Clean Areas Research Articles

Deep Margin Elevations, clinical considerations

Subgingival restorations are problematic due to reduced visibility at the preparation margins, humidity (saliva, crevicular fluid and/or blood), problems with taking impressions (digital or analogue) and problems with the application of a rubber dam. Solutions, such as the use of a surgical microscope, retraction cord and Teflon tape, are available. Since modern dentistry largely relies upon adhesive techniques with hydrophobic materials, these require a clean and dry working area. One solution is to place the preparation margin supragingivally. This can be done in three ways: a local build-up using a direct composite restoration, a surgical clinical crown lengthening or an extrusion (orthodontic or surgical). Since in practice only a small part is usually located subgingivally, placing a direct composite restoration is often sufficient. The term Deep Margin Elevation is generally used in the international English-language literature for this approach. If the area located subgingivally is larger, then techniques like crown lengthening and extrusion might be better.

Is biomagnetic leaf monitoring still an effective method for monitoring the heavy metal pollution of atmospheric particulate matter in clean cities?

The development of a reasonable method for predicting heavy metals (HMs) pollution in atmospheric particulate matter (PM) remains challenging. This paper presents an elution-filtration method to collect PM from the surface of Osmanthus fragrans in a very clean area (Guiyang, China). The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of biomagnetic leaf monitoring as a simple and rapid method for assessing HMs pollution in clean cities. For this purpose, we determined the magnetic parameters and concentrations of selected HMs in PM samples to investigate their relationships. The results showed that the magnetic minerals in PM samples were mainly low coercivity ferrimagnetic minerals, with a small amount of high coercivity minerals. The types of magnetic minerals were generally single, and the magnetic domain state was pseudo-single domain (PSD). There was a significant correlation between magnetic parameters and the heavy metal (HM) concentrations in PM. Low-field magnetic susceptibility (χ) could be used as an ideal proxy for determining anthropogenic HM pollution. Traffic emissions were the main atmospheric pollution source in urban Guiyang. Due to the incomplete traffic network and large traffic flow, traffic congestion (TC) often occurred at road intersections in the northwest and southwest corners of the city, resulting in the highest concentration of magnetic minerals and the most severe PM pollution. To mitigate atmospheric PM pollution and protect public health, it is strongly recommended that municipal authorities prioritize urban planning and traffic management to address TC. Measures should be implemented urgently to alleviate stop-and-go traffic.

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE ABOUT SAFE INJECTION PRACTICES AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

According to WHO, a safe injection is one which is prepared with clean hands in a clean area, medication drawn from a sterile administered with a sterile needle and syringe, which are discarded after use in a puncture proof container for appropriate disposal. Safe injection practices are intended to prevent transmission of infectious diseases between one patient and another, or between a patient and health care personnel during preparation and injection of medications. Thiscross-sectional study was conducted during May-June 2021 among interns and questionnaire with 25 questions regarding the awareness of safe injection practices were used to assess the levels of awareness. Data was entered in Microsoft Excel sheet. Analysis is done using SPSS software. Data was analysed using percentages. Result shows all 72 interns filled out the questionnaire. Out of the 72 interns, 56 (77.8%) had good knowledge and 16 (22.2%) had poor knowledge about safe injection practices. 54 (75%) students had good attitude and 18(25%) had poor attitude safe injection practices. 50(69.4%) had good practice in administering safe injection whereas 22 students (30.6%) had poor practice. The present study shows that 77.8% has good knowledge, 75% has good attitude and 69.4% has good practice in safe injections among the Interns. The present study also shows that the practices of safe injection are less than that of knowledge and attitude towards it. So, there is a need for proper practical training in safe injection practices.

