Active phytoextraction of toluene shifts the microbiome and enhances degradation capacity in hybrid poplar.

Hybrid poplars are widely recognized for their effectiveness in remediating subsurface aromatic hydrocarbon contaminants, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers (BTEX). While BTEX compounds are frequently found in the transpiration streams of poplars at contaminated sites, the microbial dynamics within these trees, particularly in response to hydrocarbon exposure, remain underexplored. This study utilized high-throughput amplicon sequencing to investigate the trunk microbiome in hybrid poplars at a field-scale toluene phytoremediation site.

Managed aquifer recharge as a potential pathway of contaminants of emerging concern into groundwater systems - A systematic review.

Groundwater is an often-overlooked resource, while its declining quantity and quality is of global concern. To protect and ensure stable quantity and quality of groundwater systems used as drinking water supplies, a common method is to artificially recharge these groundwater supplies with surface water, a process called managed aquifer recharge (MAR), that has been used globally for decades. However, surface waters used for MAR often contain elevated concentrations of anthropogenic chemicals of emerging concern (CECs), such as plastics, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

An acute bout of high-intensity exercise affects nocturnal sleep and sleep-dependent memory consolidation.

Acute exercise has been shown to affect long-term memory and sleep. However, it is unclear whether exercise-induced changes in sleep architecture are associated with enhanced memory. Recently, it has been shown that exercise followed by a nap improved declarative memory.

Physical characteristics of microplastic particles and potential for global atmospheric transport: A meta-analysis.

Recent interest in microplastic pollution of natural environments has brought forth samples which confirm the pollutant's omnipresence in a variety of ecosystems. This includes locations furthest removed from human activity. Atmospheric transport and deposition are suspected as the primary transport pathway to these remote locations.

Feasibility, effectiveness and acceptability of two perturbation-based treadmill training protocols to improve reactive balance in fall-prone older adults (FEATURE): protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Perturbation-based balance training (PBT) targets the mechanism of falls (eg, slipping, tripping) to specifically train the recovery actions needed to avoid a fall. This task-specific training has shown great promise as an effective and efficient intervention for fall prevention in older adults. However, knowledge about the dose-response relationship of PBT, as well as its feasibility and acceptability in older adults with increased risk of falling is still limited.

Risk classification of contaminated sites - Comparison of the Swedish and the German method.

To classify contaminated sites into different risk classes, many different methods exist in Europe and worldwide. However, no systematic comparison of European risk classification methods has been carried out so far to carve out the advantages and disadvantages of the methods and to homogenize them. To address this research gap, this study aims at comparing the Swedish Method for Inventories of Contaminated Sites (MIFO) with the German Individual Assessment of Contaminated Sites Method (EB) from the Hessian Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG) regarding the risk class categorization of 51 contaminated sites.

[New approaches in exercise therapy for Parkinson's disease].

Background: Exercise therapy is an important component in the treatment of motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). In this context, goal-based task-specific training has shown to be particularly effective compared to nonspecific approaches.

Objective: In this article two novel exercise interventions for targeted improvement of motor function in PD are presented: 1) task-specific training with perturbations and 2) combined task-specific and cardiovascular training.

Determining effective diffusion coefficients of chlorohydrocarbons in natural clays: Unique results from highly resolved controlled release field experiments.

This study aims to precisely determine the effective diffusion coefficients of chlorohydrocarbons in low permeable units under in-situ field conditions. To this end, two controlled release field experiments using TCE and PCE as dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) were conducted in two natural clayey deposits. Several months to years after the controlled DNAPL release, highly resolved concentration profiles were determined for the chlorohydrocarbons that had diffused into the clayey deposits.

The Effectiveness of Physical Literacy Interventions: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

Background: The holistic concept of physical literacy assumes that individuals require adequate cognitive (knowledge and understanding), affective (motivation and confidence), and physical (physical competence) qualities to engage in lifelong physical activity behavior. In recent years, the research field has undergone rapid development and has also yielded an increasing number of interventions that aim to translate the theoretical-philosophical ideas into practical endeavors.

Objective: The goal of the present pre-registered systematic review was to (a) provide a general overview of evaluation studies on physical literacy interventions and (b) to quantitatively examine the effectiveness of physical literacy interventions.

