Terrestrial Biodiversity Analyses in Dalmatia (Croatia): A Complementary Approach Using Diversity and Rarity

Here we present the methodology used for terrestrial biodiversity analysis and site selection in Phase B of the UNDP/GEF COAST project. The analysis was focused on the problem of biodiversity evaluation in four Croatian counties stretching from sea level to the highest mountain in Croatia. Data on habitats, vascular flora, and fauna (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, ground beetles, and underground invertebrates) were collected and analyzed for each of the four counties. Emphasis was given to the richness of endangered species and the rarity of endemic species. Based on the spatial analyses of habitat, fauna, and flora data, four to six areas were selected from each county and ranked according to their biodiversity importance. Overlap between areas important for richness and those important for rarity was highest for data on flora (65.5%) and lowest for data on fauna (16.7%). When different data sets were compared, the lowest overlap was between flora and fauna (17.1%) and largest between fauna and habitats (23.9%). Simultaneous overlap among all three data sets was found in just 6.5% of the overall selected areas. These results suggest that less specific data, with respect to taxa threat status, could better serve as surrogate data in estimating overall biodiversity. In summary, this analysis has demonstrated that Dalmatia is a region with a high overall biodiversity that is important in a broader European context.     

Depletion of selected polychlorinated biphenyl, dibenzodioxin, and dibenzofuran congeners in farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): a hint for safer fish farming

Farmed fish can be exposed to persistent organic contaminants--such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), and dibenzofurans (PCDFs)--via feed, this eventually resulting in accumulation levels of health concern. To study the correlation between feed contamination, chemical accumulation in fish muscle (fillet), and chemical depletion, an all-vegetal base (or blank) feed was prepared and fortified with a commercial PCB mixture (Aroclor 1254) and six PCDD and PCDF congeners (namely, 2,3,7,8-T(4)CDD, 2,3,7,8-T(4)CDF, 1,2,3,7,8-P(5)CDD, 1,2,3,7,8-P(5)CDF, O(8)CDD, and O(8)CDF) to reproduce realistic low, medium, and high contamination levels. After a 1-month exposure, trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were fed with the blank feed and sacrificed every 0.5 months over a 3-month period from exposure end; fillet specimens were sampled at each time. In all groups, the average fish weight increased linearly through the observation period. The chemical diminishing patterns observed were due to the combined effect of clearance and growth dilution: for 10 PCB and four PCDD and PCDF congeners, patterns were described with an empirical one-compartment (fish muscle) model. The canonical pseudo-first-order kinetic equation used was also modified into the form C=[C(0)exp(-k(C)t)] (m(W)t+1)(-1) to distinguish between the contributions to depletion from clearance, exp(-k(C)t), and growth dilution, (m(W)t+1)(-1). Most mean clearance half-life (HL(C)) estimates appear to be greater than 4 months, in a number of cases reaching magnitudes well over 10 months or even negative, thus clearly indicating a non-negligible contribution from a second compartment. Based on means and their 95% confidence intervals, the depletion HL(D) estimates of the 14 selected congeners seem to be comprised between 1.2-3.4 and 1.0-5.0 months, respectively: these values, accounting for both clearance and growth dilution, provide an indication of the relevance of a blank feed as a management option to reduce the overall PCB, PCDD, and PCDF content in farmed trout. Due to a lack of bioaccumulation, O(8)CDD and O(8)CDF yielded no results for evaluation, whereas for many PCB congeners results were insufficient for empirical modelling.     

Rhizosphere localized cationic peroxidase from barley roots is strongly activated by cadmium and correlated with root growth inhibition

The activity of Cd-induced POD isozyme isolated from the surface of intact barley roots growing under some abiotic stress conditions (toxic metals: Al, Co, Cu, Hg; drought, NaCl, extreme temperatures: heat, cold) and compounds activating (2,4-D) or inhibiting (SHAM) POD activity as well as H(2)O(2) and H(2)O(2) scavenger (DTT) was characterized. Strong Cd concentration-dependent accumulation of one cationic POD isozyme was observed on PAGE, which correlated with Cd- and other stress induced root growth inhibition. This isoPOD is basic with isoelectric point about 9 and its localization is restricted only to the apical part of the barley root tip.     

Computation of particles’ ascent from a cavity behind passing shock wave

We study numerically the dynamics of particles of dispersed phase in a turbulent gas flow in planar shock waves (SWs) sliding along a solid surface with a depression of trapezoid shape. The ascent of particles from the cavity walls has been computed in the approximation of a rarefied gas–particle mixture. A considerable influence of the passing SW strength and the initial location of particles on the characteristics of particles’ ascent, the non-monotonicity of the dependence of the particle-ascent height on the initial longitudinal coordinate, and the SW Mach number, and a possibility of the formation of particles’ accumulation and removal zones on the depression bottom are shown.     

Modeling of the long-term tropospheric trends of hydroxyl radical for the Northern Hemisphere

The MGO 2D (altitude–longitude) channel photochemical transport model has been applied to elucidate the spatial and temporal behavior of the hydroxyl radical in the troposphere of the northern temperate belt for the pre-industrial (1850) period and the last few decades (1960 and 1995). The relation between the tropospheric OH content and the carbon monoxide, methane, nitrogen oxides emissions during 1850–1995 is studied. The distribution of the carbon monoxide concentration is calculated and validated using the observational data collected in the different locations because of the geographical non-homogeneity of its emissions. The response of the hydroxyl radical concentrations to the non-homogeneity of the CO and other atmospheric species distribution is estimated. The carbon monoxide and methane contributions to the hydroxyl photochemical sink are also evaluated. Because the changes of OH in the troposphere alternate the intensity of methane and carbon monoxide oxidation, the CO, CH₄ and OH lifetime evolution due to the increase of anthropogenic pollution intensity is analyzed and discussed.     

Engineering meets institutions: an interdisciplinary approach to the management of resilience

Resilience management stretches across the decoupled domains of community, corporate, and public governance. As a result, fostering resilience needs a governance structure that supports collective actions and integrates fragmented fields with different institutional frameworks. In this study, we carry out a review of three different perspectives on resilience -engineering, social, and organizational- in order to explore resilience management in the context of governance of infrastructure systems. We discuss the common practices to address resilience of engineering systems, the need and current trend for integration of institutions into these practices through formal (e.g., policies and regulations) as well as informal mechanisms (e.g., trust, norms, and shared cognitive structures). To illustrate our theorizing, we provide three illustrative case studies. The cases highlight the barriers and enablers across the three perspectives and highlight the inter-organizational context of management of resilience. We uncovered organizational dynamics such as the necessity of establishing critical functionality through organizational capacity for stakeholder engagement, the need for diverse organizations to address institutional complexity in management of resilience, and the importance of decoupling in aligning the outcomes of resilience management practices with policies. We suggest an agenda for future research on managing practices associated with management of resilience.