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Este trabajo explora, utilizando la metodología de la sociolingüística histórica, el multilingüismo y el contacto de lenguas en las minas de Potosí (Bolivia) en la época colonial. Potosí fue el destino de la inmigración masiva durante su florecimiento económico y una de las ciudades más grandes en el mundo occidental en 1610. En las minas se desarrollaba un código separado, con un léxico especializado que contenía palabras de lenguas diferentes. Este léxico fue tan distinto que el primer vocabulario de lengua de minas fue escrito en 1610, y muchos han seguido desde esa fecha. El quechua jugaba un papel clave como lengua intermediaria entre dos formas de hablar: el lenguaje minero indígena de los yanaconas y mingas, probablemente una mezcla de castellano y quechua, y el lenguaje de los mitayos, posiblemente una mezcla de aimara y quechua. Las semejanzas entre aimara y quechua deben haber contribuido a esta posibilidad de lengua intermediaria.

This article is devoted to the associations formed by mine workers for the exploitation of the Laureotic mines during the 4th century BC. An attempt is made to clarify the rights and obligations of the partners of these associations, as well as the principles which funded the distribution of those rights and responsibilities between them. The texts of the Attic orators are the starting point of this study. Comparisons are then made with tax-farming and Athenian public contacts, but also with private conventions known by Egyptian papyri. The liability of business partners in Athenian laws is also discussed.

Forests, the backbone of biogeochemical cycles and life supporting systems, are under severe pressure due to varied anthropogenic activities. Mining activities are one among the major reasons for forest destruction questioning the survivability and sustainability of flora and fauna existing in that area. Thus, monitoring and managing the impact of mining activities on natural resources at regular intervals is necessary to check the status of their depleted conditions, and to take up restoration and conservative measurements. Geospatial technology provides means to identify the impact of different mining operations on forest ecosystems and helps in proposing initiatives for safeguarding the forest environment. In this context, the present study highlights the problems related to mining in forest ecosystems and elucidates how geospatial technology can be employed at various stages of mining activities to achieve a sustainable forest ecosystem. The study collates information from various sources and highlights the role of geospatial technology in mining industries and reclamation process.

Thermal power plants in the Republic of Serbia spend 35-40 million tons of coal annually, mostly lignite, with about 6 million tons of ash or slag as a by-product of electricity and heat production, deposited on the landfills. The Law on Waste Management defines the possibility of reusing of ash and slag. The Rulebook on categories, testing and classification of waste, as well as the Decree on technical and other requirements for ash, as building material intended for use in the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation and maintenance of infrastructure facilities of public purpose, electro-filter ash and slag are characterized as the non-hazardous waste for a wide range of use. In recent decades, the electro-filter ash has been used in several fields in the coal mines, increasingly gaining in importance, and what is the subject of this work in order to demonstrate the efficiency of its use and at the same time contribute to the environmental protection.

Members of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Serbian Armed Forces (SAF) have been engaged in multinational operations (MnOPs) from 26 June 2002. During the engagement in UN MnOPs, one of the key problems is the procedures when encountering some kind of ordnance. During the preparation of MoD and SAF members for joining UN MNOPs, one of the main problems is a small number of qualified and trained instructors as well as the lack of necessary literature. The paper presents a summary review of one ordnance type - mines, i.e. a review of the most typical representatives of mine types that can be found in some of the territories where MnOPs are conducted. In order to prevent mine accidents, particular attention must be paid to the training i.e. preparation of MoD and SAF members for their participation in MnOPs. The work is primarily based on the currently available literature as well as on the experiences of MoD and SAF members who were engaged in UN MnOPs. / Военнослужащие Министерства обороны Республики Сербия (далее по тексту: МОРС) и Вооруженных сил Республики Сербия (далее по тексту: ВСРС) с 26.06. 