scholarly journals Interannual and Spatial Variability of Cyanotoxins in the Prespa Lake Area, Greece

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 357
Author(s):  
Valentini Maliaka ◽  
Miquel Lürling ◽  
Christian Fritz ◽  
Yvon J.M. Verstijnen ◽  
Elisabeth J. Faassen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Spatial Heterogeneity ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Total Chlorophyll ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Cyanobacteria Blooms ◽  
Prespa Lake

The Prespa Lakes area in Greece—comprised partly of lake Great and lake Lesser Prespa and the Vromolimni pond—has a global importance for biodiversity. Although the waters show regular cyanobacteria blooms, assessments of water quality threats are limited. Samples collected in 2012 revealed scattered and low microcystin (MC) concentrations in Great Prespa (<0.2 μg MC L−1) whereas considerable spatial heterogeneity in both total chlorophyll (2.4–93 µg L−1) and MC concentrations (0.04–52.4 µg MC L−1) was detected in Lesser Prespa. In 2013, there was far less spatial variability of MC concentrations in Lesser Prespa (0.4–1.53 µg L−1), however in 2014, increased concentrations were detected near the lakeshore (25–861 µg MC L−1). In Vromolimni pond the MC concentrations were on average 26.6 (±6.4) µg MC L−1 in 2012, 2.1 (±0.3) µg MC L−1 in 2013 and 12.7 (±12.5) µg MC L−1 in 2014. In 2013, no anatoxins, saxitoxins, nor cylindrospermopsins were detected in Lesser Prespa and Vromolimni waters. Tissue samples from carps, an otter and Dalmatian Pelicans contained 0.4–1.9 µg MC g−1 dry weight. These results indicate that cyanotoxins could be a threat to the ecosystem functions of particularly Lesser Prespa and Vromolimni.

scholarly journals Vulnerability and resistance in the spatial heterogeneity of soil microbial communities under resource additions

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (13) ◽  
pp. 7263-7270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Gravuer ◽  
Anu Eskelinen ◽  
Joy B. Winbourne ◽  
Susan P. Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Spatial Heterogeneity ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Archaeal Community ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Water Addition ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
The Face ◽  
And Function

Spatial heterogeneity in composition and function enables ecosystems to supply diverse services. For soil microbes and the ecosystem functions they catalyze, whether such heterogeneity can be maintained in the face of altered resource inputs is uncertain. In a 50-ha northern California grassland with a mosaic of plant communities generated by different soil types, we tested how spatial variability in microbial composition and function changed in response to nutrient and water addition. Fungal composition lost some of its spatial variability in response to nutrient addition, driven by decreases in mutualistic fungi and increases in antagonistic fungi that were strongest on the least fertile soils, where mutualists were initially most frequent and antagonists initially least frequent. Bacterial and archaeal community composition showed little change in their spatial variability with resource addition. Microbial functions related to nitrogen cycling showed increased spatial variability under nutrient, and sometimes water, additions, driven in part by accelerated nitrification on the initially more-fertile soils. Under anthropogenic changes such as eutrophication and altered rainfall, these findings illustrate the potential for significant changes in ecosystem-level spatial heterogeneity of microbial functions and communities.

Assessment of copper accumulation in archived liver specimens from cats

2020 ◽  
pp. 1098612X2096135
Author(s):  
Punyamanee Yamkate ◽  
Randi M Gold ◽  
Panagiotis G Xenoulis ◽  
Katja Steiger ◽  
David C Twedt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Hepatic Steatosis ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Reference Interval ◽  
Copper Accumulation ◽  
Zonal Distribution ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Hepatic Copper ◽  
Liver Copper ◽  
Flame Atomic Absorption

