Reductive dissolution and metal transport in lake coeur d alenesediments

The benthic sediments in Lake Coeur d Alene, northern Idaho,have been contaminated by metals (primarily Zn, Pb, and Cu) from decadesof upstream mining activities. As part of ongoing research on thebiogeo-chemical cycling of metals in this area, a diffusivereactive-transport model has been developed to simulate metal transportin the lake sediments. The model includes 1-D inorganic diffusivetransport coupled to a biotic reaction network with multiple terminalelectron acceptors under redox disequilibrium conditions. Here, the modelis applied to evaluate the competing effects of heavy-metal mobilizationthrough biotic reductive dissolution of Fe(III) (hydr)oxides, andimmobilization as biogenic sulfide minerals. Results indicate that therelative rates of Fe and sulfate reduction could play an important rolein metal transport through the envi-ronment, and that the formation of(bi)sulfide complexes could significantly enhance metal solubility, aswell as desorption from Fe hydroxides

Dialysis solution containing hyaluronan: Effect on peritoneal permeability and inflammation in rats

Dialysis solution containing hyaluronan: Effect on peritoneal permeability and inflammation in rats.BackgroundHyaluronan (HA), a high molecular weight mucopolysaccharide found in interstitial tissues and fluid, is lost from the peritoneal cavity during peritoneal dialysis. In order to determine the role of HA in peritoneal function, we investigated the effects of exogenous HA on peritoneal permeability, markers of intraperitoneal inflammation, and peritoneal morphology in rats exposed to peritoneal dialysis solution for four weeks.MethodsWistar rats were infused intraperitoneally, twice daily, with conventional, hypertonic dialysis solution (Dianeal 3.86%; control) or Dianeal solution containing 10 mg/dL of high molecular weight HA. Peritoneal permeabilities and clearances of solutes and protein were determined using a modified peritoneal permeability test (peritoneal equilibration test) at the beginning and the end of the treatment. Peritoneal volume and ultrafiltration were determined using a macromolecular marker and by gravimetric methods. Peritoneal inflammation was determined by cell counts and differential and by the measurement of cytokine concentrations in the dialysate effluent. Peritoneal thickness and HA content were determined in liver and mesentery biopsies taken at the end of the experiment.ResultsAfter four weeks of exposure to the dialysis solution, transperitoneal protein equilibration was significantly lower in HA-treated rats compared with rats treated with Dianeal alone (46% lower for albumin, P < 0.001; 33% lower for total protein, P < 0.001). The total drained volume after a four hour dwell was 29% higher in the HA group compared with the control (P < 0.001), yielding a positive net ultrafiltration in the HA group versus a negative net ultrafiltration in controls. Peritoneal clearances of urea and creatinine tended to be elevated in HA-treated rats, while clearances of total protein and albumin tended to be lower. Dialysate effluent from rats exposed to HA contained a lower percentage of neutrophils (8.8 ± 6.7 vs. 22.8 ± 9.5%, P < 0.01) and lower levels of the cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-α (11.2 ± 14.7 vs. 42.3 ± 35.3 pg/mL, P < 0.05) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 MCP-1 (72.0 ± 86.5 vs. 402.4 ± 258.3 pg/mL, P < 0.02), compared with rats treated with Dianeal alone. The thickness of the peritoneal interstitium showed a similar increase in both groups, but mesenteric tissue from the HA group contained more HA (48%, P < 0.01) than tissue from control animals.ConclusionsThe addition of HA to peritoneal dialysis solution decreases protein permeability, increases ultrafiltration, and decreases cytokine levels and the proportion of peritoneal neutrophils in dialysate from rats exposed to hypertonic dialysis solution. These results suggest that exogenous HA may help to protect the peritoneal membrane during exposure to dialysis solutions. These benefits, if sustained in the clinical setting, could lead to improvements in the therapy of peritoneal dialysis

Seasonal and Basinal Influences on the Formation and Transport of Dissolved Trace Metal Forms in a Mining-Impacted Riverine Environment

The release of nanophase metal particles from sulfide mineral decomposition in mining-impacted environments is a growing concern because of the potential for the transport of nanoscale particles that could increase the distribution of the metals and their environmental impact. An analysis of total (unfiltered) and dissolved (450-nm filtered) metal concentrations in the mining-impacted Coeur d&rsquo;Alene River indicates the leaching of dissolved metal forms from sediments and transport to and within the river. The distribution of metals between total and dissolved forms is driven by seasonal temperatures, hydraulic gradients, and ligand availability. Cd and Zn were the least influenced by changes in gradient and biological productivity between the upper and lower basins. Cd and Zn primarily travel as dissolved forms, with the lowest ratio of dissolved-to-total concentrations in spring and the highest in summer. Fe and Pb primarily travel as suspended particles, but their dissolved forms were greater during all seasons in the lower basin. A principal components analysis of upper basin data indicates that temperature and conductivity were correlated with dissolved Cd and Zn, and total Fe and Pb were correlated with streamflow. In the lower basin, dissolved Cd and Zn, conductivity, and temperature were correlated, and suspended sediment, total metals, and dissolved Pb, but not streamflow, were correlated. The correlation of metals and sediment in the lower basin is not from erosion but the availability of organic matter and Fe that form a range of dissolved to suspended metal particles. The summer decrease in surface water levels releases sediment porewater containing nanoscale-to-microscale metal particles that are transported to open water, where they may impact human and wildlife health. Such releases are unmitigated with current remediation strategies of sediment stabilization

