A Critical View of Current State of Phytotechnologies to Remediate Soils: Still a Promising Tool?

Phytotechnologies are often shown as an emerging tool to remediate contaminated soils. Research in this field has resulted in many important findings relating to plant and soil sciences. However, there have been scant private and public investments and little commercial success with this technology. Here, we investigate the barriers to the adoption of phytotechnologies and determine whether it is still a fertile area for future research. The terminology used in phytotechnologies includes a confusing mish-mash of terms relating to concepts and processes increasing the difficulty of developing a unique commercial image. We argue that the commercial success of phytotechnologies depends on the generation of valuable biomass on contaminated land, rather than a pure remediation technique that may not compare favourably with the costs of inaction or alternative technologies. Valuable biomass includes timber, bioenergy, feedstock for pyrolosis, biofortified products, or ecologically important species

Trace element accumulation in woody plants of the Guadiamar Valley, SW Spain: A large-scale phytomanagement case study

10 pages, 3 figures, 5 tables, 50 references.Phytomanagement employs vegetation and soil amendments to reduce the environmental risk posed by contaminated sites. We investigated the distribution of trace elements in soils and woody plants from a large phytomanaged site, the Guadiamar Valley (SW Spain), 7 years after a mine spill, which contaminated the area in 1998. At spill-affected sites, topsoils (0e25 cm) had elevated concentrations of As (129 mg kg 1), Bi (1.64 mg kg 1), Cd (1.44 mg kg 1), Cu (115 mg kg 1), Pb (210 mg kg 1), Sb (13.8 mg kg 1), Tl (1.17 mg kg 1) and Zn (457 mg kg 1). Trace element concentrations in the studied species were, on average, within the normal ranges for higher plants. An exception was white poplar (Populus alba), which accumulated Cd and Zn in leaves up to 3 and 410 mg kg 1 respectively. We discuss the results with regard to the phytomanagement of trace element contaminated sites.We acknowledge the Regional Ministry of Environment (Junta de Andalucía) for supporting this study within the SECOVER research programme, and the Spanish Ministry of Education for a PFU grant awarded to M.T.D.Peer reviewe

Temporal Changes in Cd Sorption and Plant Bioavailability in Compost-Amended Soils

The application of Cd-contaminated phosphate fertiliser has enriched concentrations of this non-essential element in many agricultural soils. Consequently, concentrations of the metal in some agricultural products exceed the Maximum Limit in foods. Composts can reduce the transfer of Cd from soil to plants; however, it is unclear how long this beneficial effect endures. We aimed to determine temporal changes of phytoavailable Cd in two market garden soils (an Allophanic Orthic Granular Soil and a Recent Silt Loam). Soils were amended with either municipal green waste compost or sawdust and animal waste compost at a rate of 2.5% w/w under three incubation regimes: at 19 °C, at 30 °C, and at 30 °C with additional N added as urea at 0.6 g urea/kg soil added over 1 year. Each replicate was sampled after 1, 5, 9, 13, 21, 31, and 49 weeks, and phytoavailable Cd was estimated through 0.05 M Ca(NO3)2 extraction. Seed potato (Solanum tuberosum), ‘Nadine’ variety, was grown in the Pukekohe Allophanic Orthic Granular Soil, freshly amended with municipal compost and the same soil aged for one year. The concentration of Cd in all samples was analysed using an ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer). The C concentration in the soil—compost mixtures decreased over the year, with the greatest decreases occurring in the soils incubated at 30 °C with added N. Unexpectedly, the concentration of Ca(NO3)2-extractable Cd in the compost-amended soils did not increase over time and in some cases even decreased. This was confirmed through a pot experiment, which showed the Cd concentration in potato was reduced by 50% in both the freshly amended soil and the amended soil aged for one year. Cadmium immobilisation in soils might be due to both the sorption of Cd by organic matter and the occlusion of sorbed Cd by oxy-hydroxides of iron and aluminium. Over 49 weeks, soluble Cd does not increase as organic matter oxidises. The application of municipal compost to soil will reduce both plant Cd solubility and plant Cd uptake for at least one year in the soils tested

