Modelling deposition and air concentration of reduced nitrogen in Poland and sensitivity to variability in annual meteorology

The relative contribution of reduced nitrogen to acid and eutrophic deposition in Europe has increased recently as a result of European policies which have been successful in reducing SO(2) and NO(x) emissions but have had smaller impacts on ammonia (NH(3)) emissions. In this paper the Fine Resolution Atmospheric Multi-pollutant Exchange (FRAME) model was used to calculate the spatial patterns of annual average ammonia and ammonium (NH(4)(+)) air concentrations and reduced nitrogen (NH(x)) dry and wet deposition with a 5 km × 5 km grid for years 2002-2005. The modelled air concentrations of NH(3) and dry deposition of NH(x) show similar spatial patterns for all years considered. The largest year to year changes were found for wet deposition, which vary considerably with precipitation amount. The FRAME modelled air concentrations and wet deposition are in reasonable agreement with available measurements (Pearson's correlation coefficients above 0.6 for years 2002-2005), and with spatial patterns of concentrations and deposition of NH(x) reported with the EMEP results, but show larger spatial gradients. The error statistics show that the FRAME model results are in better agreement with measurements if compared with EMEP estimates. The differences in deposition budgets calculated with FRAME and EMEP do not exceed 17% for wet and 6% for dry deposition, with FRAME estimates higher than for EMEP wet deposition for modelled period and lower or equal for dry deposition. The FRAME estimates of wet deposition budget are lower than the measurement-based values reported by the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection of Poland, with the differences by approximately 3%. Up to 93% of dry and 53% of wet deposition of NH(x) in Poland originates from national sources. Over the western part of Poland and mountainous areas in the south, transboundary transport can contribute over 80% of total (dry + wet) NH(x) deposition. The spatial pattern of the relative contribution of national sources to total deposition of NH(x) may change significantly due to the general circulation of air.     

The Relationship Between the Difference in Prismatic Refractive Power of an Eye-and-Face Protector and Its Thickness,Radius of Curvature,and Material

With the help of the research results presented here and on the basis of a graphic analysis we aim to prove the existence of a relationship between the difference in prismatic refractive power and the thickness, curvature radius, and type of material used for panoramic oculars in protective spectacles, goggles, and face shields. The difference in the prismatic refractive power is a fundamental optical characteristic of a protective ocular without corrective effect. According to Standard No. EN 165:1995 (European Committee for Standardization, 1995) the difference in the prismatic refractive power is a difference in the prismatic effect at 2 observation points of an eye-protector.     

Distribution of mercury in di erent environmental compartments in the aquatic ecosystem of the coastal zone of the Southern Baltic Sea

The aim of this study was to characterize mercury (Hg) contamination in the coastal waters of the Southern Baltic Sea, and to investigate transformations of Hg in the initial links of the marine food chain. Concentrations of Hg in water, particulate matter, plankton and macrophytes at various stations in the coastal zone (a bay with restricted water exchange, near an industrial city, river mouths, and the open sea) were measured in 2006–2008. Hg concentrations observed in the Southern Baltic varied greatly, showing the highest average values in all environmental compartments near the river mouths. In shallow, sheltered parts of the gulf, where water exchange is restricted, Hg concentrations in the water and in macrophytes were elevated relative to those in the coastal zone of the deeper part of the bay and in the open Baltic. Distance to the river mouth, terrestrial runo , and quantity and quality of organic matter were more important than seasonal variations in controlling Hg and HgSPM concentrations in water samples. Mercury concentrations in the surface microlayer at the air/sea interface were over 10 times higher than those in the bulk surface water. Concentrations of Hg in macrophytes in the winter were significantly higher than those in the warm seasons (spring, summer, autumn). This was probably the combined e ect of higher availability of Hg in porewaters and leaf growth inhibition.     

离子液体[C14mim]Br对大鼠亚慢性毒性的初步研究

研究了离子液体溴化-1-十四烷基-3-甲基咪唑盐([C_(14)mim]Br)对大鼠的亚慢性毒性.实验设立3个染毒组(2.5、5、10 mg·kg~(-1))和1个对照组,对大鼠经口染毒90 d后,分别考察大鼠的体重、血清生化指标、脏体指数、组织形态学的变化.结果表明,与对照组相比,染毒组大鼠的体重增长随着染毒剂量的增加而降低,肝脏/体重系数增大,其血清中碱性磷酸酶(ALP)、丙氨酸氨基转移酶(ALT)、天门冬氨酸转氨酶(AST)、直接胆红素(DBIL)和和球蛋白(GLB)水平均明显升高,A/G(ALB/GLB)、血清总蛋白(TP)值则明显下降.病理检查结果显示,染毒组大鼠的肝脏、肾脏及肺均有不同程度的损伤及病变.研究表明,[C_(14)mim]Br亚慢性染毒对大鼠的肝肾均有损伤,且其毒性呈一定的剂量依赖性.     

