Blood concentrations of lead,cadmium, mercury and their association with biomarkers of DNA oxidative damage in preschool children living in an e-waste recycling area

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced DNA damage occurs in heavy metal exposure, but the simultaneous effect on DNA repair is unknown. We investigated the influence of co-exposure of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) on 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and human repair enzyme 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (hOGG1) mRNA levels in exposed children to evaluate the imbalance of DNA damage and repair. Children within the age range of 3–6 years from a primitive electronic waste (e-waste) recycling town were chosen as participants to represent a heavy metal-exposed population. 8-OHdG in the children’s urine was assessed for heavy metal-induced oxidative effects, and the hOGG1 mRNA level in their blood represented the DNA repair ability of the children. Among the children surveyed, 88.14% (104/118) had a blood Pb level >5 μg/dL, 22.03% (26/118) had a blood Cd level >1 μg/dL, and 62.11% (59/95) had a blood Hg level >10 μg/dL. Having an e-waste workshop near the house was a risk factor contributing to high blood Pb (r _s  = 0.273, p < 0.01), while Cd and Hg exposure could have come from other contaminant sources. Preschool children of fathers who had a college or university education had significantly lower 8-OHdG levels (median 242.76 ng/g creatinine, range 154.62–407.79 ng/g creatinine) than did children of fathers who had less education (p = 0.035). However, we did not observe a significant difference in the mRNA expression levels of hOGG1 between the different variables. Compared with children having low lead exposure (quartile 1), the children with high Pb exposure (quartiles 2, 3, and 4) had significantly higher 8-OHdG levels (β _Q2 = 0.362, 95% CI 0.111–0.542; β _Q3 = 0.347, 95% CI 0.103–0.531; β _Q4 = 0.314, 95% CI 0.087–0.557). Associations between blood Hg levels and 8-OHdG were less apparent. Compared with low levels of blood Hg (quartile 1), elevated blood Hg levels (quartile 2) were associated with higher 8-OHdG levels (β _Q2 = 0.236, 95% CI 0.039–0.406). Compared with children having low lead exposure (quartile 1), the children with high Pb exposure (quartiles 2, 3, and 4) had significantly higher 8-OHdG levels.     

Geo-accumulation index and contamination factors of heavy metals (Zn and Pb) in urban river sediment

The aim of the present study was to appraise the levels of heavy metal contamination (Zn and Pb) in sediment of the Langat River (Selangor, Malaysia). Samples were collected randomly from 15 sampling stations located along the Langat River. The parameters measured were pH, redox potential, salinity, electrical conductivity, loss of ignition, cation exchanges capacity (Na, Mg, Ca, K), and metal ions (Zn and Pb). The geo-accumulation index (I _geo) and contamination factor (C _f) were applied to determine and classify the magnitude of heavy metal pollution in this urban river sediment. Results revealed that the I _geo of Pb indicated unpolluted to moderately polluted sediment at most of the sampling stations, whereas Zn was considered to be within background concentration. The I _geo results were refined by the C _f values, which showed Pb with very high C _f at 12 stations. Zinc, on the other hand, had low to moderate C _f values. These findings indicated that the sediment of the Langat River is severely polluted with Pb. The Zn concentration at most sampling points was well below most sediment quality guidelines. However, 40% of the sampling points were found to have a Pb concentration higher than the consensus-based probable effect concentration of 128 mg/kg (concentrations above this value are likely to cause harmful effects). This result not only highlights the severity of Pb pollution in the sediment of the Langat River, but also the potential risk it poses to the environment.     

Impact of pedological conditions on the distribution of Salicornia species (Southern North Sea coast)

