Global phosphorus supply chain dynamics: Assessing regional impact to 2050.

Phosphorus (P) availability is essential for global food security. A system dynamics model running from 1961 to 2050 was built for this study, linking global P supply to social, economic and environmental dynamics at regional level. Simulation results show that phosphate rock (PR) production needs to double by 2050 compared to present levels, in order to match regional P requirements.

Opening access to the black box: The need for reporting on the global phosphorus supply chain.

Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient in agriculture; however, lack of reporting makes its supply chain a black box. By using literature synthesis on the P challenge, we identify four areas where the reporting process is problematic: P reserves and resources; P losses along the supply chain; P externalities; and access to data. We find that in these areas, the reporting system is inconsistent, inaccurate, incomplete, fragmented and non-transparent.

From waste to resource: A systems dynamics and stakeholder analysis of phosphorus recycling from municipal wastewater in Europe.

Recycling Phosphorus (P) from urban wastewater can secure part of domestic agricultural P supply and contribute to a circular P supply chain. In this paper, we use literature review, stakeholder interviews and analysis, and systems dynamics for the capital cities of Stockholm and Budapest as case studies. We find that political support is a prerequisite for developing the P recycling sector, and policy makers are the most influential stakeholders.

SoilTrEC: a global initiative on critical zone research and integration.

Soil is a complex natural resource that is considered non-renewable in policy frameworks, and it plays a key role in maintaining a variety of ecosystem services (ES) and life-sustaining material cycles within the Earth's Critical Zone (CZ). However, currently, the ability of soil to deliver these services is being drastically reduced in many locations, and global loss of soil ecosystem services is estimated to increase each year as a result of many different threats, such as erosion and soil carbon loss. The European Union Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection alerts policy makers of the need to protect soil and proposes measures to mitigate soil degradation.

Bioremediation trial on aged PCB-polluted soils--a bench study in Iceland.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) pose a threat to the environment due to their high adsorption capacity to soil organic matter, stability and low reactivity, low water solubility, toxicity and ability to bioaccumulate. With Icelandic soils, research on contamination issues has been very limited and no data has been reported either on PCB degradation potential or rate. The goals of this research were to assess the bioavailability of aged PCBs in the soils of the old North Atlantic Treaty Organization facility in Keflavík, Iceland and to find the best biostimulation method to decrease the pollution.

Investigating the role of microbes in mineral weathering: nanometre-scale characterisation of the cell-mineral interface using FIB and TEM.

Focused ion beam (FIB) sample preparation in combination with subsequent transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis are powerful tools for nanometre-scale examination of the cell-mineral interface in bio-geological samples. In this study, we used FIB-TEM to investigate the interaction between a cyanobacterium (Hassallia byssoidea) and a common sheet silicate mineral (biotite) following a laboratory-based bioweathering, incubation experiment. We discuss the FIB preparation of cross-sections of the cell mineral interface for TEM investigation.

The Cu, Mn and Zn concentration of sheep wool: influence of washing procedures, age and colour of matrix.

No standard or wholly proven method to determine the trace metal status of human or animal 'hair' yet exists. It is well known that hair-metal concentrations are highly influenced by washing procedures applied before analysis. A novel method to determine the efficiency of washing procedures at removing exogenous contaminants was devised.

The effects of prion protein expression on metal metabolism.

The prion protein is a glycoprotein that binds metals such as copper and manganese. When converted to a proteinase resistant isoform it is associated with prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Although, the co-ordination and metal affinity of the prion protein has been well studied, the association of the protein with cellular metal metabolism has been less well investigated.

Re-partitioning of Cu and Zn isotopes by modified protein expression.

Cu and Zn have naturally occurring non radioactive isotopes, and their isotopic systematics in a biological context are poorly understood. In this study we used double focussing mass spectroscopy to determine the ratios for these isotopes for the first time in mouse brain. The Cu and Zn isotope ratios for four strains of wild-type mice showed no significant difference (delta 65Cu -0.

Measurements of daily urinary uranium excretion in German peacekeeping personnel and residents of the Kosovo region to assess potential intakes of depleted uranium (DU).

Following the end of the Kosovo conflict, in June 1999, a study was instigated to evaluate whether there was a cause for concern of health risk from depleted uranium (DU) to German peacekeeping personnel serving in the Balkans. In addition, the investigations were extended to residents of Kosovo and southern Serbia, who lived in areas where DU ammunitions were deployed. In order to assess a possible DU intake, both the urinary uranium excretion of volunteer residents and water samples were collected and analysed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Copper deficiency elicits glial and neuronal response typical of neurodegenerative disorders.

Dysregulation of copper homeostasis has been associated with neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and prion diseases. The investigation of the role of abnormal copper level in the development of neuropathological damage is essential for the understanding of pathogenetic mechanisms of these neurodegenerative disorders. Using a mouse model of perinatally induced copper deficiency, the present study analysed the response of neuronal and glial cells to copper deficiency from infancy to young adult age.

Kinetic studies of synthetic metaschoepite under acidic conditions in batch and flow experiments.

The weathering and corrosion of depleted uranium (DU) forms a complex series of oxidation reactions, ultimately resulting in metaschoepite, UO3.2H2O. The present work focused on studying the dissolution rate of synthetic UO3.

Influence of Anionic Layer Structure of Fe-Oxyhydroxides on the Structure of Cd Surface Complexes.

The nature of crystallographic reactive sites on the lepidocrocite (gammaFeOOH) surface has been determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and compared to the surface bonding properties of goethite. To this end, the specific surface areas of lepidocrocite particles, and of their crystal faces, were calculated from the size and shape of individual particles determined by AFM, and the structure of Cd surface complexes was determined from Cd-Fe EXAFS distances. The combined results show that Cd forms solely mononuclear surface complexes, even at 100% surface coverage, and that hydrated Cd octahedra sorb on basal {010} and lateral {hk0}, {h0l} faces of lepidocrocite platelets by sharing edges with surface Fe octahedra.

Surface Complexation of Hg(2+) on Goethite: Mechanism from EXAFS Spectroscopy and Density Functional Calculations.

EXAFS spectra of Hg(2+) sorbed on goethite at pH 4.60 has revealed the existence of an inner-sphere complex with an immediate coordination shell of 2 O atoms at 2.04 Å and a further shell of 1 Fe atom at 3.

Mechanical restitution of the rat papillary muscle.

The experiments were performed on isometrically contracting rat papillary muscles paced at 1.0 Hz and at a temperature of 37 degrees C. The contractile response of a test contraction continuously rose when the duration of the preceding stimulus interval was gradually increased from 0.