Assessment of microcystins in lake water and fish (Mugilidae, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Liza</Emphasis> sp.) in the largest Spanish coastal lake

Cyanobacteria dominance and cyanotoxin production can become major threats to humans and aquatic life, especially in warm shallow lakes, which are often dominated by cyanobacteria. This study investigates the occurrence and distribution of microcystins (MCYST) in water, cell-bound and in the tissues of the commercial mugilid Liza sp. in the largest, coastal, Spanish Mediterranean lake (Albufera of Valencia). This is the first report concerning microcystin accumulation in tissues of mugilid fish species. Considerable amounts of microcystins were found in the water and seston, which correlated with development of Microcystis aeruginosa populations in the lake. The MCYST concentrations found in Lake Albufera (mean 1.7 and 17 μg/L and maximum 16 and 120 μg/L in water and seston, respectively) exceeded by one to two orders of magnitude the guideline levels proposed by the World Health Organization and were higher than that reported in other lakes of the Mediterranean zone. The presence of MCYST was found in all the fishes studied and accumulated differently among tissues of the commercial species Liza sp. Toxin accumulation in fish tissues showed that although the target organ for MCYST was the liver, high concentrations of microcystins were also found in other analysed tissues (liver>intestine>gills>muscle). Human tolerable daily intake for microcystins is assessed relative to the WHO guidelines, and potential toxicological risks for humans, wildlife and related ecosystems of the lake are discussed.     

Should 'Cyrus the Centipede' take a hike? Effects of exposure to a pedestrian safety program on children's safety knowledge and self-reported behaviors

INTRODUCTION: We report the first evaluation of the popular "Cyrus the Centipede" child pedestrian safety program. METHOD: A pre-test/post-test control versus experimental condition design was used to assess Cyrus' impact on third graders' pedestrian safety knowledge, and self-reported pedestrian behaviors. RESULTS: Although some beneficial effects were observed, the program was not reliably effective. In particular, the impact of exposure to Cyrus was strongly influenced by the individual teacher who delivered it, likely due to the highly unstructured nature of the curriculum. SUMMARY: We suggest that: (a) the effectiveness and reliability of such programs be demonstrated before they are widely adopted; and (b) programs that focus on training children in actual or simulated traffic environments may be more effective than those that primarily focus on teaching safety facts and rules.     

Importance of fish gender as a factor in environmental monitoring of mercury

Total mercury concentrations were determined in the gonadal tissues of 15 female and 10 male European perch (Perca fluviatilis) from one location of the stream “Jevanský potok” located about 30 km from Prague (Czech Republic). Tissue samples were frozen at ?26 °C in polypropylene containers until further processing, which was carried out using an Advance Mercury Analyser (single purpose atomic absorption spectrometer). Mercury concentrations were present in all analysed gonad samples, and ranged from 2.3 to 12.7 μg/kg wet weight. However, we determined a mean Hg concentration (9.45 μg/kg) in male gonads that was 2.4 times greater than that of female gonads (3.9 μg/kg). This is an important finding when taking into account fish sex in environmental pollution monitoring (especially for mercury contamination).     

Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and tributyltin (TBT) in Barcelona harbour sediments and their impact on benthic communities

Sediments have long been recognised as a sink for many contaminants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and tributyltin (TBT), which by virtue of their nature can strongly adsorb onto sediments affecting the benthic community inhabiting them. Using geographical information systems, this study reports and combines the results of several already existing studies along Barcelona harbour in order to assess the potential ecological impacts of these contaminants on the benthos of the harbour ecosystem. Chemical analysis indicated low to moderate contents of PAHs and high contents of TBT in sediments in Barcelona harbour. Comparison against existing sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) indicated that acutely toxic effects would not be expected for PAHs but for TBT, which represents a serious environmental threat for the benthic community. Benthos surveys revealed a deterioration of the benthic community throughout the harbour, especially in the inner port.     

Bioconversion of marine crustacean shell waste

This paper appraises the potential of marine crustacean shell waste from the world's fishing industry for bioconversion to industrial products and envisages almost total low-waste utilisation of such materials. Techniques for the processing of waste shells are considered and compared. We additionally investigate what is considered a vital early stage in shell processing - the viability of a lactic acid fermentation on demineralised shell for deproteinisation under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. An integrated bioconversion scheme is proposed whereby protein, pigment (astaxanthin) and the main biopolymer constituent, chitin, can be isolated for industrial or commercial use. The scheme also suggests further conversion of the chitin to its monomer, N-acetylglucosamine, for use as a sugar or as a medium source for production of microbial biomass protein.     

Analysis of Spatial and Temporal Evolution of Vegetation Cover in the Spanish Central Pyrenees: Role of Human Management

A vegetation cover increase has been identified at global scales using satellite images and vegetation indices. This fact is usually explained by global climatic change processes such as CO₂ and temperature increases. Nevertheless, although these causes can be important, the role of socioeconomic transformations must be considered in some places, since in several areas of Northern Hemisphere an important change in management practices has been detected. Rural depopulation and land abandonment have reactivated the natural vegetation regeneration processes. This work analyses the vegetation evolution in the central Spanish Pyrenees from 1982 to 2000. The analysis has been done by using calibrated-NDVI temporal series from NOAA-AVHRR images. A positive and significant trend in NDVI data has been identified from 1982 to 2000 coinciding with a temperature increase in the study area. However, the spatial differences in magnitude and the sign of NDVI trends are significant. The role of land management changes in the 20th century is considered as a hypothesis to explain the spatial differences in NDVI trends. The role of land-cover and human land-uses on this process has been analyzed. The highest increment of NDVI is detected in lands affected by abandonment and human extensification. The importance of management changes in vegetation growth is discussed, and we indicate that although climate has great importance in vegetal evolution, land-management changes can not be neglected in our study area.     

DNA microsatellite variability and genetic differentiation among natural populations of the Cuban white shrimp<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Litopenaeus schmitti</Emphasis>

Genetic variability within the Cuban population of the white shrimp Litopenaeus schmitti (Burkenroad, 1936) was assessed using five microsatellite loci and samples collected from four sites (Batabanó, Cienfuegos, Tunas de Zaza, and Manzanillo) from November 1999 to March 2000. All loci were polymorphic, and a total of 80 alleles were found, 13 of them private alleles occurring only in a single population and always in low frequencies. The Cienfuegos sample had the highest observed heterozygosity (H_o=0.653), and the Tunas de Zaza sample had the lowest values (H_o=0.605), but there were no significant differences among samples in heterozygosity or in the mean numbers of alleles per locus (ranging from 11.0 to 11.6). Significant differentiation among populations was detected (F_ST=0.012, P<0.001). Low but significant F_ST values were revealed in pairwise comparisons between populations. Assignation tests correctly assigned high percentages of individuals to their original populations (74.5%) using a Bayesian approach. The significant differentiation among populations could be due to the restriction of gene flow among populations of L. schmitti and is concordant with previous allozyme studies on Cuban populations.Communicated by J.P. Grassle, New Brunswick     

Removal of Cresols From Water by Packed Beds of Cyclodextrin-Based Hydrogels

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - A cyclodextrin-based polymer was prepared by crosslinking β-cyclodextrin with epichlorohydrin to be assessed as a sorbent material for cresols in...