2012 года принимают участие в многонациональных операциях (далее по тексту: МнОп). На сегодняшний день в десяти МнОп Организации объединенных наций (далее по тексту: ООН), проводимых в разных странах мира, участвуют 247 представителей МОРС и ВСРС. Ключевой проблемой, возникающей в процессе осуществления МнОп ООН является процедура при обнаруживании минно-взрывных устройств (далее по тексту: МВУ). Главной проблемой при профессиональной подготовке служащих МОРС и ВСРС, направляемых в МнОп ООН является отсутствие достаточного количества квалифицированных инструкторов, так же как и учебных пособий. В статье представлен обзор доступной информации о МВУ минах − самом распространенном виде мин, обнаруженных на територрии проводимых операций МнОп ООН. С целью преодоления минной опасности необходимо посвятить особое внимание профилактике, и профессиональной подготовке лиц-участников МнОп ООН. Статья основана на материалах доступной на данный момент литературы и опыта участников МОРС и ВСРС в МнОп ООН. / Pripadnici Ministarstva odbrane (MO) i Vojske Srbije (VS) angažuju se u multinacionlanim operacijama (MnOp) od 26. 6. 2002. godine. Trenutno je angažovano 247 pripadnika MO i VS u ukupno 10 MnOp Ujedinjenih nacija (UN) širom sveta, u različitim ulogama. U toku svog angažovanja oni moraju poštovati određenu proceduru prilikom nailaska na neku vrstu minsko-eksplozivnih sredstava (MES). Prilikom pripreme pripadnika MO i VS za slanje u MnOp UN javlja se, kao jedan od osnovnih problema, mali broj kvalifikovanih i obučenih instruktora, kao i nedostatak neophodne literature. Članak predstavlja zbirni pregled jedne vrste MES - mina, odnosno najzastupljenijih vrsta mina koje se mogu naći na nekim od teritorija na kojima se izvode MnOp. Radi prevencije nastanka nezgoda koje prouzrokuju mine, posebna pažnja mora se posvetiti obuci, odnosno pripremi pripadnika MO i VS za učešće u MnOp UN. Rad se prevashodno zasniva na trenutno raspoloživoj literaturi, ali i na iskustvima pripadnika MO i VS koji su bili angažovani u MnOp UN.

This article discusses the careers of Lucius Septimius Petronianus and Tiberius Claudius Proculus Cornelianus, who successively held the post of procurator of the mining districts situated in the valley of the lower Drina river during the second half of the 2nd century A.D. It aims to point out a connection between both procurators and Gnaeus Iulius Verus, a famous senator and general originating from the Roman colony of Aequum, in Dalmatia and one of Marcus Aurelius’ amici in the early years of the latter’s reign. The presence of the protégés of Gnaeus Iulius Verus in the richest mining region of Illyricum is indicative of two things: the emperor’s willingness to entrust these mines to the protégés of his closest associate at a time when this region was under constant threat from barbarian attacks, and also the possible intention of Gnaeus Iulius Verus to protect his own investment in mining.

After the Red Biennium and during the Twenties, a debate developed in Sardinia around the organization of work and the salaries of the workers employed in the mines. In 1923 the Pertusola group, under the supervision of Paul Audibert, established a psycho-technical lab at Ingurtosu, where the production parameters were studied and the workers were selected. After only four years the results of this study were presented: it was observed that, through a scientific work organization, production doubled with a significant decrease in injuries. Man became a machine to be studied in order to increase production and his work started to be considered as a mere technical tool. A depersonalization that marked the territory and the lives of its inhabitants, done in the name of progress.

The interpretation provided by the historiography in the field of security in Sardinian mines in the Italy of the second industrial revolution is darkened, an interpretation that makes the mine a very insecure place, marked by a dripping of tragedies and fatal accidents. Nevertheless, the above reading does not appear to be fully justified by the available statistical data which, on the contrary, allows us to advance the thesis that, starting from the beginning of the 1980s up until 1910, the number of deaths by accident in the Sardinian mines in relation to the mining population has been below the national average.

To determine how vulnerable various pea genotypes are to leafminer infestation, a field experiment was conducted. On the basis of the presence of mines on five randomly selected leaflets from the upper, middle and lower parts of the plant, observations of larvae were made throughout the growing season. The total phenols were determined using the method described by Bray and Thorpe (1954, Analysis of phenolic compounds of interest in metabolism. Methods Biochem Anal . 52:1-27) and absorbance at 650 nm was measured using a spectrophotometer. There was a negative correlation between leafminer infestation and total phenol content. The UHF Pea-12 genotype, characterised by the lowest total phenol concentration (20.87 mg/100 g), exhibited the highest level of leaflet infestation (17.33%). Although UHF Pea-1 genotype had the lowest mean leaflet infestation (6.58%), it also had the highest phenol concentration (41.91 mg per 100 g). In context with this, the present study highlights the significance of host-plant resistance (HPR) in pest management.

