Microbial fuel cell-induced production of fungal laccase to degrade the anthraquinone dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The anthraquinone dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R is largely used in the textile industry. However, its removal from wastewaters is costly and complex. Many methods...     

Application of decision tools to ethical analysis in biodiversity conservation

Achieving ethically responsible decisions is crucial for the success of biodiversity conservation projects. We adapted the ethical matrix, decision tree, and Bateson's cube to assist in the ethical analysis of complex conservation scenarios by structuring these tools so that they can implement the different value dimensions (environmental, social, and animal welfare) involved in conservation ethics. We then applied them to a case study relative to the decision-making process regarding whether or not to continue collecting biomaterial on the oldest of the two remaining northern white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), a functionally extinct subspecies of the white rhinoceros. We used the ethical matrix to gather ethical pros and cons and as a starting point for a participatory approach to ethical decision-making. We used decision trees to compare the different options at stake on the basis of a set of ethical desiderata. We used Bateson's cube to establish a threshold of ethical acceptability and model the results of a simple survey. The application of these tools proved to be pivotal in structuring the decision-making process and in helping reach a shared, reasoned, and transparent decision on the best option from an ethical point of view among those available.     

Cycling Skill Inventory: Assessment of motor–tactical skills and safety motives

Abstract

Objective: It is well established within the traffic psychology literature that a distinction can be made between driving skill and driving style. The majority of self-report questionnaires have been developed for car drivers, whereas only limited knowledge exists on the riding skill and style of cyclists. Individual differences in cycling skills need to be understood in order to apply targeted interventions.

Methods: This study reports on a psychometric analysis of the Cycling Skill Inventory (CSI), a self-report questionnaire that asks cyclists to rate themselves from definitely weak to definitely strong on 17 items. Herein, we administered the CSI using an online crowdsourcing method, complemented with respondents who answered the questionnaire using paper and pencil (n?=?1,138 in total). Our analysis focuses on understanding the major sources of variance of the CSI and its correlates with gender, age, exposure, and self-reported accident involvement as a cyclist.

Results: The results showed that 2 components underlie the item data: Motor–tactical skills and safety motives. Correlational analyses indicated that participants with a higher safety motives score were involved in fewer self-reported cycling accidents in the past 3 years. The analysis also confirmed well-established gender differences, with male cyclists having lower safety motives but higher motor–tactical skills than female cyclists.

Conclusions: The nomological network of the CSI for cyclists is similar to that of the Driving Skill Inventory for car drivers. Safety motives are a predictor of self-reported accident involvement among cyclists.     

Liver alterations in Oreochromis niloticus (Pisces) induced by insecticide imidacloprid: Histopathology and heat shock protein in situ localization

Liver is very sensitive to environmental contaminants such as pesticides, it being the first target of toxicity of a substance. The objective of this study was to investigate the possible effects of the insecticide imidacloprid (IMI) on the liver of Oreochromis niloticus according concentrations used for growing sugarcane. A semi-quantitative analysis of histopathological alterations of IMI on liver was performed by light microscopy and cellular labeling of heat shock proteins (HSP70) by immunohistochemistry. The most common changes in liver at all concentrations of IMI were hydropic degeneration, pyknotic nuclei, and loss of cell limits. Steatosis and increased levels of HSP70 were detected in hepatocytes with the highest concentration of IMI. In conclusion, the tested concentrations of IMI induced histopathological changes in the liver of O. niloticus and active defence mechanisms to maintain the morphophysiological integrity of the liver. This insecticide has a toxicity potential for these fish, which is a non-target organism of its action.     

Use of multitracers for the study of water mixing in the Paraíba do Sul River estuary

Multitracers were used to study water mixing in the Paraíba do Sul River estuary region in August 2007 (dry season) and March 2008 (rainy season) and to evaluate the reach of the river plume in the direction of the open ocean. Two sampling campaigns were carried out, each in a different season. Based on these results, it was possible to conclude that the multitracers used in this study (salinity, Si, Ba and U, as well as the radium isotopes ²²³Ra, ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra) presented satisfactory results toward defining the plume reach and determining the residence time and water-mixing processes in the estuary. A strong correlation was observed between tracers and the distance to the coast. During the low river water discharge period, the riverine water took about 10 days to reach open ocean waters (salinity ∼ 35). During the rainy period this value decreased to 6 days. Based on the radium results, it was possible to calculate diffusion coefficients (K_h) of 23 km² d⁻¹ and 38 km² d⁻¹ for ²²⁴Ra and ²²³Ra, respectively, during the dry season (winter). Values of 65 km² d⁻¹ and 68 km² d⁻¹ for ²²³Ra and ²²⁴Ra, respectively, were found for the rainy period (summer).     

Dam the news: Newspapers and the Oldman River Dam project in Alberta

The Oldman River Dam is a major water control structure built by the Government of Alberta to regulate the flow of the Oldman River. Completed in 1992, the dam was the subject of intensive media coverage in Alberta, Canada. Newspaper coverage of the dam story in two Alberta papers, the CalgaryHeraldand the EdmontonJournal, was analysed for the years between 1975 and 1992. This study links coverage with events that occurred in the case, and analyses the role of the media in the case. While the media played an important role in shaping public awareness of the dam project, their influence on Government policy was mixed. In the early years of the case (1975–1980), there is evidence that the provincial Government changed its plans in response to public protests documented in media such as theHeraldand theJournal. However, after 1987, the Government came to see the media as biased, and not representative of public opinion. Consequently, their influence on policy makers was negligible. Patterns in coverage of both papers, which included wild swings from year-to-year in the number, emphasis and tone of items, can be explained with reference to inherent characteristics of the media. These include: an inability on the part of the papers to consider positive and negative aspects of issues simultaneously for any length of time, and a consequent tendency to provideeithera positiveora negative stance; simplification of very complex issues in an attempt to create accessible, newsworthy stories; rapid shifts in the tone of coverage, as attention focused on different dimensions of the issue, rather than because of new information; a focus on conflict and other sensational aspects of stories; and a tendency towards a rapid loss of interest in a story once journalistic attention shifts elsewhere.     

The potential for adoption of climate smart agricultural practices in Sub-Saharan livestock systems

Livestock systems play an important role in the livelihoods of many rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa while being responsible for an important share of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. This study aimed to evaluate the potential for adoption of climate smart agricultural practices in Sub-Saharan livestock systems, related to the improvement in feed, animal husbandry, and grassland management. These practices present productivity and mitigation benefits and in some cases may also contribute to enhance resilience. In this study, we used a data set of 1538 farm households across nine Sub-Saharan countries. A mixed logit model was used to assess the influence on adoption and to estimate the probability of adoption. Our results show that there seems to be stronger influence of physical and financial capitals on adoption than the other capitals. Different types of capitals influence the uptake of different agricultural practices. Yet the probability of adoption would change across countries. The results of this study could help to refine adoption estimates calculated through global or regional modelling approaches and to inform the design of policies to better target investments in order to foster adoption.