Dataset Information

Scavenging rate ecoassay: a potential indicator of estuary condition.

ABSTRACT: Monitoring of estuary condition is essential due to the highly productive and often intensely impacted nature of these ecosystems. Assessment of the physico-chemical condition of estuaries is expensive and difficult due to naturally fluctuating water quality and biota. Assessing the vigour of ecosystem processes is an alternative method with potential to overcome much of the variability associated with physico-chemical measures. Indicators of estuary condition should have small spatial and temporal variability, have a predictable response to perturbation and be ecologically relevant. Here, we present tests of the first criterion, the spatio-temporal variability of a potential ecoassay measuring the rate of scavenging in estuaries. We hypothesised that the proposed scavenging ecoassay would not vary significantly among A) sites in an estuary, B) trips separated by weeks, or C) days in a trip. Because not all habitats are present in all estuaries, this test was undertaken in two habitats. When conducted over bare substrate there were occasional significant differences, but no discernible patterns, within levels of the experiment. When conducted over vegetated substrate, days within a trip did not vary significantly, but later trips experienced greater scavenging. This scavenging ecoassay shows potential as a tool for assessing the condition of estuarine ecosystems, and further exploration of this protocol is warranted by implementation in estuaries across a gradient of anthropogenic stress.

SUBMITTER: Porter AG

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4449174 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Scavenging rate ecoassay: a potential indicator of estuary condition.

Porter Augustine G AG Scanes Peter R PR

PloS one 20150529 5

Monitoring of estuary condition is essential due to the highly productive and often intensely impacted nature of these ecosystems. Assessment of the physico-chemical condition of estuaries is expensive and difficult due to naturally fluctuating water quality and biota. Assessing the vigour of ecosystem processes is an alternative method with potential to overcome much of the variability associated with physico-chemical measures. Indicators of estuary condition should have small spatial and tempo ...[more]

PMID: 26024225

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Project description:BackgroundQuality assessment in pediatric care has recently gained momentum. Although many of the approaches to indicator development are similar regardless of the population of interest, few nationwide sets of indicators specifically designed for assessment of primary care of children exist. We performed an empirical analysis of the validity of "Pediatric Asthma Hospitalization Rate" indicator under the assumption that lower admission rates are associated with better performance of primary health care.MethodsThe validity of "Pediatric Asthma Hospitalization Rate" indicator proposed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the Italian context was investigated with a focus on selection of diagnostic codes, hospitalization type, and risk adjustment. Seasonality and regional variability of hospitalization rates for asthma were analyzed for Italian children aged 2-17 years discharged between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011 using the hospital discharge records database. Specific rates were computed for age classes: 2-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-17 years.ResultsIn the years 2009-2011 the number of pediatric hospitalizations for asthma was 14,389 (average annual rate: 0.52 per 1,000) with a large variability across regions. In children aged 2-4 years, the risk of hospitalization for asthma was 14 times higher than in adolescents, then it dropped to 4 in 5- to 9-year-olds and to 1.1 in 10- to 14-year-olds. The inclusion of diagnoses of bronchitis revealed that asthma and bronchitis are equally represented as causes of hospital admissions and have a similar seasonality in preschool children, while older age groups experience hospital admissions mainly in spring and fall, this pattern being consistent with a diagnosis of atopic asthma. Rates of day hospital admissions for asthma were up to 5 times higher than the national average in Liguria and some Southern regions, and close to zero in some Northern regions.ConclusionsThe patterns of hospitalization for pediatric asthma in Italy showed that at least two different indicators are needed to measure accurately the quality of care provided to children. The candidate indicators should also include day hospital admissions to better assess accessibility. Future evaluation by a structured clinical panel review at the national level might be helpful to refine indicator definitions and risk groupings, to determine appropriate application for such measures, and to make recommendations to policy makers.

Project description:Advanced oxidation treatment processes used in various applications to treat contaminated soil, water, and groundwater involve powerful radical intermediates, including hydroxyl radicals (•OH). Inefficiency in •OH-driven treatment systems involves scavenging reactions where •OH react with non-target species in the aqueous and solid phases. Here, •OH were generated in iron (Fe)- and UV-activated hydrogen peroxide (Fe-AHP, UV-AHP) systems where the loss of rhodamine B served as a quantitative metric for •OH activity. Kinetic analysis methods were developed to estimate the specific •OH surface scavenging rate constant (k≡S). In the Fe-AHP system, k≡S for silica (2.85 × 106 1/m2 × s) and alumina (3.92 × 106 1/m2 × s) were similar. In the UV-AHP system, estimates of k≡S for silica (4.50 × 106 1/m2 × s) and alumina (7.45 × 106 1/m2 × s) were higher. k≡S for montmorillonite (MMT) in the UV-AHP system was ≤4.22 × 105 1/m2 × s. Overall, k≡S,silica ∼ k≡S, alumina > k≡S,MMT indicating k≡S is mineral specific. Radical scavenging was dominated by surface scavenging at 10-50 g/L silica, alumina, or MMT, in both Fe-AHP and UV-AHP systems. The experimentally-derived surface •OH scavenging rate constants were extended to in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) treatment conditions to contrast •OH reaction rates with contaminant and aqueous phase reactants found in aquifer systems. •OH reaction was dominated by solid surfaces comprised of silica, alumina, and montmorillonite minerals relative to •OH reaction with trichloroethylene, the target compound, and H2O2, a well-documented radical scavenger. These results indicate that solid mineral surfaces play a key role in limiting the degradation rate of contaminants found in soil and groundwater, and the overall treatment efficiency in ISCO systems. The aggressive •OH scavenging measured was partially attributed to the relative abundance of scavenging sites on mineral surfaces.

Dataset Information

Scavenging rate ecoassay: a potential indicator of estuary condition.

Publications

Scavenging rate ecoassay: a potential indicator of estuary condition.

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