DEVELOPMENT OF FLUORESCENCE POLARIZATION IMMUNOASSAY OF PHTHALATES: COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT DERIVATIVES IN OBTAINING ANTIBODIES AND TRACERS

Reagents for fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) of phthalates have been obtained: phthalate-protein conjugates, polyclonal antibodies, tracers - antigens labeled with fluorescein derivatives. By the example of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) with the use of a portable detector Sentry-200, the FPIA method was developed, which makes it possible to determine DBP in water samples in concentrations 1 μg / ml in 5 min.

Contaminación atmosférica y aerobiología del casco urbano de Calceta-Manabí

air pollution and noise generation represent environmental risk factors for public health in Calceta. Due to the lack of information on air pollutants, the objective of this work was to estimate the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO), sedimentary particulate matter (SPM), sound pressure level (SPL) and aerobic bacteria in the urban area of ​​the Calceta. 18 data collection points were established covering an area of ​​6.9 km2; the concentration of CO was measured with a portable detector; the MPS collection was carried out during 30 days continuously by passive method; for the NPS measurements, the 15-second method (Leq-15s) was applied; Aerobiology was performed in Petri dishes with nutrient medium. The concentration of CO in a sector of the urban area of ​​Calceta has an arithmetic mean of 5804,26 μg/m3 and according to the EPA this level is capable of affecting the population in general. The levels of SPM and SPL reflect the breach of the limits established in the national regulations for both pollutants. Bacterial concentrations were lower than 500 CFU/m3. The present study is a baseline in air quality that will allow in perspective the implementation of measures for the benefit of public health. Index Terms— Environmental monitoring, lung diseases, air

Utilization of pit telemetry to assess microhabitat affinities of stream-dwelling female crayfish during reproductive seclusion

Stream habitat-use of female crayfish during brooding of eggs and hatchlings is a poorly studied aspect of crayfish life history and ecology. Our goal was to use passive integrated transponder (PIT) technology to describe diurnal habitat-use patterns of females of two crayfish species during reproductive seclusion. PIT tags were externally attached to female Cambarus friaufi in Pine Creek, Tennessee, USA and Orconectes meeki meeki in Rock Creek, Missouri, USA. Crayfish were tracked with a portable detector and habitatuse was assessed in 2008 for C. friaufi and 2009 for O. m. meeki. PIT tags proved to be a highly effective tool for relocating crayfish, with = 85% of tagged individuals located at least once. Substrate roughness was identified as the most important variable for both species during brooding, followed by additional substrate-related variables, water velocity, and water depth. Cambarus friaufi, however, was more of a generalist and used microhabitat variables in close proportion to availability, whereas O. m. meeki showed more specialized use of brooding habitat variables. Our results suggest that female crayfish reproductive seclusion is closely linked to sufficiently heterogeneous substrate. Reductions in substrate quality could potentially alter crayfish reproductive capacity, thus impacting biodiversity and productivity of streams.