Evaluation of soil solid amendments for TCE biodegradation in a biobarrier system

Permeable biobarrier systems (PBSs) are being recognized as low‐cost passive bioremediation technologies for chlorinated organic contamination. This innovative technology can play a crucial and effective role in site restorations. Laboratory‐scale experiments were conducted to investigate the biodegradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) to ethylene in shallow groundwater through the use of a PBS enhanced by bioaugmentation at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS). Two composts and two plant amendments, eucalyptus mulch (EM) and corncobs (CC), were examined for their effectiveness at creating and maintaining conditions suitable for TCE anaerobic dechlorination. These materials were evaluated for their (1) nutrient and organic carbon content, (2) TCE sorption characteristics, and (3) longevity of release of nutrients and soluble carbon in groundwater to support TCE dechlorination. Native bacteria in the columns had the ability to convert TCE to dichloroethenes (DCEs); however, the inoculation with the TCE‐degrading culture greatly increased the rate of biodegradation. This caused a significant increase in by‐product concentration, mostly in the form of DCEs and vinyl chloride (VC) followed by a slow degradation to ethylene. Of the tested amendments, eucalyptus mulch was the most effective at supporting the reductive dechlorination of TCE. Corncobs created a very acidic condition in the column that inhibited dechlorination. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Eco-assessment of streams of Konya closed river basin (Turkey) using various ecoregional diatom indices

Ecological assessment of freshwater ecosystems based on diatom metrics is an important issue for attaining environmental sustainability. The present study aimed to evaluate differences in the diatom–stressor relationship in relatively least disturbed streams in the Konya closed river basin using multivariate analyses and to bio-assess streams by the application of different ecoregional diatom indices. Cocconeis euglypta, Cymbella excisa, Cocconeis placentula, and Achnanthidium minutissimum are the most contributing species to the dissimilarity of sampling stations between rainy (spring) and dry (summer and fall) seasons and also between altitude (A2 800- < 1600 m and A3 ≥ 1600 m) groups. The first two axes of canonical correspondence analysis revealed a significant (82.8%) relationship between diatom species and stressors. Diatom species displayed distinct responses to environmental variables (electrical conductivity, Ni, Cu, B, and altitude) playing important roles on the distribution of species. Diatom indices indicate different ecological statuses of stations, from bad to high. European diatom indices except Duero Diatom Index (DDI) and Trophic Diatom Index (TDI) showed good responses to the eco-assessment of streams and indicated high ecological status for the least disturbed sampling stations symbolized as S16, S20, S24, S25, S27-29, S37, and S39. These results were also supported by abiotic evaluation. Although TIT was more competitive in the bio-assessment of streams among diatom indices, it is necessary to increase its species list by determining their trophic weights in future studies. Therefore, the use of ecoregion-specific diatom indices is suggested along with increasing the number of used species to correctly interpret the water quality.

Graphical Abstract

     

Radiological hazard assessment of natural gross radioactivity in some cosmetic products

Many kinds of cosmetic products were analyzed to determine gross radioactivity. In this study, gross alpha/beta radioactivity concentrations in 51 cosmetic samples were determined. The examined cosmetic products consist of blusher, eye shadow, lipstick, nail polish, shampoo, hand cream, cellulite cream, baby powder, soap, and toothpaste. The gross alpha–beta activity concentrations were measured with a nuclear spectroscopic system which contains gas-flow proportional counters. The highest gross alpha/beta activity concentrations were found in eye shadow samples of 1.621Bq g^?1 for alpha and 6.471Bq g^?1 for beta. The total effective doses due to gross radioactivity for skin were calculated. Although the effective dose of eye shadow samples had the highest value, the effective doses due to gross radioactivity concentrations in this study were found to be lower than the radiological limits given by the authorities.     

