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Pollution from agriculture has environmental consequences at local and global scales. Managing this pollution is challenging because of diffuse sources and complex relationships between aquatic and atmospheric emissions. We illustrate this for a UK county that has suffered outbreaks of microbial pollution and eutrophication. We surveyed 49 livestock farms covering 12% of total agricultural grazed land. Soil nutrient status and whole-farm nutrient balances were determined, and the environmental impact of alleviating sub-optimal soil pH by liming was estimated at the county level. Only 37% of fields contained more P than was required for satisfactory grass growth, and soil acidity and available K were often limiting production. The mean farm N, P and K balances were similar to a modelled farm in England & Wales and EU indicators for the majority of North West Europe. This suggests that local eutrophication events linked to agriculture are more likely to relate to improper timing of nutrient application rather than over-application. None of the surveyed farmers used nutrient decision support tools, largely due to a lack of awareness and competing sources of information. Liming soils to pH 6.0 was estimated to both reduce N-leaching and N2O emissions; however, the net climate-change impact would be negative as the direct CO2 emissions would exceed CO2 equivalent emissions of not liming by 394% (95% CI 201–21,232). Although liming currently presents a net cost to farmers, a sensitivity analysis suggests that reduced lime cost could lead to economic benefit to farmers but still increased greenhouse gas emissions. The results are applicable to all pasture-based agricultural systems where there is a drive to maintain or increase production through optimal soil and nutrient management. The findings demonstrate an important trade-off between reducing aquatic and atmospheric pollution and agricultural productivity, and the need to improve communication of this trade-off to farmers.

Objective To examine cystic fibrosis (CF) physician adherence to the 2007 CF Foundation (CFF) Pulmonary Guidelines for Chronic Medications. Specifically adherence and barriers to prescribing level A medication recommendations (i.e., inhaled tobramycin and dornase alfa) and level B medication recommendations (i.e., macrolide antibiotics and hypertonic saline) were studied. Methods During Spring 2010, the CFF emailed survey invitations to directors of 136 accredited CF care centers treating 50+ CF patients. Directors were asked to forward the invitations to their physician colleagues. One hundred thirty-three surveys were included in the analyses, representing 92 centers. Barriers were conceptualized based on Cabana et al.'s framework for adherence to guidelines. Adherence was assessed via a case vignette. Results Logistic regression analysis revealed that higher outcome expectancy (OR = 1.099, CI 1.010–1.196) and fewer environmental/system barriers (OR = 1.484, CI 1.158–1.902) were significantly associated with Vignette Adherence. A trend for an association between Familiarity and Vignette Adherence (OR = 1.642, CI 0.953–2.828) was evident, while no demographic variables were significantly associated with Vignette Adherence. Conclusion Targeting outcome expectancy and external barriers with multifaceted, ongoing interventions may improve guideline adherence. Pulmonologists are clearly looking for empirical evidence that these medications benefit their patients over the long-term and offset patient treatment burden with improved health. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2012; 47:434–440. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hard rock quarries are commonly located close to national parks and special areas of conservation and are generally regarded as visually intrusive. Consequently, restoration strategies that effectively accelerate natural plant regeneration processes are required. Slate waste tips present extreme conditions for plant establishment with multiple potential limiting factors (e.g., lack of organic matter, nutrients, and poor water retention). In this study, we investigated ecological strategies to accelerate natural regeneration at the largest slate quarry in Europe. A field experiment was conducted to assess ecosystem restoration using a contrasting set of native woody species. Treatments included amendments of waste tips with: polyacrylamide gel to increase water-holding capacity; mineral fertilizer to increase nutrient supply; and two treatments that increased both (organic waste or boulder clay addition). Ecosystem recovery was evaluated through above- and below-ground productivity (plant and microbial, respectively) and soil analyses. Neither increasing nutrient supply (with mineral fertilizer) nor water-holding capacity (with polyacrylamide gel) was sufficient, alone, to improve plant establishment. However, both boulder clay and organic waste amendment significantly enhanced plant growth. There was a marked positive interaction in the effects on tree growth of the amendment with organic waste and boulder clay. Large interactions occurred between tree species and substrate amendments. The growth of N(2)-fixing species was strongly favored over non-fixers where there was no addition of material increasing soil nitrogen supply, whereas the growth advantage of pioneer species over non-pioneers was greatest with fertilizer, organic waste, or clay additions. Organic waste addition had the greatest positive impact on soil processes.

