Acetate and ethanol as potential enhancers of low temperature denitrification in soil contaminated by fur farms: a pilot-scale study

Ethanol and acetate were examined as potential candidates to enhance denitrification at low temperature in soils contaminated by fur farms. Five pilot-scale sand and gravel columns with a top layer of soil from a fur farm were set up and fed with nitrate-containing water (influent concentration of 100 and 200 mg L(-1)) for 459 days at 6+/-2 degrees C. Two of the columns also received acetate and two other ethanol while one received no additional C-substrate. During the experiment, various C:N-ratios were tested to find the most optimal concentration of the added C-substrates, and effluent concentrations of nitrate, nitrite, and TOC were monitored. At the end of the experiments, soils in the columns were unpacked and the soils were used to measure a pattern of enzyme activities and the rates of denitrification in microcosms. The fur farm contaminated soil appeared to harbour a good intrinsic potential for denitrification, which could be greatly enhanced by the introduction of ethanol or acetate. Consequently, in the C-substrate-fed columns, 95-100% of the influent nitrate was removed after an acclimatization period of some weeks. Ethanol with C:N-ratio of ca. 6 at the nitrate level 200 mg L(-1) proved to be the most promising candidate to be used in field trials.     

Effects of a cycle training course on children's cycling skills and levels of cycling to school

Introduction

The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the short- and longer-term effects of a cycle training on children's cycling skills. A second aim of the study was to examine the effects of a cycle training, with and without parental involvement, on levels of cycling to school and on parental attitudes towards cycling.

Methods

Three participating schools were randomly assigned to the “intervention” (25 children), the “intervention plus parent” (34 children) or “control” condition (35 children). A cycle training (four sessions of 45 min) took place only in the intervention schools. Parents in the “intervention plus parent” condition were asked to assist their child in completing weekly homework tasks. Children's cycling skills were assessed, using a practical cycling test. All participating children also received a short parental questionnaire on cycling behavior and parental attitudes towards cycling. Assessments took place at baseline, within 1 week after the last session and at 5-months follow-up. Repeated measure analyses were conducted to evaluate the effects of the cycle training.

Results

Children's total cycling skill score increased significantly more from pre to post and from pre to 5-months follow-up in the intervention group than in the control group. On walking with the bicycle (F = 1.6), cycling in a straight line (F = 2.6), cycling a slalom (F = 1.9), cycling over obstacles (F = 2.1), cycling on a sloping surface (F = 1.7) and dismounting the bicycle (F = 2.0), the cycle training had no effect. For all other cycling skills, significant improvements were observed on short- and longer-term. No significant intervention effects were found on children's cycling to school levels (F = 1.9) and parental attitudes towards cycling.

Conclusion

The cycle training course was effective in improving children's cycling skills and the improvements were maintained 5 months later. However, the cycle training course was not effective in increasing children's cycling to school levels.     

Does a cycle training course improve cycling skills in children?

Introduction

The aim of this study was to determine the short-term effects of cycle training on basic cycling skills in children from the 4th grade of elementary school. Furthermore, the influence of gender, socio-economic status (SES) and initial cycling skills level on the effects of the cycle training was investigated.

Methods

Five participating schools were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 3) or control condition (n = 2). Children's cycling skills were assessed, using a practical cycling test, at baseline and immediately after the intervention. At baseline, all participating children received a short parental questionnaire on child's demographic and family factors. After the pre-test, cycle training took place only in the intervention schools. Repeated measure analyses were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the cycle training.

Results

The cycle training had a statistically significant effect on children's total cycling skill (F = 46.9, p < 0.001). On mounting the bicycle and start to cycle (F = 2.6, p = 0.11), cycling one handed (F = 2.0, p = 0.16), and cycling on a sloping surface (F = 1.5, p = 0.23), no statistically significant effects were detected. On all other cycling skills, time × condition interaction effects were statistically significant. Gender, SES and initial cycling skills level had no significant influence on the effects of the cycle training.