Over the past 10 years, the mining industry of Russia has seen a greater than three-fold decrease in injury rates, thanks to the successful implementation of innovative labor safety technologies. Despite this, injury levels remain unacceptably high compared to the leading mining countries, which results in increased mining costs. For the mining areas of the Arctic Zone—unlike other regions located in areas with a more favorable climate—the injury rates are influenced not only by the underground labor conditions, but also by the adverse environmental factors. For the Russian Arctic zone, the overall injury risk is proposed to be calculated as the combined impact of occupational and background risk. In this article, we have performed correlation analysis of the overall injury risks in regions of the Arctic zone and regions with favorable climate conditions. Using the Kirov branch of “Apatit”, Joint-stock company (JSC) as an example, we have calculated the risks related specifically to occupational injury rates. We have constructed the relative injury risks and their changes over time and have developed a “basic injury rate matrix” that makes it possible to visualize the results of the comparative analysis of the injury rates on the company’s production sites and to determine priority avenues for improving the occupational safety and lowering the injury rates.

Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) form the basis of estimation of environmental and socio-economic impacts of developmental projects. In this study we examine 65 EIA reports of mines in Goa. It is mandatory that the reports should provide, among others, lists of plant species from 314.2 and 78.5 sq. km area for lease areas of mines above 0.5 and below 0.5 sq. km respectively. On the basis of available data covering different spatial scales for the Western Ghats, we determined the species-area relationships, and expected number of species in area of these sizes. We find the plant lists in the EIA reports to be highly incomplete and defective in many ways, including with respect to information on water resources, and ore transport by trucks and barges. We conclude by recommending a set of measures focusing on transparency and public involvement to correct the situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study whether the spatial distribution of natural resources across different ethnic groups within countries causes spatial inequality and the incidence of armed conflict. By providing a theoretical rent-seeking model and analysing a set of geo-coded data for mines, night-time light emissions, local populations and ethnic homelands, we show that the spatial distribution of resources is a major driving factor of ethnic income inequality. Moreover, a spatially unequal distribution of natural resources induces rent-seeking behaviour and thus increases the risk of civil conflicts. Consequently, we extend the perspective of the resource curse to explain cross-country differences in income inequality and the onset of civil conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the levels and drivers of contamination in top predators is important for their conservation and eventual use as sentinels in environmental monitoring. Therefore, metals and trace elements were analyzed in feathers of Bonelli's eagles (Aquila fasciata) from southern Portugal in 2007–2013, where they are believed to be exposed to a wide range of contamination sources such as agricultural land uses, urban areas, active and abandoned mines and a coal-fired power plant. We focused on concentrations of aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn), as these contaminants are potentially associated with those sources and are known to pose a risk for terrestrial vertebrates. Stable isotope values of nitrogen (δ 15N: 15N/14N), carbon (δ 13C: 13C/12C) and sulphur (δ 34S: 34S/32S) were used as dietary proxies to control for potential effects of prey composition on the contamination pattern. The spatial distribution of potential contamination sources was quantified using geographic information systems. Concentrations of Hg in the southern part of the study area were above a reported toxicity threshold for raptors, particularly in territories closer to a coal-fired power plant at Sines, showing that contamination persisted after a previous assessment conducted in the 1990s. Hg and Se levels were positively correlated with δ 15N, which indicates biomagnification. Concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn were generally low and unrelated to mining- or industrial activities, indicating low environmental background concentrations. Al was found at higher concentrations in the southernmost areas of Portugal, but this pattern might be related to external soil contamination on feathers. Overall, this study indicates that, among all elements studied, Hg seems to be the most important contaminant for Bonelli's eagles in southern Portugal, likely due to the power plant emissions and biomagnification of Hg in terrestrial food webs. Unlabelled Image • Trace elements and stable isotopes were assessed in Bonelli's eagle feathers • Higher Hg exposure was found closer to the coal-fired power plant of Sines • Hg concentrations were above a reported toxicity threshold for raptors around Sines • δ15N indicated biomagnification of Hg and Se in the terrestrial food web • As, Pb, Cr, Cu & Zn levels were mostly low and unrelated to anthropogenic activity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Internacional y Comparada de