A Stress Test for Robustness of Photo Response Nonuniformity (Camera Sensor Fingerprint) Identification on Smartphones.

In the field of forensic imaging, it is important to be able to extract a camera fingerprint from one or a small set of images known to have been taken by the same camera (or image sensor). Note that we are using the word fingerprint because it is a piece of information extracted from images that can be used to identify an individual source camera. This technique is very important for certain security and digital forensic situations. Camera fingerprint is based on a certain kind of random noise present in all image sensors that is due to manufacturing imperfections and is, thus, unique and impossible to avoid. Photo response nonuniformity (PRNU) has become the most widely used method for source camera identification (SCI). In this paper, a set of attacks is designed and applied to a PRNU-based SCI system, and the success of each method is systematically assessed both in the case of still images and in the case of video. An attack method is defined as any processing that minimally alters image quality and is designed to fool PRNU detectors or, in general, any camera fingerprint detector. The success of an attack is assessed as the increment in the error rate of the SCI system. The PRNU-based SCI system was taken from an outstanding reference that is publicly available. Among the results of this work, the following are remarkable: the use of a systematic and extensive procedure to test SCI methods, very thorough testing of PRNU with more than 2000 test images, and the finding of some very effective attacks on PRNU-based SCI.

Differences in the microRNAs Levels of Raw Milk from Dairy Cattle Raised under Extensive or Intensive Production Systems.

Studying microRNA (miRNAs) in certain agri-food products is attractive because (1) they have potential as biomarkers that may allow traceability and authentication of such products; and (2) they may reveal insights into the products' functional potential. The present study evaluated differences in miRNAs levels in fat and cellular fractions of tank milk collected from commercial farms which employ extensive or intensive dairy production systems. We first sequenced miRNAs in three milk samples from each production system, and then validated miRNAs whose levels in the cellular and fat fraction differed significantly between the two production systems. To accomplish this, we used quantitative PCR with both fractions of tank milk samples from another 20 commercial farms. Differences in miRNAs were identified in fat fractions: overall levels of miRNAs, and, specifically, the levels of bta-mir-215, were higher in intensive systems than in extensive systems. Bovine mRNA targets for bta-miR-215 and their pathway analysis were performed. While the causes of these miRNAs differences remain to be elucidated, our results suggest that the type of production system could affect miRNAs levels and potential functionality of agri-food products of animal origin.

Is exercise and electrostimulation effective in improving muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness in children with cystic fibrosis and mild-to-moderate pulmonary impairment?: Randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on resistance-training programs for cystic fibrosis (CF) is limited and the possible benefits of the addition of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a supervised resistance-training program, associated or not with NMES, on muscle strength, aerobic fitness, lung function and quality of life in children with CF presenting mild-to-moderate pulmonary impairment. METHODS: This is a randomized controlled trial including CF patients aged between 6 and 17years. Subjects were randomly allocated to control (CON); exercise (EX); or exercise and NMES (EX + NMES) groups, and evaluated at baseline and at the end of an 8-week individualized exercise-program (3 days/week, 60min/session). NMES was applied in the quadriceps and the interscapular region, simultaneously to the exercises. CON group followed the CF team recommendations. The main outcome measures were lung function, cardiorespiratory fitness, functional capacity, quality of life and muscle strength. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients, aged 12.6 ± 3.0 years, were analyzed. No significant interactions were found for cardiorespiratory fitness. Functional capacity presented significant differences, indicating a better performance in both EX and EX + NMES. No significant changes between groups were seen for quality of life and lung function. As for muscle strength, EX and EX + NMES presented large effect sizes and significant differences, compared to CON, for quadriceps (p = 0.004, η2p = 0.401), pectoral (p = 0.001, η2p = 0.487), dorsal (p = 0.009, η2p = 0.333) and handgrip (p = 0.028, η2p = 0.278). CONCLUSION: A resistance exercise-training program led to improvements in muscle strength and functional capacity in CF patients with mild-to-moderate pulmonary impairment. The addition of NMES to the training program resulted in no extra favorable effects.

