Pyrethroid use-malaria control and individual applications by households for other pests and home garden use

Presence of pyrethroid insecticides in human breast milk and in thatch wall material of dwellings from Southern Africa subtropical area (Manhiça, Mozambique) was investigated to assess potential pyrethroid route of human exposure. Human breast milk samples were collected during 2002 when pyrethroids were widely used as insecticides for mosquito bed nets in Mozambique for malaria control. The median concentration value of total pyrethroids ranged between 87 and 1200 ng/g lw, with λ-cyhalothrin being the most predominant pyrethroid in human breast milk contributing for 35% of the total amount. Moreover, and for the first time, an isomer-specific enrichment was found in human breast milk, showing a selective isomeric accumulation or metabolism in the human body. Based on the calculated pyrethroid concentrations in human breast milk, the daily ingestion rate of pyrethroid was estimated. The nursing infant dietary intake ranged from 0.67 to 9.0 μg (kg of body weight)^− 1 day^− 1. In addition, thatch materials collected after the reintegration of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethene (DDT) as insecticide residual spraying (IRS) in Mozambique, showed the presence of pyrethroids with concentration values ranging between 6.9 and 700 ng/g dw. In thatch material as well as in human breast milk, pyrethroid contamination was mainly attributed to the agriculture usage of this insecticide knowing that agriculture represent the 80% of the economy in Mozambique. However, a possible usage of this insecticide as IRS in Mozambique cannot be excluded despite their low efficiency for malaria control. The continued use of these compounds (both for agriculture and malaria prevention) and the ingestion rates calculated from the breast milk concentrations indicate that these insecticides cannot be overlooked for the assessment of the lactation risks of breastfeeding infants from the Manhiça region.     

The ethics in balancing control and freedom when engineering solutions for sustainable behaviour

Research suggests that to allow for sustainable development, consumption patterns must be changed. Individual behaviour is central to society's impact on the environment. However, due to the complexity of environmental issues, much of the political debate and technology development is inaccessible to consumers and based on the values, interpretations and priorities of experts. User‐centred, user‐involved and participatory processes are fundamental in design disciplines such as interaction design and participatory design. Research into the possibilities for cross‐pollination of design for sustainability and user‐centred design has distinguished several strategies for design‐led behavioural change. The strategies differ with regard to the levels of control and responsibility that users are left with, ranging from empowerment through information about consequences of behaviour to blocking behaviour or forcing sustainable practices upon individuals. By considering technological behaviour‐steering strategies in the light of science and technology studies and theory on technological mediation, the paper addresses the ethical issues that arise and discusses how designers can contribute to more sustainable consumption patterns without compromising quality of life, individual freedom and democratic rights.     

Protective Progressives to Distrustful Traditionalists: A Post Hoc Segmentation Method for Science Communication

ABSTRACT

This study demonstrates a post-hoc segmentation that is effective in creating distinct and robust segments of interest for researchers and practitioners in science communication. We use agglomerative hierarchical clustering to classify survey respondents based on answers to a short, five-item battery of questions drawn from variables that are frequently used in science communication. Resulting segments demonstrate strong differences in regards to demographics, issue-specific science knowledge, attention to media, sentiment toward media, and social networking site use. We assess the utility of the segments through a series of regression analyses in order to determine differences among segments with regards to intent to seek information about three science issues: fracking, nanotechnology, and synthetic biology.     

Bacillus thuringiensis, nucleopolyhedrosis virus,and pheromones: Environmental considerations and uncertainties in large-scale insect control

The mode of action, extent of use, and the current knowledge on environmental fate and toxicity of three biological insecticides [Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.), nucleopolyhedrosis virus (NPV), and pheromones] are reviewed. Data gaps, environmental uncertainties in any large-scale use, and proposed registration guidelines which may lead to more extensive use are discussed. B.t. disappears rapidly from plant foliage on exposure to sunlight and/or moisture, although it may persist in dry soil for several months or years. Foliar-applied NPVs are also inactivated by sunlight; the halflife on cotton leaves is 20–25 h. In the soil, NPVs may remain active for several years. Pheromones volatilize readily and do not persist in plant or in soil. Limited available data indicate that B.t. and pheromones do not persist in aquatic environments; quantitative data are unavailable for NPVs. Based on bioassay data, the three insecticides exhibit undetectable to low toxicity to nontarget organisms; there are also no reports of human disease or injury due to exposure to these pesticides and no bioaccumulation is expected with normal application. Except for B.t. which has been used in a limited large-scale applications, pest control uses of NPVs and pheromones are still in experimental stages. Areas of uncertainties requiring research and development include potential adverse health and ecological impacts in any large-scale and widespread use and efficacy and cost relative to synthetic chemical pesticides.     

