Soil particle-size composition and coastal erosion and accretion study in Soc Trang mangrove forests

Coastal erosion results in loss of land, which impacts the economy, coastal residents and settlement plans, especially in the context of rising sea levels caused by climate change. Studying soil particle-size fractions in mangrove forests will help provide a better understanding of the relationship between soil proportions and coastal processes as well as the role of mangrove forests to support coastal planning and management. Soil samples were collected at 26 sampling plots at depths of 10 cm and 40 cm in the Cu Lao Dung (CLD), Long Phu (LP) and Vinh Chau (VC) mangrove forests in Viet Nam’s Soc Trang Province. The soil proportions based on six different particle-sizes (<0.074 mm, 0.074–0.1 mm, 0.1–0.25 mm, 0.25–0.5 mm, 0.5–1.0 mm, and >1.0 mm) were measured using a dry sieving method. Analysis showed that soil particle-sizes ranging between 0.074 and 0.5 mm made up 75–95 % of the soil sample weight at both depths. The high standard deviation values of soil proportions of each given particle-size among sampling plots indicated the soil proportions by particle-size varied widely across the sampling plots. Cluster analysis found similar pattern of soil particle-size proportions for samples collected in CLD and VC, and different pattern of soil particle-size proportions in samples collected at LP, which is more impacted by the Mekong River flow and has a thin mangrove forest belt.?Non-metric dimension scaling (NMDS) analysis showed that sampling plots across the landward sites of the three mangrove forest areas were distributed in the nearby locations (Stress?=?0.11). This indicated that soil proportions of particle-sizes of samples collected from areas of the natural forest composed of different species were more similar. Such similarities were not found, however, in samples collected from middle and seaward plots dominated by single-species plantations.     

Reductive transformation of dieldrin under anaerobic sediment culture

A pathway of dieldrin transformation to aldrin by epoxide reduction was found in this study. Investigation of dieldrin degradation under anaerobic conditions was performed with a mixed culture containing indigenous microorganisms obtained from sediment of the Er-Jen River in Taiwan. During the incubation, the transformation of dieldrin to aldrin was analyzed by GC-ECD and GC-MS. Effects of incubation factors including dieldrin concentrations, incubation temperatures and kinds of carbon sources on the degradation of dieldrin were also studied. Original concentrations (from 0.5 to 10 microg ml(-1)) of dieldrin affect the transformation rate of dieldrin, and lower concentrations indicated the higher degradation rates. But once the concentration higher than 100 microg ml(-1), almost no degradation occurred. The optimal temperature for degradation in mixed culture was found at 40 degrees C in this study. Dieldrin transformation rates varied with the type of major carbon sources in the mixed culture and were in order of yeast extract > sodium acetate > glucose. In addition, the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprint revealed that four microbials evolved in dieldrin-amended cultures, but not in the dieldrin-free cultures. Partial sequence of 16S rDNA for these four organisms exhibited 94-99% similarity to those of genera Clostridium, Acidaminobacter and an uncultured bacterial group. These results suggest that the four microbials might promote the dieldrin transformation.     

SNAKES USED IN ETHNOMEDICINE IN NORTHEAST BRAZIL

This paper documents zootherapeutic practices in Northeast Brazil. It is primarily based on field surveys carried out in fishing villages located in the States of Maranhão and Paraíba, where dwellers provided information on snake species used as medicine, body parts used to prepare the remedies, and the illnesses to which the remedies were prescribed. The species used as medicinal drug and their respective families were: Crotalus durissus (rattlesnake), Bothrops leucurus (‘lance head’, a venomous snake), and Lachesis muta (bushmaster) of the family Crotalidae; and Boa constrictor (boa constrictor), Epicrates cenchria (‘salamanta’), and Eunectes murinus (anaconda) of the family (Boidae). These zootherapeutical resources were used for the cure of 14 illnesses. The most commonly cited species were Crotalus durissus (n=26) e Boa constrictor (n=6), Apparently, the medicinal use of snakes does not pose a threat for their population in the studied sites.     

Regional air pollution severity affects the incidence of acute myocardial infarction triggered by short-term pollutant exposure: a time-stratified case-crossover analysis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Long-term exposure to air pollution results in a high incidence of cardiovascular disease. Many studies have found that short-term exposure to air...