Effects of Physical Training on Heart Rate Variability in Children and Adolescents with Chronic Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

This study analyzed the effects of physical training programs on heart rate variability, as a measure of sympathovagal balance, in children and adolescents with chronic diseases. Relevant articles were systematically searched in Pubmed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar and Embase scientific databases. We performed a meta-analysis using an inverse variance heterogeneity model. Effect size calculation was based on the standardized mean differences between pre- and post-intervention assessments, assuring at least a single-group repeated-measures model for each extracted group. Ten studies (252 participants) were included, seven in obese subjects, two in type-1 diabetes, and one in cerebral palsy. When time-domain variables were analyzed, exercise was found to moderately increase RMSSD (SMD=0.478; 95%CI: 0.227 to 0.729; p<0.001), SDNN (SMD=0.367; 95%CI: 0.139 to 0.595; p=0.002) and pNN50 (SMD=0.817; 95%CI: 0.139 to 0.595; p=0.002). As for frequency-domain variables, exercise presented a moderate increasing effect on HF (SMD=0.512; 95%CI: 0.240 to 0.783; p<0.001), a negligible effect for LF (SMD=0.077; 95%CI: -0.259 to 0.412; p<0.001) and a non-significant reduction for LF/HF (SMD=-0.519; 95%CI: -1.162 to 0.124; p=0.114). In conclusion, physical training programs are able to modulate heart rate variability in children and adolescents with chronic diseases, affecting mainly the time-domain variables.

Effect of Using Faba Bean and/or Italian Ryegrass in Total Mixed Rations to Dairy Cows.

The livestock sector must find solutions to reduce the feeding costs and meet the challenge for a more sustainable production system in line with the European Green Deal requirements. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of including legume silage on voluntary intake in dairy cows, milk production, and composition. Three total mixed rations (TMR) based on faba bean (FB), Italian ryegrass (IR), or faba bean-Italian ryegrass intercrop (FBIR, 60:40) silages were used in feeding trials of dairy cows during two consecutive years. Nine Friesian cows were randomly allocated in three groups, following a 3 × 3 Latin square design with three diets for three periods. TMR were offered ad libitum in addition to eighteen hours of grazing daily and extra concentrate during milking. No differences were observed in dry matter intake. Diets did not affect milk production or composition, except for urea content, with a higher urea excretion in FB diet. Fatty acid profile was different in milk from cows feeding FB, with a significantly lower content of saturated fatty acids and a higher content of conjugated linoleic acid than milk produced with FBIR and IR diets.

The Dairy Cow Slurry Composition Used as Organic Fertilizer Is Influenced by the Level and Origin of the Dietary Protein.

Less than 30% of dairy cattle's nitrogen ingested is retained in milk. Therefore, large amounts of nitrogen can be excreted in manure and urine with a potential environmental impact. In addition, some legume forages can be more susceptible to proteolysis during the silage process than grasses, and dairy cows fed these legume silages would excrete a larger quantity of nitrogen in slurry. The objectives of this work were to evaluate the amount of nitrogen excretion in dairy cows fed different protein levels and legume silages with a view to improve the slurry quality as a co-product that can be used as fertilizer. Two double 3 × 3 Latin square trials were carried out in order to study three different protein levels (high, medium, and low) and three different silages (grass, faba bean, and field pea). Dry matter intake, milk production, and composition were not affected by treatments. The excretion of ammonia-N in the urine was almost four times lower in the diet with the lowest protein level. The ammonia-N in the urine was twice as high with the pea silage than faba bean and grass silages. In conclusion, the diet containing 13% of protein meets the protein requirement for lactating cows producing 31 kg daily, with low nitrogen excretion in the urine, and the main pathway for the excretion of surplus nitrogen from legume silages is through urine and the metabolization of pea silage protein goes toward ammonia-N.