The ECOINFORM Information Retrieval System

The general concept, structure, and methods of implementation of the ECOINFORM information retrieval system (IRS) (http://ecoinf.uran.ru/) are described using the Urals and western Siberia as model regions. The IRS is aimed at ensuring effective access to the latest information in various fields of theoretical and applied ecology, overcoming the informational isolation of research centers and state reserves in remote regions, coordinating and intensifying joint ecological studies, and integrating the fundamental science and higher-education institutions.     

Uncertainty analysis in integrated assessment: the users’ perspective

Integrated Assessment (IA) models aim at providing information- and decision-support to complex problems. This paper argues that uncertainty analysis in IA models should be user-driven in order to strengthen science–policy interaction. We suggest an approach to uncertainty analysis that starts with investigating model users’ demands for uncertainty information. These demands are called “uncertainty information needs”. Identifying model users’ uncertainty information needs allows focusing the analysis on those uncertainties which users consider relevant and meaningful. As an illustrative example, we discuss the case of examining users’ uncertainty information needs in the SEAMLESS Integrated Framework (SEAMLESS-IF), an IA model chain for assessing and comparing alternative agricultural and environmental policy options. The most important user group of SEAMLESS-IF are policy experts at the European and national level. Uncertainty information needs of this user group were examined in an interactive process during the development of SEAMLESS-IF and by using a questionnaire. Results indicate that users’ information requirements differed from the uncertainty categories considered most relevant by model developers. In particular, policy experts called for addressing a broader set of uncertainty sources (e.g. model structure and technical model setup). The findings highlight that investigating users’ uncertainty information needs is an essential step towards creating confidence in an IA model and its outcomes. This alone, however, may not be sufficient for effectively implementing a user-oriented uncertainty analysis in such models. As the case study illustrates, it requires to include uncertainty analysis into user participation from the outset of the IA modelling process.     

The social and scientific values that shape national climate scenarios: a comparison of the Netherlands,Switzerland and the UK

This paper seeks to understand why climate information is produced differently from country to country. To do this, we critically examined and compared the social and scientific values that shaped the production of three national climate scenarios in the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. A comparative analysis of documentary materials and expert interviews linked to the climate scenarios was performed. Our findings reveal a new typology of use-inspired research in climate science for decision-making: (i) innovators, where the advancement of science is the main objective; (ii) consolidators, where knowledge exchanges and networks are prioritised; and (iii) collaborators, where the needs of users are put first and foremost. These different values over what constitutes ‘good’ science for decision-making are mirrored in the way users were involved in the production process: (i) elicitation, where scientists have privileged decision-making power; (ii) representation, where multiple organisations mediate on behalf of individual users; and (iii) participation, where a multitude of users interact with scientists in an equal partnership. These differences help explain why climate knowledge gains its credibility and legitimacy differently even when the information itself might not be judged as salient and usable. If the push to deliberately co-produce climate knowledge is not sensitive to the national civic epistemology at play in each country, scientist–user interactions may fail to deliver more ‘usable’ climate information.

     

Identifying and modeling key trade-offs between hydrogen fuel cell and electric vehicles

Through a sensitivity analysis, the trade-off between vehicle range and CO₂ emissions is investigated as a function of electric emissions coefficient. Various powertrains were analysed for use in a small crossover sport utility vehicle. Gasoline, gasoline electric hybrid, diesel, fuel cell and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were considered. Using various upstream fuel pathways and a model for vehicle performance, emissions and energy use were estimated. The hydrogen fuel cell vehicle was found preferable to BEVs under conditions of high CO₂ emissions per kW-hr and a high vehicle range requirement. The BEV was preferable for all other conditions.     

Are bee diseases linked to pesticides? — A brief review

The negative impacts of pesticides, in particular insecticides, on bees and other pollinators have never been disputed. Insecticides can directly kill these vital insects, whereas herbicides reduce the diversity of their food resources, thus indirectly affecting their survival and reproduction. At sub-lethal level (< LD50), neurotoxic insecticide molecules are known to influence the cognitive abilities of bees, impairing their performance and ultimately impacting on the viability of the colonies. In addition, widespread systemic insecticides appear to have introduced indirect side effects on both honey bees and wild bumblebees, by deeply affecting their health. Immune suppression of the natural defences by neonicotinoid and phenyl-pyrazole (fipronil) insecticides opens the way to parasite infections and viral diseases, fostering their spread among individuals and among bee colonies at higher rates than under conditions of no exposure to such insecticides. This causal link between diseases and/or parasites in bees and neonicotinoids and other pesticides has eluded researchers for years because both factors are concurrent: while the former are the immediate cause of colony collapses and bee declines, the latter are a key factor contributing to the increasing negative impact of parasitic infections observed in bees in recent decades.     

