Excessive chromium may cause dietary toxicity in parsley (Petroselinum crispum)

A bibliographical review on the possible effects of radiofrequency radiation (RFR) from wireless telecommunications on living organisms and its impact on amphibians is presented. The technical characteristics of this new technology and the scientific discoveries that are of interest in the study of their effects on wild fauna and amphibians are described. Electromagnetic pollution (in the microwave and in the radiofrequency range) is a possible cause for deformations and decline of some amphibian populations. Keeping in mind that amphibians are reliable bio-indicators, it is of great importance to carry out studies on the effects of this new type of contamination. Finally, some methodologies that could be useful to determine the adverse health effects are proposed.     

基于多元统计的引黄水库沉沙条渠泥沙与水质的变异分析

以济南市引黄供水鹊山水库沉沙条渠为研究对象,测定了9个断面（Y1—Y9）表层水体中的含沙量、总有机碳、总磷、总氮、叶绿素a等19个水质指标.运用主成分分析法和聚类分析法分别探讨水体的主要污染因子及监测断面的沿程归类,并通过室内模拟实验分析了泥沙对水体中N、P浓度的影响.结果表明,沉沙条渠中的水质总体特征以Ⅱ类水和Ⅲ类水为主,其中,超标水质指标为TN,达到劣Ⅴ类水标准,P为藻类生长的限制因子.19个水质指标可由6个主成分来反映,其贡献率分别为：F1（TN、NH3-N、NO3--N、NO2--N、总碱度、Br-、硫酸盐）34.41%,F2（含沙量、浊度、色度、电导率）22.78%,F3（pH和UV254）13.95%,F4（TP）6.280%,F5（CODCr）4.990%和F6（Chl-a）4.830%;9个监测断面归为4类,相应地整个沉沙条渠可划分为4个功能区：入渠布水区（Y1、Y2、Y3）、快速沉降区（Y4、Y5）、缓慢沉降区（Y6、Y7、Y8）和出水稳定区（Y9）.此外,水质与泥沙关系的室内模拟实验表明,条渠来水的P浓度随着泥沙颗粒的沉降而降低,TP在0—15 h内快速下降,而后缓慢下降,30 h内基本达到平衡;而泥沙颗粒对水中N浓度基本没有影响.     

系统聚类分析在农户生态系统类型划分中的应用

应用主成分分析法和系统聚类分析法，对湖北省京山县刘家岭村５０个农户进行了生态系统类型数值分类分析，结果表明，该村农户生态系统可分为农－牧业型、果－农－牧业型和渔－农－牧业型三类，与全村３３８个农户情况相符。     

耕地土壤中交换态钙镁铁锰铜锌相关关系研究

应用主成份分析、聚类分析和相关性分析对沈阳市郊区1994个耕地土壤样本(0-20cm)的交换态钙、镁、铁、锰、铜、锌含量进行研究，结果表明，影响钙与镁、铁与锰、铜与锌分布的主因子分别在相同的主成份组中，钙与镁、铁与锰、铜与锌之间的相关系数较大，铁、锰、铜、锌之间均为极显著正相关关系，钙与铁、锰、铜、锌均为负相关关系，说明元素的生物地球化学属性对其地理分布有较大的影响。     

气候因子对靖远松叶蜂暴发的影响

运用SAS8.2中的主成份分析法分析了1988~1997年的气象数据,研究了温度、湿度、降雨量与靖远松叶蜂发生的关系,用实验数据对统计分析结果进行了解释,并运用典型判别分析建立了非时滞和时滞预报模型,进一步研究各种气候因子的综合作用.结果表明,10月份较高的气温与较高的湿度有利于靖远松叶蜂大量结茧,为来年的暴发提供虫源;靖远松叶蜂小幼虫的死亡率与温度呈显著线性正相关(r=0.4,P=0.036),与相对湿度呈弱的线性负相关(r=-0.25,P=0.147),即7月较高的温度与较低的湿度有利于靖远松叶蜂的暴发.1991年靖远松叶蜂开始小规模暴发与1990年初霜期异常推迟有关,8月份过多或过少的降雨可能会妨碍靖远松叶蜂病毒的流行,从而有利于靖远松叶蜂大规模暴发.非时滞预报模型回代正判率为81.8%,时滞预报模型回代正判率为72.7%.典型判别函数表明,温度因子是决定靖远松叶蜂暴发的最主要气象因子.图3表4参9     

Scalp hair metal analysis in the assessment of the occupational exposure of arc welders