Comparison of multi-temporal and multi-methodical aquatic environmental assessments (on the example of the Pripyat River for 1999 and 2022)

The article uses the example of the Pripyat River to examine the methodological features and conditions for comparing multi-temporal and multi-methodological (obtained by different methods) assessments of the ecological state of the aquatic environment. Thus, when comparing the current ecological state (for 2022) of the Prypiat River, obtained by the statistical criterion (SC) method with the ecological state of the river in 1999, obtained by the method of aquatic plant groups (APG), it is proposed to form virtual standards of the SC method on the basis of reference sites of previous assessments of the ecological state of the river (1999). A comparison of the ecological state of the Pripyat River in 2022 and 1999 showed significant changes in the structure of water quality in 2022 compared to 1999, namely a decrease in dirty areas and an increase in moderately polluted and clean areas. The study confirms the validity of the proposed method of comparing multi-temporal and multi-methodological aquatic environmental assessments.

Seeds of Syringa vulgaris L. as a possible object for phytoindication studies of urban environment in Orenburg

Urbanized environment is considered as a stressor for individual plants and their communities that form green frame of the city. Changes in structure of plant populations in cities are analyzed as an important indicator of environmental quality. Therefore, phytoindication of quality of the environment in conditions of the city is currently becoming relevant in the context of its optimization. The purpose of the research was to study biometric parameters and seed germination of Syringa vulgaris L., growing in areas with increased anthropogenic pressure in comparison with a conditionally clean area. Within the framework of this work, morphometric parameters of lilac seeds growing in areas with a high level of anthropogenic pollution were described. Indicators of reproductive ability of lilacs (laboratory and soil germination) were assessed. According to the results of the observations, it was established that the biometric parameters of S. vulgaris seeds are not indicative and cannot be used in assessing the quality of the environment. The data obtained during laboratory and soil germination of S. vulgaris seeds can be used to characterize the ecological state of sampling areas. Under more favorable environmental conditions (control), germination is much higher than under anthropogenically modified environmental conditions. Based on the results of a comprehensive assessment of laboratory and soil germination, the following distribution of the administrative districts of Orenburg was established according to the degree of anthropogenic pollution (from the most clean to the most environmentally unstable): Zauralnaya Grove Industrial District Dzerzhinsky District Leninsky District Central District.

A review on minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) assisted machining processes using mono and hybrid nanofluids

PurposeBecause many cutting fluids contain hazardous chemical constituents, industries and researchers are looking for alternative methods to reduce the consumption of cutting fluids in machining operations due to growing awareness of ecological and health issues, government strict environmental regulations and economic pressures. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to raise awareness of the minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) technique as a potential substitute for environmental restricted wet (flooded) machining situations.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology adopted for conducting a review in this study includes four sections: establishment of MQL technique and review of MQL machining performance comparison with dry and wet (flooded) environments; analysis of the past literature to examine MQL turning performance under mono nanofluids (M-NF); MQL turning performance evaluation under hybrid nanofluids (H-NF); and MQL milling, drilling and grinding performance assessment under M-NF and H-NF.FindingsFrom the extensive review, it has been found that MQL results in lower cutting zone temperature, reduction in cutting forces, enhanced tool life and better machined surface quality compared to dry and wet cutting conditions. Also, MQL under H-NF discloses notably improved tribo-performance due to the synergistic effect caused by the physical encapsulation of spherical nanoparticles between the nanosheets of lamellar structured nanoparticles when compared with M-NF. The findings of this study recommend that MQL with nanofluids can replace dry and flood lubrication conditions for superior machining performance.Practical implicationsMachining under the MQL regime provides a dry, clean, healthy and pollution-free working area, thereby resulting the machining of materials green and environmentally friendly.Originality/valueThis paper describes the suitability of MQL for different machining operations using M-NF and H-NF.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-05-2023-0131/

Evaluation of SNOLAB background mitigation procedures through the use of an ICP-MS based dust monitoring methodology

Dust particulate fallout on materials in use for rare-event searches is a concerning source of radioactive backgrounds due to the presence of the naturally occurring radionuclides 40K, 232Th, 238U, and their progeny in dust. Much effort is dedicated to inform radioactive backgrounds from dust and evaluate the efficacy of mitigation procedures. A great portion of such effort relies on fallout models and assumed dust composition. In this work, an ICP-MS based methodology was employed for a direct determination of fallout rates of radionuclides and stable isotopes of interest from dust particulate at the SNOLAB facility. Hosted in an active mine, the SNOLAB underground laboratory strives to maintain experimental areas at class 2000 cleanroom level. This work validates the mitigation procedures in place at SNOLAB and informs dust backgrounds during laboratory activities. Fallout rates of major constituents of the local rock were measured two to three orders of magnitude lower in the clean experimental areas compared to non-clean transition areas from the mine to the laboratory. An increase of approximately two orders of magnitude in the fallout rate of stable Pb isotopes was determined in an experimental area during activities involving handling of Pb bricks. Increased 40K, 232Th, and 238U fallout rates were measured in clean experimental areas during activities generating particulate.

