Geochemical fingerprinting and magnetic susceptibility to unravel the heterogeneous composition of urban soils.

The typically high heterogeneity of urban soil properties challenges their characterization and interpretation. The objective of this study was to investigate if proximally sensed volume-specific magnetic susceptibility and/or geochemical soil properties can uncover differences in anthropogenic, lithogenic and pedological contributions in, and between, urban soils. We also tested if volume-specific magnetic susceptibility can predict heavy metal enrichment.

Effectiveness of terracing techniques for controlling soil erosion by water in Rwanda.

Despite long-standing efforts in terracing, limited field-based evidence of its effectiveness as implemented within rural farming systems of humid tropical regions, such as Rwanda, is available. This study aimed to reveal regional differences in effectiveness of two widely used terracing techniques. Traditional slope farming (NP) was compared to bench (BT) and farmers' based progressive terraces (PT) in terms of runoff, soil losses, and topsoil fertility in two contrasting agro-ecological zones, the Eastern Plateau (Murehe) and Buberuka Highlands (Tangata).

Estimation of aggregate stability of some soils in the loam belt of Belgium using mid-infrared spectroscopy.

Rapid assessment of soil aggregate stability (AS) is vital for a better understanding of the processes of soil aggregate breakdown, which is necessary for effective soil erosion control planning. This study explored the possibility of quantifying the mean weight diameter (MWD) of soil aggregates after applying the three disruptive treatments of fast wetting (FW), slow wetting (SW) and mechanical breakdown (MB), representing the dominant aggregate breakdown mechanisms, using a handheld mid-infrared (MIR) spectrophotometer on soils of the Belgian loam belt. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to build calibration models for the three treatment methods, using a calibration set accounting for 70% (75% in the case of MB) of the samples, which were validated by using a validation set of 30% (25% in the case of MB) of the total samples.

Treatment of Ventilator-associated Pneumonia with High-dose Colistin Under Continuous Veno-venous Hemofiltration.

Background And Objectives: High-dose colistin (COL) ensures adequate treatment of pneumonia caused by multidrug resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) but must be weighed against a higher risk of nephrotoxicity. Continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) clears COL by filtering and membrane adsorption that permits to avoid dose accumulation and excessively high peak concentrations. We evaluated clinical/microbiological efficacy of the high-dose COL treatment under CVVH in patients with newly diagnosed MDR-GNB ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

Hot wings: thermal impacts of wing coloration on surface temperature during bird flight.

Recent studies on bird flight propose that hotter wing surfaces reduce skin friction drag, thereby improving flight efficiency (lift-to-drag ratio). Darker wings may in turn heat up faster under solar radiation than lighter wings. We used three methods to test the impact of colour on wing surface temperature.