The seasonal distribution of heavy metals in Mussel sample from Yalova in the Marmara Sea, 2008�C2009

Concentration of the some heavy metals (Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn) Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis from Yalova (Marmara Sea) were investigated seasonally. The mean concentrations of Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn in the soft tissues were 4.08 ± 0.67, 5.54 ± 0.59, 156.72 ± 20.18, 3.71 ± 1.14, 2.92 ± 0.51 and 106.23 ± 5.66 mg kg(?-1) dry weights, respectively. There were no significant differences between the metal concentrations among the seasons (P > 0.05). The mean Pb and Zn concentrations were higher than the acceptable limit proposed by International Turkish standards.     

Benthic diversity gradients and shifting baselines: implications for assessing environmental status

The increasing pressure on marine biodiversity emphasizes the importance of finding benchmarks against which to assess change. This is, however, a notoriously difficult task in estuarine ecosystems, where environmental gradients are steep, and where benthic biodiversity is highly variable in space and time. Although recent emphasis on diverse, healthy benthic communities in legislative frameworks has increased the number of indices developed for assessing benthic status, there is a lack of quantitative baselines in benthic diversity that would enable comparisons across broad spatial scales, encompassing different environmental settings and bioregions. By taking advantage of long-term monitoring data, spanning hundreds of stations over the past 40 years, we provide a comprehensive analysis of benthic a, beta, and gamma diversity, encompassing the entire' salinity gradient of the open sea areas of the large, brackish-water Baltic Sea. Using a relatively simple measure, average regional diversity, we define area-specific reference conditions and acceptable deviation against which to gauge current conditions in benthic macrofaunal diversity. Results show a severely impaired condition throughout large areas of the Baltic for the assessment period 2001-2006. All ecosystems are plagued by baselines that shift in time and space, and their definition is not trivial, but average regional diversity may offer a transparent way to deal with such changes in low-diversity systems. Identifying baselines will be of increasing importance given the potential of climatic drivers to interact with local anthropogenic stressors to affect patterns of biodiversity. Our analysis provides an evaluation of the current condition in a system that has been heavily influenced by anthropogenic impact and changing oceanographic conditions, and it provides a basis for future impact assessment and ecosystem-based management.     

New approach to calculate the probability of ignition

The probabilistic approach to the evaluation of fire hazard and the effectiveness of fire-precaution measures enables a rational response to the randomness of fire outbreaks. This article employs the statistical analysis methods to elucidate the causes for the ignition of fire on a random sample of industrial buildings in the Republic of Slovenia. The analyses are based on the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), which is a well established and important statistical analysis technique in the fields of social science, biology, psychology and medicine, but hitherto rarely applied in safety research. The results of the study demonstrate that for the analyzed random sample of industrial buildings the frequency of fire outbreaks statistically significantly depends only on the presence and the probability of exposure to the heat sources (flames, sparks, and hot surfaces), but does not significantly depend on the available quantity of flammable materials within the industrial structure.     

Heart rate variability and motion sickness during forklift simulator driving

The goal of the study was to determine the effect of a 1-h hour long forklift truck virtual simulator driving on the mechanism of autonomic heart rate (HR) regulation in operators. The participants were divided into 2 subgroups: subjects with no definite inclination to motion sickness (group A) and subjects with a definite inclination to motion sickness (group B). Holter monitoring of electrocardiogram (ECG) signal was carried out in all subjects during the virtual simulator driving. For 12 consecutive epochs of ECG signal, HR variability analysis was conducted in time and frequency domains. In subjects with a definite inclination to motion sickness after ~30 min of the driving, changes in parameter values were found indicating an increase in sympathetic and parasympathetic activity with parasympathetic dominance.     

Evaluation of sound exposure and risk of hearing impairment in orchestral musicians

This study aimed to assess exposure to sound and the risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in orchestral musicians. Sound pressure level was measured in 1 opera and 3 symphony orchestras; questionnaires were filled in. On the basis of that data, the risk of NIHL was assessed according to Standard No. ISO 1999:1990. Classical orchestral musicians are usually exposed to sound at equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure levels of 81?90 dB (10th?90th percentiles), for 20?45 h (10th?90th percentiles) per week. Occupational exposure to such sound levels over 40 years of employment might cause hearing loss (expressed as a mean hearing threshold level at 2, 3, 4 kHz exceeding 35 dB) of up to 26%. Playing the horn, trumpet, tuba and percussion carries the highest risk (over 20%).     

Mapping the organic carbon stocks of surface soils using local spatial interpolator

The largest uncertainties are associated with estimating the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock because of natural soil variability and data scarcity. Thus, a local spatial geostatistical hybrid approach, the geographically weighted regression kriging (GWRK), was used in the present study to overcome some of these uncertainties. This study was designed to estimate the SOC stock (kg C m(-2)) for the surface 0 to 15 cm depth using the state of Pennsylvania as the study region. A total of 920 soil profiles were extracted from the National Soil Survey Center database and were divided into calibration (80%) and validation (20%) periods. Some soil parameters that include clay content, bulk density (ρ(b)), total nitrogen (TN) content, pH, Ca(2+), Na(+), extractable acidity (EXACID), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were used as covariates for estimating the SOC stock. These covariates exhibited spatial autocorrelation (Moran's Index, I = 0.62 to 0.89). Further, residuals of geographically weighted regression were spatially autocorrelated, and hence support the use of the GWRK approach. Validation results concluded that the performance of the GWRK approach was the best with the lowest values of root mean square error, mean estimation error and mean absolute estimation error. The estimated SOC stock for the surface 0 to 15 cm depth ranged from 1.41 to 3.94 kg m(-2). Results from this study show that the GWRK captures spatial dependent relationships, and addresses spatial non-stationarity issues, hence this approach improves the estimations of SOC stock.     

A sustainable production model for waste management with uncertain scrap and recycled material

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The studies highlightthat only one billion tons were obtained out of four billion tons of solid waste in the world and small value recovered out of...     

Exploration of Multifunctional Properties of Piper betel Leaves Extract Incorporated Polyvinyl Alcohol-Oxidized Maize Starch Blend Films for Active Packaging Applications

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - This study explains the development of eco-friendly polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/oxidized maize starch (OMS)/Betel leaves extract (BLE) blend films by employing...     

Green technology for sustainable surface protection of steel from corrosion: a review

Plants contain substances that inhibit corrosion. Here we review biomass-based corrosion inhibitors from plant leaves, nuts, and fruit peels, after treatment with acids, bases or saline solutions. The mechanism of corrosion inhibition involves a monolayer coverage, according to isotherm and Langmuir models. Plant extract-based corrosion inhibitors contain heteroatoms whose electrons pair in the p-electron level in multiple bonds and the vacant d-orbitals of iron. Corrosion inhibition under marine conditions involves various chemical interactions between metals and dissolved ionic components.

     

Microbial pullulan for food,biomedicine, cosmetic,and water treatment: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Most fossil fuel-derived polymers used for food packaging are non-biodegradable and induce pollution by microplastic, calling for safer material. Here we review...