Differential response of the soil nutrients, soil bacterial community structure and metabolic functions to different risk areas in Lead-Zine tailings.

Rapid growth in the mining industry has brought about a large formation of tailings, which result in serious destruction of the ecological environment and severe soil pollution problems. This study assesses soil nutrients, soil bacterial community and soil microbes' metabolic function in heavily polluted areas (W1), moderately polluted areas (W2), lightly polluted areas (W3) and clean areas (CK) using 16S Illumina sequencing. The results of this study showed that compared with CK, a severe loss of soil nutrients and richness of OTUs (Chao1 and ACE indices) were observed with the aggravated pollution of tailings. The Chao1 and ACE indices in the W1 group decreased significantly by 15.53 and 16.03%, respectively, (p < 0.01). Besides, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria was high whereas and relative abundance of Chloroflexi in the polluted areas. Among them, W1 groups increased significantly the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and decreased significantly the relative abundance of Chloroflexi, these can be used as indicator phyla for changes in soil community structures under polluted stress. Tax4 Fun analysis showed that W1 groups affected the soil bacterial community and altered the primary types of biological metabolism in polluted areas. Tailings have adverse impacts on soil bacterial community and metabolic functions, and the deterioration in soil quality is dependent on the levels of tailings pollution. Cumulatively, this study provides valuable information on the bacterial community structure and metabolic functions in the tailing polluted soil.

Aspects of the utilization for the technogenic territory of coal enterprises

Purpose. To perform an analysis of domestic and world experience in the implementation of technologies for the utilization of man-made territories of closed coal enterprises after the completion of their operation. Methods. To achieve the purpose, the authors, based on the analysis of scientific research literature concerning the directions of creation the production capacities after the completion of the mines functioning, proposed technologies for the formation of enterprises for the utilization of man-made territories and their further use. Results. The expediency and regularity of creating mining energy-chemical complexes (MEChC) based on closed coal enterprises for the disposal of pollution, secondary resources and energy in man-made territories is substantiated. This will contribute to the acquisition of ecologically clean land area, the use of underground resources, as well as the production of energy and chemical products that meet the needs of the industrial market. Originality. Consists in the systematization and scientific justification of the implementation of technologies for the use of man-made space in closed mines. The main regularities of the scientific means of studying the processes of adaptation of such processes in the mechanical preparation, processing, and energy utilization of secondary raw materials as part of the implementation of MEChCto the real conditions of the underground and surface space of the closed coal mining enterprise are highlighted. Practical implication. Development and establishment of the main technological aspects of the formation of a mining energy-chemical complex with the provision of stable utilization of man-made and energy space of coal mines with the obtaining of usable territories, fuel, technical industrial gases, thermal and electrical energy, and chemical products.

