Soil, grain and water chemistry and human selenium imbalances in Enshi district, Hubei Province, China

Many elements which are essential to human and other animal health in small doses can be toxic if ingested in excess. Selenium (Se), a naturally occurring metalloid element is found in all natural materials on earth including rocks, soils, waters, air, plant and animal tissues. Since the early 1930’s, it has been recognised that Se toxicity causes hoof disorders and hair loss in livestock. Se was also identified as an essential trace element to humans and other animals in the late 1950’s. It forms a vital constituent of the biologically important enzyme glutathione peroxidase which acts as an anti-oxidant preventing cell degeneration. Se deficiency has been implicated in the aetiology of several diseases including cancer, muscular dystrophy, muscular sclerosis and cystic fibrosis. Se can be assimilated in humans through several pathways including food, drinking water and inhalation of Se-bearing particles from the atmosphere. In the majority of situations, food is the most important source of Se, as levels in water are very low. The narrow range between deficiency levels (<40 pg per day) and toxic levels in susceptible people (> 900 pg per day) makes it necessary to carefully control the amount of Se in the diet. In China, Se deficiency has been linked to an endemic degenerative heart disease known as Keshan Disease (KD) and an endemic osteoarthropathy which causes deformity of affected joints, known as Kaschin-Beck Disease. These diseases occur in a geographic belt stretching from Heilongjiang Province in north-east China to Yunnan Province in the south-west. In the period between 1959 and 1970, peak KD incidence rates exceeded 40 per 100 000 (approximately 8500 cases per annum) with 1400 - 3000 deaths recorded each year. Incidence rates have since fallen to less than 5 per 100 000 with approximately 1000 new cases reported annually (Levander, 1986). Se toxicity (selenosis) resulting in hair and nail loss and disorders of the nervous system in the human population, has also been recorded in Enshi District, Hubei Province and in Ziyang County, Shanxi Province. China possesses one of the best epidemiological databases in the world on Se-related diseases which has been used in conjunction with geochemical data to demonstrate a significant geochemical control on human Se exposure. However, the precise geographical areas at risk and the geochemical controls on selenium availability have yet to be established

Spatial distribution of trace metals in urban soils and road dusts : an example from Manchester, UK

Urban soil quality is of concern under current UK contaminated land legislation in terms of potential impacts on human health, due to the legacy of industrial, mining and waste disposal activities and the fact that soils can act as a sink for potentially harmful substances (PHS) in the urban environment. As part of the the Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE) project of the British Geological Survey (BGS), 27 UK cities have been surveyed to establish baselines and assess the quality of urban soils. The G-BASE soil geochemical dataset for Manchester forms the basis of this project. Another medium that is a likely sink for PHS in urban environments is road dust sediment (RDS). RDS forms as an accumulation of particles on pavements and road surfaces, and has been shown to be both spatially and temporally highly variable in composition, as it is more susceptible to remobilisation and transport. RDS has been documented as carrying a high loading of contaminant species, including significant amounts of trace metals. Geochemical data from both soils and RDS, despite having different properties, are essential for environmental assessment in urban areas. Although studies of PHS in RDS and soils have been published, little is known about the spatial, geochemical and mineralogical linkages between these two media. The aim of this research is to define and establish these linkages, and produce novel mineralogical data on the PHS–particulate relationships within soils and RDS

The Forum of European Geological Surveys Geochemistry Task Group 1994-1996 inventory

The Forum of European Geological Surveys (FOREGS) includes representatives from 33 European countries and is responsible for co-ordinating Geological Survey activities in Europe. The FOREGS Geochemistry Task Group was established in 1994 to develop a strategy for the preparation of European geochemical maps following the recommendations of the International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP) Project 259 ‘International Geochemical Mapping’ (now the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) /International Association of Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry (IAGC) Working Group on Global Geochemical Baselines). The FOREGS geochemistry programme is aimed at preparing a standardised European geochemical baseline to IGCP-259 standards. The principal aims of this dataset will be for environmental purposes, as a baseline for the assessment of the extent and distribution of contaminated land in the context of variations in the natural geochemical background, but it will also have applications in resource assessment and for the development of policy for the sustainable management of metalliferous mineral and other resources. The first phase of the programme was the compilation of an inventory of geochemical data based on the results of a questionnaire completed by Geological Surveys and related organisations throughout the FOREGS community. The results show that the sample types which have been used most extensively are stream sediment (26% coverage), surface water (19% coverage) and soil (11% coverage). Stream sediments have been collected using a narrow range of mesh sizes (< 150–< 200 μm), but soil samples have been collected according to two different conventions: some surveys used a similar mesh size range to that used for stream sediments while others employed the < 1000 or < 2000 μm fractions traditionally used by soil surveys. Sample densities range from 1 sample per 0.5 km2 to 1 per 3500 km2. Various analytical methods have been used, but most of the available data have been calibrated using international reference materials, and data for the most important of the potentially harmful elements (PHEs) are available for most datasets. Systematic radiometric data are available for only a small proportion of Europe, a situation which compares very unfavourably with that in Australia, North America, the former Soviet Union and many developing countries. Recommendations are made for increasing the compatibility of geochemical methods between national geochemical surveys as a basis for the preparation of a series of European geochemical maps. The next stage of the FOREGS Geochemistry Task Group will be the collection of the Global Reference Network of samples against which to standardise national datasets according to the methods recommended in the final report of the IGCP 259 programme