The zonation of different Salicornia species within saltmarshes has been described controversially in prior publications. The aim of this study is to detect substantial relations between pedological conditions and the distribution of different Salicornia species (Salicornia stricta Dumort. 1868, Salicornia europaea L. 1753, and Salicornia procumbens Sm 1813). 37 sites were investigated regarding vegetation pattern, soil morphology and physicochemical and chemical soil properties. A multivariate approach indicate a clear differentiation of the sites dominated by different Salicornia species in respect to sand content, redox potential and water content. However, results of a detailed statistical assessment indicate that redox potential and salinity are the most relevant parameters. Salicornia stricta sites are characterized by a variety of grain sizes, reduced conditions in the rhizosphere, highest water contents (median: 71.5 Vol-%) and lowest Eh values (median: ?19.0 mV), indicating the best adaptation to anaerobic soil conditions. Salicornia procumbens occurs on aerated soils (median Eh: 455.6 mV) with high sand contents independent to position relative to mean high tide level. Exhibiting the lowest (11.5‰) and highest soil salinities (41.7‰), even developing in salt pans (136‰), Salicornia europaea feature a great ecological amplitude regarding temporal variations of salinity. These findings underline the ecotypic and phenotypic plasticity of Salicornia species and offer a promising approach for further experimental settings focussing on phenotypic adaptions and ecological amplitudes of Salicornia taxa and ecotypes.     

Physiological adaptations of the invasive cordgrass<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Spartina anglica</Emphasis> to reducing sediments: rhizome metabolic gas fluxes and enhanced O<Subscript>2</Subscript> and H<Subscript>2</Subscript>S transport

Cordgrasses of the genus Spartina form dense monospecific stands worldwide, profoundly influencing the ecology of estuaries. One species, Spartina anglica, originated by allopolyploidy in the 1800s and has been particularly prolific as an invasive species worldwide. S. anglica tolerates low-lying estuarine mudflats that its progenitor species and other coastal halophytes cannot. However, very little is known of the physiology of S. anglica. In the present study, an automated flow-through respirometry system was used to quantify metabolic gas fluxes (O₂, H₂S, CO₂, and NH₃) of S. anglica rhizomes. Enhanced physiological mechanisms to transport O₂ and H₂S in both directions between the rhizosphere and the atmosphere were exhibited by S. anglica, but not by the native North American species S. alterniflora. These results suggest that tolerance of anoxia and H₂S may assist S. anglica in colonizing extensively flooded environments. Enhanced sediment oxygenation by S. anglica may be potentially useful for phytoremediation of contaminated sediments, since microbial degradation of organic pollutants is often limited by O₂ availability.     

Designing environmental monitoring networks to measure extremes

This paper discusses challenges arising in the design of networks for monitoring extreme values over the domain of a random environmental space-time field {X _ij } i = 1, . . . , I denoting site and j = 1, . . . denoting time (e.g. hour). The field of extremes for time span r over site domain i = 1, . . . ,I is given by \(\{Y_{i(r+1)}=\max_{j=k}^{k+n-1} X_{ij}\}\) for k = 1 + rn, r = 0, . . . ,. Such networks must not only measure extremes at the monitored sites but also enable their prediction at the non-monitored ones. Designing such a network poses special challenges that do not seem to have been generally recognized. One of these problems is the loss of spatial dependence between site responses in going from the environmental process to the field of extremes it generates. In particular we show empirically that the intersite covariance Cov(Y _i(r+1),Y _i′(r+1)) can generally decline toward zero as r increases, for site pairs i ≠ i′. Thus the measured extreme values may not predict the unmeasured ones very precisely. Consequently high levels of pollution exposure of a sensitive group (e.g. school children) located between monitored sites may be overlooked. This potential deficiency raises concerns about the adequacy of air pollution monitoring networks whose primary role is the detection of noncompliance with air quality standards based on extremes designed to protect human health. The need to monitor for noncompliance and thereby protect human health, points to other issues. How well do networks designed to monitor the field monitor their fields of extremes? What criterion should be used to select prospective monitoring sites when setting up or adding to a network? As the paper demonstrates by assessing an existing network, the answer to the first question is not well, at least in the case considered. To the second, the paper suggests a variety of plausible answers but shows through a simulation study, that they can lead to different optimum designs. The paper offers an approach that circumvents the dilemma posed by the answer to the second question. That approach models the field of extremes (suitably transformed) by a multivariate Gaussian-Inverse Wishart hierarchical Bayesian distribution. The adequacy of this model is empirically assessed in an application by finding the relative coverage frequency of the predictive credibility ellipsoid implied by its posterior distribution. The favorable results obtained suggest this posterior adequately describes that (transformed) field. Hence it can form the basis for designing an appropriate network. Its use is demonstrated by a hypothetical extension of an existing monitoring network. That foundation in turn enables a network to be designed of sufficient density (relative to cost) to serve its regulatory purpose.     

