Seasonal variation of mercury concentrations in organisms of the Cilician Basin

Total mercury concentrations in organisms typical of those found in the Cilician Basin of the northeastern Mediterranean have been measured from 1977 to the present. These concentrations show seasonal variations. Shrimp shows an approximately constant concentration of mercury which might testify to the regulation capacity of shrimp for mercury. Crab, and particular fish, show a seasonal variation which may be correlated with the local application of mercury fungicide, rainfall, and the physiology of the organisms. The rapidity with which mercury applied to the land causes increased concentrations in fish is noteworthy.     

巴颜喀拉山高寒草地及其退化的遥感研究─—以巴颜喀拉山达日县段为例

本文应用遥感技术，探讨了巴颜喀拉山北坡－青海省达日县段高寒草地资源及其退化高山草甸草地的成因、分布和判断标志，将研究区划分为5个草地类型和3个退化草地型，重点分析了高山草甸草地退化的主要原因和影象特征．     

Resource use efficiency and economic losses: implications for sustainable rice production in Vietnam

The study aimed to estimate resource use efficiency and economic losses by using stochastic frontier analysis. The data set were collected in An Giang Province of Vietnam through personal interviews with 199 rice farmers. The results revealed that returns to scale are decreasing. Rice farmers had high levels of output-oriented and input-oriented technical efficiency with the means of 91.92 and 85.39 %, respectively. The mean environmental efficiency was 82.03 %. The mean efficiency of normal inputs was 61.20 %. Among the bad inputs, pesticide and energy were the least efficient ones with the mean values of 51.39 and 45.53 %, respectively, indicating serious overuses of these inputs. As regards normal inputs, capital had the lowest efficiency score at 21.08 %, followed by seed quantity at 26.4 %. Further, the total economic losses were estimated at 8261 thousand VND (380 USD) per hectare, which is equal to the sales of about 1600 kg of rice per hectare or the efforts to increase by 20 % of output level. This study suggests that rice farmers need to contract inputs, particularly environmentally detrimental inputs to improve profits. To improve the productive efficiency, the use of ecological engineering, collective pump and cultivation of three rice crops per year are possible options.     

Effects of pyrethroid insecticide seed treatments on Rhizobium japonicum and its symbiotic relationship with,and growth of soybean

Abstract

Two pyrethroid insecticides were compared with two fungicides for their effects on the rhizobial and seedling components of the N₂‐fixing symbiosis in soybeans (Glycine max Merr. variety Olinda). In vitro growth of Rhizobium japonicum RI16, was inhibited in the order of HgCl₂ > thiram > cypermethrin > permethrin. The emergence of the seedlings was stimulated by all chemicals tested. Also, none of the pesticides studied had any significant effect on N₂ fixation (acetylene reduction), at the dosages used. Consequently, yields of the various organs were also not significantly influenced by the chemicals.     

Effect of persistent trace compounds in landfill gas on engine performance during energy recovery: A case study

Performances of gas engines operated with landfill gas (LFG) are affected by the impurities in the LFG, reducing the economic viability of energy recovery. The purpose of this study was to characterize the trace compounds in the LFG at the Odayeri Landfill, Istanbul, Turkey which is used for energy recovery. Composite gas samples were collected and analyzed for trace compounds (hydrocarbons, siloxanes, and volatile halogenated hydrocarbons) over a 3-year period. Trace compounds entering the gas engines, their impact on the engine performance were evaluated. The operational problems included deposit formation in the combustion chamber, turbocharger, and intercooler of engine before the scheduled maintenance times. High levels of hydrogen sulfide, as well as chlorinated and fluorinated compounds cause corrosion of the engine parts and decrease life of the engine oils. Persistence of siloxanes results in deposit formation, increasing engine maintenance costs. Pretreatment of LFG is necessary to protect the engines at the waste-to-energy facilities with persistence levels of siloxanes and volatile halogenated hydrocarbons.     

