Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) and Risk Assessment (RA) employ different approaches to evaluate toxic impact potential for their own general applications. LCIA is often used to evaluate toxicity potentials for corporate environmental management and RA is often used to evaluate a risk score for environmental policy in government. This study evaluates the cancer, non-cancer, and ecotoxicity potentials and risk scores of chemicals and industry sectors in the United States on the basis of the LCIA- and RA-based tools developed by U.S. EPA, and compares the priority screening of toxic chemicals and industry sectors identified with each method to examine whether the LCIA- and RA-based results lead to the same prioritization schemes. The Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts (TRACI) is applied as an LCIA-based screening approach with a focus on air and water emissions, and the Risk-Screening Environmental Indicator (RSEI) is applied in equivalent fashion as an RA-based screening approach. The U.S. Toxic Release Inventory is used as the dataset for this analysis, because of its general applicability to a comprehensive list of chemical substances and industry sectors. Overall, the TRACI and RSEI results do not agree with each other in part due to the unavailability of characterization factors and toxic scores for select substances, but primarily because of their different evaluation approaches. Therefore, TRACI and RSEI should be used together both to support a more comprehensive and robust approach to screening of chemicals for environmental management and policy and to highlight substances that are found to be of concern from both perspectives. 相似文献
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a perennial, warm-season grass that has been identified as a potential biofuel feedstock over a large part of North America. We examined above- and belowground responses to nitrogen fertilization in “Alamo” switchgrass grown in West Tennessee, USA. The fertilizer study included a spring and fall sampling of 5-year old switchgrass grown under annual applications of 0, 67, and 202 kg N ha?1 (as ammonium nitrate). Fertilization changed switchgrass biomass allocation as indicated by root:shoot ratios. End-of-growing season root:shoot ratios (mean ± SE) declined significantly (P ≤ 0.05) at the highest fertilizer nitrogen treatment (2.16 ± 0.08, 2.02 ± 0.18, and 0.88 ± 0.14, respectively, at 0, 67, and 202 kg N ha?1). Fertilization also significantly increased above- and belowground nitrogen concentrations and decreased plant C:N ratios. Data are presented for coarse live roots, fine live roots, coarse dead roots, fine dead roots, and rhizomes. At the end of the growing season, there was more carbon and nitrogen stored in belowground biomass than aboveground biomass. Fertilization impacted switchgrass tissue chemistry and biomass allocation in ways that potentially impact soil carbon cycle processes and soil carbon storage. 相似文献
Pharmaceuticals can enter the environment through disposal in toilets, sinks and general waste. In the UK, household medicines are correctly disposed of by returning them to a pharmacy. This study examined household patterns of medicine waste, storage and disposal practices via a cross-sectional survey with 663 UK adults. Multiple regression was used to explore the contribution of key variables on self-reported medicines disposal behaviour. Analysis demonstrated that age, information, awareness, probability, attitude and intention all predicted correct disposal behaviour. Results indicate that multiple factors influence different disposal destinations uniquely. Affect and age increase disposal in sink/toilet but reduce disposal in bin. Presence of children increase bin and sink/toilet disposal but decrease pharmacy returns. Awareness and received information on correct disposal reduce bin disposal and increase pharmacy returns. The results suggest people use different mental models for each destination with disposal in sink/toilets and bins considered quicker and safer in the presence of children or for those feeling anxious. It is important to understand the capability, opportunity and motivation people have to return medicines to the pharmacy in addition to raising awareness of correct medicine disposal.