Edible wild plants growing in contaminated floodplains: implications for the issuance of tribal consumption advisories within the Grand Lake watershed of northeastern Oklahoma,USA

Metal releases from the Tri-State Mining District (TSMD) that is located in southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma, have contaminated floodplain soils within the Neosho and Spring river watersheds of the Grand Lake watershed. Since the Oklahoma portion of the watershed lies within ten tribal jurisdictions, the potential accumulation of metals within plant species that are gathered and consumed by tribal members, as well as the resulting metal exposure risks to tribal human health, was a warranted concern for further investigation. Within this study, a total of 36 plant species that are commonly consumed by tribes were collected from floodplain areas that were previously demonstrated to have elevated soil metal concentrations relative to reference sites. A significant, positive correlation was shown for metal concentrations in plant tissues versus soil (n = 258; Cd: R = 0.72, p = 0.00; Pb: R = 0.52, p = 0.00; and Zn: R = 0.70, p = 0.00). Additionally, a significant difference in metal concentration distributions existed between reference and impacted plant samples (n = 210, p = 0.00 for all metals). These results proved that floodplain soils are a major contamination pathway for metal accumulation within plants, and the source of metal contamination is the result of mining releases from the TSMD. Metal accumulation within plants was found to vary according to specific metal and plant species. The lowest dietary exposure out of all plant organs sampled were associated with fruit, whereas the highest was associated with roots, stem/leaves, and low-lying leafy greens. Metals in plants were compared to weekly dietary intake limits established by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. Based on specific serving sizes established within this study for tribal children and adults, many plant species had sufficient concentrations to warrant tribal consumption restrictions within the floodplains of Elm Creek, Grand Lake, Lost Creek, Spring River, and Tar Creek. Importantly, these results highlighted the necessity for the issuance of plant consumption advisories for tribal communities in the watershed. A consumption restriction guide on the number of allowable servings of each species per week at specific streams was developed within this study for tribal children and adults. Results also demonstrated that soil metal concentrations do not need to be exceptionally elevated relative to reference sites in order for plants to accumulate sufficient metal concentrations to exceed dietary limits for one serving. Therefore, the exposure risk associated with the consumption of plants cannot be accurately predicted solely from metal concentrations within soils, but must be based on metal concentrations within specific plant tissues on a site-by-site basis. A weekly consumption scenario was created within this study in order to better understand the potential metal dietary exposures to child and adult tribal members who consume multiple servings of multiple plant species per day, as well as benthic invertebrates and fish from the watershed. These findings demonstrated that plants pose a greater consumption exposure risk for tribal members than benthic invertebrates or fish. Therefore, without the consideration of exposure risks associated with the consumption of plants within future human health risk assessments, tribal health risks will be severely underestimated.     

HCHs and DDTs in Yellow River of Henan section—a typical agricultural area in China: levels,distributions and risks

The levels, potential sources and ecological risks of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) in Yellow River of Henan section, a typical agricultural area in China, were investigated. Surface water samples and suspended particulate matters (SPMs) were collected from 23 sites during two seasons. In wet season, the residues of ∑HCHs (α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH and δ-HCH) and ∑DDTs (p,p′-DDT, o,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD) ranged from 41.7 to 290 and 4.42 to 269 ng/L in surface water, while those varied from 0.86 to 157 and 1.79 to 96.1 ng/g dw in SPM, respectively. Moreover, in surface water, the levels of HCHs and DDTs in wet season were much higher than those in dry season. The reverse was true for residues of HCHs and DDTs in SPM. Compared with the large rivers in other regions, the levels of HCHs and DDTs in the studied area ranked at high levels and the residual concentrations might cause adverse biological risk, especially for ∑HCHs during wet season. Distributions of HCHs and DDTs delineated that the input of tributaries made a significant effect on the residue of HCHs and DDTs in the mainstream. ∑HCHs in surface water were consist of 26.7 % α-HCH, 30.0 % β-HCH, 37.9 % γ-HCH and 5.45 % δ-HCH and those in SPM contained 5.16 % α-HCH, 22.1 % β-HCH, 60.5 % γ-HCH and 12.2 % δ-HCH on average. Combined with ratios of α-HCH/γ-HCH in surface water (0.70) and in SPM (0.09), the results strongly indicated that lindane was recently used or discharged in the studied area. The mean percentage of DDTs′ isomers were 28.7 % p,p′-DDT, 29.8 % o,p′-DDT, 28.1 % p,p′-DDE and 13.4 % p,p′-DDD in surface water, while those were 12.5 % p,p′-DDT, 31.8 % o,p′-DDT, 30.5 % p,p′-DDE and 25.1 % p,p′-DDD in SPM. The ratios of (DDE + DDD)/∑DDTs and o,p′-DDT/p,p′-DDT revealed that the DDTs in the studied area mainly derived from long-term weathering of technical DDTs residue and the input of dicofol.     