Eleven metals (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni and Pb) were estimated in hair samples of metal arc welders and a control group with the same socioeconomic background. Nitric acid–perchloric acid wet digestion procedure was adopted for the estimation of endogenous metal contents by ICP-AE technique. The study exhibited the following increasing order of the metal concentrations: Cd??1, dry weight, respectively. On average, the levels of Mn, Ni, Pb and Fe were found to be 1.5–2.4 times higher in the hair of welders compared with controls. Besides age and exposure which were strongly correlated, Cu–Mg, Mn–Mg, Ca–Co and Cd–Zn also showed significantly positive correlations. The identification of metal sources, done by cluster and principal component analyses, revealed four factors: age and exposure; Cu, Mg, Mn and Fe; Ca and Co; Cd, Zn, Ni and Pb. High levels of Fe were found to have a depleting impact on Co levels. The arc welders were feared to accumulate heavy metals in their bodies due to long-term endogenous exposure.     

Nutrient distribution in locations of the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic sea) suspected of pollution

Nutrients (ammonium‐nitrogen, nitrite, nitrate, orthophosphate and dissolved silica) as well as some chemical‐physical parameters (temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen and total suspended matter) were determined in filtered seawater samples taken at the surface, at middle depth and at the bottom, in 6 open‐sea locations of the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea) close to pipeline exits that discharge wastewaters from treatment plants. The collected data allow a comparison of the quality of these open‐sea waters with coastal waters and constitute a reference for successive monitoring in these locations suspected of pollution. A multivariate statistical analysis by the principal component method shows that the considered ecosystem can be modeled with two factors: the first one is referenced to the marine environment, in particular to the decomposition of the organic debris in deep water; whereas the second factor is referenced to the input of freshwaters in the Gulf, driving nitrates from agricultural lands.     

A comparison study of aerosol emissions sources in two receptor sites in Salvador (Brazil) city

Total suspended particles (TSP) and metal concentrations were determined in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil at two sites: a residential area and a residential‐commercial‐industrial neighborhood. The determined metals associated with atmospheric aerosols include Al, Ca, Cr, Cd, Fe, Mg, Mn, V, Zn and Na. Factor analysis was employed to identify the major atmospheric deposition sources. At one site the data were best represented by two sources: resuspended soil + marine aerosol and vehicular emissions, which represents 93% of the total system variance. In the second one the data were best represented by three sources: resuspended soil, metallurgy and building construction, which represents 79% of the total system variance.     

Source apportionment and ozone formation potential of volatile organic compounds in Lagos (Nigeria)

Concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the city air in Oba Akran road, Lagos were investigated. The chlorinated VOCs and xylene in Oba Akran were high. The average benzene/toluene ratio in Oba Akran was 1.7 suggesting that vehicular emission was a possible VOC source in most areas of Oba Akran. The toluene/(m+p-xylene) ratio also suggests a common source of toluene and xylene at these sites, presumably organic solvent used by industries located at Oba Akran. Our results showed that 7.10 tons of CO ₂ equivalents of VOCs are being emitted per year from Oba Akran. Xylenes were found to be the largest contributor to the ozone formation followed by trichloroethylene. A multivariate statistical analysis (Factor analysis extracted with Principal Component Analysis) has been applied to a set of data, and it was found that the main principal components, extracted from the air VOC pollution data, were related to gasoline and oil combustion/industrial activities.     

Application of cluster analysis to the geochemistry zonation of the estuary waters in the Tinto and Odiel rivers (Huelva,Spain)

The combination of acid water from mines, industrial effluents and sea water plays a determining role in the evolutionary process of the chemical makeup of the water in the estuary of the Tinto and Odiel rivers. This estuary is in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula and is one of the estuarine systems on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Cádiz. From the statistical treatment of data obtained by analyzing samples of water from this system, which is affected by industrial and mining pollution processes, we can see how the sampling points studied form two large groups depending on whether they receive tidal or fluvial influences. Fluvial input contributes acid water with high concentrations of heavy metal, whereas industrial effluents are responsible for the presence of phosphates, silica and other nutrients. The estuarine system of the Tinto and Odiel Rivers can be divided into three areas – the Tinto estuary, the Odiel estuary and the area of confluence – based on the physical – chemical characteristics of the water.     

