Comparative study of the urban quality of life in Cuban first-level cities from an objective dimension

The urban quality of life (UQoL) from objective dimension was analyzed in the main Cuban cities. An Urban Quality of Life Index (UQoLI) was developed in collaboration with 60 experts (five in each city). These experts belong to one of two categories: in charge of the planning of the city and members of the Municipal Council of Administration. One hundred and forty-two directors of the Local District Administration also participated in the analysis. The UQoLI includes three dimensions: social services, economic performance, and urban services, the importance of which is weighed according to expert criteria. A Ranking of the studied cities, sorted by the UQoLI, shows a tendency of increase it UQoL in the west even and central regions. This tendency contradicts one of the foundations of the Cuban sustainable development framework, i.e., equity.     

The effect of insecticides on the non-target predatory mite Kampimodromus aberrans: Laboratory studies

The side-effects of pesticides on predatory mites have been investigated at various levels and international teams (e.g., the IOBC/wprs Working Group “Pesticides and beneficial organisms”) have selected a few species of predatory mites occurring in Central and Northern Europe as representative for such studies. Key biocontrol species occurring in Southern Europe have received much less attention. Kampimodromus aberrans is the most important predator of herbivorous mites in South-European vineyards treated with selective pesticides. The impact of pesticides on K. aberrans populations has been studied in field conditions whereas few toxicological tests have been conducted in the laboratory because of difficulties in rearing this species. A method for rearing K. aberrans in the laboratory has recently been set up allowing toxicological studies to be conducted. In this paper, a toxicological method to assess the effects of pesticides on K. aberrans is described and the effects of insecticides frequently used in European vineyards on two K. aberrans strains are reported. These strains were collected from vineyards treated with organophosphates. Insecticides characterized by different modes of action were selected for trials. Among these, etofenprox and spinosad were classified as harmful to predatory mites. Chlorpyrifos reduced predatory mite fecundity, and was classified as moderately harmful for both strains. The toxicity of thiamethoxam and flufenoxuron varied with the strain (low to moderate). Indoxacarb and methoxyfenozide appeared to be harmless or slightly harmful. Implications of this study for adopting IPM tactics with a reduced risk for K. aberrans are discussed.     

From mixed to separate collection of solid waste: Benefits for the town of Zavidovići (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

In Bosnia and Herzegovina only 50% of the municipalities have a well-organized service for (mixed) waste collection and disposal. Illegal dumping is very common, in particular in rural areas, which are not regularly served by any service of collection. This situation leads to serious risks for public health and has dangerous environmental impacts. In Zavidovi?i the municipality is trying to meet high standards in the delivery of services of waste collection, but is constrained by scarce financial and technical resources. Different scenarios for the implementation of a system of separate collection in Zavidovi?i were elaborated in order to provide a useful tool for decision making by comparing costs and environmental & economic benefits of each scenario. Six scenarios were considered, based on different recovery rates for plastic, paper & cardboard, and metals. Benefits resulting from the implementation of each of the proposed scenarios are compared in terms of savings of landfill volume and costs. The study concludes that the adoption of a system of separate collection could generate positive impacts on all the stakeholders involved in the solid waste management sector in Zavidovi?i and could contribute to the compliance of European standards in many Central and Eastern European countries as established by a number of national environmental protection strategies.     

Study of the reuse of treated wastewater on waste container washing vehicles

The wheelie bins for the collection of municipal solid waste (MSW) shall be periodically washed. This operation is usually carried out by specific vehicles which consume about 5000 L of water per day. Wastewater derived from bins washing is usually stored on the same vehicle and then discharged and treated in a municipal WWTP. This paper presents a study performed to evaluate the reuse of the wastewater collected from bins washing after it has been treated in a small plant mounted on the vehicle; the advantage of such a system would be the reduction of both vehicle dimension and water consumption. The main results obtained by coagulation–flocculation tests performed on two wastewater samples are presented. The addition of 2 mL/L of an aqueous solution of aluminum polychloride (18% w/w), about 35 mL/L of an aqueous solution of CaO (4% w/w) and 25 mL/L of an aqueous solution of an anionic polyelectrolyte (1‰ w/w) can significantly reduce turbidity and COD in treated water (to about 99% and 42%, respectively); the concomitant increase of UV transmittance at 254 nm (up to 15%) enables UV disinfection application by a series of two ordinary UV lamps. Much higher UV transmittance values (even higher than 80%) can be obtained by dosing powdered activated carbon, which also results in a greater removal of COD.     