Removal of arsenic from aqueous solution by two types of nano TiO2 crystals

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is a promising sorbent for As removal. There are two main and physico-chemically distinct polymorphs of TiO₂ in nature, namely anatase and rutile. Since the difference of arsenic removal by the two polymorphs of TiO₂ is now well known, study on the arsenic removal efficiency and the underlying mechanism is of great significance in developing new remediation strategies for As-polluted waters. Here batch experiments were carried out in combination with instrumental analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to investigate the effects, influential factors and mechanisms of As removal from aqueous solution by two types of nano TiO₂ crystals. The adsorption behavior of anatase and rutile for As(V) and As(III) are well described by Freundlich equations. Anatase had higher As removal efficiency and adsorption capacity than rutile. Solution pH had no influence on the As adsorption of anatase TiO₂, whereas the As removal by rutile TiO₂ was increased by 7?C18% with pH from 4 to 10. Presence of accompanying anions such as phosphate, silicate, nitrate and sulfate, decreased the As(V) and As(III) removal by both crystals, with phosphate being the most effective. However, removal of As by rutile TiO₂ was greatly enhanced in the presence of divalent cations i.e. Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺. Shading of light decreased the removal of As(V) and As(III) of anatase by 15.5% and 17.5%, respectively, while a slight increase of As removal was observed in the case of Rutile TiO₂. FT-IR characterization of As(V) or As(III)-treated nano TiO₂ crystals indicated that both Ti-O and As-O groups participated in As adsorption. Both FT-IR and XPS analysis demonstrated that As(III) was photooxidated into As(V) when adsorbed by anatase under the light condition. Thus, the effect of crystal types and light condition on As removal should be taken into consideration when nano TiO₂ is applied for As removal from water.     

Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Muscle with Relation to the Growth of Two Marine Fish Species

Heavy metal concentrations in muscle and their relation to thegrowth of two marine fish species,including tonguefish( Cynoglossus arel) and mullet( Mugil cephalus),were studied. The samples were collected in Bach Dang estuary andconcentrations of heavy metals( As,Cd,Co,Mn,Cu,Zn,Pb,and V) in muscle of the fisheswere determined. The result showed that the accumulated trend of heavy metal is different between fish species. The concentration of As,Zn,Mn,V,Cu,Pb,Co and Cd in tonguefish were 73. 7 ± 30. 6,22. 82 ± 4.87,3. 44 ± 2. 13,1. 61 ± 0. 15,0. 71 ± 0. 13,0. 45 ± 0. 24,0. 03 ± 0. 02 and 0. 02 ± 0. 02 mg·g-1,respectively. Meanwhile the concentration of Zn,As,V,Mn,Cu,Pb,Co and Cd in mullet were 83. 41 ±19. 68,9. 78 ± 1. 92,1. 36 ± 0. 54,1. 29 ± 0. 51,0. 65 ± 0. 12,0. 42 ± 0. 20,0. 06 ± 0. 03 and0. 03 ± 0. 01mg·g-1,respectively. Comparison of metal levels among thesespecies indicated that the concentrations of As and Mn in tonguefish were significantly higher than those in mullet,whereas Zn levels in mullet were found to be higher than that in tonguefish. There is no significant differences of Cd,Co,Cu,Pb and V levels in muscle between two species. Significant inversed relationshipsbetween concentration levels of metals and lengths of tonguefish were found for Mn,Cu and Zn,butnot for As,Cd,Pb,and V. There were no significant relationships between the heavy metal concentrations and the length of mullet. In general,decreasesof the heavy metal concentrations corresponded to the increases of fish body lengths,particularly for As,Co,Cu,Mn and V and the exception for Cd. Terefore reduced risks were associated with consuming biggermullet fish,and increased risks of As and Cd were associated with consuming bigger tonguefish in Bach Dang river mouth.     

Sex ratio estimations of loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings by histological examination and nest temperatures at Fethiye beach, Turkey

Hatchling sex ratios in the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) were estimated by placing electronic temperature recorders in 21 nests at Fethiye beach during 2000–2002. Over the seasons, the mean temperature in the middle third of the incubation period ranged from 26.7 to 32.1°C, and incubation periods ranged from 49 to 67 days. Based on the mean temperatures during the middle third of the incubation period, and on histologically sexed dead hatchlings, the sex ratios of hatchlings at Fethiye beach were roughly equal, i.e. 60–65% of the hatchlings were females. This contrasts with the highly female-skewed sex ratios in loggerhead turtles elsewhere; Fethiye has a relatively high proportion of male hatchlings. For endangered sea turtles, the knowledge of hatchling sex ratios at different beaches, coupled with appropriate conservation measures, can make an important contribution to their survival.     

Determination of T‐2 toxin in grain and grain products by HPLC and TLC

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the T‐2 toxin contaminated grain and grain products consumed especially by Turkish population. The T‐2 toxin was detected using the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detector at 208 nm and the identify of T‐2 was further confirmed by thin layer chromatography (TLC). The recovery was 91 ±4.24% for corn flour fortified with the known amount of T‐2 toxin (1 ppm). The detection limits of T‐2 toxin for the HPLC and the TLC were 25 ng and 50 ng, respectively. A total of 30 commercially available grain and grain product samples were analyzed. Two corn flour samples were found to contain detectable levels of T‐2 toxin at a level of 1.60 ppm and 4.08 ppm.