Phytoextraction of salts by Atriplex Nummularia Lindl. irrigated with reject brine under varying water availability

Abstract

Reverse osmosis is a widely known technology used to produce fresh water from brackish waters. However, the reject brine from desalination plants poses a serious threat to the environment due to soil and groundwater salinization. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of Atriplex nummularia to extract salts from a soil irrigated with reverse osmosis brine, at varying moisture levels. A field experiment was conducted in a split-plot design, with randomized complete blocks replicated four times. Treatments consisted of irrigation with reject brine in the main plots, with four relative percentages of the soil moisture at field capacity (100, 85, 70, and 50%), and two levels of organic fertilization in the subplots (0 and 1.5?L plant^?1 of goat manure). The mineral composition of leaves and stems indicated that the highest salt extraction by plants occurred when soil moisture was maintained at 100% field capacity. The salt extraction capacity of A. nummularia indicates a high potential for phytoremediation of soils affected by brine disposal from reverse osmosis plants.     

Trace Elements Associated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Insulin Resistance

Biological Trace Element Research - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of multifactorial origin. Studies have shown that trace elements such as zinc and...     

Changes in soil iron biogeochemistry in response to mangrove dieback

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2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid-induced colitis in Rattus norgevicus: a categorization proposal

Reproducibility in animal research is crucial for its reliance and translational relevance. The 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is widely used but inconsistently and incompletely characterized throughout the literature. This hinders comparisons between studies and influences the low rate of translation of effective preclinical molecules. The purpose of this study was to categorize TNBS-induced colitis, based on macroscopic and microscopic scoring systems, and to identify basic routine parameters that could anticipate those categories. We retrospectively analysed male Wistar Rattus norvegicus (n=28 for the control group and n=87 for the TNBS group) and categorized TNBS-induced colitis in three phenotypes: Mild, Moderate and Severe colitis, as for human IBD. Also, we showed that the time course of food intake and fecal excretion (but not body weight, fluid intake or welfare scores) could foresee those categories. So, routine evaluation of food intake and fecal excretion may guide researchers in planning their experiments, selecting the animals with the severity of colitis that better matches their aims, or applying early humane endpoints to animals that will not be used in the experiments. In conclusion, categorizing TNBS-induced colitis enhances the reproducibility of data gathered with this experimental model and strengths its translational relevance.     

Wild robust capuchin monkey interactions with sympatric primates

Primates - Examining interactions among sympatric primate species can provide interesting information about competition, cooperation, and avoidance between those species. Those interactions can be...