Restoration of sites degraded by industry to species-rich semi-natural vegetation communities is difficult; it usually involves the addition of soil ameliorants but excessive fertility may favour dominance by competitive species. In a field-experiment we tested the establishment of a biodiverse mesotrophic grassland community using different compost types (comprising of mixtures of waste materials), application rates and seeding (with species in the target community). Compost addition to the alkaline sandy substrate increased soil organic matter, nutrient content and water holding capacity (WHC), whilst decreasing pH. Over the first two growing seasons compost addition, (especially at a higher rate) increased total vegetation cover (from

This paper describes experiments that demonstrate the effects and potential for remediation of a former steelworks site in Wales polluted with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Under field conditions, PAH-contaminated soil was composted in-vessel, with or without organic feedstocks, receiving forced aeration for 80 days followed by 4 months maturation. Treatments compared PAH removal in contaminated soil to contaminated soil mixed with three different organic waste mixes after composting and after composts were spread to land. After composting, PAH concentrations declined in all treatments, by up to 38%. Sixteen months after the composts were landspread and vegetation was established, only those containing contaminated soil with organic additions exhibited further PAH removal, by up to 29%. Composting resulted in a decline in the relative concentration of small PAHs, whereas the landspreading-vegetation phase saw a decline in the relative concentration of medium PAHs in two of the three composts exhibiting PAH removal. Under controlled glasshouse conditions, vegetated soil columns of differing depths were exposed to VOCs from beneath. VOC vapour affected both shoot and root growth and soil microbial activity; effects varied with distance from the VOC source. This work demonstrated that on-site remediation of aged PAH-contaminated land can be successfully initiated by in-vessel co-composting followed by land spreading and vegetation, within a practical timeframe.

Trace element contamination of post-industrial sites represents a major environmental problem and sustainable management options for remediating them are required. This study compared two strategies for immobilizing trace elements (Cu, Pb, Zn, and As) in mine spoil: (1) co-composting contaminated soil with organic wastes and (2) conventional incorporation of mature compost into contaminated soil. Sequential chemical extraction of the soil was performed to determine temporal changes in trace element fractionation and bioavailability during composting and plant growth. We show that mine spoil can be co-composted successfully and this action causes significant shifts in metal availability. However, co-composting did not lead to significant differences in metal partitioning in soil or in plant metal uptake compared with simply mixing mine spoil with mature compost. Both treatments promoted plant growth and reduced metal accumulation in plants. We conclude that co-composting provides little additional benefit for remediating trace-element-polluted soil compared with incorporation of compost.

Short-fibre paper residuals (deinking paper fibre (DPF) or paper mill sludge) represents a major waste formed during the processing of recycled paper and is known to contain significant quantities of copper. It is often spread onto agricultural land to help increase soil pH and improve structure by adding soil organic matter (SOM). A number of agricultural sites in England and Wales that had received large and repeated applications were sampled to investigate the long-term effects of this practice on soil quality and plant copper content. We found that the composition of DPF waste has changed significantly between 1999 and 2006 with concentrations of Cu increasing and organic matter content declining. Whilst repeated additions of DPF to agricultural land always increased soil Cu, an associated increase in SOM was not always apparent. There was no link between SOM and bioavailable Cu nor between soil bioavailable Cu and plant Cu. In contrast to previous reports, our findings indicate that improvement in soil quality following the long-term application of DPF was site-specific and in some cases it may have reduced soil quality rather than enhanced it.

Pocket planting reclamation techniques developed in the 1970s for revegetating blocky quarrying waste have met with very limited success, often because the low water-holding capacity of the waste and limited root development within a small volume of planting pocket material result in severe drought mortality. We tested pocket planting approaches for waste tip reclamation at Europe's largest slate quarry, and compared materials for enhancing the continuity of water- and nutrient-holding down into the interior of the waste tip. When small compost-filled pocket planting bags were placed above slate processing fines (SPF) or water absorbent cross-linked polyacrylamide gel ("hydrogel"), tree growth rates increased in comparison with pocket planting bags alone. The SPF significantly improved tree survival especially during severe drought, but survival was not enhanced by the use of hydrogel. The sorption characteristics of hydrogel indicated that its presence may help to reduce nutrient leaching, but that it may have a negative effect on nitrogen availability. A more likely explanation for the poor performance of pure hydrogel is that it did not maintain sufficient available water, because of discontinuities caused by shrinkage and movement of the hydrogel, and/or degradation of water-holding capacity with environmental exposure. However, the root growth observed in the hydrogel treatments suggests that this technique, if adapted to reduce the effects of hydrogel shrinkage by using finer-grade hydrogel, mixing it with other soil-forming material, and reducing its exposure to extremes of temperature or sunlight, might have the potential to improve the growth and survival of trees planted on sites where delivery of heavy materials such as SPF is impractical. Fine mineral processing waste is freely available at active quarries and should be seen as a key resource for reclamation schemes.

