A Polyphasic Approach Aids Early Detection of Potentially Toxigenic Aspergilli in Soil

Key chili and maize growing areas of Pakistan were selected for a focused baseline study of the levels of Aspergillus spp. Investigations were undertaken using a combination of molecular and culture-based techniques. Samples investigated included soil samples, one-year-old corn cobs, and fresh chili from selected locations. Aspergillus strains obtained from corn cobs were screened using coconut milk agar, resulting in one strain that was positive for aflatoxin production. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) with low coverage techniques were employed to screen the isolates for differences in the ribosomal RNA gene cluster and mitochondrial genome, with the aflatoxigenic strain proving to have a distinctive profile. Finally, strains were subjected to matrix-assisted laser-desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF-MS) in order to obtain a proteomic ‘fingerprint’ which was used to distinguish the aflatoxigenic strain from the other isolates. The next generation sequencing (NGS) study was broadened to incorporate metabarcoding with ITS rRNA for determining the microbial biodiversity of the soil samples and presumptive screening for the presence of aflatoxigenic strains. Using information gleaned from the WGS results, a putative aflatoxigenic operational taxonomic unit (OTU) was observed in four of the 15 soil samples screened by metabarcoding. This method may have beneficial applications in early detection and surveillance programs in agricultural soils and commodities.

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Modeling of solid sediment transport in mountain rivers

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202017512002 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 175 ◽

pp. 12002 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Issam Boukhanef ◽

Anna Khadzhidi ◽

Lyudmila Kravchenko ◽

Zeroual Ayoub ◽

Kastali Abdennour

Keyword(s):

Sediment Transport ◽

Fine Particles ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Suspended Sediments ◽

High Water ◽

The Other ◽

Concentration Data ◽

Solid Transport ◽

One Year ◽

The One

In Algeria, the problems of erosion and sediment transport are critical, since they have the most dramatic consequences of the degradation of agricultural soils on the one hand and the siltation of the dam on the other .The sediment transport in the Algerian basins is very important especially during the periods of floods, It is in this sense that this study, which consists of estimating the sediment transport in suspension and determining the models of relation linking the liquid discharge and the sediment discharge in order to estimate the solid transport in the absence of suspended sediments concentration data at the Sidi Akkacha station at the outlet of the basin of Oued Allala which is subject to a high water erosion, it degrades from one year to the other under the effect of this phenomenon especially during the floods which drain high amounts of fine particles exceeding in general, the concentration of 150 g/l, the results obtained from the application of the models are very encouraging since the correlation between liquid and solid discharge exceeds 80 %.

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Describing Phosphorus Sorption Processes on Volcanic Soil in the Presence of Copper or Silver Engineered Nanoparticles

Minerals ◽

10.3390/min11040373 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 373

Author(s):

Jonathan Suazo-Hernández ◽

Erwin Klumpp ◽

Nicolás Arancibia-Miranda ◽

Patricia Poblete-Grant ◽

Alejandra Jara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Crop Production ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Ph Value ◽

Consumer Products ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Engineered Nanoparticles ◽

P Availability ◽

Agricultural Crop ◽

Phosphorus Sorption

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) present in consumer products are being released into the agricultural systems. There is little information about the direct effect of ENPs on phosphorus (P) availability, which is an essential nutrient for crop growthnaturally occurring in agricultural soils. The present study examined the effect of 1, 3, and 5% doses of Cu0 or Ag0 ENPs stabilized with L-ascorbic acid (suspension pH 2–3) on P ad- and desorption in an agricultural Andisol with total organic matter (T-OM) and with partial removal of organic matter (R-OM) by performing batch experiments. Our results showed that the adsorption kinetics data of H2PO4− on T-OM and R-OM soil samples with and without ENPs were adequately described by the pseudo-second-order (PSO) and Elovich models. The adsorption isotherm data of H2PO4− from T-OM and R-OM soil samples following ENPs addition were better fitted by the Langmuir model than the Freundlich model. When the Cu0 or Ag0 ENPs doses were increased, the pH value decreased and H2PO4− adsorption increased on T-OM and R-OM. The H2PO4− desorption (%) was lower with Cu0 ENPs than Ag0 ENPs. Overall, the incorporation of ENPs into Andisols generated an increase in P retention, which may affect agricultural crop production.

