Zooplankton of Çat Dam Lake (Malatya-Turkey) with a new record for Turkish rotifers Lecane intrasinuata (Olofsson, 1917)

There are many studies on the zooplankton of Turkish lakes, many of which are about seasonal fluctuations, distribution and hydrological changes. In recent years many scientists focused their attention on the zooplankton of Turkish inland waters (Dumont and De Ridder, 1987; Segers et al., 1992). The family Lecanidae consists of one genus, Lecane Nitzsch, 1827 with about 200 species. This genus is the most common rotifer species inhabiting in various aquatic environments (Segers 1994, 1995, 2008). They are from Monogonont rotifers and are diagnosed by the retractile head, the structure of the foot and toes and by the trophy in the female (Segers, 1995). Lecanids have got a loricate body and the body is compressed dorso-ventrally. The dorso ventral plates are connected by a flexible membrane. The feet have got two primitive segments of which only the posterior is movable. Toes varied remarkably within individuals of the same species (Arora, 1965). Their bodies resemble each other which cause difficulties in identifying species (Segers et al., 1992).

Effects of malathion and carbendazim on Amazonian freshwater organisms: comparison of tropical and temperate species sensitivity distributions

The risk assessment of pesticides for freshwater ecosystems in the Amazon has relied on the use of toxicity data and water quality criteria derived for temperate regions due to a lack of ecotoxicological studies performed with indigenous species. This leaves an unknown margin of uncertainty for the protection of Amazonian ecosystems, as differences in environmental conditions and species sensitivity are not taken into account. To address this issue, the acute toxic effects of malathion (an organophosphorus insecticide) and carbendazim (a benzimidazole fungicide) were assessed on five fish and five freshwater invertebrates endemic to the Amazonian region. Subsequently, the intrinsic sensitivity of Amazonian and temperate freshwater species was compared using the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) concept. Amazonian species sensitivity to malathion was found to be similar to that of their temperate counterparts, with LC50 values ranging between 111 and 1507 μg/l for fish species and 2.1–426 μg/l for arthropod species. However, Amazonian fish appeared to be slightly less sensitive for carbendazim than temperate fish with LC50 values ranging between 1648 and 4238 μg/l, and Amazonian invertebrates were found to be significantly more resistant than their temperate counterparts, with LC50 values higher than 16000 μg/l. The results of this study suggest that for these compounds, the use of water quality criteria derived with laboratory toxicity data for temperate species will result in a sufficient protection level for Amazonian freshwater organisms. Recommendations for further research include the validation of threshold concentrations derived with temperate standard test species and with the SSD model with semi-field experiments considering larger assemblages of indigenous species under local environmental conditions

BIOREDUCTION OF TOXIC CR VI BY CRS- BACILLUS SPECIES C31171

The world’s ever increasing population and her progressive adoption of an industrial based lifestyle has inevitably led to an increased anthropogenic impact on the biosphere. In industrial, opportunities exist for the release into the ecosystem of potentially hazardous compounds specially heavymetals like CrVI at various stages of the operation.Microbes (bacteria/fungi) are the most important eco-friendly agents for the biodegradation and detoxification of toxic industrial pollutants .Bioremediation is the mostpromising, eco-friendly and cost effective technology widely used now a days to clean up toxic heavy metals from industrial effluent and soil.Most of the microorganism were unable to grow in acidic effluent. Present research article reports Bioremediation of toxic metal pollutant CrVI from acidic effluents of electroplating industry by chromate reducing strain Bacillus Sp.c31171 isolated from electrooplatting industrial sludge

“STUDIES ON CONTAMINATION LEVEL OF PESTICIDES RESIDUES ON GRAPE GROWING SOILS IN NASHIK DISTRICT”

Nashik is well known as “Grape City” in the Maharashtra state. Soil samples were collected from different villages of leading grape growing areas of Nashik district and analyzed for its pesticides residue using multiresidue pesticide analysis technique by LCMS/MS and GCMS/MS instruments. Pesticides were detected in 73.33% of the soil samples collected. Concentration and percent contamination of pesticides residues were determined. In the tested soil samples residues of various pesticides were found, the pesticides which are found in notable amount are: Azoxystorbin (1.2-3 ppb, 53.33%), Carbendazim (2.2-9.2 ppb, 13.33%), Dimethomorph (2-17.3 ppb, 66.66%), Clothianidin (1.6-2.5 ppb, 26.66%), Imidacloprid (1.9-27.2 ppb, 40%) etc. Apart from this during our study to our great surprise in two soil samples we have found the residues of pp-DDE, an isomer of DDT (3-17 ppb) which is already banned. The presence of banned pesticide residues in soil sample is a matter of concern for future food chain accumulation and human health also. The right awareness about the use of pesticides will thus be useful for sustainable farming

Comparative study on two analytical mechanical-based methods for deriving fragility curves targeted to masonry school buildings

Seismic events across several countries in the world have highlighted that strategic buildings, such as schools, may exhibit vulnerability levels that are in some cases higher than those of ordinary buildings. It follows the urgent need of reliable risk analyses to support the decision-making for large-scale mitigation policies. To this aim, the derivation of fragility curves, able to capture typological and constructive characteristics, constitutes an essential requisite. Within this context, the paper presents a comparative study on the use of two analytical-mechanical based methods for assessing fragility curves of Italian masonry school buildings. These are very often characterized by a number of stories rarely higher than three, presence of rigid floors, significant inter-story height, and great distance between transverse walls. Among the others, analytical approaches, either based on numerical or mechanical models, are more suitable to capture the effects of such features on the seismic vulnerability. The two methods discussed in the paper are “Vulnus Vb 4.0-2009”, developed at the University of Padova and based on the integrated use of mechanical and macroseismic approaches, and “DBV-Masonry (Displacement Based Vulnerability)”, a pure mechanical-based model developed at the University of Genoa. Both methods are applied to a stock of 14 masonry schools, selected as prototypes of Italian school masonry buildings. The critical review and comparative application of the two methods allow highlighting their similarities and differences in assessing the fragility associated to in-plane and out-of-plane failure mechanisms. Moreover, as some of the selected schools had been hit by the 2016-17 Central Italy earthquake sequence, the evidence of the real response allows assessing the actual reliability of the methods

SYSTEMIC ANTIMICROBIAL TREATMENT OF PROSTHESIS RELATED INFECTIONS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ORNIDAZOLE AND MINOCYCLINE. A MICROBIOLOGICAL EVALUATION AND EXPERIMENTAL PROTOCOL

Abstract BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two chemotherapeutic agents against bacterial forms responsible for prosthesis-related infections. METHODS: The evaluation was made on the basis of a count using optical microscope 1000x after GRAM staining of the main bacterial forms found in periprosthetic inflammatory exudate both before and after treatment. Two drugs used: ornidazole and minocycline. A group of 20 patients were studied (12 women and 8 men) aged between 42 and 71 years old with an advanced stage of periprosthetic inflammatory pathology. The pharmacological protocol was administered to the two groups of patients for a period of approximately 15 days. RESULTS: At the end of treatment there was a marked reduction in all the bacterial forms involved in periprosthetic pathology in both groups, with a gradual recovery of normal bacterial flora (gram forms) coupled with a clinical improvement in the implant sites examined. CONCLUSIONS: Given the specificity of action shown by ornidazole against pathogenic anaerobic, gram-; bacteroides and sporigenic forms, it is recommended for systemic use against prosthesis-related inflammatory disease