Assessment of seasonal and spatial variations of physicochemical parameters and trace elements along a heavily polluted effluent-dominated stream

This study focuses on a heavily polluted effluent-dominated stream that passes through an industrialized region near Izmir, Turkey. The intermittent creek receives domestic and industrial discharges of Kemalpa?a District Center and its neighborhoods and more than 180 factories of the organized industrial zone. A monitoring campaign was conducted on the creek and samples were taken in two different seasons with distinct hydrological characteristics from 20 stations along the creek to quantify the quality status of water and sediment columns. A number of physicochemical parameters, heavy metals, and trace elements were measured by field and laboratory techniques to assess the status of creek’s water and sediment quality. The spatial and temporal variations were determined, and statistical tools were used to conduct an environmental forensic overview along the creek. A geo-accumulation index and a modified heavy metal pollution index were calculated to cumulatively assess the quality of sediment and water columns, respectively. The results revealed that the creek was under significant pollution load from the industrial zone where metal processing, food and beverage production, marble and natural stone manufacturing, and paper production are made. In particular, elements such as Co, Cu, Cd, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Zr were found to be above the surface water quality standard values. Similarly, B, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Sn were determined to be in extreme levels in the sediment column with values exceeding the probable effect concentrations.     

Toxicity and biochemical impact of certain oxime carbamate pesticides against terrestrial snail,Theba pisana (Müller)

Abstract

The bran toxic baits (0.5 % w/w) of five oxime carbamate pesticides; aldicarb, aldoxycarb, methomyl, oxamyl and thiofanox were tested for their molluscicidal activity against Theba pisana snails under Laboratory conditions. In addition, the in vivo effects of these compounds on seven vital enzymes namely Acetylcholin‐esterase (AchE), glutathion‐S‐transferase (GST), glutamic oxlaoacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), acid phosphatase (AcP), alkaline phosphatase (AIP), and adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activities of the snail tissue were also investigated after 1,3, and 5 days of exposure. The results showed that methomyl was the most potent candidate, whereas thiofanox was the least effective one against the snails. LT₅₀’s values of aldicarb, aldoxycarb, methomyl, oxamyl and thiofanox were 5.77, 4.69, 2.31, 3.97 and 6.67 days, respectively. Results of the potency of the tested pesticides against AchE activity were in harmony with the toxicity of these compounds to snails. AchE, AcP, and AIP activities were inhibited by the tested pesticides. GST activity was inhibited by aldicarb but stimulated by oxamyl and thiofanox. Methomyl and oxamyl lead to significant elevation of GOT and GPT, whereas thiofanox treated snail induced a reduction of both enzymes activities. Aldicarb and aldoxycarb caused significant induction of ATPase activity.     

Flexibility in Water Resources Management: Review of Concepts and Development of Assessment Measures for Flood Management Systems

Discussions around adapting water management systems to climate change often express the need to increase system flexibility. Yet despite the frequent use of the term flexibility, very little work has examined what exactly it means to have a flexible water management system, what features of a system make it more flexible than another system, or when the costs to implement flexible options outweigh the benefits gained from increased flexibility. To define and operationalize the concept of flexibility in the field of water resources management, this article reviews and analyzes concepts of flexibility from the fields of information technology, manufacturing, management, and adaptive social‐ecological systems. We identify five characteristics of flexible water resources systems, namely: slack, redundancy, connectivity, compatibility/coordination, and adjustability. We then operationalize the assessment of flexibility for flood management systems by proposing original flexibility metrics and discussing their application. We conclude with a discussion on the tradeoffs of increasing flexibility.     

Drinking and driving and perceptions of arrest risk among California drivers: Relationships with DUI arrests in their city of residence

Objective: Addressing drinking and driving remains a challenge in the United States. The present study aims to provide feedback on driving under the influence (DUI) in California by assessing whether drinking and driving behavior is associated with the DUI arrest rates in the city in which the driver lives; whether this is due to perceptions that one can get arrested for this behavior; and whether this differed by those drivers who would be most affected by deterrence efforts (those most likely to drink outside the home).

