Prevalence of Conservation Design in an Agriculture-Dominated Landscape: The Case of Northern Indiana

We examined the prevalence of residential development that occurs with consideration of the natural features of the site, known as conservation design, within county-level planning jurisdictions across Northern Indiana. Using data from telephone interviews with representatives of planning departments, jurisdictions were ranked based on reported use of conservation design. Three categories of use emerged from the data: no use, use of individual practices associated with conservation design, and integration of multiple conservation design practices. Qualitative data analysis revealed that conservation design practices were not being used widely and, when used, were often used to fulfill stormwater requirements. Statistical analysis, using data from interviews, spatial data sets, and the U.S. Census Bureau, identified several significant positive predictors of the levels of conservation design use including conversion of forest or agricultural land cover to urban uses and education levels in the jurisdiction. Many of the interviewees noted that agricultural land is perceived to meet open space needs within their counties. Given that agricultural land does not fully meet all ecosystem needs, education about the benefits of other types of open space is suggested.

Effects of Selection Cutting and Landscape-Scale Harvesting on the Reproductive Success of Two Neotropical Migrant Bird Species

Abstract: We measured the effects of forest harvesting at two spatial scales on the productivity of two Neotropical migrant bird species, the Black-throated Blue Warbler (   Dendroica caerulescens ) and the Ovenbird (  Seiurus aurocapillus ). We selected two forest landscapes representing extremes in harvesting intensity for northwestern New Brunswick, Canada. Within each landscape, we selected study plots located either in recent (<5 years) selection-cut stands (30% removal every 20 years) or in stands that were lightly harvested at least 30 years ago. Black-throated Blue Warblers reached higher densities in selection cuts, but their reproductive performance ( pairing and fledging success) did not differ significantly between stand types (uncut vs. selection cut) or between landscape types (intensively vs. moderately harvested). In 1998, nonetheless, 61% of the estimated number of fledglings produced in our plots were born in selection cuts. In contrast, this proportion was only 23% for Ovenbirds in 1998 and 1999 combined. Ovenbirds had lower densities, and their reproductive performance was significantly lower in selection cuts than in uncut plots. These results indicate that the effects of selection cutting on demography are species-specific and that Ovenbird persistence in selection cuts may be compromised unless the intensity or frequency of cutting is decreased.     

Optimization of digestion parameters for analysing the total sulphur of mine tailings by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

The oxidation of sulphidic mine tailings and consequent acid generation poses challenges for the environment. Accurate and precise analysis of sulphur content is necessary for impact assessment and management of mine tailings. Here, the authors aim at developing a rapid and easy digestion procedure, which may analyse and measure the total amount of sulphur in mine tailings by using inductively coupled plasma. For evaluating effects of several variables, the researchers used a univariate (analysis of variance (ANOVA)) strategy and considered factors such as composition of the acid mixture, heating time, and refluxing device to optimize the performance. To do the experiment, the researchers have used two certified reference materials (KZK-1 and RTS-2) and samples of tailings from Musselwhite mine. ANOVA result shows that heating time is the most influencing factor on acid digestion of the reference materials whereas in case of a digestion of tailings sample, hydrochloric acid proved to be the most significant parameter. Satisfactory results between the measured and referenced values are found for all experiments. It is found that the aqua regia (1 ml HNO₃ + 3 ml HCl) digestion of 0.1 g of samples after only 40 min of heating at 95°C produced fast, safe, and accurate analytical results with a recovery of 97% for the selected reference materials.     

Bubble size distribution in a laboratory-scale electroflotation study

The performance of electroflotation (EF) is strongly influenced by the size of O₂ and H₂ bubbles. Therefore, in this study, the bubble sizes are measured in a lab-scale EF cell using a high-speed camera. The mean bubble size is found to vary in the range of 32.7–68.6 μm under different operating conditions. This study shows that the electrode material, current density, water pH, ionic strength, and frother (Tennafroth 250) concentration are important factors in controlling the bubble size. Furthermore, four mathematical distributions (normal, log-normal, Weibull, and gamma distributions) are fitted to the experimental data, among which the log-normal distribution is found to be the best fit based on the lower Anderson-Darling (AD) value.     

