Determination of physical properties of undisturbed soil samples according to V. Novák.

The methodology described here presents the procedures for determining physical soil properties of undisturbed soil samples. Besides describing the methods for determining bulk and particle density, moisture content and porosity of the soil in detail, it also offers a way of determining soil's water holding properties when there is no pressure membrane apparatus available. This method is based on a capillary water saturation experiment and gravimetric measurements performed in different time intervals after the saturation (30 minutes, 2 hours, and 24 hours).

An Infrared Laser Sensor for Monitoring Gas-Phase CO in the Headspace of Champagne Glasses under Wine Swirling Conditions.

In wine tasting, tasters commonly swirl their glasses before inhaling the headspace above the wine. However, the consequences of wine swirling on the chemical gaseous headspace inhaled by tasters are barely known. In champagne or sparkling wine tasting, starting from the pouring step, gas-phase carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main gaseous species that progressively invades the glass headspace.

Assessment of potential exposure to As, Cd, Pb and Zn in vegetable garden soils and vegetables in a mining region.

Mining and smelting activities can contaminate soils and affect farming due to high emissions and input of potentially toxic elements (PTE) into the environment. Soils (sampled from two depths) and market vegetables from vegetable gardens located within the vicinity of unconfined slag deposits from decades of mining and smelting activities in Kutná Hora, Czechia were assessed to determine to what extent they pose a health hazard to communities that use these gardens. Pseudo-total As concentrations in the soils exceeded background levels (4.

Bioleaching of Manganese Oxides at Different Oxidation States by Filamentous Fungus .

This work aimed to examine the bioleaching of manganese oxides at various oxidation states (MnO, MnO·MnO, MnO and MnO) by a strain of the filamentous fungus , a frequent soil representative. Our results showed that the fungus effectively disintegrated the crystal structure of selected mineral manganese phases. Thereby, during a 31-day static incubation of oxides in the presence of fungus, manganese was bioextracted into the culture medium and, in some cases, transformed into a new biogenic mineral.

Aspergillus niger enhances oxalate production as a response to phosphate deficiency induced by aluminium(III).

This paper investigates Aspergillus niger's behaviour in the presence of mobile Al species by evaluating the changes in oxalate exudation at various aluminium contents. When the fungus was exposed to Al, no significant changes in oxalate production were observed until 100 mg.L aluminium was reached resulting in oxalate production decrease by 18.