Tuning of PID controllers for water networks—different approaches

Better operational control of water networks can help reduce leakage, maintain pressure, and control flow. Proportional integral derivative (PID) controllers, with proper fine-tuning, can help water utility operators achieve targets faster without creating undue transients. The authors compared three tuning methods, in different test situations, involving flow and level control to different reservoirs. Although target values were reached with all three tuning methods, the methods’ performances varied significantly. The lowest performer among the three was the method most widely used in the industry—standard tuning by the Ziegler-Nichols method. Achieving better results was offline tuning by genetic algorithms. Achieving the best control, though, was a fuzzy logic–based online tuning approach—the FZPID controller. The FZPID controller had fewer overshoots and took significantly less time to tune the gains for each problem. This new tuning approach for PID controllers can be applied to a variety of problems and can increase the performance of water networks of any size and structure

Nondeactivating Nanosized Ionic Catalysts for Water-Gas Shift Reaction

The water-gas shift reaction (WGS) is an important reaction to produce hydrogen. In this study, we have synthesized nanosized catalysts where Pt ion is substituted in the +2 state in TiO2, CeO2, and Ce1-xTixO2-delta. These catalysts have been characterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and it has been shown that Pt2+ in these reducible oxides result in solid solutions like Ti0.99Pt0.01O2-delta, Ce0.8Ti0.15Pt0.02O2-delta, and Ce0.98Pt0.02O2-delta. These catalysts were tested for the water gas shift reaction both ill the presence and absence of hydrogen. It was shown that Ti0.99Pt0.01O2-delta exhibited higher catalytic activity than Ce0.83Ti0.15Pt0.02O2-delta and Ce0.98Pt0.02O2-delta. Further, experiments were conducted to determine the deactivation of these catalysts. There was no sintering of Pt and no carbonate formation; therefore, the catalyst did not deactivate even after prolonged reaction. There was no carbonate formation because of the highly acidic nature of Ti4+ ions in the catalysts.

Increase water use efficiency and productivity, and reduce energy and water usage and costs, of dairy and fodder enterprises, to reduce costs of milk production

Increase water use efficiency and productivity, and reduce energy and water usage and costs, of dairy and fodder enterprises, to reduce costs of milk production.

Increasing Adoption of Irrigation and Water Recycling Technologies in Australia

Retrofitting nurseries to increase water use efficiency and evaluate 4 soil moisture sensors for irrigation scheduling.

Using mulch to improve water use efficiency of in-ground native flowers

Monitoring of soil moisture fluctuations under mulched and un-mulched native flowers will provide valuable information in assessing the crop water use and potential water savings associated with adoption of this practise. This information would be valuable in encouraging growers to adopt best management practises for sustainable flower production.

Metallomicelles as potent catalysts for the ester hydrolysis reactions in water

Synthetic amphiphiles have been employed for the investigation of diverse topics, e.g. membrane mimetics, drug delivery, ion sensing and even in certain separation processes. Metal-complexing amphiphiles comprise an interesting class of compounds possessing multiple utilities. Upon solubilization in water they form metallomicelles. For achieving specific catalysis of a variety of reactions, metallomicelles were utilized by applying the principles of coordination chemistry and self-organizing systems. Because of their certain similarities with the natural enzymes, metallomicelles were synthesized as catalysts for many reactions. In particular the metallomicelles play a catalytic role in reactions involving the hydrolysis of activated carboxylate esters, phosphate esters and amides at ambient conditions near neutral pH. Apart from the hydrolysis reactions, these were exploited to play pertinent role as Lewis acid catalysts in cycloaddition reactions, and in other reactions such as phenolic oxidation in presence of hydrogen peroxide. In this review we emphasize with the help of assorted examples, the design, synthesis of metal-complexing amphiphiles and their aggregation behavior leading to catalytic hydrolysis reactions in aqueous media.

Rural Water Use Efficiency 4

The purpose of this proposal is to detail the proposed service provision project to be undertaken by staff from the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI – formerly DPI&F) to the Flower Association of Queensland Inc (FAQI). FAQI to successfully fulfil FAQI’s requirements under the Rural Water Use Efficiency 4 project.

Herbert Strauss standing along the water.

Digital Image

GRDC Improving crop and farm water use efficiency in Australia

Project Objectives: 1. Improving yield and water use efficiency of the wheat crop, the backbone of the Australia grains industry, by better matching management, variety, soil and climate. The aim is thus increasing kg grain/ha per mm evapotranspiration and kg grain/ha per mm rain. 2. Improving land and water productivity and profit by better arrangement of the components of the cropping system. This involves better allocation of farm resources (land, water, machinery, labour) and identifying strategies that account for trade-offs between profit and risk. The aim is thus improving $/ha per year and mm rain in a risk framework.

Better integration of crop-legume sequencing under limited water

It is proposed that over 4-5 years of study period, multiple collaborative sites will be established with on-farm cooperators to demonstrate better integration of crop-legume sequencing for improved root growth and functioning under limited water, leading to improved productivity and carbon sequestration, and reduced runoff and deep drainage losses.

