Presence, biotransformation and effects of sulfophenylcarboxylic acids in the benthic fish Solea senegalensis

The presence of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) and their degradation intermediates, sulfophenylcarboxylic acids (SPCs), with concentrations up to 100 ppb has been found in surface waters taken from the estuary of the river Guadalete (Cádiz, SW of Spain). Higher concentrations were found at the sampling site located adjacent to the discharge outlet of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The concentrations decreased downstream to a few ppb as a result of dilution, sorption, and degradation processes, which were taking place along the estuary. Once the presence of both xenobiotics was confirmed in the environment, an in vivo assay was conducted to study their biotransformation and effects in the benthic fish Solea senegalensis. A flow-through system was employed, consisting of an exposure phase (120 h) with environmental levels of the surfactant (200, 500 and 800 microg/L of 2?C(10)LAS), followed by a depuration stage (72 h). The generation of SPCs has been quantified during these phases in both water and fish, with LAS biotransformation shown in all cases. The antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione reductase (GR), the phase II enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST), and the phase III acid and alkaline phosphatases (AcP, ALP) were also estimated and utilized as biomarkers.     

Impact of dredging in a shallow coastal lagoon: Microtox Basic Solid-Phase Test, trace metals and Corophium bioassay

The aim of this work was to measure survival of the amphipod Corophium insidiosum and luminescence inhibition in the marine bacterium Vibrio fisheri on surface sediment samples collected from a shallow coastal lagoon (Pialassa Baiona, northern Adriatic Italian coast) before execution of dredging operations to deepen the main inner channel of the lagoon and restore the water circulation. Trace metal (Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb) concentrations, grain size and organic carbon matter content as loss of ignition were also measured. Toxicity testing with V. fisheri was carried out according to the Microtox Basic Solid-Phase Test (BSPT) protocol. The preliminary outcomes of this work show that: (a) the investigated area can be categorised as moderately degraded; (b) there is no evident spatial pattern in sediment toxicity and trace metal concentrations; (c) Microtox responses are not biased by sediment characteristics such as silt, clay and organic matter content.     

Distribution of organotin compounds in the bivalves of the Aegean Sea, Greece

Five bivalve species--Mytilus galloprovinciallis (Mediterranean mussels), Venus gallina (stripped venus), Modiola barbatus L. (bearded horse mussels), Pecten jacobeus (scallops) and Callista chione (hard clams)--were collected from seven areas in Aegean Sea, Greece, between August 2001 and January 2003 and analyzed for organotins (OTs). The concentrations (as geometric means) found were 17.1 ng g-1 for tributyltin (TBT), 18.8 ng g-1 for dibutytltin (DBT), 7.8 ng g-1 for monobutyltin (MBT) and 13.0 ng g-1 for triphenyltin (TPhT) (wet weight), which are at similar or lower levels than those reported worldwide. Studying OTs distribution between different bivalve species, lower concentrations were observed in mediterranean mussels, possibly due to their growth in water column (grown on sea net pens in mussel farms), in contrast to the free-ranging species, collected from fishing grounds. Concentrations of the OTs in the examined bivalves varied seasonally.     

Cladocerans under conditions of small river damming by man and beavers

In beaver ponds, the species diversity, abundance, biomass, and production of cladocerans and the amount of food consumed by them have increased and the composition of dominant species has changed as compared to those in the stretches of small rivers with running water or dammed by man. The stimulating effect of water from a beaver pond has been confirmed in laboratory experiments. The average number of juvenile Ceriodaphnia affinis produced by one female was considerably greater in this water than in the water from flowing and dammed (by man) river stretches.     

Relict communities and populations of petrophilous plant species in northern regions of Sverdlovsk oblast and problems in their conservation

An inventory of rock vegetation has been taken in river valleys on the eastern slope of the southern part of the Northern Urals and the northern part of the Middle Urals. New habitats of some rare plant species, relict communities of forest-steppe species at the northern limit of their distribution, and ultrasmall populations of petrophilous species growing in isolation for a long time have been revealed. In studies on a group of similar specially protected areas (e.g., within river valleys), it is proposed to identify key sites distinguished by the highest species richness of vegetation     

Specific features of the growth of Scots pine vegetative organs in the forest-steppe zone of Cisbaikalia

The dependence of the annual increment of vegetative organs on air temperature and humidity and the amount of precipitation per phenophase, as well as the period of their growth in Scots pine, were studied in the forest-steppe zone of Cisbaikalia. The multiple effect of variation in environmental conditions on the annual increment of organs increased when precipitation in September of the previous year was taken into account. These factors proved to have a stronger effect on variation in the annual increment of needles (R ² = 0.59, p = 0.00005) than that in the annual ring width (R ² = 0.38, p = 0.0002).     

