Electricity generation as a beneficial post-closure land use option for a dormant tailings storage facility

Dormant tailings storage facilities (TSFs) have negative effects on their surrounding environments and communities. This study is aimed at determining the financial and practical feasibility of generating energy from the ERGO TSF site, near Brakpan, Johannesburg, as a beneficial post-closure land use option. The beneficial post-closure options investigated were rainwater harvesting and electricity generation from wind power, photo voltaic solar power and a pump storage system constructed on the TSF. Wind power generation and rainwater harvesting from the site were found to be unviable. It was found that a 470 MW (peak capacity) solar photo voltaic plant on top of the ERGO TSF will provide the best solution, both from a practical and financial point of view, yielding a potential internal rate of return (IRR) of 10.7% over 50 years. A pump storage system yields a maximum IRR of 10.3%, but with a substantially smaller generation capacity of approximately 80 MW.The Green Fundhttp://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_civileng.htmlam2016Civil Engineerin

Avaliação da incidência de antracnose, do desempenho e estado nutricional de variedades de mangueira, para cultivo orgânico, na região centro-norte do Estado de São Paulo.

A mudança do perfil do consumidor, aliada aos riscos da contaminação por agrotóxicos, tem levado à busca de alternativas ecologicamente apropriadas para produção de frutas. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar a incidência de antracnose, o desempenho e estado nutricional de variedades de mangueira conduzidas organicamente na região de Pindorama-SP. Foram utilizadas 17 variedades de mangueira. O experimento foi instalado em delineamento experimental em blocos completos ao acaso, com 17 tratamentos (variedades) e seis repetições. Foi avaliada a severidade de antracnose nas folhas, através de uma escala diagramática, atribuindo-se notas aos sintomas. Foram avaliados o crescimento e o desenvolvimento (altura da planta, perímetro do tronco e da copa) e o estado nutricional, mediante análise foliar, das diferentes variedades utilizadas. Através dos resultados obtidos, podem-se considerar como muito suscetíveis à antracnose as variedades Bourbon, Rocha e Rosa; e resistentes, as variedades IAC 111, Alfa, Beta e Parvin; as variedades de manga apresentaram o mesmo padrão de crescimento; as maiores alturas da planta corresponderam aos maiores diâmetros do tronco e da copa; a variedade Parvin apresentou o melhor desempenho dentre as variedades estudadas, com relação à resistência à antracnose, altura e diâmetro do caule e da copa, podendo ser recomendada ao cultivo orgânico. As variedades Omega e Alfa também apresentaram bom crescimento, podendo ser indicadas para esse cultivo, pelo menos nessa fase inicial; as variedades Surpresa e Rosa não apresentaram bom desempenho, no campo, em relação às demais, não devendo ser recomendadas para o cultivo orgânico, principalmente a variedade Rosa, bastante suscetível à antracnose. As concentrações de N, P e K foram elevadas na fase vegetativa das plantas, comparadas à baixa concentração de Ca; houve carência de Boro em todas as variedades estudadas. A manga Rosa, provavelmente, sofreu toxicidade ao excesso de manganês, ocasionando diminuição em seu desenvolvimento

Declining Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Incidence in Dutch Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Men Who Have Sex With Men After Unrestricted Access to HCV Therapy

Background Direct-acting antivirals (DAAa) cure hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in 95% of infected patients. Modeling studies predict that universal HCV treatment will lead to a decrease in the incidence of new infections but real-life data are lacking. The incidence of HCV among Dutch human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–positive men who have sex with men (MSM) has been high for >10 years. In 2015 DAAs became available to all Dutch HCV patients and resulted in a rapid treatment uptake in HIV-positive MSM. We assessed whether this uptake was followed by a decrease in the incidence of HCV infections. Methods Two prospective studies of treatment for acute HCV infection enrolled patients in 17 Dutch HIV centers, having 76% of the total HIV-positive MSM population in care in the Netherlands. Patients were recru

Survival of Bulinus africanus (Krauss), Bulinus globosus (Morelet) and Biomphalaria pfeifferi (Krauss) at constant high temperatures

The survival of the freshwater snail species Bulinus africanus, Bulinus globosus and Biomphalaria pfeifferi at extreme high temperatures was experimentally investigated. Snails were exposed to temperatures in the range from 34°C to 40°C and their survival was noted daily. The results showed that the survival of the cohorts of all three species decreased with increased temperatures. It was also found that B. globosus survived longer at high temperatures than B. africanus and B. pfeifferi. There was no marked difference between the survival of the latter two species

The effect of constant low temperatures on the survival of Bulinus africanus (Krauss), Bulinus globosus (Morelet) and Biomphalaria pfeifferi (Krauss)

The tolerance to low temperature of the freshwater snail species Bulinus africanus, Bulinus globosus and Biomphalaria pfeifferi was experimentally investigated. Snails were exposed to temperatures ranging from 0 °C to 8 °C and their survival was noted daily. The results showed that the survival of the cohorts of all three species decreased as the temperature was lowered in the range investigated. Evidence is presented which demonstrates that B. africanus can withstand cold conditions better than B. globosus, and that B. globosus is better equipped than a pfeifferi in withstanding low water temperatures

Acute hepatitis C in the Netherlands: characteristics of the epidemic in 2014

Item does not contain fulltextWithin the Dutch Acute HCV in HIV Study, a surveillance system was initiated to estimate the incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in 2014. Following the Dutch HIV treatment guidelines, HIV-positive men having sex with men (MSM) in 19 participating centers were screened. Ninety-nine acute HCV infections were reported, which resulted in a mean incidence of 11 per 1000 patient-years of follow-up. Unfortunately, the HCV epidemic among Dutch HIV-positive MSM is not coming to a halt