Effects of two organophosphorus insecticides on some biochemical constituents in the nervous system and liver of rabbits

Male Baladi rabbits were acutely and sub-chronically intoxicated with cyanofenphos and profenophos. The levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, B-lipoproteins and total proteins were determined in the serum, brain, spinal cord and sciatic nerve of rabbits. Moreover, the activities of alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase were determined in the liver of the animals. The whole studies revealed that the biochemical constituents were highly affected by the tested insecticides. Also, the liver function suffered from adverse effects of the tested insecticides.     

公民对全球环境变化的响应——以上海、香港地区为例

工业革命以来，全球环境发生了前所未有的变化，将可能给地球系统带来灾难性后果，究其原因主要是由于人类活动造成的。人的行为深受意识的影响和制约,环境意识对于环境问题的产生和解决至关重要。本文选取上海、香港两个地区来分析公民对环境的关注度、公民的环保意识、环保行为以及公民对政府环境工作的看法和评价，研究公民对全球环境变化反应的区域差异，为政府制定相关环境保护政策提供理论依据。调查结果显示，上海、香港两地公民在很多环境闷题上具有共识。但是。在对手环境状况好转的期待值、参与环境保护活动的积极性、对人为因素主导力量的认识、环境保护与日常生活的切实关系、为环境保护的支付意愿、对于环境教育内容的认可度等方面存在着一定的差异。     

Dynamics of growth and seed production in the Siberian stone pine: The level and pattern of variation in characters

A statistical analysis of interannual variation in a set of vegetative and generative characters over 13 years has been performed to characterize the growth and seed production dynamics of the Siberian stone pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) in the southeast of the forest zone in western Siberia. The results have shown that the range of fluctuations in most of vegetative characters is ordinary and their distribution is close to normal. The range of fluctuations in many generative characters is enormous (from 0 to +∞), and the distribution of their values is usually skewed, with low values being recorded several times more frequently than high values. Most variable are the proportion of abortive cones and other characters that are determined mainly in the spring of the pollination year. These characters account for a very high level of variation in the total seed production.     

Assessment of the natural-cultural resources in Çanakkale for nature-based tourism

While the world is going into different tourism expectations, the tourism understanding in Turkey is defined as tourism in the sea-sand-sun triangle. However, it is possible to contribute to the income and local development of the indigenous people by developing nature-based tourism. Besides, with the sustainable use and preservation of the natural-cultural assets, the damage of the traditional tourism industry on the natural and cultural environment could be reduced. In this study, it is aimed to bring up the nature-based tourism concept in Çanakkale by evaluating the nature-based tourism industry in the general of Turkey and assessing the natural-cultural resources that Çanakkale comprehends. The most important areas that have a nature-based tourism potential in Çanakkale and the tourism activities that are most suitable for these areas have been determined.     

Molecular phylogeny and population structure of tideland snails in the genus Cerithidea around Japan

Phylogenetic relationships and genetic population structures were analyzed for tideland gastropods in the genus Cerithidea around Japan on the basis of partial sequence of the mitochondrial COI gene. Large genetic divergence was shown between individuals of Cerithidea cingulata in the southern Ryukyus and those in the central Ryukyus and the Japanese Islands. Haplotypes of C. cingulata from the Japanese Islands were paraphyletic with the exclusion of a monophyletic group from the central Ryukyus. Genetic differentiation of C. cingulata was also detected between Amami-Oshima Island and Okinawajima Island. No genetic divergence was found between Cerithidea rhizophorarum in the Japanese Islands and its subspecies C. rhizophorarum morchii in the Ryukyu Islands. The lack of genetic divergence of Cerithidea largillierti between continental China and Japan suggests relatively recent migration between the Japanese Islands and the Asian continent. For all three Cerithidea species distributed in both the Japanese Islands and the Ryukyu Islands, the Tokara Gap and the Kerama Gap were shown to have acted as barriers to the dispersal.     

Complexing capacity of natural waters carrying a great amount of suspended matter

The cadmium binding properties of waters of the superior section of the Rio de la Plata estuarine were determined over a three-year period. Samples were collected at different hydrodynamic conditions. The complexing capacity was determined by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). Titration curve data were analyzed using a multivariable regression. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) was identified by XR diffraction and FTIR. These analyses showed that SPM principal components are clays (illite, montmorillonite and chlorite). The study was applied to the untreated, filtered and centrifuged fractions of each sample at the pH of the natural waters and at pH 1. The results show that the contribution of dissolved organic matter to the complexing capacity is negligible when compared with SPM. At natural pH, the complexing capacity of filtered and untreated fractions can be described by considering two kinds of binding sites. The associated conditional binding constants are independent of the concentration of suspended matter. Their average logarithms are ca. 6.5 and ca. 4.4. The total concentration of binding sites (S(T)) is in microM range, which is about three orders of magnitude higher than that reported for most of the studied estuaries. This difference is explained on the basis of the great amount of SPM. Hydrodynamic conditions produce variations in the concentration and composition of the SPM. At pH 1 samples still exhibit an important complexing capacity with only one binding site with log K(cond) ca. 5.4. These differences could be attributed to superficial modifications that take place at very low pH.     

Treibhausgasemissionen zukünftiger Erdgasbereitstellung für Deutschland

Ohne Zusammenfassung Original erschienen in UWSF – Z Umweltchem ?kotox 20(2):133–144 (2008) DOI: Herausgeber: Martin Pehnt und Eckard Helmers     

Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in airborne particles by direct sample introduction thermal desorption GC/MS

The technique of thermal desorption (TD)–GC/MS was evaluated for measuring airborne, 4–6 ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) collected onto quartz filters. TD provides a more readily automated and sensitive alternative to traditional solvent extraction, decreasing the time/cost of analysis and reducing the risk of analyte loss or sample contamination. The developed method was successfully applied to the analysis of PAH standard solutions loaded on sorbent tubes packed with quartz wool and the graphitized carbon black sorbent Carbograph2. The optimized method showed high desorption efficiency over the whole range of target PAHs with good precision, linearity and sensitivity. The proposed method was verified on an urban dust Standard Reference Material (SRM 1649a); the experimentally determined concentrations agreed with the certified ranges (95% confidence limit) for all target compounds except benzo[a]anthracene, which fell just outside the narrow certified range. The desorption efficiency and the reproducibility of the method was evaluated by analysing pieces of real sample filters sampled from urban air for a period of 24 h. The results confirmed the homogeneity of the filter and showed high recovery efficiencies for all target PAHs.