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Improves Muscle Strength, Biomechanics of Movement, and Functional Mobility in Children With Chronic Neurological Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic neurological disorders (CNDs) generally produce deleterious effects on the musculoskeletal system and can affect physical activity and increase sedentary behavior in children, hindering the execution of training programs and the attainment of a correct dose of exercise. The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on skeletal muscle and then on biomechanics of movement, functional mobility, strength, spasticity, muscle architecture, and body composition of children and adolescents with CNDs and chronic diseases. METHODS: The search was conducted in April 2020 in PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, without publication period restriction. Publications investigating the effect of NMES on children and adolescents with CNDs and other chronic diseases were independently selected by 2 researchers. One author independently extracted data from the studies selected, and a second author cross-checked. RESULTS: Eighteen studies with 595 participants aged between 3 and 14 years were included. Quality assessment showed that 50% of the studies presented a low risk of bias. The pooled effect of NMES on gross motor functional measure, calculated as a standardized mean difference using a random effects model, was 0.41 (95% CI = 0.19-0.64). CONCLUSION: The use of NMES programs for children diagnosed with cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy, and obstetric injury of the brachial plexus was effective in improving muscle strength, biomechanics of movement, and functional mobility. IMPACT: NMES can be a useful tool to prevent the reduction of mobility that results from CNDs.

Effects of a Short-Term Resistance-Training Program on Heart Rate Variability in Children With Cystic Fibrosis-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) affects the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and exercise in healthy children modulates the interaction between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a short-term resistance exercise program on heart rate variability (HRV) in children and adolescents with CF. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was carried out in children diagnosed with CF aged 6-18 years. Individuals were divided into two groups: control (CON) and resistance-training (EX). Individuals in the EX group completed an individualized guided resistance program (5-RM-60-80%) for 8 weeks (3 sessions of 60 min/week). Upper and lower limbs exercises (seated bench press, seated lateral row, and leg press) were used. HRV was measured using a Suunto watch with subjects in lying position. Results: Nineteen subjects (13 boys) were included (CON = 11; and EX = 8). Mean age was 12.2 ± 3.3, FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in the first second) z-score was 1.72 ± 1.54 and peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) 42.7 ± 7.4 mL.Kg-1.min-1. Exercise induced significant changes in the frequency-domain variables, including a decrease in LF power (p = 0.001, d = 0.98) and LF/HF ratio (p = 0.020, d = 0.92), and an increase in HF power (p = 0.001, d = -0.97), compared to the CON group. No significant changes were found for time-domain variables, although increases with a moderate effect size were seen for SDNN (p = 0.152, d = -0.41) and RMSSD (p = 0.059, d = -0.49) compared to the CON group. Conclusion: A short-term resistance exercise-training program was able to modulate HRV in children and adolescents with CF presenting mild to moderate lung function impairment and good physical condition. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04293926.

The Mode of Grass Supply to Dairy Cows Impacts on Fatty Acid and Antioxidant Profile of Milk.

The optimization of milk production includes a rational use of forages, respect for the environment and offers the best quality to consumers. Milk production based on grass and forages produces healthier milk and it is widely spread throughout the Atlantic arc to maximize milk yield per hectare. However, the mode of offering the grass can have a major influence on milk composition. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of grass supply mode (grazing, zero-grazing or ensiling) on dairy cows' performance, with particular reference to fatty acids and fat-soluble antioxidants concentration. A three by three Latin square experiment was performed with 18 dairy cows. Experimental treatments consisted of exclusive feeding with grass silage and zero-grazing, both offered ad libitum indoors, or grazing for 24 h. The results showed that grazing cows had a higher dry matter intake and greater milk yield than cows feeding on grass silage and zero-grazing, as well as higher concentrations of protein, lactose, nonfat-solids and urea in milk than housed cows. Milk fat from grazing cows had a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids than from cows feeding on grass silage and zero-grazing, with significant differences in the proportion of vaccenic and rumenic acids. The 18:1 trans-11 to 18:1 trans-10 ratio is proposed as biomarker to identify the milk produced from the management system of grazing cattle. Milk from grazing cows had a greater proportion of lutein than cows eating grass silage, with the zero-grazing system having intermediate values. In conclusion, the mode of grass supply affects fatty acid and antioxidant profiles of milk.

Detection of latent forms of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection using host biomarker-based ELISAs greatly improves paratuberculosis diagnostic sensitivity.

