Genetic Diversity, Structure and Effective Population Size of Old-Growth vs. Second-Growth Populations of Keystone and Long-Lived Conifer, Eastern White Pine (): Conservation Value and Climate Adaptation Potential.

Whether old-growth (OG) forests have higher genetic diversity and effective population size, consequently higher conservation value and climate adaptive potential than second-growth (SG) forests, remain an unresolved issue. We have tested the hypothesis that old-growth forest tree populations have higher genetic diversity, effective population size ( ), climate adaptive potential and conservation value and lower genetic differentiation than second-growth forest tree populations, employing a keystone and long-lived conifer, eastern white pine (EWP; ). Genetic diversity and population structure of old-growth and second-growth populations of eastern white pine (EWP) were examined using microsatellites of the nuclear and chloroplast genomes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate nuclear genes putatively involved in adaptive responses to climate and underlying multilocus genetic architecture of local adaptation to climate in EWP.

Dietary exposure to cadmium and health risk assessment in children - Results of the French infant total diet study.

Besides specific occupational activities or smoking, food is the main route of cadmium exposure for the general population. In France a total diet study previously conducted for adults and children over 3 years old revealed that health concerns due to Cd dietary exposure existed for both adults and children. This study showed that the Cd tolerable weekly intake, based on potential nephrotoxicity effects, is exceeded by a high proportion of children under 3 years old.

Levels of lead in foods from the first French total diet study on infants and toddlers.

Infants and toddlers are highly vulnerable to exposure to lead due to its higher absorption in small children than in adults. This study describes the optimisation and validation of a very sensitive method for the determination of low levels of lead in foods mostly consumed by infants and toddlers. This method, based on inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry with a programmable temperature cyclonic spray chamber, attained a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.

Effects of pan cooking on micropollutants in meat.

This work presents the effects of pan cooking on PCBs, PCDD/Fs, pesticides and trace elements in meat from a risk assessment perspective. Three different realistic cooking intensities were studied. A GC×GC-TOF/MS method was set up for the multiresidue analysis of 189 PCBs, 17 PCDD/Fs and 16 pesticides whereas Cd, As, Pb and Hg were assayed by ICP-MS.