A performance-based system for the long-term management of municipal waste landfills

Landfills have been the dominant alternative for disposal of solid waste and there are tens of thousands of closed landfills throughout the world that require a long-term management strategy. In contrast to approaches based on time or target values, this paper describes a performance-based methodology for evaluation of post-closure care (PCC). Using the methodology, critical components of PCC at a landfill, including leachate and gas management, groundwater monitoring and cover integrity, are considered to determine whether a landfill meets defined conditions for functional stability and can transition from regulated PCC to a post-regulatory custodial care program representing de minimus care activities only. The methodology is predicated on understanding the biological, chemical, and physical behavior of a landfill and the presence of sufficient data to verify expected trends in landfill behavior. If an evaluation suggests that a change can be made to PCC, the landfill owner must perform confirmation monitoring and then surveillance monitoring at a decreasing frequency to verify that the change is protective of human health and the environment. A hypothetical case study showed that using the methodology to evaluate site-specific PCC requirements could result in increased environmental protection at comparable cost by spending available funds where they are most needed.     

Historical decline in coral reef growth after the Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is near its vessel size and tonnage handling capacity, and Panamanians have decided to expand it. The expansion of the Canal may consider the historical long-lasting impacts on marine coastal habitats particularly on sensitive coral reefs. These potential impacts were discussed during the national referendum as were other equally important issues, such as its effects on forests, watersheds, and water supply. Coral growth rates provide a direct measure of coral fitness and past environmental conditions comparable to analyses of tree rings. We examined stable isotopes, metal geochemical tracers, and growth rates on a century-long (1880-1989) chronology based on 77 cores of the dominant reef-building coral Siderastrea siderea collected near the Caribbean entrance to the canal. Our results showed a gradual decline in coral growth unrelated to changes in sea surface temperature but linked to runoff and sedimentation to coastal areas resulting from the construction and operation of the Panama Canal.     

Providing the numerical context for British casualty reduction targets

The first national target for reducing road accident casualties in Great Britain was set in 1987, the target year being 2000. As the year 2000 approached, preparations were made for setting a subsequent target, the target year being 2010. A major part of the preparation consisted of forecasting the number of casualties that might be expected in 2010, conditional upon predictions about how the volume of road travel by the various transport modes might change and the type of new road safety measures that the Government might introduce. The forecasts provided the numerical context for the casualty reduction target that the Government announced in March 2000.This paper summarises the statistical analyses of accident data from 1983 to 1998 upon which the forecasts were based, and compares the approach with alternatives that have been adopted elsewhere. It also describes how progress towards the target has been monitored annually, allowing the Government to judge whether additional efforts might be needed to achieve the target. This examination of the actual data from 1999 to 2007 shows how far the original forecasts have proved to be successful.The improvement of car secondary safety over the past 15 years has probably been the development that has had the most significant effect on the national casualty total. A statistical model is used to quantify this effect by analysis of accident data, and the results of the most recent analyses are included.     

Manipulation of dietary protein and nonstarch polysaccharide to control swine manure emissions

Odor and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from stored pig (Sus scrofa) manure were monitored for response to changes in the crude protein level (168 or 139 g kg(-1), as-fed basis) and nonstarch polysaccharide (NSP) content [i.e., control, or modified with beet pulp (Beta vulgaris L.), cornstarch, or xylanase] of diets fed to pigs in a production setting. Each diet was fed to one of eight pens of pigs according to a 2 x 4, full-factorial design, replicated over three time blocks with different groups of animals and random assignment of diets. Manure from each treatment was characterized and stored in a separate, ventilated, 200-L vessel. Repeated measurements of odor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from the vessels were taken every two weeks for eight weeks. Manure from high-protein diets had higher sulfur concentration and pH (P < or = 0.05). High-NSP (beet pulp) diets resulted in lower manure nitrogen and ammonia concentrations and pH (P < or = 0.05). Odor level and hedonic tone of exhaust air from the storage vessel headspaces were unaffected by the dietary treatments. Mean CO2 and CH4 emissions (1400 and 42 g d(-1) m(-3) manure, respectively) increased with lower dietary protein (P < or = 0.05). The addition of xylanase to high-protein diets caused a decrease in manure CO2 emissions, but an increase when added to low-protein diets (P < or = 0.05). Nitrous oxide emissions were negligible. Contrary to other studies, these results do not support the use of dietary protein reduction to reduce emissions from stored swine manure.     

