Metal concentrations and potential health risk in clam (Meretrix lyrata Sowerby 1851) tissues from East Java Coast,Indonesia

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment - Global environmental changes not only contribute to the modification of global pollution transport pathways but can also alter contaminant fate within the...     

Calculated physical properties of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans

The modified neglect of diatomic overlap (MNDO) method, a semi-empirical molecular orbital calculation, has been used to calculate the heats of formation, ionization potentials, dipole moments, and LUMOs (lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals) for all of the tetra, penta, hexa, hepta, and octa-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans. These data have been used to predict gas chromatographic retention indexes.     

The Adaptation for Conservation Targets (ACT) Framework: A Tool for Incorporating Climate Change into Natural Resource Management

As natural resource management agencies and conservation organizations seek guidance on responding to climate change, myriad potential actions and strategies have been proposed for increasing the long-term viability of some attributes of natural systems. Managers need practical tools for selecting among these actions and strategies to develop a tailored management approach for specific targets at a given location. We developed and present one such tool, the participatory Adaptation for Conservation Targets (ACT) framework, which considers the effects of climate change in the development of management actions for particular species, ecosystems and ecological functions. Our framework is based on the premise that effective adaptation of management to climate change can rely on local knowledge of an ecosystem and does not necessarily require detailed projections of climate change or its effects. We illustrate the ACT framework by applying it to an ecological function in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, USA)-water flows in the upper Yellowstone River. We suggest that the ACT framework is a practical tool for initiating adaptation planning, and for generating and communicating specific management interventions given an increasingly altered, yet uncertain, climate.     

Prenatal genetic considerations of congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT)

Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) constitute 20% of all congenital malformations occurring in one in 500 live births. Worldwide, CAKUT are responsible for 40% to 50% of pediatric and 7% of adult end-stage renal disease. Pathogenic variants in genes causing CAKUT include monogenic diseases such as polycystic kidney disease and ciliopathies, as well as syndromes that include isolated kidney disease in conjunction with other abnormalities. Prenatal diagnosis most often occurs using ultrasonography; however, further genetic diagnosis may be made using a variety of testing strategies. Family history and pathologic examination can also provide information to improve the ability to make a prenatal diagnosis of CAKUT. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of genetic considerations in the prenatal diagnosis of CAKUT disorders. Specifically, we discuss monogenic causes of CAKUT, associated ultrasound characteristics, and considerations for genetic diagnosis, antenatal care, and postnatal care.     

A national critical loads framework for atmospheric deposition effects assessment: II. Defining assessment end points,indicators, and functional subregions

The United States Environmental Protection Agency, with support from the US Department of Energy and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, has been evaluating the feasibility of an effects-based (critical loads) approach to atmospheric pollutant regulation and abatement. The rationale used to develop three of the six steps in a flexible assessment framework (Strickland and others, 1992) is presented along with a discussion of a variety of implementation approaches and their ramifications. The rationale proposes that it is necessary to provide an explicit statement of the condition of the resource that is considered valuable (assessment end point) because: (1) individual ecosystem components may be more or less sensitive to deposition, (2) it is necessary to select indicators of ecosystem condition that can be objectively measured and that reflect changes in the quality of the assessment end point, and (3) acceptable status (i.e., value of indicator and quality of assessment end point at critical load) must be defined. The rationale also stresses the importance of defining the assessment regions and subregions to improve the analysis and understanding of the indicator response to deposition. Subregional definition can be based on a variety of criteria, including informed judgment or quantitative procedures. It also depends on the geographic scale at which exposure and effects models are accurate and on data availability, resolution, and quality. The research described in this article has been funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency. This document has been prepared at the EPA Environmental Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, through contract #68-C8-0006 with ManTech Environmental Technology, Inc., and Interagency Agreement #1824-B014-A7 with the US Department of Energy and at Oak Ridge National Laboratory managed by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., under Contract DE-AC05-84OR21400 with the US Department of Energy. Environmental Sciences Division Publication No. 3903. It has been subjected to the agency’s peer and administrative review and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.     