FORMATION OF THE COMPOSITION OF TRACE ELEMENTS OF SNOW DUST IN TYUMEN AND TOBOLSK USING HIERARCHICAL CLUSTER ANALYSIS

Link for citation: Zakharchenko A.V., Pasko O.A., Tigeev A.A. Formation of the composition of trace elements of snow dust in Tyumen and Tobolsk using hierarchical cluster analysis. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Аssets Engineering, 2023, vol. 334, no. 8, рр. 110-120. In Rus. The relevance: search for new methodological approaches and techniques for assessing the aerosol migration of substances and characterizing air pollution. The purpose of the work is a comparative analysis of clusters of the content of microelements of the solid phase of snow in the closely located cities of Tyumen and Tobolsk with respect to clean background and areas subject to technogenic impact. The materials: the trace elements of solid phase of the snow cover. The methods: chemical-analytical for determining the content of trace elements, hierarchical cluster in the analysis of geochemical spectra, probabilistic-statistical. Results. The background dust load in Tobolsk is less, and the inner city load is higher compared to Tyumen. A cluster data structure of 8 clusters has been established with the allocation of two large groups that combine the Tobolsk and Tyumen sites, which are divided into clusters with low and high content of trace elements. Conclusions. The conditionally background cluster C6 is present in Tobolsk (22,6 %) and Tyumen (11,7 %), and C5 – 13 % in Tobolsk and 8 % in Tyumen. A specific Tobolsk cluster C8 with a predominance of scattered elements (48 %) was found at 2 sites in Tyumen, which may indicate a possible transfer of aerosols between these cities. Some technogenic clusters contained heavy metals, while others were dominated by Sc, Cr, Ni, Zn, and Cd. Technogenic clusters (C7, C1) differ in the shape of the geochemical spectrum: heavy metals predominate in some, trace elements (C8) predominate in others; the same applies to conditionally background samples. The specific technogenic Tyumen cluster C4 is distinguished by high values of Cu and Mo. Conditionally isolated background clusters had a low content of microelements. To identify environmental conditions, we moved from the standardized values of cluster analysis to their material content. It is shown that some clusters contain heavy metals, while others contain Sc, Cr, Ni, Zn, and Cd. Conditionally isolated background clusters had a low content of microelements. Using the content of microelements of the C5 cluster as a background, the environmental index of pollution Zc was calculated, which in Tobolsk reaches a high and dangerous level of pollution 60,8–83,7, in Tyumen – an average, moderately dangerous level Zc (32–64). The use of cluster analysis makes it possible to determine the trace elements pollution of snow dust and the territory as a whole.

Erratum: Rat Model of Normothermic Ex-Situ Perfused Heterotopic Heart Transplantation.

Erratum: Rat Model of Normothermic Ex-Situ Perfused Heterotopic Heart Transplantation.

Environmental Monitoring of Food Manufacturing Facilities for Listeria: A Case Study

Environmental monitoring programs (EMPs) for food production facilities are useful for verifying general sanitation controls and are recommended as verification measures to ensure that the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point plan is working effectively. In this study, EMPs for Listeria were conducted at three food production facilities to assess the efficacy of sanitation control and establish effective sanitation control methods. In Facility A, L. monocytogenes was detected in the clean area although in Zone 3, non–food-contact surfaces. To prevent contamination from dirty areas, the cleaning practices in the preparation room were investigated. Normal cleaning combined with disinfection with carbonated hypochlorite water (chlorine concentration, 150 ppm) proved effective. At Facility B, a salad product and its ingredients (pastrami and salami) were positive for L. monocytogenes serotype 3b. The bacterial count was <10/g in all samples. However, when inoculated with L. monocytogenes isolates, the growth of approximately 2 log cfu/g was observed on pastrami after 48 h of incubation at 10°C. The ingredients were commercially purchased blocks that were sliced in a slicer at Facility B and used as salad toppings. Because both unopened blocks were negative for L. monocytogenes, contamination of the slicer was suspected. Sampling of the slicer revealed that contamination by L. monocytogenes serotype 3b was more extensive after use than before use. Therefore, the slicer was disassembled, cleaned, and disinfected thoroughly. In Facility C, L. monocytogenes serotype 4b (4e) was detected in all the dirty, semiclean, and clean areas. The strain was also isolated from the wheels of a smoking cart transported across the zones. Therefore, efforts were made to frequently clean and disinfect the cart. EMPs revealed the presence of Listeria in each facility and allowed remedial measures to be undertaken. Continued monitoring and Plan-Do-Check-Act cycles were considered desirable.

