This Doctoral thesis was carried out in 3 different Catalan aquatic ecosystems: The Flix reservoir and the lower part of Ebro river, the Camarasa reservoir (Pre-Pyrenees) and the Pyrenees lakes.The aim of this Doctoral Thesis in the Flix reservoir and the lower part of Ebro river part was to determine the Naturally Occurring Radioactivity waste materials (NORM) contained in Flix Reservoir sediments due to the dicalcium phosphate (DCP) production of a factory located in the reservoir vicinity, and evaluate the potential remobilization of the NORM waste materials downstream, along the 95 km of Ebro river until its river mouth delta (Ebro Delta). The results display an evident radiological impact in the waste materials dumped in Flix reservoir with maximum values of values 11723±198 Bq kg-1 238U, 9361± 181 Bq kg-1 226Ra, 3500±157 Bq kg-1 210Pb, 308 (238U), 92 (226Ra) and 38 (210Pb) times higher than the activity of these radionuclides in the Ebro sediments, that show an average activity of 20 Bq kg-1. In order to determine the mobilization of the radioactivity, 226Ra (dissolve) was studied. An enhancement of the 226Ra levels in water was detected in the Flix water (8.00.4 Bq m-3) and specially in the Flix meanders with a value of 37.5 ±1.2 Bq m-3, typical of the contaminated NORM rivers. However the rest of the lower part of the river water samples display non contaminated levels of 226Ra, with an average value of 5.9 ±1.6 Bq m-3.In Camarasa reservoir the aim of the research was to establish the sedimentation rates by 210Pb models (CFCS) and 137Cs dating mark, that allows us to date the last 100-150 years. The highest sedimentation rate in the central and lower part of the reservoir was 3.3 ± 0.2 cm yr-1 (14.1 kg m-2 a-1), close to the dam, due to the dam barrier effect that block the water stream. The central part of the reservoir displays a lower sedimentation rate of 1.370.14 cm yr-1. We have to take into account the effect of the flood events in the assessment of the sedimentation rates. In this study a punctual flood event in November 1982 was registered in the sediments depositing from 30 to 40 cm of material in 1 week, equivalent to 25 years of normal sedimentation in the central part of the reservoir. In the Pyrenees lake study, the distribution of 210Pb (0 to 5178 ± 1300 Bq·kg-1) and 137Cs (8 to 2970 ± 101 Bq·kg-1) displays a wide variation activity ranges, typical of remote lakes. 210Pb was used as a normalizer of the heavy metal (Zn and Cd) contaminations and some organochlorate compounds (Hexachlorobenzen and Hexachlorociclohexan) in order to detected contamination sources. The metal results display an evident Zn and Cd contamination in some lakes of Vall d'Aran area (Pica Palomera and Montoliu lakes) due to the mining activity during the period from 1740 to 1968. On the other hand, the normalized organochlorinate compounds display a source of contamination close to Sabiñanigo village (Aragon Pyrenees) probably due to the presence in the past of an Hexachlorociclohexan factory.

No description available.

L'hexaclorobenzè (HCB) és un compost organoclorat àmpliament distribuït per tot el planeta, altament lipofílic que s'acumula als sistemes biològics. Els nounats s'exposen a aquests compostos organoclorats (OCs) a través de la placenta i de la lactància materna. Tot i que l'HCB és un dels OCs més comuns, la seva transferència a través de la placenta de la mare al fetus durant la gestació i a través de l'alletament matern està poc documentada. El coneixement sobre els seus possibles efectes sobre la salut infantil és també bastant limitat. A Flix, un poble de la Ribera d'Ebre, es van detectar nivells molt elevats d'HCB a l'atmosfera degut a la seva proximitat a una empresa electroquímica. Els objectius del present treball són els d'avaluar l'exposició a OCs a través de la placenta i de la lactància materna i els seus efectes sobre la salut infantil durant el primer any de vida en el conjunt de nounats d'aquesta població. / Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is an organochlorine compound widely spread in the environment, highly lipophyilic which accumulates in all biological systems. Newborns are exposed to organochlorine compounds (OCs) through placenta and via breastfeeding. Although HCB is one of the most common OCs, its transference from the mother to the child through placenta and via breastfeeding is poorly documented. The knowledgement of the possible adverse effects on infant's health is also limited. In Flix, a small village in the Ribera d'Ebre area, high levels of HCB were detected in the atmosphere of the village due to the vicinity of an electrochemical factory. The objectives of the present study are to evaluate OCS exposition through placenta and breastfeeding and its effects on infant's health during the first year of life.

Zugl.: Berlin, Univ. der Künste, Diss., 2007

Thesis (M. A.) --University of Limpopo, 2019. / This study explores a literary comparative examination of crime between Africa and Scandinavia, with special attention to Botswana and Norway. Smith’s and Nesbo’s selected novels are used as primary texts for analysis. The novels are, therefore, set in two different areas. These writers depict crime from the African and European perspectives. Chapter One deals with a brief introduction, and the aim and objectives of the study. It also expands on the theoretical background and provides definitions of terms that are used in this paper. Chapter Two presents views from various scholars on crime. This study is based on an Afro-Western approach of literary analysis. In other words, there are thoughts by both African and Western writers which assist in determining possible and noticeable similarities and differences, on the issue of crime. Chapter Three analyses crime from an African perspective while Chapter Four discusses crime from a Western point of view. Each of these chapters reflects on crime through character portrayal and depiction within its context. Chapter Five is a comparative analysis of both novels. The chapter identifies possible similarities and differences, mainly of the depiction of crime in different settings – Africa and Scandinavia, committed by blacks and whites. However, the structural and linguistic approaches of both the novels are also reviewed, assisting in discovering the life, in comparison, of the authors. The last chapter (Chapter Six), is a conclusion of the study and future suggestions. Basically, the study argues that blacks only should not be portrayed as perpetrators, but that whites too can be culprits. Again, there should be an equal of measurement on the weight and honour of the two races. Lastly, the moral is that without considering skin colour, financial and social backgrounds, justice must be served equally. Hence, whoever is caught in any form of wrongdoing, they must be given the appropriate punishment – regardless of race, colour, religious creed, gender, financial and social background. Key Words: Crime, Afro-Western, Marxism, suspense, detective, identity, puzzle, fix, accumulation, class, characterisation and setting.