Naphthalene and its biomarkers as measures of occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) include compounds with two or more fused benzene rings, many of which are carcinogens. Industrial sources produce hundreds of PAH, notably in the coke- and aluminium-producing industries. Because PAH are distributed at varying levels between gaseous and particulate phases, exposure assessment has been problematic. Here, we recommend that occupational exposures to naphthalene be considered as a potential surrogate for occupational PAH exposure for three reasons. Naphthalene is usually the most abundant PAH in a given workplace; naphthalene is present almost entirely in the gaseous phase and is, therefore, easily measured; and naphthalene offers several useful biomarkers, including the urinary metabolites 1- and 2-hydroxynaphthalene. These biomarkers can be used to evaluate total-body exposure to PAH, in much the same way that 1-hydroxypyrene has been applied. Using data from published sources, we show that log-transformed airborne levels of naphthalene are highly correlated with those of total PAH (minus naphthalene) in several industries (creosote impregnation: Pearson r= 0.815, coke production: r= 0.917, iron foundry: r= 0.854, aluminium production: r= 0.933). Furthermore, the slopes of the log-log regressions are close to one indicating that naphthalene levels are proportional to those of total PAH in those industries. We also demonstrate that log-transformed urinary levels of the hydroxynaphthalenes are highly correlated with those of 1-hydroxypyrene among coke oven workers and controls (r= 0.857 and 0.876), again with slopes of log-log regressions close to one. These results support the conjecture that naphthalene is a useful metric for occupational PAH exposure. Since naphthalene has also been shown to be a respiratory carcinogen in several animal studies, it is also argued that naphthalene exposures should be monitored per se in industries with high levels of PAH.     

Use of USLE/GIS Methodology for Predicting Soil Loss in a Semiarid Agricultural Watershed

The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is an erosion model to estimate average soil loss that would generally result from splash, sheet, and rill erosion from agricultural plots. Recently, use of USLE has been extended as a useful tool predicting soil losses and planning control practices in agricultural watersheds by the effective integration of the GIS-based procedures to estimate the factor values in a grid cell basis. This study was performed in the Kazan Watershed located in the central Anatolia, Turkey, to predict soil erosion risk by the USLE/GIS methodology for planning conservation measures in the site. Rain erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), and cover management factor (C) values of the model were calculated from erosivity map, soil map, and land use map of Turkey, respectively. R values were site-specifically corrected using DEM and climatic data. The topographical and hydrological effects on the soil loss were characterized by LS factor evaluated by the flow accumulation tool using DEM and watershed delineation techniques. From resulting soil loss map of the watershed, the magnitude of the soil erosion was estimated in terms of the different soil units and land uses and the most erosion-prone areas where irreversible soil losses occurred were reasonably located in the Kazan watershed. This could be very useful for deciding restoration practices to control the soil erosion of the sites to be severely influenced.     

In vitro activity of antimicrobial agents against Legionella isolated from environmental water systems: first results from Turkey

We evaluated the in vitro activity of antimicrobial agents against Legionella obtained from hotel and hospital water systems in three different regions of Turkey. Sixty-five Legionella strains (Legionella pneumophila serogroup 6 [n?=?32], L. pneumophila serogroup 1 [n?=?27], L. pneumophila serogroup 3 [n?=?2], and Legionella spp. [n?=?4]) were tested against levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, and rifampicin. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of each antimicrobial agent for these strains was determined by the microdilution method using buffered yeast extract medium supplemented with 0.1% ketoglutarate broth. L. pneumophila ATCC 33152, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 were used as controls. Minimum inhibitory concentration values were in the following ranges: clarithromycin 0.001–0.5 mg/L, azithromycin 0.001–0.5 mg/L, levofloxacin 0.001–0.5 mg/L, ciprofloxacin 0.001–0.125 mg/L, and rifampicin 0.001– 0.5 mg/L. The MIC₉₀ for rifampicin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, and clarithromycin were 0.015, 0.125, 0.06, 0.125, and 0.06 mg/L, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to determine in vitro activities of antimicrobial agents against Legionella species in Turkey. Rifampicin had the lowest MIC₉₀ value. It would seem that azithromycin and clarithromycin exhibit good activity as well as levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin against Legionella isolated from environmental water systems in Turkey.     

Effect of humic deposit (leonardite) on degradation of semi-volatile and heavy hydrocarbons and soil quality in crude-oil-contaminated soil

In order to investigate the bioremedial potential of humic deposit (leonardite), the effects of the treatments of leonardite and a commercial bioaugmentation agent on the degradation of a variety of petroleum hydrocarbons (C13–C31) and soil enzyme activities (urease acid-alkaline phosphatase and dehydrogenase) were tested within a soil incubation experiment lasting 120 days. Experimentally crude-oil-contaminated soil (2.5%) was regulated to a C:N:P ratio (100:15:1; Oilcon), amended with 5% of leonardite and regulated to the same C:N:P ratio (Oilcon-L) or mixed with a commercial bioaugmentation product (Oilcon-B), respectively. In the short period of incubation (60 days), Oilcon and Oilcon-B treatments showed higher hydrocarbon degradations, whereas Oilcon-L showed higher hydrocarbon degradation over Oilcon and Oilcon-B treatments in the long-term (120 days). Applying contaminated soil with leonardite increased urease (LSD, 4.978, *P?<?0.05) and dehydrogenase (LSD, 0.660, *P?<?0.05) activities. However, acid and alkaline phosphatase activities showed no certain inclination between different treatments. Dehydrogenase seemed to be more related to hydrocarbon degradation process. Overall results showed that leonardite enhanced biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons and also stimulated soil ecological quality measured as soil enzyme activities.     