Objectives The aim of this study was to assess hepatic copper concentrations and zonal distribution in cat liver specimens. Methods For this study, 121 archived, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver specimens from cats were used. Tissue sections were stained for copper with rhodanine and scored from 0 (no copper accumulation) to 5 (panlobular copper accumulation). The tissue specimens were then deparaffinized and hepatic copper concentrations were measured using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. Results Tissue samples were categorized into four groups based on histopathologic findings: (1) no significant histopathologic hepatic changes (n = 66); (2) hepatic steatosis (n = 18); (3) inflammatory or infectious disease (n = 24); and (4) neoplasia (n = 13). Of the 121 specimens, 13 (11%) stained positive for copper, with three having a score ⩾3. Thirty-seven specimens (31%) had copper concentrations above the reference interval ([RI] <180 µg/g dry weight liver). Copper concentrations in cats with hepatic inflammatory or infectious disease were significantly higher than cats with hepatic steatosis ( P = 0.03). Copper-staining score and concentration were positively correlated ( rs = 0.46, P <0.001). Conclusions and relevance Despite the fact that 31% of specimens had copper concentrations above the RI, only 11% showed positive copper staining and only 2.5% had a score ⩾3. Our findings suggest that hepatic copper concentrations greater than the upper limit of the RI are relatively common in cats. Further studies to determine the factors that influence hepatic copper staining in cats and to establish contemporary RIs for hepatic copper in healthy cats are warranted.

scholarly journals Temporal Variation of Chlorophyll-a Concentrations in Highly Dynamic Waters from Unattended Sensors and Remote Sensing Observations

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 2699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Li ◽  
Liqiao Tian ◽  
Qingjun Song ◽  
Zhaohua Sun ◽  
Hongjing Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Chlorophyll Fluorescence ◽  
Chlorophyll A ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Chl A ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Monitoring of water quality changes in highly dynamic inland lakes is frequently impeded by insufficient spatial and temporal coverage, for both field surveys and remote sensing methods. To track short-term variations of chlorophyll fluorescence and chlorophyll-a concentrations in Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, high-frequency, in-situ, measurements were collected from two fixed stations. The K-mean clustering method was also applied to identify clusters with similar spatio-temporal variations, using remote sensing Chl-a data products from the MERIS satellite, taken from 2003 to 2012. Four lake area classes were obtained with distinct spatio-temporal patterns, two of which were selected for in situ measurement. Distinct daily periodic variations were observed, with peaks at approximately 3:00 PM and troughs at night or early morning. Short-term variations of chlorophyll fluorescence and Chl-a levels were revealed, with a maximum intra-diurnal ratio of 5.1 and inter-diurnal ratio of 7.4, respectively. Using geostatistical analysis, the temporal range of chlorophyll fluorescence and corresponding Chl-a variations was determined to be 9.6 h, which indicates that there is a temporal discrepancy between Chl-a variations and the sampling frequency of current satellite missions. An analysis of the optimal sampling strategies demonstrated that the influence of the sampling time on the mean Chl-a concentrations observed was higher than 25%, and the uncertainty of any single Terra/MODIS or Aqua/MODIS observation was approximately 15%. Therefore, sampling twice a day is essential to resolve Chl-a variations with a bias level of 10% or less. The results highlight short-term variations of critical water quality parameters in freshwater, and they help identify specific design requirements for geostationary earth observation missions, so that they can better address the challenges of monitoring complex coastal and inland environments around the world.

scholarly journals Physiological Response of Capsicum annuum L. to Aqueous Extracts of Allelopathic Plants: A Case of Tithonia rotundifolia and Murraya koenigii

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
O. O. Otusanya ◽  
A. A. Ogunwole ◽  
M. O. Tijani
Keyword(s):  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Capsicum Annuum ◽  
Aqueous Extract ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Protein Accumulation ◽  
Aqueous Extracts ◽  
Total Chlorophyll ◽  
Murraya Koenigii

