16 research outputs found

    A review of source tracking techniques for fine sediment within a catchment

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    Excessive transport of fine sediment, and its associated pollutants, can cause detrimental impacts in aquatic environments. It is therefore important to perform accurate sediment source apportionment to identify hot spots of soil erosion. Various tracers have been adopted, often in combination, to identify sediment source type and its spatial origin; these include fallout radionuclides, geochemical tracers, mineral magnetic properties and bulk and compound-specific stable isotopes. In this review, the applicability of these techniques to particular settings and their advantages and limitations are reviewed. By synthesizing existing approaches, that make use of multiple tracers in combination with measured changes of channel geomorphological attributes, an integrated analysis of tracer profiles in deposited sediments in lakes and reservoirs can be made. Through a multi-scale approach for fine sediment tracking, temporal changes in soil erosion and sediment load can be reconstructed and the consequences of changing catchment practices evaluated. We recommend that long-term, as well as short-term, monitoring of riverine fine sediment and corresponding surface and subsurface sources at nested sites within a catchment are essential. Such monitoring will inform the development and validation of models for predicting dynamics of fine sediment transport as a function of hydro-climatic and geomorphological controls. We highlight that the need for monitoring is particularly important for hilly catchments with complex and changing land use. We recommend that research should be prioritized for sloping farmland-dominated catchments

    A review of source tracking techniques for fine sediment within a catchment

    Get PDF
    Excessive transport of fine sediment, and its associated pollutants, can cause detrimental impacts in aquatic environments. It is therefore important to perform accurate sediment source apportionment to identify hot spots of soil erosion. Various tracers have been adopted, often in combination, to identify sediment source type and its spatial origin; these include fallout radionuclides, geochemical tracers, mineral magnetic properties and bulk and compound-specific stable isotopes. In this review, the applicability of these techniques to particular settings and their advantages and limitations are reviewed. By synthesizing existing approaches, that make use of multiple tracers in combination with measured changes of channel geomorphological attributes, an integrated analysis of tracer profiles in deposited sediments in lakes and reservoirs can be made. Through a multi-scale approach for fine sediment tracking, temporal changes in soil erosion and sediment load can be reconstructed and the consequences of changing catchment practices evaluated. We recommend that long-term, as well as short-term, monitoring of riverine fine sediment and corresponding surface and subsurface sources at nested sites within a catchment are essential. Such monitoring will inform the development and validation of models for predicting dynamics of fine sediment transport as a function of hydro-climatic and geomorphological controls. We highlight that the need for monitoring is particularly important for hilly catchments with complex and changing land use. We recommend that research should be prioritized for sloping farmland-dominated catchments

    Negative Regulation of Endogenous Stem Cells in Sensory Neuroepithelia: Implications for Neurotherapeutics

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    Stem cell therapies to treat central nervous system (CNS) injuries and diseases face many obstacles, one of which is the fact that the adult CNS often presents an environment hostile to the development and differentiation of neural stem and progenitor cells. Close examination of two regions of the nervous system – the olfactory epithelium (OE), which regenerates, and the neural retina, which does not – have helped identify endogenous signals, made by differentiated neurons, which act to inhibit neurogenesis by stem/progenitor cells within these tissues. In this chapter, we provide background information on these systems and their neurogenic signaling systems, with the goal of providing insight into how manipulation of endogenous signaling molecules may enhance the efficacy of stem cell neurotherapeutics

    Social organization and endocrine profiles of Australoheros facetus, an exotic freshwater fish in southern Portugal

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    Australoheros facetus is a neotropical cichlid and an exotic species in the Guadiana and Odelouca basins (Southern Portugal). In this research, we aimed to characterize the main behavioural patterns and circulating hormones, 17 beta-estradiol (E-2) for females, and testosterone, 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) and cortisol for both sexes, during the formation of social groups, a crucial step in the life-history of A. facetus. A pair-breeding strategy with territorial behaviour and aggressive interactions was found, with a positive correlation between dominance and size for both sexes. There were no significant differences between non-territorial and territorial individuals in the baseline levels of hormones, but 11KT was higher in males when they became territorial, as E-2 for territorial females, while there was no clear pattern for testosterone. In contrast, cortisol was higher in non-territorial males and correlated negatively with social dominance. These results suggest that size is the main driver for social dominance and that formation of stable hierarchies result in higher circulating 11KT and lowers stress in territorial males. Related to A. facetus' behaviour, aggressiveness and biparental care may be an advantage during the invasion process of A. facetus, facilitating colonization of new habitats.National Council for Technological and Scientific Development of Brazil (CNPq), Program Science without Borders [245971/20122]FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology [UID/Multi/04326/2013, SFRH/BPD/67008/2009]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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