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Assessment of heavy metals in soils of a vineyard region with the use of principal component analysis

Scientia Agricola ◽

10.1590/s0103-90162009000300011 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 66 (3) ◽

pp. 361-367 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Gustavo Souza Valladares ◽

Otávio Antônio de Camargo ◽

José Ruy Porto de Carvalho ◽

Alessandra Maria Cia Silva

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Principal Component Analysis ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Principal Component ◽

Component Analysis ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Metal Concentrations ◽

Zn Content ◽

Heavy Metals In Soils ◽

Cu And Zn

Agricultural management with chemicals may contaminate the soil with heavy metals. The objective of this study was to apply Principal Component Analysis and geoprocessing techniques to identify the origin of the metals Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cr and Cd as potential contaminants of agricultural soils. The study was developed in an area of vineyard cultivation in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Soil samples were collected and GPS located under different uses and coverings. The metal concentrations in the soils were determined using the DTPA method. The Cu and Zn content was considered high in most of the samples, and was larger in the areas cultivated with vineyards that had been under the application of fungicides for several decades. The concentrations of Cu and Zn were correlated. The geoprocessing techniques and the Principal Component Analysis confirmed the enrichment of the soil with Cu and Zn because of the use and management of the vineyards with chemicals in the preceding decades.

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Influence of long-term mineral fertilization on metal contents and properties of soil samples taken from different locations in Hesse, Germany

SOIL ◽

10.5194/soil-1-23-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 23-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

S. Czarnecki ◽

R.-A. Düring

Keyword(s):

Cation Exchange ◽

Cation Exchange Capacity ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Mineral Fertilizer ◽

Fertilizer Application ◽

Exchange Capacity ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Residual Effects ◽

Metal Contents

Abstract. Essential and non-essential metals occur in soils as a result of weathering, industrial processes, fertilization, and atmospheric deposition. Badly adapted cultivation of agricultural soils (declining pH value, application of unsuitable fertilizers) can enhance the mobility of metals and thereby increase their concentrations in agricultural products. As the enrichment of metals in soils occurs over long time periods, monitoring of the long-term impact of fertilization is necessary to assess metal accumulation in agricultural soils. The main objective of this study was to test the effects of different mineral fertilizer variations on soil properties (pH, Corg, and cation exchange capacity (CEC)) and pseudo-total and mobile metal contents of soils after 14 years of fertilizer application and to determine residual effects of the fertilization 8 years after cessation of fertilizer treatment. Soil samples were taken from a field experiment which was carried out at four different locations (210, 260, 360, and 620 m above sea level) in Hesse, Germany. During the study, a significant decrease in soil pH and an evident increase in soil carbon content and cation exchange capacity with fertilization were determined. The CEC of the soils was closely related to their organic C contents. Moreover, pseudo- and mobile metal (Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, Zn) contents in the soils increased due to application of 14 years of mineral fertilizer treatments (N, P, NP, and NPK) when compared to control plots. Eight years after termination of the fertilization in the soil samples taken from soil profiles of the fertilized plots (NPK) for monitoring the residual effects of the fertilizer application, a decrease of 82.6, 54.2, 48.5, 74.4, and 56.9% in pseudo-total Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn contents, respectively, was determined.

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Arsenic and heavy metal concentrations in agricultural soils in South Savo province

Agricultural and Food Science ◽

10.23986/afsci.5731 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 285-300 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

V. MÄNTYLAHTI ◽

P. LAAKSO

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Heavy Metal ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Mineral Soil ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Potential Hazard ◽

Metal Concentrations ◽

Limit Values ◽

Heavy Metal Concentrations ◽

Target Values

Increasing concentrations of arsenic and heavy metals in agricultural soils are becoming a growing problem in industrialized countries. These harmful elements represent the basis of a range of problems in the food chain, and are a potential hazard for animal and human health. It is therefore important to gauge their absolute and relative concentrations in soils that are used for crop production. In this study the arsenic and heavy metal concentrations in 274 mineral soil samples and 38 organogenic soil samples taken from South Savo province in 2000 were determined using the aqua regia extraction technique. The soil samples were collected from 23 farms.The elements analyzed were arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, nickel, lead and zinc. The median concentrations in the mineral soils were:As 2.90 mg kg 1, Cd 0.084 mg kg 1, Cr 17.0 mg kg 1, Cu 13.0 mg kg 1, Hg 0.060 mg kg 1, Ni 5.4 mg kg 1, Pb 7.7 mg kg 1, Zn 36.5 mg kg 1. The corresponding values in the organogenic soils were:As 2.80 mg kg 1, Cd 0.265 mg kg 1, Cr 15.0 mg kg 1, Cu 29.0 mg kg 1, Hg 0.200 mg kg 1, Ni 5.9 mg kg 1, Pb 11.0 mg kg 1, Zn 25.5 mg kg 1. The results indicated that cadmium and mercury concentrations in the mineral and organogenic soils differed. Some of the arsenic, cadmium and mercury concentrations exceeded the normative values but did not exceed limit values. Most of the agricultural fields in South Savo province contained only small amounts of arsenic and heavy metals and could be classified as Clean Soil. A draft for the target values of arsenic and heavy metal concentrations in Clean Soil is presented.;