Preliminary report on methane emissions from the Three Gorges Reservoir in the summer drainage period

Considerable variations may exist in CH4 emissions from the Three Gorges Reservoir.     

Decolorization of dye solutions with Ruditapes philippinarum conglutination mud and the isolated bacteria

Application of Ruditapes Philippinarum conglutination mud (RPM) for decolorizing synthetic dye solutions was studied. RPM showed good activity for decolorization of Methylene Blue, Crystal Violet, Malachite Green, and Ink Blue. The amount of the RPM had great effect on the decoloration rate of the dye solutions. However, the decoloration rate did not continue to increase when the amount of mud exceeded the optimum dose. The temperature of the dye solution had a remarkable effect on the decolorization rate of Ink Blue solution, but had little effect on the other three dye solutions. The initial pH of the dye solutions evidently affected the decolorization rate of Malachite Green solution, but had less effect on the other three. The decolorization rate of the dye solutions increased significantly with treatment time within 8 hr, but tended to be steady after 8 hr for Methylene Blue, Crystal Violet and Malachite Green solutions, and after 12 hr for Ink Blue solution. The decolorization efficiencies for the four dye solutions under the optimum conditions were all above 90%. Seventeen strains screened from RPM showed flocculation ability for kaolin clay suspension. Out of them, the flocculation rate of strain ZHT3-9 and strain ZHT4-13 were up to 88.14% and 86.01%, respectively. ZHT3-9 was studied, and its decolorization rate for Methylene Blue, Crystal Violet, and Malachite Green reached 90.02%, 89.21%, and 80.29%, respectively. By morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics analysis and 16S rRNA sequencing, the strain ZHT3-9 was identified as Arthrobacter sp.     

The role of coalitions in disaster policymaking

Disasters have the potential to act as focusing events, which can increase the amount of attention on disaster‐related problems and encourage policy action. Understanding of the political characteristics of disaster policymaking is underdeveloped, yet it is known that these features may be dissimilar to those of non‐disaster policy areas, especially concerning the coalitions of policy actors engaged in the disaster policy process. Coalitions in the realm of disaster policy processes may be less likely to form, may look very different, and may have different goals than those in non‐disaster domains. Knowledge of the emergence, composition, and purpose of coalitions in disaster policy is lacking. This paper draws on prior theory and case observations to define and describe the characteristics of a disaster policy subsystem and to build a typology of coalitions that may appear within such a subsystem, providing a foundation upon which scholars can work to study coalition dynamics in disaster policy subsystems.     

Seasonal and diurnal variations of atmospheric peroxyacetyl nitrate, peroxypropionyl nitrate, and carbon tetrachloride in Beijing

Atmospheric peroxyacetyl nitrate(PAN), peroxypropionyl nitrate(PPN), and carbon tetrachloride(CCl4) were measured from September 2010 to August 2011 in Beijing. PAN exhibited low values from mid-autumn to early spring(October to March) with monthly average concentrations ranging from 0.28 to 0.73 ppbV, and increased from early spring to summer(March to August), ranging from 1.37–3.79 ppbV. The monthly variation of PPN was similar to PAN, with low values(below detection limit to 0.18 ppbV) from mid-autumn to early spring, and a monthly maximum in September(1.14 ppbV). The monthly variation of CCl4was tightly related to the variation of temperature, exhibiting a minimum in winter(69.3 pptV) and a maximum of 180.6 pptV in summer. Due to weak solar intensity and short duration, PAN and O3showed no distinct diurnal patterns from morning to night during winter, whereas for other seasons, they both exhibited maximal values in the late afternoon(ca. 15:00 to 16:00 local time) and minimal values during early morning and midnight. Good linear correlations between PAN and PPN were found in autumn(R = 0.91), spring(R = 0.94), and summer(R = 0.81), with slopes of 0.130, 0.222, and 0.133, respectively, suggesting that anthropogenic hydrocarbons dominated the photochemical formation of PANs in Beijing. Positive correlation between PAN and O3 in summer with the low slopes( O3 / PAN) ranging from 9.92 to 18.0 indicated serious air pollution in Beijing, and strong negative correlation in winter reflected strong O3consumption by NO titration and less thermal decompositin of PAN.