Marine reserve design: optimal size, habitats, species affinities, diversity, and ocean microclimate.

The design of marine reserves is complex and fraught with uncertainty. However, protection of critical habitat is of paramount importance for reserve design. We present a case study as an example of a reserve design based on fine-scale habitats, the affinities of exploited species to these habitats, adult mobility, and the physical forcing affecting the dynamics of the habitats. These factors and their interaction are integrated in an algorithm that determines the optimal size and location of a marine reserve for a set of 20 exploited species within five different habitats inside a large kelp forest in southern California. The result is a reserve that encompasses approximately 42% of the kelp forest. Our approach differs fundamentally from many other marine reserve siting methods in which goals of area, diversity, or biomass are targeted a priori. Rather, our method was developed to determine how large a reserve must be within a specific area to protect a self-sustaining assemblage of exploited species. The algorithm is applicable across different ecosystems, spatial scales, and for any number of species. The result is a reserve in which habitat value is optimized for a predetermined set of exploited species against the area left open to exploitation. The importance of fine-scale habitat definitions for the exploited species off La Jolla is exemplified by the spatial pattern of habitats and the stability of these habitats within the kelp forest, both of which appear to be determined by ocean microclimate.     

High-mileage study of on-board diagnostic emissions

The 1990 Clean Air Act amendments require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set guidelines for states to follow in designing and running vehicle inspection and maintenance (I/M) programs. Included in this charge was a requirement to implement an on-board diagnostic (OBD) test for both basic and enhanced I/M programs. This paper provides the results to date of an ongoing EPA study undertaken to assess the durability of the OBD system as vehicles age and as mileage is accrued. The primary results of this effort indicate the points described below. First, the majority of high-mileage vehicles tested had emission levels within their certification limits, and their malfunction indicator light (MIL) was not illuminated, indicating that the systems are capable of working throughout the life of a vehicle. Second, OBD provides better air quality benefits than an IM240 test (using the federal test procedure [FTP] as the benchmark comparison). This statement is based on greater emissions reductions from OBD-directed repairs than reductions associated with IM240-identified repairs. In general, the benefits of repairing the OBD fails were smaller, but the aggregate benefits were greater, indicating that OBD tests find both the high-emitting and a number of marginally high-emitting vehicles without false failures that can occur with any tailpipe test. Third, vehicles that truly had high-tailpipe emissions as confirmed by laboratory IM240 and FTP testing also had illuminated MILs at a statistically significant level. Last, field data from state programs have demonstrated MIL illumination rates comparable with those seen in this work, suggesting that the vehicles sampled in this study were representative of the larger fleet. Nonetheless, it is important to continue the testing of high-mileage OBD vehicles into the foreseeable future to ensure that the systems are operating correctly as the fleet ages and as changes in emission certification levels take effect.     

Assessment Tools for Urban Catchments: Developing Biological Indicators Based on Benthic Macroinvertebrates1

Abstract: Biological indicators, particularly benthic macroinvertebrates, are widely used and effective measures of the impact of urbanization on stream ecosystems. A multimetric biological index of urbanization was developed using a large benthic macroinvertebrate dataset (n = 1,835) from the Baltimore, Maryland, metropolitan area and then validated with datasets from Cleveland, Ohio (n = 79); San Jose, California (n = 85); and a different subset of the Baltimore data (n = 85). The biological metrics used to develop the multimetric index were selected using several criteria and were required to represent ecological attributes of macroinvertebrate assemblages including taxonomic composition and richness (number of taxa in the insect orders of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera), functional feeding group (number of taxa designated as filterers), and habit (percent of individuals which cling to the substrate). Quantile regression was used to select metrics and characterize the relationship between the final biological index and an urban gradient (composed of population density, road density, and urban land use). Although more complex biological indices exist, this simplified multimetric index showed a consistent relationship between biological indicators and urban conditions (as measured by quantile regression) in three climatic regions of the United States and can serve as an assessment tool for environmental managers to prioritize urban stream sites for restoration and protection.     

Post-natal investigations: management and prognosis for fetuses with CNS anomalies identified in utero excluding neurosurgical problems

The suspicion of an abnormality of the central nervous (CNS) system raises difficult questions for the clinician and the family and will inevitably lead to considerable anxiety. These questions include what it means for the child's future, whether it can be treated and whether it will happen again in subsequent pregnancies. For many disorders accurate prenatal diagnosis remains elusive, as even with fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), early recognition and characterisation are simply not possible because of the immature state of brain development at that stage of pregnancy. The natural history of many prenatally diagnosed CNS disorders remains to be elucidated which means that an accurate prognosis cannot be given in all cases. We review the current state of knowledge regarding the investigation, management and prognosis of the most common and important CNS malformations. We also discuss the post-natal management of these conditions both in the neonate and subsequent pregnancies for the families. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Echocardiographic diagnosis of fetal marfan syndrome at 34 weeks' gestation

Fetal echocardiography was performed during the third trimester in a normal primigravida. The fetal heart was severely affected with the typical cardiac manifestations of Marfan syndrome. The medical history of the father was investigated and a mild form of the syndrome was diagnosed. The neonate died at 2 months of age of congestive heart failure.