Adoption of post-disaster waste management plan into disaster management guidelines for Malaysia

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Malaysia is one of the Asian countries which are prone to disaster: flooding is one of the natural disasters that are becoming more common in...     

Carbon Emission from the Surface of Coarse Woody Debris in Korean Pine Forests of Southern Primorye

Carbon dioxide fluxes from the surface of coarse woody debris (CWD) have been measured in Korean pine forests of the southern Sikhote-Alin mountain range. The seasonal dynamics of oxidative conversion of CWD carbon have been evaluated, and average values of the CO₂ emission rate have been determined for CWD fragments of three tree species at different stages of decomposition. The degree of decomposition is an important factor of spatial variation in CO₂ emission rate, and temporal variation in this parameter is adequately described by an exponential function of both CWD temperature and air temperature (R² = 0.65–0.75).     

Fly ash from biomass combustion as replacement raw material and its influence on the mortars durability

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Several types of industrial solid waste have been used as byproducts in the construction and materials industries. Some of the applications seem to...     

A Microscopic Study of Paper Decayed by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma harzianum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paecilomyces variotii</Emphasis>

The current study is interested in evaluating the decay of cotton, Whatman and chemical pulp caused by Trichoderma harzianum and Paecilomyces variotii. The structural changes of the paper were evaluated by Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The SEM results show differences in hyphae colonization and paper decay patterns between studied species under the current study; P. variotii caused an eroded structure in the cotton (cavity forming), whereas the initial T. harzianum colonization produced rupture and erosion (soft-rot decay type II) for the three types of paper ,the gaps were elongated with sharp pointed ends, which consisted either of individual cavities or in chains. Moreover, FTIR results confirmed that there a relationship could be observed between fungal decay and crystalline cellulose content because the intensity of peaks at 1335 and 1111 cm^?1 significantly decreased due to the fungal decay. Furthermore, the intensity of O–H stretching absorption slightly decreased, and this may be attributed to hydrolysis of cellulose molecules.     

Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals and <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs in Spruce Forest Soil under Conditions of Regional Pollution

The influence of horizontal structure of spruce forest on the spatial distribution of acid-soluble Zn, Cd, Pb compounds and ¹³⁷Cs in the litter and the humus horizon of soddy podzolic soil has been studied in the territory with the regional background level of industrial fallout. It has been found that the distribution pattern of Zn in the forest litter is a result of biogeochemical processes. The litter in fern–wood sorrel microplots contains increased amounts of Zn and Cd, while the contents of Pb and ¹³⁷Cs are decreased. The distribution patterns of Pb and ¹³⁷Cs in the litter are positively correlated with each other, since both elements are deposited from the atmosphere, and similar mechanisms account for their redistribution in the spruce forest ecosystem.     

Singular Spectrum Analysis of Hydroecological Parameter Dynamics of Lake Naroch’ in the Years 1978–2015

Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) has been used to decompose continuous series of data on certain characteristics of Lake Naroch’ ecosystem during the vegetative seasons of years 1978–2015 into a long-time trend, a periodic component, and a residue not amenable to decomposition. The contribution of each component to changes in this variable has been assessed. The trends accounted for 78–97% of parameter variability, and the periodic components accounted for 2.5–15%. The fluctuations of phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass dynamics were the most diverse, and the contribution of these components was the greatest (15 and 8%, respectively). The periodic components in the changes of all parameters could be divided into four groups according to period duration (17–22, 7–15, 4–7, and less than 4 years). Multidimensional factor analysis of seven biotic parameters was performed in order to identify fluctuations in the ecosystem. Five major factors accounting for 93.6% of ecosystem changes together were identified, and each factor variable was subjected to SSA analysis. The period durations were similar for the oscillatory components identified. The first factor was interpreted as a trophic status of the water body, the second was taken to be the geographical location that defines the amount of solar radiation energy available, the third was taken to be the availability of biogenic elements (phosphorus in particular), and the fourth was interpreted as specific developmental cycles of live components of the ecosystem.     

The Effect of Vaccinium vitis-idaea on Properties of Mountain-Meadow Soil under Alpine Lichen Heath

Russian Journal of Ecology - Abstract—The study of the effect of mycorrhiza symbiosis on the transformation of carbon and nitrogen compounds in soils is important in view of the necessity to...     

