Selection of soil health indicators for modelling soil functions to promote smart urban planning.

The contribution of soil health to global health receives a growing interest, especially in urban environment. Therefore, there is a true need to develop methods to evaluate ecological functions provided by urban soils in order to promote smart urban planning. This work aims first at identifying relevant soil indicators based either on in situ description, in situ measurement or lab analysis.

In situ long-term modeling of phenanthrene dynamics in an aged contaminated soil using the VSOIL platform.

Management and remediation actions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contaminated sites require an accurate knowledge of the dynamics of these chemicals in situ under real conditions. Here we developed, under the Virtual Soil Platform, a global model for PAH that describes the principal physical and biological processes controlling the dynamics of PAH in soil under real climatic conditions. The model was applied first to simulate the observed dynamics of phenanthrene in situ field experimental plots of industrial contaminated soil.

Lysimeter monitoring as assessment of the potential for revegetation to manage former iron industry settling ponds.

To assess the impact of metal-rich brownfields on groundwater quality, the fluxes in a Technosol developed on a former iron industry settling pond were studied. Intact soil monoliths (1 m(2) × 2 m) were extracted and placed in lysimeters. Dynamics of fluxes of metals and solutes under varying vegetation cover were monitored over the course of four years.

Modelling agronomic properties of Technosols constructed with urban wastes.

The greening of urban and suburban areas requires large amounts of arable earth that is a non-renewable resource. However, concentration of population in cities leads to the production of high amounts of wastes and by-products that are nowadays partly recycled as a resource and quite systematically exported out of urban areas. To preserve natural soil resources, a strategy of waste recycling as fertile substitutes is proposed.

[Incidence of post-transfusion hepatitis in Hungary 1987-1993].

The authors describe the epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis cases occurred after administration of blood or blood-preparations in Hungary, based on data collected between January 1987 and December 1993. The epidemiologists of the public health network reported 868 acute posttransfusion hepatitis within this seven years period. The number of the cases decreased year by year, and in accordance with the rapid development of virological diagnostics the rate of cases with uncovered aetiology increased gradually.

[Management of gas gangrene in Hungary during 1979-1988 based on data from Public Health Centers].

Authors present data on the therapy of 223 gas gangrene cases between 1979-1988, a ten years period, based on the reports of Public Health Stations in Hungary. Of the 223 patients 150 died, thus lethality was 67.3%.

[Gas gangrene cases in Hungary 1979-1986].

The authors evaluate epidemiologic data of 182 patients suffering from gas gangrene during an eight year period from 1979 to 1986. Of the patients surveyed 127 died; thus lethality reached 69.2%.