No relationship found between mercury and lead concentrations in muscle and scales of chub Squalius cephalus L.

We examined the relationship between muscle and scale mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) concentrations in chub Squalius cephalus L. from six riverine sites in the Czech Republic in order to determine whether scale analysis alone could provide a nonlethal and convenient method for prediction of heavy metal concentration in muscle tissue. Our results confirm tissue-specific heavy metal accumulation in chub, with Hg tending to accumulate primarily in muscle tissue and Pb in scales. We found no significant relationship, however, for concentrations of either Pb or Hg between muscle tissue and scales of chub. Our results indicate that scales cannot be used for predicting heavy metal contamination in muscle of chub and we recommend, therefore, that muscle biopsy methods continue as the preferred method of analysis.     

Life Cycle Assessment of fossil energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in Chinese pear production

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed to analyze environmental consequences of different pear production chains in terms of fossil energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in China. The assessment identified hotspots that contributed significantly to the environmental impacts of pear production from the cradle to the point of sale. The results showed that GHG emissions and fossil energy use varied in the different production chains because the environmental performance does not associate with the farming systems (i.e. organic vs. conventional), but is co-determined by farm topography and thus machinery use, by market demands to seasonality of products and thus the need for storage, and by local farming practices including manure management. The LCA could be used as a tool to guide selections of agricultural inputs with the aim of reducing environmental impacts. The results of the LCA analysis indicate that a list of choices are available to reduce energy use and GHG emission in the pear production chain, namely substitution of the traditional storage systems by an efficiently controlled atmosphere storage system, using manure for biogas production, conversion from the conventional farming to organic farming, and reduction of mechanical cultivation.     

The ecohealth system and the community engagement movement in foundations: A case study of mutual benefits from grants funded by the United Nations Foundation

Ecohealth is a process for identifying key environmental determinants causing mortality or morbidity and combating them by mobilizing multiple social sectors. Evolving out of the concept of environmental health, ecohealth provides a framework for long‐term sustainability. The health outcomes anticipated by environmental interventions are part of a long‐term agenda and require fundamental groundwork for the growth of community‐driven development. Building long‐term sustainability requires that two key approaches be developed through ecohealth. The first is the strengthening of local community institutions, whether formal or informal. The second is building financial mechanisms that are more diversified and less reliant on a single donor. As a result, the ecohealth system provides an opportunity for foundations to empower communities, build cross‐cutting cooperation, and gain knowledge through projects. If people's environmental behaviour is to change and be sustained in the long term to produce desired health outcomes, this will require all members of society to be capable of functioning within the existing institutional infrastructure. This means that not only do formal institutions need to become more accessible but also that concepts relating to local informal institutions must be incorporated into ecohealth projects. It is imperative that we identify and understand relevant local institutions and how they can be transformed so that new environmental forms of behaviour can be sustained and result in positive health outcomes. The intersection of environmental and health concerns provides an ideal area in which the gap between government and civil society can be bridged — not only providing solutions to ecohealth concerns, but building government capacity in general and making these positive changes sustainable in the long term. This article is a case study, based on several United Nations Foundation grants. It outlines the significance of traditional community organizations, the breadth of their long‐term relations with communities, their resources, and the adoption of sustained forms of behaviour. In addition, the article highlights the role that international foundations can play in creating innovative financing mechanisms through community‐based foundations.     

Spatial distribution of 3H, 90Sr, 137Cs and (239,240)Pu in surface waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans--GLOMARD database

The data stored in the IAEA's Global Marine Radioactivity Database (GLOMARD) developed in the framework of the IAEA's project "Worldwide Marine Radioactivity Studies (WOMARS)" have been evaluated for Pacific and Indian Ocean surface waters. Four anthropogenic radionuclides-- 3H, 90Sr, 137Cs and (239,240)Pu --have been chosen as the most representative of anthropogenic radioactivity in the marine environment, comprising beta, gamma and alpha-emitters which are the most frequently analysed in the marine environment and which have (with the exception of tritium) the highest potential contribution to radiation doses to humans via seafood consumption. For the purposes of this study, the Pacific and Indian Oceans were divided into latitudinal boxes for which average radionuclide concentrations were estimated for the year 2000. The highest concentrations have been observed in the Japan Sea/East Sea and the North-West Pacific Ocean, the lowest in the Southern Ocean.     

Family and species as determinants modulating mineral composition of selected wild-growing mushroom species

It has been known since the 1970s that differences exist in the profile of element content in wild-growing mushroom species, although knowledge of the role of mushroom species/families as determinants in the accumulation of diverse element remains limited. The aim of this study was to determine the content of 63 mineral elements, divided into six separate groups in the fruit bodies of 17 wild-growing mushroom species. The mushrooms, growing in widely ranging types of soil composition, were collected in Poland in 2018. Lepista nuda and Paralepista gilva contained not only the highest content of essential major (531 and 14,800 mg kg⁻¹, respectively of Ca and P) and trace elements (425 and 66.3 mg kg⁻¹, respectively of Fe and B) but also a high content of trace elements with a detrimental health effect (1.39 and 7.29 mg kg⁻¹, respectively of Tl and Ba). A high content of several elements (Al, B, Ba, Bi, Ca, Er, Fe, Mg, Mo, P, Sc, Ti or V) in L. nuda, Lepista personata, P. gilva and/or Tricholoma equestre fruit bodies belonging to the Tricholomataceae family suggests that such species may be characterised by the most effective accumulation of selected major or trace elements. On the other hand, mushrooms belonging to the Agaricaceae family (Agaricus arvensis, Coprinus comatus and Macrolepiota procera) were characterised by significant differences in the content of all determined elements jointly, which suggests that a higher content of one or several elements is mushroom species-dependent.

Graphical abstract

     

Characterization of the ignition by repetitive streamer discharges using laser diagnostics

Repetitive streamer discharges caused by transients, e.g. due to high frequency overvoltages, can ignite combustible mixtures, which has to be taken into account concerning the safety assessment of electrical apparatus for usage in hazardous areas. Hydrogen/air mixtures were ignited inside a closed vessel using a rod/plane electrode configuration. Alternating voltage with a frequency between 600 and 750 kHz and amplitudes of up to 20 kV was used to produce streamer discharges. The ignition process and the subsequent flame front propagation were examined with respect to mixture composition and several electrical parameters using time-resolved measurements of planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of OH radicals. A multiple pulse laser and detection system was used to assemble four images during one experiment. These measurements have given detailed information about the point of ignition and flame velocities. The experimental results will be used to validate numerical simulations of ignition by streamer discharges, which will yield deep insights into this specific ignition process.     

Determination of the minimum ignition energy on the basis of a statistical approach

Based on existing MIE test results and new measurements, a statistical analysis for the MIE of hydrogen, ethene and propane is made by means of the logistic regression. The conditions necessary to carry out such an approach are discussed. It is shown that MIE values which are connected with a certain ignition probability could be determined adequately and lead to a more sophisticated result, also with regard to measurement uncertainties. This, in turn, leads to a better comparability and a higher informative content. At the same time, the MIEs of hydrogen, ethene and propane are reviewed. In doing so, a useful contribution to the discussion concerning the MIE of propane is made.