Results of a technology demonstration project to compare rapid aquatic toxicity screening tests in the analysis of industrial effluents

The results of a 'BioWise' demonstration project to assess the comparative sensitivity and practicality of seven new assays for the direct assessment of ecotoxicity in industrial effluents are presented. In addition the aim of the project was to validate the results of the new assays against benchmark data generated from non-proprietary, rapid, microplate screening assays using the regulatory species; freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna and green algae Selenastrum capricornutum, chosen in view of their environmental relevance. The new commercial test assays were: Daphnia magna, Selenastrum capricornutum and Thamnocephalus platyurus Toxkits supplied by Vickers Laboratories Ltd, containing dormant, immobilised life stages of the test species; GreenScreen EM, a yeast based assay for genotoxicity and general acute toxicity supplied by Gentronix Ltd; and CellSense a mediated, amperometric whole cell biosensor based on immobilised activated sludge and E. coli. 38 effluent samples supplied by members of SOCSA (Specialised Organic Chemicals Sector Association) were examined over a period of 13 months, in the project co-ordinated by the AstraZeneca Brixham Environmental Laboratory, and part funded by BioWise via the UK Government Department of Trade and Industry.     

The Impact of NTFP Sales on Rural Households’ Cash Income in India’s Dry Deciduous Forest

In recent years, researchers and policy makers have recognized that nontimber forest products (NTFPs) extracted from forests by rural people can make a significant contribution to their well-being and to the local economy. This study presents and discusses data that describe the contribution of NTFPs to cash income in the dry deciduous forests of Orissa and Jharkhand, India. In its focus on cash income, this study sheds light on how the sale of NTFPs and products that use NTFPs as inputs contribute to the rural economy. From analysis of a unique data set that was collected over the course of a year, the study finds that the contribution of NTFPs to cash income varies across ecological settings, seasons, income level, and caste. Such variation should inform where and when to apply NTFP forest access and management policies.     

Phosphorus transformations in plant-based and bio-waste materials induced by pyrolysis

Strategies are needed to increase the sustainability of phosphorus (P) fertiliser management in agriculture. This paper reports on the potential of pyrolysis treatment to recycle P from renewable materials previously regarded as wastes. The study used K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to examine chemical forms of P in the waste feedstock materials and corresponding biochars (pyrolysis at 480–500 °C) of four ligno-cellulosic, plant-based residues and five relatively P-rich livestock and water-treatment by-products, to acquire information on changes in potential P fertiliser value. Pyrolysis enriched P in the biochars by factors of 1.3–4.3, thus offering wide-ranging P fertiliser potential. XANES spectroscopy revealed hydroxyapatite (HAP) as one of the dominant chemical P compounds in the feedstocks, ranging from 14% (rice husks) to 98% (animal bone) of total P. For most materials, pyrolysis increased the proportion of HAP, and pyrophosphates were generated in several cases. These alterations possibly lead to diversity in the P solubility characteristics of the biochars if used as soil amendments; this is an important property of environmentally sound P fertilisers.     

Correction to: Status and trends of circumpolar peregrine falcon and gyrfalcon populations

While collating contributions and comments from 36 researchers, the coordinating authors accidentally omitted Dr. Suzanne Carrière from the list of contributing co-authors. Dr. Carrière’s data are described in Tables 1 and 3, Figure 2 and several places in the narrative. The new author list is thus updated in this article.     

Women executives and off-the-job misconduct by high-profile employees: A study of National Football League team organizations

The risk of off-the-job misconduct by high-profile employees is a serious concern of top management in professional sport organizations, media and entertainment companies, and public-facing entities in the government and education sectors. Yet there is little research on how to prevent or mitigate this form of misconduct in organizations. Utilizing upper echelons theory and the literature on demographic composition, we examine the relationship between the gender composition of executives of team organizations in a men's professional sport league and subsequent misconduct by players on those teams. Specifically, we employed multilevel and logistic regression analyses to unique data on U.S. National Football League team organizations, and we found that firms with a critical mass of women executives experienced fewer player arrests. No support was found for executive power as a moderator of this relationship. We discuss the implications of our findings for the demographic composition literature. We also offer guidance for preventing and managing off-the-job misconduct by high-profile employees.     

Characterization of fine primary biogenic organic aerosol in an urban area in the northeastern United States

Scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) was used to quantify individual bioparticles in PM_2.5 samples collected during the Pittsburgh Air Quality Study. Microscopy-based estimates of primary biogenic organic aerosol (PBOA) mass were compared to carbohydrate mass associated with PM_2.5. Carbohydrates show substantial seasonal variations, with higher concentrations in the spring and the fall. During the summer, carbohydrates were about 30% of the estimated PBOA concentrations, but in the winter carbohydrate concentrations often greatly exceeded the PBOA mass estimate. Spores and insect detritus were the most abundant PBOA types in the summer samples, while winter samples were comprised predominantly of a mixture of microorganisms, insect and vegetative detritus. During the summer PBOA contributed on average 6.9 ± 5.4% by mass of the PM_2.5 versus 3.3 ± 1.4% of the PM_2.5 mass during the winter.     

