a b s t r a c tThis study investigated the effects of reed and willow on bioremediation of landfill leachate in comparison with an unplanted control by measuring redox potential levels in the rhizosphere of microcosm systems in a greenhouse. Plants had a significant influence on redox potential relative to the plant-less system. Redox potential in the reed rhizosphere was anoxic (mean À102 AE 85 mV), but it was the least negative, being significantly higher than in the willow (mean À286 AE 118 mV), which had the lowest Eh. Redox potential fluctuated significantly in the willow rhizosphere during daylight hours, with large decreases in the morning. Levels of NH 4 þ decreased significantly in the first day of the experiment and remained at similar low levels in all three variants for the next four weeks of the experiment. Following this removal of ammonia significant peaks in NO 2 À occurred in the control and reed tanks on the 1st day, and again on 14th day in the control tank up to 13 mg/dm 3 . In the willow tank there was also one significant peak of NO 2 À in the first week, but only up to 0.5 mg/dm 3 . Significant accumulation, within 21 days of NO 3 À in all variants was observed, but in tanks with reed and willow the concentration of NO 3 À remained significantly lower (<4 mg/dm 3 ) than in the unplanted tank (w35 mg/dm 3 ). Final levels of total-nitrogen, nitrate and chemical oxygen demand were considerably lower in the reed and willow tank than in the unplanted tank.

Triols, formed as by-products from the titanium silicalite (TS-1) catalysed epoxidation of allylic alcohols, can cause leaching of Ti from the microporous framework.

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Summary The role of viral infections in adverse pregnancy outcomes has gained interest in recent years. Innate immune pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and their signalling pathways, that yield a cytokine output in response to pathogenic stimuli, have been postulated to link infection at the maternal–fetal interface and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and functional response of nucleic acid ligand responsive Toll‐like receptors (TLR‐3, −7, −8 and −9), and retinoic acid‐inducible gene 1 (RIG‐I)‐like receptors [RIG‐I, melanoma differentiation‐associated protein 5 (MDA5) and Laboratory of Genetics and Physiology 2(LGP2)] in human term gestation‐associated tissues (placenta, choriodecidua and amnion) using an explant model. Immunohistochemistry revealed that these PRRs were expressed by the term placenta, choriodecidua and amnion. A statistically significant increase in interleukin (IL)‐6 and/or IL‐8 production in response to specific agonists for TLR‐3 (Poly(I:C); low and high molecular weight), TLR‐7 (imiquimod), TLR‐8 (ssRNA40) and RIG‐I/MDA5 (Poly(I:C)LyoVec) was observed; there was no response to a TLR‐9 (ODN21798) agonist. A hierarchical clustering approach was used to compare the response of each tissue type to the ligands studied and revealed that the placenta and choriodecidua generate a more similar IL‐8 response, while the choriodecidua and amnion generate a more similar IL‐6 response to nucleic acid ligands. These findings demonstrate that responsiveness via TLR‐3, TLR‐7, TLR‐8 and RIG‐1/MDA5 is a broad feature of human term gestation‐associated tissues with differential responses by tissue that might underpin adverse obstetric outcomes.

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