Isolation, characterization and diuron transformation capacities of a bacterial strain Arthrobacter sp. N2

A bacterial strain able to transform diuron was isolated from a soil by enrichment procedures. Strain isolation was realized by plating on minimal-agarose medium spread with this herbicide and selecting the colonies surrounded by a clear thin halo. One strain was characterized and identified as an Arthrobacter sp. It metabolized diuron and the final transformation product, 3,4-dichloroaniline, was produced in stoichiometric amounts. The transformation of diuron at different concentrations was more efficient in the presence of alternative sources of carbon and nitrogen. The bacterial activity was also evaluated in soil microcosms with a consequent disappearance of diuron and concomitant appearance of 3,4-dichloroaniline, of which the concentration decreased thereafter. Bacterial cells inoculated in the microcosms survived as viable but eventually nonculturable cells.     

Composting duck excreta enriched wood shavings: C and N transformations and bacterial pathogen reductions

Composting of agricultural and domestic wastes is used increasingly to reduce weight, volume, and odor; destroy animal and plant pathogens; and improve the quality of end-products to be used as soil amendments and growth substrates. The objective of this study was to investigate the transformation of C and N and the survival of bacterial populations and pathogenic bacteria during in-vessel composting of duck excreta enriched wood shavings. Two feedstocks, collected on different dates, were composted (C1 and C2) in an enclosed hall system equipped with an electromechanical turner. Temperature was continuously recorded, whereas moisture content and bacterial counts were determined twice a week. Data showed that, although the N content of C2 was only half of that of C1, both materials were fully biostabilized at the end of the composting period as indicated by extractable lipid ratios. In the compost with the low C/N ratio (C1), all bacterial populations were eliminated, whereas fecal streptococci, total coliforms, and gram-negative bacteria were still present in C2 at the end of the composting period. Our results emphasize that the composting of manures and other organic wastes needs to be properly managed to stabilize C and N and to eliminate or reduce bacterial populations.     

Fate of the veterinary medicine ivermectin in soil

We investigated the fate of the drug ivermectin in the soil. We found that ivermectin was transformed solely by photos, leading to the formation of two ivermectin isomers. We indeed failed to detect any biotransformation reaction of the chemical either in the soil or in fungal liquid cultures. According to its limited water solubility, the bioavailability of ivermectin was very low in the soil solution. Here, we show that ivermectin, transferred to the soil from faeces of drug-treated cattle, could be stored for long periods in the soil.     

Chemical recognition of queen cells by honey bee workersApis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Summary Honey bee workers are able to nurse or to destroy and thus to recognize the capped queen cells containing a pupa. Fatty acid esters, especially methyl oleate, methyl palmitate and ethyl oleate were found in significant amounts on the queen pupal cuticle. Methyl oleate, the major component, along with smaller amounts of methyl linoleate and methyl linolenate, were involved in the recognition of queen cells by workers. In natural conditions of the colony, queen cells containing a paraffin pupal lure with methyl oleate were accepted 5.9 days by workers, releasing about 1.8 queen pupa equivalents during that period, when control cells (without ester) were kept only 2.1 days. Although these esters are non specific to honey bees, they are of great importance in social regulation of the honey bee colony.     

Measurement method for objective cyclist behavior parameters

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this research is to study the feasibility of measuring behavioral indicators that reflect effects of infrastructure and interaction with other road users.

Methods: An observation study was performed using 6 cameras above a separated cycle path next to a road which included a crossing with both cyclists and cars. A learning method based on Single Shot MultiBox Detector was applied to automatically detect the cyclists, and cyclist tracks were determined. Next, kinematic parameters were calculated from the cyclists’ tracks. Amongst others, the cyclists’ intensity, speed, position on the cycle path, and the distance to each other were analyzed for a busy period as well as for a quiet period of the day.

Results: With the measurement method developed in this study it is possible to analyze the cyclists’ intensity, the space they use at the cycle path, their average velocity, waiting times, the space and velocity amongst each other, and red light negation. However, collisions were not seen in the dataset analyzed, and the data is not sufficiently accurate to analyze sudden braking actions.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that the developed measurement method provides insight of the cyclists’ behavior in such a way that it can already be used for obtaining information to make changes to the infrastructure that will improve the comfort and safety of cyclists. The method could be further developed for doing qualitative comfort and safety analyses, and for doing analyses of the interaction between various types of road participants.     

Slip Resistance of Industrial Floor Surfaces: Development of an Elastomer Suited to In-Situ Measurement

Slips contribute to 12% of occupational accidents. A slip resistant floor is a mean to prevent slipping accidents occurring in workshops. Floor slip resistance is often evaluated by measuring a friction index, proportional to the force opposing slipping of a reference elastomer on the floor surface under test. When implementing a portable appliance, slip resistance measurements carried out on lubricated floors were not stabilized. The authors advanced the hypothesis of oil impregnating the elastomer. A new elastomer suited to in-situ measurement has been developed to achieve stable measuring conditions. This study highlights the fact that the nature and characteristics of a reference elastomer must be specified when slip resistance measurements are carried out.     