Conclusion

This study showed that a cycle training of only three sessions was effective to improve children's cycling skills at short term and that cycle training within a traffic-free environment seems to be a useful first step in the development of safe cycling behaviors.     

Removal of diatrizoate with catalytically active membranes incorporating microbially produced palladium nanoparticles

There is an increasing concern about the fate of iodinated contrast media (ICM) in the environment. Limited removal efficiencies of currently applied techniques such as advanced oxidation processes require more performant strategies. The aim of this study was to establish an innovative degradation process for diatrizoate, a highly recalcitrant ICM, by using biogenic Pd nanoparticles as free suspension or immobilized in polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polysulfone (PSf) membranes. As measured by HPLC-UV, the removal of 20 mg L⁻¹ diatrizoate by a 10 mg L⁻¹ Pd suspension was completed after 4 h at a pH of 10. LC-MS analysis provided evidence for the sequential hydrodeiodination of diatrizoate. Pd did not lose its activity after incorporation in the PVDF and PSf matrix and the highest activity (k_cat = 30.0 ± 0.4 h⁻¹ L g⁻¹ Pd) was obtained with a casting solution of 10% PSf and 500 mg L⁻¹ Pd. Subsequently, water containing 20 mg L⁻¹ diatrizoate was treated in a membrane contactor, in which the water was supplied at one side of the membrane while hydrogen was provided at the other side. In a fed batch configuration, a removal efficiency of 77% after a time period of 48 h was obtained. This work showed that membrane contactors with encapsulated biogenic nanoparticles can be instrumental for treatment of water contaminated with diatrizoate.     

Working chute behavior of feedlot cattle can be an indication of cattle temperament and beef carcass composition and quality

The relationship between working chute temperament and beef carcass quality traits were measured on 183 crossbred feedlot steers. Steers were weighed and sorted into 16 pens and weighed every 28 days. Temperament was evaluated as exit velocity (EV), chute score (CS), and catch score (CAPS). Tissue samples were collected for DNA profile including docility (IGENITY^®, Merial Limited, Duluth, GA, USA). Steers were harvested at 14 to 16 months of age (606 ± 52 kg). Exit velocity increased and CS and CAPS values declined over time. Steers receiving a lower CAPS score had more marbling (P = 0.02). Ribeye steaks from steers with a slow first recorded EV were more tender (P = 0.02) than steaks from faster EV steers. IGENITY^® docility index had a positive (P = 0.09) correlation (r = 0.15) with Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBS) indicating a higher docility index was loosely associated with tougher meat.     

Anti-homogalacturonan antibodies: A way to explore the effect of processing on pectin in fruits and vegetables?

The potential of the anti-homogalacturonan(HG) antibodies JIM5, JIM7, LM7, LM18, LM19, LM20 and PAM1 for investigating the effect of processing on pectin in fruit and vegetable tissues was screened in this study. In this respect, the specificity of the antibodies towards pectin and methoxylated polygalacturonic acid with defined degrees and patterns of methylesterification was elaborated, leading to a substantial extension of the information already available in literature. Based on the obtained specificities, the distribution of pectin methylesterification in carrot and broccoli tissue was mapped. It was established that pectin with a low degree of esterification (DE) and a more blockwise distribution of the methylesters is, both in carrot and in broccoli, preferentially located at the tricellular junctions between adjacent cells. This cell wall region, however, is also likely to contain other structural pectic domains. The inner face of the cell wall adjacent to the plasma membrane seems to contain pectin with a medium DE. To evaluate the potential of the anti-HG antibodies to detect changes in degree and pattern of methylesterification caused by processing, carrot and broccoli were subjected to a thermal treatment aimed to stimulate the endogenous pectinmethylesterase (PME) activity. It was revealed that process-induced de-esterification by endogenous PME mainly tends to take place at discrete regions of the inner face of the cell wall adjacent to the plasma membrane for carrot and in tricellular junctions and the middle lamella for broccoli.