荆江分蓄洪区防洪基础信息演示系统的构建和运行

荆江分蓄洪区适时分蓄超过荆江河道安全泄量的洪水,确保荆江大堤、江汉平原和武汉三镇的安全,为长江防洪做出了贡献。为有效开展分洪管理防洪决策信息支持,构建了一套分蓄洪区的防洪基础地理信息演示系统。分析了以往构建系统中需求分析和信息组织的不足,较为详细地进行了需求分析,科学地进行数据组织及数据库设计,并在此基础上,采用原型法进行系统设计。最后利用控件Mapobjects,将GIS功能嵌入Visual Basic 6.0编制的应用程序中,实现用户需求的各种功能。系统整合了分蓄洪区基础地理数据、水利设施以及安全建设等数据,较好地反映了荆江分蓄洪区的现实特点和意义。系统的运行得到湖北省荆江分蓄洪区工程管理局的肯定。     

Personal radiofrequency electromagnetic field measurements in the Netherlands: Exposure level and variability for everyday activities,times of day and types of area

Knowledge of the exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields is necessary for epidemiological studies on possible health effects. The main goal of this study is to determine the exposure level and spatial and temporal variances during 39 everyday activities in 12 frequency bands used in mobile telecommunication and broadcasting. Therefore, 24 h measurements were gathered from 98 volunteers living in or near Amsterdam and Purmerend, The Netherlands. They carried an activity diary to be kept to the minute, a GPS logger sampling at an interval of 1 s, and an EME Spy exposimeter with a detection limit of 0.0066 mW/m² sampling at an interval of 10 s in 12 frequency bands. The mean exposure over 24 h, excluding own mobile phone use, was 0.180 mW/m². During daytime exposure was about the same, but during night it was about half, and in the evening it was about twice as high. The main contribution to environmental exposure (calling by participant not included) is from calling with mobile phones (37.5%), from cordless DECT phones and their docking stations (31.7%), and from the base stations (12.7%). The exposure to mobile phone base stations increases with the percentage of urban ground use, which is an indication for high people density. In agreement, the highest mean exposure relates to the activities with high people density, such as travelling by public transport, visiting social events, pubs or shopping malls. Exposure at home depends mainly on exposure from people calling in the neighbourhood of the participant and thus on the number of persons in a household. In addition just the possession of DECT docking stations leads to exposure as most models transmit continuously in stand-by. Also wireless internet routers continuously transmit in the WiFi band. Though the highest exposure peaks in the WiFi band, up to 0.265 W/m², come from stray radiation of microwave ovens. The mean total exposure largely depends on phone calls of a high exposure level and short duration. These calls lead to potentially high contrasts as well in exposure levels between sessions of the same activity as between persons, thus posing a challenge for personal exposure prediction.     

Echo Chambers of Denial: Explaining User Comments on Climate Change

Although there is a broad consensus among scientists and journalists about the existence of anthropogenic climate change as a global problem, some segments of the population remain doubtful about the human impact on it. The internet provides citizens with opportunities to publicly voice their doubts and user comment sections of online media are a popular form of user-generated content. This study identifies factors that foster comments that are sceptical or supportive of basic assumptions of anthropogenic climate change, drawing on online news in the US, the UK, Germany, India, and Switzerland. The results show that users adapt to the dominant opinion within the respective media outlet: user comment sections serve as echo chambers rather than as corrective mechanisms. Climate change denial is more visible in user comment sections in countries where the climate change debate reflects the scientific consensus on climate change and user comments create niches of denial.     

Assessing the number of users who are excluded by domestic heating controls

Space heating accounts for almost 60% of the energy delivered to housing which in turn accounts for nearly 27% of the total UK's carbon emissions. This study was conducted to investigate the influence of heating control design on the degree of ‘user exclusion’. This was calculated using the Design Exclusion Calculator, developed by the Engineering Design Centre at the University of Cambridge. To elucidate the capability requirements of the system, a detailed hierarchical task analysis was produced, due to the complexity of the overall task. The Exclusion Calculation found that the current design placed excessive demands upon the capabilities of at least 9.5% of the UK population over 16 years old, particularly in terms of ‘vision’, ‘thinking’ and ‘dexterity’ requirements. This increased to 20.7% for users over 60 years old. The method does not account for the level of numeracy and literacy and so the true exclusion may be higher. Usability testing was conducted to help validate the results which indicated that 66% of users at a low-carbon housing development could not programme their controls as desired. Therefore, more detailed analysis of the cognitive demands placed upon the users is required to understand where problems within the programming process occur. Further research focusing on this cognitive interaction will work towards a solution that may allow users to behave easily in a more sustainable manner.     

