Shifts in Microbial Communities, Microbial Biomass and Organic Matter Mineralization for Three Mediterranean Soils Contaminated By Metals

Microbial communities (phospholipid fatty acid pattern, bacterial growing strategies, eco-physiological index (EPI) and total bacteria counts, as a number of heterotrophic cuhurable bacteria), substrate-induced respiration (SIR), and nitrogen mineralization were studied in three Mediterranean soils at three different depth levels (A, B and C). Soils were experimentally treated with a final concentration of 1000 ppm of trace metals (Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Al³⁺, Fe²⁺, Pb²⁺, Ni²⁺, Mn²⁺, Cr³⁺ and Cd²⁺). Soils were stored in 571 plastic containers for one year, and watered with 1001 during this period. Leachate was recovered through a bottom tap. Samples of the three depths were studied. Soil microbial communities showed different effects to other studies presented in the literature, but carried out on non-Mediterranean soils. Dramatic differences were found between treated soils and untreated ones, but not between soils or horizons. the treated soil displayed a decrease in CFUs, SIR N-mineralization and EPI together with a dominance of r-growing strategists. the relative moles percent of several PLFAs, especially 15:0, 16: 1ω7, cy17: 0, br18:0 and 18: 1ω7 decreased because of the pollution of soils, whereas 10Me16, 18:2ω6, cy19:0, i16:0 and br17:0 showed higher values than in untreated soils.     

Variation in posture quality across musical instruments and its impact during performances

Objective. Bad posture increases the risk that a musician may suffer from musculoskeletal disorders. This study compared posture quality required by different instruments or families of instruments. Methods. Using an ad-hoc postural observation instrument embracing 11 postural variables, four experts evaluated the postures of 100 students attending a Spanish higher conservatory of music. Results. The agreement of the experts’ evaluations was statistically confirmed by a Cohen's κ value between 0.855 and 1.000 and a Kendall value between 0.709 and 1.000 (p?χ² tests revealed significant association between instrument families and seated posture with respect to pelvic attitude, dorsal curvature and head alignment in both sagittal and frontal planes. This analysis also showed an association between instrument families and standing posture with respect to the frontal plane of the axis of gravity, pelvic attitude, head alignment in the frontal plane, the sagittal plane of the shoulders and overall posture. Conclusions. While certain postural defects appear to be common to all families of instruments, others are more characteristic of some families than others. The instrument associated with the best posture quality was the bagpipe, followed by percussion and strings.     

Natural phillipsite as a matrix for a slow-release formulation of oxamyl

The performance of phillipsite as a matrix for slow-release formulation of oxamyl [N,N-dimethyl-2-methylcarbamoyl-oxymino-2-(methylthio)acetamide] was tested. The adsorption kinetics followed a first-order law, and the adsorption isotherm fitted well in a two-surface Langmuir model, suggesting a double mechanism of interaction between oxamyl and the sorbent. The sorption mechanism, studied by FTIR, provided two fractions of oxamyl. The first one is sorbed on the mineral surface, linked by H-bonding, and the second one is constituted by a multilayer of oxamyl molecules linked by a water bridge between them. The release kinetics of oxamyl from a substratum zeolite-oxamyl also follows a first-order law, with two stages that correspond to both fractions of oxamyl previously detected.     

Shifts in Microbial Communities,Microbial Biomass and Organic Matter Mineralization for Three Mediterranean Soils Contaminated By Metals

Microbial communities (phospholipid fatty acid pattern, bacterial growing strategies, eco-physiological index (EPI) and total bacteria counts, as a number of heterotrophic cuhurable bacteria), substrate-induced respiration (SIR), and nitrogen mineralization were studied in three Mediterranean soils at three different depth levels (A, B and C). Soils were experimentally treated with a final concentration of 1000 ppm of trace metals (Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Al³⁺, Fe²⁺, Pb²⁺, Ni²⁺, Mn²⁺, Cr³⁺ and Cd²⁺). Soils were stored in 571 plastic containers for one year, and watered with 1001 during this period. Leachate was recovered through a bottom tap. Samples of the three depths were studied. Soil microbial communities showed different effects to other studies presented in the literature, but carried out on non-Mediterranean soils. Dramatic differences were found between treated soils and untreated ones, but not between soils or horizons. the treated soil displayed a decrease in CFUs, SIR N-mineralization and EPI together with a dominance of r-growing strategists. the relative moles percent of several PLFAs, especially 15:0, 16: 1ω7, cy17: 0, br18:0 and 18: 1ω7 decreased because of the pollution of soils, whereas 10Me16, 18:2ω6, cy19:0, i16:0 and br17:0 showed higher values than in untreated soils.     

