Heavy metal exposure reduces hatching success of Acartia pacifica resting eggs in the sediment

The potential effects of three heavy metals （Cu, Pb, and Cd） on hatching success ofAcartia pacifica resting eggs in the sediment of Xiamen Bay were experimentally investigated. The number ofA. pacifica nauplii hatched from the sediment sharply decreased with the increase of metal concentration and exposure time from 3 to 30 d. An increase of the Cu concentration from 34.8 to 348 mg/kg, reduced the number of hatched nauplii by 46.6%-100%. An increase of the Pb concentration from 75.2 to 752 mg/kg, reduced the number of hatched nauplii by 21.4%-78.9%. An increase of the Cd concentration from 0.68 to 6.8 mg/kg, reduced the number of hatched nauplii by 31.6%-94.7%. The number of nauplii also significantly decreased with the increase of mixed-metal concentration and exposure time in the mixed-metal test. Trimmed Spearman-Karber analysis gave sediment metal 72-h LC50 values of 1.25 mmol Cu/kg, 1.73 mmol Pb/kg, and 0.054 mmol Cd/kg, which suggested that Cd was the most toxic to A. pacifica resting eggs in the three tested metals. The results indicate that heavy metals with higher concentrations can reduce recruitment of A. pacifica nauplii from benthic resting eggs to planktonic population.     

REVERSIBLE ADSORPTION OF AQUEOUS DIVALENT COPPER ION BY ESTUARINE SEDIMENTS1

Sediments were equilibrated with solutions containing divalent copper ion. A colorimetric method using the triethylenete-tramine complex of the metal ion was employed to measure changes in uptake of copper by the sediments. Studies were made with sediments from rivers in the British Isles which were in the proximity of areas which had been mined for metals for several hundred years. For comparison, similar studies were performed with a sample of sand and a soil with a high organic content. It was possible to follow the uptake of copper ion by the materials and estimate their abilities to adsorb copper ion. In particular, a strong correlation was observed between the organic content of the sediment and the total amount of copper adsorbed by the sample. Under the employed circumstances it was possible to demonstrate that the adsorption of the metal ion was reversible.     

汾河表层沉积物PCBs和OCPs含量、来源及生态风险

利用GC-ECD方法测定了汾河太原段30个表层沉积物样品中多氯联苯(PCBs)和有机氯农药(OCPs)的含量,同时对沉积物中PCBs和OCPs的来源和生态风险进行了研究.结果表明,研究区PCBs和OCPs的含量分别为n.d.~50.95μg/kg和2.19 ~25.24μg/kg.Aroclor检出率最高为Aroclor1260和Aroclor1254,这可能与我国主要生产和使用的PCB有关.OCPs中p,p￠-DDE含量占优势,研究区HCH和DDT来源于工业和农业输入.生态风险评价结果表明,γ-HCH、DDT(total),o,p￠+p,p￠-DDT,p,p￠-DDE,七氯环氧化物,PCBs总量可能会对研究区水生生态环境造成潜在影响,但整体风险水平不高.     

高速公路雨水径流重金属污染特性研究

对南京机场高速公路路面径流中Cd、Cu、Pb和Zn这4种重金属进行了现场取样检测,重点探讨了重金属污染的出流规律、事件平均浓度(EMC),并分析了降雨特征对径流重金属污染的影响.结果表明,不同类型降雨事件重金属污染出流规律不同：降雨历时短、降雨量小、降雨强度小的降雨事件重金属浓度在一定范围内波动,在整个径流过程中始终维持在较高水平;降雨历时长、降雨量大、前期强度大的降雨事件初期污染物浓度高、污染重,初期效应显著;降雨历时短、降雨量较大具有双峰雨型的降雨事件中重金属出流存在“二次冲刷现象.计算结果表明,Cd、Cu、Pb和Zn的EMC中值浓度分别为1.43 μg·L^-1、 0.092 mg·L^-1、 38.6 μg·L^-1和0.51 mg·L^-1.Pb总体污染程度较严重,Cd、Cu和Zn与国内同类研究相比污染程度较为接近.重金属浓度与降雨特征相关性分析表明,降雨量对Cu的溶解出流影响较大,前期晴天数对Zn在路面的积累影响较大.     

Potent activity of the lichen antibiotic (+)-usnic acid against clinical isolates of vancomycin-resistant enterococci and methicillin-resistant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Staphylococcus aureus</Emphasis>

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and methicillin-resistant staphylococci, most notably methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), are serious clinical problems. The antibiotic arsenal available against them is limited, and new mutants worsen the situation. We studied the activity of (+)-usnic acid, an old lichen-derived drug, and its sodium salt against clinical isolates of VRE and MRSA using the agar diffusion and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) methods. The acid and, especially, the sodium salt had potent antimicrobial activity against all clinical isolates of VRE and MRSA studied. The MIC values of the sodium salt against VRE strains ranged between 4 and 16 μg/ml (1-day test) and between 4 and 31 μg/ml (2-day test), being below 8 μg/ml for most strains. The salt had potent activity even against those strains that were not inhibited by ampicillin (125 μg/ml), and it never lost its activity after 24 h, in contrast to ampicillin. Thus, in spite of the fact that usnic acid can in some cases cause serious toxicity, it and its salts may be worth considering in clinical practice in cases where other therapies have failed or the microbe is resistant toward other agents.     

Origin of high particle number concentrations reaching the St. Louis, Midwest Supersite

Ultrafine particles are associated with adverse health effects. Total Particle Number Concentration (TNC) of fine particles were measured during 2002 at the St. Louis — Midwest supersite. The time series showed overall low level with frequent large peaks. The time series was analyzed alongside criteria pollutant measurements and meteorological observations. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify further contributing factors and to determine the association of different pollutants with TNC levels. This showed the strong contribution of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) to high TNC levels. The analysis also suggested that increased dispersion resulting from faster winds and higher mixing heights led to higher TNC levels. Overall, the results show that there were intense particle nucleation events in a SO₂ rich plume reaching the site which contributed around 29% of TNC. A further 40% was associated with primary emissions from mobile sources. By separating the remaining TNC by time of day and clear sky conditions, we suggest that most likely 8% of TNC are due to regional nucleation events and 23% are associated with the general urban background.     

Traffic Parameters Estimation to Predict Road Side Pollutant Concentrations using Neural Networks

The analysis aims to evaluate which is the most important among traffic parameters (flows, queues length, occupancy degree, and travel time) to forecast CO and C₆H₆ concentrations. The study area was identified by Notarbartolo Road and bounded by Libertà Street and Sciuti Street in the urban area of Palermo in Southern Italy. In this area, various loop detectors and one pollution-monitoring site were located. Traffic data related to the pollution-monitoring site immediately near the road link were estimated by Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO) traffic microsimulator software using as input the flows measured by loop detectors on other links of road network. Traffic and weather data were used as input variables to predict pollutant concentrations by using neural networks. Finally, after a sensitivity analysis, it was showed that queues length were the mostly correlated traffic parameters to pollutant concentrations. An erratum to this article can be found at