Validation of pyrithiobac sodium (Staple herbicide) ELISA for Australian cotton soils

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for pyrithiobac-sodium (Staple) produced by DuPont was validated in Australian soils. This pyrithiobac-sodium ELISA was shown to be highly sensitive with the limit of detection of 4-5 ppt. Soil samples were extracted either in PBS buffer by shaking or by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE). While pyrithiobac sodium can be analyzed directly by ELISA after ASE extraction with 1/10 or more dilutions, the analysis of PBS extract required filtration and dilution 1/20 or more depending on the concentration. Immunoassay results compared favorably with GC-MS results for both ASE and PBS extract of incurred residue of pyrithiobac sodium in soil samples, indicating that this ELISA can be an inexpensive and reliable alternative to conventional residue analysis methods for quantification of pyrithiobac-sodium. This validation provided the basis for applying the ELISA to a field study of pyrithiobac-sodium.     

Isomer-specific analysis of chlorinated biphenyls,naphthalenes and dibenzofurans in Delor: polychlorinated biphenyl preparations from the former Czechoslovakia

Technical polychlorinated byphenyl (PCB) preparations--Delors 103, 104, 105, and 106--produced in the former Czechoslovakia were analyzed for their chlorobiphenyl (CB), chloronaphthalene (PCN) and chlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) composition and content using high resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques. The congener patterns of Delors 103, 104, 105, and 106 resembled Aroclors 1242, 1248, 1254, and 1260. Delors contained PCNs and PCDFs, as impurities, at microgram per gram concentrations. Concentrations of PCNs and PCDFs in Delors were greater than those found in the corresponding Aroclors. The potential for the emissions of PCNs and PCDFs from Delor was estimated to be 3680 and 860 kg, respectively. Non- and mono-ortho PCBs were the major contributors to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) equivalents in Delor mixtures.     

Limited scope for reproductive senescence in wild populations of a short-lived fish

Senescence in wild populations was long considered negligible but current evidence suggests that it is widespread in natural populations of mammals and birds, affecting the survival and reproductive output of older individuals. In contrast, little is known about reproductive senescence in species with asymptotic growth that can keep increasing their reproductive output as they grow older and larger. Using a cross-sectional study, we tested age-related decline in fecundity and relative allocation to reproduction in five wild populations of an annual killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri (Cyprinodontiformes). We did not detect any decline in absolute female egg production over their short lifespan in the wild. Relative fecundity (egg production controlled for female body mass) tended to decrease with age. This effect was driven primarily by a single population that survived 17 weeks, almost twice as long as the median persistence of the other four study populations. There was no decrease in relative ovary mass while in males, relative testes mass actually increased with age. Intra-population variation in relative ovary mass increased in older females suggesting heterogeneity in individual trajectories of female reproductive allocation. Overall, we demonstrate that annual killifish do not experience significant age-related decline in reproductive functions during their very short lifespan in the wild despite the marked deterioration of gonad tissue detected in captivity.     

Occupational safety and health education under the lifelong learning framework in Serbia

Serbia is aligning with European Union requirements and the occupational safety and health (OSH) administration is one of the most representative sectors of this alignment. Many efforts were made in this field, by introducing new laws and regulations, but it turned out to be insufficient. OSH professionals need to renovate and strengthen their knowledge in accordance with continuous, updated and improved OSH standards and regulation. Lifelong learning (LLL) programmes can contribute to forming professionals who are always up to date. This paper presents an implemented LLL programme, over the duration of two academic years, dedicated to OSH professionals, and investigates whether this programme will be helpful and accepted by professionals. The results from the study show that the given LLL programme had indeed a positive influence on the professional careers of the participants and that the LLL presents the future trend in OSH education.     

Learning for social-ecological change: a qualitative review of outcomes across empirical literature in natural resource management

Learning is considered as a promising mechanism to cope with rapid environmental change. The implications of learning for natural resource management (NRM) have not been explored in-depth and the evidence on the topic is scattered across multiple sources. We provide a qualitative review of types of learning outcomes and consider their manifestations in NRM across selected empirical literature. We conducted a systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature (N = 1,223) and a qualitative meta-synthesis of included articles, with an explicit focus on learning outcomes and NRM changes (N = 53). Besides social learning, we found several learning concepts used, including policy and transformative learning, and multiple links between learning and NRM reported. We observe that the development of skills, together with a system approach involving multi-level capacities, is decisive for implications of learning for NRM. Future reviews could systematically compare how primary research applies different learning concepts and discusses links between learning and NRM changes.     

