How does a weakened Atlantic thermohaline circulation lead to an intensification of the ENSO-south Asian summer monsoon interaction?

This study investigates the change of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-South Asian summer monsoon interaction in response to a weakened Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC) by applying an additional freshwater flux into the North Atlantic. The simulated results indicate that the weakened THC leads to intensified ENSO-South Asian summer monsoon relationship and enhanced South Asian summer monsoon interannual variability. Furthermore, it is suggested that this intensification of the ENSO-monsoon relationship is likely due to the enhanced ENSO variability induced by the weakened THC. This study indicates that the low frequency fluctuation of Atlantic SSTs might have an influence on South Asian summer monsoon interannual variability and the ENSO-monsoon interaction, and suggests a nonlocal mechanism for the observed decadal-multidecadal modulation of ENSO-monsoon relationship.

Effects of short-term pH fluctuations on cadmium, nickel, lead, and zinc availability to ryegrass in a sewage sludge-amended field

In this field experiment, sewage sludge was applied at 0, 5, 10, and 50 t ha(-1), and the availability of Cd, Ni, Pb, and Zn was assessed both by ryegrass uptake and by DTPA extractions. The aim was to investigate the role of important soil parameters, particularly pH, on heavy metal availability. It was found that metal uptake and extractability increased significantly in the 50 t ha(-1) treatment. In the 16th week of the experiment there was a significant, although temporary, increase in DTPA-extractable Cd, Ni, and Zn concentrations. Metal concentrations in ryegrass were also significantly elevated in week 20 compared to the subsequent cuttings. These fluctuations in both DTPA and ryegrass uptake occurred only at 50 t ha(-1) and were probably induced by a sudden pH decrease measured in the same treatment in week 16. This suggests that soils which have received high applications of sewage sludge may be prone to fluctuations in metal availability. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Single versus multiple occupancy - Effects on toxicity parameters measured on Eisenia fetida in lead nitrate-treated soil

The mortality (7 and 14 d), weight change (7 and 14 d), and metal uptake of Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826) kept in Pb(NO3)(2)-treated Kettering loam soil in single- and multiple-occupancy (10 earthworms) test containers were determined. The number of earthworms to dry mass (g) ratio of soil was 1:50 in both sets of test containers. Lead concentrations were in the nominal range of 0 to 10,000 mg Pb/kg soil (mg/kg hereafter). Levels of mortality at a given concentration were statistically identical between the single- and multiple-occupancy tests, except at 1,800 mg/kg, at which significantly (p less than or equal to 0.05) more mortality occurred in the multiple-occupancy tests. Death of individual earthworms in the multiple-occupancy tests did not trigger death of the other earthworms in that soil. The LC50 values (concentration statistically likely to kill 50% of the population) were identical between the multiple- and single-occupancy soils: 2,662 mg/kg (2,598-2,984, 7 d) and 2,589 mg/kg (2,251-3,013, 14 d) for the multiple-occupancy soils and 2,827 mg/kg (2,443-3,168, both 7 and 14 d) for the single-occupancy soils (values in brackets represent the 95% confidence intervals). Data were insufficient to calculate the concentration statistically likely to reduce individual earthworm mass by 50% (EC50), but after 14 d, the decrease in earthworm weight in the 1,800 and 3,000 mg/kg tests was significantly greater in the multiple- than in the single-occupancy soils. At 1,000, 1,800, and 3,000 mg/kg tests, earthworm Pb tissue concentration was significantly (p less than or equal to 0.05) greater in earthworms from the multiple-occupancy soils. The presence of earthworms increased the NH3 content of the soil; earthworm mortality increased NH3 concentrations further but not to toxic levels.

Is the OECD acute worm toxicity test environmentally relevant? The effect of mineral form on calculated lead toxicity

In a series of experiments the toxicity of lead to worms in soil was determined following the draft OECD earthworm reproduction toxicity protocol except that lead was added as solid lead nitrate, carbonate and sulphide rather than as lead nitrate solution as would normally be the case. The compounds were added to the test soil to give lead concentrations of 625-12500 pg Pb g-1 of soil. Calculated toxicities of the lead decreased in the order nitrate > carbonate > sulphide, the same order as the decrease in the solubility of the metal compounds used. The 7-day LC50 (lethal concentration when 50% of the population is killed) for the nitrate was 5321 +/- 275 mug Pb g(-1) of soil and this did not change with time. The LC50 values for carbonate and sulphide could not be determined at the concentration ranges used. The only parameter sensitive enough to distinguish the toxicities of the three compounds was cocoon (egg) production. The EC50S for cocoon production (the concentration to produce a 50% reduction in cocoon production) were 993, 8604 and 10 246 mug Pb g(-1) of soil for lead nitrate, carbonate and sulphide, respectively. Standard toxicity tests need to take into account the form in which the contaminant is present in the soil to be of environmental relevance. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