Bovine paratuberculosis (PTB) is a chronic granulomatous enteritis, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), responsible for important economic losses in the dairy industry. Current diagnostic methods have low sensitivities for detection of latent forms of MAP infection, defined by focal granulomatous lesions and scarce humoral response or MAP presence. In contrast, patent infections correspond to multifocal and diffuse types of enteritis where there is increased antibody production, and substantial mycobacterial load. Our previous RNA-Seq analysis allowed the selection of five candidate biomarkers overexpressed in peripheral blood of MAP infected Holstein cows with focal (ABCA13 and MMP8) and diffuse (FAM84A, SPARC and DES) lesions vs. control animals with no detectable PTB-associated lesions in intestine and regional lymph nodes. The aim of the current study was to assess the PTB diagnostic potential of commercial ELISAs designed for the specific detection of these biomarkers. The ability of these ELISAs to identify animals with latent and/or patent forms of MAP infection was investigated using serum from naturally infected cattle (n = 88) and non-infected control animals (n = 67). ROC analysis revealed that the ABCA13-based ELISA showed the highest diagnostic accuracy for the detection of infected animals with focal lesions (AUC 0.837, sensitivity 79.25% and specificity 88.06%) and with any type of histological lesion (AUC 0.793, sensitivity 69.41% and specificity 86.57%) improving on the diagnostic performance of the popular IDEXX ELISA and other conventional diagnostic methods. SPARC and MMP8 showed the highest diagnostic accuracy for the detection of animals with multifocal (AUC 0.852) and diffuse lesions (AUC 0.831), respectively. In conclusion, our results suggest that quantification of ABCA13, SPARC and MMP8 by ELISA has the potential for implementation as a diagnostic tool to reliably identify MAP infection, greatly improving early detection of MAP latent infections when antibody responses and fecal shedding are undetectable using conventional diagnostic methods.

Efficient magnetic enrichment of antigen-specific T cells by engineering particle properties.

Magnetic particles can enrich desired cell populations to aid in understanding cell-type functions and mechanisms, diagnosis, and therapy. As cells are heterogeneous in ligand type, location, expression, and density, careful consideration of magnetic particle design for positive isolation is necessary. Antigen-specific immune cells have low frequencies, which has made studying, identifying, and utilizing these cells for therapy a challenge. Here we demonstrate the importance of magnetic particle design based on the biology of T cells. We create magnetic particles which recognize rare antigen-specific T cells and quantitatively investigate important particle properties including size, concentration, ligand density, and ligand choice in enriching these rare cells. We observe competing optima among particle parameters, with 300 nm particles functionalized with a high density of antigen-specific ligand achieving the highest enrichment and recovery of target cells. In enriching and then activating an endogenous response, 300 nm aAPCs generate nearly 65% antigen-specific T cells with at least 450-fold expansion from endogenous precursors and a 5-fold increase in numbers of antigen-specific cells after only seven days. This systematic study of particle properties in magnetic enrichment provides a case study for the engineering design principles of particles for the isolation of rare cells through biological ligands.

Biologically Inspired Design of Nanoparticle Artificial Antigen-Presenting Cells for Immunomodulation.

Particles engineered to engage and interact with cell surface ligands and to modulate cells can be harnessed to explore basic biological questions as well as to devise cellular therapies. Biology has inspired the design of these particles, such as artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs) for use in immunotherapy. While much has been learned about mimicking antigen presenting cell biology, as we decrease the size of aAPCs to the nanometer scale, we need to extend biomimetic design to include considerations of T cell biology-including T-cell receptor (TCR) organization. Here we describe the first quantitative analysis of particle size effect on aAPCs with both Signals 1 and 2 based on T cell biology. We show that aAPCs, larger than 300 nm, activate T cells more efficiently than smaller aAPCs, 50 nm. The 50 nm aAPCs require saturating doses or require artificial magnetic clustering to activate T cells. Increasing ligand density alone on the 50 nm aAPCs did not increase their ability to stimulate CD8+ T cells, confirming the size-dependent phenomenon. These data support the need for multireceptor ligation and activation of T-cell receptor (TCR) nanoclusters of similar sizes to 300 nm aAPCs. Quantitative analysis and modeling of a nanoparticle system provides insight into engineering constraints of aAPCs for T cell immunotherapy applications and offers a case study for other cell-modulating particles.

Capacity of milk composition to identify the feeding system used to feed dairy cows.

