Using different multivariate approaches to assess water quality of qanats in arid zones of Southern Central Mexico

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Qanats in the aquifer of the Tehuacán Valley (Mexico) represent an ancient way of using groundwater that is still practiced today. They are used...     

A review of plant-based coagulants for turbidity and cyanobacteria blooms removal

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In recent years, the proliferation of Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms (CyanoHABs) has increased with water eutrophication and climate change, impairing...     

Level of oxidative stress for the land snail Cepaea nemoralis from aged and bioremediated soil contaminated with petroleum products

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Here, we investigated whether the widely distributed snail Cepaea nemoralis could be used as a suitable sentinel animal for assessing the effects of...     

Acute toxicity and teratogenicity of carbaryl (carbamates), tebufenpyrad (pyrazoles), cypermethrin and permethrin (pyrethroids) on the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L, 1758) early life stages

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The toxicity of carbaryl, tebufenpyrad, cypermethrin and permethrin was evaluated in European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax during the embryonic and...     

Identification and assay of microbial fatty acids during co-composting of active sewage sludge with palm waste by TMAH-thermochemolysis coupled with GC-MS

The fatty acids of two composts of active sludge with palm tree waste were investigated by thermochemolysis coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This method (tetramethylammonium hydroxide-pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) allowed the direct determination of total fatty acids (analysed as fatty acid methyl esters: FAMEs) present in the organic matter of the samples without any separation procedures. Mixture A was 1/3 sludge+2/3 palm waste and mixture B was 1/2 sludge+1/2 palm waste. The level of FAMEs rose by 8.4–33.3% and 10.8–13.4% in mixtures A and B, respectively, after 6 months of co-composting. Branched FAMEs of bacterial origin (iC15:0) rose during the thermophilic phase, in mixture A the aC17:0/aC15:0 ratio increased during the co-composting process, also in mixture B the aC16:0/C16:0 ratio rose but only during the thermophilic phase. All the FAMEs identified showed a drop at the end of co-composting except for C18:0 and C16:0. The stabilisation phase was characterised by a significant rise in the length of the aliphatic chains; the carbon preference index thus increased at the end of the composting process, indicating that the final product was proportionally richer in fatty acids of plant origin.     

Delayed neurotoxicity in the wild mallard duckling caused by the organophosphorus insecticides cyanofenphos and leptophos

Abstract

The susceptibility of wild mallard ducklings to the delayed neurotoxic effect of the neurotoxic organophosphorus insecticides cyanofenphos and leptophos was evaluated following a daily dosing regimen. Ducklings were treated daily with either cyanofenphos or with leptophos at different dose levels for 90 days, or until they died, or became paralyzed. A control group of ducklings given corn oil at 1 ml/kg daily for 90 days was used for comparison. All treated birds were observed daily for any clinical signs of neurotoxicity during the course of this study. All of the surviving ducklings that were treated with cyanofenphos at 4 mg/kg/day or leptophos at 10 mg/kg/day developed clinical signs of delayed neurotoxicity after 7 to 11 weeks of intoxication. Symptoms included leg weakness, ataxia, severe ataxia and paralysis. The observed clinical signs were confirmed by histological changes found in the spinal cords of the treated birds. These changes were of the type associated with organophosphorus‐induced delayed neuropathy (OPIDN). These results demonstrate that wild mallard ducklings are susceptible to OPIDN and this avian species can be used in screening organophos‐phorus compounds for such effect.     

The crestline approach for assessing the development of coastal flooding due to sea level rise

One of the most pressing issues in studying the impacts of sea level rise (SLR) triggered by climate change is understanding the development of the hazard of permanent coastal flooding. The issue persists because available approaches are based on the mapping of the inundated area where they explore the coastal flooding development across terrain elevations, that is—horizontally. In addition, they overlook the existing structures along or in the vicinity of the coastline, which have inherent hydraulic properties that may affect the development of such flooding. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel approach for assessing the development of permanent coastal flooding due to SLR at cross sections along the coastline, that is—vertically, in full consideration of underlying hydraulic properties of the existing coastline. An approach was developed using analogy of existing coastline to a contiguous weir. This approach was named crestline approach and was developed as a four step GIS-based approach that could be applied at any coastal zone. An example application on one of the top ranked cities in the world prone to the SLR threat has been provided to illustrate exactly how to apply the crestline approach. The novelty of this approach lies in its ability to accurately identify the specific locations where coastal flooding will initiate, in full consideration of existing natural/manmade coastal structures. This study is significant for the opportunities it provides to analysts and decision makers to better understand the development of permanent coastal flooding.