The use of polymer compounds in the deposits from the combustion of briquettes in domestic heating as an identifier of fuel quality

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The utilisation of waste wood from furniture production brings new problems connected with an incomplete thermochemical decomposition of additives...     

Mercury in fish tissues in the area of Malachov Hg-ore deposit (Slovakia)

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - The abandoned Malachov deposit belongs among the most important historic Hg deposits in the world. The soil, groundwater, surface water, plants, and animals...     

Aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the bottom sediments from Klaipėda Harbour,Lithuania (Baltic Sea)

A total of 22 bottom surface sediment samples were collected from Klaip?da Harbour, Lithuania (Baltic Sea). Sediment parameters, such as grain size and concentrations of total organic carbon, aliphatic hydrocarbons (ALHs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were determined. Hydrocarbon contamination levels in the sediments were estimated based on classifications provided in the literature, and potential biological effects were assessed based on the effects range low–effects range median values of the Sediment Quality Guidelines and on the total toxic benzo(a)pyrene equivalent. The results demonstrated that concentrations of PAHs and total aliphatic hydrocarbons in the sediments varied between 1.6 and 5456?ng?g^?1 d.w. and 6.9 and 727?μg?g^?1 d.w., respectively. In most cases, the concentrations of ALHs and PAHs in the sediments indicated low to moderate levels of pollution and were not observed to have any significant adverse effects on living biota. To determine possible sources of hydrocarbons, hydrocarbon compositions were analysed, and ALHs’ and PAHs’ specific diagnostic ratios were calculated. According to the results, the Klaip?da Harbour bottom sediments were dominated by PAHs of pyrogenic origin, whereas the origin of ALHs was mixed, that is, anthropogenic with a biogenic (aquatic and terrestrial) input.     

Agent-based framework for modeling and simulation of resources in self-sustainable human settlements: a case study on water management in an eco-village community in Croatia

A newly developed agent-based framework for modeling, simulation, and evaluation of resource management in self-sustainable human settlements is presented, along with the ability of the framework to prolong the self-sustainability of the observed human settlement system in the simulation environment. In this study the focus is on the analysis of a conducted water management simulation based on observations of an existing eco-village in Croatia, in the context of producing, storing, and consuming water as a resource. The conducted research shows that the developed framework was able to prolong the self-sustainability of localized water production, storage, and consumption dynamics when managing the water allocation with the use of self-sustainability mechanisms, in comparison to water management without using such mechanisms, under the same initial conditions. The work is placed within the context of sustainable development, Internet of Things, as well as Environmental Internet of Things areas of research, analyzing the ambiguous relationship between the terms ‘sustainable development’ and ‘self-sustainability’.     

Metal contamination recorded in the sediment of the semi-closed Bakar Bay (Croatia)

This study presents metal levels in the sediments of the Bakar Bay, with its main goal to evaluate recent anthropogenic influence, as well as over previous decades. Sediment profiles at 7 sampling points were taken. Chemical contents in bulk sediment were obtained using ICP, ICP-MS, and AAS methodologies, and 20 most significant elements were presented. Concentrations of selected elements were evaluated by factor statistical analyses to identify their source. Also, metal enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index were calculated, and spatial distribution maps for three sediment layers were constructed. Measured metal concentrations in sediment were compared with concentrations in other sediments from the Adriatic Sea. In addition, a set of sediment quality guidelines were also applied in order to predict the probability of adverse biological effects on the benthic community: This was found not to be very serious. Factor analysis clearly demonstrates the segregation between metals of natural origin resulted from soil and bedrock weathering (Li, Al, Cr, Sc), and with two anthropogenic sources originating from the city of Bakar and bulk cargo terminal (Hg, Pb, Zn, Ag, Sn, and Fe). Mercury (max 0.65 μg g^?1) is found to be the heaviest contaminant, followed by lead (max 71.5 μg g^?1), copper (89.3 μg g^?1), and zinc (156 μg g^?1). However, this study shows that Bakar Bay is considerably less polluted with toxic metals than it was believed.