The influence of time on lead toxicity and bioaccumulation determined by the OECD earthworm toxicity test

Internationally agreed standard protocols for assessing chemical toxicity of contaminants in soil to worms assume that the test soil does not need to equilibrate with the chemical to be tested prior to the addition of the test organisms and that the chemical will exert any toxic effect upon the test organism within 28 days. Three experiments were carried out to investigate these assumptions. The first experiment was a standard toxicity test where lead nitrate was added to a soil in solution to give a range of concentrations. The mortality of the worms and the concentration of lead in the survivors were determined. The LC(50)s for 14 and 28 days were 5311 and 5395 mug(Pb) g(soil)(-1) respectively. The second experiment was a timed lead accumulation study with worms cultivated in soil containing either 3000 or 5000 mug(Pb) g(soil)(-1). The concentration of lead in the worms was determined at various sampling times. Uptake at so' Sol both concentrations was linear with time. Worms in the 5000 mug g(-1) soil accumulated lead at a faster rate (3.16 mug Pb g(tissue)(-1) day(-1)) tiss than those in the 3000 mug g(-1) soil (2.21 mug Pb-tissue g(-1) day(-1)). The third experiment was a timed experiment with worms cultivated in tiss soil containing 7000 mugPb g(soil)(-1). Soil and lead nitrate solution were mixed and stored at 20 degreesC. Worms were added at various times over a 35-day period. The time to death increased from 23 h, when worms were added directly after the lead was added to the soil, to 67 It when worms were added after the soil had equilibrated with the lead for 35 days. In artificially Pb-amended soils the worms accumulate Pb over the duration of their exposure to the Pb. Thus time limited toxicity tests may be terminated before worm body load has reached a toxic level. This could result in under-estimates of the toxicity of Pb to worms. As the equilibration time of artificially amended Pb-bearing soils increases the bioavailability of Pb decreases. Thus addition of worms shortly after addition of Pb to soils may result in the over-estimate of Pb toxicity to worms. The current OECD acute worm toxicity test fails to take these two phenomena into account thereby reducing the environmental relevance of the contaminant toxicities it is used to calculate. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Field trial using bone meal amendments to remediate mine waste derived soil contaminated with zinc, lead and cadmium

Bone meal amendments are being considered as a remediation method for metal-contaminated wastes. In various forms (biogenic, geogenic or synthetic), apatite, the principal mineral constituent of bone, has shown promise as an amendment to remediate metal-contaminated soils via the formation of insoluble phosphates of Pb and possibly other metals. The efficacy of commercially available bovine bone meal in this role was investigated in a field trial at Nenthead, Cumbria with a mine waste derived soil contaminated with Zn, Pb and Cd. Two 5 m(2) plots were set up: the first as a control and the second, a treatment plot where the soil was thoroughly mixed with bone meal to a depth of 50 cm at a soil to amendment ratio of 25:1 by weight. An array of soil solution samplers (Rhizon SMS (TM)) were installed in both plots and the soil pore water was collected and analysed for Ca, Cd, Zn and Pb regularly over a period of 2 a. Concurrently with the field trial, a laboratory trial with 800 mm high and 100 mm wide leaching Columns Was conducted using identical samplers and with soil from the held site. A substantial release of Zn, Pb, Cd and Ca was observed associated with the bone meal treatment. This release was transient in the case of the leaching columns, and showed seasonal variation in the case of the field trial. It is proposed that this effect resulted from metal complexation with organic acids released during breakdown of the bone meal organic fraction and was facilitated by the relatively high soil pH of 7.6-8.0. Even after this transient release effect had subsided or when incinerated bone meal was substituted in order to eliminate the organic fraction, no detectable decrease in dissolved metals was observed and no P was detected in solution, in contrast with an earlier small column laboratory study. It is concluded that due to the relative insolubility of apatite at above-neutral pH, the rate of supply of phosphate to soil solution was insufficient to result in significant precipitation of metal phosphates and that this may limit the effectiveness of the method to more acidic soils. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Re-evaluating base-metal artefacts: an inscribed lead strap-end from Crewkerne, Somerset

Strap-ends represent the most common class of dress accessory known from late Anglo-Saxon England. At this period, new materials, notably lead and its alloys, were being deployed in the manufacture of personal possessions and jewellery. This newly found strap-end adds to the growing number of tongue-shaped examples fashioned from lead dating from this period. It is, however, distinctive in being inscribed with a personal name. The present article provides an account of the object and its text, and assesses its general significance in the context of a more nuanced interpretation of the social status of lead artefacts in late Anglo-Saxon England.