The effects of 3,3′,4,4′-tetrabromobiphenyl on rats fed diets containing a constant level of copper and varying levels of molybdenum

Copper (Cu) metabolism is altered in rats fed diets high in molybdenum (Mo) and low in Cu. This 10-week study was carried out to examine the effects of supplemental Mo (7.5–240 μg/g diet) on male Sprague–Dawley rats fed diets adequate in Cu (5 μg/g diet) and to determine the susceptibility of Mo-treated animals to the environmental pollutant 3,3′,4,4′-tetrabromobiphenyl (TBB). After 7 weeks of dietary treatment, half of the rats in each group received a single IP injection of TBB (150 μM/kg bw), while the other half received the corn oil vehicle. Rats sacrificed at 10 weeks showed no effects of Mo on growth, feed efficiency, or selected organ or tissue weights. Dose-dependent effects on plasma Mo (0–5.1 μg/mL), plasma Cu (0.95–0.20 μg/mL), and bone Cu (3.4–10 μg/g) in control through the high dose were found. Cu sequestration in the bone of Mo-treated rats is a new finding. TBB treatment resulted in dramatic weight loss and loss of absolute organ mass. Relative organ weights were increased, except for the thymus. TBB altered the concentrations of certain amino acids. Compared to control rats, this polybrominated biphenyl congener significantly decreased plasma Cu and ceruloplasmin at higher concentrations of dietary Mo and promoted the process of plasma Cu decrease by Mo, suggesting a combined effect.     

Conservation Applications of Astronaut Photographs of Earth: Tidal-Flat Loss ( Japan), Elephant Effects on Vegetation (Botswana), and Seagrass and Mangrove Monitoring (Australia)

Abstract: National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA) photographs taken by astronauts from low Earth orbit can provide information relevant to conservation biology. This data source is now more accessible because of improvements in digitizing technology, Internet file transfer, and availability of image processing software. We present three examples of conservation-related projects that benefited from the use of astronaut photographs. First, NASA scientists requested that astronauts photograph the area of the controversial Isahaya Bay reclamation project in Japan. Japanese researchers used photographs from before and after the reclamation as a tool for communication with the public about the effects of tidal-flat loss. The newly acquired images and the availability of high-resolution digital images from NASA archives provided timely public information on the observed changes. Second, we digitally classified and analyzed a Space Shuttle photograph of Chobe National Park in Botswana to identify the locations of woodlands affected by elephants. Field validation later confirmed that areas identified on the image showed evidence of elephant damage. Third, we used a summary map from intensive field surveys of seagrasses in Shoalwater Bay, Australia, as reference data for a supervised classification of a digitized photograph taken from orbit. The classification distinguished seagrasses, sediments, and mangroves with accuracy approximating that in studies using other satellite remote-sensing data. Astronaut photographs are in the public domain, and the database of nearly 400,000 photographs from the late 1960s to the present is available at a single searchable location on the Internet (  http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop ). These photographs can be used by conservation biologists as a source of general information about the landscape and for quantitative mapping.     

Survey of Airborne 2,4-D in South-Central Washington

The extensive application of 2,4-D herbicides to wheat and other agricultural crops in the states of Washington and Oregon can produce "off-target" damage when the 2,4-D formulations are transported by the atmosphere to sensitive crops, such as grapes. During May-June of 1973 and April-June of 1974, a 2,4-D monitoring network in south-central Washington collected samples for subsequent herbicide analysis. The daily, 24 hr field samples were collected with differential Impactor-impinger air samplers and were routinely analyzed in the analytical laboratory by electron-capture gas chromatography. In addition, gas chromatography/mass spec-trometry was employed for positive identification of the 2,4-D esters and for comparative quantitative analysis. The complete sampling and analytical methodology, the 2,4-D concentration data for 1973 and 1974, the agricultural 2,4-D application records and crop Injury reports, and the concomitant meteorological data are described in this paper.     

High Temperature,High Pressure Electrostatic Precipitation

This paper presents the results of work conducted by Research-Cottrell under EPA contract 68-02-2104. The feasibility of electrostatic precipitation at temperatures and pressures varying from ambient condition to 1366°K and 3550 kPa, respectively, has been demonstrated in a laboratory wire-pipe electrode system. Stable corona discharges are obtained at all temperatures subject to appropriate choices of electrode dimension, polarity, and pressure. Current-voltage characteristics are reported for dry air, a simulated combustion gas, and a substitute fuel gas. The effects of temperature, pressure, electrode geometry and polarity on sparkover voltage, corona-starting voltage, and current are evaluated. A precipitator performance model is included to incorporate this data into a high temperature, high pressure precipitator design. This model has been evaluated for an electrostatic (HTHP) precipitator following a pressurized fluidized bed combustor at 1089 K and 920 kPa. It is recommended that prototype HTHP electrostatic precipitators be applied to pilot coal gasifiers and fluidized bed combustors to obtain detailed design data and to verify the accuracy of the performance model under actual operating conditions.