Allometric models for aboveground biomass in dry savanna trees of the Sudan and Sudan–Guinean ecosystems of Southern Senegal

This paper presents new allometric models for woody savanna of the dry Sudanian zone of the southern part of Senegal and contributes to the needs for accurate and precise carbon estimates through improved statistical models and methods. The results are based on statistical relationships between the total dry biomass and either tree diameter at breast height (DBH) or tree height for a set of 101 individuals of different sizes from 13 dominant species in 6 protected forests. The statistical regression (cubic order 3) generated for DBH (5–41.5 cm) and tree height (2.5–15.6 m) showed significant R ² of 0.934 and 0.813, respectively. Using the same database, species-based models for the most represented genera (Acacia sp., Combretum sp. and Terminalia sp.) show more precision than the generic model. The model residual standard error and relative errors showed a good fit between observed and predicted data. Species-based models showed smaller errors compare to generic models outputs.     

Mercury Contamination Through Fish Consumption: A Model for Predicting and Preventing Hazardous Behaviour on a Community Level

The relationship between the consumption offish containing methylmercury (MeHg) and human MeHg levels has been studied for many years. Although this relationship has been demonstrated and some models have been developed to assess the risks associated with fish consumption, there is still a need for a simple and efficient predicting tool that can be applied to community settings. This paper provides such a practical model developed through empirical evidence using two sources of data. In ideal conditions, models used to identify hazardous behaviour in individuals would be derived from theoretical and clinical models, however, these conditions are often technically difficult to meet. To overcome this problem, a more empirically oriented model has been developed, based on the estimation of personal mercury intake and its comparison to the Tolerable Daily Intake. The theory and methodology of the model development, including technical limitations, are presented first. The methodology is then applied to the real data to create the final model and the results given. Finally, a discussion of the model's accuracy, limitations and usefulness as a community health assessment tool is presented.     

Changes in total, mineralizable and light fraction soil organic matter with cropping and tillage intensities in semiarid southern Alberta, Canada

There has been a trend toward increased cropping intensity and decreased tillage intensity in the semiarid region of the Canadian prairies. The impact of these changes on sequestration of atmospheric CO₂ in soil organic carbon (C) is uncertain. Our objective was to quantify the changes in total, mineralizable and light fraction organic C and nitrogen (N) due to the adoption of continuous cropping and conservation tillage practices. We sampled three individual long-term experiments at Lethbridge, Alberta, in September 1992: a spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow tillage study, a continuous spring wheat tillage study and a winter wheat rotation-tillage study. Treatments had been in place for 3–16 years. In the spring wheat-fallow study, different intensities (one-way disc > heavy-duty cultivator > blade cultivator) of conventional tillage (CT) were compared with minimum tillage (MT) and zero tillage (ZT). After 16 years, total organic C was 2.2 Mg ha⁻¹ lower in more intensively worked CT treatments (one-way disc, heavy-duty cultivator) than in the least-intensive CT treatment (blade cultivator). The CT with the blade cultivator and ZT treatments had similar levels of organic C. The CT treatments with the one-way disc and heavy-duty cultivator had light fraction C and N and mineralizable N amounts that were about 13–18% lower than the CT with the blade cultivator, MT or ZT treatments. In the continuous spring wheat study, 8 years of ZT increased total organic C by 2 Mg ha⁻¹, and increased mineralizable and light fraction C and N by 15–27%, compared with CT with a heavy-duty cultivator prior to planting. In the winter wheat rotation-tillage study, total organic C was 2 Mg ha⁻¹ higher in a continuous winter wheat (WW) rotation compared with that in a winter wheat-fallow rotation. The lack of an organic C response to ZT on the WW rotation may have been due to moldboard plowing of the ZT treatment in 1989 (6 years after establishment and 3 years before soil sampling), in an effort to control a severe infestation of downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.). Our results suggest that although relative increases in soil organic matter were small, increases due to adoption of ZT were greater and occurred much faster in continuously cropped than in fallow-based rotations. Hence intensification of cropping practices, by elimination of fallow and moving toward continuous cropping, is the first step toward increased C sequestration. Reducing tillage intensity, by the adoption of ZT, enhances the cropping intensity effect.     

On the photolytic separation of halogens from sea water concentrates

A review of recent work on the UV photolysis of nitrate-bearing material and NO_χ is carried out and a laboratory investigation is made of rates of halogen separation from concentrated sea water by the action of UV radiation. Effects of pH, concentration, light intensity, NO ₃ ^? additive and temperature are evaluated in terms of broad trends on the process studied at a reduced pressure in an air flow. Rates of release, of NO_χ and halogens from the liquid interphase photolyzed, are found to depend directly on the nitrate present, and exponentially on the concentration of sea water, light intensity and acidity. Those rates are also found to be inhibited by temperature. The process of halogen and NO_χ release is believed to be triggered by the formation of transient pernitrite intermediate oxidants and is thought to be of importance in understanding both, some of the natural oxidative reactions which occur in the atmosphere, and of the processes which lead to the formation of hygroscopic Aitken nuclei from those released gases. An added point of interest consists in the possibility of halogenation and/or nitration of organic substance present in nitrate-bearing marine aerosol, and of a progress towards the explanation of differences in the Cl:Na ratio between this aerosol and sea water.     