“Bicellar” Lipid Mixtures as used in Biochemical and Biophysical Studies

Over the past decade “bicellar” lipid mixtures composed of the long-chain dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and the short-chain dihexanoyl PC (DHPC) molecules have emerged as a powerful medium for studying membrane associated, biologically relevant macromolecules and assemblies. Depending on temperature, lipid concentration and composition these lipid mixtures can assume a variety of morphologies, some of them alignable in the presence of a magnetic field. This article will examine the biophysical studies that have elucidated the various morphologies assumed by these lipid mixtures, and their use in the biochemical studies of biomolecules.

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Foraging behavior and echolocation of wild horseshoe bats Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and R. hipposideros (Chiroptera,Rhinolophidae)

Summary 1. Echolocation and foraging behavior of the horseshoe bats Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and R. hipposideros feeding under natural conditions are described. 2. The calls of both species consisted predominantly of a long CF segment, often initiated and terminated by brief FM sweeps of substantial bandwidth. 3. R. hipposideros typically flew close to vegetation, and fed by aerial hawking, gleaning and by pouncing on prey close to the ground. R. hipposideros called with a CF segment close to 112 kHz which is the second harmonic of the vocalization; its calls included low intensity primary harmonics, and had prominent initial and terminal FM sweeps of considerable bandwidth. When searching for prey on the wing it had longer interpulse intervals than R. ferrumequinum, but emitted shorter pulses at a higher repetition rate; overall it had a similar duty cycle to R. ferrumequinum. 4. R. ferrumequinum, calling with a CF segment close to 83 kHz, also used harmonics other than the dominant secondary in its calls, and modified its echolocation according to ecological conditions. This species showed certain parallels with R. rouxi of Asia. It was observed feeding by aerial hawking and by flycatching. When scanning for prey from a perch (perch hunting), calls were of shorter duration, and interpulse intervals were on average longer, than when bats were flying. Mean duty cycle was longer in flight, and the bandwidths and frequency sweep rates of the FM segments in the calls increased in comparison with perched bats. 5. FM information may facilitate determination of target range and the location and nature of obstacles; it may also be involved in the interpretation of echoes and the detection of moving targets among clutter. The rising FM sweep initiating the call in both species when flying (and to a lesser extent perch hunting) in the wild must have a significant adaptive role, and should be considered an essential component of the call; rhinolophids should be termed FM/CF/FM bats.Abbreviations CF constant frequency - FM frequency modulated - FM₁ initial rising frequency sweep - FM₂ terminal falling frequency sweep - PRR pulse repetition rate - SD standard deviation - SNR signal-to-noise ratio     

Phosphorus speciation in manure-amended alkaline soils

Two common manure storage practices are stockpiles and lagoons. The manure from stockpiles is applied to soils in solid form, while lagoon manure is applied as a liquid. Soil amendment with manure in any form introduces a significant amount of phosphorus (P) that exists in both organic and inorganic forms. However, little is known about P speciation in manure stored under different conditions, or the subsequent forms when applied to soils. We used solution (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and conventional P fractionation and speciation methods to investigate P forms in dairy manure and liquid lagoon manure, and to study how long-term amendment with these manures influenced surface and subsurface soil P speciation. Our results show that the P forms in solid and lagoon manure are similar. About 30% of the total P was organic, mostly as orthophosphate monoesters. On a dry weight basis, total P was much higher in the solid manure. In the manure-amended soils the total P concentrations of the surface soils were similar, regardless of manure type. Total P in the subsurface soil was greater in the lagoon-manure-amended soil than the solid-manure-amended subsurface soil. However, the fraction of organic P was greater in the subsurface of the solid-manure-amended soil. The NMR results indicate that the majority of organic P in the soils is phytic acid, which is enriched in the surface soils compared with the subsurface soils. These results provide insight into P speciation and dynamics in manure-amended soils that will further increase our understanding on how best to manage manure disposal on soils.     

