The effect of clock-shift on the initial orientation of wild rock doves (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Columba l. livia</Emphasis>)

Previous experiments on wild rock doves ( Columba l. livia Gmelin) released within their familiar area revealed an evident effect of fast-shifting, although shifted doves, but not controls, tended to orient homeward. Such an outcome suggested a possible influence of the release time per se on the directional choices of the tested doves. In the present study, this hypothesis was investigated by comparing the orientation of slow-shifted birds to that of two control groups released at different times of the day. As would be expected if doves make use of a time-compensated sun compass, the bearings of shifted birds were deflected clockwise with respect to controls. The time of release itself seemed to influence only the scatter of the vanishing bearings of controls. These findings testify to the substantial similarity of clock-shift effects on the initial orientation of rock doves to those on homing pigeons released from familiar sites.     

Transport and degradation of toluene and o-xylene in an unsaturated soil with dipping sedimentary layers

A lysimeter trench was established at the Gardermoen delta (50 km north of Oslo, Norway) to study the flow of water and transport and degradation of aromatic jet fuel components (toluene and o-xylene) in the undisturbed unsaturated zone. Site investigations with ground-penetrating radar revealed the presence of dipping sedimentary layers within the foreset unit. This study has shown that the foreset bed of the Gardermoen delta structure provided a preferential flow path for the transport of the solute plumes, but did not have dramatic effects on the degradation potential under the current conditions. The degradation potential for toluene and o-xylene in the unsaturated zone at Gardermoen was very high and almost all of the injected hydrocarbons were biodegraded before reaching the saturated zone. However, the horizontal displacement of the plume showed that knowledge about sedimentary structures in the unsaturated zone is important for a sufficient monitoring of contaminant transport and for remediation purposes. Carbon dioxide and O2 were measured in situ simultaneously with extraction of water samples, and indicated aerobic biodegradation of toluene and o-xylene. Overall, first-order degradation coefficients were calculated to be in the range of 0.19 to 0.21 d(-1) and 0.10 to 0.11 d(-1) for toluene and o-xylene, respectively.     

Investigation of appropriate initial composition and aeration method for co-composting of yard waste and market wastes

The purpose of this research was to shorten the composting period by speeding up the composting process and to obtain good quality compost that can be used in agriculture. In order to accomplish the acceleration of the process, different mixtures of feedstock were loaded to the composting containers to observe the effect of initial composition on the quality of the compost and the rate of composting. The first feedstock prepared was composed of grass, leaves and market waste whereas the second feedstock composed only of leaves and market wastes. Composting process was accomplished by applying different composting methods such as composting without manual stirring, with manual stirring, with aeration by air, with aeration by oxygen, with manual stirring and aeration by air and finally by with manual stirring and aeration by oxygen to achieve the purpose of the research. Aeration was found as a primary requirement for the acceleration of composting because it was observed that when the aeration was not applied the conversion of nutrients was very low. The high conversion efficiency of the nutrients in the feedstock with market and yard wastes-without grass-resulted in higher quality end product. The organic content of the composted yard and market wastes were monitored and the best operational parameters and methods were identified. Parameters such as temperature, moisture, pH and end-product metal contents were also monitored in the study. and the experiments were run in duplicates. Corrected C/N, (C/N)t/(C/N)initial, were used in the calculations which provided objectivity in comparison of the compost quality with respect to nutritional components. The C/N change was found to be higher in the container that was manually stirred and aerated with oxygen but with regard to the economic feasibility of the system aeration with air was preferred. Compost quality that was achieved in the study was compared to the standards of different countries with respect to the amount of metal contents in the end-product. The applicability of the end-product in agriculture depends on the level of contaminants in the compost, especially metals that have to be present only in trace amounts.     

Sorption of polycyclic aromatic compounds to humic and fulvic acid HPLC column materials

Two different humic acids (HA) and a fulvic acid (FA) were chemically immobilized to a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) silica column material. The immobilization was performed by binding amino groups in HA/FA to the free aldehyde group in glutardialdehyde attached to the silica gel. The HPLC column materials were compared with a blank column material made by applying the same procedure but without immobilizing HA or FA. Also, a column was made by binding carbonyl groups in HA to amino groups attached to the silica gel. The humic substances were selected to secure appropriate variation of their structural features. The retention factors of 45 polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) to the four columns were determined by HPLC. The advantage of the technique is a large number of compounds can easily be studied. The binding procedure does not appear to cause a drastic selection between the HA molecules. The k' values obtained for the two Aldrich HA columns agree in general reasonably. The retention or sorption of the compounds increased with the size of the PAC and the number of lipophilic substituents, but decreased when polar substituents were present. The PAC retention was much stronger to the two HA columns than to the FA and blank column, both for hydrophobic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and the polar PAC. Other factors impacting the PAC binding may be specific interactions with HA and the ionic strength of the aqueous phase. The technique has been applied to do direct determinations of Koc.     

The influence on partial order ranking from input parameter uncertainty. Definition of a robustness parameter

The method of partial order ranking has been used within the environmental area for a variety of purposes as an attractive way of handling complex information. However, the environmental data are often associated with a significant degree of uncertainty. In this investigation the general nature of the influence from data uncertainty on the partial order ranking is analyzed. A Monte Carlo type analysis is performed in which a series of randomly formed data are used to test the influence of data uncertainty. The partial order ranking is interpreted, where the results are transferred to a one-dimensional ranking scale taking into account that not all elements are ranked with the same certainty. A simple general robustness parameter (E) in form of the expected number of comparisons for each ranking element is defined and correlated to the uncertainty analysis results. A simple equation relates E to the number of elements and the number of parameters, respectively. The magnitude of the ranking uncertainty is shown to increase rapidly when the E value decreases below 4-5 comparisons per element. When the E value exceeds 5 the ranking uncertainty becomes nearly constant and independent on the actual E value.     