Relaciones Laborales y Derecho del Empleo is the property of ADAPT University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Colombian mining and oil law is derived from a special order, formed over centuries from the confluence of two major categories implemented by Spain during the colonial period: patrimoniality, that is, the existence of a kind of State property right in relation to the subsoil and non-renewable natural resources, and royalties entitlement, understood as the participation of the political organization in the economic benefits derived from the exploitation of such assets, among other topics. This regime has been object of important disputes in the last years as a result of the social claims and the involvement of communities around the participation in the benefits of the exploitation of the land wealth, its environmental impacts and the faculties the municipalities have in its regulation. Therefore, this demands, besides the dogmatic studies ordered to scrutinize the sense of its dispositions and the socio-economic approaches that investigate the effects of such formal structure, a historical-legal review that helps to understand the starting point that has marked to some extent the institutional path followed in this matter. This paper, then, aims to provide some tools to help understand the origins and the subsequent evolution of many of the characteristic figures of Colombian mining and oil law, in the understanding that such perspective can help to understand the causes of parts of the architecture conferred on such a system in the years following the expedition of the Political Constitution of 1991 and to glimpse, therefore, the most remote sources of some of the controversies that today occupy the national political attention. In this order of ideas, the fundamental premise of the present document is that the current Colombian mining and oil law turns out to be the synthesis of a great number of political, normative and economic elements as old and complex, whose genesis is found in low-medieval Spain and which have been shaped by Colombian institutional history until they acquired their own identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I'trying to show that there is a relationship between rock art, a site where rock art is placed and the wider landscape, articulated according to the Camunian "mindscape" in Valcamonica, Italy. In particular, I believe rock art may be regarded, making Lødøen's felicitous phrase my own, as a 'consumption of souls' within an animistic understanding of the world. I think the importance of mining copper and iron in relation to petroglyphs in Valcamonica has been underestimated so far, and I have tried to show its strong symbolic relationships. I believe I have made quite clear the symbolical connections between a certain type of landscape, a gulch with a strong hydrocentric focus, thundering noises, mining, metallurgy and deer, thanks to linguistic analysis, which shows how the same kind of landscape and similar mythologies can be found over an extremely wide territory. We do not know what the religious beliefs of the ancient Camunians were, similarities with neighboring populations aside, but linguistic analysis, anthropological as well as archaeological comparison and the study of both local folklore and archaic Aegean beliefs, allows us to hypothesize a more detailed picture of the Camunian thought in the Iron Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Manuscript & Book Heritage of Ukraine is the property of V. I. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine (VNLU) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Using the methodology of historical sociolinguistics, this article explores multilingualism and language contact in the mines of Potosí (Bolivia) in the colonial period. Potosí was the destination of massive migration during its economic heydays around 1610 and one of the largest cities in the Western hemisphere at the time. In the mines special codes were developed, with a specialized lexicon that contains words from different languages. This lexicon was so different that the first vocabulary of the mining language was written in 1610, and many have followed from that date onward. Quechua most probably played a key role as intermediary language between two forms of speaking: the indigenous mining language of the free workers, yanaconas and mingas, probably a mix of Spanish and Quechua, and the language of the forced workers, mitayos, possibly a mix of Aymara and Quechua. The similarities between Aymara and Quechua must have contributed to this possibility of an intermediary language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abandoned phosphate site in Ruseifa, Jordan, offers a unique opportunity to tell tales of geology, mining, industry, history, built heritage, and environment during the formative days of the Kingdom. This paper aims to present a proposed project for the first geopark to be created in Jordan. This project plans to blend outdoor and indoor exhibits and activities to create a unique educational experience for visitors of various ages and backgrounds. Moreover, the project aims to create opportunities for local communities in the area, rehabilitate an urban trouble spot and replace it with a tourist attraction and a source of civic pride. Recent changes in the surrounding landscape involve building new roads and retaining walls, which have begun to endanger the character of the site. That, as well as the natural deterioration and vandalism