Few moral arguments have been made against vegetarian diets. One exception is the “Logic of the Larder:” We do animals a favor
by purchasing their meat, eggs, and milk, for if we did not purchase these products, fewer animals would exist. This argument
fails because many farm animals have lives that are probably not worth living, while others prevent a significant number of
wild animals from existing. Even if this were not so, the purchase of animal products uses resources that could otherwise
be used to bring a much greater number of animals into existence. 相似文献
Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - A new concept of a reward system by two e-money-incentive systems aimed at improving separation at source toward reducing residual waste generation... 相似文献
The mass food poisoning incident yusho occurred in Japan in 1968. It was caused by the ingestion of rice bran oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls and various dioxins and dioxin-like compounds including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Notably, PCDFs were found to contribute to approximately 65% of the total toxicity equivalent in the blood of yusho patients. Lipophilic dioxins are retained in the body for a longer period than previously estimated. Victims suffered from characteristic skin manifestations associated with non-specific systemic symptoms, neurological symptoms, and respiratory symptoms. The severe symptoms seen in the initial phase subsequently faded, but recently, improvements have scarcely been observed. The Yusho Group has been researching treatments for this condition. Several clinical trials with chelating agents or dietary fibers aimed at accelerating the excretion of compounds. While some treatments increased dioxin excretion, none provided satisfactory symptom relief. Concurrently, various phytochemicals and herbal extracts have been found to possess biological activities that suppress dioxin-induced toxicity via aryl hydrocarbon receptor or activate the antioxidant nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (NRF2) signal pathway, making them promising therapeutic candidates. Here, we summarize the current status of yusho and findings of clinical trials for yusho patients and discuss the treatment prospects.
It is known that aeration reduces rapidly the concentration of organic matter in leachate. However, the oxygen flow rate required to attain a certain reaction rate of organic matter should be carefully estimated. In this study, using the oxygen ratio (the ratio of oxygen flow rate by aeration to oxygen consumption rate of waste layer) as a parameter, the reaction rate of organic matter in leachate from landfilled incineration ash and incombustible waste upon aeration was evaluated. Total organic carbon (TOC) in the leachate was reduced rapidly when the oxygen ratio was high. The decomposition rate exceeded the elution rate of TOC in the leachate from the waste layer for several days when the oxygen ratio was above 102. The results indicate that the oxygen ratio can be used as a parameter for the aeration operation in actual landfill sites, to rapidly stabilize organic matter in leachate. 相似文献
Loss of zooxanthellae (dinoflagellate Symbiodinium) from corals will sometimes lead to mass mortality of corals. To detect and quantify Symbiodinium released from corals, we developed a zooxanthellae “trap” and a quantitative PCR (qPCR) system with Symbiodinium clades A–F-specific primer sets. The trap was attached to a branch or the surface of several wild stony corals, and the water
samples within the traps, including released Symbiodinium, were subjected to qPCR. All tested corals released clade C Symbiodinium at estimates of ~5,900 cells h−1 cm−2 of coral surface. Although all tested Pocillopora eydouxi harboured both clades C and D, some of these colonies released only clade C or released a lesser amount of clade D than that
in the tissues. Our Symbiodinium quantification system revealed that wild hermatypic corals constantly release Symbiodinium to the environment. Our result suggests that some corals may discharge certain clades of Symbiodinium alternatively. 相似文献
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFASs) are ubiquitous in sludge and water from waste water treatment plants, as a result of their incorporation in everyday products and industrial processes. In this study, we measured several classes of persistent PFASs,precursors, transformation intermediates, and newly identified PFASs in influent and effluent sewage water and sludge from three municipal waste water treatment plants in Sweden, sampled in 2015. For sludge, samples from 2012 and 2014 were analyzed as well.Levels of precursors in sludge exceeded those of perfluoroalkyl acids and sulfonic acids(PFCAs and PFSAs), in 2015 the sum of polyfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid esters(PAPs) were 15–20 ng/g dry weight, the sum of fluorotelomer sulfonic acids(FTSAs) was 0.8–1.3 ng/g,and the sum of perfluorooctane sulfonamides and ethanols ranged from non-detected to 3.2 ng/g. Persistent PFSAs and PFCAs were detected at 1.9–3.9 ng/g and 2.4–7.3 ng/g dry weight, respectively. The influence of precursor compounds was further demonstrated by an observed substantial increase for a majority of the persistent PFCAs and PFSAs in water after waste water treatment. Perfluorohexanoic acid(PFHxA), perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid(PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid(PFOS)had a net mass increase in all WWTPs, with mean values of 83%, 28%, 37% and 58%,respectively. The load of precursors and intermediates in influent water and sludge combined with net mass increase support the hypothesis that degradation of precursor compounds is a significant contributor to PFAS contamination in the environment. 相似文献