Correlative electrochemical acoustic time-of-flight spectroscopy and X-ray imaging to monitor the performance of single-crystal and polycrystalline NMC811/Gr lithium-ion batteries

LiNixMnyCozO2 (NMC) electrodes typically consist of anisotropic single-crystal primary particles aggregated to form polycrystalline secondary particles. Electrodes composed of polycrystalline NMC particles have a comparatively high gravimetric capacity and good rate capabilities but do not perform as well as single crystal equivalents in terms of volumetric energy density and cycling stability. This has prompted research into well-dispersed single-crystalline NMC products as an alternative solution for high-energy-density batteries. Here, for the first time known to the authors, electrochemical acoustic time-of-flight (EA-ToF) spectroscopy has been shown to be effective in distinguishing between Li-ion batteries composed of either single-crystal NMC811 (SC-NMC811) or polycrystalline NMC811 (PC-NMC811) electrodes. Cells composed of PC-NMC811 electrodes had a higher degree of gas evolution compared to cells containing SC-NMC811 electrodes. Cells composed of PC-NMC811 electrodes also underwent larger changes in the acoustic signal's time-of-flight (ToF) during constant current cycling at a range of C-rates indicating expansion, fracture or dislocation of the reflective interfaces inside the cell. In addition, X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) has been used to confirm significant morphological differences between SC-NMC811 electrodes and PC-NMC811 electrodes including the electrode's particle size distribution (PSD) that is suggested to have an effect on acoustic signal interaction with these electrode interfaces

Seasonal and diurnal variability of sub-ice platelet layer thickness in McMurdo Sound from electromagnetic induction sounding

Here, we present observations of temporal variability of sub-ice platelet layer over seasonal and diurnal timescales under Ice Shelf Water-influenced fast ice in McMurdo Sound. Electromagnetic induction (EM) sounding time-series measurements of the thicknesses of fast ice and sub-ice platelet layer were made in winter and late spring of 2018. Winter objectives were to measure the seasonal growth of fast ice and sub-ice platelet layer near the McMurdo Ice Shelf in the east, while in late spring we assessed the diurnal variability of sub-ice platelet layer with coincident EM time-series and oceanographic measurements collected in the main outflow path of supercooled Ice Shelf Water in the west. During winter, we observed when the sub-ice platelet layer formed beneath consolidated ice. Episodes of rapid sub-ice platelet layer growth (∼ 0.5–1 m) coincided with strong southerly wind events and polynya activity, suggesting wind-enhanced Ice Shelf Water circulation from the McMurdo–Ross Ice Shelf cavity. In late spring, we investigated how the tides and ocean properties influenced the sub-ice platelet layer. Over a 2-week neap–spring tidal cycle, changes in sub-ice platelet layer thickness were observed to correlate with the tides, increasing more during neap than spring tide cycles, and on diurnal timescales, more on ebb than flood tides. Neap and ebb tides correspond with stronger northward circulation out of the cavity, indicating that sub-ice platelet layer growth was driven by tidally enhanced Ice Shelf Water outflow. The observed variability indicated that wind-driven circulation and the tides influence Ice Shelf Water outflow in McMurdo Sound and, consequently, sub-ice platelet layer evolution over a range of timescales

Editors’ choice—4D neutron and X-ray tomography studies of high energy density primary batteries: Part II. multi-modal microscopy of LiSOCl2 cells

The ability to track electrode degradation, both spatially and temporally, is fundamental to understand performance loss during operation of lithium batteries. X-ray computed tomography can be used to follow structural and morphological changes in electrodes; however, the direct detection of electrochemical processes related to metallic lithium is difficult due to the low sensitivity to the element. In this work, 4-dimensional neutron computed tomography, which shows high contrast for lithium, is used to directly quantify the lithium diffusion process in spirally wound Li/SOCl$_{2}$ primary cells. The neutron dataset enables the quantification of the lithium transport from the anode and the accumulation inside the SOCl$_{2}$ cathode to be locally resolved. Complementarity between the collected neutron and X-ray computed tomographies is shown and by applying both methods in concert we have observed lithium diffusion blocking by the LiCl protection layer and identified all cell components which are difficult to distinguish using one of the methods alone

