The role of biogeochemical hotspots,landscape heterogeneity,and hydrological connectivity for minimizing forestry effects on water quality

Protecting water quality in forested regions is increasingly important as pressures from land-use, long-range transport of air pollutants, and climate change intensify. Maintaining forest industry without jeopardizing sustainability of surface water quality therefore requires new tools and approaches. Here, we show how forest management can be optimized by incorporating landscape sensitivity and hydrological connectivity into a framework that promotes the protection of water quality. We discuss how this approach can be operationalized into a hydromapping tool to support forestry operations that minimize water quality impacts. We specifically focus on how hydromapping can be used to support three fundamental aspects of land management planning including how to (i) locate areas where different forestry practices can be conducted with minimal water quality impact; (ii) guide the off-road driving of forestry machines to minimize soil damage; and (iii) optimize the design of riparian buffer zones. While this work has a boreal perspective, these concepts and approaches have broad-scale applicability.     

Levels and risks of surface contamination by thirteen antineoplastic drugs in the Czech and Slovak hospitals and pharmacies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The consumption of hazardous antineoplastic drugs (ADs) used in anticancer chemotherapies is steadily increasing representing thus risks to both human...     

Sixteen priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in roadside soils at traffic light intersections (Bratislava,Slovakia): concentrations,sources and influencing factors

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Combustion of fossil fuels is the most important source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment. Cities are typical of many human...     

High frequency of antibiotic tolerance in deep subsurface heterotrophic cultivable bacteria from the Rozália Gold Mine,Slovakia

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The Rozália Mine, with its long mining history, could represent an environmental threat connected with metal contamination and associated...     

Antibiotic resistance,virulence factors and biofilm formation ability in Escherichia coli strains isolated from chicken meat and wildlife in the Czech Republic

Attachment of pathogenic bacteria to food contact surfaces and the subsequent biofilm formation represent a serious threat for the food industry, since these bacteria are more resistant to antimicrobials or possess more virulence factors. The main aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between antibiotic resistance against 13 antibiotics, distribution of 10 virulence factors and biofilm formation in 105 Escherichia coli strains according to their origin. The high prevalence of antibiotic resistance that we have found in wildlife isolates could be acquired by horizontal transfer of resistance genes from human or domestic or farm animals. Consequently, these commensal bacteria might serve as indicator of antimicrobial usage for human and veterinary purposes in the Czech Republic. Further, 46 out of 66 resistant isolates (70%) were able to form biofilm and we found out statistically significant correlation between prevalence of antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation ability. The highest prevalence of antibiotic resistance was observed in weak biofilm producers. Biofilm formation was not statistically associated with any virulence determinant. However, we confirmed the correlation between prevalence of virulence factors and host origin. Chicken isolates possessed more virulence factors (66%), than isolates from wildlife (37%). We can conclude that the potential spread of antibiotic resistance pattern via the food chain is of high concern for public health. Even more, alarming is that E. coli isolates remain pathogenic potential with ability to form biofilm and these bacteria may persist during food processing and consequently lead to greater risks of food contamination.     

Paternity covaries with laying and hatching order in the collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis

Females in most bird species engage in extra-pair copulations. Although this behaviour is widespread, benefits for females of doing so are less understood. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that they improve their previous choice of social partner and gain genetic benefits for their offspring. Some evidence for this comes from studies that find that extra-pair young (EPY) have greater fitness than their half-sibs. However, this might be also caused by maternal, non-genetic effect, a possibility that remains largely untested. Here we test whether EPY are laid in larger eggs or eggs laid early in the laying sequence in the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis). The size of eggs bearing EPY and within-pair young (WPY) did not differ, however, EPY were laid in early eggs and consequently hatched earlier than WPY. As hatching asynchrony is a strong determinant of offspring size and survival in many species, including collared flycatcher, our results suggest that a caution is needed when paternal genetic effects are to be inferred from comparison of naturally occurring half-sibs.     

Degradation of pet copolyesters under real and laboratory composting conditions

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The present work is aimed on the study of degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate-co-lactate) copolyesters, prepared by chemical modification of...     

Source identification of particulate matter and associated intake of elements through inhalation in an industrial area of Odisha,India

Particulate matter concentrations were measured in an industrial region in the Ganjam district of Odisha. The average levels of suspended particulate matter (SPM) were measured to be 142 ± 8 and PM₁₀ of particulate matter with a size of less than 10 micrometers (PM₁₀) to be 50 ± 15 μg m^?3. Out of the 14 elements determined, Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, and K contributed more than 95% of the total weight. In enrichment factors, the trace elements, i.e., Zn, Pb, Cd, and Hg were observed to be highly enriched in the SPM and PM₁₀. Factor analysis indicates that more than 75% of the variance was due to five component factors, which have eigenvalues greater than 1. Intake of elements through inhalation route to adults has been estimated.     

Inactivation of bacteria by sun light in a solar reactor with Immobilised TiO2

The photocatalytical inactivation of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis,...) in the flow‐through plate solar reactor by sunlight was investigated. The low stability of bacteria in the reactor was attributed to bacteria sensitivity to mixing and/or gas bubbling. Sunlight inactivation proceeds with sufficient rate even under cloudy conditions.     

Influence of COM-peptides/proteins on the properties of flocs formed at different shear rates

Coagulation followed by floc separation is a key process for the removal of algal organic matter(AOM) in water treatment. Besides optimizing coagulation parameters,knowledge of the properties of AOM-flocs is essential to maximizing AOM removal.However, the impact of AOM on the floc properties remains unclear. This study investigated how peptides/proteins derived from the cellular organic matter(COM) of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa influenced the size, structure, and shape of flocs formed at different shear rates(G). Flocs formed by kaolinite, COM-peptides/proteins and a mixture of the same were studied, and the effect of intermolecular interactions between floc components on floc properties was assessed. The coagulation experiments were performed in a Taylor–Couette reactor, with aluminum(Al) or ferric sulphate(Fe) utilized as coagulants. Image analysis was performed to gauge floc size and obtain data on fractal dimension. It was found that floc properties were affected by the presence of the COM-peptides/proteins and the coagulant used. COM-peptides/proteins increased floc size and porosity and widened floc size distributions. The Fe coagulant produced larger and less compact flocs than Al coagulant. Moreover, the decrease in floc size that occurred in parallel with increase in shear rate was not smooth in progress. A rapid change for the kaolinite-coagulant suspension and two rapid changes for the suspensions containing COM were observed. These were attributed to various intermolecular interactions between floc components participating in coagulation at different G. Based on the results obtained, shear rates suitable for efficient separation of flocs containing COM were suggested.