Relationships between volatile organic compounds with an emphasis on terpene compounds and genetic matrix in inoculated and non-inoculated winter wheat cultivars

In the present study, we focus on the analysis of the volatile organic compound (VOC) contents in the grain of a representative set of winter wheat cultivars grown in Central Europe. The cultivars were grown in control conditions or were inoculated with the fungus Fusarium culmorum. In the analysed samples, hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, aromatics, terpenes and others were found. Among them, results for terpenes seem particularly important. The discriminant analysis allowed complete separation of the quality groups of wheat based on VOCs. Simultaneously, a genetic matrix was created based on the genetic distance between the wheat cultivars and the Mantel test was used to compare it with the VOC matrix. The analysis revealed relationships between the genetic matrix and the overall VOCs, as well as terpenes. The obtained results indicate a significant relationship between microorganisms that exist in the environment, genetic features of plants and VOCs formed in the grain.     

Arsenic,cadmium, lead and thallium in coal ash from individual household furnaces

52 coal ash samples from individual households were analyzed to determine the pH and the concentrations of four toxic elements: arsenic, cadmium, lead and thallium. The method used was atomic absorption spectrometry with graphite-furnace atomization. The ash samples originated from various coal grades and statistical analysis showed existing correlations between the concentrations of studied elements, pH and the coal grades. The maximum concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, lead and thallium were 50,900, 43,500, 128,900, and 6660 µg/kg, respectively. The results were compared with the published data for the ash of industrial origin.

     

Effects of 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) on neuronal and muscular development in zebrafish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Danio rerio</Emphasis>) embryos

The negative effects of overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in humans, including sunburn and light-induced cellular injury, are of increasing public concern. 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), an organic chemical UV filter, is an active ingredient in sunscreen products. To date, little information is available about its neurotoxicity during early vertebrate development. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to various concentrations of 4-MBC in embryo medium for 3 days. In this study, a high concentration of 4-MBC, which is not being expected at the current environmental concentrations in the environment, was used for the purpose of phenotypic screening. Embryos exposed to 15 μM of 4-MBC displayed abnormal axial curvature and exhibited impaired motility. Exposure effects were found to be greatest during the segmentation period, when somite formation and innervation occur. Immunostaining of the muscle and axon markers F59, znp1, and zn5 revealed that 4-MBC exposure leads to a disorganized pattern of slow muscle fibers and axon pathfinding errors during the innervation of both primary and secondary motor neurons. Our results also showed reduction in AChE activity upon 4-MBC exposure both in vivo in the embryos (15 μM) and in vitro in mammalian Neuro-2A cells (0.1 μM), providing a possible mechanism for 4-MBC-induced muscular and neuronal defects. Taken together, our results have shown that 4-MBC is a teratogen and influences muscular and neuronal development, which may result in developmental defects.     

Survey of dioxin sources in the Baltic Region (extended summary)

The present paper summarises the results of the project: 'Survey of Anthropogenic Sources of Dioxins and Furans in the Baltic Region'. As a part of the project, inventories have been carried out in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland by applying the toolkit for quantification of dioxin and furan releases developed by UNEP Chemicals. The main route of direct releases to the environment is emission to air. Total emission to air from Poland was estimated at 490 (88-1,300) g I-TEQ/year, whereas the emissions from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were estimated as being 14 (2.4-54), 23 (2.6-63) and 17 (2.6-38) g I-TEQ, respectively. In general, the uncertainty on the estimates is very high, and recommendations regarding further development of the inventories have been made, and measures for reducing the releases have been provided.     

烟酰胺降解菌的筛选及其降解特性

采用HPLC对某烟酰胺生产废水的主要成分进行分析，并模拟废水中的主要成分烟酰胺（nicotinamide）的浓度，对以烟酰胺为唯一碳源配制的培养基进行降解实验，获得有较佳降解率和生长能力的菌株YSI-1和YSI-2。结果表明．YSI菌株的混合菌降解效果优于单株菌，混合菌在初始OD600值为0．4，pH为7．0时，对浓度为2000mg／L的烟酰胺降解2d的降解率可达32．8％。延长处理时间或提高菌种的初始OD600值，烟酰胺的去除率均有较大的增加。