Methods: This study consisted of a 2012 roadside survey of 1,147 weekend nighttime drivers in California. City DUI arrest rates for 2009–2011 were used as an indicator of local enforcement efforts. Population average logistic modeling was conducted modeling the odds of perceived high arrest likelihood for DUI and drinking and driving behavior within the past year.

Results: As the DUI arrest rates for the city in which the driver lives increased, perceived high risk of DUI arrest increased. There was no significant relationship between either city DUI arrest rates or perceived high risk of DUI arrest with self-reported drinking and driving behavior in the full sample. Among a much smaller sample of those most likely to drink outside the home, self-reported drinking and driving behavior was negatively associated with DUI arrests rates in their city of residence but this was not mediated by perceptions.

Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that perceptions are correlated with one aspect of DUI efforts in one's community. Those who were more likely to drink outside the home could be behaviorally influenced by these efforts.     

Organic contaminates in water

Abstract

The carbon adsorption method was used for separating organic matter from large samples of drainage, river and tap water. The carbon chloroform extract (CCE) was separated into different solubility fractions and the neutral fraction was separated into aliphatic, aromatic and oxy‐compounds using column chromatography. The aromatic fraction was subjected to TLC, IR and UV analysis. The pesticide endrin was present in both river and tap water at concentrations of 0.7 and 1.5 ppb, respectively.     

Assessment of big floods in the Eastern Black Sea Basin of Turkey

In this study, general knowledge and some details of the floods in Eastern Black Sea Basin of Turkey are presented. Brief hydro-meteorological analysis of selected nine floods and detailed analysis of the greatest flood are given. In the studied area, 51 big floods have taken place between 1955–2005 years, causing 258 deaths and nearly US $500,000,000 of damage. Most of the floods have occurred in June, July and August. It is concluded that especially for the rainstorms that have caused significantly damages, the return periods of the rainfall heights and resultant flood discharges have gone up to 250 and 500 years, respectively. A general agreement is observed between the return periods of rains and resultant floods. It is concluded that there has been no significant climate change to cause increases in flood harms. The most important human factors to increase the damage are determined as wrong and illegal land use, deforestation and wrong urbanization and settlement, psychological and technical factors. Some structural and non-structural measures to mitigate flood damages are also included in the paper. Structural measures include dykes and flood levees. Main non-structural measures include flood warning system, modification of land use, watershed management and improvement, flood insurance, organization of flood management studies, coordination between related institutions and education of the people and informing of the stakeholders.     

A case report of prenatally diagnosed ophthalmo-acromelic syndrome type Waardenburg

Ophthalmo-acromelic syndrome type Waardenburg is an extremely rare autosomal recessive syndrome comprising eye malformations ranging from true anophthalmia to mild microphthalmia with acromelic malformations. We report a case of ophthalmo-acromelic syndrome type Waardenburg diagnosed prenatally. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Production of brown and black pigments by using flotation waste from copper slag.

One of the major problems in copper-producing countries is the treatment of the large amount of copper slag or copper flotation waste generated from copper slag which contains significant amounts of heavy metals such as Cu, Zn, Pb and Co. Dumping or disposal of such large quantities of flotation waste from copper slag causes environmental and space problems. In this study, the treatment of flotation waste from copper slag by a thermal method and its use as an iron source in the production of inorganic brown and black pigments that are used in the ceramic industry were investigated. The pigments were produced by calcining different amounts of flotation waste and chromite, Cr2O3, ZnO and CoO mixtures. The pigments obtained were added to transparent ceramic glazes and porcelainized tile bodies. Their colours were defined by L*a*b* measurements with a spectrophotometer. The results showed that flotation waste from copper slag could be used as an iron source to produce brown and black pigments in both ceramic body and glazes.