Absolute principal component analysis of atmospheric aerosols in Mexico city

A receptor model is presented based on absolute principal component analysis (APCA) of elemental concentrations in atmospheric aerosols from Mexico City during the Summer of 1995. Elemental contents on samples collected with a Stacking Filter Unit of the Davis design was carried out using Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). The sampling device allowed the separation of particles with mean aerodynamic diameters ranging from 2.5 μm to 15 μm (coarse fraction) and smaller than 2.5 μm (fine fraction). Sampling was divided into morning, afternoon and night periods, with higher concentrations being found during the morning. Seasonal variation is observed when comparisons with other studies are carried out. The application of APCA allowed identification of four sources for each fraction, with a soil-derived dust predominance in the coarse one. The influence of meteorological parameters is studied using cluster analysis, showing that during the morning there is a transport of pollutants from the west towards the sampling site, while the night transport corresponds to soil-derived dust from the north.     

A Proposed Methodology to Assess the Quality of Public Use Management in Protected Areas

In recent years, the goal of nature preservation has faced, almost worldwide, an increase in the number of visitors who are interested in experiencing protected areas resources, landscapes and stories. Spain is a good example of this process. The rapidly increasing numbers of visitors have prompted administrations and managers to offer and develop a broad network of facilities and programs in order to provide these visitors with information, knowledge and recreation. But, are we doing it the best way? This research focuses on developing and applying a new instrument for evaluating the quality of visitor management in parks. Different areas are analyzed with this instrument (78 semi-quantitative indicators): planning and management capacity (planning, funding, human resources), monitoring, reception, information, interpretation, environmental education, training, participation and volunteer's programs. Thus, we attempt to gain a general impression of the development of the existing management model, detecting strengths and weaknesses. Although Spain's National Parks constituted the specific context within which to develop the evaluation instrument, the design thereof is intended to provide a valid, robust and flexible method for application to any system, network or set of protected areas in other countries. This paper presents the instrument developed, some results obtained following its application to Spanish National parks, along with a discussion on the limits and validity thereof.     

Environmental impacts associated with manufacturing of solar and wind power alternative energy systems

The Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE) is performing Environmental Restoration Program Optimization (E‐RPO) at various United States Air Force (USAF) installations to evaluate existing remediation strategies and recommend actions to advance issues impacting the remediation program. As sustainability practices (including green and sustainable remediation [GSR]) increase at Air Force facilities and throughout the environmental industry, the use of alternative energy‐collection sources (i.e., solar photovoltaics [PV] and wind turbines) is likely to increase dramatically. Although PV and wind power systems exhibit a low environmental footprint during their use, there are potential human health and environmental impacts from the manufacturing and recycling processes. This article presents a summary of available information regarding the environmental impacts associated with life‐cycle assessments that include raw material extraction and refinement, product manufacturing, use, and postuse disposal for PV and wind turbines (i.e., cradle‐to‐grave impacts). © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Environmental pesticide distribution in horticultural and floricultural periurban production units

The environmental pesticide distribution on non-target systems (soil, drift and agricultural plastics) during the application step at small periurban production units, was studied in open field and greenhouses, for different crops (tomato, lettuce, broccoli, strawberry and flowers) using different pesticides (endosulfan, procymidone, chlorothalonil, chlorpyrifos and deltamethrin). In all cases, soil was the most exposed non-target system. For greenhouses, a general pesticide distribution was found of approximately 2/3 for crop, 1/4 for soil and 1/20 for plastic, of the total amount applied. In horticultural open fields, although the distribution was very dependent on the crop size and type, soil was also the most exposed non-target subsystem. Pesticide drift seems not to be significant in these production units, whilst pesticide accumulation on agricultural plastics reached up to 45% of the total applied, for polyethylene mulching in strawberry fields.     

In vitro biological effects of airborne PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ from a semi-desert city on the Mexico-US border

Compelling evidence indicates that exposure to urban airborne particulate matter (PM) affects health. However, how PM components interact with PM-size to cause adverse health effects needs elucidation, especially when considering soil and anthropogenic sources. We studied PM from Mexicali, Mexico, where soil particles contribute importantly to air pollution, expecting to differentiate in vitro effects related to PM-size and composition. PM samples with mean aerodynamic diameters ≤2.5μm (PM(2.5)) and ≤10μm (PM(10)) were collected in Mexicali (October 2005-March 2006) from a semi-urban (expected larger participation of soil sources) and an urban (predominately combustion sources) site. Samples were pooled by site and size, analyzed for elemental composition (particle-induced X-ray emission) and tested in vitro for: induction of human erythrocytes membrane disruption (hemolysis) (colorimetrically); inhibition of cell proliferation (ICP) (crystal violet) and TNFα/IL-6 secretion (ELISA) using J774.A1 murine monocytic cells; and DNA degradation using Balb/c3T3 cell naked DNA (electrophoretically). Results of PM elemental composition principal component analysis were used in associating cellular effects. Sixteen elements identified in PM grouped in two principal components: Component(1) (C(1)): Mg, Al, Si, P, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, and Component(2) (C(2)): Cu, Zn. Hemolysis was predominately induced by semi-urban-PM(10) (p<0.05) and was associated with urban-PM(10)C(1) (r=0.62, p=0.003). Major ICP resulted with semi-urban PM(2.5) (p<0.05). TNFα was mainly induced by urban samples regardless of size (p<0.05) and associated with urban-PM(2.5)C(2) (r=0.48, p=0.02). Both PM(10) samples induced highest DNA degradation (p<0.05), regardless of location. We conclude that PM-size and PM-related soil or anthropogenic elements trigger specific biological-response patterns.     