This Research Paper addresses the hypothesis that is possible to identify the type of feed used for dairy cows by means of the analysis of milk composition and the fatty acid profile of milk fat. Sixteen dairy farms were monitored during 1 year with quarterly visits between summer 2014 and spring 2015. Rations varied throughout the year due to annual dynamic change of forage production, forage rotation, variation of nutrient requirements according to physiological state of the animal, etc. The ingredients of the rations were analysed by cluster identifying five feeding systems based on the main ingredient of the diet: grazing, maize silage, grass silage, dry forage and concentrate. Milk composition could explain up to 91·3% of the total variability among feeding systems, while fatty acid profile could explain only up to 61·2% of total variability. However, when the sum of types of fatty acids and their ratios are taken, up to 93·5% of total variability could be explained. The maize silage system had the greatest milk yield, protein, solid non-fat and urea proportions, as well as the highest proportion of saturated fatty acid and lowest concentration of trans11 18 : 1, cis9 18 : 1 and 18 : 3 n3. Principal component analysis distinguishes the maize silage system from other feeding systems, both from milk composition and milk fatty acid profile. Concentrate system overlapped partially with the grazing, grass silage and dry forage systems. The latter systems had the highest concentrations of cis9 18 : 1, trans11 18 : 1 and 18 : 3, but there was no clear differentiation among them.

Subclinical ketosis on dairy cows in transition period in farms with contrasting butyric acid contents in silages.

This study examines the relationship between subclinical ketosis (SCK) in dairy cows and the butyric acid content of the silage used in their feeding. Twenty commercial farms were monitored over a period of 12 months. The feed at each farm and the silages used in its ration were sampled monthly for proximal analysis and for volatile fatty acid analysis. A total of 2857 urine samples were taken from 1112 cows to examine the ketonuria from about 30 days prepartum to 100 postpartum. Wide variation was recorded in the quality of silages used in the preparation of diets. Approximately 80% of the urine samples analyzed had no detectable ketone bodies, 16% returned values indicative of slight SCK, and the remainder, 4%, showed symptoms of ketosis. Most of the cases of hyperkenuria were associated with the butyric acid content of the silage used (r2=0.56; P<0.05). As the metabolizable energy content of the feed was similar, no relationship was observed between the proportion of cows with SCK and the energy content of the feed. In our study, the probability of dairy cows suffering SCK is higher when they are eating feed made from silage with a high butyric acid content (35.2 g/kg DM intake).

Effect of total mixed ration composition and daily grazing pattern on milk production, composition and fatty acids profile of dairy cows.

The possibilities of using high quality pastures in conjunction with total mixed ration (TMR) during the grazing season have been examined. An experiment with sixteen Holstein cows blocked and randomly assigned to four treatments in a factorial arrangement was conducted in order to evaluate the influence of grazing time of day (day or night) and type of silage (maize or Italian ryegrass) included in the TMR of dairy cows grazing 12 h daily on milk yield, composition and fatty acid profile. The silage type had no effect on the dry matter intake, milk yield and fat and protein proportions. However, cows grazing during the night ate more grass than cows grazing during the day (8·53 vs. 5·65 kg DM/d; P<0·05). No differences were seen between grazing-time with respect to milk production, fat and protein contents. However, the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acid was higher in milk of dairy cows grazing at night-time than grazing at day-time, especially 18:2n-6 (2·37 vs. 2·12 g/100 g FA respectively, P<0·05) and 18:2cis9trans11 (2·08 vs. 1·74 g/100 g FA respectively, P<0·05).

Cow's milk with active immunoglobulins against Campylobacter jejuni: effects of temperature on immunoglobulin activity.

BACKGROUND: Adult Holstein cows were injected with an antiserum against Campylobacter jejuni and immunoglobulin activities in vitro were determined in blood and milk several weeks after injection. The immunoactivity of immunoglobulins in milk was measured by an ELISA after different temperature-time treatments (60-91°C and 4-3600 s) at laboratory and pilot-plant scales. Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were determined. RESULTS: An increase in immunoglobulin activity in milk was detected several days after injection. Optical densities increased by three- to seven-fold in this period. The activity started to decay 4-5 weeks after injection. Immunoglobulins maintained most of their in vitro activity under pasteurisation conditions (72°C and 15 s) and were denatured following first-order kinetics. CONCLUSIONS: The injection protocol applied allows milk with specific immunoglobulins against Campylobacter jejuni to be obtained. Traditional pasteurisation did not reduce this activity.

