The bridge between diversity and adaptivity: Answering McIntosh and Jeffrey

SUMMARY

The emerging concept of industrial ecology (IE) has been applied in practice in few case studies on local/regional industrial recycling networks. Analogously to a natural ecosystem, the aim is to develop material cycles and energy cascades between local cooperative actors. An optimal resource basis of an industrial ecosystem is the sustainable use of local renewable natural resources. In this paper, we consider the region of North Karelia in Finland, with 19 municipalities, and hence somewhat expand the system boundaries of an industrial ecosystem case study. The current situation and two scenarios of municipal heating energy production are presented. The heating system consists of individual, district and electric heating. The heat production and related greenhouse gas emissions are considered. The current fuel use is based on imported oil and regional fuels (peat, wood wastes). Also, shares for co-production of heat and electricity (CHP) are shown. In scenario one, we assume the majority of the fuel basis in oil and absence of CHP. Scenario two illustrates nearly complete dependence on regional wood wastes and firewood with the current share of CHP. The North Karelia region provides the IE theory with a fruitful case study because the supply of waste fuels and local renewables is vast and waste utilisation technologies (CHP, fluidized bed burning) constitute a significant part of energy production. Implications of the applied scenario approach are discussed in the context of regional decision making and, in particular, for its implementation with the concepts of a regional environmental management system (EMS) and a regional industrial ecosystem management system (RIEMS).     

Bidirectional coupling of macroscopic and microscopic pedestrian evacuation models

In this contribution, a combination of a macroscopic and a microscopic model of pedestrian dynamics using a bidirectional coupling technique is presented which allows to obtain better predictions for evacuation times. While the macroscopic model is derived from dynamic network flow theory, the microscopic model is based on a cellular automaton. Output from each model is fed into the other, thus establishing a control cycle. As a result, the gap between the evacuation times computed by both models is narrowed down: The coupled model considers both optimized routing strategies as well as microscopic effects. Accordingly the typical underestimation of evacuation times by purely macroscopic approaches is reduced. At the same time the microscopic model is enhanced by a steering component which reflects the macroscopic knowledge and the impact of supervising personnel on the distribution of pedestrian flows.     

Round your numbers in rank tests: exact and asymptotic inference and ties

Non-parametric statistical tests are commonly used in the behavioral sciences. Researchers need to be aware that non-parameteric methods involving ranks can perform unreliably as a result of very small amounts of noise added in the storage and manipulation of values by computers, causing spurious reduction in the number of ties. In order to avoid this problem, researchers should round values to an appropriate number of decimal places prior to the ranking procedure to ensure that data points whose values cannot be separated according to the precision of their measurement are recorded as having identical rank. We also recommend exact rather than asymptotic evaluation of p values in non-parametric statistical tests.     

Determination of the optimum MM5 configuration for long term CMAQ simulations of aerosol bound pollutants in Europe

Realistic meteorological fields are a prerequisite for the determination of pollutant concentrations and depositions by means of a chemistry transport model. Different configurations of the 5th generation NCAR/Penn State University mesoscale meteorological model MM5 were tested to determine the optimum set up for long term hindcasts that cover several months up to years. Four dimensional data assimilation (FDDA) significantly enhances the spatio temporal representation of temperature, humidity and wind. Best agreement with radiosonde observations could be achieved when temperature, humidity and wind were grid nudged every 6 h. The quality of the resulting meteorological fields showed no significant systematic temporal or spatial variation over Europe in a model run of the year 2000. It was found that the hydrological cycle was not correctly reproduced by the model when no nudging was applied. The relevant model run showed too high relative humidity and too high rainfall when compared to observations. This led to considerably lower aerosol concentrations close to ground and a shift in the deposition patterns of particle bound pollutants like the carcinogenic benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P). Guest Editor: Dr. S. T. Rao.     

Effects of remarriage after widowhood on long-term fitness in a monogamous historical human population

The fitness benefits of multiple mating determine the strength of sexual selection in each sex. This is traditionally quantified by the number of offspring born to once versus multiply mated individuals. In species with (bi)parental care, however, this measure may overestimate the benefits of multiple mating since having several mates can increase offspring number but decrease offspring quality. We analyzed short- and long-term fitness consequences of multiple marriages for both sexes in humans in preindustrial Finnish populations, where monogamy was socially enforced and remarriage was possible only after widowhood. Remarriage increased the lifetime number of offspring sired by men by lengthening their reproductive span but was unrelated to the lifetime number of births for women. However, neither men's nor women's long-term fitness, measured as their number of grandchildren, was significantly increased or decreased by remarriage. These associations were not modified by individual wealth. Our results suggest that despite increasing the number of offspring sired by men, the long-term fitness benefits of serial monogamy may be negligible for both sexes when parental investment is crucial for offspring success and continues to adulthood. They also demonstrate the importance of incorporating long-term fitness measures when quantifying the benefits of mating and reproductive strategies.     