Mortality, wastage, and lifetime productivity of Bos indicus cows under extensive grazing in northern Australia. 1. Seasonal mating in the speargrass region

Mortality and wastage rates and lifetime productivity for seasonally mated, Bos indicus cows were studied over 8000 cow year records from 1972 to 1992 at Swan's Lagoon in the subcoastal speargrass region of North Queensland. The proportional hazards model was used to estimate age-specific mortality and wastage rates, adjusted for cohort and genotype effects. The 1970-72 cohorts had an average mortality of 1.7% (range 0-4.2%), with this low overall rate tending to increase with age. The average mortality rate for the 1973-87 cohorts was 1.2% (range 0.5-2.6%), with no pattern with age. For 1970-72 cohorts, the average wastage rate was 8.9% and ranged from 2.1 to 18.3% with no clear age pattern. However, there was a clear age pattern for the 1973-87 cohorts, with an average wastage rate of 9.2% comprising very high rates (27.5%) for 2-year-olds and low rates (2.8-8.9%) for 3-7-year-olds, increasing to 11.9% for 8-year-olds and 14.2% for 9-year-olds. The heifer replacement rates to maintain a stable herd size were 17.5 and 19.2% for the 2 herds. Lifetime productivity was very low, with 1970-72 cohorts rearing 3.3 calves over 4.7 years at a rate of 57.5% calves per year, and 1973-87 cohorts rearing 3.1 calves over 4.9 years at a rate of 45.0% calves per year. Total weaner weights reared up to 10 years of age were 578 kg for 1970-72 cohorts and 315 kg for 1973-87 cohorts. However, variability between individual cows was high, indicating scope for selection based on productivity, provided that better performing cows can be identified from predictors early in life

The Effect of the Pendency of Claims for Compensation Upon Behavior Indicative of Pain

Recent theories endeavoring to explain manifestations of pain in humans have increasingly recognized the effect of sociological and psychological processes on pain.This article reports findings made in a research project based on the hypothesis that the pendency of a claim for compensation has the effect of causing greater, more intense, and more persistent pain than would otherwise be experienced if persons had not sought compensation. The study assumed that pain can most accurately be measured by observing behavior indicative of pain and focused on data reflecting such behavior. The lawyer-author of this article thought the study might demonstrate that current compensation practices are a significant cause of pain behavior, and anticipated that such a finding could lead to revision of claims procedures or even changes in methods of compensation. The project revealed, however, no significant effects of either litigation or representation by attorneys upon the pain behavior of persons having workmen\u27s compensation claims with the Department of Labor and Industries of the State of Washington

3D geological models and their hydrogeological applications : supporting urban development : a case study in Glasgow-Clyde, UK

Urban planners and developers in some parts of the United Kingdom can now access geodata in an easy-to-retrieve and understandable format. 3D attributed geological framework models and associated GIS outputs, developed by the British Geological Survey (BGS), provide a predictive tool for planning site investigations for some of the UK's largest regeneration projects in the Thames and Clyde River catchments. Using the 3D models, planners can get a 3D preview of properties of the subsurface using virtual cross-section and borehole tools in visualisation software, allowing critical decisions to be made before any expensive site investigation takes place, and potentially saving time and money. 3D models can integrate artificial and superficial deposits and bedrock geology, and can be used for recognition of major resources (such as water, thermal and sand and gravel), for example in buried valleys, groundwater modelling and assessing impacts of underground mining. A preliminary groundwater recharge and flow model for a pilot area in Glasgow has been developed using the 3D geological models as a framework. This paper focuses on the River Clyde and the Glasgow conurbation, and the BGS's Clyde Urban Super-Project (CUSP) in particular, which supports major regeneration projects in and around the City of Glasgow in the West of Scotland

A Late Miocene potential neobalaenine mandible from Argentina sheds light on the origins of the living pygmy right whale

The origins and evolutionary relationships of the pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata),the only living member of the Neobalaeninae, have been the subject of a long-standing debate. This phylogenetic uncertainty is compounded by a limited neobalaenine fossil record. Here, we report a Late Miocene mysticete mandible from Patagonia, Argentina and provisionally refer it to Neobalaeninae, gen. et sp. indet. The new material represents only the third report of a fossil neobalaenine, and the first fossil occurrence of this lineage in the southwestern Atlantic. It is also the oldest specimen so far reported, thus corroborating the idea of an early divergence time for neobalaenines.Fil: Buono, Mónica Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Dozo, Maria Teresa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Marx, Felix G.. University Of Otago; Nueva Zelanda. National Museum of Nature and Science; JapónFil: Fordyce, R. Ewan. University Of Otago; Nueva Zeland

A Comparison of Nursing Homes in Rural and Urban Communities in Indiana

The growing number of elderly persons in U.S. society—the “Graying of America”—increases the urgency of making available the resources needed to ensure optimum quality of life for all seniors. When families are no longer able to meet their loved one’s needs, it becomes necessary to consider the possibility of long-term care. Often, families face this decision without the information they need in order to make an informed choice. The researchers utilized a four-tiered categorization to compare nursing homes in most rural, rural, urban and most urban counties in Indiana. The Medicare website (http://www.medicare.gov/) addresses issues of staffing, number of Medicare/Medicaid beds, and quality ratings. The authors discussed implications for elderly residents of rural counties in Indiana and encouraged further research to determine the extent to which their findings may be generalized to the continental U.S