A new economic instrument for financing accelerated landfill aftercare

The key aspects of landfill operation that remain unresolved are the extended timescale and uncertain funding of the post-closure period. This paper reviews the topic and proposes an economic instrument to resolve the unsustainable nature of the current situation. Unsustainability arises from the sluggish degradation of organic material and also the slow flushing of potential pollutants that is exacerbated by low-permeability capping. A landfill tax or aftercare provision rebate is proposed as an economic instrument to encourage operators to actively advance the stabilization of landfilled waste. The rebate could be accommodated within existing regulatory and tax regimes and would be paid for: (i) every tonne of nitrogen (or other agreed leachate marker) whose removal is advanced via the accelerated production and extraction of leachate; (ii) every tonne of non-commercially viable carbon removed via landfill gas collection and treatment. The rebates would be set at a level that would make it financially attractive to operators and would encourage measures such as leachate recirculation, in situ aeration, and enhanced flushing. Illustrative calculations suggest that a maximum rebate of up to ～€50/tonne MSW would provide an adequate incentive.     

Surface Air Pollutant Concentration Frequency Distributions: Implications for Urban Modeling

With the development of ambient air quality standards (AAQS), the need arises to describe the characteristics of regional surface air-pollutant concentration frequency distributions. In the evaluation of land use plans, numerous agencies will be concerned with evaluating the effectiveness of emission zoning and/or control actions. On a regional basis, one means of performing this assessment lies in determining the changes in the pollutant frequency distributions resulting from control actions.

This study presents new data concerning the surface air-pollutant concentration frequency distributions observed for area sources and continuous point sources, and compares these distributions with those of the pertinent meteorological variables describing the transport and diffusion of the pollutant. The observed surface air pollutant frequency distributions are compared to those corresponding to simple modeling concepts from either an urban area source or a continuous point source. For an urban source and a relatively inert pollutant like CO, we found that the observed frequency distribution for CO surface air concentration parallels the approximately log-normal frequency distribution of the reciprocal of the wind speed. We show that the constant relating these two well-correlated frequency distributions can be determined either experimentally or with a numerical simulation model of air pollution. The usefulness of numerical models in air pollution is discussed.     

Biodiversity and Conservation of Plants in Brazil

Abstract:  With more than 56,000 species (excluding fungi), Brazil has one of the richest floras in the world—nearly 19% of the world flora. Our knowledge of the diversity and status of nonvascular plants in Brazil is still fragmentary, although localized studies on algae have revealed loss of species resulting from environmental pollution. Emphasis on local floral surveys, rather than wider taxonomic studies, has obscured estimates of national totals for most taxonomic groups. Knowledge of angiosperms, especially monocotyledons (of which 45% of the species are endemic), is more complete than most. For this group figures are more reliable, with some distribution patterns, endemism levels, and centers of diversity identified. Much, however, still awaits discovery. Coordinated efforts to catalog Brazil's flora are in progress and include projects such as the conservation priority-setting workshops of the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, which have identified key conservation areas in the major biomes; development of threatened species lists for plants; and the assembly of type data on species of northeastern Brazil through the Darwin Initiative—all of which greatly assist in increasing our knowledge. These initiatives also underline the urgent need to expand the numbers and geographic spread of projects on plant systematics and taxonomy in Brazil, a measure that demands adequate provision of funding and training programs for plant specialists. Finally, Brazil's environmental agency (IBAMA) could play a proactive role in opening protected areas under its jurisdiction, thereby facilitating botanical research by university departments and research institutes.     

ASSAULT PREVENTION AS SOCIAL CONTROL: WOMEN AND SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION ON URBAN COLLEGE CAMPUSES

Sexual assault on U.S.A. college campuses is increasingly recognized as an urgent and pervasive national problem. To prevent assault, school administrators and individual women promote and adopt safety strategies that often compromise women's free and independent use of the campus environment. Such strategies may fail to correspond to the actual nature of sexual assault on campus. Based on open-ended interviews with college personnel and women students, this study examines sexual assault and personal crime prevention strategies at two midwestern, urban universities. School and individual strategies are characterized according to type, goals, and orientation. Findings explore the relationship of strategies to sexual assault on campus, and implications of strategies for women's use of public space. Conclusions suggest means to increase real safety while enhancing women's freedom and mobility on and near campus.     

Distribution of enzymes of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis in fish tissues

Gluconeogenesis in fishes has been demonstrated in whole animals and liver preparations. However, at present, the relative physiological importance of possible substrates such as lactate, pyruvate and amino-acids or the precise sites of gluconeogenesis are unclear. In mammals, gluconeogenesis takes place in the liver and kidney, and the same could occur in fishes although it has been proposed that fish red muscle is also capable of reconverting lactate (derived from white muscle) to glucose. In this present study, the activities of 3 key glycolytic (hexokinase, phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase) and 2 key gluconeogenic (fructose diphosphatase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase) enzymes were investigated in tissues of the rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri, the cod Gadus morhua, and the plaice Pleuronectes platessa in order to elucidate the relative glycolytic/gluconeogenic capacities of the individual fish tissues. The glycolytic enzymes were found in all tissues, the relative potential being skeletal muscle>heart, brain >kidney, gills>liver. The gluconeogenic enzymes were not present in all tissues, and were mainly concentrated in the liver and kidney. Hence the results indicate that the liver, and to a lesser degree, the kidney are the major sites of gluconeogenesis in fishes, and that the process is unlikely to occur in skeletal muscle.     

