Use of Artificial Neural Networks as a Predictive Tool of Dissolved Oxygen Present in Surface Water Discharged in the Coastal Lagoon of the Mar Menor (Murcia, Spain).

The Mar Menor is a Mediterranean coastal saltwater lagoon (Murcia, Spain) that represents a unique ecosystem of vital importance for the area, from both an economic and ecological point of view. During the last decades, the intense agricultural activity has caused episodes of eutrophication due to the contribution of inorganic nutrients, especially nitrates. For this reason, it is important to control the quality of the water discharged into the Mar Menor lagoon, which can be performed through the measurement of dissolved oxygen (DO).

Application of Concretes Made with Glass Powder Binder at High Replacement Rates.

Glass is a material that can be reused, except for a small part that, due to its residual characteristics, cannot be reused and becomes a nonbiodegradable waste to accumulate in landfills. The chemical composition and pozzolanic properties of waste glass are encouraging for the use of these wastes in the cement and concrete industries and for providing technically and environmentally viable solutions. In this study, we propose the production of deactivated concretes with a high content of glass powder in the binder.

A Gnotobiotic Model to Examine Plant and Microbiome Contributions to Survival under Arsenic Stress.

So far, the relative importance of the plant and its microbiome in the development of early stages of plant seedling growth under arsenic stress has not been studied. To test the role of endophytic bacteria in increasing plant success under arsenic stress, gnotobiotic seeds of were inoculated with two endophytic bacteria: MC-K1 (PGPB and As resistant bacteria) and sp. MC-D3A (non-helper and non-As resistant bacteria) and an endobacteria mixture.

Controlled Synthesis and Microstructural Properties of Sol-Gel TiO₂ Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Cement Composites.

Titania nanoparticles are intensely studied for photodegradation applications. Control of nanoscale morphology and microstructural properties of these materials is critical for photocatalytic performance. Uniform anatase-type TiO₂ nanoparticles were prepared by the sol-gel process using titanium isopropoxide as precursor.

Rapid metal extractability tests from polluted mining soils by ultrasound probe sonication and microwave-assisted extraction systems.

Ultrasonic probe sonication (UPS) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) were used for rapid single extraction of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn from soils polluted by former mining activities (Mónica Mine, Bustarviejo, NW Madrid, Spain), using 0.01 mol L calcium chloride (CaCl), 0.43 mol L acetic acid (CHCOOH), and 0.