The dynamics of boron when amending agricultural soil of the Mediterranean basin with biosolids: trials in leaching columns.

There is mainly a lack of boron (B) in soils with low amounts of organic matter and in acidic and sandy soils. This is especially true in irrigated land or humid regions, where leaching can occur. The results from studying the amount of available B will reveal the status of B in the soil of a specific plot of land. The experimentation was performed as a controlled study using leaching columns. A container was placed at the end of the columns to collect the infiltrated water. Three treatments were performed by applying different amounts of biosolids (T40: 40,000 kg ha-1, T80: 80,000 kg ha-1, T120: 120,000 kg ha-1), as well as a blank test or control treatment (T0). We conclude that the mobility of B in soil was generally low despite the addition of organic matter and humidity to the soil. This is an indication that there is no clear risk of aquifers being contaminated with B or plants being impacted by toxicity due to this micronutrient.

Characterisation of clays from Alicante province (SE Spain) for use in the recovery of degraded soils.

The goal of this paper is the characterisation of seven clays of the province of Alicante (SE Spain) and their possible use to improve the fertility, water absorption and contaminant-retaining capacity of degraded soils. Three soils affected by the dumping of construction debris were also studied to diagnose the problems and possible recovery strategies. Several physicochemical properties were measured, such as the water holding capacity, soil organic matter, lime, pH, EC and CEC. A high correlationship between mineralogical and elemental composition was obtained. Illite was present in all clays and soils. Some of the samples also contained kaolinite and significant amounts of lime. The CEC, as expected, was more closely related to the organic matter content. Soil organic matter was detected in the second derivative of the FTIR spectra by the signals of the CH2 groups at 2850 and 2919. This way, the FTIR spectrum for the soils of the area would make it possible to estimate both the organic matter content and the CEC. Despite their origin, soils did not show heavy metal pollution; however, salinisation risk seemed to be the most probable cause of degradation. According to the organic matter, lime and illite content, two clays were selected as the most suitable for soil degradation recovery. Furthermore, organic matter additions may help to improve the self-depurative ability of the soil.

Bioavailability, mobility and leaching of phosphorus in a Mediterranean agricultural soil (ne Spain) amended with different doses of biosolids.

The precipitation of sparingly soluble calcium phosphate in calcareous soils decreases the bioavailability of macronutrients, which makes their addition by way of fertilisers necessary. Sludge resulting from treating urban wastewater does not only provide significant amounts of phosphorus, but also helps lower the pH, thus increasing its bioavailability. The loss of part of soil nutrients due to irrigation or rain can contaminate groundwater. In order to assess the movement of phosphorus, a experiment was conducted on percolation columns, to which different doses of wastes were applied. The pH decreased by as much as 0.89 units, as well as the assimilable and soluble P, in intervals of 20 cm of depth, obtaining maximum values of 254 mg P kg-1 and 1455 µg P kg-1 respectively, and the P present in the leached water collected, which did not surpass 95 µg PL-1. The intent was to learn which was the majoritarian inorganic formed crystalline phase that immobilised the movement of phosphorus through the percolation column. The results obtained by the diffraction of X-rays are not conclusive, although they point to the formation of octacalcium phosphate. The diffractograms of the studied samples have similar diffraction lines to those of apatites.

Mineralogical Analysis of Historical Mortars by FTIR.

A method for quantitative mineralogical analysis by ATR-FTIR [1] has been used first time for analysis of historical mortars. Mixtures of different minerals and gypsum were used in order to measure the minimum band intensity that must be considered for calculations and the detection limit. In this way, the molar absorptivity coefficient in the Lambert⁻Beer law and the components of a mixture in mol percentage can be calculated. The GAMS equation modeling environment and the NLP solver CONOPT (©ARKI Consulting and Development) were used to correlate the experimental data in the samples considered. The characterization of the vernacular mortars by FTIR analysis identifies the predominant minerals of the samples, and in conjunction with XRF and XRD, shows the exact composition of historical mortars, which will optimize the restoration and conservation of monuments, preserving our heritage.

Cause, setting and ownership analysis of dog bites in Bay County, Florida from 2009 to 2010.

