Gas chromatographic separation and determination of chloroanthracene isomers on fly ash

An efficient, reproducible and rapid fused silica capillary column gas chromatographic method, in splitless mode, for analysing of the three chloroanthracene isomers is described. The method affords efficient separation and good linearity for each isomer in the range of 0.2 -200 μg/ml. The method can also be used in separation and determination of another thirty three aromatic and their halosubstituted compounds. This paper also presents the applications of the method in analysing of complex products mixture from reaction of the selected aromatic compounds with hydrogen chloride on fly ash surface from municipal incinerator.     

Effect of Anthropogenic Factors on the Ability of Narrow-skulled Voles (Lasiopodomys gregalis) to Adapt to Captive Conditions

Russian Journal of Ecology - To test the hypothesis that animals from habitats exposed to high anthropogenic pressure are more successful in adapting to captivity, immature narrow-skulled voles...     

TUGAI: An Integrated Simulation Tool for Ecological Assessment of Alternative Water Management Strategies in a Degraded River Delta

The development of ecologically sound water allocation strategies that account for the needs of riverine ecosystems is a pressing issue, especially in semiarid river basins. In the Aral Sea Basin, a search for strategies to mitigate ecological and socioeconomic deterioration has been in process since the early 1990s. The Geographic Information System–based simulation tool TUGAI has been developed to support the policy determination process by providing a simple, problem-oriented method to assess ecological effects of alternative water management strategies for the Amudarya River. It combines a multiobjective water allocation model with simple, spatially explicit statistical and rule-based models of landscape dynamics. Changes in environmental conditions are evaluated by a fuzzy habitat suitability index for Populus euphratica, which is the dominant species of the characteristic riverine Tugai forests. Water management scenarios can be developed by altering spatiotemporal water distribution in the delta area or the amount of water inflow into the delta. Outcomes of scenario analysis are qualitative comparisons of the ecological effects of different options for a time period of up to 28 years. The given approach utilizes different types of knowledge, from quantitative hydrological data to qualitative local expert knowledge. The main purpose of the tool is to integrate the knowledge in a comprehensive way to make it available for discussions on alternative policies in moderated workshops with stakeholders. In this article, the modules of the tool, their integration, and three hypothetical scenarios are presented. Based on the experience gained when developing the TUGAI tool, we propose that the general framework can be transferred to other areas where tradeoffs in water allocation between the environment and other water users are of major concern. The potential for a simulation tool to structure and inform a complex resource management situation by involving local experts and stakeholders in the development of possible future scenarios will become increasingly valuable for transparent and participatory resource management.     

Variation in certain characters and properties of scotch pine needles in geographic cultures

Morphophysiological and anatomical characters of needles that are used for characterizing infraspecific taxa have been studied in Scotch pine geographic cultures established in the forest-steppe zone of Siberia. Variation in these characters has been revealed, which reflects the polymorphic structure of the species and the effect of natural selection on the composition of populations in new natural-cimatic conditions.     

Assessment of Genotoxicity of Lignin Substances as Risk Factors for Aquatic Ecosystems

The genotoxicity of lignin substances (LSs) isolated from biologically purified wastewaters of the pulp and paper industry was studied in experiments on Baikal endemic mollusks and corn. Both toxicity and mutagenic activity of LSs were revealed, with their levels depending on the physicochemical characteristics of LSs, the test organism, and experimental conditions. These results provide evidence that LSs discharged into water bodies create a genetic hazard to their ecosystems.     

水稻杂交后代表观直链淀粉质量分数与蜡质基因(CT)n微卫星多态性的相关性

以来自２ 个水稻杂交组合的后代遗传群体为材料,研究了蜡质基因（ Ｗｘ） 微卫星标记（ＣＴ）ｎ 多态性与稻米表观直链淀粉质量分数（ ｗ（ＡＡ）） 之间的相关性． 第１ 个群体是浙农８０１０ 与嘉育２９３ 的杂交Ｆ６ 代育种品系,双亲均为籼稻,ｗ（ＡＡ） 分别为８ ．７％ 和２５．６ ％ ,Ｗｘ 基因型为分别为（ＣＴ）１８（ＣＴ）１８ 和（ＣＴ）１１（ＣＴ）１１ ．另一群体为ＣＭ１０１ 与ＩＧＲＡ４０９ 杂交Ｆ５ 家系,亲本ＣＭ１０１ 为一个粳型糯稻,Ｗｘ 基因型为（ＣＴ）１８（ＣＴ）１８ ;ＩＧＲＡ４０９ 为籼稻,ｗ（ＡＡ） ＝ ２７．５％ ,Ｗｘ 基因型为（ＣＴ）１１（ＣＴ）１１ ．结果发现,在２ 个杂交组合的后代群体中,高ｗ（ＡＡ） 材料Ｗｘ 基因型均为（ＣＴ）１１（ＣＴ）１１ ,低ｗ（ＡＡ） 及糯稻的均为（ＣＴ）１８（ＣＴ）１８ ,中等ｗ（ＡＡ） 材料的则为（ＣＴ）１８（ＣＴ）１１ 的杂合体．统计分析表明,Ｗｘ 基因型与ｗ（ＡＡ）之间存在显著的相关性,在浙农８０１０×嘉育２９３ 和ＣＭ１０１ ×ＩＧＲＡ４０９ 两个群体中相关系数分别达０ ．９５０９ 和０．９７０４．     

Hair from different ethnic groups vary in elemental composition and nitrogen and phosphorus mineralisation in soil

Disposal of hair wastes at landfills causes nitrate leaching to ground water, and use of the waste as fertiliser could be a viable option. This study was to determine elemental composition of major hair types in South Africa and their nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) release in soil. Wastes of African, White and Indian hair were obtained from local salons and analysed for carbon (C), N and sulphur (S) with the Leco CNS analyzer, and P, bases, aluminium (Al) and micronutrients, with the ICP. We also conducted an incubation study to determine changes in mineral N and P in soil. Hair wastes were added to soil at increasing rates based on N, incubated at 25 °C with destructive sampling after 0, 28, 56 and 84 days and pH, ammonium-N, nitrate-N and extractable P measured. All data were subjected to analysis of variance. Indian and White hair had higher N than African. White hair had higher C and lower potassium (K) than those of other types. The Fe levels in hair were in the order White > African > Indian, whilst those of Al were African > Indian > White. African hair had higher calcium (Ca), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn) and cobalt (Co) than the other types. Ammonium-N and nitrate-N releases were in the order: Indian > African > White, especially at higher rates. Ammonium-N increased in the first 28 days and declined thereafter, when nitrate-N increased and pH decreased. The findings implied that hair types differ in elemental composition and nitrogen release in soil, with implications on pollution and soil fertility.