Using microorganisms in eliminating or reducing the impacts of harmful remnants is very ancient manner. The current study was conducted to explore the potential of utilizing some fungi species that isolated from the main sewage treatment plant in Al-Muamirah area, Babylon-Iraq, in reducing some pollutants. Six fungi taxa Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. terrues, Candida albicans, C. krusei, and Penicillium digitatum were identified before any treatment process, whereas only four fungi species A. flavus 20%, A. niger 20%, A. terrues 10%, and P. digitatum 18% were recognized after completing the physical and chemical treatment stages. Only three taxa A. niger, A. terrues, and P. digitatum were employed to reveal their capability in treating the sewage water, which represent the biological treatment stage as the final step of the treatment processes. The results showed a considerable capability of these fungi species in decreasing many variables values such as pH, total soluble solids (TSS), electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, total alkalinity, chlorides, nitrite, and phosphate. Where, slightly low reduction was detected in TSS value in all experiments (1.1–5.9%), similarly, both EC and salinity which were decreased with low ratios (6.6%, 3.9%, respectively). Taxon A. terrues exhibited high ability in reducing the total alkalinity and chloride ions in the treated water (30.9%, 43%, respectively) in comparison with the other two fungi species. Furthermore, all three fungi species were posed high capability in decreasing nutrients, where both nitrite and phosphate ions were highly reduced (87–97% and 22.8–32.1%, respectively). Based on these findings, we suggest using other microorganisms and exploring their capacity in removing the pollutants, and revealing the ability of the above fungi taxa in removing other pollutants.

Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden, capital of Västra Götaland County Region. It is situated on the west coast of Sweden with the port area located along the Göta Älv River. Due to economic restructuring, waterfront redevelopment emerges as an attractive option to boost economic growth of the city. The aim of this paper is to shed light on conditions of the transformation process of two neighboring areas: Frihamnen and Ringön. Publicly initiated and privately executed waterfront redevelopment in Gothenburg transforms industrial grounds into residential and service oriented areas in Eriksberg, Lindholmen and Frihamnen. The collaborative process of a “developer dialogue” crafts a redevelopment in a consistent way with taking into consideration city’s long-term planning strategy, specifi c needs and opportunities of the neighbourhoods, but also market and fi nancial realities of development community. Another example is a slow and spontaneous transformation of post-industrial areas in Ringön, where still active small industrial fi rms, services, cultural and artistic initiatives take place in the close proximity to the city centre. Results show the waterfront transformation attracts “developers’ dialogue” giving the opportunity to build a coherence for spatial, environmental and socio-economic development. Yet fragmented redevelopment of brownfi eld areas strengthen polarization between dynamic and carefully planned Frihamnen and spontaneously growing Ringön. This paper contributes to the knowledge on the complexity of urban post-industrial transformation.

Narrative synergies – Christ stopped at Eboli: The writing of Carlo Levi in the view of Francesco Rosi – In Christ Stopped at Eboli, Carlo Levi recounts his confinement in a recondite village of southern Italy, in an archaic world, by which he remains completely fascinated. In 1978, the director Francesco Rosi, adapting the documentary structure to the lyric moments of the literary text, offers us a wonderful film re-creation in which the intense autobiographical story of the anti-fascist writer intersects with geographical space at a historical moment crucial to Italy.