Plant uptake of radiocaesium from artificially contaminated soil monoliths covering major European soil types

Uptake of ¹³⁷Cs was measured in different agricultural plant species (beans, lettuce, barley and ryegrass) grown in 5 undisturbed soil monoliths covering major European soil types. The first cultivation was made three years after soil contamination and plants were grown during 3 successive years. The plant–soil ¹³⁷Cs transfer factors varied maximally 12-fold among soils and 35-fold among species when grown on the same soil. Single correlations between transfer factors and soil properties were found, but they varied widely with plant type and can hardly be used as a predictive tool because of the few soils used. The variation of ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in plants among soils was related to differences in soil solution ¹³⁷Cs and K concentrations, consistent with previous observations in hydroponics and pot trials. Absolute values of transfer factors could not be predicted based on a model validated for pot trials. The ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in soil solution decreased significantly (11- to 250-fold) for most soils in the 1997–1999 period and is partly explained by decreasing K in soil solution. Transfer factors of lettuce showed both increasing and decreasing trends between 2 consecutive years depending on soil type. The trends could be explained by the variation in ¹³⁷Cs and K concentrations in soil solution. It is concluded that differences in ¹³⁷Cs transfer factors among soils and trends in transfer factors as a function of time can be explained from soil solution composition, as shown previously for pot trials, although absolute values of transfer factors could not be predicted.     

Satellite observations of Mexico City pollution outflow from the Tropospheric Emissions Spectrometer (TES)

Concurrent tropospheric O₃ and CO vertical profiles from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) during the MILAGRO/INTEX-B aircraft campaigns over the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) and its surrounding regions were used to examine Mexico City pollution outflow on a regional scale. The pollution outflow from the MCMA occurred predominantly at 600–800 hPa as evident in O₃, CO, and NO_x enhancements in the in situ aircraft observations. TES O₃ and CO are sensitive to the MCMA pollution outflow due to their relatively high sensitivities at 600–800 hPa. We examined O₃, CO, and their correlation at 600–800 hPa from TES retrievals, aircraft measurements, and GEOS-Chem model results. TES captures much of the spatial and day-to-day variability of O₃ seen in the in situ data. TES CO, however, shows much less spatial and day-to-day variability compared with the in situ observations. The ΔO₃/ΔCO slope is significantly higher in the TES data (0.43) than the in situ data (0.28) due partly to the lack of variability in TES CO. Extraordinarily high ΔO₃/ΔCO slope (0.81) from TES observations at 618 hPa over the Eastern U.S. was previously reported by Zhang et al. [Zhang, L., Jacob, D.J., Bowman, K.W., et al., 2006. Ozone–CO correlations determined by the TES satellite instrument in continental outflow regions. Geophys. Res. Lett. 33, L18804. 10.1029/2006GL026399.]. Thus the application of TES CO–O₃ correlation to map continental pollution outflow needs further examination.     

Effects of thermobarical pretreatment of cattle waste as feedstock for anaerobic digestion

Lab-scale experiments were conducted to assess the impact of thermobarical treatment of cattle waste on anaerobic digestion. Treatment was at temperatures of 140–220 °C in 20 K steps for a 5-min duration. Methane yields could be increased by up to 58% at a treatment temperature of 180 °C. At 220 °C the abundance of inhibitors and other non-digestible substances led to lower methane yields than those obtained from untreated material. In an extended analysis it could be demonstrated that there is a functional correlation between the methane yields after 30 days and the formation rate and methane yield in the acceleration phase. It could be proved in a regression of these correlation values that the optimum treatment temperature is 164 °C and that the minimum treatment temperature should be above 115 °C.     

Study of the solubility and stability of polystyrene wastes in a dissolution recycling process

Dissolution with suitable solvents is one of the cheapest and more efficient processes for polystyrene waste management. In this work the solubility of polystyrene foams in several solvents benzene, toluene, xylene, tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, 1,3-butanediol, 2-butanol, linalool, geraniol, d-limonene, p-cymene, terpinene, phellandrene, terpineol, menthol, eucalyptol, cinnamaldheyde, nitrobenzene, N,N-dimethylformamide and water has been determined.Experimental results have shown that to develop a “green process” the constituents of essential oils, d-limonene, p-cymene, terpinene, phellandrene, are the most appropriate solvents. The action of these solvent does not produce any degradation of polymer chains. The solubility of the polymer in the mentioned solvents at different temperatures has been investigated. The solvent can be easily recycled by distillation.     

Fetal diaphragmatic hernia and upper limb anomalies suggest Brachmann-de Lange syndrome

We describe two independent cases of Brachmann-de Lange syndrome (BDLS) in which second trimester fetal sonographic studies showed the presence of a diaphragmatic hernia and upper limb anomalies. In both cases the karyotypes were normal. Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) developed in the third trimester. Postnatal and postmortem physical examinations demonstrated typical physical findings associated with BDLS. The prenatal diagnosis of diaphragmatic hernia with associated anomalies should prompt consideration of an underlying genetic etiology. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Recent developments in young driver education, training and licensing in Australia

Australian young driver education and training approaches have differed from the mandatory school-based programs found internationally; generally comprising voluntary programs conducted outside of licensing. This paper reports on recent developments pertaining to the pre-learner, learner, and provisional license stages. Given its important context, state-based graduated driver licensing systems are also reviewed. There has been a shift toward starting driver education younger (pre-learner), greater involvement of parents, and more school-based programs; many now conducted by licensing authorities. The majority of initiatives are yet to be evaluated, particularly relative to crash outcomes; however, some studies suggest other positive outcomes, including increased supervised practice and delayed licensure. Furthermore, the federal government is proceeding with plans for a national license-based program. Several jurisdictions have also announced the introduction of passenger and nighttime restrictions on provisional licenses. Together these initiatives offer promise of reductions in young driver-related fatalities and injuries in the very near future.