Democracy at its Best? The Consensus Conference in a Cross-national Perspective

Over recent decades, public participation in technology assessment has spread internationally as an attempt to overcome or prevent societal conflicts over controversial technologies. One outcome of this new surge in public consultation initiatives has been the increased use of participatory consensus conferences in a number of countries. Existing evaluations of consensus conferences tend to focus on the modes of organization, as well as the outcomes, both procedural and substantial, of the conferences they examine. Such evaluations seem to rest on the assumption that this type of procedure has universally agreed goals and meanings, and that therefore consensus conferences can readily be interpreted and applied across national boundaries. This article challenges this approach to consensus conferences. The core of the article is a study of national differences in ideas about what constitutes legitimate goals for participatory arrangements. The study looks at three consensus conferences on GMOs, which took place in France, Norway, and Denmark. Drawing on this study, the article discusses the ways in which interpretations of the concept of participation; the value attributed to lay knowledge vs. technical expertise; as well as ideas about the role of the layperson, are all questions that prompt entirely different answers from country to country. Further, the article analyses these national differences within a theoretical framework of notions of democratic legitimacy.     

Levels and risk assessment of chemical contaminants in byproducts for animal feed in Denmark

With aim to provide information on chemical contaminants in byproducts in animal feed, the data from an official control by the Danish Plant Directorate during 1998–2009, were reviewed and several samples of citrus pulp and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) were additionally collected for analysis and risk assessment. The levels of contaminants in the samples from the official control were below maximum limits from EU regulations with only a few exceptions in the following groups; dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in fish-containing byproducts and dioxins in vegetable and animal fat, hydrogen cyanide in linseed, and cadmium in sunflowers. The levels of pesticides and mycotoxins in the additionally collected samples were below maximum limits. Enniatin B (ENN B) was present in all DDGS samples. The hypothetical cases of carry-over of contamination from these byproducts were designed assuming total absorption and accumulation of the ingested contaminant in meat and milk and high exposure (a byproduct formed 15–20% of the feed ration depending on the species). The risk assessment was refined based on literature data on metabolism in relevant animal species. Risk assessment of contaminants in byproducts is generally based on a worst-case approach, as data on carry-over of a contaminant are sparse. This may lead to erroneous estimation of health hazards. The presence of ENN B in all samples of DDGS indicates that potential impact of this emerging mycotoxin on feed and food safety deserves attention. A challenge for the future is to fill up gaps in toxicological databases and improve models for carry-over of contaminants.     

On-farm measurement of electrical conductivity for the estimation of ammonium nitrogen concentration in pig slurry

Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) slurry (PS) is commonly applied as fertilizer to agricultural fields. Knowledge of PS nitrogen content is essential for good management, but PS nitrogen content is highly variable, not only between farms but also within a farm. Laboratory analysis of animal slurries is often expensive and impractical for routine farmer use. Therefore, when slurry is spread on land, its fertilizer value is generally unknown, resulting in the risk of pollution. In this work, two rapid and suitable for field use methods for determining PS ammonium N (NH(4)+-N) concentration (Quantofix and conductimetry) are evaluated. The electrical conductivity of a dilution 1 PS:9 distilled water had better results than Quantofix, did not need reagents, and gave a direct value of NH(4)+-N concentrations (range, 1.0-7.6 kg NH(4)+-N m(-3)). The conductimetry method allows the use of alternative waters with EC <1.9 dS m(-1) for dilution. This method is being introduced to farmers in northeast Spain to improve PS management and has been well received due to its low cost and ease of use.     

Crushed concrete as a phosphate binding material: a potential new management tool

To avoid eutrophication of receiving waters, effective methods to remove P in urban and agricultural runoff are needed. Crushed concrete may be an effective filter material to remove dissolved and particulate P. Five types of crushed concrete were tested in the laboratory to evaluate the retention capacity of dissolved P. All types removed P very effectively (5.1-19.6 g P kg(-1) concrete), while the possible release of bound P varied between 0.4 and 4.6%. The retention rate was positively related to a decreasing concrete grain size due to an increasing surface area for binding. The P retention was also related to a marked increase in pH (up to pH 12), and the highest retention was observed when pH was high. Under these circumstances, column experiments showed outlet P concentrations <0.0075 mg P L(-1). Furthermore, experiments revealed that release of heavy metals is of no importance for the treated water. We demonstrate that crushed concrete can be an effective tool to remove P in urban and agricultural runoff as filter material in sedimentation/infiltration ponds provided that pH in the treated water is neutralized or the water is diluted before outlet to avoid undesired effects caused by the high pH.     

The value of the environment – Is it a matter of approach?

This paper discusses why estimates of the benefits of reduced air pollution differ in accordance with the approach used. Estimates based on bottom-up studies of the damage costs related to air pollution usually turn out much lower than estimates based on assessments of the utility of reduced air pollution, obtained for instance by willingness to pay assessments. This is usually explained by the fact that the willingness to pay approach includes the utility aspect of non-market values, and for this reason, it is often preferred to the damage cost approach. This is, however, not the whole story. The paper shows why alternative approaches should not be considered as being in conflict, but rather as means to get supplementary information necessary to put a value on environmental quality. Information from bottom-up assessments of damage costs and from studies of the willingness to pay is used in a macroeconomic model to carry out an evaluation of the social costs of energy saving measures in Hungary.