Air pollution and diseases of the respiratory tracts in pre-school children: A transfer function model

The purpose of the present statistical analysis was the assessment of the relation between time series of environmental factors and of frequencies of diseases of the respiratory system in pre-school children. During about one year, daily measurements of air pollutants and climatic variables were taken. During the same period of time two series of medical data were collected: (i) The daily relative number of pre-school children, exhibiting diseases of the respiratory tracts who either came to the outpatients' clinic of the children's hospital or were reported by paediatricians in Basle (ENTRIES). (ii) The daily relative frequency of symptoms of the respiratory tracts observed in a group of randomly selected pre-school children (SYMPTOMS).By means of transfer function models the relation between the two target variables and the explaining variables was analysed. Several practical problems did arise: Choice of the appropriate transformation of the different series, interpretation of the crosscorrelation function using different methods of prewhitening, time splitting and nonstationarity of the crosscorrelation structure. In particular, it was found that after prewhitening the crosscorrelation function between the explanatory series SO₂ and the response series SYMPTOMS changes with time. While during the winter period an instantaneous relation between these two series (and to a lesser extent between NO₂ and SYMPTOMS) was identified, no such relation was found for the other seasons.     

Chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminants in blood of black and turkey vultures from Savannah River Site,South Carolina,USA

Blood of adult and juvenile black and turkey vultures in the Savannah River Site of South Carolina, USA was analyzed for the presence of 2,3,7,8-chlorine substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (2,3,7,8-PCDDs), dibenzofurans (2,3,7,8-PCDFs), -dioxin-like and -di-ortho polychlorinated biphenyls. Concentration ranges of 2,3,7,8-PCDD/DFs in blood of black and turkey vultures were 14.2-34.6 and 8.7-56.2 pg/ml wet wt., respectively. Dioxin-like PCBs were in the ranges of 815-4627 and 753-3611 pg/ml wet wt. respectively, in black and turkey vultures. Considerable concentrations of two congeners of di-ortho PCBs were noticed in the ranges of 1415-10325 and 663-7500 pg/ml respectively, in black and turkey vultures. Comparatively, greater toxic equivalency (TEQ) were observed in blood of turkey vultures with the ranges of 3.2-20, whereas black vulture contained 1.8-8.4 pgTEQ/ml wet wt. basis. The species-specific accumulation profiles of PCDD/DFs and dioxin-like PCBs may reflect the different feeding habits, ecology, metabolic capacity and migratory movements of these two scavenging species.     

Trace metal and stable isotope measurements (delta13C and delta15N) in the harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena relicta from the Black Sea

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (delta13C and delta15N) and trace metals (Cd, Zn, Cu, Fe, Se, and Hg) were analysed in the tissues of 46 harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena relicta) caught in fishing nets along the Ukrainian coasts between 1997 and 1998. Mean delta13C values differed significantly between male and female harbour porpoises suggesting a trophic segregation between sexes with a more coastal distribution for females at least during their gestation and nursing periods. Hepatic Hg was correlated to delta13C measurements, reflecting a different exposure linked to coastal vs offshore feeding habitats. A geographical comparison with existing data from other regions showed general low levels of Hg, Cd, Cu and Zn in the tissues of harbour porpoises from the Black Sea compared to other Atlantic and North Sea areas.     

Great cormorants (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phalacrocorax carbo</Emphasis>) can detect auditory cues while diving

In-air hearing in birds has been thoroughly investigated. Sound provides birds with auditory information for species and individual recognition from their complex vocalizations, as well as cues while foraging and for avoiding predators. Some 10% of existing species of birds obtain their food under the water surface. Whether some of these birds make use of acoustic cues while underwater is unknown. An interesting species in this respect is the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), being one of the most effective marine predators and relying on the aquatic environment for food year round. Here, its underwater hearing abilities were investigated using psychophysics, where the bird learned to detect the presence or absence of a tone while submerged. The greatest sensitivity was found at 2 kHz, with an underwater hearing threshold of 71 dB re 1 μPa rms. The great cormorant is better at hearing underwater than expected, and the hearing thresholds are comparable to seals and toothed whales in the frequency band 1–4 kHz. This opens up the possibility of cormorants and other aquatic birds having special adaptations for underwater hearing and making use of underwater acoustic cues from, e.g., conspecifics, their surroundings, as well as prey and predators.     