Multivariate analysis of spatial patterns: a unified approach to local and global structures

We propose a new approach to the multivariate analysis of data sets with known sampling site spatial positions. A between-sites neighbouring relationship must be derived from site positions and this relationship is introduced into the multivariate analyses through neighbouring weights (number of neighbours at each site) and through the matrix of the neighbouring graph. Eigenvector analysis methods (e.g. principal component analysis, correspondence analysis) can then be used to detect total, local and global structures. The introduction of the D-centring (centring with respect to the neighbouring weights) allows us to write a total variance decomposition into local and global components, and to propose a unified view of several methods. After a brief review of the matrix approach to this problem, we present the results obtained on both simulated and real data sets, showing how spatial structure can be detected and analysed. Freely available computer programs to perform computations and graphical displays are proposed.     

Monitoring of heavy metals and butyltin compounds in coastal waters of Ligurian Sea: Results of a mussel watch project

From December 1994 up to October 1995 a “Mussel Watch Project”; was carried out to assess the quality of water of the Ligurian Sea and to identify the possible sources of heavy metal pollution. Several metals and organotin compounds were measured in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis, Lam) transplanted in different months from a marine farm to eight sites of the Ligurian coast.

Spatial differences and temporal trends in tissue concentrations of Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Fe, Al, V, Cd and Mn were evaluated. Concentrations resulted in the same range as those obtained in a previous Mussel Watch Project carried out in the same area. In general, areas of known pollution display high concentrations of these metals, but also some areas not greatly influenced by human activities showed high concentrations of some metals.

Data from this study show little evidence of any overall seasonal pattern except for Cu, Zn and V, concentrations of which were a function not only of sampling site, but also of reproductive cycle.

Organotin compounds show differences in terms of both concentration and speciation between the investigated sites.     

Evaluation of the performance of rural wastewater treatment plants using chemical measurements in combination with statistical techniques: a case study

The performance of a wastewater treatment plant was assessed statistically using multivariate cluster and principle component analysis. This was after measuring some physico-chemical properties in the influent, effluent, downstream, and upstream waters over a 4-month period. The cluster analysis grouped the sampling sites into three clusters: relatively non-polluted (upstream), medium polluted (downstream), and polluted (influent and effluent). The polluted water was further subdivided into very highly (influent) and highly (effluent) polluted. The grouping of influent and effluent into one cluster was due to some water quality parameters such as amount of copper, lead, and phosphates that are not efficiently removed by the plant. Using principal component analysis, samples from the same site taken over a period of 4 months were scattered, indicating inconsistencies in the performance of the plant. This was more pronounced during the rainy season, suggesting that increased water volumes from open sewers make the already poorly performing plant worse. The major loading factors found by principle component analysis were phosphate, lead, iron, zinc, copper, pH, and conductivity. Generally, the wastewater treatment system was found to be efficient in removing heavy metals and these were found in the sludge, but not anions. The mean percentage metal removal could be arranged in the following decreasing order: iron (85%)?>?zinc (57%)?>?copper (40%) and lead (38%) following the concentrations (mg?kg^?1) found in the sludge: iron (11,300)?>?zinc (820)?>?copper (180)?>?lead (20)?>?cadmium (3). Phosphate and iron concentrations in the effluent were found to be above the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) recommendations. The major cause of poor performance is the high volume of the wastewater, exceeding the capacity of the plant 10 times.     

Dealing with uncertainty in qualitative models with a semi-quantitative approach based on simulations. Application to the Gironde estuarine food web (France)

In the context of ecosystem approach to fisheries, it is a critical issue to build management tools able to predict the possible trajectories of ecosystems under various human pressure or environmental variations, but also capable to point out influent and sensitive components.     

Seasonal variations of transport pathways and potential sources of PM2.5 in Chengdu,China (2012–2013)

PM_2.5 in Chengdu showed clear seasonal and diurnal variation. 5, 5, 5 and 3 mean clusters are generated in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Short-distance air masses are important pathways in Chengdu. Emissions within the Sichuan Basin contribute significantly to PM_2.5 pollution. Long-range transport from Southern Xinjiang is a dust invasion path to Chengdu. Seasonal pattern of transport pathways and potential sources of PM_2.5 in Chengdu during 2012–2013 were investigated based on hourly PM_2.5 data, backward trajectories, clustering analysis, potential source contribution function (PSCF), and concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) method. The annual hourly mean PM_2.5 concentration in Chengdu was 97.4 mg·m^–3. 5, 5, 5 and 3 mean clusters were generated in four seasons, respectively. Short-distance air masses, which travelled within the Sichuan Basin with no specific source direction and relatively high PM_2.5 loadings (>80 mg·m^–3) appeared as important pathways in all seasons. These short pathways indicated that emissions from both local and surrounding regions of Chengdu contributed significantly to PM_2.5 pollution. The cities in southern Chengdu were major potential sources with PSCF>0.6 and CWT>90 mg·m^–3. The northeastern pathway prevailed throughout the year with higher frequency in autumn and winter and lower frequency in spring and summer. In spring, long-range transport from southern Xinjiang was a representative dust invasion path to Chengdu, and the CWT values along the path were 30-60 mg·m^–3. Long-range transport was also observed in autumn from southeastern Xinjiang along a northwesterly pathway, and in winter from the Tibetan Plateau along a westerly pathway. In summer, the potential source regions of Chengdu were smaller than those in other seasons, and no long-range transport pathway was observed. Results of PSCF and CWT indicated that regions in Qinghai and Tibet contributed to PM_2.5 pollution in Chengdu as well, and their CWT values increased to above 30 mg·m^-3 in winter.     