of the old buildings, mean that continued neglect will ultimately lead to the loss of the geological and heritage value of the site. This increases the urgency of intervening and implementing the proposed project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Recent events in the United States have shown the vulnerability of water quality in certain communities. Accordingly, we conducted a survey in a large community in north central West Virginia (US) to explore the factors that influence the perceptions of water quality. We sought to assess whether respondent's proximity to a mine, gas/oil well, or bodies of water would affect their perceived health risks and environmental concern. Additionally, we aimed at understanding how these perceptions were affected by the density of these sites and the presence of these sites within defined distances. As West Virginia is rapidly expanding its natural gas production, there is no research that has objectively associated water quality perceptions with geographic location in regard to oil and gas extraction sites. With small effect sizes, our results add some evidence to the link between unconventional oil and gas extraction, geographic location, and water quality perceptions. This study suggests the need for further water quality monitoring and increased public communication about water management practices in West Virginia. Highlights • Proximity, density and presence of natural extraction sites affect water quality perceptions. • The magnitude of these effects is rather small. • More communication is needed about wells and water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the gestation of environmental protection regulations related to mining activities, as well as specific mining provisions that were approved and had an impact to reduce the negative effects to the natural environment. The mining regulations that were approved in the Modern Age envisaged some measures in order to avoid damage to agriculture, livestock and to villages in the environment of mining activities. In the XIX century, with a liberal State, several laws and mining regulations were slowly being adopted from the middle of the century, due to social conflicts, which introduced measures with health and natural protection effects. With a greater degree of state interventionism in the XX century, in a context of pressure from affected social groups, various sectoral rules for the protection of rivers and streams were approved. The Law of Mines in force introduced that it was approved by decree to fix the imperative conditions of protection of the environment, being the origin of the first Royal Decree of restoration of mining activities of 1982. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mottled plane moth Phyllonorycter platani (Staudinger, 1870) was revealed in the Fomin Botanical Garden (Kyiv, Ukraine) for the first time. It is the northernmost limit (51°31′ of northern latitude) of the distribution of this species of moth in Europe and the territory of the former USSR. According to the Global Taxonomic Database of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera), the history of phytophages distribution is documented throughout Europe, Middle East, Central Asia (Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Canary Islands, Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Croatia, France, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom) and North America. It is believed that the area of P. platani (Staudinger, 1870) origin is unknown. Colonization of plane trees by this phitophage to the north and northwest of Europe occurs at an average speed of about 10 km per year. In Ukraine the phytophage was discovered in Kherson region—the Faltz-Fein Biosphere Reserve Askania-Nova in 1998, and in 2012—in Tsyurupinsk, a city located 600 km far from Kiev. In the area of the Botanical Garden, the mottled moth feeds on Platanus × acefolia (Ait.) Willd. and Platanus orientalis L. The density of leaf colonization by phytophages on P. × acerifolia increases—from 3.7 pcs/leaf (2010) to 18.4 pcs/leaf (2016). Under favorable conditions, two generations of moth may appear during the season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Historía da Sociedade e da Cultura is the property of Revista de Historia da Sociedade e da Cultura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A study of the trace elements distribution in sediments along the main watercourse of the Linares mining district (Jaen, Spain) was carried out. For this purpose, 56 soil samples were collected in the stream channel and floodplain. To obtain a geochemical characterisation of the soil, the pH, organic matter and the silt-clay fraction were measured and 33 elements were analysed. The results derived from these measurements were studied statistically and compared to the reference values for soils standards under two different regulations. This made it possible to recognise the dispersion patterns of the different metals and metalloids associated with the old mining activity of the district and to characterise the effects of the various pollution sources along the watercourse. An elevated Pb content was detected, which was associated with tailings ponds and waste rock dumps. Similarly, high concentrations of As in sediments were identified, which were associated with a smelter located at the headwater of the catchment area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Trepça" mine in Stanterg consists from several mineral bodies, which if compared to