Sampling for weed spatial distribution mapping need not be adaptive

Weeds are species of interest for ecologists because they are competitors of the crop for resources but they also play an important role in maintaining biodiversity in agroecosystems. To study their spatial distribution at the field scale, only sampled observations are available due to the cost of sampling. Weeds sampling strategies are static. However, in the domain of spatial sampling, adaptive strategies have also been developed with, for some of them, an important on-line or off-line computational cost. In this article we provide answers to the following question: Are the current adaptive sampling methods efficient enough to motivate a wider use in practice when sampling a weed species at a field scale? We provide a comparison of the behaviour of 8 static strategies and 3 adaptive ones on four criteria: density class estimation, map restoration, spatial aggregation estimation, and sampling duration. From two weeds data sets, we estimated six contrasted Markov Random Field (MRF) models of weed density class spatial distribution and a model for sampling duration. The MRF models were then used to compare the strategies on a large set of simulated maps. Our main finding was that there is no clear gain in using adaptive sampling strategies rather than static ones for the three first criteria, and adaptive strategies were associated to longer sampling duration. This conclusion points out that for weed mapping, it is more important to build a good model of spatial distribution, than to propose complex adaptive sampling strategies.     

Reuse of municipal solid wastes incineration fly ashes in concrete mixtures

This study is aimed at assessing the feasibility of concrete production using stabilized m.s.w. (municipal solid waste) incineration fly ashes in addition to natural aggregates. The tested fly ashes were washed and milled, then stabilized by a cement-lime process and finally were reused as a "recycled aggregate" for cement mixture production, in substitution of a natural aggregate (with dosage of 200-400 kg m(-3)). These mixtures, after curing, were characterized with conventional physical-mechanical tests (compression, traction, flexure, modulus of elasticity, shrinkage). In samples containing 200 kg(waste) m(-3)(concrete), a good compressive strength was achieved after 28 days of curing. Furthermore, concrete leaching behavior was evaluated by means of different leaching tests, both on milled and on monolithic samples. Experimental results showed a remarkable reduction of metal leaching in comparison with raw waste. In some cases, similar behavior was observed in "natural" concrete (produced with natural aggregates) and in "waste containing" concrete.     

A systemic methodology for risk management in healthcare sector

The recent biomedical, technological, and normative changes have led healthcare organizations to the implementation of clinical governance as a way to ensure the best quality of care in an increasingly complex environment. Risk management is one of the most relevant aspects of clinical governance and approaches put forward in literature highlight the necessity to perform comprehensive analyses intended to uncover root causes of adverse events.Contributing to this field, the present paper applies Reason’s theory of failures to work out a systemic methodology to study risks impacting not only directly but also indirectly on patients. Also, the steps of such approach are organized around Human Reliability Assessment phases, in order to take into account the human component of healthcare systems. This framework is able to foster effective decision making about reducing failures and waste and to improve healthcare organizations’ maturity towards risk management.The developed methodology is applied to the pharmacy department of a large Italian hospital. An extensive validation in different healthcare settings is required to fully prove benefits and limitations.     

Assessment of prenatal exposure to persistent organohalogen compounds from cord blood serum analysis in two Mediterranean populations (Valencia and Menorca)

Prenatal levels of organohalogen compounds (OHCs), including polybromodiphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes and DDTs, have been investigated in two different cohorts from the Spanish Mediterranean area, Valencia and Menorca, by analysis of cord blood serum. Comparison of the observed median concentrations to other cohorts shows low PBDE levels (2.8-6.5 ng g(-1) lipid) but high values of HCB (0.68 ng ml(-1), 260 ng g(-1) lipid) and PCBs (0.65 ng ml(-1), 240 ng g(-1) lipid) in the cohort of Menorca indicating that Mediterranean areas, and not only high latitude regions, may contain population groups highly exposed to some of these pollutants. Significant differences in the concentrations of these compounds have been found between the two cohorts. Differences in maternal population such as age or body mass index cannot explain this variation. One possible cause of variability is the seven year time period elapsed between the two cohort recruitments but the strong differences observed do not allow exclusion of local diet differences. Thus, the different average PCB congener distributions between the two cohorts suggest an influence from materials containing diverse PCB mixtures. The congener mixtures found in Menorca could reflect a diet contribution from some western Mediterranean fish species. These results provide baseline information on prenatal OHC background levels in the Mediterranean area.     

Supplying honey bees with waterers: a precautionary measure to reduce exposure to pesticides

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Water is essential for honey bees (Apis mellifera L.), but contaminated sources of water in agricultural environments represent a risk of exposure to...     

Constraints to implementation of sustainability indicator systems in five Asian cities

Contemporary studies on sustainability indicator systems (SISs) typically focus on the technical advancement of indicator construction, on qualitative impacts of indicator programmes and on impacts on governance, decision-making and sustainability as a social construct. Yet, their implementation so far has rarely been addressed, even though monitoring and the use of indicator results fall far behind the number of SISs developed. This study aims at the identification of requirements for the development of and constraints to the implementation of SISs in five Asian cities of developing countries. Interviews with local key actors are held, and a qualitative content analysis is carried out. Findings include evidence on the degree of indicator implementation in the case study cities, a hexagonal model for the classification of requirements and constraints, as well as general conclusions for barriers to the use of SISs.     

Opportunities and Challenges in Applying the 3Rs to Zoos and Aquariums

Since Russell and Burch (1959) suggested the principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement (3Rs) as a foundation for animal research, their influence has only grown in the research community. In this paper, we discuss whether the 3Rs can be constructively used as a prism to analyse decisions regarding the welfare of animals housed in zoos and aquariums (henceforth “zoo animals”). We analyse opportunities and challenges for each of the three Rs when applied to zoo animals. We discuss the following reasons to consider the use of the 3Rs in relation to zoo animals: (1) there are similarities between motivations for housing animals in zoos and using them in research that are ethically relevant to consider; (2) the professional zoo community has committed to progress towards evidence-based best practice models to ensure and enhance the welfare of animals housed in zoos; and (3) there is a growing public concern regarding the welfare of zoo animals which can, to some extent, be met by viewing current practices through the prism of the 3Rs.

     

Effects of olive mill wastewater and olive mill pomace on soil physicochemical properties and soil polyphenols

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Every year, worldwide olive oil extraction processes produce huge amounts of by-products such as (olive mill wastewater and olive mill pomace) in a...     

Valuations of Transport Nuisances and Cognitive Biases: A Survey Laboratory Experiment in the Pyrenees Region

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - We designed a survey that aims at estimating individual willingness-to-pay to reduce noise and air pollution arising from transportation activity near the...