The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that shellfish can be used to detect enteric viruses in marine waters where they
are present at very low concentrations. Aqua-cultured mussels were placed in the sea just off the mouth of a drainage channel
affected by human and animal faecal contamination. Samples were taken from the channel, the sea and the mussels at intervals
over two 4-week periods. The samples were tested to verify the presence of both rotaviruses and E. coli. Rotaviruses were detected by Real Time-PCR, typed by multiplex PCR and subsequently sequenced. E. coli was enumerated in water matrices by a filtering method and in mussels by the MPN method. The presence of E. coli in the examined matrices demonstrates contamination of faecal origin throughout the studied environments. Rotaviruses were
recorded in channel waters, but not in sea water. In both experiments, rotaviruses were detected in mussels 21 and 28 days
after being placed in the sea water off the channel mouth. The use of mussels thus enabled the detection of rotaviruses in
waters where the high dilution rendered direct investigation impossible. This study indicates that mussels can be used in
marine virological surveillance programs. 相似文献
We assessed the economic suitability of 4 greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation options and one GHG offset option for an improvement
of the GHG balance of a representative Swiss suckler cow farm housing 35 Livestock units and cultivating 25 ha grassland.
GHG emissions per kilogram meat in the economic optimum differ between the production systems and range from 18 to 21.9 kg
CO2-eq./kg meat. Only GHG offset by agroforestry systems showed the potential to significantly reduce these emissions. Depending
on the production system agroforestry systems could reduce net GHG emissions by 66% to 7.3 kg CO2-eq./kg meat in the most intensive system and by 100% in the most extensive system. In this calculation a carbon sequestration
rate of 8 t CO2/ha/year was assumed. The potential of a combination of the addition of lipids to the diet, a cover of the slurry tank and
the application of nitrification inhibitors only had the potential to reduce GHG emissions by 12% thereby marginal abatement
costs are increasing much faster than for agroforestry systems. A reduction of the GHG emissions to 7.5 kg CO2-eq./kg meat—possible with agroforestry only—raised costs between 0.03 CHF/kg meat and 0.38 CHF/kg meat depending on the production
system and the state of the system before the reduction. If GHG emissions were reduced maximally average costs ranged between
0.37 CHF/kg meat, if agroforestry had the potential to reduce net GHG emissions to 0 kg CO2-eq., to 1.17 CHF/kg meat if also other options had to be applied. 相似文献
Time series analysis has been used to evaluate the mechanisms regulating population dynamics of mammals and insects, but has
been rarely applied to amphibian populations. In this study, the influence of endogenous (density-dependent) and exogenous
(density-independent) factors regulating population dynamics of the terrestrial plethodontid salamander Speleomantes strinatii was analysed by means of time series and multiple regression analyses. During the period 1993–2005, S. strinatii population abundance, estimated by a standardised temporary removal method, displayed relatively low fluctuations, and the
autocorrelation function (ACF) analysis showed that the time series had a noncyclic structure. The partial rate correlation
function (PRCF) indicated that a strong first-order negative feedback dominated the endogenous dynamics. Stepwise multiple
regression analysis showed that the only climatic factor influencing population growth rate was the minimum winter temperature.
Thus, at least during the study period, endogenous, density-dependent negative feedback was the main factor affecting the
growth rate of the salamander population, whereas stochastic environmental variables, such as temperature and rainfall, seemed
to play a minor role in regulation. These results stress the importance of considering both exogenous and endogenous factors
when analysing amphibian long-term population dynamics. 相似文献
Sharks are known to have been ammonoid predators, as indicated by analysis of bite marks or coprolite contents. However, body
fossil associations attesting to this predator–prey relationship have never been described so far. Here, I report a unique
finding from the Late Jurassic of western France: a complete specimen of the Kimmeridgian ammonite Orthaspidoceras bearing one tooth of the hybodont shark Planohybodus. Some possible tooth puncture marks are also observed. This is the first direct evidence of such a trophic link between these
two major Mesozoic groups, allowing an accurate identification of both organisms. Although Planohybodus displays a tearing-type dentition generally assumed to have been especially adapted for large unshelled prey, our discovery
clearly shows that this shark was also able to attack robust ammonites such as aspidoceratids. The direct evidence presented
here provides new insights into the Mesozoic marine ecosystem food webs. 相似文献