Speciation as a screening tool for the determination of heavy metal surface water pollution in the Guadiamar river basin

The Guadiamar river basin has traditionally received pollutants from two main sources: in its northern section of mining origin, and in its southern section (next to Do?ana National Park) from urban-industrial and agricultural sources. In April 1998, the spill of 6 million m3 of mining wastes (acidic waters and sludge) severely polluted the Guadiamar river basin with heavy metals, which caused serious damage to the local ecosystem. There is a direct association between the physicochemical speciation of an element and its toxicity, biological activity, bioavailability, solubility, etc. This work describes a distribution study of the metals Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu by speciation analysis of surface waters in eleven sampling points of the Guadiamar river basin. Four metal fractions were determined using anodic stripping voltammetry: labile metal forms, H+ exchangeable metal forms, strongly inert forms (associated with organic and inorganic matter in solution), and forms associated with suspended matter. Total concentrations in surface waters followed the trend Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd. The speciation study showed that Zn and Cd were present to a large extent in available forms (labile and H+ exchangeable), while Pb and Cu were found mostly in the less available forms (strongly inert). Moreover, the available forms were found in the northern section (mining pollution) and the strongly inert forms in the southern section (urban, industrial and agricultural pollution). These results can illustrate the potential value of speciation to discern between different sources of pollution.     

Postnatal confirmation of prenatally diagnosed trisomy 16 mosaicism in two phenotypically abnormal liveborns

Two phenotypically abnormal liveborns in whom trisomy 16 mosaicism was diagnosed prenatally by amniocentesis are described. Analysis of a percutaneous umbilical blood sample in one case revealed a normal chromosomal complement. Ultrasound examinations performed at the time of amniocentesis were normal. Serial sonography during the late second and third trimesters demonstrated progressive intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) in both fetuses and a cardiac defect in one. At birth, both infants had dysmorphic features and multiple congenital anomalies. Trisomy 16 mosaicism was confirmed postnatally in both infants in skin fibroblasts; however, peripheral blood samples contained only chromosomally normal cells. The two mosaic trisomy 16 cases described in this report, together with the five confirmed cases reported previously, demonstrate the need for caution in the counselling of patients when trisomy 16 mosaicism is diagnosed prenatally in amniotic fluid samples. Such cases potentially can result in the birth of dysmorphic infants with significant birth defects, growth retardation, and possible developmental disabilities.     

Volatile Organic Compounds in the Area of Madrid: A Chemometrical Approach

Multivariate techniques have been applied to the set of dataobtained after one year sampling of volatile organic compounds(VOCs), including volatile aldehydes in the area of Madrid inorder to evaluate the possible correspondence among groups ofanalysed compounds, as far as modelling of different emissionsources in relation to location and season. The measurements were carried out at four sites in Madrid, characteristic for urban and suburban areas. Additionally, as reference, a rural area 100 km far from the city was considered. Results of correlation analysis, factor and cluster analysis are presented.Higher correlations were found between variables related withtraffic emissions. Factor analysis results showed two mainsignificant variables related to anthropogenic and biogenicemissions respectively. In relation to cluster analysis, samples were grouped according to sampling site and seasonal variations.     

Preliminary investigation of submerged aquatic vegetation mapping using hyperspectral remote sensing

The use of airborne hyperspectral remote sensing imagery for automated mapping of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the tidal Potomac River was investigated for near to real-time resource assessment and monitoring. Airborne hyperspectral imagery and field spectrometer measurements were obtained in October of 2000. A spectral library database containing selected ground-based and airborne sensor spectra was developed for use in image processing. The spectral library is used to automate the processing of hyperspectral imagery for potential real-time material identification and mapping. Field based spectra were compared to the airborne imagery using the database to identify and map two species of SAV (Myriophyllum spicatum and Vallisneria americana). Overall accuracy of the vegetation maps derived from hyperspectral imagery was determined by comparison to a product that combined aerial photography and field based sampling at the end of the SAV growing season. The algorithms and databases developed in this study will be useful with the current and forthcoming space-based hyperspectral remote sensing systems.     

A new approach to road accident rescue

Objective: This article develops and validates a new methodology and tool for rescue assistance in traffic accidents, with the aim of improving its efficiency and safety in the evacuation of people, reducing the number of victims in road accidents.

Method: Different tests supported by professionals and experts have been designed under different circumstances and with different categories of damaged vehicles coming from real accidents and simulated trapped victims in order to calibrate and refine the proposed methodology and tool.