Emergency room and hospital discharge data have been used to describe the risk factors and public health impact of dog bites. These data sets are based on financial charges for severe bites and underestimates dog bite burdens within communities. This study expands both the source of information and risk factor data collected to provide demographic analysis of dog bite injury risk factors reported in Bay County, Florida in 2009-2010. Extended data for dog bites reported by various sources from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010 were collected by Florida Department of Health in Bay County. Data collected included bite victim's age and gender, primary reported cause of bite, setting, dog's restraint status and relationship between the victim and the dog. A total of 799 bites were reported. Most bites (55%) were reported first by healthcare practitioners, particularly bites involving children<6 years. Bites involving unfamiliar dogs and dogs off the owner's property were more likely to be reported by other sources. Boys aged 6-14 years accounted for 2.24 times more bites than same-aged females (P<0.001) and had the highest incidence with 424 bites per 100,000 persons per year. Persons 6 years or older were 3.6 times more likely to be bitten by an unfamiliar dog. Inappropriate behaviour management was the most common cause of bites (26%), followed by protective behaviour (24%). Bites of unknown cause were 2.5 times more likely in children<6 years. Separating dog fights was the most common cause of bites for persons 15 years or older (24%); females were significantly more likely to be bit than males (P=0.01). Bites by unrestrained dogs off the owner's property (32% of all bites) most commonly involved males. Estimates based solely on healthcare discharge data significantly underestimate dog bite burden within a community. Characterizing these risks by age group or gender provides an opportunity to implement targeted interventions to prevent dog bites.

Assesment of PM10 pollution episodes in a ceramic cluster (NE Spain): proposal of a new quality index for PM10, As, Cd, Ni and Pb.

Environmental pollution control is one of the most important goals in pollution risk assessment today. In this sense, modern and precise tools that allow scientists to evaluate, quantify and predict air pollution are of particular interest. Monitoring atmospheric particulate matter is a challenge faced by the European Union. Specific rules on this subject are being developed (Directive 2004/107/EC, Directive 2008/50/EC) in order to reduce the potential adverse effects on human health caused by air pollution. Air pollution has two sources: natural and anthropogenic. Contributions from natural sources can be assessed but cannot be controlled, while emissions from anthropogenic sources can be controlled; monitoring to reduce this latter type of pollution should therefore be carried out. In this paper, we describe an air quality evaluation in terms of levels of atmospheric particles (PM10), as outlined by European Union legislation, carried out in an industrialised Spanish coastal area over a five-year period with the purpose of comparing these values with those of other areas in the Mediterranean Basin with different weather conditions from North of Europe. The study area is in the province of Castellón. This province is a strategic area in the frame work of European Union (EU) pollution control. Approximately 80% of European ceramic tiles and ceramic frit manufacturers are concentrated in two areas, forming the so-called "ceramics clusters"; ones in Modena (Italy) and the other in Castellón. In this kind of areas, there are a lot of air pollutants from this industry then it is difficult to fulfill de European limits of PM10 so it is necessary to control the air quality in them. The seasonal differences in the number of days in which pollutant level limits were exceeded were evaluated and the sources of contamination were identified. Air quality indexes for each pollutant have been established to determine easily and clearly the quality of air breathed. Furthermore, in accordance with Directive 2008/50/EC, an Air Quality Plan is proposed to protect human health, and the environment as a whole, in the study area. General and specific corrective measures of main emission sources are provided. A strategy for air pollution management is thus presented.

Electrical conductivity measurements in sewage sludge pellets: innovative techniques for environmental management.

This paper presents research on the behaviour of electrical conductivity of sludge pellets resulting from the treatment of urban wastewater at the drying grounds of the El Trebal wastewater processing plant, located in the Mapocho river basin of the Metropolitana Region, Santiago, Chile. In the methodology used samples were taken that correspond to three horizons of the sewage sludge pile. The first horizon made up the upper portion of the pile (the surface), the second the central portion (mesophilous), and the third the lower one (thermophilous). Electrical conductivity measurements were taken in sewage sludge pellets under pressures on the order of 15-50 MPa with currents of 10(-15)A. Electrical conductivity measurements were also taken for different horizons, and innovative techniques and methodologies for sludge samples presented in the form of pellets are used for this purpose. Such pellets are easily reproduced with sufficient precision, and at the same time allow modifying other variables like mass, sample dimensions and compaction levels. The trends of the conductivity curves are similar for the sludge from the isolation surface horizon (H1) as well as for the mesophilous area horizon (H2). In the case of the thermophilous area horizon (H3), the electrical conductivity shows extremely high values when compared to horizons H1 and H2. This paper could be useful in establishing a general rule for taking electrical conductivity measurements in sewage sludge samples. Such a rule could bring accurate reproducible values, and be used for other types of dry wastes.