Seasonal growth and allometric indices of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819, from the coastal zone of the Black Sea in relation to environment quality, mollusc sex and shell coloration

For the first time, experimental data on the seasonal shell growth rate and its allometric indices H/L (ratio of height to length), D/L (ratio of width to length) of M. galloprovincialis are presented in relation to environment quality, mussel sex, size and shell coloration. In this field experiment mussels of two size groups with the shell lengths of 35 and 60 mm were selected. Mussels of both sizes were placed in cages and deployed in a conditionally clean water area of mussel-and-oyster farm and in a harbour under anthropogenic impact. The length (L), height (H) and width (D), of the mussel shells were measured every season. In the 35-mm group, it was noted that in the post-spawning winter period males grew faster than females and the growth rate of mussels with the black shell coloration was higher than that of mussels with brown shells. For mussels of both sexes with the shell length of 35 mm from the conditionally clean water area, the growth rate was three times as high as for males and females from the polluted area; in the 60-mm group, it was twice as high. Mussels with the shell length of 35 mm were more sensitive to unfavorable conditions, which fact renders them more efficient in environmental monitoring. The most indicative was the H/L index, which can be adopted as a water area pollution index. Environment quality (including pollution, food availability and hydrodynamic conditions) of the compared water areas had a significant impact on the shell length growth and allometric indices of mussels.

Effect of in-situ generated Fe3AlC0.5 on the microstructure and mechanical property of twin-wire directed energy deposition-arc fabricated Fe3Al based iron aluminide

Fe3Al-based iron aluminide alloys are known for their satisfactory resistance to corrosion, oxidation, and sulfidation at both ambient and elevated temperatures. However, the brittleness induced by the intermetallic nature of these alloys at room temperature significantly increases the manufacturing costs. To address this issue, a recent innovation called twin-wire directed energy deposition-arc (TW-DED-arc) technique has been developed to fabricate binary Fe3Al alloys with enhanced flexibility and cost-effectiveness. Building upon the feasibility validation of this technique, the present research aims to improve mechanical properties of TW-DED-arc fabricated Fe30Al alloy by in-situ generation of Fe3AlC0.5 precipitates within Fe3Al matrix. The experimental results demonstrate the successful production of the target Fe-30Al-0.3C-1Si-1Mn alloy. The reinforcement Fe3AlC0.5 precipitates exhibit good adherence to Fe3Al matrix, effectively increasing the tensile strength by nearly 15%. During tensile fracture, Fe3AlC0.5 precipitates are observed to obstruct crack propagation. Higher magnification characterization reveals clear dislocation entanglement occurring at Fe3AlC0.5 precipitate, confirming this phenomenon. Furthermore, preferential precipitation of Fe3AlC0.5 at grain boundaries induces clean areas adjacent to the grain boundaries. This has a dual effect: strengthening the grain boundaries and guiding crack propagations.

Emergence and evolution of a new glacial lake during last climate normal by using remote sensing and GIS in Sikkim, India

Glaciers are important indicators of climate change. Melting of glaciers in the Himalayan region has resulted in formation of many glacial lakes. A newly formed lake was observed near the snout of the glacier. This study investigates evolution of this glacial lake using remote sensing satellite data from Landsat mission in last climate normal of around 30 years. Cloud-free data from years 1990, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2010, 2017, and 2021 are used for analysis. Normalized Differential Water Index and Normalized Differential Snow Index thresholding are applied to extract the surface area of the glacial lake and surface glacier cover. It was observed that during beginning of the last climate normal, lake area was 900 m2, and in 2021 it reached 51,300 m2. The clean glacial area decreased from 3,593,700 m2 in 1990 to 3,230,100 m2 in 2021. These changes are indicative of rapid deglaciation and an increase in debris cover as melting ice exposes and deposits debris previously embedded within the glacier. Land Surface Temperature (LST) change was analyzed using empirical equations to understand its relation with observed changes. It was observed that in last climate normal, the average LST was increased by +1.76 °C. The snout regions showed the highest LST change of +3.14 °C. Polynomial, spline and logarithmic regression was applied to access quality of results. A strong correlation between lake area and glacier area was observed with r2 of 0.93. An accuracy of 96.45% was achieved for the estimated changes of the lake with latest field-based result and 96.89% with latest Landsat image. This study successfully generated baseline data for the newly emerged East Rathong Glacial lake during the last climate normal, utilizing normalized differential index time series thresholding of glacier and lake, along with LST change detection.

