Transient induction of 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity by medium change in the rainbow trout liver cell line, RTL-W1.

Cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) metabolizes a wide array of lipophilic xenobiotics. In fish liver, CYP1A is constitutively expressed at low levels, but xenobiotics can strongly induce CYP1A expression via a receptor-mediated pathway. While induction of hepatic CYP1A in teleosts by xenobiotics is well investigated, very little is known on the regulation of constitutive CYP1A expression and its induction by factors other than xenobiotics. In the present study we show that in the rainbow trout liver cell line, RTL-W1, CYP1A-catalyzed 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity can be induced by a change of the culture medium, in the absence of xenobiotics. The increase in cellular EROD levels is of transient nature. Experiments with cell incubation solutions supplemented with various medium components indicate that photooxidized tryptophan is the agent causing the increase of EROD activity after medium change.     

Residential Settlement Patterns among Immigrants in Atlanta Metropolitan Area,Georgia

This study investigates the diversity of immigrant populations and their spatial residential patterns at the census tract level within twenty‐nine counties of the Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), using 2013 American Community Survey (ACS) five‐year estimates summary data from 2008–2012. Correlations coefficient analyses with local job opportunities, education level, and English proficiency and the presence of foreign‐born populations are also discussed. We find that immigrants have different patterns of settlement depending on their place of birth and region of origin. Local job opportunities, dominant language at home, and education levels also relate to the distribution of foreign‐born populations. Further research opportunities concerning differential settlement are discussed.     

'…the world was getting smaller': women, agoraphobia and bodily boundaries

Summary Drawing on individual and group interviews with agoraphobic women, this paper explores sufferers' accounts of agoraphobia as entailing apparent dysfunctions in spatial awareness. In particular, it examines the effects of agoraphobic anxiety on the lived boundaries of body and self and relates this to agoraphobics' contrasting experiences of the relative 'security' of the home and the unheimlich and disturbing architecture of the shopping mall.     

Association of specific organic matter compounds in size fractions of soils under different environmental controls

Inherent chemical recalcitrance and association of organic matter (OM) with minerals are mechanisms responsible for the long term preservation of OM in soils. The structural characteristics of OM are also believed to control specific interactions between OM and soil minerals. However, the extent of the relationship between recalcitrance and mineral protection and the specificity of these chemically driven interactions are not clearly understood at the molecular level. To measure chemical patterns of OM sequestration in sand-, silt-, clay-size and light fractions, we analyzed three soils, which mainly differed in carbon content and overlying vegetation, but have similar clay mineralogy, using biomarker analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Despite differences in environmental controls, long chain aliphatic compounds generally accumulated in the fine fractions of all soils. This accumulation is likely due to the strong interaction between recalcitrant forms of OM and soil minerals. For example, polymethylene and >C₂₀ organic acids accumulated in fine fractions, while lignin-derived phenols were protected from oxidation in silt-size fractions. Diffusion edited solution state ¹H NMR suggested that contributions from microbial-derived OM was greater in finer fractions, which is likely due to the accumulation of microbial-derived compounds or higher microbial activity in clay micro-sites. Our data suggest that, for these Prairie soils, the specific structure of OM and not environmental factors is responsible for long term preservation of OM in mineral fractions. Further research is necessary to understand the interplay between these preservation mechanisms such that the long term fate of OM can be further elucidated.     

Mapping and monitoring geological hazards using optical,LiDAR, and synthetic aperture RADAR image data

Geological hazards and their effects are often geographically widespread. Consequently, their effective mapping and monitoring is best conducted using satellite and airborne imaging platforms to obtain broad scale, synoptic coverage. With a multitude of hazards and effects, potential data types, and processing techniques, it can be challenging to determine the best approach for mapping and monitoring. It is therefore critical to understand the spatial and temporal effects of any particular hazard on the environment before selecting the most appropriate data type/s and processing techniques to apply. This review is designed to assist the decision-making and selection process when embarking on a hazard mapping or monitoring exercise. It focuses on the application of optical, LiDAR, and synthetic aperture RADAR technologies for the assessment of pre-event risk and post-event damage. Geological hazards of global interest summarized here are landslides and erosion; seismic and tectonic hazards; ground subsidence; and flooding and tsunami.     