Constrained models of evolution lead to improved prediction of functional linkage from correlated gain and loss of genes

Motivation: We compare phylogenetic approaches for inferring functional gene links. The approaches detect independent instances of the correlated gain and loss of pairs of genes from species' genomes. We investigate the effect on results of basing evidence of correlations on two phylogenetic approaches, Dollo parsminony and maximum likelihood (ML). We further examine the effect of constraining the ML model by fixing the rate of gene gain at a low value, rather than estimating it from the data. Results: We detect correlated evolution among a test set of pairs of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) genes, with a case study of 21 eukaryotic genomes and test data derived from known yeast protein complexes. If the rate at which genes are gained is constrained to be low, ML achieves by far the best results at detecting known functional links. The model then has fewer parameters but it is more realistic by preventing genes from being gained more than once. Availability: BayesTraits by M. Pagel and A. Meade, and a script to configure and repeatedly launch it by D. Barker and M. Pagel, are available at http://www.evolution.reading.ac.uk .

Effect of dietary phytate and microbial phytase on mineral and trace element bioavailability- a literature review

Phytic acid (PA) is the main phosphorus storage compound in cereals, legumes and oil seeds. In human populations where phytate-rich cereals such as wheat, maize and rice are a staple food, phytate may lead to mineral and trace element deficiency. Zinc appears to be the trace element whose bioavailability is most influenced by PA. Furthermore, several studies in humans as well as in monogastric animals clearly indicate an inhibition of non-haem iron absorption at marginal iron supply due to phytic acid. In fact PA seems to be, at least partly, responsible for the low absorption efficiency and high incidence of iron deficiency anaemia evident in most developing countries, where largely vegetarian diets are consumed Microbial phytases have provided a realistic means of improving mineral availability from traditionally high-phytate diets. In fact it has been consistently shown that Aspergillus phytases significantly enhance the absorption of calcium, magnesium and zinc in pigs and rats. Furthermore there are a few studies in humans indicating an improvement of iron bioavailability due to microbial phytase.

Optical and semi-conductor properties of Lead Telluride coatings

The optical and semiconductor properties of lead telluride coatings are dependant on various factors contributing to its performance. In this paper, we will present the temperature dependant effects of single layer lead telluride coatings on the dispersion and absorption characteristics, absorption edge, and carrier concentration from 15 K to 436 K using both experimental and theoretical analysis.

Incorporation of lead into calcium carbonate granules secreted by earthworms living in lead contaminated soils

The influence of soil organisms on metal mobility and bioavailability in soils is not currently fully understood. We conducted experiments to determine whether calcium carbonate granules secreted by the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris could incorporate and immobilise lead in lead- and calcium- amended artificial soils. Soil lead concentrations were up to 2000 mg kg-1 and lead:calcium ratios by mass were 0.5-8. Average granule production rates of 0.39 + 0.04 mgcalcite earthworm-1 day-1 did not vary with soil lead concentration. The lead:calcium ratio in granules increased significantly with that of the soil (r2 = 0.81, p = 0.015) with lead concentrations in granules reaching 1577 mg kg-1. X-ray diffraction detected calcite and aragonite in the granules with indications that lead was incorporated into the calcite at the surface of the granules. In addition to the presence of calcite and aragonite X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated that lead was present in the granules mainly as complexes sorbed to the surface but with traces of lead-bearing calcite and cerussite. The impact that lead-incorporation into earthworm calcite granules has on lead mobility at lead-contaminated sites will depend on the fraction of total soil lead that would be otherwise mobile.

Synthesis and X-ray crystal structure of the triethylammonium magnesium β-octamolybdate(VI)salt[Et3NH]2[Mg(H2O)6Mo8O26]·2H2O

[Et3NH]4[Mo8O26] reacted with MgCl2 giving the triethylammonum magnesium β-octamolybdate(VI) salt [Et3NH]2[Mg(H2O)6Mo8O26]·2H2O (3) and the triethylammonium hydronium β-octaamolybdate(VI) salt [Et3NH]3[(H3O)Mo8O26·2H2O (4), respectively. A small amount of [Et3NH]2[Mo6O269] was formed as a by-product. The salts 3 and 4 were characterized by X-ray crystallography. The [Mg(H2O)6Mo8O26]2− moiety in 3 is polymeric, with each octahedral [Mg(H2O)6]2+ ion sandwiched between two β[Mo8O26]4− ions, being hydrogen bonded to three terminal MOO oxygen atoms on one face of each β[Mo8O26]4− ion. The X-ray crystal structure of 4 corresponds to the reported previously. IR and conductivity data are given for 3 and 4.