Assessing the risk of wind-borne spread of foot-and-mouth disease in Australia

The effect the environment has on the spread of animal disease depends on the particular disease and can vary from being minor to being almost the sole determinant. An assessment of the risk of a particular disease outbreak and its consequences must combine the epidemiology of the disease with the variability of the environment. Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious animal disease that spreads readily by close contact with infected animals and infected product. For such spread, the environment has little consequence. However, occasionally, wind-borne viral particles can spread the disease considerable distances. This paper concentrates on the methods used in a study undertaken to assess the potential for the wind-borne spread of foot-and-mouth disease under Australian conditions. The conditions suitable for the virus to persist as an aerosol, the amount of virus produced during an outbreak, and the dose-response to wind-borne virus were determined by considering the epidemiology of the disease. Environmental components considered included an analysis of weather records and livestock distribution data to identify areas at risk, and the use of a Gaussian plume model to estimate the extent of spread.     

Locations and preferred pathways of possible sources of Arctic aerosol

The chemical composition of particles collected at Alert, Northwest Territories, Canada, show strong, persistent seasonal variations. In a previous study, a 2-way/3-way mixed factor model was performed on the weekly average concentrations of 24 aerosol components measured over the period from 1980 to 1991. The Multilinear Engine (ME), a new mathematical technique, was used to obtain the solution. The two modes of the 2-way model consist of the source composition profiles and mass contributions over the 11 yr, while for the three modes of the 3-way model, source profiles, mass contributions variations over the weeks within a year, and the year-to-year variation over the 11 yr within the measurement period. Five 2-way and two 3-way factors were found to provide a good fit to the data and were easily interpreted. In this investigation, potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis was applied to the source contributions derived from the ME analysis by incorporating meteorological information in the form of 5-d air parcel back trajectories. The potential locations and/or the preferred pathways of these possible sources were then determined by the PSCF analysis.     

Co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and biomass for stabilizing heavy metals and reducing biochar toxicity: A review

The huge amounts of sewage sludge produced by municipal wastewater treatment plants induce major environmental and economical issues, calling for advanced disposal methods. Traditional methods for sewage sludge disposal increase greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. Moreover, biochar created from sewage sludge often cannot be used directly in soil applications due to elevated levels of heavy metals and other toxic compounds, which alter soil biota and earthworms. This has limited the application of sewage sludge-derived biochar as a fertilizer. Here, we review biomass and sewage sludge co-pyrolysis with a focus on the stabilization of heavy metals and toxicity reduction of the sludge-derived biochar. We observed that co-pyrolyzing sewage sludge with biomass materials reduced heavy metal concentrations and decreased the environmental risk of sludge-derived biochar by up to 93%. Biochar produced from sewage sludge and biomass co-pyrolysis could enhance the reproduction stimulation of soil biota by 20‒98%. Heavy metals immobilization and transformation are controlled by the co-feed material mixing ratio, pyrolysis temperature, and pyrolysis atmosphere.

     

Electrochemical measurement of carbon monoxide in breath: Interference by hydrogen

The purpose of this study was to determine the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) in blood (COHb) and breath to demonstrate that breath hydrogen (H₂) can be a significant interferant. For this purpose, we measured blood COHb with CO-oximetry and breath CO with an electrochemical analyzer. In addition, the samples were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC). The concentration of CO in breath, collected with a Priestley tube after a 20 s breath hold, from healthy, nonsmoking adult males (n = 20) and females (n = 10) had a mean ± SD (range) of 2.6 ± 0.4 ppm (2.0–3.9), respectively, when measured by GC. However, these same samples when measured with an electrochemical (EC) analyzer showed elevated CO values of 4.7 ± 2.9 ppm (2.6–17.6). The concentration of H₂, a prominent trace gas in breath known to interfere with EC analyzers, correlated strongly with the observed EC analyzer response [EC (ppm CO) = 0.336 H₂ (ppm) + 1.93, r² = 0.98]. The EC analyzer was linear for H₂ concentrations up to 40 ppm, with a sensitivity of 0.035 V ppm⁻¹. The analyzer sensitivity to CO was 0.10 V ppm ⁻¹. Blood from this population showed COHb concentrations of 0.56 ± 0.11% (0.40–0.97), as measured by GC, but elevated values were found when measured by CO-oximeter (Ciba Corning Diagnostics Corp., Models 2500 and 270), 1.3 ± 0.2% (1.1–1.6) and 1.0 ± 0.3% (0.1–1.6), respectively. When breath CO was compared to blood COHb, only measurements by GC significantly correlated [COHb% = 0.241 CO(ppm) — 0.076, r² = 0.78]. We conclude that, relative to quantitative analysis by GC, (1) EC analyzers are susceptible to H₂ interference that cause falsely elevated CO measurements, and (2) CO-oximeters overestimate COHb concentrations in the range typical for healthy nonsmokers.     

Derivation and numerical solution of the species mass distribution equations for multicomponent particulate systems

Equations that describe the evolution of the species mass distribution of aparticulate system undergoing growth or evaporation, coagulation, deposition and introduction of new particles are derived. The system of equations is solved using a finite difference-finite element technique. Numerical solutions are obtained for cases for which analytical solutions are available. The results indicate that, for simulating multicomponent particulate system dynamics, the method is highly accurate.     

Parasites as conservation tools

Parasite success typically depends on a close relationship with one or more hosts; therefore, attributes of parasitic infection have the potential to provide indirect details of host natural history and are biologically relevant to animal conservation. Characterization of parasite infections has been useful in delineating host populations and has served as a proxy for assessment of environmental quality. In other cases, the utility of parasites is just being explored, for example, as indicators of host connectivity. Innovative studies of parasite biology can provide information to manage major conservation threats by using parasite assemblage, prevalence, or genetic data to provide insights into the host. Overexploitation, habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species, and climate change are major threats to animal conservation, and all of these can be informed by parasites.     

Ecological fluid mechanics: interaction between living organisms and environments

Environmental Fluid Mechanics -     

The virtue of compassion in compassionate conservation

The role of ethics is becoming an increasingly important feature of biodiversity conservation dialogue and practice. Compassionate conservationists argue for a prohibition of, or at least a strong presumption against, the adoption of conservation policies that intentionally harm animals. They assert that to be compassionate is to care about animals and that it is antithetical to caring for animals to intentionally harm them. Compassionate conservationists thus criticize many existing conservation practices and policies. Two things together challenge the philosophical foundation of compassionate conservation. First, compassionate conservationists ground their theory in virtue ethics, yet virtue ethics permits exceptions to moral rules, so there cannot be an in-principle prohibition on adopting intentional harm-inducing policies and practices. But not all compassionate conservationists advocate for a prohibition on intentionally harming animals, only a strong presumption against it. This leads to the second point: compassion can motivate a person to adopt a harm-inducing conservation policy or practice when doing so is the best available option in a situation in which animals will be harmed no matter what policy or practice is adopted. Combining these insights with the empirical observation that conservationists regularly find themselves in tragic situations, we arrive at the conclusion that conservationists may regularly advocate for harm-inducing policies and practices from a position of compassion. Article Impact Statement: Compassionate conservationists should accept that the virtuously compassionate person may adopt harm-causing conservation policies.