. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with ¹²³I-iododexetimide (IDEX) depicts tracer uptake by mAChRs. Our aims were to: (a) determine the optimum time for interictal IDEX SPECT imaging; (b) determine the accuracy of IDEX scans in the localisation of seizure foci when compared with video EEG and MR imaging in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE); (c) characterise the distribution of IDEX binding in the temporal lobes and (d) compare IDEX SPECT and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in identifying seizure foci.
Methods We performed sequential scans using IDEX SPECT imaging at 0, 3, 6 and 24 h in 12 consecutive patients with refractory TLE undergoing assessment for epilepsy surgery. Visual and region of interest analyses of the mesial, lateral and polar regions of the temporal lobes were used to compare IDEX SPECT, FDG PET and MR imaging in seizure onset localisation.
Results The 6-h IDEX scan (92%; κappa=0.83, p=0.003) was superior to the 0-h (36%; kappa=0.01, p>0.05), 3-h (55%;κappa=0.13, p>0.05) and 24-h IDEX scans in identifying the temporal lobe of seizure origin. The 6-h IDEX scan correctly predicted the temporal lobe of seizure origin in two patients who required intracranial EEG recordings to define the seizure onset. Reduced ligand binding was most marked at the temporal pole and mesial temporal structures. IDEX SPECT was superior to interictal FDG PET (75%; κappa=0.66, p=0.023) in seizure onset localisation. MR imaging was non-localising in two patients in whom it was normal and in another patient in whom there was bilateral symmetrical hippocampal atrophy.
Conclusion The 6-h IDEX SPECT scan is a viable alternative to FDG PET imaging in seizure onset localisation in TLE.