The influences of industrial gross domestic product,urbanization rate,environmental investment,and coal consumption on industrial air pollutant emission in China

With the rapid economic development and urbanization, there would be severe air pollution. The path analysis method was employed to investigate the specific effects of Industrial Gross Domestic Product (IGDP), Urbanization Rate (UR), Environmental Investment (EI), and Coal Consumption (CC) on Industrial SO₂ Emissions (ISE) and Industrial Dust Emissions (IDE). The results shown that (1) IGDP is the main reason for the increase in ISE and IDE, with the direct positive influence more than 20% and a total contribution of more than 35%, and the combined effects of UR can reduce air pollutants emission considerably, especially in ISE. (2) The effects of EI and CC on ISE could be ignored, given that their contributions comprised <?10%. Meanwhile, the contribution of EI to IDE was only 8.92%. For one reason, EI is underfunded which the percentage of Gross Domestic Product was <?2%.     

Assessment of pollution of potentially harmful elements in soils surrounding a municipal solid waste incinerator,China

We assessed the contamination levels of Mn, Zn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, As and Hg and the risks posed by these potentially harmful elements in top-soils around a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI).We collected 20 soil samples, with an average pH of 8.1, and another fly ash sample emitted from the MSWI to investigate the concentrations of these elements in soils. We determined the concentrations of these elements by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), except for Hg, which we measured by AF-610B atomic fluorescence spectrometer (AFS). We assessed the risks of these elements through the use of geoaccumulation index (I _geo), potential ecological risk index (RI), hazard quotient (HQ _i ) and cancer risk (Risk _i ). The results showed that concentrations of potentially harmful elements in soil were influenced by the wind direction, and the concentrations of most elements were higher in the area northwest of the MSWI, compared with the area southeast of the incinerator, with the exception of As; these results were in accordance with those results acquired from our contour maps. According to the I _geo values, some soil samples were clearly polluted by Hg emissions. However, the health risk assessment indicated that the concentrations of Hg and other elements in soil did not pose non-carcinogenic risks to the local populations. This was also the case for the carcinogenic risks posed by As, Cr, and Ni. The carcinogenic risk posed by As was higher, in the range 6.49 × 10^–6–9.58 × 10^–6, but this was still considered to be an acceptable level of risk.

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Bioaccumulation of essential metals (Co,Mn and Zn) in the king scallop <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pecten maximus</Emphasis>: seawater,food and sediment exposures

In order to understand the bioaccumulation of essential metals in filter-feeding mollusks living in soft sediments, the uptake and depuration kinetics of three elements (Co, Mn and Zn) were investigated in the king scallop Pecten maximus exposed via seawater, food, or sediment, using radiotracer techniques. The scallops were collected in April 2005 in the Pertuis Breton, France and acclimated to laboratory conditions for 8 weeks prior to the experimental exposures. Dissolved metals were efficiently bioconcentrated with mean concentration factors (CFs) ranging from 65 (Co) to 94 (Mn) after 7 days of exposure. Feeding experiments using microalgae Skeletonema costatum (diatom) or Isochrysis galbana (flagellate) showed that metal assimilation efficiency (AE) and retention (T _b½) were strongly influenced by food source. For Co, AE was higher when ingested with I. galbana (29 vs. 4%), whereas Mn and Zn AE was higher for S. costatum (82 vs. 44% and 86 vs. 68%, respectively). Transfer factors (TFs) in P. maximus exposed to radiolabelled sediment were 3–4 orders of magnitude lower than CFs. Nevertheless, the fraction of sediment-bound metals that was taken up was efficiently absorbed in scallop tissues (>85%). Whatever the exposure pathway, metals were strongly retained in the kidneys of P. maximus. Due to poor determination of Mn biokinetics (and related parameters) in scallops exposed through sediment, the relative contribution of the three different pathways could be determined only for Co and Zn using a biodynamic model. The particulate pathway (i.e. food or sediment) appeared to be the main route for bioaccumulation of both metals in this scallop. In addition, even though P. maximus displayed different AEs for Co and Zn according to the food, results of the model were only slightly affected, if any, by change in the dietary parameters (AE and depuration rate constant, k _e).     

