Effect of Dye Additives on Photodimerization of Thymine Pendant Groups in Water-soluble Photoresist Polymers

The short wavelength UV-induced photocrosslinking of vinylbenzylthymine (VBT) based photoresist polymers was investigated in a polymer-dye water soluble system. The goal of the study was to determine whether the presence of UV-absorbing dye additives would prevent the photocrosslinking from occurring. It was found that the photoreactivity of the VBT polymer was not hindered significantly even when the amount of dye additive was comparable to the amount of thymine. Further, adding dyes to the photoresist allowed obtaining good quality images in one step. This study may provide a basis for testing VBT-containing polymers for use in controlled release applications.     

Residues of organochlorine compounds in starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), 1979

Starlings were collected for the National Pesticides Monitoring Program from 112 sites throughout the contiguous United States and analyzed for organochlorine compounds. Starling samples from 14 sites had greater than 1.0 ppm DDE residues with the highest DDE level being 15.8 ppm in a sample taken near Roswell, New Mexico. The occurrence of PCBs and chlordane isomers increased since the 1976 collection, but DDT, DDE, and dieldrin occurrence decreased. DDE and dieldrin levels decreased since the 1976 collection, but the level of PCBs has increased.     

A New Method to Assess Mercury Emissions: A Study of Three Coal-Fired Electric-Generating Power Station Configurations

Abstract

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 7473 for the analysis of mercury (Hg) by thermal decomposition, amalgamation, and atomic absorption spectroscopy has proved successful for use in Hg assessment at coal-fired power stations. In an analysis time of ～5 min per sample, this instrumental methodology can directly analyze total Hg—with no discrete sample preparation—in the solid matrices associated with a coal-fired power plant, including coal, fly ash, bottom ash, and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) material. This analysis technique was used to investigate Hg capture by coal combustion byproducts (CCBs) in three different coal-fired power plant configurations. Hg capture and associated emissions were estimated by partial mass balance. The station equipped with an FGD system demonstrated 68% capture on FGD material and an emissions estimate of 18% (11 kg/yr) of total Hg input. The power plant equipped with low oxides of nitrogen burners and an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) retained 43% on the fly ash and emitted 57% (51 kg/yr). The station equipped with conventional burners and an ESP retained less than 1% on the fly ash, emitting an estimated 99% (88 kg/yr) of Hg. Estimated Hg emissions demonstrate good agreement with EPA data for the power stations investigated.     

Evaluation of a Slag and Portland Cement Mix to Simulate Treatment of Acidic Waste via Solidification/Stabilization in a Deep Soil Mix Application

Site investigations at an oil and gas facility identified a highly acidic waste referred to as residual acid tar that resulted in the transport of dissolved nickel toward the point of compliance at concentrations that exceeded site environmental screening levels. Solidification/stabilization (S/S) via deep soil mixing was selected as the remedial approach and a mixture of ground granulated blast furnace slag cement and Portland cement was subjected to treatability testing to evaluate the reagent mix's ability to achieve treatment objectives. Results from the treatability test showed a cement mix dose of 21 percent was sufficient to raise the pH above the target of 6.0 and reduce dissolved nickel concentrations to below site screening levels in leachate from treated samples of residual acid tar and material impacted by residual acid tar. Cement mix doses of 21 percent or greater were sufficient to achieve target strengths in the unimpacted shallow overburden. However, none of the doses tested were able to achieve target strengths in the residual acid tar or peaty material impacted by the residual acid tar. Results showed soil strengths increased significantly when the pH in leachate from the treated samples approached 12, suggesting the presence of organic acids related to the peaty soils may interfere with the cement set. Recommendations from the study include additional treatability testing to evaluate pre‐treatment with hydrated lime to satisfy acid neutralization requirements prior to dosing with the cement mix. ©2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Belief network models of land manager decisions and land use change

A two-stage model of land use change is described, which is driven by the types of decisions that land managers make when changing their broad styles of use. The first stage uses decision modelling techniques to assess if a manager is currently satisfied with the present situation, when compared to various potential alternatives. If this evaluation indicates satisfaction, it is assumed that the present land use will continue. However, if it indicates dissatisfaction, Belief Network techniques are used to estimate, in more detail, both how dissatisfied the manager is and whether the costs of changing, from the present use to a potentially better one, will be out-weighed by the anticipated benefits. The proposed models can use a variety of cost and benefit criteria (e.g. financial, social and ecological). The approach is illustrated with a case-study of the factors that might influence changes from farming to forestry in marginal upland areas of the UK.     

Impact of Animal Welfare on Costs and Viability of Pig Production in the UK

The European Union welfare standardsfor intensively kept pigs have steadilyincreased over the past few years and areproposed to continue in the future. It isimportant that the cost implications of thesechanges in welfare standards are assessed. Theaim of this study was to determine theprofitability of rearing pigs in a range ofhousing systems with different standards forpig welfare. Models were constructed tocalculate the cost of pig rearing (6–95 kg) in afully-slatted system (fulfilling minimum EUspace requirements, Directive 91630/EEC); apartly-slatted system; a high-welfare,straw-based system (complying with the UK-basedRoyal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals, Freedom Food standards) and afree-range system. The models were also used toassess the consequences of potential increasesin space allowance, and to estimate the cost ofrearing pigs under organic standards.The cost of rearing pigs ranged from92.0 p/kg carcass weight (cw) and 94.6 p/kgcw forthe partly-slatted and fully-slatted systems,to 98.8 p/kgcw and 99.3 p/kgcw for the FreedomFood and free-range systems respectively. Whenspace allowance was increased by 60% to levelsin a recent proposal to revise pig welfareDirective (91/630/EEC), the rearing costs wereunchanged for the free-range system but rose by4.6 p/kgcw for the fully-slatted system. Rearingcosts under organic standards were 31% higherthan in the free-range system. These resultssuggest that improved pig welfare can beachieved with a modest increase in costAt present, price premiums received for meatproduced under high welfare systems in the UKoffset the higher costs of production in thesesystems. To ensure profitability in the longterm, it is important that these premiums aremaintained.     

Competitive females are successful females; phenotype,mechanism, and selection in a common songbird

In a variety of taxa, male reproductive success is positively related to the expression of costly traits such as large body size, ornaments, armaments, and aggression. These traits are thought to improve male competitive ability and, thus, access to limited reproductive resources. Females of many species also express competitive traits. However, we know very little about the consequences of individual variation in competitive traits and the mechanisms that regulate their expression in females. Consequently, it is currently unclear whether females express competitive traits owing to direct selection or as an indirect result of selection on males. Here, we examine females of a mildly dimorphic songbird (Junco hyemalis) to determine whether females show positive covariance in traits (morphology and behavior) that may be important in a competition. We also examine whether trait expression relates either to testosterone (T) in terms of mechanism or to reproductive success in terms of function. We found that larger females were more aggressive and that greater ability to produce T in response to a physiological challenge consisting of a standardized injection of gonadotropin-releasing hormone predicted some measures of female body size and aggression. Finally, we found that aggressive females had greater reproductive success. We conclude that T may influence female phenotype and that females may benefit from expressing a competitive phenotype. We also suggest that the mild dimorphism observed in many species may be due in part to direct selection on females rather than simply a correlated response to selection in males.