Morphological abnormalities in frogs from a rice-growing region in NSW, Australia, with investigations into pesticide exposure

Three frog species (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis, Limnodynastes fletcheri and Litoria raniformis) were surveyed in rice bays of the Coleambally Irrigation Area (CIA), NSW, Australia, during the rice-growing seasons of 2005/2006 and 2006/2007. A total external morphological abnormality index of 7.0% was observed in frogs of the CIA (n?=?1,209). The types and frequencies of abnormalities were typical of reports from agricultural areas with ectrodactyly being the most common aberration. A relatively low abnormality index of 1.2% was observed in L. raniformis (n?=?87) compared to indices of 7.1% and 8.2% observed in L. fletcheri (n?=?694) and L. tasmaniensis (n?=?428), respectively. No conclusive evidence was found of unnaturally high rates of intersex, gonadal maldevelopment or unbalanced sex ratios in any species. Rice bay surface waters differed significantly in mean pesticide concentrations of atrazine and metolachlor on farms growing rice and corn compared to farms with rice as the sole crop. However, the similar abnormality indices observed in recent metamorphs emerging from these two farm types provided no evidence to suggest a link between larval exposure to the measured pesticides and developmental malformations.     

Risk assessment due to ingestion of natural radionuclides and heavy metals in the milk samples: a case study from a proposed uranium mining area, Jharkhand

Ingestion of radionuclides and heavy metals through drinking water and food intake represents one of the important pathways for long-term health considerations. Milk and milk products are main constituents of the daily diet. Radionuclides and heavy metals can be apprehended in the ecosystem of the East Singhbhum region which is known for its viable grades of uranium, copper and other minerals. For the risk assessment studies, samples of milk were collected from twelve villages around Bagjata mining area and analysed for U(nat), ²²⁶Ra, ²³⁰Th, ²¹⁰Po, Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Cu and Ni. Analysis of the results of the study reveals that the geometric mean of U(nat), ²²⁶Ra, ²³⁰Th and ²¹⁰Po was 0.021, 0.24, 0.23 and 1.08 Bq l^???1, respectively. The ingestion dose was calculated to be 12.34 ??SvY^???1 which is reflecting the natural background dose via the route of ingestion, and much below the 1 mSv limit set in the new ICRP recommendations. The excess lifetime cancer risk was estimated to be 1.72 × 10^???4 which is within the acceptable excess individual lifetime cancer risk value of 1 × 10^???4. The geometric mean of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Ni was 4.91, 0.29, 4.77, 0.56 and 0.48 mgl^???1, respectively; whereas the daily intake was computed to be 0.44, 0.03, 0.43, 0.05 and 0.04 mg/day, respectively. Pb was not detected in any of the samples. The hazard quotient revealed that the intake of the heavy metals through the ingestion of milk does not pose any apparent threat to the local people as none of the HQ of the heavy metals exceeds the limit of 1.     

Variations in some environmental characteristics including C and N stable isotopic composition of suspended organic matter in the Mandovi estuary

Chemical and isotopic (??¹³C and ??¹⁵N) investigation of the Mandovi estuary along the Indian west coast affected strongly by the seasonal monsoon cycle was carried out. The Mandovi estuary is a major waterway for Goa and extensively used for transportation of iron and manganese ore. In addition, with large population centers as well as agricultural fields located on its shores, the estuary is assumed to have been influenced by human activities. Measurements of chemical and isotopic parameters made in the lower part of the estuary during the southwest (SW) monsoon and post-monsoon seasons reveal distinct changes, and it is observed that despite considerable enrichment of macronutrients during the SW monsoon, productivity of the estuary (phytoplankton biomass), as inferred from the chlorophyll-a content, is not as high as expected. This is due to occurrences of high turbidity and cloud cover that limits photosynthetic productivity. The isotopic characterization (C and N isotopes) of suspended organic matter produced/transported during the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons of year 2007 provides a baseline dataset for future isotopic studies in such type of tropical estuaries.     

