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The project was based on a paradigm – to realize the urban development potential of the territory with the creation of a recreation area for local residents, which will be a breath of fresh rest in the bustle of the city. The park is not just a recreational institution, but also a place for the formation of group solidarity, a place where active flows of schoolchildren alternate with resting pensioners, where everyone will find their place. The main concept was taken ecological improvement of the territory. В основу проекта была принята парадигма – реализовать градостроительный потенциал территории с созданием зоны отдыха для местных жителей, которая будет являться глотком свежего отдыха в городской суете. Парк – не просто рекреационная институция, но и место формирования групповой солидарности, место, где активные потоки школьников перемежаются с отдыхающими пенсионерами, где каждый найдет свое место. Главной концепцией было взято экологическое благоустройство территории.

The terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme, which contributes to carbon and nitrogen supplies in arid and semi-arid regions, adopts a filamentous colony form. Owing to its herbal and dietary values, this species has been overexploited. Largely due to the lack of understanding on its morphogenesis, artificial cultivation has not been achieved. Additionally, it may serve as a useful model for recognizing the morphological adaptation of colonial cyanobacteria in terrestrial niches. However, it shows very slow growth in native habitats and is easily disintegrated under laboratory conditions. Thus, a novel experimental system is necessary to explore its morphogenetic mechanism. Liquid-cultured N. flagelliforme has been well developed for exopolysaccharide (EPS) production, in which microscopic colonies (micro-colonies) are generally formed. In this study, we sought to gain some insight into the morphogenesis of N. flagelliforme by examining the effects of two external factors, the EPS and environmental stress-related growth rate, on the morphological shaping of micro-colonies. Our findings indicate that the EPS matrix could act as a basal barrier, leading to the bending of trichomes during their elongation, while very slow growth is conducive to their straight elongation. These findings will guide future cultivation and application of this cyanobacterium for ecological improvement.

Hydropower plants (HPPs), like many other transverse structures, interrupt the ecological continuum of rivers. Horizontal bar racks (HBRs) in combination with a bypass system are an effective measure for protecting and guiding downstream migrating fish. Such HBRs were successfully installed at a number of small- to medium-sized (Q < 100 m³/s) HPPs in Europe. Despite this, only a few studies exist to assess the hydraulic and fish-guidance performances of these state-of-the-art downstream fish passage facilities. To fill these research gaps, a systematic laboratory study has been conducted at the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW) of ETH Zürich. The varied parameters include the bar shape, the bar spacing, the horizontal rack angle, and the application of overlays. The hydraulic losses of clean, unclogged racks with modern bar shapes therefore reduce by 27…42% as compared to conventional rectangular bars. The measurements indicate that bottom and top overlays have the most significant effect on the flow field and the resulting hydraulic losses. On the one hand, such overlays can improve the guidance capacity for fish and sediments. On the other hand, they increase the hydraulic losses and lead to asymmetric downstream flow fields, potentially affecting turbine efficiency. The current contribution compares experimental results on hydraulic losses and flow fields of HBRs for two different bar shapes: rectangular bars, which were mainly used in the past, and more modern, streamlined bars with a circular tip.

The terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme, which contributes to carbon and nitrogen supplies in arid and semi-arid regions, adopts a filamentous colony form. Owing to its herbal and dietary values, this species has been overexploited. Largely due to the lack of understanding on its morphogenesis, artificial cultivation has not been achieved. Additionally, it may serve as a useful model for recognizing the morphological adaptation of colonial cyanobacteria in terrestrial niches. However, it shows very slow growth in native habitats and is easily disintegrated under laboratory conditions. Thus, a novel experimental system is necessary to explore its morphogenetic mechanism. Liquid-cultured N. flagelliforme has been well developed for exopolysaccharide (EPS) production, in which microscopic colonies (micro-colonies) are generally formed. In this study, we sought to gain some insight into the morphogenesis of N. flagelliforme by examining the effects of two external factors, the EPS and environmental stress-related growth rate, on the morphological shaping of micro-colonies. Our findings indicate that the EPS matrix could act as a basal barrier, leading to the bending of trichomes during their elongation, while very slow growth is conducive to their straight elongation. These findings will guide future cultivation and application of this cyanobacterium for ecological improvement., Summary: By examining the effects of the exopolysaccharide and environmental stress-related growth rate on Nostoc flagelliforme, this study gained insight into the morphogenesis of the colonial cyanobacterium.

Nostoc flagelliforme, a filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium, is widely distributed in arid steppes of the west and northwestern parts of China. However, as a food delicacy this species has been overexploited from 1970 to 2000. Moreover, overgrazing, land reclamation and the removal of medicinal herbs have caused severely reduced vegetation coverage there. In this communication, a badly damaged but slowly rehabilitating N. flagelliforme-inhibiting steppe is described, and the rehabilitation of desertified steppes by the renewed growth of N. flagelliforme is proposed. The restoration of this dominant nitrogen supplier would be an ecologically sustainable solution for supplementing current measures already taken in the desertified regions. In addition, a goal of 50%–60% vegetation coverage is proposed by the N. flagelliforme restoration.

Hydropower plants (HPPs), like many other transverse structures, interrupt the ecological continuum of rivers. Horizontal bar racks (HBRs) in combination with a bypass system are an effective measure for protecting and guiding downstream migrating fish. Such HBRs were successfully installed at a number of small- to medium-sized (Q < 100 m³/s) HPPs in Europe. Despite this, only a few studies exist to assess the hydraulic and fish-guidance performances of these state-of-the-art downstream fish passage facilities. To fill these research gaps, a systematic laboratory study has been conducted at the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW) of ETH Zürich. The varied parameters include the bar shape, the bar spacing, the horizontal rack angle, and the application of overlays. The hydraulic losses of clean, unclogged racks with modern bar shapes therefore reduce by 27…42% as compared to conventional rectangular bars. The measurements indicate that bottom and top overlays have the most significant effect on the flow field and the resulting hydraulic losses. On the one hand, such overlays can improve the guidance capacity for fish and sediments. On the other hand, they increase the hydraulic losses and lead to asymmetric downstream flow fields, potentially affecting turbine efficiency. The current contribution compares experimental results on hydraulic losses and flow fields of HBRs for two different bar shapes: rectangular bars, which were mainly used in the past, and more modern, streamlined bars with a circular tip., Proceedings of the 38th IAHR World Congress (Panama)