Genetic profile of overweight and obese school-age children

Obesity is associated with overproduction of free radicals that promotes genotoxicity and could be measured as micronuclei (MN) and nuclear abnormalities (NA) in buccal mucosa cells. The frequency of MN and NA in buccal mucosa cells from overweight and obesity school-age children was determined. In a cross-sectional study, four anthropometric parameters were obtained from each child and one buccal mucosa sample was collected from each child. The slides were stained with orcein and fast green and microscopically analyzed for MN and NA. Twenty overweight and obesity school-age children (7–11 years old) from three schools located at the metropolitan area of Guadalajara were selected to form three groups with 20 children each, according to the weight features as follows: (1) normal weight; (2) overweight; and (3) obesity. No marked differences were found between groups for frequency of MN and NA. Genotoxicity, as indicated by increase in binucleated (BN) cells, was found in children within both overweight and obese groups exposed to passive tobacco smoke. There was no evidence of genetic instability in overweight and obese school-age children and no associations between body weight and genotoxicity markers found.     

Assessment of non-invasive techniques for monitoring mercury concentrations in species of Amazon turtles

This study determined the concentrations of mercury (Hg) in four tissues of six species of turtles from the Rio Negro in the Amazon Basin. For two species, blood and carapace tissues were correlated with concentrations in internal tissues to establish whether blood or carapace could serve as a non-lethal indicator of internal metal exposure or body burden. The four tissues’ Hg levels were also correlated to turtle size and gender. The liver in five species of turtles had the highest concentration, followed by carapace, muscle, and blood. The exception was Chelus fimbriatus, which had a higher metal concentration in the muscle than carapace. Regarding the correlation between total Hg concentrations in tissues of the two species, no significant correlation was noted for Podocnemis erythrocephala. However, for Podocnemis sextuberculata significant correlation was found between muscle?×?liver, muscle?×?blood, and liver?×?blood. For P. erythrocephala, there was a correlation between Hg concentration in carapace and turtle size. For P. sextuberculata, there was no marked correlation between Hg concentration and size, but concentration in muscle was significantly influenced by gender. The patterns of Hg accumulation in tissues of the five species followed those described for freshwater species and some species of sea turtles. The difference in C. fimbriatus may be a result of a different pattern of non-living keratin layers on the carapace tissue. The use of carapace to infer internal concentrations of Hg is common in freshwater and sea turtles, but in this study it was found that only blood might be a reliable indicator of Hg concentrations in liver and muscle tissues for P. sextuberculata. Thus blood may be used as a non-invasive method to study concentrations of Hg in liver and muscle of P. sextuberculata.     

Tolerance of Mediterranean seagrasses (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Posidonia oceanica</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cymodocea nodosa</Emphasis>) to hypersaline stress: water relations and osmolyte concentrations

The present study examines for the first time the effects of increased salinity on water relations and osmolyte (carbohydrates and amino acids) concentrations in two Mediterranean seagrass species, Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa, which are adapted to growth in environments with contrasting salinity and have a known differential sensitivity to alterations in ambient salinity. The specific aim was to obtain insights into their respective capacities to cope with natural or anthropogenically induced (e.g. desalination plants) hypersaline stress and its ecological implications. To this end, large plant fragments of both seagrass species were maintained for 47 days in a laboratory mesocosm system under ambient salinity (37 psu; control) and three chronic hypersaline conditions (39, 41 and 43 psu). Analyses of leaf-tissue osmolality indicated that both species followed a dehydration avoidance strategy, decreasing their leaf water potential (Ψ_w) as the external salinity increased, but using different physiological mechanisms: whereas P. oceanica leaves exhibited a reduction in osmotic potential (Ψ_π), C. nodosa leaves maintained osmotic stability through a decrease in turgor pressure (Ψ_p) probably mediated through cell-hardening processes. Accordingly, the concentrations of soluble sugars and some amino acids (mainly Pro and Gly) suggested the activation of osmoregulatory processes in P. oceanica leaves, but not in C. nodosa leaves. Osmotic adjustments probably interfered with leaf growth and shoot survival of P. oceanica under hypersaline stress, whereas C. nodosa showed a more efficient physiological capacity to maintain plant performance under the same experimental conditions. These results are consistent with the more euryhaline ecological behaviour of C. nodosa and contribute to understanding the high vulnerability shown by P. oceanica to even mild increments in seawater salinity.     

MANAGEMENT OF FLOODING IN A FULLY-DEVELOPED,LOW-COST HOUSING NEIGHBORHOOD1

ABSTRACT: Within the flood plain of the lower reach of Peaks Branch, a stream in east Dallas Texas, 500 buildings would be partially inundated by the 100-year flood. The fully-developed watershed and flood plain mainly accommodate low-cost housing. Eight alternative flooding remedies, ranging from no action to stream channelization to complete redevelopment, are considered. The alternates are evaluated in terms of their relative safety, effects on neighborhoods, required relocations of families and businesses, initial costs, and maintenance costs. Creation of a stream-side greenway, offering lakes and parks, is recommended. This plan best balances costs and required relocations with community benefits, including flood protection.     