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S123. EARLY DETECTION OF PSYCHOSIS: DIAGNOSTIC TRAJECTORIES

Schizophrenia Bulletin ◽

10.1093/schbul/sbaa031.189 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S82-S82

Author(s):

Line Lindhardt ◽

Morten Lindhardt ◽

Ulrik Haahr ◽

Lene Halling Hastrup ◽

Erik Simonsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Detection ◽

Clinical Evaluation ◽

Help Seeking ◽

False Negative ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Psychiatric Research ◽

One Year ◽

Detection Unit

Abstract Background Psychosis and signs of severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia often emerge in adolescence. Much attention has been devoted to identifying the individuals experiencing psychosis at an early stage. Implementation of early detection services is widely acknowledged as effective in reducing treatment delays. However, little is known about the diagnostic patterns of individuals entering an early detection service regardless of the initial psychopathological evaluation. The aim of the study is to investigate the diagnostic trajectories of individuals evaluated by an early detection of psychosis unit. Methods A real-life cross-sectional study coupling register data with information of diagnoses allocated by clinical evaluation in an early detection unit. All individuals clinically evaluated in the early detection unit from 2012 to 2015 were included. A Central Psychiatric Research Register was searched for lifetime allocated diagnoses. Register search allowed a minimum of one-year follow-up after evaluation. To determine the predictive ability of the early detection unit, diagnoses allocated by the initial clinical evaluation were compared to later diagnoses in psychiatric services. Results In total 450 individuals were clinically evaluated in the early detection unit during a period of 3 years. Previously 174 (39 %) patients had been in contact with mental healthcare services, and 28 (6.2%) had previously been diagnosed with psychosis. During follow-up, a diagnosis of psychosis was allocated in 146 (32.4%) of all evaluated individuals. In the clinical assessment by the early detection unit 107 (73.3 %) were diagnosed with psychosis. In total 39 (14.7%) were assessed false negative for psychosis by the early detection unit, they were later diagnosed with psychosis in mental healthcare services. The majority of psychosis diagnoses was allocated within one year after assessment in the early detection unit and half of individuals who were diagnosed with psychosis was re-diagnosed with schizophrenia (n=73). The hazard ratio of receiving a diagnosis of psychosis subsequently in mental healthcare services in individuals diagnosed with psychosis by the early detection unit was 4.73 (95 % CI: 3.01 – 7.44, p < 0.0001) compared to individuals not found psychotic by the early detection unit. Discussion That more than a third of the clinical evaluated has previously been help-seeking in mental healthcare system demonstrates a source of delay in treatment, suggesting that contact to other parts of mental healthcare services can delay detection of psychosis. Of the individuals not evaluated cases of psychosis 15 % later received a diagnose of psychosis. This suggests that an important subgroup of the help-seeking individuals undergoes transition to psychosis after contact or that detection of psychosis has not been possible by evaluation in the early detection unit. In conclusion, attention should be made to all individuals self-referred to an early detection unit, as diagnoses of psychosis is seen in the majority within the first year after contact. Also in individuals not initially suspected of psychosis.

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Molecular Analysis of Bacterial Community Structure and Diversity in Unimproved and Improved Upland Grass Pastures

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.65.4.1721-1730.1999 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

pp. 1721-1730 ◽

Cited By ~ 287

Author(s):

Allison E. McCaig ◽

L. Anne Glover ◽

James I. Prosser

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Bacterial Community ◽

Bacterial Community Structure ◽

Sequence Similarity ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Operational Taxonomic Units ◽

16S Ribosomal Dna ◽

Pcr Products ◽

Evenness Indices ◽

Low Coverage

ABSTRACT Bacterial community structure and diversity in rhizospheres in two types of grassland, distinguished by both plant species and fertilization regimen, were assessed by performing a 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence analysis of DNAs extracted from triplicate soil plots. PCR products were cloned, and 45 to 48 clones from each of the six libraries were partially sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of the resultant 275 clone sequences indicated that there was considerable variation in abundance in replicate unfertilized, unimproved soil samples and fertilized, improved soil samples but that there were no significant differences in the abundance of any phylogenetic group. Several clone sequences were identical in the 16S rDNA region analyzed, and the clones comprised eight pairs of duplicate clones and two sets of triplicate clones. Many clones were found to be most closely related to environmental clones obtained in other studies, although three clones were found to be identical to culturable species in databases. The clones were clustered into operational taxonomic units at a level of sequence similarity of >97% in order to quantify diversity. In all, 34 clusters containing two or more sequences were identified, and the largest group contained nine clones. A number of diversity, dominance, and evenness indices were calculated, and they all indicated that diversity was high, reflecting the low coverage of rDNA libraries achieved. Differences in diversity between sample types were not observed. Collector’s curves, however, indicated that there were differences in the underlying community structures; in particular, there was reduced diversity of organisms of the α subdivision of the class Proteobacteria (α-proteobacteria) in improved soils.