Environmental exposure to organophosphorus and pyrethroid pesticides in South Australian preschool children: A cross sectional study

Organophosphorus (OP) and pyrethroid (PYR) compounds are the most widely used insecticides. OPs and PYRs are developmental neurotoxicants. Understanding the extent of exposure in the general population and especially in young children is important for the development of public health policy on regulation and use of these chemicals. Presented here are the results of the first investigation into the extent of environmental exposure to neurotoxic insecticides in preschool children in South Australia (SA).Children were enrolled from different areas of SA and assigned into urban, periurban and rural groups according to their residential address. Residential proximity to agricultural activity, parental occupational contact to insecticides and use of insecticides within the household were investigated as potential indirect measures of exposure. We used liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry to measure the following metabolites of OPs and PYRs in urine samples as direct indicators of exposure: dialkylphosphates, p-nitrophenol, 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol, 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol, cis- and trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethyl-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, cis-3-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethyl-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, 2-methyl-3phenylbenzoic acid and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid. Results were analysed to assess factors affecting the risk and level of exposure. Results were also compared to the published data in similar age groups from US and German studies.The results of this study demonstrate that there was widespread chronic exposure to OPs and and PYRs in SA children. OP metabolites were detected more commonly than PYR. Exposure to more than one chemical and contemporaneous exposure to chemicals from both OP and PYR groups was common in the study population. There were some differences in risks and levels of exposure between the study groups. Exposure to some restricted use of chemicals, for example, fenitrothion, was higher in periurban and rural children. There was no difference among the study groups in exposure to chlorpyrifos, used commonly in agriculture and in domestic settings and most frequently found OP pesticide in food in Australia. South Australian children appear to have higher levels of exposure compared their peers in US and Germany.     

Using a novel climate–water conflict vulnerability index to capture double exposures in Lake Chad

Climate variability is amongst an array of threats facing agricultural livelihoods, with its effects unevenly distributed. With resource conflict being increasingly recognised as one significant outcome of climate variability and change, understanding the underlying drivers that shape differential vulnerabilities in areas that are double-exposed to climate and conflict has great significance. Climate change vulnerability frameworks are rarely applied in water conflict research. This article presents a composite climate–water conflict vulnerability index based on a double exposure framework developed from advances in vulnerability and livelihood assessments. We apply the index to assess how the determinants of vulnerability can be useful in understanding climate variability and water conflict interactions and to establish how knowledge of the climate–conflict linked context can shape interventions to reduce vulnerability. We surveyed 240 resource users (farmers, fishermen and pastoralists) in seven villages on the south-eastern shores of Lake Chad in the Republic of Chad to collect data on a range of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity variables. Results suggest that pastoralists are more vulnerable in terms of climate-structured aggressive behaviour within a lake-based livelihoods context where all resource user groups show similar levels of exposure to climate variability. Our approach can be used to understand the human and environmental security components of vulnerability to climate change and to explore ways in which conflict-structured climate adaptation and climate-sensitive conflict management strategies can be integrated to reduce the vulnerability of populations in high-risk, conflict-prone environments.     

邻避冲突视角下环境群体性事件的发生过程及处理研究

共享发展理念要求全民共享改革发展成果,但当某些利于社会整体发展的项目设施建设将可能损害周边小部分群众个人利益时,政府管理部门如何合理协调处理好整体利益与个人利益的关系显得尤为重要,如果能提前做好相关调查应急预防工作,环境群体性事件的发生是完全可以避免的。本文从邻避冲突视角从微观上分析了环境群体性事件的发生过程、特点和内在机理,论述了邻避冲突引发的环境群体性事件的处理机制和政策措施。结果表明,舆情酝酿是引发环境群体性事件的关键,而解决舆情酝酿的关键则是参与人群边界的确定和恰当的信息公开。因此,建立有效的环境信息公开机制,对解决邻避冲突式的环境群体性事件具有重要的战略意义。同时,围绕邻避类项目的事前评价,提前做好损失预补方案和舆论疏导工作,有助于降低环境群体性事件发生的概率。具体说来主要可以通过建立环境类信息公开机制来了解民众的诉求,确保沟通渠道畅通;在信息公开的基础上,积极拓展并完善舆情监测与舆论引导机制,避免舆论因缺乏引导而持续发酵,引导舆论走向正面;建立环境类项目损害评估机制,本着公平、公正、公开、平等、自愿的原则进行不偏不倚的客观评估,制定科学合理的补偿方案;建立包括直接经济补偿和社会公益补偿等形式多样的环境类损失补偿机制;最后还要建立环境类事件过程监控机制,实行全过程、全方位管控,确保政府管理部门始终处于事件主导地位。在信息化不断发展、公民民主意识不断提升的背景下,努力提升政府治理能力显得尤为重要。在面对可能发生的矛盾焦点突出的环境群体性事件时,政府应当科学分析其产生发展的原因脉络,针对性地提出有效的解决方案。     

