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A modelling study is under way in preparation for a planned upgrade of the capacity of the kwaMashu WWTP in eThekwini, South Africa, from 50 to 80 ML/d. When the configuration of an existing plant is to be changed, the most critical part of the model calibration is the influent wastewater fractionation. However, the constantly varying characteristics of wastewater make experimental determination of an adequately representative set of components difficult, time-consuming and expensive, which constitutes significant barriers to the adoption of modelling by many municipalities. Compliance and process monitoring generate large sets of influent measurements of chemical oxygen demand (COD), free and saline ammonia (FSA), total suspended solids (TSS), etc., but these are insufficient for modelling purposes. In particular, biodegradability is not routinely measured. However, since influent fractionation is designed to predict the fate of material in the wastewater treatment process, it should be possible to infer the fractionation from a combination of influent and plant measurements. This case study demonstrates the application of a pair of modelling tools, a probabilistic influent fractionator and a simplified steady‑state plant‑wide model, to estimate the influent fractionation, together with certain unmeasured or unreliable operational parameters. HIGHLIGHTS Estimation of influent COD fractionation from routine plant measurements.; Data reconciliation using a simplified steady-state plant-wide model.; Estimation of unmeasured or unreliable operational parameters.; Methodology for improving a plant monitoring programme.;

Flavobacterial diseases, caused by bacteria in the order Flavobacteriales, are responsible for devastating losses in farmed and wild fish populations worldwide. The genera Flavobacterium (Family Flavobacteriaceae) and Chryseobacterium (Weeksellaceae) encompass the most well-known agents of fish disease in the order, but the full extent of piscine-pathogenic species within these diverse groups is unresolved, and likely underappreciated. To identify emerging agents of flavobacterial disease in US aquaculture, 183 presumptive Flavobacterium and Chryseobacterium isolates were collected from clinically affected fish representing 19 host types, from across six western states. Isolates were characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis using the gyrB gene. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were compared between representatives from each major phylogenetic clade. Of the isolates, 52 were identified as Chryseobacterium species and 131 as Flavobacterium. The majority of Chryseobacterium isolates fell into six clades (A-F) consisting of ≥ 5 fish isolates with ≥ 70% bootstrap support, and Flavobacterium into nine (A-I). Phylogenetic clades showed distinct patterns in antimicrobial susceptibility. Two Chryseobacterium clades (F & G), and four Flavobacterium clades (B, G-I) had comparably high minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for 11/18 antimicrobials tested. Multiple clades in both genera exhibited MICs surpassing the established F. psychrophilum breakpoints for oxytetracycline and florfenicol, indicating potential resistance to two of the three antimicrobials approved for use in finfish aquaculture. Further work to investigate the virulence and antigenic diversity of these genetic groups will improve our understanding of flavobacterial disease, with applications for treatment and vaccination strategies.

To mitigate the use of fossil fuels and maintain a clean and sustainable environment, electrochemical energy storage systems are receiving great deal of attention, especially rechargeable batteries. This is also associated with the growing demand for electric vehicles, which urged the automotive industries to explore the capacities of new materials for use in lithium–ion batteries (LIBs). Graphite is still employed as an anode in large majority of currently available commercial LIBs preserving their better cyclic stability despite enormous research efforts to identify viable alternatives with improved power and energy density. From this point of view, antimony acts as a promising material because it has good theoretical capacity, high volumetric capacity, good reactivity with lithium and good electronic conductivities. Recently, there have been many works that focused on the development of antimony as an alternative anode. This review tries to give a bird’s eye view comprising the experimental and theoretical insights on the developments in the direction of using antimony and antimony composites as anodes for rechargeable Li.

Indiscriminate use of inorganic fertilizers has bought threat to soil health in respect to physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the usage of inorganic fertilizers by substituting with organics. It is well established fact that the improvement in quality and productivity of the crops could be made possible with combined application of organic sources and balanced chemical fertilizers. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted during rabi 2021-22 at College of Agriculture, UAS, Raichur to study the effect of organic sources and nutrient levels on growth, yield and economics of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). Eighteen treatment combinations were evaluated which consisted of three organic sources and six nutrient levels. The experiment was laid out in Factorial RBD design with three replications. The results indicated that among organic sources, application of FYM @ 5 t /ha recorded significantly higher growth parameters viz., plant height (85.95 cm), total dry matter accumulation (121.59 g/plant), seed yield (1467 kg/ha) and stalk yield (2216 kg /ha). Further this treatment recorded higher gross returns (Rs. 80,699/ha) and net returns (Rs. 51247/ha) compared to other treatment. Among the different nutrient levels, SSNM (STCR equation) + micronutrients Zn @ 25 kg/ha + S @ 10 kg/ha showed significant effect on growth parameters and seed yield (1508 kg/ha) as compared to other treatment. Moreover, the combination registered higher gross returns (Rs. 82,964/ha) and net returns (Rs. 54,540/ha) compared to other nutrient levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the academic paper is to study the role, significance and features of developing the Ukrainian language competence of a higher military education seeker, as well as to clarify the viewpoint of scientists and teachers of higher educational institutions studying the specifics of the development of military education regarding the motives, components and main success factors of the Ukrainian language competence of future military servants. Methodology. During the research, the analytical-bibliographic method was used to study the scientific literature on issues related to the formation of Ukrainian-language competence in the process of obtaining higher military education. Results. Based on the results of the research, the role and significance of the Ukrainian language competence of students of military specialities has been substantiated; the criteria, formation conditions, and means most suitable for the development of military personnel's language skills have been analysed; certain practical aspects of military students' language training have been revealed, and recommendations have been made regarding the effective formation of these skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breeding programmes dealing with the modifications of the fatty acid profile in oilseed crops require large number of chromatographic analysis. This study was conducted to characterize the potential of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) for the fatty acid analysis of intact single seeds of peanut. The material consisted of 1000 mutant entries of M4 with varying fatty acid profile determined by gas chromatography (GC). Spectra from intact single seeds of the mutant entries were collected with a specially designed adapter using standard monochromator instrument. Calibration equations were developed for the calibration set of 800 mutant entries and were further validated with cross-validation and external-validation set consisting each of 100 mutant entries. Among the three regression models, the spectra with modified partial least square regression model (mPLS) after second derivative pretreatment with SNV and detrend scatter correction had the best calibration and satisfactory prediction abilities. The r2 between NIRS and GC was 0.79 (palmitic acid), 0.91 (oleic acid) and 0.89 (linoleic acid) in cross validation, demonstrating the high reliability of NIRS in determining these fatty acid concentrations in intact single seeds. NIRS permitted analysis of about 40 samples per hour as against 1-2 samples in GC. Research clearly indicated that NIRS prediction of fatty acid profile using intact seeds was non-destructive, accurate, rapid and should be especially useful for early generation selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]