To sustain the performance of a land treatment system, soil hydraulic conductivity must be maintained. Biological clogging of soil pores tends to decrease hydraulic conductivity. The changes in soil biological properties and hydraulic conductivity were examined in repacked soil cores receiving weekly additions of wastewater with three C:N ratios for 28 weeks. We tested whether addition of a nitrification inhibitor (dicyandiamide, DCD) and polysaccharidase enzyme preparation (PEP) with wastewater would maintain hydraulic conductivity. Increases in wastewater C:N ratio increased soil microbial biomass, carbohydrate, and nematode population and decreased nitrate leaching and hydraulic conductivity, by up to 80%. While neither DCD nor PEP treatments lowered soil carbohydrate, both had increased hydraulic conductivity (in the range of 280–290%) in cores irrigated with high C:N wastewater, relative to `nil' treatment wastewater.

Topsoils in stockpiles become anaerobic, and continued organic matter mineralisation coupled with inhibition of nitrification results in an accumulation of large quantities of ammonium-nitrogen, typically in the order of 100–200 μ NH4+ -N g-1 soil. Soluble organic compounds also accumulate as a result of incomplete mineralisation of organic matter. The fate of this accumulated NH4+-N and its relationship with soluble C when stockpiles are dismantled and soils restored were studied in a series of laboratory- and greenhouse-based experiments. Loss of nitrogen as volatile ammonia was found to be relatively minor in the soils used (pH

An extension of femtochemistry to the gas—liquid transition region is reported for an elemantary reaction, the dissociation and recombination of iodine in supercritical argon reaching a density of 30.5 mol l^(−1). Three phenomena are systematically studied in the range 0 to 2000 bar of argon: the change of the coherent nuclear motion with solvent density, the rate of predissociation, and the caging by the solvent. The approach offers a unique way for examining the dynamics in real time from the gas to the liquid density limit.

We report our first successful ultrafast electron diffraction from beams of isolated molecules, CCI_4, I_2, and CF_3I. To demonstrate the feasibility of studying reactions, we report results on the structure of CF_3 radical from the dissociation of CF_3I.

Chemical properties have been used as a way of following the composting process and compost maturity, however, their analysis is very time consuming as each must be separately determined. By developing a more rapid method to predict these properties, time and cost would be saved. This study investigates the use of Fourier Transform mid-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) for this purpose. FT-IR spectra and measured values of several chemical properties from a variety of compost mixtures were used to produce calibrated models using partial least-squares regression analysis which predicted the known chemical properties. These models displayed a range of accuracies that for most properties was more than sufficient to follow at least broad dynamic changes associated with maturation. The best calibrations were achieved for total C, total N, LOI, lignin, and cellulose with r(2) values within the range 56-77%. Some degree of calibration was achieved for available-P and NH(4)(+)-N, with r(2) values of between 40% and 57%. No useful calibration could be achieved for NO(3)(-) or pH.

Soils at opencast coal mine sites which had been stockpiled in storage mounds, and soils which were taken from land that had subsequently been restored, were subjected to tests aimed at assessing the activity of indigenous microbial populations. Within stockpiles. the total biomass (measured as total bacteria and fungal hyphae) was variable, but often similar to that of unburied soil: however, most bacteria appeared to be non-viable (in that the proportion able to form colonies on solid media declined significantly within the mound), and a high percentage of surviving bacteria were capable of forming endospores. Vital fungal biomass. measured by PDA staining, was also low in buried soils compared to surface soil. It was concluded that much of the biomass in stockpiled soils was dead and that much of the surviving microflora existed in inactive forms. On restoration, platable soil bacteria increased dramatically and incidence of endospore-formers decreased, particularly in the early stages. The pattern was that of a typical flush of decomposition and tended to subside with time. Modifications to techniques used to evaluate total bacteria (by SEM) and vital fungal hyphae are described.