Chemical composition of fogwater in an urban area: Strasbourg (France)

To investigate the acidity and to identify the predominant compounds, this work presents the chemical analysis of 18 fogwater samples collected during the year 1991 in Strasbourg, in the east of France. For each fog event, two droplet size categories (2-6 microm and 5-8 microm) have been separately collected and 16 ionic components have been analysed. These two fraction sizes were chosen because they correspond approximately to the size range that can penetrate the human lung and they may have possible health effects. The dominant species were NH4+, NO3-, SO4(2-) and Cl-, with a maximum level of 12,640, 17,270, 21,620 and 13,540 microeq litre(-1), respectively. For most of the fog events the highest concentrations of all analysed species were observed in the 2-6 microm droplets. pH values ranged between 2.79 and 5.70 and the fogwater acidity was governed by three strong acids, H2SO4, HNO3 and HCl and was partially neutralised by NH3 and probably by the presence of CaCO3 in the 'loess', which is the major constituent of soils in the upper Rhine valley. In other respects the acetate/formate ratio (methanoate/ethanoate), generally lower than 1, indicates an important pollution due to automobile exhaust, although the Pb concentrations are moderate due to the general use of unleaded gasoline in France since 1989.     

Moist olive husks addition to a silty clay soil: influence on microbial and biochemical parameters

To investigate the effects of moist olive husks (MOH-residues) on soil respiration, microbial biomass, and enzymatic (o-diphenoloxidase, beta-glucosidase, dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase) activities, a silty clay soil was incubated with 0 (control), 8 x 10(3) (D), 16 x 10(3) (2D) and 80 x 10(3) (10D) kg ha-1 of MOH-residues on a dry weight basis. Soil respiration and microbial biomass data indicated that the addition of MOH-residues strongly increased microbial activity proportionally to the amounts added. Data of qCO2 suggested that the respiration to biomass ratio of the microbial population was strongly modified by MOH-residues additions during the first 90 days of incubation. The qCO2 data suggested a low efficiency in energy yields from C oxidation during the first 2 months of soil incubation. qFDA seemed to be relatively unaffected for treatments D and 2D as compared to the control, but was significantly lowered by the application of 10D, showing the lowest hydrolytic activity of microbial biomass in this treatment up to 360 days of incubation. o-Diphenoloxidase activity was delayed, and this delay was extended with the addition of larger quantities of MOH-residues. Alkaline phosphatase, beta-glucosidase and dehydrogenase activities were in line with the findings on microbial biomass changes and activities. The biological and biochemical data suggest that the addition of a large quantity of MOH-residues (80 x 10(3) kg ha-1) strongly modifies the soil characteristics affecting the r- and K-strategist populations, and that these changes last for at least the 360 days of incubation. The data also suggest that application rates exceeding 16 x 10(3) kg ha-1 are not recommended until the agro-chemical and -physical functions of the soil are further studied.     

Cerebro-costo-mandibular syndrome in a father and a female fetus: early prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis and autosomal dominant transmission

Ultrasonography in a female fetus revealed cystic cervical hygroma, severe micrognathia, and vertebral and upper limb anomalies suggestive of cerebro-costo-mandibular syndrome (CCMS) which was diagnosed ultrasonographically at 16 weeks' gestation. The father is affected and presents with a Pierre Robin sequence, short stature and typical costovertebral anomalies. CCMS is a rare and severe disorder. The high frequency of sporadic cases, vertical transmission, and the excess of sibs affected via horizontal transmission suggest dominant autosomal mutation with possible germinal mosaicism. The vertical familial case detailed in the present report is a reminder of the high risk when one parent or one sibling is affected and the extreme variability of phenotype and costal ossification. Early prenatal ultrasound diagnosis is possible in a severely affected fetus. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kinetic study of heterogeneous ozonolysis of alachlor, trifluralin and terbuthylazine adsorbed on silica particles under atmospheric conditions

To better understand the atmospheric behaviour of pesticides, heterogeneous ozonolysis of three herbicides (alachlor, terbuthylazine and trifluralin) adsorbed on silica particles were performed in a flow reactor. The experimental setup used in this study and previously validated (Pflieger et al., 2009) has been specially developed to investigate extremely slow reactivity. The pesticides were adsorbed on particles using a gas/solid adsorption equilibrium, in order to simulate atmospheric conditions. After exposure to ozone concentrations ranging from 5 to 41 ppm during 90 min to 6 h, the kinetics were calculated by comparing the initial and the remaining amounts of pesticides adsorbed on silica particles. This work offers the first results of heterogeneous ozonolysis of alachlor and trifluralin adsorbed on mineral particles. Although alachlor and terbuthylazine were expected to react with ozone, no degradation was observed which leads to a lifetime higher than 8 months towards ozonolysis (for 40 ppb of O₃). A significant degradation of trifluralin adsorbed on silica particles by heterogeneous ozonolysis was observed. The experimental data could be fit by both the Langmuir–Rideal and the Langmuir–Hinshelwood models resulting in atmospheric lifetimes (towards heterogeneous ozonolysis) of 40 and 32 days respectively (for 40 ppb of O₃). These results are discussed and compared to other studies.