A pilot study to assess residential endotoxin and blood IgE in a group of pregnant women from Trujillo, Peru

OBJECTIVE: This November 2003 pilot study investigates the correlation between serum IgE and residential endotoxin levels from a group of 18 pregnant women living in Trujillo, Peru, and investigates the impact of the demographic and lifestyle factors of this group on the IgE and endotoxin levels measured. METHODS: Serum samples were collected from 19 subjects and analyzed for IgE. Dust samples were collected from the mattresses of 18 subjects and measured for endotoxin levels. A questionnaire was used to obtain demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle information for each subject. RESULTS: Geometric means for IgE and endotoxin were 246.8 (GSD=4.3, n=19) IU/mL and 66.5 EU/mg (GSD=1.7, n=18), respectively. Log-transformed IgE and endotoxin were not correlated (R2=0.02; p=0.60). CONCLUSIONS: Residential endotoxin and serum IgE were not correlated in this group. Potential selection bias and sample size are major limitations of the study. However, 74% (14/19) of the subjects in this study had an IgE over 100 IU/mL, a level generally considered elevated.     

Effects of building aspect ratio, diurnal heating scenario, and wind speed on reactive pollutant dispersion in urban street canyons

A photochemistry coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based numerical model has been developed to model the reactive pollutant dispersion within urban street canyons, particularly integrating the interrelationship among diurnal heating scenario (solar radiation affections in nighttime, daytime, and sun-rise/set), wind speed, building aspect ratio (building-height-to-street-width), and dispersion of reactive gases, specifically nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and ozone (O₃) such that a higher standard of air quality in metropolitan cities can be achieved. Validation has been done with both experimental and numerical results on flow and temperature fields in a street canyon with bottom heating, which justifies the accuracy of the current model. The model was applied to idealized street canyons of different aspect ratios from 0.5 to 8 with two different ambient wind speeds under different diurnal heating scenarios to estimate the influences of different aforementioned parameters on the chemical evolution of NO, NO₂ and O₃. Detailed analyses of vertical profiles of pollutant concentrations showed that different diurnal heating scenarios could substantially affect the reactive gases exchange between the street canyon and air aloft, followed by respective dispersion and reaction. Higher building aspect ratio and stronger ambient wind speed were revealed to be, in general, responsible for enhanced entrainment of O₃ concentrations into the street canyons along windward walls under all diurnal heating scenarios. Comparatively, particular attention can be paid on the windward wall heating and nighttime uniform surface heating scenarios.     

Sexual dimorphism in immune function changes during the annual cycle in house sparrows

Difference between sexes in parasitism is a common phenomenon among birds, which may be related to differences between males and females in their investment into immune functions or as a consequence of differential exposure to parasites. Because life-history strategies change sex specifically during the annual cycle, immunological responses of the host aiming to reduce the impact of parasites may be sexually dimorphic. Despite the great complexity of the immune system, studies on immunoecology generally characterise the immune status through a few variables, often overlooking potentially important seasonal and gender effects. However, because of the differences in physiological and defence mechanisms among different arms of the immune system, we expect divergent responses of immune components to environmental seasonality. In male and female house sparrows (Passer domesticus), we measured the major components of the immune system (innate, acquired, cellular and humoral) during four important life-history stages across the year: (1) mating, (2) breeding, (3) moulting and (4) during the winter capture and also following introduction to captivity in aviary. Different individuals were sampled from the same population during the four life cycle stages. We found that three out of eight immune variables showed a significant life cycle stage × sex interaction. The difference in immune response between the sexes was significant in five immune variables during the mating stage, when females had consistently stronger immune function than males, while variables varied generally non-significantly with sex during the remaining three life cycle stages. Our results show that the immune system is highly variable between life cycle stages and sexes, highlighting the potential fine tuning of the immune system to specific physiological states and environmental conditions.     