Invasive alien species as drivers in socio-ecological systems: local adaptations towards use of Lantana in Southern India

Lantana camara. L (hereafter Lantana) was first introduced by the British into India in 1807 as an ornamental plant. Since then the species has spread across the length and breadth of the country. Attempts to control Lantana in India have not been successful. In this study, we analysed the use of Lantana by local communities in southern India and identified the possible causes and consequences of its use through the use of a household survey of the socio-economic profile of the user and nonuser households and an analysis of the ecological history of the communities. Communities have been using Lantana for over 25–30 years and apparently such use was not prompted by external agencies. The characteristics of user and nonuser households were similar, except that Lantana users were more literate and had a greater number of occupations per household than nonusers. Per capita income was similar between user and nonuser groups. For nonuser groups, their main income sources were from trading (44 %), wage labour (32 %) and forest resources (23 %). In contrast, the Lantana user groups substituted their loss of income from forest resources (7 %) by income from Lantana (46 %). The ecological history revealed that Lantana was adopted as a resource at a time when it was increasing in the landscape and traditional bamboo resources were in decline because of overuse by commercial enterprises and mast flowering. This change in ecological resource availability prompted a major shift in livelihoods for some in the area.     

Mapping spots: fishing areas or territories among islanders of the Atlantic Forest (Brazil)

This study analyzes the fishing areas or spots used by artisanal fishers of the Atlantic Forest coast. Fishers include inhabitants of islands of the SE Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Data on fish landings were collected for different islands, in 1986 and 1989–1990, for species caught, technology used and fishing time. Fishing spots were marked or rechecked using GPS in 1997–1999. Fishing is performed in paddled, motorized canoes or in small boats with set gillnets or hook and line. Marine animals caught vary from place to place and include fish, shrimp, squid and crab. Spots used are very stable in time, since they did not change for about 10 years. Among other factors, technology limits the range of access of the fishers to the spots. An informal division of fishing areas or spots is observed, based on the locality of residence of the fishers. The mapping and observed division of fishing spots may be used in local management, helping to control the intrusion of industrial fishers in artisanal areas. Local rules and discrimination of spot users may be helpful for artisanal fishers, especially in areas where conflicts with trawlers occur. The observed long-term stability of the use of fishing spots by artisanal fishers and conflicts with other users indicate the urgency of considering local rules for conservation purposes in Atlantic Forest coastal areas. Electronic Publication     

Making the user more efficient: design for sustainable behaviour

User behaviour is a significant determinant of a product's environmental impact; while engineering advances permit increased efficiency of product operation, the user's decisions and habits ultimately have a major effect on the energy or other resources used by the product. There is thus a need to change users' behaviour. A range of design techniques developed in diverse contexts suggest opportunities for engineers, designers and other stakeholders working in the field of sustainable innovation to affect users' behaviour at the point of interaction with the product or system, in effect ‘making the user more efficient’. Approaches to changing users' behaviour from a number of fields are reviewed and discussed, including: strategic design of affordances and behaviour‐shaping constraints to control or affect energy‐ or other resource‐using interactions; the use of different kinds of feedback and persuasive technology techniques to encourage or guide users to reduce their environmental impact; and context‐based systems which use feedback to adjust their behaviour to run at optimum efficiency and reduce the opportunity for user‐affected inefficiency. Example implementations in the sustainable engineering and ecodesign field are suggested and discussed.     

Acute toxicity of two insecticides to tubificid worms, Tubifex tubifex and Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri

Acute toxicity and presumable harmless concentration of two commercial insecticides, Furadan 3G and Malataf 50E were reported for tubificid worms, Tubifex tubifex and Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri. L. hoffmeisteri were found more susceptible to both the insecticides; the Furadan was found to be more toxic than Malataf to tubificid worms. Analysis of variants showed a significant difference between safe concentrations of the same insecticide to different species.