To answer the requirement of the European Commission's Water Framework Directive (WFD) for biological-effects endpoints to classify the ecological health of aquatic ecosystems, we propose the biomarker response index (BRI). The BRI, based on a suite of biomarkers at different levels of biological response at the individual level, provides an integrated relative measure of the general health status of coastal invertebrates. Using the BRI, the health of mussels (Mytilus edulis) from 10 estuaries classified by the Environment Agency of England and Wales under the WFD was compared. Eight sites were healthier than predicted and two showed a similar health status to that of the predicted point-source pollution risk classification. Results indicate that the BRI offers a potential measure of organism health that can be used in monitoring under the WFD as an additional aid to reduce uncertainty in defining risk classification and to provide better evidence of existing impact.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.03.040 | DOI Listing |
Integr Environ Assess Manag
January 2025
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States.
This study evaluated a novel ex situ passive sampling biomimetic extraction (BE) method to estimate toxic potency in sediments. Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) analysis of polydimethylsiloxane fibers equilibrated with field sediments was used to quantify bioavailable polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other unresolved, site-specific contaminant mixtures. This method is biomimetic because contaminants partition to the fiber based on hydrophobicity and abundance, and GC-FID quantification accounts for all constituents absorbed to the fiber that may contribute to toxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntegr Environ Assess Manag
January 2025
International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Selenium (Se) is a naturally occurring metalloid in soils and rocks that is released by weathering processes; it is also enriched by some anthropogenic activities, including mining and agriculture. The mechanism of Se aquatic toxicity has been understood for several decades; at elevated concentrations, dietary Se can accumulate in maternal tissues of fish and birds, become deposited into their eggs, and can potentially result in impaired embryological development. North American environmental regulations have acknowledged differences in species sensitivity and variation among aquatic environments (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrol Pract
January 2025
Department of Urology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
Introduction: The US supply disruption of surgical irrigation fluids in September 2024 prompted the need for fluid conservation and potential deferral of urology procedures. We characterized fluid use in common endoscopic procedures to articulate recommendations for irrigation fluid stewardship and case prioritization during fluid shortages.
Methods: We reviewed case volumes and irrigation fluid use for endoscopic urological procedures at our institution during January-September 2024.
Inorg Chem
January 2025
Beijing Spacecrafts Manufacturing Factory, Beijing 100094, P. R. China.
The rapid upsurge of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has sparked profound interest in their potential as proton conductors for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, proton-conducting behaviors of hydrophobic MOFs remain poorly understood compared with their hydrophilic counterparts, largely due to the absence of a microscopic phase separation structure akin to that found in Nafion membranes. Herein, we demonstrate a strategy for regulating the structures and proton conductivities of MOFs by separately incorporating hydrophobic -C(CF)- group alongside hydrophilic -O- and -SO- groups into organic ligands as linkers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLangmuir
January 2025
Prof. Rashidi Laboratory of Organometallic Chemistry & Material Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, 7194684795, Iran.
In this study, a Pd nanoparticles@hydrogen-bonded organic framework (Pd NPs@HOF) thin film was fabricated at the toluene-water interface. The HOF was formed through the interaction of trimesic acid (TMA) and melamine (Mel) in the water phase, while Pd(0) was produced from the reduction of [PdCl(cod)] in the organic phase. The as-synthesized Pd NPs@HOF thin film was demonstrated to be an effective catalyst for the selective reduction of -nitrophenol and -nitrophenol to -aminophenol and -aminophenol.
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