Ecological half-life of 137Cs in plants associated with a contaminated stream

Ecological half-life (Te) is a useful measure for studying the long-term decline of contaminants, such as radionuclides, in natural systems. The current investigation determined levels of radiocesium (137Cs) in two aquatic (Polygonum punctatum, Sagittaria latifolia) and three terrestrial (Alnus serrulata, Myrica cerifera, Salix nigra) plant species from a contaminated stream and floodplain on the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site. Current 137Cs levels in plants were used in conjunction with historical data to determine Te of 137Cs in each species. Median concentrations of 137Cs were highest in S. latifolia (0.84 Bq g(-1)) and lowest in M. cerifera (0.10 Bq g(-1)). Te's ranged from 4.85 yr in M. cerifera to 8.35 yr in S. nigra, both terrestrial species. Te's for all aquatic (6.30 yr) and all terrestrial (5.87) species combined were very similar. The Te's of the two aquatic primary producers (P. punctatum and S. latifolia) in the Steel Creek ecosystem were somewhat longer than Te values previously reported for some consumers from this ecosystem.     

Study of the contaminant transport into granite microfractures using nuclear ion beam techniques

Hydrated bentonite is a very plastic material and it is expected to enter in the rock microfractures at the granite/bentonite boundary of a deep geological high-level waste repository. This process is enhanced by the high swelling pressure of the clay. Since bentonite has a very good sorption capability for many radionuclides, the displacement of the clay might lead to a "clay-mediated" contaminant transport into the rock. The aim of this work is to study the contaminant transport into granite microfractures using nuclear ion beam techniques, and to determine to what extent the clay can favour it. To do so, bentonite previously doped with uranium, cesium and europium was put in contact with the surface of granite sheets. Granite sheets contacted with non-doped bentonite and with radionuclide solutions were also prepared as references. This allowed analysing the differences in the diffusion behaviour of the three systems: clay, radionuclides and clay plus radionuclides. A combination of Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and other nuclear ion-beam techniques such as particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and microPIXE was used to study the depth and lateral distribution of clay and contaminants inside granite. It was also tried to evaluate not only the diffusion depth and diffusion coefficients but also the different areas of the granite where the diffusants have a preferential access.     

Allocating oil leases : Overcapitalization in licensing systems based on size of work programme

Discretionary systems of awarding exploration and production licences, such as that on the UK continental shelf, often use the size of proposed work programmes as an important criterion. This paper models the effect of strategic considerations on the choice of work programme in such licensing systems. The model incorporates uncertainty about resource size and about the work programmes proposed by competing companies. It is found that competition between bidders results in a level of capital investment which exceeds the profit maximizing allocation. It is concluded that licensing systems which emphasize size of work programme can result in strategic but wasteful overcapitalization.     

Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from a subtropical coastal embayment(Moreton Bay,Australia)

Surface water methane(CH4) and nitrous oxide(N2O) concentrations and fluxes were investigated in two subtropical coastal embayments(Bramble Bay and Deception Bay,which are part of the greater Moreton Bay, Australia). Measurements were done at 23 stations in seven campaigns covering different seasons during 2010–2012. Water–air fluxes were estimated using the Thin Boundary Layer approach with a combination of wind and currents-based models for the estimation of the gas transfer velocities. The two bays were strong sources of both CH4 and N2O with no significant differences in the degree of saturation of both gases between them during all measurement campaigns. Both CH4 and N2O concentrations had strong temporal but minimal spatial variability in both bays.During the seven seasons, CH4 varied between 500% and 4000% saturation while N2O varied between 128 and 255% in the two bays. Average seasonal CH4 fluxes for the two bays varied between 0.5 ± 0.2 and 6.0 ± 1.5 mg CH24/(m·day) while N2 O varied between 0.4 ± 0.1 and1.6 ± 0.6 mg N2O/(m2·day). Weighted emissions(t CO2-e) were 63%–90% N2 O dominated implying that a reduction in N2 O inputs and/or nitrogen availability in the bays may significantly reduce the bays' greenhouse gas(GHG) budget. Emissions data for tropical and subtropical systems is still scarce. This work found subtropical bays to be significant aquatic sources of both CH4 and N2O and puts the estimated fluxes into the global context with measurements done from other climatic regions.