Environmental modeling of uranium interstitial compositions of non-stoichiometric oxides: experimental and theoretical analysis

Study of uranium interstitial compositions of non-stoichiometric oxides UO_2+x (x ∈ 0.1–0.02) in gas and condense phases has been presented, using various soft-ionization mass spectrometric methods such as ESI-, APCI-, and MALDI-MS at a wide dynamic temperature gradient (∈ 25–300 °C). Linearly polarized vibrational spectroscopy has been utilized in order to assign unambiguously, the vibrational frequencies of uranium non-stoichiometric oxides. Experimental design has involved xUO_2.66·yUO_2.33, xUO_2.66·yUO_2.33/SiO₂, xUO_2.66·yUO_2.33/SiO₂ (NaOH) and SiO₂/x′NaOH·y′UO₂(NO₃)₂·6H₂O, multicomponent systems (x = 1, y ∈ 0.1–1.0 and x′ = 1, y′ ∈ 0.1–0.6) as well as phase transitions UO₂(NO₃)₂·6H₂O → {U₄O₉(UO_2.25)} → U₃O₇(UO_2.33) → U₃O₈(UO_2.66) → {UO₃}, thus ensuring a maximal representativeness to real environmental conditions, where diverse chemical, geochemical and biochemical reactions, including complexation and sorption onto minerals have occurred. Experimental factors such as UV-irradiation, pH, temperature, concentration levels, solvent types and ion strength have been taken into consideration, too. As far as uranium speciation represents a challenging analytical task in terms of chemical identification diverse coordination species, mechanistic aspects relating incorporation of oxygen into UO _2+x form the shown full methods validation significantly impacts the field of environmental radioanalytical chemistry. UO₂ is the most commonly used fuel in nuclear reactors around the globe; however, a large non-stoichiometric range ∈ UO_1.65–UO_2.25 has occurred due to radiolysis of water on UO₂ surface yielding to H₂O₂, OH^·, and more. Each of those compositions has different oxygen diffusion. And in this respect enormous effort has been concentrated to study the potential impact of hazardous radionuclide on the environment, encompassing from the reprocessing to the disposal stages of the fuel waste, including the waste itself, the processes in the waste containers, the clay around the containers, and geological processes. In a broader sense, thereby, this study contributes to field of environmental analysis highlighting the great ability of various soft-ionization MS methods, particularly, MALDI-MS one, for direct assay of complex multicomponent heterogeneous mixtures at fmol–attomol concentration ranges, along with it the great instrumental features allowing, not only meaningful quantitative, but also structural information of the analytes, thus making the method indispensable for environmental speciation of radionuclides, generally.     

Genetic structure of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Linckia laevigata</Emphasis> and<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Tridacna crocea</Emphasis> populations in the Palawan shelf and shoal reefs