Interactions of risk analysis and contingency planning in risk management

Risk management entails knowledge of the risk and how best to reduce it; its objective is to minimize losses arising from existing or potential risk. With effective contingency planning, risk analysis and its corollary, consequence analysis, can contribute synergistically to improved risk management. Until recently, risk analysis and contingency or emergency response planning were considered distinct disciplines with little interactive potential. Fortunately, industry now recognizes that linking the two can help ensure public safety as well as preserve the financial integrity of plant owners. Both areas are receiving increased and well-deserved attention; several incidents in recent years have demonstrated that losses could have been greatly reduced if better precautions and procedures had been in place as a result of risk analysis and contingency planning.     

The influence of individual differences on organizational safety attitudes

Workplace accidents cost organizations and the economy billions of dollars annually, disabling and injuring millions of employees. Employee attitudes toward safety have been shown to relate to safe workplace behavior. In an effort to determine what contributes to stronger employee attitudes toward safety, we examined the relationships between safety attitudes and a wide array of individual differences reflecting preferences and tendencies toward risk and control. Using a sample of 190 engineering and occupational safety students from two universities, we found that agreeableness, conscientiousness, prevention regulatory focus, and fatalism related significantly to all six safety attitudes examined. Regression analyses demonstrated that agreeableness, prevention focus, and fatalism significantly related to safety attitudes when controlling for the other individual differences. This study illustrates the utility of examining individual differences when predicting safety-related attitudes.     

Combustion as the Principal Source of Carbonaceous Aerosol in the Ohio River Valley

Organic and elemental carbon and a number of carboxylic acids and n-alkanes were measured in aerosol samples collected at three sites in the Ohio River Valley between October 1980 and August 1981. Approximately 100 filters were analyzed for organic and elemental carbon for each site. For the 11-month period organic and elemental carbon comprised about 19 percent of the total aerosol mass with about two-thirds of the carbon as organic. Regression analysis showed that the principal source of organic carbon was combustion. The measurements of the specific organic compounds indicated a weak biogenic component to the organic aerosol.     

Changes in persistent contaminant concentration and CYP1A1 protein expression in biopsy samples from northern bottlenose whales, Hyperoodon ampullatus, following the onset of nearby oil and gas development

A small population of endangered northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) inhabits "The Gully" a Marine Protected Area on the Scotian Shelf, eastern Canada. Amid concerns regarding nearby oil and gas development, we took 36 skin and blubber biopsy samples in 1996-1997 (prior to major development) and 2002-2003 (five years after development began), and three samples from a population in the Davis Strait, Labrador in 2003. These were analysed for cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) protein expression (n=36), and for persistent contaminants (n=23). CYP1A1 showed generally low expression in whales from The Gully, but higher levels during 2003, potentially coincident with recorded oil spills, and higher levels in Davis Strait whales. A range of PCB congeners and organochlorine compounds were detected, with concentrations similar to other North Atlantic odontocetes. Concentrations were higher in whales from The Gully than from the Davis Strait, with significant increases in 4,4'-DDE and trans-nonachlor in 2002-2003 relative to 1996-1997.     

Assessing the construct validity and utility of two new influence tactics

Progress in developing theories of interpersonal influence depends on the identification of meaningful and measurable constructs for classifying influence behavior. We assessed the construct validity and relative effectiveness of two new influence tactics with a field survey study, an incident study, and a laboratory experiment. The confirmatory factor analysis of data from the survey study indicated that collaboration and apprising were distinct from nine proactive tactics identified in earlier research. Additional evidence for construct validity was provided by a comparison of tactics in terms of expected differences in influence outcomes, frequency of use, and differential use with subordinates and peers. Managers who understand the differences among the tactics will be more effective in influencing people in organizations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.