Assessment of the influence of using green tea waste and fish waste as soil amendments for biosolarization on the growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. ramosa Hort.)

IntroductionSafe and efficient treatment of organic waste is crucial to developing a sustainable food system around the world. Soil biosolarization (SBS) is a soil treatment technique that can use organic solid wastes to treat the soil in a way that is alternative to the use of chemical fumigants to improve soil fertility in agriculture.MethodsIn this study, two types of organic food wastes, green tea waste (GTW) and fish waste (FW), were evaluated for the feasibility of being applied as soil amendments within simulations of high-temperature cycle SBS. The evaluation was conducted by execution of three groups of measurements: gas and organic volatile emission profile, residual soil phytotoxicity and weed suppression, and cultivar growth (Lactuca sativa L. var. ramosa Hort.).Results and DiscussionGreen tea waste contributed to elevated levels of soil respiration and the evolution of signature volatile organic compounds during the simulated SBS. In the soil amended with green tea waste and then undergoing SBS the phyto compatibility was restored after residual phytotoxicity dissipation and a complete weed suppression was achieved. By using an application rate of 2.5% (w/w, mass fraction of green tea waste in total soil-waste mixture) green tea waste cultivar growth comparable to that of the non-treated soil (NTS) group was attained, with a more efficient nitrogen utilization and higher residual soil nitrogen content enabling the improvement of the continuous cropping system. FW at 1% (w/w, mass fraction of FW in total soil-waste mixture) promoted cultivar growth despite the significant reduction of the nitrogen (p value=0.02) and phosphorus (p value=0.03) contents in the cultivar leaves. A significant increase of the sodium content together with an increase of iron and chromium, which exceeded the permissible limit, were observed. These results provide new information about amendment selection for the SBS process

Deliverable 1.1 review document on the management of marine areas with particular regard on concepts, objectives, frameworks and tools to implement, monitor, and evaluate spatially managed areas

The main objectives if this document were to review the existing information on spatial management of marine areas, identifying the relevant policy objectives, to identify parameters linked to the success or failure of the various Spatially Managed marine Areas (SMAs) regimes, to report on methods and tools used in monitoring and evaluation of the state of SMAs, and to identify gaps and weaknesses in the existing frameworks in relation to the implementation, monitoring, evaluation and management of SMAs. The document is naturally divided in two sections: Section 1 reviews the concepts, objectives, drivers, policy and management framework, and extraneous factors related to the design, implementation and evaluation of SMAs; Section 2 reviews the tools and methods to monitor and evaluate seabed habitats and marine populations.peer-reviewe

Deliverable 3.6 zoning plan of case studies : evaluation of spatial management options for the case studies

