The Use of Meteorological Modeling and Biological Indicators to Identify Sources of Phytotoxic Pollutants

Meteorological dispersion modeling and pine trees used as "integrating monitors" were used to consider the probable source of a phytotoxic pollutant producing symptoms previously un-reported in the literature. Two sources, a chemical plant (A) and a fabric finishing plant (B) north of Raleigh, NC, were considered using the Air Quality Display Model (AQDM). Using the ability of this model to accommodate extra receptors corresponding to "monitoring" sites, we found good correlation between observed injury and predicted relative concentrations due to assumed emissions from source A. The poor agreement between predicted and observed injury if source B alone were modeled (or both sources together) suggested that source A alone emitted the causal agent.     

Quantifying phosphorus levels in soils, plants, surface water, and shallow groundwater associated with bahiagrass-based pastures

Background, aim, and scope  

Recent assessments of water quality status have identified eutrophication as one of the major causes of water quality ‘impairment’ not only in the USA but also around the world. In most cases, eutrophication has accelerated by increased inputs of phosphorus due to intensification of crop and animal production systems since the early 1990s. Despite substantial measurements using both laboratory and field techniques, little is known about the spatial and temporal variability of phosphorus dynamics across landscapes, especially in agricultural landscapes with cow-calf operations. Critical to determining environmental balance and accountability is an understanding of phosphorus excreted by animals, phosphorus removal by plants, acceptable losses of phosphorus within the manure management and crop production systems into soil and waters, and export of phosphorus off-farm. Further research effort on optimizing forage-based cow-calf operations to improve pasture sustainability and protect water quality is therefore warranted. We hypothesized that properly managed cow-calf operations in subtropical agroecosystem would not be major contributors to excess loads of phosphorus in surface and ground water. To verify our hypothesis, we examined the comparative concentrations of total phosphorus among soils, forage, surface water, and groundwater beneath bahiagrass-based pastures with cow-calf operations in central Florida, USA.     

基于层次分析法的城市河流生态修复评估

城市的发展改变了许多河流的自然水文环境,并导致河流生态系统中水质、物理生境和生物完整性下降。评估受损河流水体修复的效果,需要结合物理、化学的参数,以及对生物结构、多样性和过程的影响。构建了包含河流水力、水质、水生生物、河岸带及物理结构5个方面15个指标的城市河流生态修复评估指标体系,运用群组决策的层次分析法(AHP),确定了各指标的权重,重要性排序前5位依次为：水质污染指数、鱼类IBI、水源补给量、藻类多样性、透明度。并以我国南方城市岐江河整治修复状况为例进行综合评价,结果表明,河流生态系统修复评估结果为可以接受,体现了河流整治工程使河流水质、生态的状况有所改善,但河流生态系统恢复需要较长的周期,修复初期生态系统仍处于受损状态。〖     

A case of prenatal paternity discrimination

A case is described in which prenatal paternity determination was required, on account of suspected incest. Chromosome heteromorphisms were uninformative, but discrimination was achieved by HLA typing.     

Clutch size and the cost of incubation in the Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata var. domestica)

Summary By measuring daily intake of food, we compared the cost of incubation for small and large clutches in adult Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata var. domestica). Natural clutches of captive finches were experimentally manipulated to produce two egg or six egg clutches. While incubating large clutches, parents ate significantly more food and took longer to hatch their first egg than did the same birds when provided with small clutches. This supports the hypothesis that the cost of incubation increases with clutch size. This cost should influence other energy allocation decisions in birds such as determination of clutch size and parental investment decisions.     

Distribution and mode of occurrence of selenium in US coals

Selenium excess and deficiency have been established as the cause of various health problems in man and animals. Combustion of fossil fuels, especially coal, may be a major source of the anthropogenic introduction of selenium in the environment. Coal is enriched in selenium relative to selenium's concentration in most other rocks and relative to selenium in the Earth's crust.Data from almost 9,000 coal samples have been used to determine the concentration and distribution of selenium in US coals. The geometric mean concentration of selenium in US coal is 1.7 ppm. The highest mean selenium value (geometric mean 4.7 ppm) is in the Texas Region. Atlantic Coast (Virginia and North Carolina) and Alaska coals have the lowest geometric means (0.2 and 0.42 ppm, respectively). All western coal regions have mean selenium concentrations of less than 2.0 ppm. In contrast, all coal basins east of the Rocky Mountains (except for several small basins in Rhode Island, Virginia, and North Carolina) have mean selenium values of 1.9 or greater.Generally, variations in selenium concentration do not correlate with variations in ash yield, pyritic sulphur, or organic sulphur concentrations. This may be the result of multiple sources of selenium; however, in some non-marine basins with restricted sources of selenium, selenium has positive correlations with other coal quality parameters.Selenium occurs in several forms in coal but appears to be chiefly associated with the organic fraction, probably substituting for organic sulphur. Other important forms of selenium in coal are selenium-bearing pyrite, selenium-bearing galena, and lead selenide (clausthalite). Water-soluble and ion-exchangeable selenium also have been reported.     

接种不同普通活性污泥培养厌氧氨氧化污泥的研究

采用厌氧氨氧化反应器（ASBR）,分别以普通厌氧活性污泥、混合污泥、好氧活性污泥为种泥,通过对氨氮,NO2^--N等指标监测、分析及污泥颜色的观察,研究采用不同普通活性污泥为种泥启动ASBR的可行性及差异。结果表明．ASBR反应器A和B成功启动,C因反应器故障．启动失败。采用厌氧活性污泥为接种污泥（反应器A）,当进水N的容积负荷为kg／（m^3·d）时,氨氮平均去除率为14.4％。P（NO2^--N）：p（NH4^＋-N）变化量为1．24。采用混合污泥为接种污泥（反应器B）．N的容积负荷于前者相同时,氨氮去除率平均29．7％,p（NO2^--N）：p（NH4^＋-N）变化量为1．27。采用混合普通活性污泥作为种泥培养厌氧氨氧化污泥优于单一厌氧普通活性污泥。     

Estimation of the weight of chorionic villus samples obtained from first trimester pregnancies by transcervical aspiration

Eight obstetricians experienced in chorionic villus sampling were asked to estimate the weight of samples of villi with and without a reference photograph. Referral to the photograph significantly improved the accuracy of their estimations.     

Chorionic villus culture for first trimester diagnosis of chromosome defects: Evaluation by two london centres

The maceration technique for the culture of chorionic villi has been applied by St Mary's Hospital and King's College Hospital, to a total of 225 villus aspirates of which 100 were from diagnostic cases. Two hundred and eighteen (96·8 per cent) of these were successfully karyotyped, and chromosome abnormalities were detected in 15 cases. Of the cases with a normal karyotype, 113 were male and 90 were female. Sixty-nine (77 per cent) of the female cultures were demonstrated to be fetal and a further two of these may be verified at delivery. The use of Chang medium was found to accelerate cell growth thereby reducing the interval between sampling and reporting to less than 2 weeks. An unlimited quantity of metaphase spreads was obtained suitable for the application of routine banding techniques, and comparable to those obtained from amniotic fluid culture. Experience with diagnostic cases reinforced our view that culture should always back up direct analysis and this is discussed with particular reference to the occurrence of mosaicism in the trophoblast.