Biochemical alterations in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to zinc: glutathione reductase as a target

The aim of this study was to investigate biochemical changes in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to zinc chloride (10, 30 and 100 microM) for a period of 48 h. Zinc exposure caused a concentration-dependent reduction in glutathione reductase (GR) activity in gills, liver and brain. Gill glutathione S-transferase (GST) was reduced when animals were exposed to the highest concentration of 100 microM zinc. The phosphorylation of p38(MAPK) increased in the brain of fish exposed to zinc 100 microM, while phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase 1/2 (JNK1/2) remained unchanged. Expression of proteins HSP60 and HSP70 were not affected by zinc exposure. Considering the significant concentration-dependent inhibition of GR in all tissues analyzed, this enzyme could be a potential biomarker of exposure to zinc, which has to be confirmed.     

Assessment of loess as parent material for agroecological potential

Due to its physical and chemical properties, areas with a loess mantle of proper thickness favour arable farming. Loess as a parent material promotes the formation of soils of good structure, nutrient supply and water budget. The ongoing land evaluation project places particular emphasis on the consideration of parent material in its scoring system as soil and climatic parameters are assessed in conjunction with the grain size composition of subsurface material and soil texture.A test area most suitable for the presentation of the method seems to be a sandy alluvial fan with loess mantle and this circumstance allows the contrasting of the agroecological potentials of soils developed on the two parent materials of different nature.The favourable water storage properties of loess make this deposit particularly valuable under the conditions of climatic aridification. The geographical information system applied here is capable of simulating the agroecological potential changes caused by reduced precipitation, increased evaporation and dropping groundwater levels.The research for this paper was carried out as part of the MEDALUS II (Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use) collaborative research project. MEDALUS II was funded by the EC under its Environment Progamme, contract no. EV5V 0128/0166. A grant was also provided by the OTKA (Hungarian National Science Foundation), project no 1278. The support is gratefully acknowledged.     

Harmful microalgae blooms (HAB); problematic and conditions that induce them

HAB occurrence is becoming more frequent and problematic in marine recreational waters. However, the exploitation of the coastal area for recreational use is promoting the necessary conditions for the HAB increase. In terms of the harmful effects, we can consider two types of causative organism: the toxic producers and the high-biomass producers. Toxic events can be produced by a very low concentration of the causative organism. This characteristic implies a difficulty for the monitoring programs in relation to human health. It is important to point out in the context of human health and HAB events, that in some coastal regions (e.g. the Mediterranean basin) HABs are an emerging problem. In these regions, the local population and visitors may face a health risk that is difficult to measure. The monitoring of toxic species has mainly been associated -with shellfish farming. However, the risk of intoxication could become even greater in areas not subject to legislation of aquaculture activities.     

Die lokale Beeinflussung eines stehenden Gewässers durch eine punktförmige Abwasserbelastung; ein direkter Nachweis der wachstumsbegrenzenden Wirkung des Phosphors im Vierwaldstättersee

Zusammenfassung Die Beeinflussung des Vierwaldst?ttersees (Horwer Bucht) durch den mit dem Abwasser von 10 000 Einwohnern belasteten Steinibach liess sich im Oberfl?chenwasser auf eine Distanz von mehr als 2 km verfolgen (Abb. 1a, 1b, 1c). Es zeigte sich, dass eine erh?hte Phosphorzufuhr eine verst?rkte biogene Nitratzehrung erm?glicht. Die Abh?ngigkeit der Pigmentkonzentration y von der Gesamtphosphorkonzentrationx liess sich durch die folgende Mitscherlich-Gleichung beschreiben: log(30-y)=log 30–0,012 (x−6) Damit wurde im Vierwaldst?ttersee erstmals unter v?llig natürlichen Bedingungen die Beeinflussung der Prim?rproduktion durch eine erh?hte Phosphorkonzentration nachgewiesen (Abb. 2). Die Erfolgsaussichten von Abwassersanierungsmassnahmen an Seen verschiedener Trophiegrade werden diskutiert.

