Temporal, spatial, and body size effects on growth rates of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northwest Atlantic

In response to a call from the US National Research Council for research programs to combine their data to improve sea turtle population assessments, we analyzed somatic growth data for Northwest Atlantic (NWA) loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from 10 research programs. We assessed growth dynamics over wide ranges of geography (9–33°N latitude), time (1978–2012), and body size (35.4–103.3 cm carapace length). Generalized additive models revealed significant spatial and temporal variation in growth rates and a significant decline in growth rates with increasing body size. Growth was more rapid in waters south of the USA (<24°N) than in USA waters. Growth dynamics in southern waters in the NWA need more study because sample size was small. Within USA waters, the significant spatial effect in growth rates of immature loggerheads did not exhibit a consistent latitudinal trend. Growth rates declined significantly from 1997 through 2007 and then leveled off or increased. During this same interval, annual nest counts in Florida declined by 43 % (Witherington et al. in Ecol Appl 19:30–54, 2009) before rebounding. Whether these simultaneous declines reflect responses in productivity to a common environmental change should be explored to determine whether somatic growth rates can help interpret population trends based on annual counts of nests or nesting females. Because of the significant spatial and temporal variation in growth rates, population models of NWA loggerheads should avoid employing growth data from restricted spatial or temporal coverage to calculate demographic metrics such as age at sexual maturity.     

Influence of platinum, palladium and rhodium as compared with cadmium, nickel and chromium on cell viability and oxidative stress in human bronchial epithelial cells

The platinum group elements (PGE) Pt, Pd and Rh are increasingly emitted into the environment by automobile catalytic converters. Whereas the biological availability of PGE to plants and animals has been demonstrated, only few studies concentrate on the influence of PGE on a cellular level. The effects of Pt, Pd and Rh compared with Cd, Ni and Cr on cell viability and oxidative stress response using soluble metal salts were studied in the human bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B. Whilst Rh(III) showed little influence, both Pt(II) and Pt(IV) as well as Pd(II) had significant effects on cell viability at levels comparable to Cd(II) and Cr(VI). Arranging metal species in order of increasing toxicity as determined by LC50 yields: Rh(III)=1.2 mmol/L相似文献   

New jet-aeration system using ‘Supercavitation’

Background, aim and scope  

A newly developed fine bubble aeration system, by which air is transferred under supercavitation conditions, shows a clearly better performance than traditional, well-known aerators that rely on the jet-pump principle and its performance can be compared to oxygen transfer rates achieved in membrane and foil plate aerators.     

Development of a comprehensive analytical method for the determination of chlorinated paraffins in spruce needles applied in passive air sampling

Conifer needles are used for the monitoring of atmospheric persistent organic pollutants. The objective of the present study was to develop a method for the detection of airborne chlorinated paraffins (CPs) using spruce needles as a passive sampler. The method is based on liquid extraction of the cuticular wax layer followed by chromatographic fractionation and detection of CPs using two different GCMS techniques. Total CP concentrations (sum of short (SCCP), medium (MCCP) and long chain CPs (LCCP)) were determined by EI-MS/MS. SCCP and MCCP levels as well as congener group patterns (n-alkane chain length, chlorine content) could be evaluated using ECNI-LRMS. For the first time, data on environmental airborne CPs on spruce needles taken within the Monitoring Network in the Alpine Region for Persistent and other Organic Pollutants (MONARPOP) are presented providing evidence that spruce needles are a suitable passive sampling system for the monitoring of atmospheric CPs.     

Towards a green industry through cleaner production development

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The growth in global production and consumption rates has resulted in increased pollution generation by industrial companies. To this end, cleaner...