Prenatal diagnosis of autosomal recessive osteopetrosis,infantile type,by X-ray evaluation

Prenatal diagnosis for infantile osteopetrosis was attempted during the third pregnancy of a first-cousin marriage whose family history revealed an affected previous child. At the 25th week of pregnancy, fetal X-ray evaluation revealed marked sclerosis of osteopetrotic bone and metaphyseal splaying and clubbing of both femurs. The pregnancy was terminated and repeated X-rays and histopathological examination of fetal bone (femur) confirmed the diagnosis.     

Fifteen-spined stickleback (Spinachia spinachia) females prefer males with more secretional threads in their nests: an honest-condition display by males

In the fifteen-spined stickleback (Spinachia spinachia), the male alone builds a nest and provides care for the eggs until they hatch. The nest is made of filamentous algae held together with shiny secretional threads of a glycoprotein, here called tangspiggin. Tangspiggin is produced by transformed kidney cells. I investigated how tangspiggin production was related to food intake by giving males low or high food rations. Males in the high-food group produced significantly more tangspiggin than those in the low-food group. Since low food rations did not lead to a significant drop in resting metabolic rate (oxygen consumption), tangspiggin production appears to be one of the first energy-demanding processes to be dropped during food deprivation. Among males given equal food rations, females preferred to mate with those with elevated levels of tangspiggin in their nests. Tangspiggin threads may signal safety for the offspring by keeping the eggs within the nest and protecting them from egg predators. Moreover, the threads become less shiny with age, due to particle deposition, and older nests that may house older (more valuable) eggs are thereby well camouflaged. Tangspiggin provides an honest signal of male condition, acting as an extra-bodily ornament, signaling direct benefits to females or possibly also indirect benefits of "good genes" from a male who is a successful forager.     

Secretor Status is Associated with Susceptibility to Disease in a Large GII.6 Norovirus Foodborne Outbreak

Food and Environmental Virology - Norovirus is commonly associated with food and waterborne outbreaks. Genetic susceptibility to norovirus is largely dependent on presence of histo-blood group...     

Determination of Commonly Used Herbicides in Surface Water Using Solid-Phase Extraction and Dual-Column HPLC-DAD

The present study describes the application of different solid-phase extraction techniques for the extraction, separation, and quantitative determination of 10 commonly used herbicides with different chemical structures (chlorsulfuron, diuron, bentazone, linuron, chlorpropham, fenoxoprop-ethyl, MCPA, diclofop-methyl, fluazifop-butyl, trifluraline) in water. Octadecyl (C₁₈) Empore extraction disks, octadecyl (C₁₈), and stryene divinylbenzene (SDB) Bond Elut Env cartridges were compared for solid-phase extraction efficiency. Herbicides were separated and quantified by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) with simultaneous separation on two columns of differing polarity (C₁₈ and CN) to confirm identification. Analytical separation was performed simultaneously on C₁₈ and CN columns. Reanalysis of the sample extracts on a (cyano) CN column were used to confirm the identity of these compounds. Method optimization and validation parameters were presented in this work. Recoveries varied from 76.0% to 99.0% for C₁₈ disks, from 75.1% to 100.0% for C₁₈ cartridges, and from 54.0% to 98.0% for SDB cartridges over concentrations at 0.025–0.4 μg L^?1. The limits of detection were 0.012–0.035 μg L^?1.     

A Comparison of Volunteer,BioRID P3 and Hybrid III Performance in Rear Impacts

The most important tool for testing seat-systems in rear impacts is a crash test dummy. However, investigators have noted limitations of the most commonly used dummy, the Hybrid III. The BioRID I is a step closer to a biofidelic crash test dummy, but it is not user-friendly and the straightening of the thoracic spine kyphosis is smaller than that 220of humans. To reduce these problems, a new BioRID prototype was developed, the P3. It has new neck muscle substitutes, a softer thoracic spine and a softer rubber torso than does the BioRID I.

The BioRID P3 was compared with volunteer test data in a rigid and a standard seal without head restraints. The dummy kinematic performance, pressure distribution between subject and seatback, neck loads and accelerations were compared with those of ten volunteers and a Hybrid III. The BioRID P3 provided repeatable test results and its response was very similar to that of the average volunteer in rear impacts at Δv = 9 km/h.