A multi-criteria geographic information systems approach for the measurement of vulnerability to climate change

A flexible procedure for the development of a multi-criteria composite index to measure relative vulnerability under future climate change scenarios is presented. The composite index is developed using the Weighted Ordered Weighted Average (WOWA) aggregation technique which enables the selection of different levels of trade-off, which controls the degree to which indicators are able to average out others. We explore this approach in an illustrative case study of the United States (US), using future projections of widely available indicators quantifying flood vulnerability under two scenarios of climate change. The results are mapped for two future time intervals for each climate scenario, highlighting areas that may exhibit higher future vulnerability to flooding events. Based on a Monte Carlo robustness analysis, we find that the WOWA aggregation technique can provide a more flexible and potentially robust option for the construction of vulnerability indices than traditionally used approaches such as Weighted Linear Combinations (WLC). This information was used to develop a proof-of-concept vulnerability assessment to climate change impacts for the US Army Corps of Engineers. Lessons learned in this study informed the climate change screening analysis currently under way.     

Ultrasonographic diagnosis of a fetal abdominal mass: A case of a mesenchymal liver hamartoma and a review of the literature

A case of a prenatally recognized hepatic mesenchymal hamartoma is presented and the literature reviewed. These tumors are benign and usually present in early infancy with symptoms that are related to the mass effect on adjacent organs. Radiologic methods used in the past to image this tumor include angiography and ultrasound. However, there is no specific radiologic finding, and, therefore, the diagnosis is usually made during surgery. Once the tumor is removed, the prognosis is generally good. With the increasing use of high resolution ultrasound in prenatal diagnosis, this rare tumor should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any multicystic mass found in the fetal abdomen. The recognition of a mass should then alert the physician to the need for early neonatal intervention.     

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Apparent segregation of null alleles ascribed to deletions of the ornithine transcarbamylase gene in congenital hyperammonaemia

Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency is an X-linked disorder of the urea cycle mapped to chromosome Xp21.1. Here, we show that apparent segregation of null alleles at the OTC locus and flanking polymorphic loci mimicked false maternity or false paternity in three affected families. Based on these observations, we suggest giving consideration to gene deletion when dealing with segregation of null alleles in OTC deficiency.     

Survival, Pb-uptake and behaviour of three species of earthworm in Pb treated soils determined using an OECD-style toxicity test and a soil avoidance test

Mature (clitellate) Eisenia andrei Bouché (ultra epigeic), Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister (epigeic), and Aporrectodea caliginosa (Savigny) (endogeic) earthworms were placed in soils treated with Pb(NO(3))(2) to have concentrations in the range 1,000 to 10,000 mg Pb kg(-1). After 28 days LC50(-95%confidence limit)(+95%confidence limit) values were E. andrei 5824(-361)(+898) mg Pb kg(-1), L. rubellus 2867(-193)(+145) mg Pb kg(-1) and A. caliginosa2747(-304)(+239) mg Pb kg(-1) and EC50s for weight change were E. andrei2841(-68)(+150) mg Pb kg(-1), L. rubellus1303(-201)(+240) mg Pb kg(-1) and A. caliginosa1208(-206)(+212) mg Pb kg(-1). At any given soil Pb concentration, Pb tissue concentrations after 28 days were the same for all three earthworm species. In a soil avoidance test there was no difference between the behaviour of the different species. The lower sensitivity to Pb exhibited by E. andrei is most likely due to physiological adaptations associated with the modes of life of the earthworms, and could have serious implications for the use of this earthworm as the species of choice in standard toxicological testing.     