In vitro cytotoxicity assessment of a West Virginia chemical spill mixture involving 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol and propylene glycol phenyl ether

Thousands of gallons of industrial chemicals, crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) and propylene glycol phenyl ether (PPh), leaked from industrial tanks into the Elk River in Charleston, West Virginia, USA, on January 9, 2014. A considerable number of people were reported to exhibit symptoms of chemical exposure and an estimated 300,000 residents were advised not to use or drink tap water. At the time of the spill, the existing toxicological data of the chemicals were limited for a full evaluation of the health risks, resulting in concern among those in the impacted regions. In this preliminary study, we assessed cell viability and plasma membrane degradation following a 24-h exposure to varying concentrations (0–1000 μM) of the two compounds, alone and in combination. Evaluation of different cell lines, HEK-293 (kidney), HepG2 (liver), H9c2 (heart), and GT1-7 (brain), provided insight regarding altered cellular responses in varying organ systems. Single exposure to MCHM or PPh did not affect cell viability, except at doses much higher than the estimated exposure levels. Certain co-exposures significantly reduced metabolic activity and increased plasma membrane degradation in GT1-7, HepG2, and H9c2 cells. These findings highlight the importance of examining co-exposures to fully understand the potential toxic effects.     

Celebrity vegans and the lifestyling of ethical consumption

ABSTRACT

Veganism offers an important critique of unethical and unsustainable food production practices, yet vegans have been historically stigmatized in mainstream media. Given the recent prominence of celebrity vegans, this article asks, how might the cultural intermediary work of vegan celebrities make the ethical practice of veganism more accessible? And how do vegans’ ethical concerns about the exploitative production and consumption of animals as food and byproducts get reframed in the context of celebrity consumer culture? Bringing together philosophies of ethical veganism and eco-feminism with literature on ethical (food) consumption and celebrity culture, this article analyses the educational campaigning work on veganism by Hollywood actor, Alicia Silverstone and TV chat show host, Ellen DeGeneres. It finds that veganism is figured as a diet and lifestyle that foregrounds an ethics of care, compassion, kindness and emotion – about and for humans, animals and environment – consistent with ethical veganism. Yet these ethics are reworked through the commodity logic of celebrity culture to make it more marketable and thus consumable as a set of ideas and gendered lifestyle practices, where the individual choice is to be a healthy, happy and kind self. The tensions between ethical veganism as an intervention at the point of consumption within the production of exploitative and gendered human/animal/environmental relations, and the focus upon an individualized lifestyle politics through which celebrities maintain their commodity status, thus coalesce in the work of celebrity vegans.     

Chronic dietary exposure to pyrolytic and petrogenic mixtures of PAHs causes physiological disruption in zebrafish - part I: Survival and growth

The release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the environment has increased very substantially over the last decades leading to high concentrations in sediments of contaminated areas. To evaluate the consequences of long-term chronic exposure to PAHs, zebrafish were exposed, from their first meal at 5 days post fertilisation until they became reproducing adults, to diets spiked with three PAH fractions at three environmentally relevant concentrations with the medium concentration being in the range of 4.6–6.7 μg g^?1 for total quantified PAHs including the 16 US-EPA indicator PAHs and alkylated derivatives. The fractions used were representative of PAHs of pyrolytic (PY) origin or of two different oils of differing compositions, a heavy fuel (HO) and a light crude oil (LO). Fish growth was inhibited by all PAH fractions and the effects were sex specific: as determined with 9-month-old adults, exposure to the highest PY inhibited growth of females; exposure to the highest HO and LO inhibited growth of males; also, the highest HO dramatically reduced survival. Morphological analysis indicated a disruption of jaw growth in larvae and malformations in adults. Intestinal and pancreatic enzyme activities were abnormal in 2-month-old exposed fish. These effects may contribute to poor growth. Finally, our results indicate that PAH mixtures of different compositions, representative of situations encountered in the wild, can promote lethal and sublethal effects which are likely to be detrimental for fish recruitment.