Cross-linked polyacrylamide gels are increasingly being used in environmental restoration schemes and horticulture as a means of enhancing water supply to plants. However, the environmental impact of cross-linked polyacrylamide gel deployment in soil remains poorly understood. This study assessed the chemical, physical and biological properties of new and field-conditioned cross-linked polyacrylamide gels. Both monomeric acrylamide (11 microg l(-1)) and acrylic acid (285 microg l(-1)) were observed in new gel; however, the levels of monomers in field-conditioned gels (1-6 years old) were very low (acrylamide1 microg l(-1); acrylic acid7 microg l(-1)). Generally, freeze-thaw processes and exposure to UV radiation had little effect on gel acrylic acid and acrylamide concentrations. However, elevated temperatures (35 degrees C) caused a significant release of up to 144 mug l(-1) of acrylamide and 453 microg l(-1) of acrylic acid in new gel and up to 25 microg l(-1) of acrylamide and 157 microg l(-1) of acrylic acid in field-conditioned gels. In contrast, gel water holding capacity was highly dependent upon environmental conditions (UV exposure and freeze/thaw cycles produced the greatest loss of water holding in new gels) and gel age. Optical microscopy revealed that after placement in the field the gels became increasingly colonised over time by fungi and bacteria. In enrichment cultures, we were unable, however, to demonstrate microbial growth when cross-linked polyacrylamide was used as the sole nitrogen source. In summary, under a range of conditions cross-linked polyacrylamide did not release acrylamide above legally permitted limits, with the exception of gel subjected to elevated temperatures. However, their capacity for holding water decreased sharply within 18 months. We therefore conclude that cross-linked polyacrylamide placed in soil is relatively stable with respect to the production of potentially toxic acrylamide, a species with a short half-life, which degrades to the much less toxic acrylic acid. However, the loss of water holding capacity raises questions about its long-term effectiveness in land restoration schemes as this is the main reason it is used in this role.

We are pleased that Tropek and Konvicka (2011) have emphasised the importance of low-productivity postindustrial and other sandy sites as habitats for certain rare species; a point with which we agree. However, we question the relevance of this to the study by Tandy et al. (2010). Our philosophy of conservation goes beyond the diversity of plant species to embrace animals, and also extends to micro-organisms and how, together, this diversity contributes to ecosystem functionality. Post-industrial land, as seen at our study site, is often subject to significant contamination, which poses considerable threats to human and wider ecosystem health. Increasing biological productivity of such sites plays an important role in increasing below-ground microbial diversity which is important in sub-surface contaminant attenuation (Jones and Healey, 2010). Further, rapidly establishing vegetation cover can play an important role in reducing erosive loss of pollutants which cause a threat to adjacent ecosystems as well as human health. As pointed out by Tropek and Konvicka (2011), however, standard “restoration” schemes that simply create high substrate fertility, resulting in productive but low-diversity grassland habitats, may not be the best solution: the ecosystem is of lower biodiversity conservation benefit (and potentially lower microbial functional diversity) than could be achieved. Human activity not only results in the destruction of many natural habitats it also results in the production of large quantities of waste, including organic waste. Developing and testing environmentally beneficial uses for this waste, as an alternative to landfill, also has many indirect benefits for wider objectives in biodiversity conservation.

The experimental methodology for structural femtochemistry of reactions is considered. With the extension of femtosecond transition-state spectroscopy to the diffraction regime, it is possible to obtain in a general way the trajectories of chemical reactions (change of internuclear separations with time) on the femtosecond time scale. This method, considered here for simple alkali halide dissociation, promises many applications to more complex reactions and to conformational changes. Alignment on the time scale of the experiments is also discussed.

We present 3 cases of malignant fibrous histiocytoma arising from the spermatic cord. This tumor occurs rarely in genitourinary organs and only 2 cases involving the spermatic cord have been reported previously. Recurrence rates of approximately 44 per cent of malignant fibrous histiocytoma in other sites are not improved by radiation or chemotherapy as adjuvants or primary means of treatment. Radical inguinal orchiectomy along with wide en bloc local resection is the therapy of choice.