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Summary The influence of the ‘Steinibach” tributary, into which the wastewater of 10,000 inhabitants is discharged, on the Lake of Lucerne (Horwer Bucht) is detectable in the surface water over a distance of more than 2 km (Picture 1a, 1b, 1c). It was revealed that the increased phosphorus supply enables more intensive biological nitrate consumption. The dependence of the pigment concentration,y, on the total phosphorus concentration,x can be expressed by the following Mitscherlich equation: log (30−y)=log 30–0.012 (x−6). This was the first time that the influence of an increased phosphorus concentration on primary production was proved in the Lake of Lucerne under completely natural conditions (Picture 2). The possibilities of implementing successful water pollution control measures in lakes with various trophic levels are discussed.

     

Zircon geochronology and geochemistry to constrain the youngest eruption events and magma evolution of the Mid-Miocene ignimbrite flare-up in the Pannonian Basin,eastern central Europe

A silicic ignimbrite flare-up episode occurred in the Pannonian Basin during the Miocene, coeval with the syn-extensional period in the region. It produced important correlation horizons in the regional stratigraphy; however, they lacked precise and accurate geochronology. Here, we used U–Pb (LA-ICP-MS and ID-TIMS) and (U–Th)/He dating of zircons to determine the eruption ages of the youngest stage of this volcanic activity and constrain the longevity of the magma storage in crustal reservoirs. Reliability of the U–Pb data is supported by (U–Th)/He zircon dating and magnetostratigraphic constraints. We distinguish four eruptive phases from 15.9 ± 0.3 to 14.1 ± 0.3 Ma, each of which possibly includes multiple eruptive events. Among these, at least two large volume eruptions (>10 km³) occurred at 14.8 ± 0.3 Ma (Demjén ignimbrite) and 14.1 ± 0.3 Ma (Harsány ignimbrite). The in situ U–Pb zircon dating shows wide age ranges (up to 700 kyr) in most of the crystal-poor pyroclastic units, containing few to no xenocrysts, which implies efficient recycling of antecrysts. We propose that long-lived silicic magma reservoirs, mostly kept as high-crystallinity mushes, have existed in the Pannonian Basin during the 16–14 Ma period. Small but significant differences in zircon, bulk rock and glass shard composition among units suggest the presence of spatially separated reservoirs, sometimes existing contemporaneously. Our results also better constrain the time frame of the main tectonic events that occurred in the Northern Pannonian Basin: We refined the upper temporal boundary (15 Ma) of the youngest counterclockwise block rotation and the beginning of a new deformation phase, which structurally characterized the onset of the youngest volcanic and sedimentary phase.     

On the Dynamic Disconnection of Rising Omega Loops

The tilt-angle variation of solar bipolar magnetic regions (BMRs) in space and time is a probable indicator of large-scale properties of magnetic field distribution, the dynamo and other different processes affecting the rising of magnetic flux tubes. We analyze the tilt-angle distribution and evolution of clearly oriented BMRs using sunspot position and area measurements from the Greenwich Photo-Heliographic Results (GPHR) supplemented by high-quality full-disk sunspot drawings made in the Haynald Observatory in Hungary. Our work is made on the basis of the 14th sunspot cycle and we compare our results with present theories of magnetic flux evolution in the convective zone. Our results support the assumption that the scatter of tilt angles of BMRs around Joy`s law is determined by the convective turbulence. Furthermore, we find that regular BMRs grouped by age generally do not show the phenomenon of toroidal relaxation towards the east–west direction. We interpret this by the disconnection of -loops from the bottom of the convection zone.     

Integrated evaluation of urban groundwater hydrogeochemistry in context of fractal behaviour of groundwater level fluctuations

The present study was carried out as part of a complex survey of urban groundwater quality and quantity in Szeged, southeast Hungary. The concentrations of 12 inorganic contaminants in 28 shallow groundwater monitoring wells were determined over a 2-year period (2010–2012). The evaluation of concentrations indicates remarkable contamination all over the city. Discriminant analysis (DA) was used to evaluate the spatial changes of groundwater quality. The groundwater levels were measured over a 14-year period (2000–2013). The fractal properties of water level fluctuations time series characterizing the groundwater system and Tisza River were investigated using rescaled range (R/S) analysis. The resulting Hurst exponents clearly showed the persistency and thus long memory effects of both the groundwater and the river flow. Comparison of the results of DA with the results of R/S analysis thus implies that the geological conditions and the changing groundwater quantities are not related to groundwater quality.