Effect of chemopreventive agents on separate stages of progression of benzo[alpha]pyrene induced lung tumors in A/J mice.

The effects of aerosol budesonide and dietary myo-inositol on progression of benzo[alpha]pyrene (B[alpha]P) induced carcinogenesis were studied in A/J mouse lung. First, we determined when to intervene in the carcinogenesis process by exposing several animals to B[alpha]P at 100 and 150 mg/kg of body wt. Groups of these animals were necropsied from 1 to 36 weeks post-carcinogen. The presence of different categories of lung tumors was noted over the 36 week time period. Hyperplasia first appeared approximately 6 weeks post-carcinogen followed by adenoma at 9 weeks, then by carcinoma at 26 weeks. From this temporal sequence we determined we could test for effects of preventive agents on progression to hyperplasia by intervening at 3 weeks, for effects on progression to adenoma by intervening at 6 weeks and for effects on progression to carcinoma by intervention at 12 weeks. Intervention at 3 weeks post-carcinogen with aerosolized budesonide delayed both hyperplasia and adenoma formation. Once hyperplasia appeared in budesonide treated animals, however, it increased at the same rate as in control animals, indicating a delay in progression. Progression from adenoma to carcinoma was reduced when budesonide was given 12 weeks post-carcinogen. Dietary myo-inositol failed to suppress progression from adenoma to carcinoma when started 12 weeks post-carcinogen. In summary, budesonide is a chemopreventive agent that has inhibitory effects on B[alpha]P induced carcinogenesis of the lung in A/J mice at all stages of progression from hyperplasia formation to cancer.

Automatic image analysis of antibody assays to measles virus.

A system for the automatic analysis of 24-well plates used in antibody assays to measles virus has been designed and developed based on digitising the information on the plate through a CCD camera, displaying the image and then analysing it using image processing methods. The system is being used in the analysis of sera from individuals vaccinated against measles and has been compared with the previous method where the plates were assessed by eye. The results from both methods are very similar although the manual method consisted of counting numbers of plaques (clear areas in the cells of the plate) and the automatic method measured plaque area. The automatic method is much faster than the original method and prevents operator fatigue. It does not deal, at present, with anomalies such as partially filled wells but could be developed to do so by incorporating intelligence into the system.

Ariel: an information system for AIDS research.

An information system has been established at the National Institute for Biological Standards & Control for the exchange of knowledge in AIDS research, particularly in relation to vaccine design. This system, the AIDS information exchange link (Ariel), is designed to act as a central store of relevant information for scientists in the UK and abroad and was set up under the auspices of the Medical Research Council. It holds information on research materials (reagents), on genetic sequences and on projects. Several computers and database systems are involved. Access is obtained through Janet, the UK academic network, or PSS, the British Telecom public network. Both these networks are linked to international network systems, e.g. Internet, Earn, IPSS. Ariel has been in operation for 18 months and is accessed internationally.

Significance of false-positive serologic tests for histoplasmosis and blastomycosis in an endemic area.

False-positive serologic tests for histoplasmosis (H) and blastomycosis (B) are common in populations from endemic areas. In order to determine the significance of false-positive test results, we reviewed the final diagnoses of all patients whose sera were submitted to our laboratory for radioimmunoassay (RIA) and immunodiffusion (ID) during a 3-yr period. Of the 263 patients whose sera were examined, 29 (11%) had H or B; 41 (17.5%) of the remaining 234 patients had false-positive test results. Of these 41 patients, 31 were positive for H alone, and 10 had antibodies to both H and B. All three patients with false-positive ID tests for histoplasmosis also had positive titers (greater than or equal to 1:16) on RIA. No patient had a false-positive ID result for blastomycosis. The percentage of patients in each of five major diagnostic categories with and without false-positive serologic tests was similar (p greater than 0.05). The majority of patients had pulmonary infections, almost half of which were granulomatous infections other than H or B; this reflects the clinical indications for requesting fungal serologic tests. A positive fungal serology is not useful in suggesting the presence of a pulmonary disease other than H or B in patients from an endemic area suspected of having a pulmonary mycosis.