Within MESMA, nine case studies (CS) represent discrete marine European spatial entities, at different spatial scales, where a spatial marine management framework is in place, under development or considered. These CS (described in more details below) are chosen in such a way (MESMA D. 3.1 ) that they encompass the complexity of accommodating the various user functions of the marine landscape in various regions of the European marine waters. While human activities at sea are competing for space, there is also growing awareness of the possible negative effects of these human activities on the marine ecosystem. As such, system specific management options are required, satisfying current and future sectoral needs, while safeguarding the marine ecosystem from further detoriation. This integrated management approach is embedded in the concept of ecosystem based management (EBM). The goal of marine EBM is to maintain marine ecosystems in a healthy, productive and resilient condition, making it possible that they sustain human use and provide the goods and services required by society (McLeod et al. 2005). Therefore EBM is an environmental mangagement approach that recognises the interactions within a marine ecosystem, including humans. Hence, EBM does not consider single issues, species or ecosystems good and services in isolation. Operationalisation of EBM can be done through place-based or spatial management approaches (Lackey 1998), such as marine spatial planning (MSP). MSP is a public process of analysing and allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities aiming at achieving ecological, economic and social objectives. These objectives are usually formulated through political processes (Douvere et al. 2007, Douvere 2008). Within MESMA, a spatially managed area (SMA) is then defined as “a geographical area within which marine spatial planning initiatives exist in the real world”. Marine spatial planning initiatives refer to existing management measures actually in place within a defined area, or in any stage of a process of putting management in place, e.g. plans or recommendations for a particular area. Management can include management for marine protection (e.g. in MPAs), or management for sectoral objectives (e.g. building a wind farm to meet renewable energy objectives). Within MESMA, SMAs can have different spatial scales. A SMA can be a small, specific area that is managed/planned to be managed for one specific purpose, but it can also be a larger area within which lots of plans or ‘usage zones’ exist. This definition is different from the definition mentioned in the DoW (page 60). The original definition was adapted during a CS leader workshop (2-4 May 2012 in Gent, Belgium) and formally accepted by the MESMA ExB during the ExB meeting in Cork (29-30 May 2012). MSP should result in a marine spatial management plan that will produce the desired future trough explicit decisions about the location and timing of human activities. Ehler & Douvere (2009) consider this spatial management as a beginning toward the the implementation of desired goals and objectives. They describe the spatial management plan as a comprehensive, strategic document that provides the framework and direction for marine spatial management decisions. The plan should identify when, where and how goals and objectives will be met. Zoning (the development of zoning plans) is often an important management measure to implement spatial management plans. The purpose of a zoning plan (Ehler & Douvere 2009) is: To provide protection for biologically and ecologically important habitats, ecosystems, and ecological processes. To seperate conflicting human activities, or to combine compatible activities. To protect the natural values of the marine management area (in MESMA terminology: the SMA) while allowing reasonable human uses of the area. To allocate areas for reasonable human uses while minimising the effects of these human uses on each other, and nature. To preserve some areas of the SMA in their natural state undisturbed by humans except for scientific and educational purposes.peer-reviewe

Reproductive biology, space use and trophic status of Entomacrodus stellifer lighti (Pisces: Blenniidae) in Hong Kong

abstractpublished_or_final_versionEcology and BiodiversityMasterMaster of Philosoph

Challenges in developing China's marine protected area system

Since the 1980s, there have been continuous increases in the coverage of marine protected areas (MPAs) in China, and a total of 158 MPAs have been declared. The MPA system in China is characterized by (1) decentralised designation and management with reduced control from the central government; (2) a dominance of de jure fully protected MPAs that are often implemented as de facto multiple-use areas; and (3) a lack of objective evaluation processes. To improve China's MPA system requires an appropriate integration of fully protected and multiple-use MPAs, and an approach that balances the advantages of top-down and bottom-up approaches.Marine protected areas China Governance Decentralisation Protected-area management category

High-Rate, Ultra long Cycle-Life Lithium/Sulfur Batteries Enabled by Nitrogen-Doped Graphene

Nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) is a promising conductive matrix material for fabricating high-performance Li/S batteries. Here we report a simple, low-cost, and scalable method to prepare an additive-free nanocomposite cathode in which sulfur nanoparticles are wrapped inside the NG sheets (S@NG). We show that the Li/S@NG can deliver high specific discharge capacities at high rates, that is, similar to 1167 mAh g(-1) at 0.2 C, similar to 1058 mAh g(-1) at 0.5 C, similar to 971 mAh g(-1) at 1 C, similar to 802 mAh g(-1) at 2 C, and similar to 606 mAh g(-1) at 5 C. The cells also demonstrate an ultralong cycle life exceeding 2000 cycles and an extremely low capacity-decay rate (0.028% per cycle), which is among the best performance demonstrated so far for Li/S cells. Furthermore, the S@NG cathode can be cycled with an excellent Coulombic efficiency of above 97% after 2000 cycles. With a high active S content (6096) in the total electrode weight, the S@NG cathode could provide a specific energy that is competitive to the state-of-the-art Li-ion cells even after 2000 cycles. The X-ray spectroscopic analysis and ab initio calculation results indicate that the excellent performance can be attributed to the well-restored C C lattice and the unique lithium polysulfide binding capability of the N functional groups in the NG sheets. The results indicate that the S@NG nanocomposite based Li/S cells have a great potential to replace the current Li-ion batteries