Application of a ‘bio-engineering’ technique to protect ghoramara island (Bay of Bengal) from severe erosion

Ghoramara Island is located ca. 150 km south of Kolkata, Bay of Bengal, India, in the Sundarban Delta complex. This sparsely populated island is suffering from severe coastal erosion and areal reduction for the last three decades, which results in the loss of major areas on the northwest coast. Both numerous households and a significant area of agricultural land and coastal stretches for fish drying have been lost. This has rendered thousands of people homeless as ‘environmental refugess’. In the present paper an attempt is made to study the erosion and accretion process through time series analysis using a GIS technique. Also, a study of remedial measures to protect the island using a ‘bio-engineering’ technique is reported in this paper. It has been shown that, in the absence of protection measures, the eastern shore will merge with the Indian mainland during the next 25 years, while the western part will be completely washed off.     

Sensitivity analysis of the two dimensional application of the Generic Ecological Model (GEM) to algal bloom prediction in the North Sea

Harmful algae can cause damage to co-existing organisms, tourism and farmers. Accurate predictions of algal future composition and abundance as well as when and where algal blooms may occur could help early warning and mitigating. The Generic Ecological Model is an instrument that can be applied to any water system (fresh, transitional or coastal) to calculate the primary production, chlorophyll-a concentration and phytoplankton species composition. It consists of physical, chemical and ecological model components which are coupled together to build one generic and flexible modelling tool. In this paper the model has been analyzed to assess sensitivity of the simulated chlorophyll-a concentration to a subset of ecologically significant input factors. Only a small number of approaches could be considered as suitable for several reasons including the model complexity, engagement of numerous interacting parameters and relatively long time of a single simulation. Thus, sensitivity analysis has been carried out with the use of the Morris method and later enriched by the computation of the correlation ratios of the selected parameters on the model response at more than a few locations in the modelled area. The obtained results are in agreement with expert knowledge of the ecological processes in the North Sea and correspond well with local characteristics.     

Assessment of the effects of a port expansion on algae appearance in a costal bay through mathematical modelling. Application to San Lorenzo Bay (North Spain)

In the last years several episodes of algae appearance affecting bathing areas have been observed in San Lorenzo Bay (north of Spain). The analysis of the collected algae revealed that they might come from near intertidal or shallow subtidal zones due to eutrophication processes or through drift algae movement by the action of marine currents. In the vicinity of this area, the expansion of the Port of Gijón (now under construction) supposes a significant modification of the coastal geometry. The magnitude of such an expansion could cause changes in the patterns of currents in the bay, with the consequent alteration of the observed algal appearance phenomena. A mathematical modelling study to evaluate the risk of generation of eutrophication processes in the San Lorenzo Bay area and the transport of drift algae from near sea bed areas was developed. This study required the use of different hydrodynamic models in order to characterize the currents caused by tides, winds and waves. The eutrophication processes in the bay were analyzed with a depth-averaged two-dimensional eutrophication model which deals with eight water quality variables. Calibration of model parameters with the observed data from a field survey was performed. A reasonable agreement with the field measurements was achieved. Model results showed that the maximum phytoplankton concentrations were below eutrophic conditions. Although, the port expansion has led to an increment of phytoplankton concentrations, chlorophyll a levels were not representative of eutrophic conditions. To analyse the transport of drift algae, a methodology based on the utilization of a two-dimensional model which solves the depth-averaged advection-diffusion equation considering seaweed as a conservative tracer was developed and applied. Numerical modelling allowed the identification of the coastal areas that seems to be the source of the seaweed found on the beach. It was also proven that port expansion does not significantly affect drift algae transport in the area.