Projection of landfill stabilization period by time series analysis of leachate quality and transformation trends of VOCs

The purpose of this study was to evaluate suitability of using the time series analysis for selected leachate quantity and quality parameters to forecast the duration of post closure period of a closed landfill. Selected leachate quality parameters (i.e., sodium, chloride, iron, bicarbonate, total dissolved solids (TDS), and ammonium as N) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (i.e., vinyl chloride, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, chlorobenzene, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylenes, total BTEX) were analyzed by the time series multiplicative decomposition model to estimate the projected levels of the parameters. These parameters were selected based on their detection levels and consistency of detection in leachate samples. In addition, VOCs detected in leachate and their chemical transformations were considered in view of the decomposition stage of the landfill. Projected leachate quality trends were analyzed and compared with the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for the respective parameters. Conditions that lead to specific trends (i.e., increasing, decreasing, or steady) and interactions of leachate quality parameters were evaluated. Decreasing trends were projected for leachate quantity, concentrations of sodium, chloride, TDS, ammonia as N, vinyl chloride, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylenes, and total BTEX. Increasing trends were projected for concentrations of iron, bicarbonate, and chlorobenzene. Anaerobic conditions in landfill provide favorable conditions for corrosion of iron resulting in higher concentrations over time. Bicarbonate formation as a byproduct of bacterial respiration during waste decomposition and the lime rock cap system of the landfill contribute to the increasing levels of bicarbonate in leachate. Chlorobenzene is produced during anaerobic biodegradation of 1,4-dichlorobenzene, hence, the increasing trend of chlorobenzene may be due to the declining trend of 1,4-dichlorobenzene. The time series multiplicative decomposition model in general provides an adequate forecast for future planning purposes for the parameters monitored in leachate. The model projections for 1,4-dichlorobenzene were relatively less accurate in comparison to the projections for vinyl chloride and chlorobenzene. Based on the trends observed, future monitoring needs for the selected leachate parameters were identified.     

An interpersonal perspective of perceived stress: Examining the prosocial coping response patterns of stressed managers

We adopt an interpersonal perspective and examine the adaptive effects of managers' perceived stress on their behavior towards subordinates. Drawing from the transactional model of stress (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), we advance a model that highlights the propensity for stressed managers to engage in prosocial coping behaviors towards their employees, which in turn are related to lower levels of turnover and higher levels of job performance. We tested our predictions in a sample of 281 employees and their 53 managers working in a clothing retailer in Turkey. Consistent with predictions, we found positive effects of managers' perceived stress on their prosocial coping behaviors and employee outcomes. Managers' perceived stress was positively related to sharing credit with employees for managers who held positive implicit prototypes about employees. Results also indicated that managers' perceived stress was positively related to sharing knowledge with their subordinates regardless of implicit follower prototypes. Both sharing credit and sharing knowledge, in turn, were related to turnover intentions and actual turnover, and sharing credit was related to job performance. This study extends past work by adopting an interpersonal perspective of stress and demonstrating that managerial stress can have positive effects on employee outcomes via prosocial coping behaviors.     

Phytoremediation of landfill leachate using Pennisetum clandestinum

Landfills are still the most widely used solid waste disposal method used across the world. Leachate generated from landfill areas exerts environmental risks mostly on surface and groundwater, with its high pollutant content, most notably metals, which cause an unbearable lower water quality. During dumping or after the capacity of the landfill has been reached, a decontamination and remediation program should be taken for the area. This study was conducted to assess the capacity and efficiency of Pennisetum clandestinum, a prostrate perennial plant, to accumulate chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb). Leachate, taken from the Sofulu Landfill Site, was given to Pennisetum clandestinum for 180 days, in 3 dilution sets as 1/1, 1/2 and 1/4, in batch configuration. An additional control set was also installed for comparison. Results showed that, even though the metal content of soil had risen, plants accumulated 2 to 8.5 times higher concentrations than the control set. It is important to see, the plant showed almost no stress symptoms even if the set was fed by pure leachate. Pennisetum clandestinum was observed to accumulate metals mostly in the upper bodies, excluding Fe and Cu. 76% of accumulated Cr, 85% of Ni, 66% of Zn and 100% of Pb was observed to accumulate in above-ground parts, where only 20% of Cu and 4% of Fe was accumulated. Due to the high pollution tolerance of Pennisetum clandestinum, makes this plant suitable for decontamination and remediation of landfill sites.     

Prenatal diagnosis of bilateral anophthalmia: Identifying de novo SOX2 variant

A 26 year old nulligravida presented at 24 weeks gestation for the second opinion of abnormal fetal profile and mid-face views on ultrasound at another institution. A detailed fetal anatomic ultrasound at our facility revealed the absence of fetal lens and globes bilaterally consistent with bilateral anophthalmia (HP: 0000528) without other anomalies. Karyotype and chromosomal microarray analysis were completed from amniocentesis sample. After these results, duo exome testing with paternal sequencing was completed from proband amniotic fluid sample and parental blood samples. A pathogenic variant in SOX2 (NM_003106.3: c.513C>G p.(Tyr171*Ter)) with heterozygous autosomal dominant inheritance resulted. On duo exome testing with paternal segregation analysis, the variant was found to be consistent with likely sporadic de novo inheritance. The SOX2 variant reported is consistent with the fetal phenotype in this case. While germline mosaicism could exist, this identified variant provided the family with a likely explanation for this proband's finding. This ultrasound and genetic testing allowed the family to make decisions related to planning in current and future pregnancies.