Effect of equilateral administration of monensin and tiamulin on the peripheral nerve function and the electrocardiogram of broilers

The influence of the simultaneous administration of monensin and tiamulin on the motor nerve conduction velocity and the refractory periods of the N. ischiadicus was studied on 4-week old cockerels. The combined administration of the two substances resulted in significant decrease of the conduction velocities of the peripheral nerve, while the relative and absolute refractory periods were seen to increase significantly as a result of the medications. The observed alteration of the peripheral nerve function in the early phase can already attribute to the development of the serious clinical signs of the toxic interaction. The simultaneous application of monensin and tiamulin caused also changes in the electrocardiogram which was expressed in a prolongation of the RS interval and the ST segment. At the same time the heart rate was reduced.     

Terrestrial Ecotoxicity of Eight Chemicals in a Systematic Approach (7 pp)

Background and Objective   Terrestrial ecotoxicity data are required for many research purposes. The data are derived either from the literature or elaborated by own investigations. As the terrestrial toxicity tests are usually time-consuming and labour intensive, the experiments are performed with a limited number of test organisms and soils. In the context of a project sponsored by CEFIC-LRI (European Chemical Industry Council – Long-Range Research Initiative), EC50-values were systematically elaborated for eight chemicals with a wide range of logKow-values (CdCl2, Trinitrotoluene, 3,4-dichloroaniline, 2,4-dichlorophenol, Tributyltinchloride, Pentachlorophenol, Benzo(a)pyrene, p,p-dichloro-2,2-diphenyl-1,1,1-trichloroethane). The substances were selected covering a broad range of physico-chemical and ecotoxicological properties. As toxicity endpoints, microbial activities, plant germination and growth as well as reproduction of earthworms and collembola were determined. As such systematic investigations are rarely performed and for some substances no data existed, the data pool is made available to the scientific community.Methods   All toxicity tests were conducted on three different soil types (sandy soil, silty soil, loamy soil), according to ISO and OECD guidelines Results, Discussion, Conclusion and Outlook   The different toxicities of the chemicals, the influence of soil properties on bioavailability as well as different sensitivities of test organisms and test parameters are reflected by the EC50-values. The results showed that the EC50-values calculated on the basis of nominal concentrations can significantly vary from EC50-values derived from analytical concentrations for some substances. To avoid false conclusions, this has to be considered especially when concentrations determined in the field are compared with toxicity data obtained from the literature or calculated on the basis of nominal concentrations. Moreover, the results indicate that terrestrial ecotoxicological tests should be accompanied by chemical analyses, to be sure to derive sound EC50-values. As the tests were performed according to international guidelines, the comprehensive data pool relevant for the terrestrial ecotoxicity of eight chemicals is considered to be of great value for further research and discussions dealing with the habitat function of soils.     

Zum jahreszeitlichen Nitratgehalt und zur Nitratauswaschung von landwirtschaftlich genutzten Böden in Baden-Württemberg

Seasonal nitrate content in, and nitrate leaching from, agricultural soils of Baden-Wuerttemberg The behavior of soil nitrate was investigated at five field locations in the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg between 1984 and 1987. It was found that the amount of nitrate in the upper 90 cm of soil was not a constant, but fluctuated throughout the year with maxima in the spring and in the fall. Additionally, it was found that the amount of nitrate leaching during winter (from November through April) was correlated to, but not identical with the mineral nitrogen content of the previous fall. It further appeared that nitrate leaching in light sandy soils is mainly a mixing process, whereas in heavy soils it seems to be more a miscible displacement phenomenon.     

Trace organics in septic tank effluent

This paper reviews the available information and presents the results of a study undertaken to estimate the presence and level of certain trace organics in wastewater samples collected from a septic tank in an individual household, from a lift station, and from a waste treatment lagoon near Regina, Canada. Out of 11 priority pollutants analyzed, 6 priority pollutants — chloroform, bromodichloromethane, toluene, benzene, methylene chloride and tetrachloroethylene — were detected in the samples. Benzene and bromodichloromethane were dominant. Methylene chloride and tetrachloroethylene could not be quantified at the low concentrations present. Chloroform was present in the lagoon effluent sample once at a concentration of 0.03 μg L^?1. Toluene was not present either in the septic tank effluent or in the lagoon effluent. Benzene was present in the septic tank effluent (max. value 450 μg L^?1) and in the lagoon effluent (max. value 120 μg L^?1). Bromodichloromethane was present in the septic tank effluent and lagoon effluent at concentrations lower than 1.10 μg L^?1. The trace organics in the septic tank effluent and lagoon effluent at these comparatively low concentrations may not pose any significant risk either to aquatic life or to public health, taking into account the attentuation capacity of the soil and the dilution usually available.     

The formation and fragmentation of disks around primordial protostars

The very first stars to form in the universe heralded an end to the cosmic dark ages and introduced new physical processes that shaped early cosmic evolution. Until now, it was thought that these stars lived short, solitary lives, with only one extremely massive star, or possibly a very wide binary system, forming in each dark-matter minihalo. Here we describe numerical simulations that show that these stars were, to the contrary, often members of tight multiple systems. Our results show that the disks that formed around the first young stars were unstable to gravitational fragmentation, possibly producing small binary and higher-order systems that had separations as small as the distance between Earth and the Sun.     

An ion balance for ultra-high-precision atomic mass measurements

We have developed the analog of a double-pan balance for determining the masses of single molecular ions from the ratio of their two cyclotron frequencies. By confining two different ions on the same magnetron orbit in a Penning trap, we balance out many sources of noise and error (such as fluctuations of the magnetic field). To minimize the systematic error associated with the Coulomb interaction between the two ions, they are kept about 1 millimeter apart from each other, resulting in fractional uncertainty below 1 x 10(-11). Such precision opens the door to numerous applications of mass spectrometry, including metrology, fundamental physics, and weighing chemical bonds.