Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters: An Integrated Systems Framework

Interest in connectivity has increased in the aquatic sciences, partly because of its relevance to the Clean Water Act. This paper has two objectives: (1) provide a framework to understand hydrological, chemical, and biological connectivity, focusing on how headwater streams and wetlands connect to and contribute to rivers; and (2) briefly review methods to quantify hydrological and chemical connectivity. Streams and wetlands affect river structure and function by altering material and biological fluxes to the river; this depends on two factors: (1) functions within streams and wetlands that affect material fluxes; and (2) connectivity (or isolation) from streams and wetlands to rivers that allows (or prevents) material transport between systems. Connectivity can be described in terms of frequency, magnitude, duration, timing, and rate of change. It results from physical characteristics of a system, e.g., climate, soils, geology, topography, and the spatial distribution of aquatic components. Biological connectivity is also affected by traits and behavior of the biota. Connectivity can be altered by human impacts, often in complex ways. Because of variability in these factors, connectivity is not constant but varies over time and space. Connectivity can be quantified with field‐based methods, modeling, and remote sensing. Further studies using these methods are needed to classify and quantify connectivity of aquatic ecosystems and to understand how impacts affect connectivity.     

Residue levels of organochlorine pesticides in cattle meat and organs slaughtered in selected towns in West Shoa Zone,Ethiopia

Residue levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCP) in a total of 90 cattle samples comprising meat, liver and kidney collected from carcasses slaughtered in six towns in West Shoa Zone, Ethiopia, (Ambo, Guder, Ginchi, Gedo, Holeta and Tikur Inchini), have been determined. The pesticides were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE) and quantification was carried out using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A good linearity (r² > 0.998) was found in the range 0.001–7.00 mg/kg for the samples studied. Most of the pesticides had recoveries in the range 81–99% and values of relative standard deviation (RSD) <7.2% for repeatability and reproducibility, showing good accuracy and precision of the method. The concentration level of the studied organochlorines followed the order: p, p’ dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) > endosulfan>o,p′-DDT >lindane>dieldrin>endrin>aldrin>chlorothanolin while the order of contamination in the analyzed organs was liver > kidney > meat. Heat treatment of the meat, kidney and liver samples (boiling for 90 min.) produced an overall reduction of 62.2%, 44.5%, 37.7%, 29%, 31%, 34.3% and 30.8% in lindane, o, p′-DDT, endosulfan, p, p′-DDT, chlorothanolin, aldrin, dieldrin, and endrin, respectively. Although the residual contents of the organochlorines detected in all the contaminated samples analyzed from the six cities were below the respective maximal permissible levels set by international organizations, samples from Holeta town were more contaminated and may necessitate effective monitoring as bioaccumulation of these residues may pose health problems in human beings.     

Protein Metabolic Response to Carbon Tetrachloride in A Freshwater Fish, Sarotherodon Mossambicus

Exposure of a freshwater teleost, Sarotherodon mossambicus, to a sublethal concentration (26 ppm) of carbon tetrachloride for periods up to 30 days led to significant changes in the soluble protein fractions (albumin and globulins) and free amino acid content. the decrease in total protein content was greater in liver than in muscle. the protein loss was expected due to the impairement of protein synthetic activity during stress conditions.     

不同城市PM2.5致小鼠肝脏纤维化的效应差异研究

为阐明PM_2.5诱发肝脏纤维化的潜在机制以及导致这种不良效应的主要组分,本研究以采自我国太原、北京、杭州和广州市的PM_2.5暴露10月龄C57BL/6雌性小鼠4周后,利用组织切片染色,荧光定量PCR (qRT-PCR)以及Western blot技术检测小鼠肝脏纤维化的发生,并采用皮尔森相关系数法分析不同城市PM_2.5暴露组小鼠肝脏纤维化相关基因表达水平与各城市典型化学组分的线性相关关系.结果发现,与对照组相比,太原组和杭州组小鼠肝脏脏器系数显著降低;太原组小鼠肝脏胶原沉积面积显著增加,肝脏纤维化相关基因(Col1a1、Col3a1、TGF-β和MMP2)的转录水平显著升高,并且也仅有太原组PM_2.5暴露诱导了小鼠肝脏Col1a1蛋白的显著增高,而其他城市PM_2.5暴露组并未见上述纤维化相关因子的显著变化.相关性分析结果显示,Cr、Mn、Mo、Cs、Pb、Bi、U和Fe等金属组分与Col1a1和Col3a1的mRNA表达呈显著正相关,除NA、AC及BaP外其余15种多环芳烃均与Col1a1表达显著相关,18种PAHs之和与Col3a1表达显著相关.上述结果表明,PM_2.5暴露可导致小鼠肝脏纤维化的发生,其中太原市PM_2.5诱导肝脏纤维化发生最为显著,TGF-β及其通路中相关信号分子在介导PM_2.5诱发肝脏纤维化发生中发挥了重要作用,Cr、Mn、Mo、Cs、Pb、Bi、U、Fe及PAHs很可能是细颗粒物暴露导致小鼠肝脏纤维化的关键毒性组分.     

Multielement distribution in different plant organs∗

Different elements were found to accumulate at different levels at different parts of balsam plants. Results on multielement concentrations determined for plant foodstufffs of root, seed and leaf nature and As, Cr and Zn distributions along the stems and roots of balsam plant agree well with the above finding.     

Effects of aerobic exercise on histopathology and toxicology of ZnO and nano ZnO in male rats

The effects of four weeks of aerobic exercise on histopathological and toxicological effects induced by nano ZnO and ZnO powders in male rats were evaluated. Tissue sections of liver and kidneys of ZnO and nano ZnO rats showed some histopathological changes, which were partly reverted by exercise. ZnO and nano ZnO treatments caused an increase in the level of tumor necrosis factor-α, while the mean of Interleukin 10 was declined. Exercise training enhanced the mean value of and declined mean level of in rats treated with ZnO and nano ZnO. The ZnO and ZnO groups demonstrated the highest means of insulin resistance, low density lipoprotein, cholesterol, triglyceride levels and lower mean value of compared to the other groups, while exercise resulted in improvement in mean of these factors.