Identification of chlorohydrocarbon degradation pathways in aquitards using dual element compound-specific isotope measurements in aquifers.

Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) has been increasingly used to understand and quantify the (bio)degradation processes affecting chlorohydrocarbons in aquifer-aquitard systems. In this study, we aimed at investigating through reactive transport simulations if dual element (C, Cl) CSIA in aquifer samples can provide information about the occurring (bio)degradation pathways in the underlying aquitard. To that end, we modeled the continous dissolution of a 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TeCA) dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source in an aquifer as well as the resulting TeCA groundwater plume formation and diffusion into the underlying aquitard.

Compound-specific carbon isotope analysis of volatile organic compounds in complex soil extracts using purge and trap concentration coupled to heart-cutting two-dimensional gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry.

Compound-specific carbon isotope analysis (CSIA) is a powerful tool to track the origin and fate of organic subsurface contaminants including petroleum and chlorinated hydrocarbons and is typically applied to water samples. However, soil can form a significant contaminant reservoir. In soil samples, it can be challenging to recover sufficient amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOC) to perform CSIA.

Sorption- and diffusion-induced isotopic fractionation in chloroethenes.

Isotopic fractionation of groundwater contaminants can occur due to degradation, diffusion and sorption. Of these, only degradation has been extensively explored, yet diffusive isotopic fractionation (DIF) and sorptive isotopic fractionation (SIF) can have significant effects on the isotopic enrichment of groundwater contaminants. Understanding how to mathematically describe and model these processes is vital to the correct interpretation of compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) data in the field.

Identification of degrader bacteria and fungi enriched in rhizosphere soil from a toluene phytoremediation site using DNA stable isotope probing.

Improved knowledge of the ecology of contaminant-degrading organisms is paramount for effective assessment and remediation of aromatic hydrocarbon-impacted sites. DNA stable isotope probing was used herein to identify autochthonous degraders in rhizosphere soil from a hybrid poplar phytoremediation system incubated under semi-field-simulated conditions. High-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S and fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genes in metagenomic samples separated according to nucleic acid buoyant density was used to identify putative toluene degraders.

Acute exercise following skill practice promotes motor memory consolidation in Parkinson's disease.

Acute cardiovascular exercise has shown to promote neuroplastic processes supporting the consolidation of newly acquired motor skills in healthy adults. First results suggest that this concept may be transferred to populations with motor and cognitive dysfunctions. In this context, Parkinson's disease (PD) is highly relevant since patients demonstrate deficits in motor learning.

The importance of transects for characterizing aged organic contaminant plumes in groundwater.

A complex mixture of dissolved organic contaminants, emanating from a many decades-old, residual, dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source, migrates through unconfined, moderately heterogeneous, glacial-derived sediments and sedimentary rock in a residential area of Dane County, Wisconsin, USA. A portion of this contaminant plume intersects a large man-made pond, roughly 400 m downgradient of the source zone. Depth-discrete, multilevel groundwater sampling, detailed sedimentological logs, and hydraulic head profiles were used to delineate the spatial distribution of hydraulic, geologic, organic contaminant, and redox hydrochemical conditions within the established plume along two transects immediately upgradient of the pond.

Plastic in agricultural soils - A global risk for groundwater systems and drinking water supplies? - A review.

The global plastic contamination is one of the major challenges facing mankind as plastic is ubiquitously present in all environmental compartments. In contrast to freshwater and marine environments, plastic contamination of agricultural soils was only recently subject to investigations although it represents a significant amount (14%) of the global plastic pollution. Of concern is the vertical migration of plastic particles in agricultural soils and plastic-induced enhancement of pesticide transport towards underlying groundwater systems.

Effects of acute cardiovascular exercise on motor memory encoding and consolidation: A systematic review with meta-analysis.

Emerging evidence indicates that acute bouts of cardiovascular exercise promote motor memory formation. In this preregistered meta-analysis (CRD42018106288) we synthesize data from 22 studies published until February 2020, including a total of 862 participants. We calculated standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) to assess exercise effects on motor memory encoding and consolidation, respectively.

Assessing aquitard integrity in a complex aquifer - aquitard system contaminated by chlorinated hydrocarbons.