The present study evaluated the allelopathic potential of fresh shoot aqueous extracts of Tithonia rotundifolia (FSET) and Murraya koenigii (FSEM) on the germination of seeds, growth, chlorophyll, ascorbic acid and percentage crude protein accumulation of Capsicum annuum. The laboratory experimental results showed that seed germination and juvenile seedling growth of C. annuum were significantly retarded by both FSEM and FSET. The radicle growth was more susceptible to the phytotoxicity of both extracts than the plumule growth. Both plants extract had a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on the seedling growth of the recipient crop while the FSET was more phytotoxic than FSEM. However, this retardatory effect of aqueous extracts on growth observed in the laboratory was reversed in the soil-cultured experiments such that application of FSEM significantly enhanced all the studied growth parameters (shoot height, number of leaves, leaf area, leaf area ratio, shoot fresh and dry weight, root fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, ascorbic acid content in the shoot and percentage crude protein in the shoot and fruits). Likewise, FSET application significantly increased the leaf area, total chlorophyll and percentage crude protein accumulation in the shoot and fruits of the recipient crop at P<.05. This study then emphasizes the fact that T. rotundifolia and M. koenigii are allelopathic plants. The increased ascorbic acid and percentage crude protein accumulation in the aqueous extract-treated crop could, apart from enhancing the nutritional benefits of the test crop, be an adaptive mechanism evolved by the crop to overcome the allelopathic stress posed by the application of the aqueous extracts. These findings therefore suggest that allelochemicals in the aqueous extract of M. koenigii and T. rotundifolia could serve as biofertilizers for boosting the production of C. annuum.

Predicting change in biogeochemical potential of subsurface systems with changing hydrogeological conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Swamini Khurana ◽  
Falk Heße ◽  
Martin Thullner
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Reaction Network ◽  
Climate Scenario ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
External Forcing ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;In a changing climate scenario, we expect weather event patterns to change, both in frequency and in intensity. The subsequent impacts of these changing patterns on ecosystem functions are of great interest. Water quality particularly is critical due to public health concerns. Already, seasonal variation of water quality has been attributed to varying microbial community assemblages and nutrient loading in the corresponding water body but the contribution of the variations in the quantity of groundwater recharge is a missing link. It is thus beneficial to establish links between external forcing such as changing infiltration rate or recharge on nutrient cycling in the subsurface. We undertake this study to investigate the impact of temporal variation in external forcing on the biogeochemical potential of spatially heterogeneous subsurface systems using a numerical modeling approach. We used geostatistical tools to generate spatial random fields by considering difference combinations of the variance in the log conductivity field and the anisotropy of the domain. Tuning these two parameters assists in effective representation of a wide variety of geologic materials with varying intensity of preferential flow paths in the heterogeneous domain. We ran simulations using OGS#BRNS that enables us to combine a flexibly defined microbial mediated reaction network with the mentioned spatially heterogeneous domains in transient conditions. We propose that a combination of estimated field indicators of Damk&amp;#246;hler number, Peclet number (transformed Damk&amp;#246;hler number: Da&lt;sub&gt;t&lt;/sub&gt;), and projected temporal dynamics in surface conditions can assist us in predicting the change in biogeochemical potential of the subsurface system. Preliminary results indicate that we miss potentially critical variations in reactive species concentration if we neglect spatio-temporal heterogeneities for regimes where 1&lt;Da&lt;sub&gt;t&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;40. For regimes characterized by values outside this range, we propose that spatio-temporal heterogeneities due to subsurface structure and changing hydrological forcing may not be relevant.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Monitoring of Inland Surface Water Quality Using Remote Sensing on the Example of Wigry Lake

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 ◽  
pp. 00017
Author(s):  
Michał Lupa ◽  
Katarzyna Adamek ◽  
Renata Stypień ◽  
Wojciech Sarlej
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Surface Water Quality ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Secchi Disc ◽  
Water Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Water Index

The study examines how LANDSAT images can be used to monitor inland surface water quality effectively by using correlations between various indicators. Wigry lake (area 21.7 km2) was selected for the study as an example. The study uses images acquired in the years 1990–2016. Analysis was performed on data from 35 months and seven water condition indicators were analyzed: turbidity, Secchi disc depth, Dissolved Organic Material (DOM), chlorophyll-a, Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The analysis of results also took into consideration the main relationships described by the water circulation cycle. Based on the analysis of all indicators, clear trends describing a systematic improvement of water quality in Lake Wigry were observed.

Micro-quantity tissue digestion for metal measurements by use of a microwave acid-digestion bomb.

