Photochemical reduction of hexavalent chromium in glycerol-containing solutions

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] in the form of potassium dichromate was photochemically reduced to trivalent chromium [Cr(III)] in aqueous solutions containing glycerol. This reaction occurred rapidly during irradiation with either unfiltered sunlight or a UVA-emitting light source. Photochemical reduction of Cr(VI) was pH-dependent and did not occur in dilute solutions of sodium hydroxide. In acidified solutions, the reduction occurred at elevated rates and at lower concentrations of glycerol. This reaction was found to be dependent on the unsubstituted alcohol groups of glycerol since alpha-phosphoglycerol and beta-phosphoglycerol did not support the photochemical reduction of Cr(VI). These findings suggest that glycerol or related polyols can be used for the remediation of hexavalent (toxic) chromium at contaminated environmental sites.     

Dangerous chemicals

Council Regulation (EEC) No 2455/92 has been adopted by the Council of the European Communities, in 1992, to improve information exchange on certain dangerous chemicals with third countries, particularly developing countries. To implement the notification procedure in accordance with the Regulation, a database has been developed to manage and simplify the procedure. The software exists in three versions; one adapted for use by the Designated Authorities of the Member States, another for the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB) and the third one is an information version aimed at Designated National Authorities outside the European Union and Industry. The database “EDEXIM” is currently working in a PC environment and is being developed as an on-line system with a stand-alone client/server architecture.     

Environmental Surveillance for Noroviruses in Selected South African Wastewaters 2015–2016: Emergence of the Novel GII.17

Norovirus (NoV) GII.4 is the predominant genotype associated with gastroenteritis pandemics and new strains emerge every 2–3 years. Between 2008 and 2011, environmental studies in South Africa (SA) reported NoVs in 63% of the sewage-polluted river water samples. The aim of this study was to assess whether wastewater samples could be used for routine surveillance of NoVs, including GII.4 variants. From April 2015 to March 2016, raw sewage and effluent water samples were collected monthly from five wastewater treatment plants in SA. A total of 108 samples were screened for NoV GI and GII using real-time RT-qPCR. Overall 72.2% (78/108) of samples tested positive for NoVs with 4.6% (5/108) GI, 31.5% (34/108) GII and 36.1% (39/108) GI + GII strains being detected. Norovirus concentrations ranged from 1.02 × 10² to 3.41 × 10⁶ genome copies/litre for GI and 5.00 × 10³ to 1.31 × 10⁶ genome copies/litre for GII. Sixteen NoV genotypes (GI.2, GI.3, GI.4, GI.5, GI.6, GII.2, GII.3, GII.4, GII.7, GII.9, GII.10, GII.14, GII.16, GII.17, GII.20, and GII.21) were identified. Norovirus GII.2 and GII.17 co-dominated and the majority of GII.17 strains clustered with the novel Kawasaki 2014 variant. Sewage surveillance facilitated detection of Kawasaki 2014 in SA, which to date has not been detected with surveillance in children with gastroenteritis <5 years of age. Combined surveillance in the clinical setting and environment appears to be a valuable strategy to monitor emergence of NoV strains in countries that lack NoV outbreak surveillance.     

Prioritization of Ecosystem Services Research: Tampa Bay Demonstration Project

The Tampa Bay Ecosystem Services Demonstration Project (TBESDP) is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Ecosystem Services Research Program. The principal objectives of TBESDP are to (1) quantify the ecosystem services of the Tampa Bay watershed, (2) determine the value of ecosystem services to society, (3) predict the supply of ecosystem services under future scenarios of population growth and climate change, and (4) apply this knowledge through models and tools that will support the best informed environmental decisions possible. The scope and complexity of this project required intensive effort to establish which services can be quantified by applying existing models, data, and scientific literature and which services will require supporting research. Research priorities were assessed by: (1) developing and refining conceptual models of major ecosystems in the Tampa Bay region, (2) gathering input from stakeholders about the relative importance and values of various ecosystem services, (3) preparing and reviewing a bibliometric analysis of the volume of scientific literature relevant to the ecosystems and services of interest, and (4) evaluating an integrated analysis of importance, value, and availability of scientific information. This analysis led us to focus on two research priorities, seagrass-habitat functions as support for fishery production, and wetlands as regulators of water quality.     

Towards a contraction and convergence target based on population life expectancies since 1960

This paper explores a finding that emerged in the early phases of a multidisciplinary project applying population health and psychology to issues of social progress and sustainability. Across 180 countries and half a century of data, the levels of carbon emissions per capita that maximise life expectancy fall within a tight band averaging only 6.6 tonnes—considerably less than wealthier countries emit per person. Various tests fail to break down the curves and, although the authors remain cautious, the stability since 1960 offers implications for the carbon budget leading up to 2050. This is the first time these curves have been contextualised against established climate science, with timely implications for international negotiations on sustainability and development.     

NUTRIENT LOAD CHARACTERIZATION FROM INTEGRATED SOURCE DATA FOR THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RWER1

ABSTRACT: Nutrient data from all available sources for the lower Mississippi River were examined for potential differences among sampling agencies and geographic locations for the period between 1960 and 1998. Monthly means grouped by parameter, sampling location and agency, were calculated and compared as paired sets, excluding those months where data were not available for both sets. Some significant differences were found between various agencies collecting nutrient data on the river, as well as between various stretches of river, especially in the case of phosphorus nutrient data. Results were used to synthesize data sets from which a history of nutrient loading in the Mississippi River was determined. General trends in nitrate+nitrite, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, orthophosphate, total phosphorus and silica loads, as well as changes in nutrient proportions and the specific limiting nutrient (by month) are reported. This study provides a useful summary of contemporary and historical nutrient data that may assist in the evaluation of Mississippi River water quality and its potential effect on the Gulf of Mexico.     