Investigation of odors in the fragrance industry

Scents form the basis for the fragrance industry and various research activities have been developed in different scientific disciplines all being linked by a common interest in odors and odor perception. In this paper, four different topics have been selected for a short discussion. Following a short overview on the history of perfumery, the first topic (Natural scents) is providing some insight into the investigation of natural scents and how this work has strongly stimulated fragrance creation as well as the quest to find new odoriferous substances for the perfumer’s palette. The second subject (Fragrance chemistry) gives a historical overview over the chemistry of fragrances and briefly describes the rational behind the synthesis and composition of new scents. Body odors and their biochemical formation concern the third topic (Body odor biochemistry) which describes our current understanding of this scientifically interesting field and how knowledge may find use to improve future deodorant products. The fourth subject (Olfactory mechanisms) deals with the biochemistry in the human nose when odorants are activating olfactory receptors and enzymes appear to rapidly metabolize the inhaled odorous stimuli. This review does not attempt to be comprehensive, but it describes selected successes in the fragrance industry and the motivation behind conducting various types of research. Ultimately, the activities are aiming to bring new ingredients onto the market and improve the quality of scented products but also to advance our understanding of the power of communication through fragrance.     

Project house water: a novel interdisciplinary framework to assess the environmental and socioeconomic consequences of flood-related impacts

Protecting our water resources in terms of quality and quantity is considered one of the big challenges of the twenty-first century, which requires global and multidisciplinary solutions. A specific threat to water resources, in particular, is the increased occurrence and frequency of flood events due to climate change which has significant environmental and socioeconomic impacts. In addition to climate change, flooding (or subsequent erosion and run-off) may be exacerbated by, or result from, land use activities, obstruction of waterways, or urbanization of floodplains, as well as mining and other anthropogenic activities that alter natural flow regimes. Climate change and other anthropogenic induced flood events threaten the quantity of water as well as the quality of ecosystems and associated aquatic life. The quality of water can be significantly reduced through the unintentional distribution of pollutants, damage of infrastructure, and distribution of sediments and suspended materials during flood events. To understand and predict how flood events and associated distribution of pollutants may impact ecosystem and human health, as well as infrastructure, large-scale interdisciplinary collaborative efforts are required, which involve ecotoxicologists, hydrologists, chemists, geoscientists, water engineers, and socioeconomists. The research network “project house water” consists of a number of experts from a wide range of disciplines and was established to improve our current understanding of flood events and associated societal and environmental impacts. The concept of project house and similar seed fund and boost fund projects was established by the RWTH Aachen University within the framework of the German excellence initiative with support of the German research foundation (DFG) to promote and fund interdisciplinary research projects and provide a platform for scientists to collaborate on innovative, challenging research. Project house water consists of six proof-of-concept studies in very diverse and interdisciplinary areas of research (ecotoxicology, water, and chemical process engineering, geography, sociology, economy). The goal is to promote and foster high-quality research in the areas of water research and flood-risk assessments that combine and build off-laboratory experiments with modeling, monitoring, and surveys, as well as the use of applied methods and techniques across a variety of disciplines.     

Unexplained gonad alterations in whitefish (Coregonus spp.) from Lake Thun, Switzerland: levels of persistent organic pollutants in different morphs

Since 2000, a surprisingly high number of macroscopical gonad alterations has been reported in whitefish (Coregonus spp.) from Lake Thun, Switzerland. This unique phenomenon is still unexplained and has received much public attention. As one possible trigger for these effects, the presence of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic compounds acting as endocrine disruptors in the lake has been discussed. In this study, concentrations of selected persistent organic pollutants were examined in two morphs of whitefish from Lake Thun and their link to the observed abnormalities was investigated. Analyzed compound classes included polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, polychlorinated naphthalenes, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecanes. The target substances were identified in all samples and concentrations of the analyzed compounds were highly correlated among each other. These correlations show that the analyzed substances have the same distribution pattern throughout the lake and that uptake, accumulation and elimination processes are similar. Significant differences in contaminant levels within the samples existed between the two analyzed morphs of whitefish, most likely due to different age, food patterns and growth rate. No difference in contaminant levels was observed between fish with abnormal gonads and fish with normal gonads, suggesting no causal link between the investigated lipophilic organohalogen compounds present in fish and the observed gonad abnormalities in whitefish from Lake Thun. A comparison to existing data shows that concentrations in Lake Thun whitefish are at the lower bound of contaminant levels in whitefish from Swiss lakes or from European waters.