Application of a Balanced Scorecard System for Supporting Decision-Making in Contaminated Sites Remediation

This work introduces the development and application of a multi-goal evaluation procedure for assessing sets of remedial options that have previously been found technically suitable for managing a certain contaminated site. The construction of this decision support tool, in the form of a balanced scorecard, has followed a multi-attribute conception of the contaminated sites problem, identifying the most critical aspects considered by all stakeholders involved in contaminated sites management decisions. The developed tool has been checked in its formulation and application against an export benchmark of an Austrian remediation project. The performed evaluation allowed to identify and suggest a remedial option that best fitted the expectations of all stakeholders involved in the project. Furthermore, through the accomplishment of a sensitivity analysis it has been demonstrated that the system is stable and robust in terms of the chosen elicitation schemes, and that the preferences of the different stakeholders are influencing factors on the final result. The results and conclusions of this work present the benefits of implementing the developed balanced scorecard as a tool for supporting decision making in contaminated sites remediation projects.     

Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological data of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Armoracia rusticana</Emphasis> P. Gaertner,B. Meyer et Scherb. in Hungary and Romania: a case study

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) is a popular vegetable, spice and medicinal plant. We aimed to collect data about its cultivation, ethnomedicinal and culinary applications in a horseradish-producing region in Hungary and 32 villages in Romania. Horseradish roots are used in ethnomedicine for sore throat, asthma, cough and flu in both areas, alone or in combination with e.g. honey. In Transylvania, additional applications included digestive problems, pleuritis, and rheuma in various forms. The leaf and the grated root is for toothache and fever. Some applications were novel, others matched earlier records from these areas and those of other European countries. In ethnoveterinary practice, the root is used against roaring of horses in all regions. It is traditionally consumed in a soup in Hungary, as pickles, and the leaf in Transylvania. The root samples of the region of interest showed typical chemical pattern of horseradish roots, as shown by GC–MS: allyl isothiocyanate and 2-phenylethyl isothiocyanate were present in high amounts. The presented ethnomedicinal data are supported by a growing body of scientific evidence—pharmacological data available on the isothiocyanates. Data on antimicrobial activity support use in gastritis (Helicobacter pylori) and dental caries, while data on efficacy in inflammatory conditions justify the applications in diseases asthma and respiratory system infections. Our study presented scientific evidence-supported ethnomedicinal data on horseradish rich in bioactive isothiocyanates.     

Chronic toxicity of contaminated sediments on reproduction and histopathology of the crustacean <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gammarus fossarum</Emphasis> and relationship with the chemical contamination and in vitro effects

Purpose  

The aim of the present study was to investigate possible relationships between the sediment contaminants and the occurrence of intersex in situ. Two of the studied sediments were from polluted sites with increased occurrence of intersex crustaceans (Lake Pilnok, black coal mining area in the Czech Republic, inhabited by the crayfish Pontastacus leptodactylus population with 18% of intersex; creek Lockwitzbach in Germany with Gammarus fossarum population with about 7% of intersex).     

Long‐term effects of mulching,traditional cutting and no management on plant species composition of improved upland grassland in the Czech Republic

A shortage of available livestock for utilizing grassland biomass in Central Europe is challenging for the management of both semi‐natural grasslands and previously intensified (limed, fertilized and reseeded) upland grasslands. An alternative method of grassland management is mulching, in which aboveground biomass is cut, crushed and subsequently spread on the surface. This paper reports on an experiment to compare three different mulching frequencies (one, two and three times per year) with an unmanaged treatment and traditional management of two cuts per year (control) on a previously improved upland meadow. Plant species composition was monitored over 13 years. Traditional management of two cuts with biomass removal was the most suitable method for maintaining plant species richness and diversity, and both were reduced significantly in the once‐mulched and especially in the unmanaged treatment. Tall dicotyledonous weeds such as Urtica dioica, Cirsium arvense and Aegopodium podagraria were promoted by the unmanaged treatment and by mulching once a year. Higher frequency of defoliation had positive effects on the spread of short forbs such as Taraxacum spp., Plantago lanceolata and Trifolium repens. After eight years, there were changes in sward structure in the unmanaged and mulched‐once‐a‐year treatments, with increase in the tall/short species ratio. In conclusion, repeated mulching cannot substitute fully for traditional two‐cut management in improved upland meadows without decreasing plant species richness and diversity, and changing the sward structure. Although mulching once a year may prevent invasion by shrubs and trees, it also supports the spread of weedy species similar to no management.     