Interstitial deletions without phenotypic effect: Prenatal diagnosis of a new family and brief review

A 39-year-old woman (G4P1SAB2) was referred for amniocentesis for advanced maternal age. An interstitial deletion of the G-dark band 11 pi 2 was found in the fetus. Blood from the mother and her previous son was cultured and the same deletion was found in both. The absence of phenotypic effect in this family further confirms that G-dark euchromatic deletions are compatible with a normal phenotype, and underlines the importance of checking familial karyotypes even when apparently unbalanced structural rearrangements are found at prenatal diagnosis.     

Habitat associations and diet of young-of-the-year Pacific cod (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gadus macrocephalus</Emphasis>) near Kodiak,Alaska

The influence of environmental variables and habitat on growth and survival of juvenile gadoid species in the Atlantic has been clearly demonstrated; conversely, in the North Pacific little is known about the habitat and ecology of juvenile Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus Tilesius). The hypothesis that density of young-of-the-year (YOY) Pacific cod in nearshore habitats is predicted by shallow depth and the presence of eelgrass and macroalgae was tested in a variety of nearshore habitats adjacent to commercial fishing grounds near Kodiak Island, AK. From 10 to 22 August 2002, a beach seine and small-meshed beam trawl were used to capture YOY Pacific cod (n = 254) ranging from 42 to 110 mm fork length. Depth, water temperature, salinity, sediment grain size, and percent cover by emergent structure (i.e. tube-dwelling polychaetes, sea cucumber mounds, macroalgae) were measured prior to fishing. Density of YOY Pacific cod was highest in areas of moderate depth (15–20 m) and positively and linearly related to percent cover by sea cucumber mounds and to salinity. No previous studies have documented fish utilizing sea cucumber mounds as habitat. Furthermore, eelgrass and macroalgae were inconsequential to cod distribution. Diets consisted mainly of small calanoid copepods, mysids, and gammarid amphipods and were significantly related to cod length and depth. This work provides important information on previously undocumented factors that affect distribution and feeding of YOY Pacific cod, which ultimately influence growth and survival in this species.     

How western meadowlarks respond to simulated intrusions by unmated females

Summary Western meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta) were played back female calls at various stages of their breeding cycles, to examine how residents might respond to unmated females. Females reacted to intruders with aggressive displays and other responses that varied in intensity (Table 1). Males reacted not only to playback, but also to their mates' responses, often intervening in them. The responses of both males and females, however, were strongly affected by the stage of the breeding cycle at which an intrusion was simulated (Table 3). Females responded to playback most strongly before they began incubating eggs; thereafter, the strength of their responses declined rapidly. Males' also responded less strongly at later stages of their mate's nesting cycle, but the strength of their responses declined less rapidly than did the females'. When the reactions evoked from mated individuals were compared, females responded at least as strongly as their mates, until after their young had fledged (Fig. 3). These seasonal changes in the intensity of females' responses suggest that decisions about how strongly to respond take account of the costs of responding to an intruder, as well as its benefits. Our results suggest that interactions among mated and unmated females may affect the timing of bigamy and, in some cases, its incidence as well.     

Influence of environment, disturbance, and ownership on forest vegetation of coastal Oregon.

Information about how vegetation composition and structure vary quantitatively and spatially with physical environment, disturbance history, and land ownership is fundamental to regional conservation planning. However, current knowledge about patterns of vegetation variability across large regions that is spatially explicit (i.e., mapped) tends to be general and qualitative. We used spatial predictions from gradient models to examine the influence of environment, disturbance, and ownership on patterns of forest vegetation biodiversity across a large forested region, the 3-million-ha Oregon Coast Range (USA). Gradients in tree species composition were strongly associated with environment, especially climate, and insensitive to disturbance, probably because many dominant tree species are long-lived and persist throughout forest succession. In contrast, forest structure was strongly correlated with disturbance and only weakly with environmental gradients. Although forest structure differed among ownerships, differences were blurred by the presence of legacy trees that originated prior to current forest management regimes. Our multi-ownership perspective revealed biodiversity concerns and benefits not readily visible in single-ownership analyses, and all ownerships contributed to regional biodiversity values. Federal lands provided most of the late-successional and old-growth forest. State lands contained a range of forest ages and structures, including diverse young forest, abundant legacy dead wood, and much of the high-elevation true fir forest. Nonindustrial private lands provided diverse young forest and the greatest abundance of hardwood trees, including almost all of the foothill oak woodlands. Forest industry lands encompassed much early-successional forest, most of the mixed hardwood-conifer forest, and large amounts of legacy down wood. The detailed tree- and species-level data in the maps revealed regional trends that would be masked in traditional coarse-filter assessment. Although abundant, most early-successional forests originated after timber harvest and lacked legacy live and dead trees important as habitat and for other ecological functions. Many large-conifer forests that might be classified as old growth using a generalized forest cover map lacked structural features of old growth such as multilayered canopies or dead wood. Our findings suggest that regional conservation planning include all ownerships and land allocations, as well as fine-scale elements of vegetation composition and structure.