EDITOR A. Castellarin

ASSOCIATE EDITOR A. Fiori     

From data to decision-making – experiences in Integrated Earth Observation (IEO)

Within the confines of Earth Observation Scientific Knowledge and Technology Transfer in Hungary (EKAT) titled ESA PECS project we gained forum for utilization of our earth observation (EO) knowledge and possibility for further development of experiences. The project aims the horizontal preparation of Hungary for ESA membership – for a dynamically developing sphere in the common part of science, technology and business. For the efficient transfer and dissemination, we preconceived target groups and principles to reach main take-up points and to open new forums of information exchange. Nowadays, user-friendly service, complex supply and real-validation process all have great importance. Joining units of suitable data choice, entire ingestion–processing chains and ergonomic interfaces can only offer a timely and professional solution for the challenges of industry and business sectors. It has to be clearly seen, that information and communication technologies (ICT) and information control becomes a more and more significant part of EO services.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and their methoxylated analogs in mullet (Mugil cephalus) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) from Bizerte Lagoon, Tunisia

Concentrations of ten polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and eight methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-PBDEs) in mullet (Mugil cephalus) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) collected from the Bizerte Lagoon and the Mediterranean Sea were investigated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of these compounds in marine fishes from Tunisia. The PBDE mean concentrations in fish from Bizerte Lagoon were 45.3 and 96.2 ng g(-1) lw respectively in mullet and sea bass, while the concentrations of these compounds in mullet and sea bass from Mediterranean Sea were 7.80 and 27.9 ng g(-1) lw respectively. MeO-PBDE concentrations in mullet and sea bass from Bizerte Lagoon ranged from 6.46 to 286 ng g(-1) lw and from 49.4 to 798 ng g(-1) lw respectively, while the concentrations of these compounds in mullet and sea bass from Mediterranean Sea ranged from 190 to 401 ng g(-1) lw and from 353 to 578 ng g(-1) lw respectively. The total PBDEs and total MeO-PBDEs concentration in fish from Bizerte Lagoon were similar or slightly lower than those reported for other species from other locations around the world.     

Evolution microtectonique et paléo-champs de contraintes du Bassin de Vienne

Résumé

Une étude des structures cassantes permet de préciser l’évolution tectonique du Bassin de Vienne, généralement considéré comme un bassin de type « pull apart » typique. Le champ de contrainte ottnangien-carpathien (18,5-16, 5 Ma) est caractérisé par une compression NNW-SSE. Pendant le Badénien-Sannanticn (16,5-11 Ma) une zone cisaillante sénestre de direction NE-SW a été formée dans un régime en compression N-S et extension E-W. En liaison avec cette zone décrochante trois types d’extension locale conduisent à une forte subsidence dans les dépression : extension NE-SW parallèle aux accidents sénestres, extension E-W entre les décrochements et extension NW-SE au-dessus des zones décrochantes profondes. Le champ de contrainte vers la fin du Sannaticn est marqué par une compression ENE-WSW, tandis que celui du Pannonicn- récent est similaire á celui du Miocène moyen.

Une rotation de la paléocontrainte maximale horizontale, de NNW-SSE a ENE-SSW est mise en évidence pendant la période Ottnangien-Sannantien (18,5-11 Ma). Cette rotation est parallèle A celle des directions de mise en place des nappes carpathicnnes externes. L’origine des rotation est l’échappement continental des Alpes orientales et des Carpathes septentrionales vers le NE et son blocage graduel d’Ouest en Est au front des nappes carpathiennes. Après ce blocage, l’échappement a continué avec une faible intensité du Pannonien à l’Actuel. Alors que l’échappement a été initié par une compression N-S due á la collision Europe-promontoire Adriatique, le champ de contrainte à l’intérieur des blocs échappés reflète l’effet de leur blocage au front des nappes carpalhiques.