Cofoundress relatedness and group productivity in colonies of social <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dunatothrips</Emphasis> (Insecta: Thysanoptera) on Australian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia</Emphasis>

Facultative joint colony founding by social insects provides opportunities to analyze the roles of genetic and ecological factors in the evolution of cooperation. Although cooperative nesting is observed in range of social insect taxa, the most detailed studies of this behavior have been conducted with Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps). Here, we show that foundress associations in the haplodiploid social thrips Dunatothrips aneurae (Insecta: Thysanoptera) are most often comprised of close relatives (sisters), though groups with unrelated foundresses are also found. Associations among relatives appear to be facilitated by limited female dispersal, which results in viscous population structure. In addition, we found that per capita productivity declined with increasing group size, sex ratios were female-biased, and some female offspring apparently remained in their natal domicile for some time following eclosion. D. aneurae thus exhibits a suite of similarities with eusocial Hymenoptera, providing evidence for the convergent evolution of associated social and life-history traits in Hymenoptera and Thysanoptera.     

Facilitating climate‐change‐induced range shifts across continental land‐use barriers

Climate changes impose requirements for many species to shift their ranges to remain within environmentally tolerable areas, but near‐continuous regions of intense human land use stretching across continental extents diminish dispersal prospects for many species. We reviewed the impact of habitat loss and fragmentation on species’ abilities to track changing climates and existing plans to facilitate species dispersal in response to climate change through regions of intensive land uses, drawing on examples from North America and elsewhere. We identified an emerging analytical framework that accounts for variation in species' dispersal capacities relative to both the pace of climate change and habitat availability. Habitat loss and fragmentation hinder climate change tracking, particularly for specialists, by impeding both propagule dispersal and population growth. This framework can be used to identify prospective modern‐era climatic refugia, where the pace of climate change has been slower than surrounding areas, that are defined relative to individual species' needs. The framework also underscores the importance of identifying and managing dispersal pathways or corridors through semi‐continental land use barriers that can benefit many species simultaneously. These emerging strategies to facilitate range shifts must account for uncertainties around population adaptation to local environmental conditions. Accounting for uncertainties in climate change and dispersal capabilities among species and expanding biological monitoring programs within an adaptive management paradigm are vital strategies that will improve species' capacities to track rapidly shifting climatic conditions across landscapes dominated by intensive human land use.     

Global patterns and trends in human–wildlife conflict compensation

Human–wildlife conflict is a major conservation challenge, and compensation for wildlife damage is a widely used economic tool to mitigate this conflict. The effectiveness of this management tool is widely debated. The relative importance of factors associated with compensation success is unclear, and little is known about global geographic or taxonomic differences in the application of compensation programs. We reviewed research on wildlife‐damage compensation to determine geographic and taxonomic gaps, analyze patterns of positive and negative comments related to compensation, and assess the relative magnitude of global compensation payments. We analyzed 288 publications referencing wildlife compensation and identified 138 unique compensation programs. These publications reported US$222 million (adjusted for inflation) spent on compensation in 50 countries since 1980. Europeans published the most articles, and compensation funding was highest in Europe, where depredation by wolves and bears was the most frequently compensated damage. Authors of the publications we reviewed made twice as many negative comments as positive comments about compensation. Three‐quarters of the negative comments related to program administration. Conversely, three‐quarters of the positive comments related to program outcomes. The 3 most common suggestions to improve compensation programs included requiring claimants to employ damage‐prevention practices, such as improving livestock husbandry or fencing of crops to receive compensation (n = 25, 15%); modifying ex post compensation schemes to some form of outcome‐based performance payment (n = 21, 12%); and altering programs to make compensation payments more quickly (n = 14, 8%). We suggest that further understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of compensation as a conflict‐mitigation tool will require more systematic evaluation of the factors driving these opinions and that differentiating process and outcomes and understanding linkages between them will result in more fruitful analyses and ultimately more effective conflict mitigation.