A methodology to constrain the parameters of a hydrogeological discrete fracture network model for sparsely fractured crystalline rock,exemplified by data from the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository site at Forsmark,Sweden

The large-scale geological structure of the crystalline rock at the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository site at Forsmark, Sweden, has been classified in terms of deformation zones of elevated fracture frequency. The rock between deformation zones was divided into fracture domains according to fracture frequency. A methodology to constrain the geometric and hydraulic parameters that define a discrete fracture network (DFN) model for each fracture domain is presented. The methodology is based on flow logging and down-hole imaging in cored boreholes in combination with DFN realizations, fracture connectivity analysis and pumping test simulations. The simulations suggest that a good match could be obtained for a power law size distribution where the value of the location parameter equals the borehole radius but with different values for the shape parameter, depending on fracture domain and fracture set. Fractures around 10–100 m in size are the ones that typically form the connected network, giving inflows in the simulations. The report also addresses the issue of up-scaling of DFN properties to equivalent continuous porous medium (ECPM) bulk flow properties. Comparisons with double-packer injection tests provide confidence that the derived DFN formulation of detailed flows within individual fractures is also suited to simulating mean bulk flow properties and their spatial variability.     

Sonochemical degradation of endocrine disrupting chemicals 17β-estradiol and 17α-ethinylestradiol in water and wastewater

The sonochemical degradation of 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in water and wastewater was investigated at ultrasonic frequency of 850 kHz. The effects of pH, initial concentrations, temperature, power and dissolved organic carbon were examined. The results obtained indicated that the rate of ultrasonic degradation of E2 and EE2 in water and wastewater is influenced by the pH, power, air sparging and the dissolved organic content of the aqueous solutions. Mass degradation rates of E2 and EE2 per kW ranged from 1.7 to 4.0 mg kW^?1 at varying process parameters. The degradation process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model with rate constant of 1.71 × 10^?2 min^?1 at 25 °C. The value for activation energy (E _a = 15.21 kJ mol^?1) obtained from Arrhenius-type plot, indicated that the ultrasonic degradation of steroid hormones is thermodynamically feasible, and does not progress only on radical reactions but other intermediate reaction processes. In wastewater, the higher dissolved organic carbon significantly reduced the effectiveness of degradation of the E2 and EE2 showing that ultrasound treatment will be more effective as a tertiary treatment option in wastewater applications.     

Metal enrichment in the groundwater of the arid environment in South Africa

This paper presents the enrichment tendency and spatial distribution of metals in the groundwater which is pumped out from the granitic aquifers in South Africa. Groundwater is the sole source of water supply for the local community in the study area (Namaqualand), and hence, it was necessary to understand the controlling geochemical processes and interrelationship of metals in the groundwater. The geochemical association of metals has been assessed based on the geostatistical methods. The results show that geochemical processes such as oxidation, leaching, and evaporation besides water–rock interaction are very important in controlling metal enrichment in the groundwater from highly mineralized rocks. The metal enrichment index for selected toxic metals in groundwater increases in the order of Cd > U > Cr > Pb. The observed enrichment trend could be considered as a result of mineralization of basement rocks which is facilitated by active geochemical process in the arid environment. The lack of aquifer flushing due to negligible recharge helps the metals to concentrate at shallow groundwater zones supported by severe evaporation process.     

Groundwater flow and radioactivity in Namaqualand, South Africa

The Namaqualand area is located in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa which is characterised by arid climate where groundwater is the only source of water supply for local communities. Extensive groundwater sampling was carried out in the area and the physico-chemical parameters, inorganic constituents, stable isotopes and trace metals were measured. The hydrochemistry of the area indicates dissimilar groundwater composition due to complex geochemical processes where groundwater flow takes place from catchment F30A to the catchment D82B, and the chemistry is controlled primarily by Redox reaction, dissolution and mixing processes. The Br^?/Cl^? ratio revealed that the salinity in the area is derived from seawater mixing, halite dissolution and atmospheric deposition/sea aerosol spray. Under excessive evaporative condition due to climatic aridity, groundwater salinity shows increasing trend. Isotope results show the presence of shallow-weathered zone and deep-fracture controlled circulating groundwater in the crystalline basement aquifer of the area. In comparison to the South African water quality standard, the results obtained for gross alpha activity which could be derived from uranium isotopes show that 41 % of the reported data in the area fall above the drinking water limit.