Allozyme variation of 10 populations of Linckia laevigata at 8 polymorphic loci and 13 populations of Tridacna crocea at 6 polymorphic loci were analyzed to compare genetic variability and genetic affinities among reefs in Palawan, Philippines. Two to five populations were sampled from each of four regions: the shelf reefs in (1) northern Palawan and (2) southern Palawan and the offshore reefs in (3) the Kalayaan island group (KIG) in the South China Sea and (4) the Tubbataha shoals in the Sulu Sea. Heterozygosity was highest in populations of L. laevigata from the south shelf of Palawan and populations of T. crocea from the Tubbataha shoals of the Sulu Sea. The lowest heterozygosity estimates were from the reefs of the KIG in the South China Sea, for both species. Overall F _ST values for both species were significant, with an estimated average number of effective migrants per generation (N _EM) of 4.85 (~5 individuals) for L. laevigata and 3.54 (~4 individuals) for T. crocea. Within-region comparisons showed N_EM ranging from 6.29 to 92.34 for L. laevigata and from 3.40 to 6.30 for T. crocea. The higher gene flow among L. laevigata populations relative to T. crocea is consistent with the greater dispersal potential of the former species. Finer scale genetic structuring was evident in T. crocea populations. For both species, the Tubbataha reefs in the Sulu Sea have higher genetic affinity with the populations from the southern shelf of Palawan, while the reefs in the KIG had higher affinity with the northern Palawan shelf reefs. The north and south shelf populations have the least genetic affinity. Genetic patchiness among reefs within regions suggests the importance of small-scale physical factors that affect recruitment success in structuring populations in small island and shoal reef systems in Palawan.     

Blood metabolites and hemocyanin of the white shrimp,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Litopenaeus vannamei</Emphasis>: the effect of culture conditions and a comparison with other crustacean species

Oxyhemocyanin (OxyHc), blood protein, glucose, acylglycerol (AG), and lactate of Litopenaeus vannamei juveniles were investigated. Statistical analyses were done on baseline values for each metabolite and on OxyHc from shrimp cultured in outdoor (20-m² ponds) and indoor (90-l tanks). The values obtained were compared with blood metabolites reported in the literature for L. vannamei maintained under similar conditions. Normal distribution was only found for samples from indoor shrimp. The distribution values for blood metabolites from shrimp cultured in outdoor ponds and indoor tanks were right or left skewed. OxyHc, blood proteins, and glucose levels were higher in shrimp cultured in outdoor ponds than those observed in shrimp maintained in indoor tanks. These differences were attributed to availability of live food in outdoor culture ponds. The OxyHc/protein ratio showed that 60% of blood protein is OxyHc in outdoor-cultured shrimp and was lower than in indoor-cultured shrimp, and this ratio was lower than that found (97%) in indoor-cultured shrimp. The type of food was identified as a dominant factor affecting blood metabolites. AG in outdoor-cultured shrimp was significantly lower than that observed in indoor-maintained shrimp. Blood lactate concentration of shrimp was not affected by the culture conditions. The blood levels for protein, glucose, and lactate reported here are similar to those reported previously for other crustacean species, indicating that these can be used as a reference for evaluating the physiological status of L. vannamei. When we compared the OxyHc, blood protein, glucose, and lactate levels of L. vannamei juveniles with other crustacean species, we observed that crabs, lobsters (low-activity species), and closed-thelycum shrimp species (mean-activity species) had lower values in comparison to those observed in open-thelycum shrimp species, including L. vannamei juveniles. Possibly the blood metabolites and OxyHc could be reflecting the morphological and physiological adaptation of crustaceans, because these metabolites will depend on energetic demands.     

Numerical simulation and optimization study of the wind flow through a porous fence

Three turbulence closure models (RNG k-ε, SST k-ω and RSM) were used to investigate the flow characteristics around a two-dimensional isolated porous fence. The comparison between the numerical results and the experimental measurements indicated that RSM model shows a better performance than the other two models. The aim of this paper is to accurately and efficiently determine the optimum porosity that attain the best shelter effect of the wind fence in the near wake region (0–4h_b) and in the far wake region (4h_b–10h_b) respectively, where h_b is the height of the fence. The gradient algorithm was adopted as the optimization algorithm and the RSM model was used to model turbulent features of the flow. The shelter effect was parameterized by the peak velocity ratio involving velocity and turbulence. The objective was to reduce the peak velocity ratio in the near or far wake region by changing the design variable porosity (?) of the fence, which ranged between 2 and 60%. The results revealed that a porosity of 10.2% was found as the optimum value giving rise to the best shelter effect in the near wake region, and ? = 22.1% was determined in the case of the far wake region. In addition, based on the proposed optimization method, it is found that the recirculating bubble behind the fence can only be detected when ? < 29.9%.     