Pemberdayaan Santri melalui Program “Clean Area” di Pondok Pesantren Sunan Drajat Paciran Lamongan

Sunan Drajat Islamic Boarding School is a boarding school located in Banjarwati village, Paciran sub-district which is located in a large complex and is currently in the process of moving towards a clean environment. The Sunan Drajat Islamic Boarding School will later become an example for other pesantren, especially those in Lamongan and East Java in an effort to improve the quality of a clean environment. The obstacles faced are the lack of motivation and awareness of the students about the culture of clean living. So the solution that can be given is to hold a socialization of the "Clean Area" movement by means of community service with students and the management of the Sunan Drajat Islamic Boarding School. The purpose of this program is to empower the students of the Sunan Drajat Islamic Boarding School in instilling awareness and concern as well as direct involvement in the program. Then the method used is to collect data and observe directly in the surrounding environment by paying attention to the daily behavior of students and also paying attention to the amount of waste that is transported every day.

Impacts of Synoptic Patterns and Meteorological Factors on Distribution Trends of Ozone in Southeast China During 2015–2020

AbstractSurface ozone (O3) pollution under global climate change has become one of the top environmental issues. In this study, we focused on the coastal region in Southeast China with relatively low O3 precursor's emissions and complicated synoptic conditions, where the O3 trends and meteorological contributions remain unclear. An increasing trend of O3 concentrations in the cities (0.3–4.6 μg m−3 yr−1) from 2015 to 2020 was observed. Twenty‐three synoptic patterns were clustered based on weather typing method, in which cyclone‐related types and southwesterly type were generally associated with low O3 concentrations, and high O3 levels occurred with anticyclone‐related types. Considering both frequency and intensity of synoptic patterns, reconstructed O3 series captured 46.0%–58.3% of the observed variability. Using Kolmogorov‐Zurbenko filter, an increasing trend of long‐term O3 was found. By implementing the multiple linear regression model between O3 concentrations and meteorological factors, the meteorological contributions to O3 variabilities (44.7%–66.1%) were quantified. The results indicated the meteorological conditions were particularly important in O3 pollution with the reductions of O3 precursor's emissions, among which relative humidity, boundary layer height, solar radiation along with low cloud cover were proved to play important roles. The weakening southwest winds along with more anti‐cyclone systems under climate change could increase surface O3. This study elucidated the crucial meteorological drivers on the O3 variability in relatively clean areas and implied the challenges for local governments to mitigate O3 pollution under global climate change.

Analysis of Soil Bacterial Community Structure and Ecological Function Characteristics in Different Pollution Levels of Lead-zinc Tailings in Datong

A rapid rise in industrialization has led to the accumulation of copious mining waste, which has caused serious destruction of the ecological environment, resulting in severe pollution problems that need to be addressed urgently. In this study, altered soil bacterial communities in different polluted areas were analyzed using the Illumina high-throughput sequencing technique. The primary factors along with physical and chemical factors influencing the soil bacterial communities were also investigated, and the associated potential ecological functions were predicted. The results of these analyses indicated that aggravated pollution caused severe loss of tailing soil nutrients. A total of 14253 bacterial OTU was obtained from the soil samples. The total numbers of OTU in the heavily polluted area (W1), moderately polluted area (W2), lightly polluted area (W3), and clean area (CK) were 3240, 3330, 3813, and 3870, respectively. However, the soil OTUs decreased gradually with increasing pollution. In the α-diversity index analysis, the richness and evenness of the soil bacterial community were significantly decreased in the W1 group. A significant decrease in the Chao1, ACE, and Shannon indexes was also observed in the W1 group, whereas no significant difference was observed in the W3 group compared to the control. The dominant bacterial phyla identified in the soil wereβ-Actinobacteria, β-Proteobacteria, and β-Chloroflexi. Further, the relative abundance of β-Actinobacteria and β-Proteobacteria was high, whereas relative abundance of β-Chloroflexi in the W1-W3 groups was low compared to that in the control. The relative abundance of the dominant phylum in the W1 group was significantly different than that in the CK group (P<0.05). RDA showed that the soil physical and chemical properties selected in this study explained the total variation in soil bacterial community by 93.35%. Spearman analysis showed that β-Actinobacteria was negatively correlated with nitrogen source and organic matter and positively correlated with pH; β-Proteobacteria was negatively correlated with nitrogen source, phosphorus source, available potassium, and organic matter and positively correlated with total potassium and pH; and β-Chloroflexi was positively correlated with nitrogen source, phosphorus source, available potassium, and organic matter and negatively correlated with pH. Tax4 Fun was used to analyze the biological metabolic pathway. Heavy metal pollution in the soil affected the soil bacterial community and changed the main types of biological metabolism. The ecological functions of soil bacteria groups in different polluted areas were predicted by FAPROTAX. The results showed that the dominant metabolic patterns were affected by the pollution degree, and the metabolic patterns of soil bacteria in polluted areas were relatively single. The functional abundance of metabolic patterns of soil bacteria communities in CK was higher than that in polluted areas, which not only participated in degradation metabolism but also related to oxidation metabolism.