We investigate a recent proposal that invasive species display patterns of spatial "spread regulation" analogous to density-dependent regulation of population abundances. While invasive species do offer valuable tests of ecological theories about spatial spread, we argue that the statistical approach used in the study is not useful, and that the proposed definition of "spread regulation" is likely to be confusing. While concepts of negative feedbacks in spatial spread may be reasonable, the proposed definition of "spread regulation" encompasses accelerating, constant, or decelerating spread. There is no compelling biological or practical reason to adopt such a definition. Moreover, we show that the statistical patterns (from time series of ratios of newly to recently invaded sites) proposed as evidence of spread regulation are predictable from basic diffusion models or other common models of constant spread with some stochasticity in dynamics and/or observations. Because such a wide range of processes would generate the observed patterns, no clear biological conclusions emerge from the proposed approach to spread analysis. When regarded in the context of the impacts and management of invasive species, the proposed regulation concept has the potential to create costly misunderstandings. 相似文献
Metaphase chromosomes and interphase nuclei from nine amniotic fluid cultures were studied with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The samples were initially analyzed with routine G-banding and were diagnosed as having true mosaicism (five patients) or pseudomosaicism (four patients). In our study, FISH analysis could provide additional information to distinguish pseudo– from true mosaicism by allowing interphase studies and analysis of an increased number of metaphase spreads. These results suggest a multilinear origin of ‘in situ’ colonies of cells. 相似文献
Although pathogens appear to have exerted significant selective pressure on various aspects of sociality, mechanisms of disease
resistance in the social insects are poorly understood. We report here on an immune response to infection by the dampwood
termite, Zootermopsis angusticollis. Nymphs immunized with an injection of 7.6×107, 7.6×105, or 7.6×104 cells/ml glutaraldehyde-killed solution of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa had significantly higher survivorship than controls following a challenge with a lethal concentration of active bacteria.
Similarly, nymphs exposed to a 9×10–1 spores/ml suspension of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae had higher survivorship than controls after a challenge with a lethal concentration of spores. Prior exposure to a pathogen
thus conferred upon termites a degree of protection during a subsequent encounter with the same pathogen. This represents
the first demonstration of immune function in vivo in a social insect.
Received: 18 May 1999 / Accepted in revised form: 26 August 1999 相似文献
The sabellid polychaete Sabellastarte spectabilis (Grube 1878) was collected at approximately monthly intervals from January 2002 to December 2003 from intertidal and subtidal
reefs near the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology in Kane’ohe Bay, Hawaii, USA (21°N, 157°W). Gametogenesis and spawning periodicity
were investigated using histological techniques and induction of spawning trials. Worms were characterized into four discrete
reproductive stages based on histological evidence: (1) No evidence of reproductive activity in the coelom (sex cannot be
determined), (2) Only coelomocytes present in the coelom (sex cannot be determined), (3) Some gametes present in the coelom
(sex can be determined) and (4) Coelom densely packed with gametes (sex can be determined). The small hermaphroditic portion
of the population was not used in this study. Stage 4 worms were present over an extended period of time (females, March–December
and males, March–November) indicating a potentially broad reproductive season. No correlation between day length and maturation
stages in S. spectabilis was detected. However, the statistical model Y = ([394.26 × X] − [7.793 × X2]) − 4960.781 where Y the % frequency of Stage 4 worms and X the mean monthly water temperature explained 44% of the variation between water temperature and % frequency of Stage 4 worms.
Maturation appeared to coincide with water temperatures of 24–25°C (March–September) after which there is a reduction in the
% frequency of stage 4 individuals. Induction of spawning trials conducted between May and January showed the month of October
with a significantly higher percent success than any other month investigated. According to all available information (e.g.,
natural spawning in water tables, histological data, induction of spawning trials, correlation of maturation stages with observed
changes in average monthly water temperature.), there is an apparent peak in reproductive activity (spawning) within a broad
maturational season, which may be influenced by water temperature. 相似文献
This paper reports a case of chromosomal mosaicism for trisomy 5 recovered from amniotic fluid cells and from skin fibroblasts of a liveborn dysmorphic male. Routine amniocentesis was performed at 16 weeks' gestation because of parental concern. Trisomy 5 cells were measured from 25 per cent of amniocytes from two culture vessels. No further invasive testing was performed until 32 weeks' gestation, at which time ultrasound examination showed fetus with intrauterine growth retardation. Fetal blood sampling was then performed, with only karyotypically normal cells recovered. At birth, the child was found to have multiple dysmorphic features and congenital anomalies, including an eventration of the diaphragm and ventricular septal defect, both of which required surgical correction. Chromosomal analysis of cord blood lymphocytes indicated 46,XY; however, 20 per cent of the cultured fibroblasts obtained from the chest skin at the incision site for diaphragmatic repair had a 47,XY,+5 karyotype. Trisomy 5 mosaicism may be another example of tissue-limited mosaicism. Fetal blood sampling can then be falsely reassuring. Furthermore, because some cell lines rarely appear in lymphocyte populations, cytogenetic analysis of multiple tissues warranted as part of the evaluation of individuals with developmental delay and dysmorphic features. 相似文献