This is due to a deep C and N deficient construction layer below sealed surfaces. Even though impervious surfaces cover ca. twice the area of pervious surfaces in the centre of Lahti, we estimate that only 6% and 4% of urban soil C and N, respectively, are stored underneath them. Furthermore, we found very little C and N accumulation underneath the sealed surfaces via root growth and/or leakage through ageing asphalt. Our results show that soil sealing, in concert with a massive top soil removal typical to cold climates, induces a considerable loss of C and N in Boreal urban areas. Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum, is a destructive and widespread wheat disease.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ly333531.html  Chemical fungicides are becoming less effective at reducing the disease severity of FHB, and there is a need to find a more effective, low-cost natural product. A by-product of the pyrolysis of wheat straw is a condensate known as wheat straw vinegar, which was hypothesized to be an effective F. graminearum inhibitor in wheat. The organic and mineral compositions of wheat straw vinegar were analyzed. The results of GC-MS indicated that the major organic compounds in wheat straw vinegar are phenolics and acetic acid. The main inorganic elements in the liquid were K, Ca, S and Mg. A bio-test of wheat straw vinegar showed strong antifungal activity on F. graminearum growth and production of deoxynivalenol (DON) with an EC50 (concentration for 50% of maximal effect) value of 3.1 μl ml-1. Field tests showed that the application of wheat straw vinegar diluted 200-fold significantly decreased the wheat FHB infection rate and DON content by 66% and 69%, respectively. The control efficacy of wheat straw vinegar at a dilution of 200-fold was similar to that of typical chemical fungicide applications. The use of wheat straw vinegar may increase farmers' income by reducing the net fungicide costs. Therefore, wheat straw vinegar has high potential as a natural fungicide for the control of FHB and can reduce the dependence on synthetic fungicides. V.Marine microplastic pollution of intertidal mangrove ecosystem is a matter of concern. However, the relationship between microplastic distribution and other pollutants such as halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) is unknown. In this study, forty-eight sediment samples were collected from three mangrove wetlands of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), South China to investigate the distribution of microplastic and discuss the possible relationship between HFRs and microplastic abundance in mangrove sediments. The abundance of microplastic in mangrove sediments from the PRE ranged from 100 to 7900 items·kg-1 dry weight (dw), with an average of 851 ± 177 items·kg-1 dw, which was at a relatively higher level compared to other regions worldwide. The highest abundance of microplastic was observed in Shenzhen mangrove sediments. The abundance of microplastic was significantly and positively correlated with population density and gross domestic product of the PRE. The microplastics with size less then 500 μm were predominant in mangrove sediments, accounting for a proportion of 69.4% in all microplastic samples. Polypropylene-polyethylene copolymer, green/black, and fibers/fragments were the dominant type, color and shape in all microplastic samples, respectively. The correlation between HFRs and microplastic abundance demonstrated that polybrominated diphenyl ethers, decabromodiphenyl ethane, 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane and hexabromocyclododecane may have the same pollution source as microplastics. Nitrogen fertilisation, although a cornerstone of modern agricultural production, negatively impacts the environment through gaseous losses of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), and ammonia (NH3), a known air pollutant. The aim of this work was to assess the feasibility of urea treated with urease inhibitors to reduce gaseous N losses in temperate grassland, while maintaining or improving productivity compared to conventional fertiliser formulations. Urease inhibitors were N-(n-butyl)-thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) (urea + NBPT) and N-(n-propyl)-thiophosphoric triamide (NPPT) (urea+ NBPT + NPPT), while conventional fertilisers were urea and calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN). N2O emission factors were 0.06%, 0.07%, 0.09% and 0.58% from urea + NBPT, urea, urea + NBPT + NPPT and CAN, respectively, with CAN significantly higher than all the urea formulations, which were not significantly different from each other. Ammonia loss measured over one fertiliser application was significantly larger from urea, at 43%, compared with other formulations at 13.9%, 13.8% and 5.2% from urea + NBPT, urea + NBPT + NPPT and CAN, respectively. Changing fertiliser formulation had no significant impact on grass yield or N uptake in four out of five harvests. In the last harvest urea + NBPT significantly out-yielded urea, but not CAN or urea + NBPT + NPPT. Overall, urea treated with either one or both urease inhibitors significantly reduced emissions of N2O and NH3, while preserving yield quantity and quality. Therefore, changing fertiliser formulation to these products should be encouraged as a strategy to reduce GHG and air pollution from agricultural practices in temperate climate. V.This work focuses on disinfection of water using electrolysis with boron doped diamond (BDD) coatings and faces this challenge by comparing the performance of two different cells manufactured by CONDIAS GmbH (Izehoe, Germany) CONDIACELL® ECWP and CabECO cells. They are both equipped with diamond electrodes, but the mechanical design is completely different, varying not only by geometry but also by the flow conditions. ECWP is a flow-through cell with perforated electrodes while the CabECO cell is a zero-gap cell with a proton exchange membrane as a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) separating the anode and cathode. At 0.02 Ah dm-3 both cells attain around 3-5 logs pathogen removal, but design and sizing parameters give an advantage to the CabECO it can minimize the production of chlorates and perchlorates when operating in a single-pass mode, which becomes a really remarkable point. In this paper, we report tests in which we demonstrate this outstanding performance and we also explain the differences observed in the two cells operating with the same water.