Effects of long-term nighttime warming on extractable soil element composition in a Mediterranean shrubland.

Understanding the soil biogeochemical responses to increasing global warming in the near future is essential for improving our capacity to mitigate the impacts of climate change on highly vulnerable Mediterranean ecosystems. Previous studies have primarily focused on the effects of warming on various biogeochemical processes. However, there is limited knowledge about how the changes in water availability associated to high temperatures can alter the bioavailability and dynamics of soil elements, thereby impacting ecosystem productivity, species composition, and pollution through soil biogeochemical and hydrological processes.

Relevance of Secondary Enrichment in the Detection of Salmonella spp. in Food Samples by qPCR According to DIN 10135.

Background: When detecting Salmonella spp. in food samples, unlike with culture-based procedures where there are solid standards, PCR techniques are generally dominated by commercial solutions, often backed by the conformity of reference organizations, and based on rigorous validation studies. The few independent standards that exist are not subject to revision and improvement to the same extent as the manufacturer's methods.

Chronic drought alters extractable concentrations of mineral elements in Mediterranean forest soils.

Soil mineral elements play a crucial role in ecosystem productivity and pollution dynamics. Climate models project an increase in drought severity in the Mediterranean Basin in the coming decades, which could lead to changes in the composition and concentrations of mineral elements in soils. These changes can have significant impacts on the fundamental processes of plant-soil cycles.

Polyethersulfone (PES) Filters Improve the Recovery of spp. and Enhance Selectivity against Interfering Microorganisms in Water Samples.

In the analysis of water samples, the type of filtration membrane material can influence the recovery of species, although this issue has been poorly investigated. Filtration membranes (0.45 µm) from different materials and manufacturers (numbered as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) were compared: mixed cellulose esters (MCEs), nitrocellulose (NC), and polyethersulfone (PES).

Understanding the reaction balances behind the viability PCR protocols based on photoreactive dyes.

Viability-PCR (vPCR) protocols are mainly based on photo-reactive dyes impermeant to intact cell membranes. The absence of cell barriers allows the reagent's interaction with the genetic material after a short incubation period. By light-induced reaction, DNA becomes the unsuitable mould for the polymerases and thus cannot be amplified and detected by PCR.