The effect of paraoxon on spermatogenesis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dugesia gonocephala</Emphasis> from the Chilean Altiplano: proliferation and apoptosis

Introduction and aims  

The Chilean Altiplano ecosystem is conserved free from contaminants and pollutants because of the absence of major local human activities such as agriculture or other industries. We studied the effects of paraoxon on proliferation and apoptosis of testicular cells during active spermatogenesis in Dugesia gonocephala collected from a pristine river (Guacollo) in the Altiplano region nearby Visviri town, Chile.     

Serum heavy metals of passive smoker females and its correlation to bone biomarkers and risk of osteoporosis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Serum total and free calcium reflect the status of the body health and disease. Smoking is risk factor for many diseases as cardiovascular, lung, and...     

Increasing water productivity,nitrogen economy,and grain yield of rice by water saving irrigation and fertilizer-N management

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The looming water resources worldwide necessitate the development of water-saving technologies in rice production. An open greenhouse experiment was...     

Long-range potential source contributions of episodic aerosol events to PM10 profile of a megacity

This paper evaluates possible long-range source contributions to the PM₁₀ profile of Istanbul, Turkey. A novel method for classifying PM₁₀ episodic events resulting from long-range transport, as opposed to local ones, was implemented. Hourly PM₁₀ mass concentrations from ten stations distributed throughout Istanbul during the year 2008 were used for this purpose. Hourly backward trajectories for the arrival of air masses to the center of Istanbul for the year 2008 were calculated using the HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) model. Significant episodes from these backward trajectories were selected and employed in Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF) analysis to estimate the possible contribution of long-range PM₁₀ transport (LRPMT) to observed PM₁₀ concentrations. The PSCF results showed significant seasonal variations. Based on the results obtained, PM₁₀ concentrations observed in Istanbul during summer and autumn are not heavily affected by LRPMT. Mediterranean countries, especially those of the central part of northern Africa (northern Algeria and Libya) are the most significant potential PM₁₀ contributors to Istanbul's atmosphere during springtime. During winter, Balkan countries, including the Aegean part of Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Croatia, as well as northern Italy, eastern France, southern Germany, Austria and the eastern part of Russia, were the most important LRPMT source regions for high PSCF values.     

Biomass as the Renewable Energy Sources in Malaysia: An Overview

Past and current economic growths of Malaysia have been primarily energized by fossil fuels. Malaysia has very substantial potential for biomass energy utilization given its equatorial climate that is ideal for dense tropical forest growth and agricultural vegetation. There are five major sectors contributing wastes to biomass energy in Malaysia: forestry (wood products), rubber cultivation, cocoa cultivation, sugar cane cultivation and oil palm cultivation. Biomass in Malaysia contributes about 14% of the approximately 340 million barrel of oil equivalent (boe) of energy used every year. This paper provides an overview on the types of biomass being used, the research works on biomass conversion into energy and the present biomass energy projects in Malaysia.     

Occupational exposure to gasoline in gasoline station male attendants promotes M1 polarization in macrophages

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Several studies have reported the toxicological implications of exposure to petroleum hydrocarbon fumes in animal models. There is little...     

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) leaves as biomonitors of atmospheric metal pollution in arid and semi-arid environments

The leaves of date palms were evaluated as a possible biomonitor of heavy metal contamination in Ma’an city, Jordan. Concentrations of (Fe), (Pb), (Zn), (Cu), (Ni), and (Cr) were determined in washed and unwashed leaves and soil samples collected from different sites with different degrees of metal contamination (urban, suburban, industrial, highway and rural sites); separate leaves were taken from outside the city to be used as a control sample. Samples collected from industrial sites were found to have high concentrations of all metals except those of Cu, Ni and Pb, which were found at high levels in the highway site samples which is associated with the road traffic. The difference between unwashed and washed samples showed that metal pollutants exist as contaminants, particularly Pb, Zn and Ni, which varied in concentration, depending on the source of the metal.     

Ecosystem Services Provided by Agroecosystems: A Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of this Relationship in the Pampa Region,Argentina

The development of an analytical framework relating agricultural conditions and ecosystem services (ES) provision could be very useful for developing land-use systems which sustain natural resources for future use. According to this, a conceptual network was developed, based on literature review and expert knowledge, about the functional relationships between agricultural management and ES provision in the Pampa region (Argentina). We selected eight ES to develop this conceptual network: (1) carbon (C) balance, (2) nitrogen (N) balance, (3) groundwater contamination control, (4) soil water balance, (5) soil structural maintenance, (6) N₂O emission control, (7) regulation of biotic adversities, and (8) biodiversity maintenance. This conceptual network revealed a high degree of interdependence among ES provided by Pampean agroecosystems, finding two trade-offs, and two synergies among them. Then, we analyzed the conceptual network structure, and found that both environmental and management variables influenced ES provision. Finally, we selected four ES to parameterize and quantify along 10 growing seasons (2000/2001–2009/2010) through a probabilistic methodology called Bayesian Networks. Only N balance was negatively impacted by agricultural management; while C balance, groundwater contamination control, and N₂O emission control were not. Outcomes of our work emphasize the idea that qualitative and quantitative methodologies should be implemented together to assess ES provision in Pampean agroecosystems, as well as in other agricultural systems.     

Reuse of mining wastewater in agricultural activities in Jordan

A pilot study was completed in the Al-Abyad area near phosphate mining activity in Jordan. Six plots of 50 m² each were planted with two types of plant species (Zea mays spp. and Medicago lupulina spp.) and irrigated using three types of water (fresh groundwater, mine wastewater, and hydride water consisting of 50% fresh and 50% mine wastewater) to investigate the suitability of utilizing mine wastewater for food production in the area. Water, soil and plant sampling was completed for each plot over different time intervals and analyzed for heavy metal (Cr⁺⁶, Ni⁺², Zn⁺² and Pb⁺²) in addition to major ionic composition of the water used for irrigation. Crop yield was estimated at the end of the experiment. Plots irrigated with mine wastewater showed slightly higher heavy metals concentrations and soil salinity during the experiment period was higher for plots irrigated with mine wastewater compared to plots irrigated with fresh water, and it was uniform through the upper 45 cm of the soil profile due to the high amount of irrigation water used during the experiment. Crop yield was inversely proportional to salinity as an increase of salinity by 2-folds resulted in reducing yield by almost 50%. However, no risk of heavy metals contamination was found in plants and soil. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.