Gold mining in Siberia and the Far East as a source of mercury contamination of the environment

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＳｉｂｅｒｉａａｎｄｔｈｅＦａｒＥａｓｔａｒｅｔｈｅｏｌｄｅｓｔａｎｄｔｈｅｒｉｃｈｅｓｔｇｏｌｄ ｍｉｎｉｎｇａｒｅａｓｏｆＲｕｓｓｉａ .Ｉｎｔｅｎｓｉｖｅｇｏｌｄ ｍｉｎｉｎｇｈｅｒｅｓｔａｒｔｅｄｉｎｔｈｅｂｅｇｉｎｎｉｎｇｏｆｔｈｅ 19ｔｈｃｅｎｔｕｒｙ(Ｖｙａｚｅｌｓｈｃｈｉｋｏｖ ,1963) .Ｆｏｒｔｈｅｍｏｓｔｐａｒｔｇｏｌｄ ｂｅａｒｉｎｇｏｒｅｓａｎｄｓａｎｄｓｗｅｒｅｐｒｏｃｅｓｓｅｄｗｉｔｈｔｈｅｕｓｅｏｆａｍａｌｇａｍａｔｉｏｎｍｅｔｈｏｄｆｏｒｇｏｌｄｅ…     

Synthetic hydrophilic polymers

Synthetic hydrophilic polymers find promising applications in pharmacology, biotechnology and chemistry. The biocompatibility, biodegradability and pharmacological activity of these polymers depend much on their hydrophilic nature. This article summarizes the recent developments in the utilization of the different classes of these hydrophilic polymers as pharmacologically active agents, for enzyme modification and as catalysts and supports for chemical reactions.     

Predator odour and its impact on male fertility and reproduction in Phodopus campbelli hamsters

 This study investigated the influence of cat urine odour in suppressing development and fertility in Campbell's hamster males. Exposure to this odour from postnatal day 11 until day 45 (sexual maturation) resulted in reduced sex organ weights, reduced testosterone levels and in an increase in abnormalities of the synaptonemal complex in both sex chromosomes and autosomes. Subsequent breeding experiments revealed a significant decrease in litter size. All these data indicate a severe effect of predator odour on the breeding success of potential prey species. It is assumed that these effects are caused by the sulphurous compounds in the urine; however, the underlying mechanisms are not yet known. Received: 31 January 2000 / Accepted in revised form: 6 June 2000     

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles by microorganism using organic pollutant: its antimicrobial and catalytic application

A novel approach for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from aqueous solution of AgNO₃ using culture supernatant of phenol degraded broth is reported in this work. The synthesis was observed within 10 h, and AgNPs showed characteristic surface plasmon resonance around 410 nm. Spherical nanoparticles of size less than 30 nm were observed in transmission electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction pattern corresponding to 111, 200, 220, and 311 revealed the crystalline nature of the as-formed nanoparticles. It was found that the colloidal solution of AgNP suspensions exhibited excellent stability over a wide range of ionic strength, pH, and temperature. The effect of pH and ionic strength indicated that stabilization is due to electrostatic repulsion arising from the negative charge of the conjugate proteins. The AgNPs showed highly potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and fungal microorganisms. The as-prepared AgNPs showed excellent catalytic activity in reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol by NaBH₄. By manufacturing magnetic alginate beads, the reusability of the AgNPs for the catalytic reaction has been demonstrated.     

Potential use of Caulerpa fastigiata biomass for removal of lead: kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamic, and characterization studies

The present study attempts to analyze the biosorption trend of biosorbent Caulerpa fastigiata (macroalgae) biomass for removal of toxic heavy metal ion Pb (II) from solution as a function of initial metal ion concentration, pH, temperature, sorbent dosage, and biomass particle size. The sorption data fitted with various isotherm models and Freundlich model was the best one with correlation coefficient of 0.999. Kinetic study results revealed that the sorption data on Pb (II) with correlation coefficient of 0.999 can best be represented by pseudo-second-order. The biosorption capacity (q _e ) of Pb (II) is 16.11?±?0.32 mg g^?1 on C. fastigiata biomass. Thermodynamic studies showed that the process is exothermic (ΔH° negative). Free energy change (ΔG°) with negative sign reflected the feasibility and spontaneous nature of the process. The SEM studies showed Pb (II) biosorption on selective grains of the biosorbent. The FTIR spectra indicated bands corresponding to –OH, COO^?, –CH, C?=?C, C?=?S, and –C–C– groups were involved in the biosorption process. The XRD pattern of the C. fastigiata was found to be mostly amorphous in nature.