Environmental Legislation and Enforcement: A Voting Model under Asymmetric Information

This paper examines the effects of asymmetric voter information on the environmental policies of democratic governments. The model builds on the electoral signaling model of Rogoff to illustrate the possibility that democratic governments may systematically overlegislate-and yet underenforce-environmental standards in a rational expectations equilibrium. The model also offers insights into the welfare implications of "right to know" legislation, proposals to depoliticize environmental policy, and private voluntary institutions.     

Evaluating the acceptability of recreation rationing policies used on rivers

Research shows that users and managers have different perceptions of acceptable policies that ration or limit recreational use on rivers. The acceptability of seven rationing policies was evaluated using Thurstone's method of paired comparisons, which provided a rank ordering of advance reservation, lottery, first-come/first-served, merit, priority for first time users, zoning, and price. Chi-squared tests were used to determine if users and managers have significantly different levels of acceptability for the policies. River users and managers were found to be significantly different according to their evaluation of advance reservation, zoning, and merit. The results also indicated that river users collectively divide the policies into three categories corresponding to high, moderate, and low levels of acceptability, while river managers divide the policies into two levels corresponding to acceptable and unacceptable.     

Characterization of maspardin, responsible for human Mast syndrome, in an insect species and analysis of its evolution in metazoans

Mast syndrome is a complicated form of human hereditary spastic paraplegias, caused by a mutation in the gene acid cluster protein 33, which encodes a protein designated as “maspardin.” Maspardin presents similarity to the α/β-hydrolase superfamily, but might lack enzymatic activity and rather be involved in protein–protein interactions. Association with the vesicles of the endosomal network also suggested that maspardin may be involved in the sorting and/or trafficking of molecules in the endosomal pathway, a crucial process for maintenance of neuron health. Despite a high conservation in living organisms, studies of maspardin in other animal species than mammals were lacking. In the cotton armyworm Spodoptera littoralis, an insect pest model, analysis of an expressed sequence tag collection from antenna, the olfactory organ, has allowed identifying a maspardin homolog (SlMasp). We have investigated SlMasp tissue distribution and temporal expression by PCR and in situ hybridization techniques. Noteworthy, we found that maspardin was highly expressed in antennae and associated with the structures specialized in odorant detection. We have, in addition, identified maspardin sequences in numerous “nonmammalian” species and described here their phylogenetic analysis in the context of metazoan diversity. We observed a strong conservation of maspardin in metazoans, with surprisingly two independent losses of this gene in two relatively distant ecdysozoan taxa that include major model organisms, i.e., dipterans and nematodes.     

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital nephrosis by in utero kidney biopsy

The diagnosis of congenital nephrosis is difficult during the antepartum period. The combination of an elevated amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein, a negative acetylcholinesterase, and a negative ultrasound examination is highly indicative of congenital nephrosis; however, these findings can also be associated with a normal gestation. This is the first report of pathologic confirmation of congenital nephrosis from an in utero fetal kidney biopsy. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of flue-gas desulfurization systems on coal combustion by-product quality at kentucky power stations burning high-sulfur coal

Two Kentucky power plants burning similar blends of high-sulfur western Kentucky and southern Indiana coal provide a unique opportunity to examine the variations in coal combustion by-products due to differences in the method of wet flue-gas desulfurization (FGD). One plant employed carbide lime-based scrubbing for two units and a dual-alkali process for the third unit. The second plant employed a Mississippian limestone from Kentucky for all four units. This study provides an example of optical and SEM petrographic techniques, supplemented by chemical analyses, applied to the study of, at least from the geologic perspective, non-traditional materials. The coal sources comprise a blend of high volatile C and B bituminous, high vitrinite (85–90%, mmf), high-sulfur (> 3%, dry) coals. The fly ash is dominated by glassy phases (70–80%) with about 5–10% spinel (predominately magnetite), 3–10% quartz, and 4–10% isotropic coke comprising the remaining portion of the ash. SEM observations indicate that the glassy particles exhibit a bimodal size distribution with sub-micron glass spheres and a population of larger (several 10s of microns) spheres. The bottom ash has higher proportions of spinels and mullite, with negligible carbon forms, compared to the fly ash from the same units. Fly ashes were observed to be lower in Fe and higher in Al, Si, and S compared to the bottom ashes. Carbide lime, a by-product of acetylene manufacture, soda ash, and limestone were the reagents used in the flue-gas desulfurization processes. The primary FGD by-product is a calcium sulfite slurry which is vacuum filtered and mixed with fly ash and, usually, lime, to form a stable product for disposal. The FGD by-products have some potential, as yet unrealized, for utilization.     

Mitochondrial DNA Variability in the Endangered Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus): Analysis of Hatchery Stocks and Implications for Captive Propagation

The razorback sucker ( Xyrauchen texanus ) is a large, long-lived catostomid fish endemic to the Colorado River drainage of western North America, endangered because of recruitment failure. Efforts to preserve the species have emphasized artificial propagation and reintroduction. Given the importance of maintaining genetic diversity in such a program, we examined mitochondrial DNA diversity in a source population (Lake Mohave, Arizona-Nevada) and three hatchery-produced year classes (1987, 1989, 1990). The source contained considerable variation, indicated by high haplotype diversity ( ĥ = 0.97) and a large number of unique haplotypes (17 in 25 individuals). Diversity also was high in the 1987 ( ĥ = 0.89, 6 haplotypes in 10 individuals) and 1989 hatchery-produced year classes ( ĥ = 0.91, 7 in 11), but significantly lower in the 1990 year class ( ĥ = 0.71, 4 in 10). Low diversity in the last class was likely because of differences among females in fecundity, viability of progeny, or both. Because natural populations have collapsed throughout the species' range, we must identify methods that preserve the most diversity. We examined three potential alternatives: standard hatchery propagation, natural spawning in predator-free environments, and protective custody of larvae collected from the lake with reintroduction after growth to a size likely to survive. The last is the preferred alternative and should be pursued as the most cost-effective option for preserving genetic diversity in the razorback sucker.     