This study investigates for the first time the integrity of multiple stacked aquitards with different degrees of contaminant degradation. Aquitard integrity was assessed in a contaminated, multi-layered, alluvial aquifer-aquitard system (Ferrara, northern Italy). The system was contaminated by mixed organic contaminants of industrial origin (mostly chlorinated ethenes) that were illegally disposed in an urban dump four to five decades ago.

Quantification of toluene phytoextraction rates and microbial biodegradation functional profiles at a fractured bedrock phytoremediation site.

This field study evaluated the efficacy of a mature hybrid poplar phytoremediation system for the remediation of toluene in a fractured bedrock aquifer site. Phytoextraction activity of the trees and the ecology and biodegradation potential of root-colonizing bacteria that ultimately influence how much toluene is transported from the roots and phytoextracted to the aboveground point of measurement were explored. Peak-season toluene mass removal rates ranging from 313 to 743 μg/day were quantified using passive in planta contaminant sampling techniques and continuous heat dissipation transpiration measurements in tree stems.

Exercise Intensity Does not Modulate the Effect of Acute Exercise on Learning a Complex Whole-Body Task.

High-intensity cardiovascular exercise prior to motor skill practice is postulated to enhance motor memory consolidation (offline learning), whereas moderate-intensity bouts may benefit skill acquisition (online learning). This study aimed at investigating this suggested intensity-dependent effect of exercise in a complex whole-body task. 50 healthy young adults were randomized into one of three groups performing a bout of either (1) high-intense, (2) moderate-intense, or (3) minimal-intense cycling for a total of 17 min immediately prior to skill practice.

Assessing toluene biodegradation under temporally varying redox conditions in a fractured bedrock aquifer using stable isotope methods.

In complex hydrogeological settings little is known about the extent of temporally varying redox conditions and their effect on aromatic hydrocarbon biodegradation. This study aims to assess the impact of changing redox conditions over time on aromatic hydrocarbon biodegradation in a fractured bedrock aquifer using stable isotope methods. To that end, four snapshots of highly spatio-temporally resolved contaminant and redox sensitive species concentrations, as well as stable isotope ratio profiles, were determined over a two-years time period in summer 2016, spring 2017, fall 2017 and summer 2018 in a toluene contaminated fractured bedrock aquifer.

Isotope fractionation due to aqueous phase diffusion - What do diffusion models and experiments tell? - A review.

For the interpretation of stable isotope ratio trends in saturated geochemical systems, the magnitude of aqueous phase diffusion-induced isotope fractionation needs to be known. This study reviews how five diffusion models (Fick, Maxwell-Stefan, Einstein, Langevin, Mode-Coupling Theory Analysis (MCTA) of diffusion) predict isotope fractionation due to aqueous phase diffusion and compares them with experimental results. The reviewed diffusion models were not consistent regarding the prediction of the mass (m) dependency of the aqueous phase diffusion coefficient (D).

Toluene biodegradation in the vadose zone of a poplar phytoremediation system identified using metagenomics and toluene-specific stable carbon isotope analysis.

Biodegradation is an important mechanism of action of phytoremediation systems, but performance evaluation is challenging. We applied metagenomic molecular approaches and compound-specific stable carbon isotope analysis to assess biodegradation of toluene in the vadose zone at an urban pilot field system where hybrid poplars were planted to remediate legacy impacts to an underlying shallow fractured bedrock aquifer. Carbon isotope ratios were compared spatio-temporally between toluene dissolved in groundwater and in the vapor phase.

Ankle angle variability during running in athletes with chronic ankle instability and copers.

Background: Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) demonstrate altered ankle kinematics during running compared to uninjured individuals; however, little is known about differences between individuals with CAI and those who recover successfully from an index sprain (copers).

Methods: Thirty-two young male athletes with prior ankle sprain were investigated, eighteen with CAI and fourteen copers. Instrumented running analysis was performed on a treadmill at two velocities: moderate (2.

A Single Bout of Aerobic Exercise Improves Motor Skill Consolidation in Parkinson's Disease.

Motor learning is impaired in Parkinson's disease (PD), with patients demonstrating deficits in skill acquisition (online learning) and consolidation (offline learning) compared to healthy adults of similar age. Recent studies in young adults suggest that single bouts of aerobic exercise (AEX), performed in close temporal proximity to practicing a new motor task, may facilitate motor skill learning. Thus, we aimed at investigating the effects of a single bout of aerobic cycling on online and offline learning in PD patients.