Appreciation to referees

Appreciation to referees     

Preparation of growth substrate to improve runoff quality from green roofs: physico-chemical characterization,sorption and plant-support experiments

Growth substrate plays an important role in determining the quality of runoff from green roofs. However, no systematic research has been conducted to design a substrate to improve runoff quality. Hence, the present study aimed at designing and developing a green roof substrate using low-cost and environmentally-benign materials. The inorganic fraction of the substrate includes purosil, vermiculite, sand and light-weight clay aggregates (LECA); whereas the organic fraction includes coco-peat and Sargassum wightii. Through factorial design, 13 different substrate mixes were prepared and the optimum mix (20% purosil, 30% vermiculite, 10% sand, 20% LECA, 10% coco-peat and 10% S. wightii) was found to have high water holding capacity (67.6%), air filled porosity (21%), hydraulic conductivity (5524 mm/h) and low bulk density (495 kg/m³). The substrate also provided maximum support for the growth of Portulaca oleracea. Experiments with metal-contaminated influent from the down-flow of a packed reactor revealed that the green roof substrate possesses a high sorption capacity towards various metal ions.     

Characterisation of Staphylococcus aureus strains from milk and goat cheese and evaluation of their inhibition by gallic acid,nisin and velame of the Brazilian caatinga

Twenty isolates from milk and goat cheese were confirmed as Staphylococcus aureus. These isolates were characterised for phenotypic properties related to cell adhesion and for the presence of enterotoxin production, intercellular adhesion and β‐lactam resistance genes. Staphylococcus aureus L47 showed cell adhesion ability and positivity for the sec, sed, icaD, mecA and blaZ genes. Three antimicrobial compounds were tested singly or in pairs for growth control of strain L47: gallic acid (GA), nisin and essential oil (EO) of Croton heliotropiifolius (velame). At 24 h, EO and EO + nisin showed higher inhibitory activity against S. aureus L47 in goat milk.     

A review of large-scale LNG spills: experiments and modeling

The prediction of the possible hazards associated with the storage and transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by ship has motivated a substantial number of experimental and analytical studies. This paper reviews the experimental and analytical work performed to date on large-scale spills of LNG. Specifically, experiments on the dispersion of LNG, as well as experiments of LNG fires from spills on water and land are reviewed. Explosion, pool boiling, and rapid phase transition (RPT) explosion studies are described and discussed, as well as models used to predict dispersion and thermal hazard distances. Although there have been significant advances in understanding the behavior of LNG spills, technical knowledge gaps to improve hazard prediction are identified. Some of these gaps can be addressed with current modeling and testing capabilities. A discussion of the state of knowledge and recommendations to further improve the understanding of the behavior of LNG spills on water is provided.