Distribution of metals in the queen scallop Aequipecten opercularis during a transplant experiment: Metal rich granules as drivers of Pb bioaccumulation

The queen scallop Aequipecten opercularis accumulates high concentrations of lead (Pb) in its tissues, what has led to the interruption of this fishery in some extraction areas in Galicia (NW Spain). This study follows the dynamics of bioaccumulation of Pb and other metals in this species, the tissue distribution and the subcellular partitioning in selected organs, in order to understand the mechanisms that provoke the high Pb levels reached in its tissues and to increase our knowledge about metal bioaccumulation dynamics in this species. Scallops originating from a clean area were exposed in cages in two places in the Ría de Vigo (one shipyard and a less impacted location) and 10 individuals were collected every month over a three months period. Metal bioaccumulation and metal distribution in several organs, including gills, digestive gland, kidneys, muscle, gonad and remaining tissues, was studied. The results showed that scallops accumulated similar levels of Cd, Pb and Zn at both sites, while Cu and Ni showed an opposite pattern at the shipyard, with Cu concentrations increasing around 10 times and Ni decreasing during the 3 months of exposure. The preferential organs for metal accumulation were the kidneys for Pb and Zn, the digestive gland for Cd, both organs for Cu and Ni, and the muscle for As. Subcellular partitioning of kidney samples additionally showed an extraordinary ability to accumulate Pb and Zn at very high concentrations in kidney granules, a fraction that accounted for 30 to 60 % of Pb in soft-tissues. It is concluded that Pb bioaccumulation in kidney granules is the mechanism responsible for the high levels of Pb observed in this species.

Knife Decontamination by Cold Water Treatment Supplemented with InspexxTM 210—A Validation Study in an Abattoir

To evaluate the decontamination effect of Inspexx 210, a cold-water disinfectant containing peracetic acid and peroctanoic acid (0.16%), knives contaminated with E. coli ATCC 25922 and S. aureus ATCC 29213 as well as naturally contaminated knives collected from different slaughtering steps of an abattoir were examined. Treatment with Inspexx 210 for 15 s reduced mean E. coli counts by 5.95 log CFU/cm2 and mean S. aureus counts by 6.24 log CFU/cm2. Contamination of the knives first with fat and thereafter with the bacteria led to lower mean reductions of 5.52 log CFU/cm2 for E. coli and 3.58 log CFU/cm2 for S. aureus. Contamination first with blood and thereafter with the bacteria had the greatest negative impact on the inactivation effect, with mean reductions of 3.70 log CFU/cm2 for E. coli and 1.55 log CFU/cm2 for S. aureus. Rinsing the blood with tap water before contamination with S. aureus led to the reduction of 5.50 log CFU/cm2. Treatment with Inspexx 210 was also assessed for naturally contaminated knives from an abattoir. After treatment under routine conditions, colony counts were 0.09 log CFU/cm2 (pigs) and 0.35 log CFU/cm2 (sheep) in the wet area and below detection limit (pigs) and 0.91 (sheep) in the clean area. This study shows that Inspexx 210 can be an adequate alternative to knife decontamination with 82 °C hot water, but pre-rinsing is recommended especially in dirty process steps with a high contamination of blood and fat.