Effect of ultraviolet irradiation and chlorination on ampicillin-resistant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> and its ampicillin resistance gene

Antibiotic resistance is a serious public health risk that may spread via potable and reclaimed water. Effective disinfection is important for inactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and disruption of antibiotic resistance genes. Ampicillin is a widely prescribed antibiotic but its effectiveness is increasingly undermined by resistance. In this study, changes in ampicillin resistance for Escherichia coli (E. coli) CGMCC 1.1595 were analyzed after exposure to different doses of ultraviolet (UV) or chlorine, and damage incurred by the plasmid encoding ampicillin resistance gene bla _TEM-1 was assessed. We reported a greater stability in ampicillinresistant E. coli CGMCC 1.1595 after UV irradiation or chlorination when compared with previously published data for other E. coli strains. UV irradiation and chlorination led to a shift in the mortality frequency distributions of ampicillin-resistant E. coli when subsequently exposed to ampicillin. The ampicillin hemiinhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) without disinfection was 3800 mg·L^–1, and an increment was observed after UV irradiation or chlorination. The IC₅₀ of ampicillin-resistant E. coli was 1.5-fold higher at a UV dose of 40 mJ·cm^–2, and was 1.4-fold higher when exposed to 2.0 mg·L^–1 chlorine. These results indicate that UV irradiation and chlorination can potentially increase the risk of selection for E. coli strains with high ampicillin resistance. There was no evident damage to bla _TEM-1 after 1–10 mg Cl₂·L^–1 chlorination, while a UV dose of 80 mJ·cm^–2 yielded a damage ratio for bla _TEM-1 of approximately 1.2-log. Therefore, high UV doses are required for effective disruption of antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria.     

Changes of microbial composition during wastewater reclamation and distribution systems revealed by high-throughput sequencing analyses

This study employed 454-pyrosequencing to investigate microbial and pathogenic communities in two wastewater reclamation and distribution systems. A total of 11972 effective 16S rRNA sequences were acquired from these two reclamation systems, and then designated to relevant taxonomic ranks by using RDP classifier. The Chao index and Shannon diversity index showed that the diversities of microbial communities decreased along wastewater reclamation processes. Proteobacteria was the most dominant phylum in reclaimed water after disinfection, which accounted for 83% and 88% in two systems, respectively. Human opportunistic pathogens, including Clostridium, Escherichia, Shigella, Pseudomonas and Mycobacterium, were selected and enriched by disinfection processes. The total chlorine and nutrients (TOC, NH₃-N and NO₃-N) significantly affected the microbial and pathogenic communities during reclaimed water storage and distribution processes. Our results indicated that the disinfectant-resistant pathogens should be controlled in reclaimed water, since the increases in relative abundances of pathogenic bacteria after disinfection implicate the potential public health associated with reclaimed water.     

Development of similarity relationships for energy dissipation rate and temperature structure parameter in stably stratified flows: a direct numerical simulation approach

In this study, a newly developed direct numerical simulation (DNS) solver is utilized for the simulations of numerous stably stratified open-channel flows with bulk Reynolds number (Re _b ) spanning 3400–16,900. Overall, the simulated bulk Richardson number (\(Ri_b\)) ranges from 0.08 (weakly stable) to 0.49 (very stable). Thus, both continuously turbulent and (globally) intermittently turbulent cases are represented in the DNS database. Using this comprehensive database, various flux-based and gradient-based similarity relationships for energy dissipation rate (ε) and temperature structure parameter (\(C_T^2\)) are developed. Interestingly, these relationships exhibit only minor dependency on Re _b . In order to further probe into this Re _b -effect, similarity relationships are also estimated from a large-eddy simulation (LES) run of an idealized atmospheric boundary layer (very high Re _b ) case study. Despite the fundamental differences in the estimation of ε and \(C_T^2\) from the DNS- and the LES-generated data, the resulting similarity relationships, especially the gradient-based ones, from these numerical approaches are found to be remarkably similar. More importantly, these simulated relationships are also comparable, at least qualitatively, to the traditional observational data-based ones. Since these simulated similarity relationships do not require Taylor’s hypothesis and do not suffer from mesoscale disturbances and/or measurement noise, they have the potential to complement the existing similarity relationships.     

