This study evaluates the effectiveness of separate biowaste collection implemented by French local authorities by assessing its impact on the quantities of residual household waste collected per capita. Using a staggered Difference-in-Differences approach, we first examine the dynamic effect of biowaste separation policies on residual household waste. We then explore the heterogeneity of this effect across various economic and sociodemographic contexts, as well as under different waste pricing systems. Our findings reveal that, in the period following adoption, there was a significant average reduction of approximately 19.56 kg per capita in residual household waste among intermunicipal entities that implemented separate biowaste collection. However, this initial reduction is not sustained over time. The heterogeneity analysis shows that low-density areas and intermunicipal entities with limited tourist accommodations experience larger reductions in residual household waste after implementing separate biowaste collection, compared to high-density and high-tourism areas. Furthermore, our results suggest that incentive-based pricing systems significantly contribute to reducing residual household waste. Based on these results, we suggest ways to improve local public waste management policies.
We prove measure-rigidity results for regular polynomial endomorphisms of ℂ^k. For maps of the same degree whose leading homogeneous parts differ by an invertible linear map on the target, equality of equilibrium measures is equivalent to postcomposition by an affine symmetry of the Julia set. We then show that, for f in a nonempty Zariski open subset of the parameter space, μ_g=μ_f implies g=f, with no hypothesis relating the leading terms; in dimension two this holds across all degrees, with g an iterate of f. We also establish finiteness results for maps with a prescribed equilibrium measure under essentially necessary hypotheses. Our approach rests on the stable manifold structure near the hyperplane at infinity. Equality of equilibrium measures yields a Zariski-dense family of common local stable-manifold germs, whose intrinsic first-order jets lead to a divisibility incidence problem on a Grassmannian. We resolve this problem by analyzing the power-map fiber and applying a generic stabilizer argument. In dimension two, applications include a characterization in terms of preperiodic sets, a Tits-type alternative, results on iterated centralizers, and an arithmetic non-density theorem.
In arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis, the belowground mycelium that develops into the soil, not only provides extensive pathways for nutrient fluxes, the occupation of different niches, and dispersal of propagules, but also has strong influences upon biogeochemical cycling. By providing a valuable overview of expression changes of most proteins, shotgun proteomics can help decipher key metabolic pathways involved in the functioning of fungal mycelia. In this protocol, we describe the combination of extra-radical mycelium growth systems with gel-based extraction of fungal peptides amenable for shotgun protein profiling, which allows gaining information about the extra-radical proteome.
A low-spin iron(II) picket-fence porphyrin complex, [FeII(TpivPP)(t-BuNC)2] (TpivPP = alpha,alpha,alpha,alpha-tetrakis(o-pivalamidophenyl)porphyrin; t-BuNC = tert-butyl isocyanide), has been synthesized and characterized using spectroscopic, crystallographic, and quantum chemical methods. The crystallographic molecular structure confirms a six-coordinate, low-spin Fe(II) centre, with an average equatorial Fe-N(pyrrole) bond length of 2.009(3) & Aring;, consistent with the IR and UV-visible observations. Metal-ligand bonding was analysed using natural bond orbital (NBO) theory, revealing strong equatorial Fe-N(pyrrole) sigma-donation from the porphyrin core together with pronounced axial it-backdonation from the iron centre into antibonding orbitals of the isocyanide ligands. The relative strengths of the Fe-N(pyrrole) and Fe-C(axial) bonds were further quantified using the intrinsic bond strength index (IBSI), indicating enhanced covalency for the axial Fe-C(axial) bonds. In the solid state, the o-pivalamidophenyl substituents play a key role in the supramolecular organization by simultaneously engaging in N-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonding, C-H center dot center dot center dot it interactions, and edge-to-face T-shaped it center dot center dot center dot it stacking. These intermolecular interactions were further investigated using quantum topological approaches based on quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and the Hirshfeld-partitioned independent gradient model (IGMH), providing a real-space description of their nature and relative strength.
The use of antibiotic-containing manure as fertilizer raises concerns about its impact on soil nutrient cycling. Particularly, the antimicrobial effects on soil nitrogen (N) cycling are unclear in soils with different textures. We hypothesized that finer soils would significantly reduce antibiotic bioavailability, thus reducing the negative impacts on the abundance of N cycling microbes, nitrification, and N2O emissions expected in coarser soils. To test this, we conducted a 46-day incubation experiment using three soil textures (sandy, sandy loam, and loam) and four treatments: a control without manure, antibiotic-free manure, manure with oxytetracycline, and manure with sulfadiazine. We quantified total and bioavailable antibiotic residues, soil N2O emissions, soil mineral N pools, and N cycling functional genes. Our results showed that the bioavailability of sulfadiazine in sandy soil was approximately double that of loam soil, whereas oxytetracycline bioavailability was independent of soil texture. In sandy soil, the high bioavailability of sulfadiazine reduced the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and transiently inhibited nitrification. Conversely, low sulfadiazine bioavailability in loam soil was linked to an increased abundance of complete ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (Comammox A). Oxytetracycline also increased Comammox A abundance in sandy loam and loam soils. Our findings suggest that the influence of soil texture on antibiotic bioavailability is compound specific. The antimicrobial impacts on soil N cycling are also considerably dependent on antibiotic types. Therefore, predicting the environmental impact of antibiotic residues in manure requires considering both the specific antibiotic properties and the soil characteristics.