Intercomparison exercise for gases emitted by a cement industry in Spain: a functional data approach

This paper describes the results of an intercomparison exercise referring to the measurement of atmospheric pollutants emitted by cement plants. The research was conducted in 2008 in Catalonia, Spain. Thirteen Spanish companies accredited to make pollutant measurements and with suitably approved equipment and trained staff participated in the research. The aim of the research was to evaluate the technical competence of the accredited companies in conducting tests in situ. The results obtained from the application of the methodology described in international standards--on the basis of conventional statistical analyses--were compared with those obtained using functional data analysis. On comparing the two methods, it was concluded that the functional method, although more complex, has advantages over the conventional statistical method. This is because the functional approach compares curves rather than mean values. Furthermore, it does not presuppose a normal distribution of the data.     

Social development benefits of hydroelectricity CDM projects in Brazil

In recent years, the concept of sustainable development (SD) has become increasingly recognized and important. Within organizations, SD is often portrayed as a balancing act and requires a combination of three elements to be considered: economy, environment, and society. Traditionally, organizational management research has been focused on economical and environmental fronts. However, social aspects are also important for organizations, especially those in emerging and developing countries. The goal of this article is to investigate the potential of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects to deliver social benefits in Brazil’s hydroelectricity sector. The investigation involved the assessment of 46 registered hydro CDM projects under the Kyoto Protocol in terms of their potential impact on the envisaged social development goals. Two case studies were also examined. Results indicate that organizations managing hydroelectric initiatives in Brazil can provide the pathway toward achieving a number of important social benefits. Successful projects were found to have good community involvement and were managed by both cooperative ventures and money-making corporations. The research also identified several challenges that are hindering hydro CDM projects from delivering more social benefits and enabled a number of recommendations to be extracted for the organizations facing these challenges.     

Functional and morphological alterations induced by uranyl nitrate in rat submandibular gland

Exposure to uranium (U) is an occupational hazard to workers who continually handle it and an environmental risk to the population at large. Adverse effects of U on different tissues, particularly kidneys, have been reported. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether U might produce damage to the rat submandibular gland (SMG). Uranyl nitrate (UN) was used to evaluate the secretory responses to norepinephrine (NE) or to the parasympathomimetic agent, methacholine (MC), along with some morphological and histological parameters. In addition, the presence of U in saliva was determined by atomic absorption spectrometric techniques. Results indicate that intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of a single dose of UN (2 or 4 mg kg^?1) induced a functional decrease in the induced secretory responses in the rat SMG, demonstrating for the first time that U interferes with salivary secretion. Moreover, salivary responses to MC as well as to NE were decreased after UN administration, in time- and dose-dependent manner, displaying a higher diminution after 7 days post injection. In agreement with the functional studies, the injection of UN produced morphological alterations of SMG, consisting in a reduction of mean acinar area and a marked vacuolization. Data indicate that UN produced an adverse effect in a dose- and time-dependent manner on SMG function and morphology. Furthermore, it was shown that U was incorporated in saliva and therefore, these findings may contribute to create a useful, noninvasive method to detect the exposure to U.     

Life cycle assessment for printed newspapers in Northwestern Mexico

This paper aims to present the relevant results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study conducted on printed matter under a sheet-fed offset printing process by a company located in northwestern Mexico. Different scenarios were simulated in order to support decisions related to the improvement of environmental performance along the production processes. The study design was based on the European Platform on Life Cycle Assessment (EPLCA), which is in line with the ISO 14040 and 14044:2006 standards on LCA. The scope of the study was cradle-to-gate, with emphasis on the production of printed matter. The method chosen for the impact assessment was Impact 2002+ with a combined midpoint–damage approach. The results of the study showed that the major contributors to adverse effects were, primarily electricity consumption followed by paper consumption during the printing operation, as well as consumption of ink to a small degree. As for the plate-making operation along with the generation of secondary products, the result was negative. This is essentially due to involvement of recyclable materials, thus contributing to the prevention of raw material extraction. The smallest impact was observed from processes involving cleaning products and LP gas. The main issues of concern stemming from the results are electricity consumption and printing – both activities dominate almost all the midpoint categories. Generation of secondary products also had a relative environmental impact along the supply chain. Cleaning agents and LP gas did not have a significant impact on the final results of the process.     

Bottoms up: great bustards use the sun to maximise signal efficacy

Visual displays are signals that may be selected to increase visibility. Light is a crucial component in the transmission of visual signals, and white colour is very conspicuous when illuminated by sun and exhibited against darker backgrounds. Here we tested the hypothesis that orientation of sexual displays in male great bustard (Otis tarda) depends upon position of the sun, i.e., males direct their uplifted white tails towards the sun in order to maximise signal detectability to distant females. We recorded the orientation of 405 male displays in relation to the sun and to females at seven leks. Great bustard males signalled towards the sun more often than expected by chance in early morning, although this pattern was not obvious at other times of day, when males displayed more towards females. Our hypothesis was further supported by the fact that displays were more directed towards the sun when the sun was most visible. Males were more likely to direct their displays towards females during the most elaborate components of their courtship display and when there were fewer males on the lek. Pointing white plumage to the sun may be a behaviour selected in species living in steppe-like open landscapes if individuals obtain net fitness benefit by increasing the likelihood of mating.