Marine Anticancer Agents: An Overview with a Particular Focus on Their Chemical Classes

The marine environment is a rich source of biologically active molecules for the treatment of human diseases, especially cancer. The adaptation to unique environmental conditions led marine organisms to evolve different pathways than their terrestrial counterparts, thus producing unique chemicals with a broad diversity and complexity. So far, more than 36,000 compounds have been isolated from marine micro- and macro-organisms including but not limited to fungi, bacteria, microalgae, macroalgae, sponges, corals, mollusks and tunicates, with hundreds of new marine natural products (MNPs) being discovered every year. Marine-based pharmaceuticals have started to impact modern pharmacology and different anti-cancer drugs derived from marine compounds have been approved for clinical use, such as: cytarabine, vidarabine, nelarabine (prodrug of ara-G), fludarabine phosphate (pro-drug of ara-A), trabectedin, eribulin mesylate, brentuximab vedotin, polatuzumab vedotin, enfortumab vedotin, belantamab mafodotin, plitidepsin, and lurbinectedin. This review focuses on the bioactive molecules derived from the marine environment with anticancer activity, discussing their families, origin, structural features and therapeutic use.     

Feeding of yeast (Candida spp.) improves in vitro ruminal fermentation of fibrous substrates

In vitro gas production technique (IVGPT) was used with the objective of determining the inclusion effect of live cells of two strains of Candida yeast on in vitro ruminal fermentation of two fibrous substrates. In order to achieve this, two experiments were performed: A) using oat straw (Avena sativa) as substrate; B) using alfalfa hay (Medicabo sativa) as substrate, comparing the effect of two different strains of Candida genre, both isolated from the rumen, on the mentioned substrates. Levica 25 (Candida tropicalis) yeast belongs to the culture collection of the Institute of Animal Science, Cuba, and Levazoot 15 (Candida norvegensis) yeast is part of the collection of the Faculty of Zootechnology and Ecology of the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, Mexico. Both strains demonstrated their potential in activating the ruminal fermentation. They stimulated (P<0.0001) the ruminal fermentation of the substrates under study. However, the Levazoot strain stimulated the dry matter (DM) fermentation of alfalfa in 21.43%, more than Levica 25. It is concluded that there is an influence of yeast strain and diet on the rumen environment and, therefore, it is important to select the appropriate strain in every production condition.     

Chemotherapy of experimental toxoplasmosis with special reference to robenidine

Robenidine as an anticoccidial agent alone (in doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg) or in association with two other antiprotozoal compounds--pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine (in doses of 2.5 and 250 mg/kg, respectively) were tested in the treatment of chronically infected mice with an avirulent cyst-forming HF strain of Toxoplasma gondii. The efficacy of the used drugs was evaluated by the cysts number in the brains of treated mice versus control group, antibody level and viability of survived cysts by the consecutive infection of mice. According to these criteria none of the tested drugs alone or combined exhibited to be able to produce an effective cure of cyst-stage of toxoplasmosis in experimental mice.     

Contamination history of suspended river sediments accumulated in oxbow lakes over the last 25 years