The role of body size in early mating behavior in a simultaneous hermaphrodite, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chelidonura sandrana</Emphasis>

Intraspecific variation in mating behavior is widespread among simultaneous hermaphrodites but its underlying sources remain largely unexplored. In the sea slug Chelidonura sandrana, most matings are reciprocal. However, despite non-conditional sperm exchange and potential polygamy-mediated benefits, 30% of matings end after unilateral insemination. To resolve this apparent inconsistency, we here investigated the effect of body size on the frequency of reciprocal matings by testing the following two hypotheses. First, sex-allocation theory predicts that the likelihood of reciprocity depends on the size difference between mating partners. Second, if both sex functions temporally differ in reaching maturity, reciprocal matings should be more frequent with increasing absolute body size of the smaller partner. The likelihood of reciprocity increased with body size of the smaller partner. Moreover, smaller individuals acted more often as males among unilateral matings. These findings suggest that the ability to donate sperm develops prior to female functionality in C. sandrana.     

New insights into the benefits of flood warnings: Results from a household survey in England and Wales

The flood defence agency in England and Wales has been pursuing a programme of flood warning system enhancement, engaging householders at risk in improving their warning responses. The immediate aim of this paper is to test and revise a model of economic benefits of warnings, but the survey data also generate insights into the constraints acting upon flood warning responses. Damage saving is less than previously anticipated: warning reliability and householder availability problems limit savings. Warnings are less likely to be received by those in lower social grades, and flood warning lead time is a factor in avoiding damage. The survey data indicate the complexities involved in improving flood warning response, and provide policy pointers.     

Doing good,but looking bad? Local perceptions of two humanitarian organisations in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

This paper examines local perceptions of two international humanitarian organisations, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Malteser International, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (formerly known as Zaire). At times, the self‐perception of these organisations differs considerably from the perceptions of local beneficiaries and stakeholders. This study begins by reviewing the current status of research on local perceptions of externally‐introduced humanitarian action. It goes on to discuss the local perceptions of the IRC and Malteser International, as well as the origins of these perceptions, and to show that three different narratives are used by local actors to explain their different perceptions. The paper ends with an examination of the factors that help to account for the differences in perceptions and of the implications of this type of research for humanitarian principles and management, as well as for the study of local perceptions.     

SCRAM: A scoring and ranking system for persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances for the North American Great Lakes

Hundreds of chemical contaminants have been identified in the Great Lakes System of North America. Depending on the agency or organization, various subset lists of these contaminants have been identified as chemicals of potential concern. However, there is no agreement on the method that should be used to make management decisions. Except for consensus on approximately 40 chemicals that most North American agencies agree can cause deleterious effects if released into the environment, no agreement has been reached regarding the priority that contaminants should receive for further action. That leaves hundreds of chemicals that have been, are being, or potentially could be released into the environment that have not been evaluated yet. A profile for potential chemicals of concern is generally thought to include persistence in the environment, potential to bioaccumulate, and ability to cause toxic effects at environmentally relevant concentrations. Except for the International Joint Commission’s definition of persistence (> 8 weeks residence time in air, water, soil or sediment), there is little concurrence about what defines these characteristics. For instance, the State of Michigan currently has no established definitions or profiles of persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic substances. Furthermore, there is no standard process to rank chemicals relative to these characteristics. The Chemical Scoring and Ranking Assessment Model (SCRAM) has been developed to provide a process to rank-order chemicals based on these characteristics. The SCRAM system was developed primarily for use in the Great Lakes region of North America and particularly in Michigan, but it is not site-specific. Use of this system may assist in pollution prevention activities and other future chemical control efforts, allowing attention to be focused first on those chemicals likely to present the greatest hazard.     

Ascorbic acid, β-carotene, sugars, phenols, and heavy metals in sweet potatoes grown in soil fertilized with municipal sewage sludge