Attraction of the potential biocontrol agent <Emphasis Type="Italic">Galerucella placida</Emphasis> (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) to the volatiles of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polygonum orientale</Emphasis> (Polygonaceae) weed leaves

Galerucella placida Baly (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is a potential biocontrol agent of the rice-field weed Polygonum orientale L. (Polygonaceae). The volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles from undamaged and mechanically damaged plants, and from plants 12- and 36-h following continuous feeding of female G. placida adults and 2nd instar larvae were identified and quantified by GC–MS and GC-FID analyses. Twenty-four and 21 compounds were identified in volatiles of undamaged and insect feeding plants, respectively; whereas 22 compounds were detected in volatiles of mechanically damaged plants. Decanal and 1-dodecanol were unique to undamaged plants, and linalool was detected in volatiles of undamaged and mechanically damaged plants, but not in volatiles of insect damaged plants. However, the beetles are not attracted by none of these volatile components, when tested individually in Y-shaped glass tube olfactometer bioassays. In all plants, methyl jasmonate was predominant. 1-Undecanol was the least amount in undamaged plants, and plants 12-h after feeding by G. placida adults and larvae; whereas 1-tridecanol was the least abundant in plants 36-h after feeding by G. placida adults and larvae, and mechanically damaged plants. The beetles showed significant preference to the whole volatile blends from plants 12-h after feeding by larvae and plants 36-h after feeding by either larvae or adults compared to those of undamaged plants. Further, G. placida responded to individual synthetic compounds, 3-hexanol, 1-octen-3-ol, nonanal, and geraniol at 7, 1.38, 3.75 and 4.5 µg/25 µL CH₂Cl₂, respectively, and provide a basis for attraction of the potential biocontrol agent in the field.     

Copper sulphate use in South African traditional medicine

Copper (Cu) is an essential element to humans; however, exposure to elevated concentrations through occupational hazard and/or environmental means may be detrimental. This paper provides results of a cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of copper sulphate (CuSO₄) use in South African traditional medicine by traditional health practitioners (THPs) and details the use thereof. A total of 201 THPs were enrolled from two main municipal areas of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa). Information on demographic characteristics of THPs, reasons for using or not using CuSO₄ as well as administration methods and age groups of recipients were collected. Of the 201 THPs interviewed, 145 (72 %) use CuSO₄ for healing purposes. The use of CuSO₄ was strongly associated with gender (p = 0.009) where the proportion of CuSO₄ users was higher for female than male THPs. CuSO₄ was reportedly administered to individuals of all ages, including infants and children. The main routes of administration were enema (n = 110; 76 %), oral (n = 40; 28 %) and use in bath (n = 40; 28 %). The reasons cited for use are diverse and included skin rashes (n = 43; 30 %), aches, pains and swelling (n = 38; 28 %) as well as sexually transmitted diseases (n = 28; 19 %). This study identified a high prevalence of THPs using CuSO₄ for healing purposes. These findings support the need to regulate South African traditional medicine to safeguard the user.     

Diurnal changes in photosynthesis of Antarctic fast ice algal communities determined by pulse amplitude modulation fluorometry

The aim of this project was to determine both the diurnal changes in photosynthetic activity of Antarctic sea ice algae and also the protective mechanisms they use to mitigate the effects of in situ UV radiation. Changes in the diurnal photosynthetic parameters of fast ice algal communities at McMurdo Sound were measured in situ, using a custom designed monitoring pulse amplitude modulation fluorometer. The sea ice microalgae were able to adapt rapidly to either increasing or decreasing ambient irradiances. ΔF/F_m' values were between 0.2 and 0.51, while E_k varied between 2.1 and 18 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1. ΔF/F_m', E_k, and relative electron transfer rate (rETR) all varied sequentially over the course of a day. rETR and E_k were highest at midday at the highest irradiances, when there was apparent midday down regulation of photosynthesis, while ΔF/F_m' was highest at midnight. The effects of natural UV radiation on sea ice were examined, but it was not possible to detect the effect of either UVB or UVA and UVB on photosynthesis. This was considered to be largely because of the large spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the under ice community, changing irradiances throughout the day and the relatively small change caused by UV.