Stakeholder perceptions of mangrove ecosystem services across scales of conservation focus.

Conservation faces a chronic shortage of resources, including time, funding, mental capacity, and human capital. Efforts to make the expenditure of these resources more efficient should, therefore, support more equitable and effective conservation prioritization. To achieve this, it is necessary to ensure the integration of the knowledge and perceptions of local stakeholders into larger scale conservation decisions.

Understanding Iron Impurities in Australian Kaolin and Their Effect on Acid and Heat Activation Processes of Clay.

Iron impurities present in the crystal structure of kaolin minerals or in accessory species are frequently encountered in clay deposits. As knowledge of the location and states of the iron is crucial when modifying the properties of clays by activation, it is important that new deposits are well characterized in terms of the amount and location of this metal. The Western Australia Noombenberry deposit has been identified as a large resource of kaolin composed largely of halloysite and kaolinite.

Distributional Validation of Precipitation Data Products with Spatially Varying Mixture Models.

The high mountain regions of Asia contain more glacial ice than anywhere on the planet outside of the polar regions. Because of the large population living in the Indus watershed region who are reliant on melt from these glaciers for fresh water, understanding the factors that affect glacial melt along with the impacts of climate change on the region is important for managing these natural resources. While there are multiple climate data products (e.

The Integration of Proteome-Wide PTM Data with Protein Structural and Sequence Features Identifies Phosphorylations that Mediate 14-3-3 Interactions.

14-3-3s are abundant proteins that regulate essentially all aspects of cell biology, including cell cycle, motility, metabolism, and cell death. 14-3-3s work by docking to phosphorylated Ser/Thr residues on a large network of client proteins and modulating client protein function in a variety of ways. In recent years, aided by improvements in proteomics, the discovery of 14-3-3 client proteins has far outpaced our ability to understand the biological impact of individual 14-3-3 interactions.

Structure modeling and quantitative X-ray diffraction of C-(A)-S-H.

Quantitative X-ray diffraction of nanocrystalline calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and its aluminium-substituted variants (C-A-S-H) has so far been limited by a lack of appropriate structure models. In this study, atomistic structure models derived from tobermorite were combined with a supercell approach using . By accounting for nanostructural features such as isolated layers, turbostratic disorder and, for the first time, fibrils, characteristic reflections and asymmetric bands were more accurately simulated than before, providing the means for phase quantification and refinement of structural sites.

monitoring of hydrothermal reactions by X-ray diffraction with Bragg-Brentano geometry.

This note describes an autoclave chamber developed and constructed by Anton Paar and its application for experiments under hydrothermal conditions. Reactions of crystalline phases can be studied by successive measurements on a conventional laboratory X-ray diffractometer with Bragg-Brentano geometry at temperatures <483 K and saturated vapour pressure <2 MPa. Variations in the intensity of X-ray diffraction reflections of both reactants and products provide quantitative information for studying the reaction kinetics of both dissolution and crystal growth.

The Year-Long Development of Microorganisms in Uncompacted Bavarian Bentonite Slurries at 30 and 60 °C.

In the multibarrier concept for the deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW), bentonite is proposed as a potential barrier and buffer material for sealing the space between the steel canister containing the HLW and the surrounding host rock. In order to broaden the spectra of appropriate bentonites, we investigated the metabolic activity and diversity of naturally occurring microorganisms as well as their time-dependent evolution within the industrial B25 Bavarian bentonite under repository-relevant conditions. We conducted anaerobic microcosm experiments containing the B25 bentonite and a synthetic Opalinus Clay pore water solution, which were incubated for one year at 30 and 60 °C.

Biocompatible functionalisation of nanoclays for improved environmental remediation.

Among the wide range of materials used for remediating environmental contaminants, modified and functionalised nanoclays show particular promise as advanced sorbents, improved dispersants, or biodegradation enhancers. However, many chemically modified nanoclay materials are incompatible with living organisms when they are used in natural systems with detrimental implications for ecosystem recovery. Here we critically review the pros and cons of functionalised nanoclays and provide new perspectives on the synthesis of environmentally friendly varieties.

Experimental study of clay-hydrocarbon interactions relevant to the biodegradation of the Deepwater Horizon oil from the Gulf of Mexico.

Adding clay to marine oil pollution represents a promising approach to enhance bacterial hydrocarbon degradation in nutrient poor waters. In this study, three types of regionally available clays (Ca-bentonite, Fuller's Earth and kaolin) were tested to stimulate the biodegradation of source and weathered oil collected from the Deepwater Horizon spill. The weathered oil showed little biodegradation prior to experimentation and was extensively degraded by bacteria in the laboratory in a similar way as the alkane-rich source oil.

Porosity and distribution of water in perlite from the island of Milos, Greece.

A perlite sample representative of an operating mine in Milos was investigated with respect to the type and spatial distribution of water. A set of different methods was used which finally provided a consistent view on the water at least in this perlite. Infrared spectroscopy showed the presence of different water species (molecular water and hydroxyl groups / strongly bound water).

Bioremediating oil spills in nutrient poor ocean waters using fertilized clay mineral flakes: some experimental constraints.

Much oil spill research has focused on fertilizing hydrocarbon oxidising bacteria, but a primary limitation is the rapid dilution of additives in open waters. A new technique is presented for bioremediation by adding nutrient amendments to the oil spill using thin filmed minerals comprised largely of Fullers Earth clay. Together with adsorbed N and P fertilizers, filming additives, and organoclay, clay flakes can be engineered to float on seawater, attach to the oil, and slowly release contained nutrients.

Identification of biomarkers in Lewy-body disorders.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) may account for up to 30% of all dementia cases. The symptoms of DLB can be difficult to disentangle from other dementia subtypes, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD and DLB pathologies often overlap within individuals.