Climate hotspots: key vulnerable regions,climate change and limits to warming

This paper reviews scientific and gray literature addressing climate change vulnerability and adaptation in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) in the western Canadian Arctic. The review is structured using a vulnerability framework, and 420 documents related directly or indirectly to climate change are analyzed to provide insights on the current state of knowledge on climate change vulnerability in the ISR as a basis for supporting future research and long-term adaptation planning in the region. The literature documents evidence of climate change in the ISR which is compromising food security and health status, limiting transportation access and travel routes to hunting grounds, and damaging municipal infrastructure. Adaptations are being employed to manage changing conditions; however, many of the adaptations being undertaken are short term, ad-hoc, and reactive in nature. Limited long-term strategic planning for climate change is being undertaken. Current climate change risks are expected to continue in the future with further implications for communities but less is known about the adaptive capacity of communities. This review identifies the importance of targeted vulnerability research that works closely with community members and decision makers to understand the interactions between current and projected climate change and the factors which condition vulnerability and influence adaptation. Research gaps are identified, and recommendations for advancing adaptation planning are outlined.     

Elevated cadmium concentrations in potato tubers due to irrigation with river water contaminated by mining in Potosí, Bolivia

Risk of cadmium (Cd) in the human food chain in Cd-contaminated areas is often limited by phytotoxicity from zinc (Zn) that is associated with the Cd contamination. A semiarid area, 60 km downstream of a tin mine in Bolivia, was surveyed where irrigation with Cd-contaminated river water (65-240 microg Cd L(-1)) has increased median soil Cd to 20 mg kg(-1) while median soil Zn was only about 260 mg kg(-1). Cadmium concentrations in potato tubers increased from background values (0.05 mg kg(-1) dry wt.) in soils irrigated with spring water to a median value of 1.2 mg kg(-1) dry wt. in the affected area. Median concentration of Cd in soil solutions was 27 microg L(-1) and exceeded the corresponding value of Zn almost twofold. Soil-extractable chloride ranged from 40 to 1600 mg Cl(-) kg(-1) and was positively correlated with soil total Cd. Increasing soil solution Cl(-) decreased the solid-liquid distribution coefficient of Cd in soil. Soil total Cd explained 64% of the variation of tuber Cd concentration while only 3% of the variation was explained by soil extractable Cl(-) (n = 49). The estimated dietary Cd intake from potato consumption by the local population is about 100 microg d(-1) which exceeds the WHO recommended total daily intake. It is concluded that the food chain risk of Cd in the irrigation water of the semiarid area is aggravated by the association with Cl(-) and, potentially, by the relatively large Cd/Zn ratio.     

Inverse correlation between mitochondrial size and metabolic competence: a quantitative cytochemical study of cytochrome oxidase activity

Mitochondria are topologically closed bilayered systems where the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and inorganic phosphate occurs via oxidative phosphorylation. The ordered architecture (and its extension) of the mitochondria (i.e. inner membrane, outer membrane and cristae) constitutes a critical topographic arrangement for their energy-providing mechanisms. Thus, quantitative estimations of the ultrastructural features of organelles preferentially stained by means of function-related cytochemical reactions reliably report on their potential to supply adequate amounts of ATP. On the basis of this rationale, we carried out a computer-assisted cytochemical study of cytochrome oxidase (COX) activity on mitochondria of different size in the cerebellar cortex of adult rats. The total intra-mitochondrial area of the cytochemical precipitates (CPA)/mitochondrion, the area (MA) and the longer diameter (F_max) of COX-positive organelles were measured. The ratio (R): CPA/MA was also calculated and referred to as the percentage of mitochondrial inner membrane area involved in COX activity. The regression analysis of R vs MA showed a significant inverse correlation (r=т.905). The fourfold increase in MA from quartiles I to IV was matched by increases in F_max and CPA, respectively, but it was also related to a 25% decrease in R. By matching quantitative cytochemical estimations of COX activity within mitochondria with the morphometric assessment of their ultrastructural features, the present study correlates size to the metabolic competence of COX-positive organelles. Quantitative cytochemistry of COX activity is currently regarded as a reliable marker of cellular metabolism; thus our findings support the hypothesis that enlargements in size are inversely correlated with the mitochondrial metabolic competence.     

Courting virtual rivals increase ejaculate size in sticklebacks (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gasterosteus aculeatus</Emphasis>)

Sperm competition occurs when sperm of two or more males compete to fertilize a given set of eggs. Game-theory models of sperm competition predict that males, which face an increased risk of sperm competition, will invest more sperm in a mating. In the pair-spawning three-spined stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus), males attempt to steal fertilizations (i.e. to sneak) when they are in the courting phase, but not when they are parental. The behaviour of neighbouring males may therefore indicate the risk of sperm competition. We visually confronted males before spawning with computer animations of the same virtual stickleback showing two different behaviours: either courting (high risk of sperm competition) or brood-caring (low risk of sperm competition). We show that males invest significantly more sperm (absolutely and relatively with respect to available sperm in the testes) after the courting stimulus. The relative investment ratio between the courting and the brood-caring treatment was on average 1.75. Three-spined sticklebacks thus seem to assess the risk of sperm competition by the behaviour of neighbours and to adjust their ejaculate accordingly. This result suggests that the evolutionary force of sperm competition has led to precise mechanisms of future risk assessment.