Background, aims, and scope  Embankment of meandering river systems in many industrial areas results in the formation of artificial oxbow lakes that may act as perennial or intermittent traps for river sediments. Their deposits can be dated using a combination of historical and stratigraphic data, providing a good means to study historical records of contamination transported by rivers. Contamination history over the last few decades is of special significance for Central and Eastern Europe as it can reflect high pollutant levels in the second half of the twentieth century and the subsequent improvement after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The purpose of this study was to investigate recent sediments of an oxbow lake of the Morava River, Czech Republic, their stratigraphic records, sediment architecture, and history of contamination. Materials and methods  Seven ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiles and three sediment cores up to 4 m deep were studied. The stratigraphy of the cores was inferred from visible-light spectrophotometry, X-ray radiography, grain size analysis, and semiquantitative modal analysis of sandy fractions. The sediments were dated using the ¹³⁷Cs mass activity and combinations of stratigraphic and historical data. The cores were sampled for concentrations of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants. Wet sampled, lyophilized, and sieved sediments were extracted and analyzed for heavy metals by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) of aqua regia leachate and for persistent organic pollutants by gas chromatography (GC-ECD and GC-MS). Results  Three distinct sedimentary sequences (S1, S2, and S3) were identified. The basal sequence S1 represents river channel sediments deposited before the formation of the oxbow lake, most likely before the 1930s. The boundary between the S1 and S2 sequence correlates with the level of sediment dredging from 1981 evidenced from historical data. The overlying sequences S2 and S3 represent a postdredging sediment wedge, which progrades into the lake. ¹³⁷Cs dating revealed a distinct Chernobyl 1986 peak at ∼150 cm depth inferring sedimentation rates up to 7.7 cm/year. Sediment contamination abruptly increased from the pre-1930s deposits to the post-1981 deposits. The concentration levels increased two to five times for Pb, As, Zn, and Cu, about 10 to 15 times for Cr, Sb, and Hg, up to 34 times for Cd, and 25 to 67 times for DDTs, PCBs, and PAHs. The concentrations of most contaminants remained approximately constant until the late 1980s when they started to decrease slowly. The decreasing trends were most prominent for heavy metals and anthracene, less prominent for DDTs, and almost absent for PCBs and most PAHs. Discussion  Different temporal and spatial patterns for various contaminants make it possible to distinguish between anthropogenic point sources from local industry (anthracene, Cr, Cd), possible diffuse sources (most PAHs), and geological background (V, Co, Ni, and Mo). The observed recent trends in heavy metal and persistent organic pollutant contamination are generally consistent with data from other Central European rivers. The roughly balanced contamination levels in sediments from the lake and the adjacent river channel suggest that the oxbow lake deposits reflect immediate levels of the contamination bound to suspended particulate matter passing through the river. Conclusions  The investigated oxbow lake accumulated suspended sediment from Morava River, developing a thick sedimentary body. The sediments offer a good time framework to study historical contamination of the river on a decade time scale. Continuous contamination trends can be traced back to the early 1980s. The results show that stratigraphic analysis of cores has a good potential for identification of uninterrupted historical trends and unconformities, e.g., due to dredging. Recommendations and perspectives  Oxbow lakes may provide an alternative to floodplains and reservoir deposits when studying river contamination history. High sedimentation rates of up to 7.7 cm/year offer a very good stratigraphic resolution, making it possible to study contamination patterns on annual or even seasonal time scales. On the other hand, oxbow lakes may represent long-term contamination stores, which are unlikely to be redistributed by river erosion and, hence, may possess significant environmental risks for the farther future.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Helianthus tuberosus</Emphasis> L. agg. in the Carpathian Basin: a blessing or a curse?

Helianthus tuberosus agg., an herbaceous perennial plant from the Asteraceae family, is native to North America and was introduced as a crop to Europe in the seventeenth century. The status of this plant has been rather controversial in the Carpathian Basin. This paper reviews its taxonomy, chorology, and ethnobotany in this region, using data obtained from herbarium specimens, ethnobotanical surveys performed in Transylvania, and data published earlier, documenting the invasive features of the plant since the beginning of the nineteenth century. Our results suggest that (1) Helianthus tuberosus agg. has been present in the Carpathian Basin from the nineteenth century, (2) its taxonomy is problematic since the first part of the nineteenth century; (3) ethnobotanical surveys confirmed that the plant’s tuber has been locally used mostly as a food in Transylvania, collected from cultivation. Overall, Helianthus tuberosus agg. is both a ‘blessing and a curse’ at the same time, it is a valuable crop with beneficial nutritional value, and also an environmentally dangerous invasive element for the diversity of the flora of the Carpathian Basin.     

Feeding of yeast(Candida spp.) improves in vitro ruminal fermentation of fibrous substrates

In vitro gas production technique(IVGPT) was used with the objective of determining the inclusion effect of live cells of two strains of Candida yeast on in vitro ruminal fermentation of two fibrous substrates. In order to achieve this, two experiments were performed: A) using oat straw(Avena sativa) as substrate; B) using alfalfa hay(Medicabo sativa) as substrate, comparing the effect of two different strains of Candida genre, both isolated from the rumen, on the mentioned substrates. Levica 25(Candida tropicalis) yeast belongs to the culture collection of the Institute of Animal Science, Cuba, and Levazoot 15(Candida norvegensis) yeast is part of the collection of the Faculty of Zootechnology and Ecology of the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, Mexico. Both strains demonstrated their potential in activating the ruminal fermentation. They stimulated(P<0.0001) the ruminal fermentation of the substrates under study. However, the Levazoot strain stimulated the dry matter(DM) fermentation of alfalfa in 21.43%, more than Levica 25. It is concluded that there is an influence of yeast strain and diet on the rumen environment and, therefore, it is important to select the appropriate strain in every production condition.