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Publications

Publications from USGS science centers throughout the Southeast Region.

Filter Total Items: 9969

Improved selenium recovery from tissue with modified sample decomposition

The present paper describes a simple modification of a recently reported decomposition method for determination of selenium in biological tissue by hydride generation atomic absorption. The modified method yielded slightly higher selenium recoveries (3-4%) for selected reference tissues and fish tissue spiked with selenomethionine. Radiotracer experiments indicated that the addition of a small vol
Authors
W. G. Brumbaugh, M.J. Walther

Contaminated sediments from tributaries of the Great Lakes: Chemical characterization and carcinogenic effects in medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Sediments from four inshore industrial sites and a reference site in the Great Lakes were extracted with organic solvents to produce a crude extract, which was separated on alumina into two fractions: predominantly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; and predominantly nitrogencontaining polycyclic aromatic compounds. Crude extracts were redissolved in acetone and analyzed by gas chromatography and g
Authors
John M. Besser, Christopher J. Schmitt, John C. Harshbarger, Paul H. Peterman, Jon A. Lebo

Chemometric comparison of polychlorinated biphenyl residues and toxicologically active polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in the eggs of Forster's Terns (Sterna fosteri)

The separation and characterization of complex mixtures of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is approached from the perspective of a problem in chemometrics. A technique for quantitative determination of PCB congeners is described as well as an enrichment technique designed to isolate only those congener residues which induce mixed aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase enzyme activity. A congener-specific p
Authors
Ted R. Schwartz, David L. Stalling

Carcinogens and cancers in freshwater fishes

Epizootics of neoplasms in freshwater fish species are considered in relation to circumstantial and experimental evidence that suggest that some epizootics of neoplasia of hepatocellular, cholangiocellular, epidermal, and oral epithelial origin may be causally related to contaminant exposure. Although there is concern for the safety of consuming fish affected with neoplasms, this concern may be m
Authors
John J. Black, Paul C. Baumann

Determination of monocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fish tissue

No abstract available.
Authors
J.A. Lebo, J.L. Zajicek, T.R. Schwartz, L.M. Smith, M. P. Beasley

Solution of the one-dimensional consolidation theory equation with a pseudospectral method

The one-dimensional consolidation theory equation is solved for an aquifer system using a pseudospectral method. The spatial derivatives are computed using Fast Fourier Transforms and the time derivative is solved using a fourth-order Runge-Kutta scheme. The computer model calculates compaction based on the void ratio changes accumulated during the simulated periods of time. Compactions and expans
Authors
N. Sepulveda

Metal bioavailability and toxicity to fish in low-alkalinity lakes: A critical review

Fish in low-alkalinity lakes having pH of 6·0–6·5 or less often have higher body or tissue burdens of mercury, cadmium, and lead than do fish in nearby lakes with higher pH. The greater bioaccumulation of these metals in such waters seems to result partly from the greater aqueous abundances of biologically available forms (CH3 Hg+, Cd2+, and Pb2+) at low pH. In addition, the low concentrations of
Authors
D.J. Spry, James G. Wiener

Control of pest species: Tree shelters help protect seedlings from nutria

Various methods of nutria preventative techniques were tested in attempts to curb the loss of seedlings due to nutria capturing. The results of testing possibly indicate that tree shelters have real potential for use in forest restoration projects on sites with moderate nutria populations. Tree shelters may even prove effective on sites with high nutria populations, as long as alternative food sup
Authors
J. A. Allen, R. Boykin

Tumor frequencies in walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) and brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus) and sediment contaminants in tributaries of the Laurentian Great Lakes

To better characterize neoplasm epizootics in the Great Lakes basin and their association with families of contaminants, we sampled five locations: the Fox and Menominee rivers, Lake Michigan; Munuscong Lake, St. Mary's River; and the Black and Cuyahoga rivers, Lake Erie. Frequencies of external and liver tumors were determined for brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus) from all locations except the
Authors
Paul C. Baumann, Michael J. Mac, Stephen B. Smith, John C. Harshbarger

Preliminary assessment of the effects of selenium in agricultural drainage on fish in the San Joaquin Valley

Concentrations of total selenium were measured in whole-body samples of seven fishes from the Sacramento and San Joaquin River systems and the San Francisco Bay complex. Concentrations of selenium (up to 11 µg/g dry weight in whole-body composite samples) were highest in fish from canals and sloughs in the Grassland Water District (Grasslands) that received large inflows of subsurface agricultural
Authors
M. K. Saiki, M.R. Jennings, S. J. Hamilton

Documentation of a data base on lake and reservoir water quality in the United States

The report describes the procedures used to select, retrieve, compile, and screen a lake and reservoir data base from the STORET (STOrage and RETrieval) system of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Procedures used to select, compile, and screen the size of the data base also are discussed. The retrieved data comprise 116 water-quality and biological constituents and physical and morphometri
Authors
Walter R. Rast