Sorbents with high efficiency for CO2 capture based on amines-supported carbon for biogas upgrading

Sorbents for CO_2 capture have been prepared by wet impregnation of a commercial active carbon(Ketjen-black, Akzo Nobel) with two CO_2-philic compounds, polyethylenimine(PEI)and tetraethylenepentamine(TEPA), respectively. The effects of amine amount(from 10 to70 wt.%), CO_2 concentration in the feed, sorption temperature and gas hourly space velocity on the CO_2 capture performance have been investigated. The sorption capacity has been evaluated using the breakthrough method, with a fixed bed reactor equipped with on line gas chromatograph. The samples have been characterized by N_2 adsorption–desorption,scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray(SEM/EDX). A promising CO_2 sorption capacity of 6.90 mmol/gsorbenthas been obtained with 70 wt.% of supported TEPA at 70℃ under a stream containing 80 vol% of CO_2. Sorption tests, carried out with simulated biogas compositions(CH_4/CO_2mixtures), have revealed an appreciable CO_2 separation selectivity; stable performance was maintained for 20 adsorption–desorption cycles.     

Establishment of a cross-European field site network in the ALARM project for assessing large-scale changes in biodiversity

The field site network (FSN) plays a central role in conducting joint research within all Assessing Large-scale Risks for biodiversity with tested Methods (ALARM) modules and provides a mechanism for integrating research on different topics in ALARM on the same site for measuring multiple impacts on biodiversity. The network covers most European climates and biogeographic regions, from Mediterranean through central European and boreal to subarctic. The project links databases with the European-wide field site network FSN, including geographic information system (GIS)-based information to characterise the test location for ALARM researchers for joint on-site research. Maps are provided in a standardised way and merged with other site-specific information. The application of GIS for these field sites and the information management promotes the use of the FSN for research and to disseminate the results. We conclude that ALARM FSN sites together with other research sites in Europe jointly could be used as a future backbone for research proposals.     

Spatial Patterns of Land Use Changes Across a Mediterranean Metropolitan Landscape: Implications for Biodiversity Management

Land use and land cover change (LUCC) is an acknowledged cause of the current biodiversity crisis, but the link between LUCC and biodiversity conservation remains largely unknown at the regional scale, especially due to the traditional lack of consistent biodiversity data. We provide a methodological approach for assessing this link through defining a set of major pressures on biodiversity from LUCC and evaluating their extent, distribution, and association with a set of physical factors. The study was performed in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona (MRB, NE of Spain) between 1956 and 2000. We generated a LUCC map for the time period, which was reclassified into a set of pressures on biodiversity (forestation, deforestation, crop abandonment, and urbanization). We then explored the association of these pressures with a set of physical factors using redundancy analysis (RDA). Pressures encompassed 38.8 % of the MRB area. Urbanization and forestation were the dominating pressures, followed by crop abandonment and deforestation. RDA showed a significant distribution gradient of these pressures in relation to the studied physical factors: while forestation and deforestation are concentrated in remote mountain areas, urbanization mainly occurs in lowlands and especially on the coast, and close to previous urban centers and roads. Unchanged areas are concentrated in rainy and relatively remote mountain areas. Results also showed a dramatic loss of open habitats and of the traditional land use gradient, both featuring Mediterranean landscapes and extremely important for their biodiversity conservation. Implications of these results for biodiversity management are finally discussed.     

Isolation of a selected microbial consortium capable of degrading methyl parathion and p-nitrophenol from a contaminated soil site

A bacterial consortium with the ability to degrade methyl parathion and p-nitrophenol, using these compounds as the only carbon source, was obtained by selective enrichment in a medium with methyl parathion. Samples were taken from Moravia, Medellin; an area that is highly contaminated, owing to the fact that it was used as a garbage dump from 1974 to 1982. Acinetobacter sp, Pseudomonas putida, Bacillus sp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa Citrobacter freundii, Stenotrophomonas sp, Flavobacterium sp, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas sp, Acinetobacter sp, Klebsiella sp and Proteus sp were the microorganisms identified within the consortium. In culture, the consortium was able to degrade 150 mg L?1 of methyl-parathion and p-nitrophenol in 120 h, but after adding glucose or peptone to the culture, the time of degradation decreased to 24 h. In soil, the consortium was also able to degrade 150 mg L?1 of methyl parathion in 120 h at different depths and also managed to decrease the toxicity.