Contribution of tobacco smoke to environmental benzene exposure in Germany

The concentrations of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) constituents including benzene were measured in the living rooms of 10 nonsmoking households and 20 households with at least one smoker situated in the city and suburbs of Munich. In the city, the median benzene levels during the evening, when all household members were at home, were 8.1 and 10.4 μg/m³ in nonsmoking and smoking homes, respectively. The corresponding levels of 3.5 and 4.6 μg/m³ were considerably lower in the suburbs. Median time-integrated 1-week benzene concentrations in the city were 10.6 μg/m³ in nonsmoking homes and 13.1 μg/m³ in smoking homes. In the suburbs, the corresponding values were 3.2 and 5.6 μg/m³. While the benzene concentrations in nonsmoking homes located in the city were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in suburban nonsmoking households, no difference was found between smoking and nonsmoking households located either in the city or in the suburbs. Individual exposures to benzene and to specific markers for tobacco smoke of all household members (82 nonsmokers and 32 smokers) were determined by questionnaire, personal monitoring, and biomonitoring. Within the city, the benzene exposure determined by personal samplers was 11.8 μg/m³ for nonsmokers living in nonsmoking homes and 13.3 μg/m³ for nonsmokers in smoking homes. The corresponding values for nonsmokers living in the suburbs were 5.9 and 6.9 μg/m³, respectively. Neither difference was statistically significant. Nonsmokers living in nonsmoking households in the city had significantly higher exposure to benzene compared to their counterparts living in the suburbs (personal samplers: 11.8 vs 5.9 μg/m³, p < 0.001; benzene in exhalate: 2.4 vs. 1.1 μg/m³, p < 0.05; trans,trans-muconic acid excretion in urine: 92 vs. 54 μg/g creatinine, p < 0.05). Nonsmokers from all households with smokers were significantly more exposed to benzene than nonsmokers living in the nonsmoking households (personal samplers: 13.2 vs. 7.0 μg/m³, p < 0.05; benzene in exhalate: 2.6 vs. 1.8 μg/m³, p < 0.01; trans,trans-muconic acid excretion in urine: 73 vs. 62 μg/g creatinine), but the contribution of ETS to the total benzene exposure was relatively low compared to that from other sources. Analysis of variance showed that at most 15% of the benzene exposure of nonsmokers living in smoking homes was attributable to ETS. For nonsmokers living in nonsmoking households benzene exposure from ETS was insignificant.     

DNA-binding studies with diesel exhaust particle extract

This study examines whether chemical components from diesel exhaust particulates react with DNA to form covalently bound adducts. Experiments in this report describe the in vitro reaction of purified DNA with a dichloromethane extract of diesel exhaust particulates in the absence or presence of enzyme activation by rat liver microsomes. The reactivity of the particle extract was compared to that of benzo[a]pyrene metabolites using low temperature fluorescence techniques which detect small quantities of polycyclic aromatic compounds bound to DNA. Incubation of DNA with the particle extract in the presence of microsomal enzymes produced no detectable fluorescent adducts in contrast to model experiments using benzo[a]pyrene. However, addition of the particle extract to incubation mixtures containing benzo[a]pyrene markedly decreased formation of benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adducts because the particle extract inhibits microsomal enzymes which activate benzo[a]pyrene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In the absence of microsomal enzymes, fluorescent material was detected in DNA exposed to high concentrations of the particle extract, but probably not as a result of covalent binding because the mutagenic activity of the particle extract remained unchanged during prolonged incubation with DNA. This stability is in contrast to the rapid decrease in mutagenic activity of benzo[a]pyrene-4,5-oxide during incubation with DNA. Thus, direct mutation of bacteria by the particle extract may require activation by bacterial enzymes as is known to occur with nitroaromatic compounds.     

Trace Element Contaminants in Sediments From the Noaa National Status and Trends Programme Compared to Data From Throughout the World

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Status and Trends (NS&T) Programme has analyzed samples of surface sediment collected at almost 300 coastal and estuarine sites throughout the United States since 1984. the overall distributions for concentrations of each element are approximately lognormal allowing a definition of geometric means and of “high” concentrations as those exceeding the mean plus one standard deviation of the lognormal distribution. Those mean and “high” concentrations should be useful for comparing the NS&T data set and with other reports on sediment contamination. A world-wide data set, constructed from data in the literature, was summarized in an identical manner. It was found, after excluding locally extreme values, that the NS&T and world-wide data sets yielded very similar mean and “high” concentrations for Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. Chromium was the sole element showing higher summary statistics in the NS&T data set, a result attributed to NS&T sampling in areas of naturally (not contaminated) elevated Cr content. It remains undetermined, however, why the world-wide data set, even with exclusion of “hot spots”, yielded higher means and “highs” for Cd, Hg, As, and Ag.