Improving the extraction of tetrachloroethylene from soil columns using surfactant gradient systems

In this work, we extend the recently developed gradient approach for surfactant-enhanced remediation of dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL)-impacted sites. The goal of the gradient approach is to maximize the DNAPL solubilization capacity in swollen micelles (Type I aqueous microemulsions) while at the same time minimizing the potential for DNAPL mobilization. In this work, we introduce a modified version of the capillary/trapping curve that we refer to as the gradient curve to help interpret and/or design the gradient approach. The gradient curve presents the residual DNAPL saturation as a function of interfacial tension and microemulsion viscosity. This approach demonstrates that keeping a low viscosity of the microemulsion phase is not only important for keeping a low head loss during surfactant flooding but also to prevent oil mobilization. Eight microemulsion systems were evaluated in this research; these systems were evaluated based on their tetrachloroethylene (PCE) solubilization capacity, interfacial tension (IFT), viscosity, density, and coalescence kinetics. Two of these systems were chosen for evaluation in site-specific column tests using an increasing electrolyte gradient to produce a decreasing IFT/increasing solubilization gradient system. The column studies were conducted with media from Dover Air Force Base in Dover, DE. Both solubilized and mobilized DNAPL were quantified. During the column studies, we observed that substantial PCE was mobilized when the residual level of PCE in the column was significantly higher than the steady-state residual saturation level being approach (as predicted from the gradient curve). Four column studies were performed, three of which were used to asses the validity of the gradient curve in predicting the residual saturation after each gradient step. From these tests we observed that starting IFTs of less than 1 mN/m all produced the same mobilization potential. In the last column, we used an additional gradient step with an initial IFT above 1 mN/m to dramatically reduce the amount of PCE mobilize. Based on the good agreement between column results and projections based on the gradient curve, we propose this as a preferred method for designing gradient surfactant flushing systems.     

Usage,definition, and measurement of coexistence,tolerance and acceptance in wildlife conservation research in Africa

The terms ‘coexistence’, ‘tolerance,’ and ‘acceptance’ appear frequently in conservation literature, but lack consistent characterization, making them difficult to apply across intervention frameworks. This review aims to describe the common characterizations of these three terms using Africa-based research as a case study. Through systematic lexical searches, we identified 392 papers containing one or more of the three terms. We assessed their usage, definition, and measurement (or lack thereof) in wildlife conservation. Coexistence was used in 46% of papers, but was defined in only 2% and measured in 4%. Tolerance and acceptance were used in 63% and 61% of the papers in which they appeared, respectively, defined in 4% and 2%, and measured in 19% and 5%. These results confirm the lack of clear understanding of these concepts and evidence the need for a precise lexicon. This would allow conservationists to cohesively describe their work and increase replicability of research across contexts.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01352-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

In situ uranium stabilization by microbial metabolites

Microbial melanin production by autochthonous bacteria was explored in this study as a means to increase U immobilization in U contaminated soil. This article demonstrates the application of bacterial physiology and soil ecology for enhanced U immobilization in order to develop an in situ, U bio-immobilization technology. We have demonstrated microbial production of a metal chelating biopolymer, pyomelanin, in U contaminated soil from the Tims Branch area of the Department of Energy (DOE), Savannah River Site (SRS), South Carolina, as a result of tyrosine amendments. Bacterial densities of pyomelanin producers were >10(6) cells per g wet soil. Pyomelanin demonstrated U complexing and mineral binding capacities at pH 4 and 7. In laboratory studies, in the presence of goethite or illite, pyomelanin enhanced U sequestration by these minerals. Tyrosine amended soils in a field test demonstrated increased U sequestration capacity following pyomelanin production up to 13 months after tyrosine treatments.     

Coordination in theory,coordination in practice: the case of the Clusters

The atomised nature of the humanitarian system has led to frequent and repeated attempts to coordinate humanitarian activity. Since 2005, some of the best resourced, and arguably most successful, coordination mechanisms have been the humanitarian Clusters, groups of UN (United Nations) and non‐UN actors that engage in sectoral coordination of humanitarian response (such as the provision of healthcare and water) at the global and country level. Nevertheless, it is not clear exactly what ‘coordination’ means in the context of a Cluster. Formal guidance suggests that they should be aiming to create a single, joint strategy to guide the activities of members. Actual experience of the Clusters, however, indicates that looser forms of coordination are more effective. This finding resonates with organisational theory, and with the experience of emergency management professionals beyond the international humanitarian sector. To capitalise fully on the success of the Clusters, policymakers may need to rethink their attitudes to, and expectations of, coordination.