Municipal sewage sludge (MSS) used for land farming typically contains heavy metals that might impact crop quality and human health. A completely randomized experimental design with three treatments (six replicates each) was used to monitor the impact of mixing native soil with MSS or yard waste (YW) mixed with MSS (YW +MSS) on: i) sweet potato yield and quality; ii) concentration of seven heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Mo, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Ni) in sweet potato plant parts (edible roots, leaves, stem, and feeder roots); and iii) concentrations of ascorbic acid, total phenols, free sugars, and β-carotene in sweet potato edible roots at harvest. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for total and extractable metals using two extraction procedures, concentrated nitric acid (to extract total metals from soil) as well as CaCl? solution (to extract soluble metals in soil that are available to plants), respectively. Elemental analyses were performed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Overall, plant available metals were greater in soils amended with MSS compared to control plots. Concentration of Pb was greater in YW than MSS amendments. Total concentrations of Pb, Ni, and Cr were greater in plants grown in MSS+YW treatments compared to control plants. MSS+YW treatments increased sweet potato yield, ascorbic acid, soluble sugars, and phenols in edible roots by 53, 28, 27, and 48%, respectively compared to plants grown in native soil. B-carotene concentration (157.5 μg g?1 fresh weight) was greater in the roots of plants grown in MSS compared to roots of plants grown in MSS+YW treatments (99.9 μg g?1 fresh weight). Concentration of heavy metals in MSS-amended soil and in sweet potato roots were below their respective permissible limits.     

Seasonal variations of hydroxylated and methoxylated brominated diphenyl ethers in blue mussels from the Baltic Sea

Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) and methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-PBDEs) found at high levels in the Baltic biota are mainly natural products, but can also be formed through metabolism or abiotic oxidation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The formation of OH-PBDEs is of concern since there is growing evidence of phenolic toxicity. This study investigates seasonal variations in levels of OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs, focusing on an exposed species, the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), sampled in the Baltic Sea in May, June, August and October of 2008. Both the OH-PBDE and MeO-PBDE levels in the mussels showed seasonal variations from May to October, the highest concentration of each congener appearing in June. The seasonal variation was more marked for OH-PBDEs than in MeO-PBDEs, but all congeners showed the same trends, except 6-MeO-BDE47 and 2′-MeO-BDE68, which did not significantly decline in concentrations after June. Biotic or abiotic debromination is suggested as a possible reason for the rapid decrease in methoxylated penta- and hexa-BDE concentrations observed in blue mussels from June to August, while the tetraBDE concentrations were stable. In addition, 1,3,7/1,3,8-tribrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins showed the same seasonal variation. The seasonal variations indicates natural formation and are unlikely to be due to transformation of anthropogenic precursors. The levels of PBDEs were fairly constant over time and considerably lower than those of the OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs. The timing of the peaks in concentrations suggests that filamentous macro-algae may be important sources of these compounds found in the blue mussels from this Baltic Sea location.     

Aerial and terrestrial-based monitoring of channel erosion,headcutting, and sinuosity

Headcuts are points of accelerated channel erosion that frequently have ecological consequences. A particularly large and dynamic headcut in southwest Wyoming has affected natural and anthropogenic resources for decades. To better understand and address this issue, we undertook a review of the headcut’s upstream retreat, followed by photogrammetric monitoring of the present condition for erosion monitoring. Aerial photography shows the Bitter Creek headcut retreated >?200 m upstream in 68 years (1948–2016) at ~?1.4 m year^?1. Following installation of a concrete slab structure in the mid-1970s, headcut retreat slowed to ~?0.5 m year^?1. Channel sinuosity downstream of the headcut is greater than upstream, which we attribute to the presence of the headcut, given that there are no major changes in valley geometry, geology, or soils through this reach. Both aerial and terrestrial-based image platforms were used to collect stereo imagery and create 3D photogrammetric models of the headcut in 2016. From these two models, we measured soil loss downstream of the headcut at ~?126 m³ m^?1 valley length. Since 1954, soil loss within the channel has been ~?98 m³ year^?1 or ~871 t ha^?1 year^?1since then. Models created from aerial- and terrestrial-based images differed in volumetric estimates by 2%, indicating that either method could be used for this type of monitoring. The ground-based imagery model showed more detail, especially on vertical and overhanging surfaces, while the aerial imagery model produced a more realistic orthomosaic and efficiently covered a larger area. Ground-based image acquisition took longer and was more costly per unit area, but is an efficient method for small project areas, or areas where aerial imagery cannot be safely or practically acquired. Historical imagery and photogrammetric modeling proved very useful in elucidating stream dynamics associated with this large, dynamic headcut.