Monitoring the Ambient Seismic Field to Track Groundwater at a Mountain–Front Recharge Zone

The heterogeneity of the fractured-basalt and interbedded-sediment aquifer along the eastern margin of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System has presented challenges to resource managers in quantifying recharge and estimating sustainable withdrawals. Previous studies indicated recharge pathways in alluvial sediments atop a mountain–front interface upgradient of the basalt flows. In this sedimentary zone, six seismic stations were deployed for one year to detect velocity changes in low-frequency seismic waves that could be correlated to changes in groundwater recorded by a well transducer near the center of the seismic station network. Waveforms in the 1−5 Hz range were recorded at each station to determine changes in wave velocities between station pairs and correlate these velocity changes to changes in groundwater levels. The velocity–groundwater relation allowed for estimation of daily groundwater levels beneath the seismic station network. Existing hydrogeologic information was used to estimate hydraulic gradients and hydraulic conductivities, which allowed for the calculation of the daily volume of recharge passing beneath the seismic stations and into the confined aquifer system. The daily recharge volumes across the seismic station network were summed for comparison of the total annual recharge calculated from the change in seismic wave velocities (154,660 m3) to a flow model calculation of recharge based on areal precipitation and infiltration (26,250 m3). The 6× greater recharge estimated from the seismic wave velocity changes for this portion of the recharge zone is attributed to preferential pathways of high hydraulic conductivity and greater depth associated with paleochannels beneath the seismic station network

Iron and Manganese Oxidation States, Bonding Environments, and Mobility in the Mining-Impacted Sediments of Coeur d’Alene Lake, Idaho: Core Experiments

The mobility of a metal in mining-impacted sediments is determined by the environmental conditions that influence the metal’s oxidation state and bonding environment. Coeur d’Alene Lake, USA, has been impacted by legacy mining practices that allowed the hydrologic transport of mining waste to the lakebed, resulting in substantial amounts of redox-sensitive Fe and Mn along with Ag, As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sb, and Zn. Future lake conditions may include algal blooms and additional algal detritus at the sediment–water interface, which may alter Fe and Mn forms that can influence their, and other metal(loid)s, mobility during seasonal anoxia. Cores of the lakebed sediments were exposed to anoxic and anoxic + algal detritus conditions for 8 weeks. Sediment samples were collected biweekly for analysis of Fe and Mn oxidation states and bonding environments by synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Over the 8-week period and at a location 12.5 cm deep in the sediments, anoxic and anoxic + algae conditions produced limited changes in Fe and Mn oxidation states and bonding environments. At a location 2.5 cm below the sediment–water interface, the anoxic condition promoted a relatively stable environment in which Fe and Mn oxidation states and bonding environments did not vary greatly during the experiment. At the 2.5 cm depth, the anoxic + algae condition substantially altered the Mn oxidation state distribution and bonding environment, but this condition did not strongly influence the Fe oxidation state distribution or bonding environment. The anoxic + algae condition increased the presence of Mn3+, produced Mn4+ at select times, altered the Mn bonding environment, and temporarily increased the release of Mn into porewater. The algae influence on sediment and porewater Mn likely occurred because of the increased formation of organo-Mn complexes produced during algae-enhanced enzymatic processes. The lack of influence of algal detritus on sediment and porewater Fe and the formation of soluble organo-Mn complexes may limit the potential increase in the mobility of other metal(loid)s with future lake conditions

Annotated record of the detailed examination of Mn deposits from DSDP Leg 32 (Holes 303, 303A, 304, 306, 307, 310, 310A, 311, 313)

The northwestern Pacific Ocean is the largest expanse of old oceanic lithosphere, and so the principal theme of Leg 32 set by the Pacific Advisory Panel was the late Mesozoic history of the Pacific Ocean. The main scientific goals originally set for the leg were to: 1) Determine the development of the very deep sea floor of the western Pacific, including the nature of its basement rocks and the age, lithology, and fossil content of the sedimentary rocks overlying acoustic basement. 2) Establish standard mid-Mesozoic to Recent paleontological-biostratigraphic reference sections for the (present-day) northwest Pacific. 3) Determine the paleolatitude for a specific period of volcanicity on Koko Guyot of the Emperor Seamount Chain

Reading Genesis–Joshua as a Unified Document from an Early Date: A Settler Colonial Perspective

This essay proposes based on literary-compositional considerations how two authors working together could have composed Genesis–Joshua. After this, it suggests that Genesis–Joshua can be seen to reflect a sociopolitical transformation of ancient Canaanite societies into an Israelite one(s) through a process that can be labeled as ancient settler colonialism, and that the document could have been written concomitantly. Subsequently, relevant ancient Near Eastern and archaeological evidence will be considered, suggesting compatibility with the idea that Genesis–Joshua has reused and readapted existing traditions together with creative narrative retelling for its socio-political purposes, and that this could have already taken place from the late second millennium Bce on. The essay concludes by drawing out some explicit contemporary implications of such a reading of Genesis–Joshua