Improving the fatty acid profile of dairy cow milk by combining grazing with feeding of total mixed ration.

Grazing cows could produce milk with a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which is beneficial to human health, compared with non-grazing cows, though grazing alone could compromise milk production. Under oceanic climate conditions, a study involving 15 dairy cows, fed total mixed ration (TMR) ad libitum in combination with different grazing times of 12 h (TMR12), 6 h (TMR06) and zero grazing time (TMR00) with the aim to evaluate different strategies on the fatty acids profile of milk and milk production. No differences were seen between the treatments with respect to milk yield (34.4+/-6.3 kg/d) or milk protein content (30.4+/-1.8 g/kg). The milk produced by the TMR12 cows had less total fat (36.2 vs. 38.2 g/kg) and saturated fatty acid (FA, 69.39 vs. 71.44 g/100 g FA) than that produced by the TMR00 cows. The concentration of vaccenic acid in the TMR06 and TMR12 milk was twice that of the TMR00 milk (4.22, 4.09 and 2.26 g/100 g FA respectively). Linear increases in conjugated linoleic (CLA) and linolenic acids were observed with increasing grazing time. Pasture was an important source of FA especially C18:3 for TMR06 and TMR12 cows. Under oceanic climatic conditions, the grazing of dairy cows as a complement to feeding with TMR can improve the FA profile of milk and increase its CLA content.

In situ oxidation remediation technologies: kinetic of hydrogen peroxide decomposition on soil organic matter.

Rates of hydrogen peroxide decomposition were investigated in soils slurries. The interaction soil-hydrogen peroxide was studied using a slurry system at 20 degrees C and pH 7. To determine the role of soil organic matter (SOM) in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, several experiments were carried out with two soils with different SOM content (S1=15.1%, S2=10%). The influence of the oxidant dosage ([H2O2](o) from 10 to 30 g L(-1) and soil weight to liquid phase volume ratio=500 g L(-1)) was investigated using the two calcareous loamy sand soil samples. The results showed a rate dependency on both SOM and hydrogen peroxide concentration being the H2O2 decomposition rate over soil surface described by a second-order kinetic expression r(H2O2) = -dn(H2O2) / W(SOM) dt = kC(H2O2) C(SOM). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to evaluate the effect caused by the application of this oxidant on the SOM content. It was found a slightly increase of SOM content after treatment with hydrogen peroxide, probably due to the incorporation of oxygen from the oxidant (hydrogen peroxide).

Chemical oxidation of 2,4-dimethylphenol in soil by heterogeneous Fenton process.

Hydrogen peroxide has been used to oxidize a sorbed aromatic contaminant in a loamy sand with 195.9 g kg(-1) of organic carbon by using iron as catalyst at 20 degrees C. The 2,4-dimethylphenol (2,4-DMP) was chosen as pollutant. Because of this soil generates a slightly basic pH in contact to an aqueous phase the solubility of the iron cation was determined in absence and presence of a chelating agent (l-ascorbic acid, l-Asc) and with and without soil. From results, it was found that in presence of soil the iron cation was always adsorbed or precipitaed onto the soil. Therefore, the procedure selected for soil remediation was to add firstly the iron solution used as catalyst and following the hydrogen peroxide solution used as oxidant. As iron cation is sorbed onto the soil before the oxidant reagent is provided a heterogeneous catalytic system results. This modified Fenton runs have been carried out using 0.11 mg(2,4-DMP) g(-1)(soil) and 2.1 mg(Fe) g(-1)(soil). The H(2)O(2)/pollutant weight ratios used were 182 and 364. The results show that H(2)O(2) oxidizes 2,4-DMP producing CO(2) and acetic acid. After 20 min of reaction time a pollutant conversion of 75% and 86% was found, depending on the H(2)O(2) dosage. Moreover, it was found that hydrogen peroxide was heterogeneously decomposed by the soil (due to its organic and/or inorganic components) and its decomposition rate decreases when the iron was previously precipitated-impregnated into the soil.