Modeling the transport and fate of mercury in an urban lake (Onondaga Lake,NY)

A mass balance model was developed to simulate mercury (Hg) cycling in Onondaga Lake, New York. MERC4, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency model of the physical and biogeochemical transport and transformation of Hg, was modified by the addition of input from two supporting models (Fish Bioenergetics Model 2 and a lake eutrophication model) to model the transport of Hg into and out of plankton and fish. The model calculates the concentrations of total Hg, methylmercury, elemental Hg, and ionic Hg in both dissolved and particulate forms in the water column. The model was calibrated to an extensive data set of temporally and spatially variable Hg concentrations in Onondaga Lake in 1992. In addition to standard transport processes of advection and dispersion included in MERC4, the Onondaga Lake Mercury Model includes remineralization to simulate release of Hg from settling particulates before incorporation into sediment. The model provides an analytical framework for understanding and predicting the behavior of Hg in Onondaga Lake and has potential use in evaluating the relative impact of different source control and remedial alternatives.     

Characterization of dietary protein in Brassica carinata meal when used as a protein supplement for beef cattle consuming a forage-based diet

As a novel oilseed crop in Florida, Brassica carinata has the capacity of producing high-quality jet biofuel, with a protein-dense meal (~40% crude protein; CP) obtained as a by-product of oil extraction. Characterization of the meal protein is limited, yet necessary for formulation of beef cattle diets; therefore, the objective of this experiment was to determine ruminal and postruminal digestibility of protein from B. carinata. Eight ruminally cannulated Angus crossbred steers (473 ± 119 kg) were used in a duplicated 4 × 4 Latin square design, in which in situ ruminal and postruminal degradability of nutrients were evaluated. The three-step in vitro procedure was used to compare CP and amino acid (AA) degradation in B. carinata meal pellets (BCM) with that of cottonseed meal (CSM), dry distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), and soybean meal (SBM). In situ bags were incubated in the rumen for 0 to 96 hr, with the undegraded supplement remaining after 16 hr subjected to serial in vitro enzymatic solutions. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Ruminal rate of degradation of dry matter, organic matter, and CP was greatest (P ˂ 0.01; 10.9, 11.3, and 11.5 %/h, respectively) for SBM. Rumen degradable protein (RDP) content did not differ (P = 0.20; 47.8% and 55.1%, respectively) between CSM and DDGS, but was decreased (P ˂ 0.01) compared with SBM and BCM, which did not differ (P = 0.99; 72.3% and 71.8% RDP, respectively). Compared with DDGS, SBM had greater (P < 0.01) intestinal digestibility of rumen undegradable protein (RUP). Intestinally absorbable digestible protein (IADP) was greatest (P < 0.01) for CSM, with SBM and BCM having the least IADP. Total tract digestibility of CP (TTDP) was greater (P < 0.01) for SBM compared with CSM and DDGS. The contribution of RUP to intestinally absorbable AA was 7.2 and 3.1 g of lysine and methionine per kilogram of CP in BCM, respectively. The evaluation of B. carinata meal as protein supplemented for cattle consuming a forage-based diet resulted in 71.8% RDP and 97.1% TTDP, thus indicating its viability as a high-quality protein supplement for beef cattle.     

Effects of excessive or restricted phosphorus and calcium intake during early life on markers of bone architecture and composition in pigs

Sufficient supply of pigs with calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) is essential for animal health and welfare during the growth period. However, the P content in animal manure is considered as a cause of massive environmental problems in soil and aquatic ecosystems. To complement previous findings, the objective of this study is the investigation of effects of a reduced and increased Ca and P supplementation on bone mineralization and bone structure compared with the current dietary recommendation. Another aim is to find possible serum markers that would allow the assessment of adequacy of P supply for bone health during growth. The result validated that the recommended Ca and P supply is sufficient, without the addition of microbial phytases. However, addition of P has no further beneficial effects on bone stability, while P supplementation below the recommended level affects bone development and growth performance. Reduced P levels have consequences for cancellous bone density and trabecular architecture. Further fine-tuning of the P supply in conjunction with an appropriate Ca supply will contribute to a reduction in P waste and associated environmental impact while maintaining animal health and welfare.     

Real-time monitoring of growing nanoparticles

One challenge in the production of nanometer-sized objects with given properties is to control their growth at a macroscopic scale in situ and in real time. A dedicated ultrahigh-vacuum grazing-incidence small-angle x-ray scattering setup has been developed, yielding high sensitivity and dynamics. Its capabilities to derive the average particle shape and size and the film growth mode and ordering and to probe both surfaces and buried interfaces are illustrated for two prototypical cases: the model catalyst Pd/MgO(100) and the self-organized Co/Au(111) system. A wide range of technologically important systems can potentially be investigated in various gaseous environments.