SPACE-TIME MODELING OF VECTOR HYDROLOGIC SEQUENCES1

Stochastic modeling of vector hydrologic sequences is examined with a general class of space-time autoregressive integrated moving average (STARIMA) models. The models describe spatial and temporal autocorrelatjon, through dependent variables lagged both in space and time. The model structures incorporate a hierarchical ordering scheme to map the vector of observations into a network configuration. The neighboring structure used introduces a physical/geographical hierarchy to enable the model identification procedures to assist in determining appropriate correlative relationships. The three-stage iterative space-time model building procedure is illustrated using average monthly streamfiow data for a four-station network of the Southeastern Hydropower System.     

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TECHNIQUES FOR SPATIAL INTERPOLATION OF PRECIPITATION1

One of the problems which often arises in engineering hydrology is to estimate data at a given site because either the data are missing or the site is ungaged. Such estimates can be made by spatial interpolation of data available at other sites. A number of spatial interpolation techniques are available today with varying degrees of complexity. It is the intent of this paper to compare the applicability of various proposed interpolation techniques for estimating annual precipitation at selected sites. The interpolation techniques analyzed include the commonly used Thiessen polygon, the classical polynomial interpolation by least-squares or Lagrange approach, the inverse distance technique, the multiquadric interpolation, the optimal interpolation and the Kriging technique. Thirty years of annual precipitation data at 29 stations located in the Region II of the North Central continental United States have been used for this study. The comparison is based on the error of estimates obtained at five selected sites. Results indicate that the Kriging and optimal interpolation techniques are superior to the other techniques. However, the multiquadric technique is almost as good as those two. The inverse distance interpolation and the Thiessen polygon gave fairly satisfactory results while the polynomial interpolation did not produce good results.     

APPROACHES TO MULTIVARIATE MODELING OF WATER RESOURCES TIME SERIES1

ABSTRACT: Alternative approaches suggested for modeling multiseries of water resources systems are reviewed and compared. Most approaches fall within the general framework of multivariate ARMA models. Formal modeling procedures suggest a three-stage iterative process, namely: model identification, parameter estimation and diagnostic checks. Although a number of statistical tools are already available to follow such modeling process, in general, it is not an easy task, especially if high order vector ARMA models are used. However, simpler ARMA models such as the contemporaneous and the transfer-function models may be sufficient for most applications in water resources. Two examples of modeling bivariate and trivariate streamflow series are included. Alternative modeling procedures are used and compared by using data generation techniques. The results obtained suggest that low order models, as well as contemporaneous ARMA models, reproduce quite well the main statistical characteristics of the time series analyzed. It is assumed that the same conclusions apply for most water resources time series.     

PCDD/F and non-ortho PCB concentrations in adipose tissue of individuals living in the vicinity of a hazardous waste incinerator

To assess the influence of a new hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) on public health, a preoperational monitoring program was established during the period of construction. In this study, the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDF) accumulated in adipose tissue of 15 autopsied subjects living in the area under potential impact of the HWI were determined after approximately 3 years of regular operations in the facility. The non-ortho PCBs 77, 126 and 169 were also determined. PCDD/F concentrations ranged between 1.5 and 41 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat (2.4 and 72 WHO-TEQ/g fat, respectively, including PCBs), with a mean value of 11 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat and a median value of 7.4 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat (22 and 13 WHO-TEQ/g fat, respectively, including PCBs). In the baseline study, the mean level of PCDD/Fs was 36 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat (61 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat, including non-ortho PCBs 77, 126 and 169), which means a reduction of 70% (64% including PCBs). This notable reduction is in accordance with the important decrease observed in recent years in PCDD/F intake through the diet. The current concentrations of PCDD/Fs in human adipose tissue, as well as recent data on PCDD/F levels in plasma and breast milk of subjects living in the vicinity of the same HWI, indicate that there is not any additional significant exposure to PCDD/Fs for this population.     

Flow regime transition mechanisms in rapidly filling stormwater storage tunnels

An issue in the design of combined sewer overflow storage tunnels is to avoid “geysering” which is an air/water mixture blowing up through vertical shafts connected to the tunnel. Studies indicate that the origin of this phenomenon is the entrapment of large air pockets as the rapidly filling tunnel undergoes a transition between free surface and pressurized flow. Commonly implemented numerical models are of the shock fitting type that tracks the location of a pipe filling bore. However, the flow regime transition does not have to occur through a pipe filling bore. Another possibility involves a free surface bore with a following gradual transition to a full pipe condition. Large air volumes may be trapped in this situation following the bore reflection off a tunnel transition if this reflection closes the flow cross-section. Experimental observations are presented to demonstrate both types of flow regime transition. Traditional shock fitting methods are ill-equipped to accurately simulate gradual flow regime transitions. The shock capturing method proposed by Vasconcelos et al. (J Hydraul Eng 132(6):553–562, 2006) is demonstrated to be capable of resolving both types of observed bores.