Water Use Efficiency Investment for Healthy Headwaters

Agri-Science Queensland to provide a range of extension services to improve water use efficiency in irrigated agriculture in the Queensland Murray Darling Basin and support the implementation of the Healthy Headwaters On-farm Water Use Efficiency program.

Improving on-farm cotton root growth and functioning under limited water

The objectives of this project over a 3 years study period are: 1) validation and on-farm adoption of improved root growth and functioning for managing cotton production under limited water and nitrogen nutrition; and 2) Delivering improved understanding of enhancing root growth and functioning to about 50% cotton growers in the regions leading towards a better adaptation to future climate driven challenges, particularly limited water availability in Queensland and New South Wales. The research is expected to be supported through cash and/or in-kind contributions by CRDC and Agri-Science Queensland (DEEDI).

Molecular basis of the kidney filtration barrier : Role of the nephrin protein complex

The kidney filtration barrier consists of fenestrated endothelial cell layer, glomerular basement membrane and slit diaphragm (SD), the specialized junction between glomerular viscelar epithelial cells (podocytes). Podocyte injury is associated with the development of proteinuria, and if not reversed the injury will lead to permanent deterioration of the glomerular filter. The early events are characterized by disruption of the integrity of the SD, but the molecular pathways involved are not fully understood. Congenital nephrotic syndrome of the Finnish type (CNF) is caused by mutations in NPHS1, the gene encoding the SD protein nephrin. Lack of nephrin results in loss of the SD and massive proteinuria beginning before birth. Furthermore, nephrin expression is decreased in acquired human kidney diseases including diabetic nephropathy. This highlights the importance of nephrin and consequently SD in regulating the kidney filtration function. However, the precise molecular mechanism of how nephrin is involved in the formation of the SD is unknown. This thesis work aimed at clarifying the role of nephrin and its interaction partners in the formation of the SD. The purpose was to identify novel proteins that associate with nephrin in order to define the essential molecular complex required for the establishment of the SD. The aim was also to decipher the role of novel nephrin interacting proteins in podocytes. Nephrin binds to nephrin-like proteins Neph1 and Neph2, and to adherens junction protein P-cadherin. These interactions have been suggested to play a role in the formation of the SD. In this thesis work, we identified densin as a novel interaction partner for nephrin. Densin was localized to the SD and it was shown to bind to adherens junction protein beta-catenin. Furthermore, densin was shown to behave in a similar fashion as adherens junction proteins in cell-cell contacts. These results indicate that densin may play a role in cell adhesion and, therefore, may contribute to the formation of the SD together with nephrin and adherens junction proteins. Nephrin was also shown to bind to Neph3, which has been previously localized to the SD. Neph3 and Neph1 were shown to induce cell adhesion alone, whereas nephrin needed to trans-interact with Neph1 or Neph3 from the opposite cell surface in order to make cell-cell contacts. This was associated with the decreased tyrosine phosphorylation of nephrin. These data extend the current knowledge of the molecular composition of the nephrin protein complex at the SD and also provide novel insights of how the SD may be formed. This thesis work also showed that densin was up-regulated in the podocytes of CNF patients. Neph3 was up-regulated in nephrin deficient mouse kidneys, which share similar podocyte alterations and lack of the SD as observed in CNF patients podocytes. These data suggest that densin and Neph3 may have a role in the formation of morphological alterations in podocytes detected in CNF patients. Furthermore, this thesis work showed that deletion of beta-catenin specifically from adult mouse podocytes protected the mice from the development of adriamycin-induced podocyte injury and proteinuria compared to wild-type mice. These results show that beta-catenin play a role in the adriamycin induced podocyte injury. Podocyte injury is a hallmark in many kidney diseases and the changes observed in the podocytes of CNF patient share characteristics with injured podocytes observed in chronic kidney diseases. Therefore, the results obtained in this thesis work suggest that densin, Neph3 and beta-catenin participate in the molecular pathways which result in morphological alterations commonly detected in injured podocytes in kidney diseases.

Water bottles from China: Decoding visual grammar

On the ALEA Study Tour to China, Beryl Exley and her roomie Kathryn O’Sullivan pondered over their first night dilemma whilst staying at a hotel in Beijing. They read the room service guide (in English) which advised against drinking the tap water and confirming the supply of one bottle of complementary water per guest per day. The room service guide listed ‘special’ bottled water was the equivalent of $AUS7 per bottle. However the dilemma was this: sitting on the shelf above the fridge were three different kinds of water-like bottles. Each had a different label, written mainly in Chinese characters. Not wanting to mistake the bottles, Beryl and Kathryn set about decoding the text of the three bottles in question.

Benchmarking water management in the Australian cotton industry

Benchmarking irrigation performance has always been a challenge. As part of the Rural Water Use Efficiency (RWUE3) project the team in, collaboration with the Cotton Catchments Communities CRC, National Certificate of Educational Achievement and the Knowledge Management Phase 2 project, aimed to standardise the irrigation indices in use within the cotton industry. This was achieved through: - the delivery of training workshops - access to benchmarking tools - promotion of benchmarking as a best practice to be adopted on farm.