PCB exposure and potential future cancer incidence in Slovak children: an assessment from molecular finger printing by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA®) derived from experimental and epidemiological investigations

The risk of cancer due to PCB exposure in humans is highly debated. In eastern Slovakia, high exposure of the population to organochlorines (especially PCBs) was associated with various disease and disorder pathways, viz., endocrine disruption, metabolic disorder & diabetes, and cancer, thereby disturbing several cellular processes, including protein synthesis, stress response, and apoptosis. We have evaluated a Slovak cohort (45-month children, at lower and higher levels of PCB exposure from the environment) for disease and disorder development to develop early disease cancer biomarkers that could shed new light on possible mechanisms for the genesis of cancers under such chemical exposures, and identify potential avenues for prevention.

Microarray studies of global gene expression were conducted from the 45-month-old children on the Affymetrix platform followed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA®) to associate the affected genes with their mechanistic pathways. High-throughput qRT-PCR TaqMan low-density array (TLDA) was performed to further validate the selected genes on the whole blood cells of the most highly exposed children from the study cohort (n = 71).

TP53, MYC, BCL2, and LRP12 differential gene expressions suggested strong relationships between potential future tumor promotion and PCB exposure in Slovak children. The IPA analysis further detected the most important signaling pathways, including molecular mechanism of cancers, prostate cancer signaling, ovarian cancer signaling, P53 signaling, oncostatin M signaling, and their respective functions (viz., prostate cancer, breast cancer, progression of tumor, growth of tumor, and non-Hodgkin’s disease). The results suggest that PCB exposures, even at the early age of these children, may have lifelong consequences for the future development of chronic diseases.

     

Overcoming barriers to sustainability by combining conceptual,visual, and networking systems

Sustainability challenges rarely align with the conventional boundaries of our disciplines, institutions and means of communication. To address these challenges amid real-world complexity, we need to think holistically and collaborate across disciplines. In this paper, we synthesise three themes: (1) more integrated conceptual frameworks; (2) digital visual communication which provides fluid expression of complex ideas and perceptions; and (3) online networks which can empower sustainability initiatives and communicate them across social and institutional barriers at a global scale. Each of these tools can help to overcome persistent barriers to sustainability. When used together, they provide a strategic basis for the design of digital collaboration platforms for addressing sustainability challenges. Using design thinking, we developed a Synergy Map which identifies relationships among a number of barriers to sustainability and conceptual and digital tools which help to address them. The Map identifies the potential for synthesising these tools into effective digital artefacts. We provide several examples and identify characteristics of particular value for overcoming barriers to sustainability. Combining new theoretical developments in sustainability sciences with recent advances in communication and networking technologies offers substantial potential for advancing sustainability on multiple fronts.     

A climate-change vulnerability and adaptation assessment for Brazil's protected areas

Brazil hosts the largest expanse of tropical ecosystems within protected areas (PAs), which shelter biodiversity and support traditional human populations. We assessed the vulnerability to climate change of 993 terrestrial and coastal-marine Brazilian PAs by combining indicators of climatic-change hazard with indicators of PA resilience (size, native vegetation cover, and probability of climate-driven vegetation transition). This combination of indicators allows the identification of broad climate-change adaptation pathways. Seventeen PAs (20,611 km²) were highly vulnerable and located mainly in the Atlantic Forest (7 PAs), Cerrado (6), and the Amazon (4). Two hundred fifty-eight PAs (756,569 km²), located primarily in Amazonia, had a medium vulnerability. In the Amazon and western Cerrado, the projected severe climatic change and probability of climate-driven vegetation transition drove vulnerability up, despite the generally good conservation status of PAs. Over 80% of PAs of high or moderate vulnerability are managed by indigenous populations. Hence, besides the potential risks to biodiversity, the traditional knowledge and livelihoods of the people inhabiting these PAs may be threatened. In at least 870 PAs, primarily in the Atlantic Forest and Amazon, adaptation could happen with little or no intervention due to low climate-change hazard, high resilience status, or both. At least 20 PAs in the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Amazonia should be targeted for stronger interventions (e.g., improvement of ecological connectivity), given their low resilience status. Despite being a first attempt to link vulnerability and adaptation in Brazilian PAs, we suggest that some of the PAs identified as highly or moderately vulnerable should be prioritized for testing potential adaptation strategies in the near future.