Charged black holes in quadratic gravity

Iterative solutions to fourth-order gravity describing static and electrically charged black holes are constructed. Obtained solutions are parametrized by two integration constants which are related to the electric charge and the exact location of the event horizon. Special emphasis is put on the extremal black holes. It is explicitly demonstrated that in the extremal limit, the exact location of the (degenerate) event horizon is given by \rp = |e|. Similarly to the classical Reissner-Nordstr\"om solution, the near-horizon geometry of the charged black holes in quadratic gravity, when expanded into the whole manifold, is simply that of Bertotti and Robinson. Similar considerations have been carried out for the boundary conditions of second type which employ the electric charge and the mass of the system as seen by a distant observer. The relations between results obtained within the framework of each method are briefly discussed

Utilisation of an operative difficulty grading scale for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background A reliable system for grading operative difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy would standardise description of findings and reporting of outcomes. The aim of this study was to validate a difficulty grading system (Nassar scale), testing its applicability and consistency in two large prospective datasets. Methods Patient and disease-related variables and 30-day outcomes were identified in two prospective cholecystectomy databases: the multi-centre prospective cohort of 8820 patients from the recent CholeS Study and the single-surgeon series containing 4089 patients. Operative data and patient outcomes were correlated with Nassar operative difficultly scale, using Kendall’s tau for dichotomous variables, or Jonckheere–Terpstra tests for continuous variables. A ROC curve analysis was performed, to quantify the predictive accuracy of the scale for each outcome, with continuous outcomes dichotomised, prior to analysis. Results A higher operative difficulty grade was consistently associated with worse outcomes for the patients in both the reference and CholeS cohorts. The median length of stay increased from 0 to 4 days, and the 30-day complication rate from 7.6 to 24.4% as the difficulty grade increased from 1 to 4/5 (both p < 0.001). In the CholeS cohort, a higher difficulty grade was found to be most strongly associated with conversion to open and 30-day mortality (AUROC = 0.903, 0.822, respectively). On multivariable analysis, the Nassar operative difficultly scale was found to be a significant independent predictor of operative duration, conversion to open surgery, 30-day complications and 30-day reintervention (all p < 0.001). Conclusion We have shown that an operative difficulty scale can standardise the description of operative findings by multiple grades of surgeons to facilitate audit, training assessment and research. It provides a tool for reporting operative findings, disease severity and technical difficulty and can be utilised in future research to reliably compare outcomes according to case mix and intra-operative difficulty

Hunt for new phenomena using large jet multiplicities and missing transverse momentum with ATLAS in 4.7 fb−1 of s√=7TeV proton-proton collisions

Results are presented of a search for new particles decaying to large numbers of jets in association with missing transverse momentum, using 4.7 fb−1 of pp collision data at s√=7TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2011. The event selection requires missing transverse momentum, no isolated electrons or muons, and from ≥6 to ≥9 jets. No evidence is found for physics beyond the Standard Model. The results are interpreted in the context of a MSUGRA/CMSSM supersymmetric model, where, for large universal scalar mass m 0, gluino masses smaller than 840 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level, extending previously published limits. Within a simplified model containing only a gluino octet and a neutralino, gluino masses smaller than 870 GeV are similarly excluded for neutralino masses below 100 GeV

Measurements of Higgs boson production and couplings in diboson final states with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Measurements are presented of production properties and couplings of the recently discovered Higgs boson using the decays into boson pairs, H →γ γ, H → Z Z∗ →4l and H →W W∗ →lνlν. The results are based on the complete pp collision data sample recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at centre-of-mass energies of √s = 7 TeV and √s = 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 25 fb−1. Evidence for Higgs boson production through vector-boson fusion is reported. Results of combined fits probing Higgs boson couplings to fermions and bosons, as well as anomalous contributions to loop-induced production and decay modes, are presented. All measurements are consistent with expectations for the Standard Model Higgs boson