1989 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
J R Nicholson ◽  
M G Savory ◽  
J Savory ◽  
M R Wills
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Acid ◽  
Reference Material ◽  
Microwave Digestion ◽  
Absorption Spectrometry ◽  
Bovine Liver ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Acid Digestion ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Dry Ashing ◽  
Tissue Digestion

Abstract We describe a simple and convenient method for processing small amounts of tissue samples for trace-metal measurements by atomic absorption spectrometry, by use of a modified Parr microwave digestion bomb. Digestion proceeds rapidly (less than or equal to 90 s) in a sealed Teflon-lined vessel that eliminates contamination or loss from volatilization. Small quantities of tissue (5-100 mg dry weight) are digested in high-purity nitric acid, yielding concentrations of analyte that can be measured directly without further sample manipulation. We analyzed National Institute of Standards and Technology bovine liver Standard Reference Material to verify the accuracy of the technique. We assessed the applicability of the technique to analysis for aluminum in bone by comparison with a dry ashing procedure.

scholarly journals Seasonal Mixing and Genesis of Endogenic Meromixis in Small Lakes in Southeast Norway

2002 ◽  
Vol 33 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 189-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dag Hongve
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Nature ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Iron Concentration ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Small Lakes ◽  
Water Colour ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
Temperature Of Maximum Density ◽  
Iron And Manganese

The inland region of Southeast Norway contains many lakes with endogenic meromixis. A synoptic study of seasonal mixing was conducted in 27 oligo- and mesotrophic lakes with surface area 0.0013 – 7.4 km2 and water colour 2-146 Hazen units. The scope was to identify properties of morphometric, optical and chemical nature that lead to development of endogenic meromixis. The summer mixing depths were found to depend on lake area and water colour. Small lakes (&lt; 0.3 km2) were incompletely aerated during the spring circulation and had hypolimnetic temperatures near the temperature of maximum density throughout the summer stagnation. Insubstantial autumn mixing is considered the primary reason lakes in this area develop meromixis. Iron and manganese concentrations in anoxic deep waters depend on concentrations in the sediments and on accumulation of dissolved inorganic carbon in the deep waters. Development of endogenic meromixis is favoured by iron concentration in the sediment more than 5% of dry weight and manganese more than 0.5% of dry weight.

scholarly journals Endothelin receptor antagonist improves donor lung function in an ex vivo perfusion system

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Walweel ◽  
K. Skeggs ◽  
A. C. Boon ◽  
L. E. See Hoe ◽  
M. Bouquet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Partial Pressure ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Lung Damage ◽  
Endothelin Receptor ◽  
Donor Pool ◽  
Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion ◽  
Tissue Samples

Abstract Background A lung transplant is the last resort treatment for many patients with advanced lung disease. The majority of donated lungs come from donors following brain death (BD). The endothelin axis is upregulated in the blood and lung of the donor after BD resulting in systemic inflammation, lung damage and poor lung graft outcomes in the recipient. Tezosentan (endothelin receptor blocker) improves the pulmonary haemodynamic profile; however, it induces adverse effects on other organs at high doses. Application of ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) allows the development of organ-specific hormone resuscitation, to maximise and optimise the donor pool. Therefore, we investigate whether the combination of EVLP and tezosentan administration could improve the quality of donor lungs in a clinically relevant 6-h ovine model of brain stem death (BSD). Methods After 6 h of BSD, lungs obtained from 12 sheep were divided into two groups, control and tezosentan-treated group, and cannulated for EVLP. The lungs were monitored for 6 h and lung perfusate and tissue samples were processed and analysed. Blood gas variables were measured in perfusate samples as well as total proteins and pro-inflammatory biomarkers, IL-6 and IL-8. Lung tissues were collected at the end of EVLP experiments for histology analysis and wet-dry weight ratio (a measure of oedema). Results Our results showed a significant improvement in gas exchange [elevated partial pressure of oxygen (P = 0.02) and reduced partial pressure of carbon dioxide (P = 0.03)] in tezosentan-treated lungs compared to controls. However, the lungs hematoxylin–eosin staining histology results showed minimum lung injuries and there was no difference between both control and tezosentan-treated lungs. Similarly, IL-6 and IL-8 levels in lung perfusate showed no difference between control and tezosentan-treated lungs throughout the EVLP. Histological and tissue analysis showed a non-significant reduction in wet/dry weight ratio in tezosentan-treated lung tissues (P = 0.09) when compared to control. Conclusions These data indicate that administration of tezosentan could improve pulmonary gas exchange during EVLP.

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