Geochemical characterisation of the thermo-mineral waters of Greece

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Geothermal areas of Greece are located in regions affected by recent volcanism and in continental basins characterised by elevated heat flow. Many of them...     

Effects of wind direction on coarse and fine particulate matter concentrations in southeast Kansas

Field data for coarse particulate matter ([PM] PM10) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were collected at selected sites in Southeast Kansas from March 1999 to October 2000, using portable MiniVol particulate samplers. The purpose was to assess the influence on air quality of four industrial facilities that burn hazardous waste in the area located in the communities of Chanute, Independence, Fredonia, and Coffeyville. Both spatial and temporal variation were observed in the data. Variation because of sampling site was found to be statistically significant for PM10 but not for PM2.5. PM10 concentrations were typically slightly higher at sites located within the four study communities than at background sites. Sampling sites were located north and south of the four targeted sources to provide upwind and downwind monitoring pairs. No statistically significant differences were found between upwind and downwind samples for either PM10 or PM2.5, indicating that the targeted sources did not contribute significantly to PM concentrations. Wind direction can frequently contribute to temporal variation in air pollutant concentrations and was investigated in this study. Sampling days were divided into four classifications: predominantly south winds, predominantly north winds, calm/variable winds, and winds from other directions. The effect of wind direction was found to be statistically significant for both PM10 and PM2.5. For both size ranges, PM concentrations were typically highest on days with predominantly south winds; days with calm/variable winds generally produced higher concentrations than did those with predominantly north winds or those with winds from "other" directions. The significant effect of wind direction suggests that regional sources may exert a large influence on PM concentrations in the area.     

Bat- and Bird-Generated Seed Rains at Isolated Trees in Pastures in a Tropical Rainforest

Abstract: Bats are abundant and effective seed dispersers inside the forest, but what happens when a forest is fragmented and transformed into pasture? The landscape at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico, originally rainforest, is greatly fragmented and covered with pastures. We analyzed the seed rains produced by frugivorous bats and birds under isolated trees in pastures in the fragmented landscape and the contribution of this process to vegetational recovery. We surveyed bats and obtained fecal samples under isolated trees in pastures. We also collected seed rain below the canopy of 10 isolated Ficus trees, separating nocturnally dispersed seeds from diurnally dispersed seeds. We caught 652 bats of 20 species; 83% of captures were frugivores. The most abundant species were Sturnira lilium (48%), Artibeus jamaicensis (18%), Carollia perspicillata (12%), and Dermanura tolteca (11%). Fecal samples contained seeds of 19 species in several families: Piperaceae (50%), Moraceae (25%), Solanaceae (12%), Cecropiaceae (10%), and others (3%). Sturnira lilium was the most important disperser bat in pastures. Seed rain was dominated by zoochorous species (89%). We found seed diversity between day and night seed captures to be comparable, but we found a significant interaction of disperser type (  bird or bat) with season. Seven plant species accounted for 79% of the seed rain: Piper auritum (23%), Ficus (  hemiepiphytic-strangler tree) spp. (17%), Cecropia obtusifolia (10%), P. amalago (10%), Ficus (  free-standing tree) spp. (8%), P. yzabalanum (6%), and Solanum rudepanum (5%). Bats and birds are important seed dispersers in pastures because they disperse seeds of pioneer and primary species (trees, shrubs, herbs, and epiphytes), connect forest fragments, and maintain plant diversity. Consequently, they might contribute to the recovery of woody vegetation in disturbed areas in tropical humid forests.     

Chemical and biological characterisation of biofilms formed on different substrata in Tisza river (Hungary)

Natural biofilms were simultaneously grown on granite, polished granite, andesite, polycarbonate and Plexi-glass substrata for six weeks in the Tisza River. Biofilm production and abundance of algae were influenced by the substratum. Magnitude of the substratum effect was andesite相似文献   

Interaction of short-term testosterone treatment with osmotic acclimation in the gilthead sea bream <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sparus auratus</Emphasis>

To assess the interaction between testosterone (T) treatment and acclimation to different salinities, seawater-acclimated gilthead sea bream (Sparus auratus) were implanted with slow-release coconut oil implants alone (control) or containing T (5 μg/g body mass). After 5 days, eight fish of control and T-treated groups were sampled. The same day, eight fish of each group were transferred to low salinity water (LSW, 6 ppt, hypoosmotic test), seawater (SW, 38 ppt, control test) and high salinity water (HSW, 55 ppt, hyperosmotic test) and sampled 9 days later. Gill Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase activity increased in HSW-acclimated fish with respect to SW- and LSW-acclimated fish in both control and T-treated groups. Kidney Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase activity was also enhanced in HSW-acclimated fish, but only in T-treated group. From a metabolic point of view, most of the changes observed can be attributed to the action of salinity and T treatment alone, since few interactions between T treatment and osmotic acclimation to different salinities were observed. Those interactions included in treated fish: in the liver, decreased capacity in using glucose in fish acclimated to extreme salinities; in the gills, decreased capacity in using amino acids in HSW; in the kidneys increased capacity in using amino acids in extreme salinities; and in the brain, decreased glycogen and acetoacetate levels of fish in LSW.     

Magnetic Nanocrystalline Cellulose: Azithromycin Adsorption and In Vitro Biological Activity Against Melanoma Cells

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - This study reports a simple methodology of obtaining magnetic nanocrystalline cellulose under very mild conditions employing only Fe2+ as the iron source,...     

The effect of storage and mechanical pretreatment on the biological stability of municipal solid wastes

Modern mechanical–biological waste treatment plants for the stabilization of both the source-separated organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW) and the mixed stream of municipal solid wastes (MSW) include a mechanical pretreatment step to separate recyclable materials such as plastics, glass or metals, before biological treatment of the resulting organic material. In this work, the role of storage and mechanical pretreatment steps in the stabilization of organic matter has been studied by means of respiration techniques. Results have shown that a progressive stabilization of organic matter occurs during the pretreatment of the source-separated OFMSW, which is approximately 30% measured by the dynamic respiration index. In the case of mixed MSW, the stabilization occurring during the reception and storage of MSW is compensated by the effect of concentration of organic matter that the pretreatment step provokes on this material. Both results are crucial for the operation of the succeeding biological process. Finally, respiration indices have been shown to be suitable for the monitoring of the pretreatment steps in mechanical–biological waste treatment plants, with a strong positive correlation between the dynamic respiration index and the cumulative respiration index across all samples tested.     

Process Modifications for Air Pollution Control in Neutral Sulfite Semi-Chemical Mills

The body of information presented in this paper is directed to those individuals concerned with the air pollution control problems of the pulp and paper industry operation. Process modifications introduced at two Company mills, at Big Island, Va. and Tomahawk, Wis., where neutral sulfite semichemical pulping of hardwoods is performed at rates of 550 and 630 tons per day, respectively, are discussed. The methodology and concepts used to minimize total reduced sulfur and total sulfur oxide emissions from the recovery furnace of one of the operations are explained. In another major improvement already implemented in the Big Island Mill conventional hydrogen sulfide emissions from the sulfiting tower, on the order of 8–10 lb as sulfur per ton of pulp, have been completely eliminated by a process modification technique. Other aspects of the operations are described, and a forecast of possible emission levels for mills with a newer technology is made.