Human-computer interaction and expert systems for three-dimensional studies of biomedical images.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of serial sections, observed by microscopy, is an important technique in medicine and biology. To view any part of a structure clearly, that part has to be identified and clearly highlighted in its relationship to other features in a structure. The identification process can be time consuming and tedious if many sections are involved, especially for routine applications, since human identification is required. In this paper we describe how image processing, together with other information on the shape and position of features relative to each other on any one section and throughout the structure, could be incorporated into an expert system and we also show how such a system could be designed. An important feature is the use of human-computer interaction to allow the system to evolve under the guidance of the biological or medical expert. An example of feature identification in a plant-parasitic nematode is used.

Chemical inhibitors of phagosome-lysosome fusion in cultured macrophages also inhibit saltatory lysosomal movements. A combined microscopic and computer study.

The effects on lysosomal movements produced by the weak base ammonium chloride and by a representative polyanion poly-D-glutamic acid (PGA), previously reported to inhibit phagosome-lysosome (P-L) fusion, have been studied in cultured mouse macrophages using direct visual phase-contrast microscopy, a previously described (1, 3, 7) fluorescence assay of fusion, and computer analysis techniques. Treatment of the macrophages with 5-10 mM NH4Cl for 0.5-2 h or with 100 micrograms PGA/ml for 5 d caused a striking inhibition of saltatory lysosomal movements, as well as the expected inhibition of P-L fusion. Two other anionic fusion inhibitors tested, dextran sulphate and suramin, inhibited movements similarly. Removal of the NH4Cl from the cell medium reversed the lysosomal stasis and restored P-L fusion. Computer analyses of changes in lysosomal positions in treated and untreated macrophages during 2, 10, and 30-s intervals, using data from photomicrographs, computer graphics, and quantitative nearest-neighbour techniques developed for this purpose, supported the qualitative visual observation of the inhibition of lysosomal movements by the fusion inhibitors NH4Cl and PGA. Over the chosen intervals, from 80 to 96% of the lysosomes could be paired within 1 micron of each other in the NH4Cl- and PGA-treated cells in comparison with 50-70% in normal cells. The differences between the drug-treated and normal cells were highly significant. In an analogous system, the lysosomal stasis induced by hypertonic sucrose was examined and it was observed that P-L fusion too was inhibited. Both effects were reversible. We conclude that inhibition of P-L fusion and of lysosomal movement are associated. We suggest a causal relationship between these changes, namely, that the lysosomotropic inhibitors of fusion under study produce their effects largely, though perhaps not exclusively, by reducing saltatory lysosomal motion and consequently periphagosomal assembly, rather than directly and independently on P-L contact or on the fusion process itself. The possibility is raised that microtubules may be involved in the effector mechanism of these modulations.

The obstetric outcome of teenage pregnancy.

A retrospective case record analysis of the obstetric outcome in 715 consecutive teenage primigravidae was performed. They were late in booking for hospital confinement and were frequently unsure of their expected date of delivery; 82% were unmarried before conception. When compared with primigravidae aged 20 to 24 years, anaemia was the only antenatal complication that was significantly increased. There was no evidence of an increased obstetric risk in the teenage women as a group but those who remained single showed significantly higher rates of premature labour and perinatal mortality when compared with the married women and appear to constitute an at risk group.

Incidence of pressure-sores in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area.

A survey was made by questionnaire of the prevalence and severity of pressure-sores on a given date among all hospital inpatients and all patients visited by a district nurse within the Greater Glasgow Health Board area. 8.8% of patients had a pressure-sore. Those aged 70 and over accounted for 70% of the patients with sores. Chairfast patients consistently had a higher pressure-sore frequency than bedfast patients of a similar degree of helplessness.

Brain water alterations after unilateral nephrectomy. A study of regional circulatory factors in squirrel monkeys.

White and regional gray matter distributions of water, blood flow, and the protein tracer pertechnetate were measured in five normal squirrel monkeys. A second group of five monkeys, which had undergone unilateral nephrectomy six months previously, were found at the time of study to have blood pressures similar to those of the control animals but increased brain water and altered distribution of blood flow which was increased in white matter. No alteration of capillary permeability to the protein traces attended these changes, which appeared to be influenced by blood pressure. Nephrectomy without hypertension influences brain water content, perhaps because of an effect on cerebral resistance vessels. In hypertensive encephalopathy renal lesions, as well as intraluminal pressure changes, may be related to cerebral edema.