the mineral bodies in the North and South part of mine can be found in different size. Their size in the horizontal plane ranges from 300-7000 m2 and as a matter of fact in the primary exploitation phase, only about two of thirds part of ore is used, while the remaining ore is used like pillars in the secondary stage with special methods. Since the beginning of exploitation at "Trepça" mine landfill, the security pillars are left in dimensions 10 x 10 m, on the schedule of chess fields, at distances from 16 to 20 m and all pillars at those distances are stable and over-dimensioned. In this paper we investigate the stability of the securing pillars with dimensions 10 x 10 m, with surface S = a * b = 10 * 10 = 100 m² with a distance between them of 10 to 22 m. Pillar stability analysis aims to increase the safety factor along with the increase of exploitation depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Investigaciones Historicas is the property of Universidad de Valladolid, Facultad de Filosofia y Letras and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Iron mining activities in the Bruche valley (Vosges Mountains, France) date historically from the Roman period to the mid-nineteenth century. The geochemical and palynological study of a core from the peat bog of Le Champ du Feu allows highlighting impacts of these activities over the past millennium. Trace metal contamination is recorded for lead (Pb), arsenic, zinc, and antimony during the Middle Ages, the sixteenth century, and from cal. AD 1750-1900, with several sources distinguished by Pb isotope analyses. Forest exploitation is attested by the palynological analysis of the core, with exploitation of Fagus for smelting processes and cutting of Abies for agro-pastoralism. This approach highlights several patterns of contamination, corresponding to the mixing sources and the contamination intensity, which can be linked to the pollen assemblage zones. Hence, anthropogenic activities such as mining and farming led to long-term modification of the landscape composition in this mountainous area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of macroinvertebrate communities using a Reference Condition Approach (RCA) is a powerful tool for detecting the impacts of mining activities due to heavy metal contamination in rivers. However, studies on this topic based on an RCA fully satisfying the Water Framework Directive (WFD) criteria for reference site selection are still scarce. Following a WFD-compliant RCA design, a total of 14 reference and 15 test sites were intensively sampled during July 2015 in the Nalón River basin (Asturias, Northern Spain). Macroinvertebrate samples, water physicochemistry, metal concentrations in sediments and habitat quality were evaluated at each selected site. To determine whether increasing heavy metal levels in sediments have significant ecological impacts in the structure of macroinvertebrate communities in the study area, we applied a combination of non-parametric multivariate and univariate procedures, as well as gradient analysis and Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis (TITAN) over the biotic and environmental datasets. We found significant alterations in the macroinvertebrate community structure with respect to the reference condition (REF group) for those test sites within mercury (HG group) and gold (AU group) mining areas, with Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) richness and abundance being the community descriptors showing the strongest alterations in relation to mining pressures in the studied area. Metal concentrations in sediments were significantly correlated to the metrics of community structure related to abundance, richness and biodiversity, with As and Hg being the two metals showing higher biological effects on macroinvertebrate assemblages. TITAN also allowed us to establish a set of macroinvertebrate families specifically sensitive to metal concentrations in sediments, most of which corresponded to EPT families. Our results prove that determined sensitive taxa could be considered as reliable indicators of metal pollution in the mining areas of Northern Spain. From a WFD perspective, our study clearly indicates that the responsive community descriptors found in this study are actually key parameters in the evaluation of the ecological status in the rivers of Northern Spain. These data are highly relevant for the future development of environmental quality standards for river sediments in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inspection of legacy mine workings is a difficult, time consuming, costly task, as traditional methods require multiple boreholes to be drilled to allow sensors to be placed in the voids. Discrete sampling of the void from static locations also means that full coverage of the area cannot be achieved and occluded areas and side tunnels may not be fully mapped. The aim of the Prometheus project is to develop an autonomous robotic solution that is able to inspect the mine workings from a single borehole. This paper presents the challenges of operating autonomous aerial vehicles in such an environment, as well as physically entering the void with an autonomous robot. The paper address how some of these challenges can be overcome with bespoke design and intelligent controllers. It details the design of a reconfigurable UAV that is able to be deployed through a 150 mm borehole and unfold to a tip-to-tip diameter of 780 mm, allowing it to carry a payload suitable for a full autonomous mission.