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Determination and distribution of pesticides and antibiotics in agricultural soils from northern China

RSC Advances ◽

10.1039/c9ra00783k ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (28) ◽

pp. 15686-15693 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Lixiang Pan ◽

Xiaoxiao Feng ◽

Meng Cao ◽

Shiwen Zhang ◽

Yuanfang Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Soils ◽

Northern China ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Different Types

Different types of soil samples from a typical farmland in northern China were collected and evaluated for the presence of the pesticides and antibiotics.

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Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer: Role of Biomarkers in Pancreatic Fluid Samples

Diagnostics ◽

10.3390/diagnostics10121056 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1056

Author(s):

Noboru Ideno ◽

Yasuhisa Mori ◽

Masafumi Nakamura ◽

Takao Ohtsuka

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Early Detection ◽

Pancreatic Juice ◽

Needle Aspiration ◽

Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽

Protein Marker ◽

Duodenal Fluid ◽

Progression Model ◽

Surveillance Programs ◽

Low Sensitivity

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Most patients with PDAC present with symptomatic, surgically unresectable disease. Therefore, the establishment of strategies for the early detection is urgently needed. Molecular biomarkers might be useful in various phases of a strategy to identify high-risk individuals in the general population and to detect high-risk lesions during intense surveillance programs combined with imaging modalities. However, the low sensitivity and specificity of biomarkers currently available for PDAC, such as carbohydrate 19-9 (CA19-9), contribute to the late diagnosis of this deadly disease. Although almost all classes of biomarker assays have been studied, most of them are used in the context of symptomatic diseases. Compared to other body fluids, pancreatic juice and duodenal fluid are better sources of DNA, RNA, proteins, and exosomes derived from neoplastic cells and have the potential to increase the sensitivity/specificity of these biomarkers. The number of studies using duodenal fluid with or without secretin stimulation for DNA/protein marker tests have been increasing because of the less-invasiveness in comparison to pancreatic juice collection by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). Genomic analyses have been very well-studied, and based on PDAC progression model, mutations detected in pancreatic juice/duodenal fluid seem to indicate the presence of microscopic precursors and high-grade dysplasia/invasive cancer. In addition to known proteins overexpressed both in precursors and PDACs, such as CEA and S100P, comprehensive proteomic analysis of pancreatic juice from patients with PDAC identified many proteins which were not previously described. A novel technique to isolate exosomes from pancreatic juice was recently invented and identification of exosomal microRNA’s 21 and 155 could be biomarkers for diagnosis of PDAC. Since many studies have explored biomarkers in fluid samples containing pancreatic juice and reported excellent diagnostic accuracy, we need to discuss how these biomarker assays can be validated and utilized in the strategy of early detection of PDAC.

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Profiling Microbial Communities in Manganese Remediation Systems Treating Coal Mine Drainage

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.03643-14 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 81 (6) ◽

pp. 2189-2198 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Dominique L. Chaput ◽

Colleen M. Hansel ◽

William D. Burgos ◽

Cara M. Santelli

Keyword(s):

Mine Drainage ◽

Operational Taxonomic Unit ◽

Soil Samples ◽

High Manganese ◽

Content Type ◽

Amplicon Pyrosequencing ◽

Abandoned Coal Mines ◽

A Minor ◽

Archaeal Communities ◽

Different Levels

ABSTRACTWater discharging from abandoned coal mines can contain extremely high manganese levels. Removing this metal is an ongoing challenge. Passive Mn(II) removal beds (MRBs) contain microorganisms that oxidize soluble Mn(II) to insoluble Mn(III/IV) minerals, but system performance is unpredictable. Using amplicon pyrosequencing, we profiled the bacterial, fungal, algal, and archaeal communities in four MRBs, performing at different levels, in Pennsylvania to determine whether they differed among MRBs and from surrounding soil and to establish the relative abundance of known Mn(II) oxidizers. Archaea were not detected; PCRs with archaeal primers returned only nontarget bacterial sequences. Fungal taxonomic profiles differed starkly between sites that remove the majority of influent Mn and those that do not, with the former being dominated byAscomycota(mostlyDothideomycetes) and the latter byBasidiomycota(almost entirelyAgaricomycetes). Taxonomic profiles for the other groups did not differ significantly between MRBs, but operational taxonomic unit-based analyses showed significant clustering by MRB with all three groups (P< 0.05). Soil samples clustered separately from MRBs in all groups except fungi, whose soil samples clustered loosely with their respective MRB. Known Mn(II) oxidizers accounted for a minor proportion of bacterial sequences (up to 0.20%) but a greater proportion of fungal sequences (up to 14.78%). MRB communities are more diverse than previously thought, and more organisms may be capable of Mn(II) oxidation than are currently known.

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