Results: To validate this new approach, a tool called App_Rescue has been developed. This tool is based on the use of a computer system that allows an efficient access to the technical information of the vehicle and sanitary information of the common passengers. The time spent during rescue using the standard protocol and the proposed method was compared.

Conclusion: This rescue assistance system allows us to make vital information accessible in posttrauma care services, improving the effectiveness of interventions by the emergency services, reducing the rescue time and therefore minimizing the consequences involved and the number of victims. This could often mean saving lives. In the different simulated rescue operations, the rescue time has been reduced an average of 14%.     

Flow cytometric characterization of bacterial abundance and physiological status in a nitrifying-denitrifying activated sludge system treating landfill leachate

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Flow cytometry has recently been presented as a research tool in the assessment of the viability/activity of activated sludge from municipal...     

Using deep-belief networks to understand propensity for livelihood change in a rural coastal community to further conservation

Overharvesting of terrestrial and marine resources may be alleviated by encouraging an alternative configuration of livelihoods, particularly in rural communities in developing countries. Typical occupations in such areas include fishing and farming, and rural households often switch livelihood activities to suit climate and economic conditions. We used a machine-learning tool, deep-belief networks (DBN), and data from surveys of a rural Philippine coastal community to examine household desire to change livelihood. This desire is affected by a variety of factors, such as income, family needs, and feelings of work satisfaction, that are interrelated in complex ways. In farming households, livelihood changes often occur to diversify resources, increase income, and lessen economic risk. The DBN, given its multilayer perceptron structure, has a capacity to model nonlinear relationships among factors while providing an acceptable degree of accuracy. Relative to a set of 34 features (e.g., education, boat ownership, and work satisfaction), we examined the binary response variables desire to change work or not to change work. The best network had a test set accuracy of 97.5%. Among the features, 7 significantly affected desire to shift work: ethnicity, work satisfaction, number of persons in a household in ill health, number of fighting cocks owned, fishing engagement, buy-and-sell revenue, and educational level. A cross-correlation matrix of these 7 features indicated households less inclined to change work were those engaged in fishing and retail buying and selling. For fishing, provision of economic and other incentives should be considered to encourage changing from this occupation to allow recovery of fishery resources.     

A large scale survey of trace metal levels in coastal waters of the Western Mediterranean basin using caged mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis)

A large scale study of trace metal contamination (Hg, Cd, Pb and Ni) by means of caged mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis was undertaken along the coastal waters of the Western Mediterranean Sea within the context of the MYTILOS project. Individual mussels from an homogeneous population (shell size 50 ± 5 mm) obtained from an aquaculture farm were consecutively caged and deployed at 123 sites located in the Alborán, North-Western, South-Western and Tyrrhenian sub-basins for 12 weeks (April-July) in 2004, 2005 and 2006. After cage recoveries, both the metal content in the whole mussel tissue and the allometric parameters were measured. Statistical analysis of the datasets showed significant differences in concentrations between sub-basins for some metals and mussel condition index (CI). Linear regression models coupled to the CI were revisited for the data adjustment of certain trace metals (Hg, Cd and Ni), and four level categories were statistically derived to facilitate interregional comparison. Seawater masses surrounding coastal areas impacted by run-off from land mineralised coasts and industrial activities displayed the highest concentration ranges (Hg: 0.15-0.31 mg kg(-1) dw; Cd: 1.97-2.11; Ni: 2.18-3.20 and Pb: 3.1-3.8), although the levels obtained in most of the sites fitted within moderate or low categories, and they could be considered as baseline concentrations. However, few sites considered little-influenced by human activities, at present, showed high concentrations of Cd, Ni and Pb, which constitute new areas of concern. Overall, the use of active biomonitoring (ABM) approach allowed to investigate trace metal contamination in order to support policy makers in establishing regional strategies (particularly, with regard to the European Marine Strategy Directive).     

Wildlife Disease in U.S. National Parks: Historical and Coevolutionary Perspectives

Diseases of wildlife have significant management implications in a number of lands of the U.S. National Park Service due to increasing interactions between wildlife and domestic animals. We review the paleontology, history, and coevolution of infectious diseases in North American ungulates. We provide two examples related to bovine brucellosis in bison in Yellowstone National Park and lungworm-pneumonia complex in bighorn sheep in several western national parks. These examples illustrate the difficulty of managing wild populations and their diseases in national parks and other protected areas. In some instances, human intervention may be justifiable in order to protect native populations, domestic animals, and humans from acquiring a disease.