The Binghamton state office building PCB, dioxin and dibenzofuran electrical transformer incident: 1981–1986

The Binghamton State Office Building (BSOB) polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and chlorinated benzene containing electrical transformer arcing and fire incident of February 5, 1981, was the first recognized incident of its kind. A surge of excess electricity led to an electrical panel malfunction at 5:30 AM. For about 30 minutes intense heat was generated as electrical arcing occurred. Dense smoke containing polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) as well as biphenylenes billowed up through air shafts and contaminated all areas of the building later tested for these chemicals. This incident was the first outside a laboratory setting to demonstrate the conversion of PCBs, in the presence of oxygen and heat, to PCDFs, and of the chlorinated benzenes to PCDDs. It demonstrated a hitherto unsuspected potential health hazard of PCB and chlorinated benzene containing electrical transformers, and by implication, capacitors, when not properly separated from areas of buildings used by workers and public. The building has been shut since then and an estimated $40,000,000 may be spent on direct cleanup and rehabilitative costs prior to reopening of the building, if it is to be reopened. Elevated levels of serum PCBs were detected in workers, eg., firefighters initially involved in the fire, which stabilized at lower levels later in the year. Elevated penta- and hexa- chlorinated furan isomers corresponding to isomers found in the soot (and identical to some Yusho isomers) were found in some cleanup workers. Electron microscopy of percutaneous liver biopsies of three patients chemically exposed from the incident showed lesions similar to those seen in guinea pigs fed the soot, which was biologically quite active. This incident, and others occurring afterward, has led the US Environmental Protection Agency to ban PCB containing transformers from similar buildings.     

Levels of dioxins, dibenzofurans and selected other chlorinated organic compounds in food from Russia

Food is considered to be the main source of dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) for human intake, but there are relatively few publications reporting the levels of dioxins and furans in food samples.^(1–4) Food samples from western to eastern Russia were collected during three recent trips by one of us (AS), and tested for dioxins and dibenzofurans to provide some indication of environmental contamination. The results show that in specific food samples there are more dioxins present than dibenzofurans, but in fish samples the opposite is true. We compare the levels found in Russian food with levels found in samples from other countries, on both wet weight and lipid basis. These Russian samples show ranges similar to but slightly lower than those seen in other industrial countries.     

Effective biological control of Salvinia molesta in the Senegal River by means of the weevil Cyrtobagous salviniae

The invasion of Salvinia molesta in the Lower Senegal River Delta in Mauritania and Senegal in 1999 posed a serious threat to the socioeconomic conditions of the local people as well as to wetland biodiversity. Eventually, an effective biological control of S. molesta was obtained by means of the weevil Cyrtobagous salviniae, which was introduced in the river in Senegal and Mauritania in May 2000 and in Senegal in April 2001. In October 2001, it became apparent that the weevils were doing a magnificent job. The color of the plants was turning from green to dark-brown or black, and subsequently the plants started to sink to the bottom. Detailed monitoring of the dispersal of C. salviniae in November-December 2001 confirmed the visual observations of the outcome of biological control. In April 2002, it could be concluded that S. molesta was no longer a problem in the Senegal River.     

Changes in water quality after addition of sea salts to fresh water: implications during toxicity testing

Sea salts (seven brands from six commercially-available sources) were dissolved in water to develop 30 g/l solutions, and selected water quality characteristics were then monitored for 96 h. One or more water quality characteristics changed significantly during the 96 h period in six of the reconstituted sea salts. Measured characteristics of sea water diluted to 30 g/l demonstrated no changes during the observation period. The sea salts from different sources also demonstrated differences in absolute concentrations of some characteristics measured. Application of the Biotic Ligand Model to predict copper toxicity to the bivalve Mytilus edulis in solutions of the salts tested yielded 96-h median-lethal concentrations that ranged from 2 to 13 μg/l. Since water quality affects toxicity of many environmental pollutants, the source of the sea salt and equilibration time should be considered when planning toxicity tests.     

The Use of Species-decline Statistics to Help Target Conservation Policy for Set-aside Arable Land

The set-aside scheme of the E.C. is a way of dealing with the socio-economic problem of food surpluses, but it also presents opportunities for environmental benefits. To help target set-aside policies, three groups of species (scarce plants, butterflies and grasshoppers) were analysed by present and past distribution and by habitat. In those biotopes which could be restored using set-aside land, chalk grassland has shown the greatest decline of scarce plants, and the two insect groups have declined the most in heathland, water-fringe vegetation and woodland edges. However, declines were also observed for other biotopes. These and other data suggest that conservation efforts on a set-aside land should not be concentrated on a particular kind of habitat, but should address a diversity of habitats in a diversity of locations. This conclusions has been used to help defined the 1993 set-aside schemes for the U.K.