Re-evaluation of the yield response to phosphorus fertilization based on meta-analyses of long-term field experiments

Phosphorus (P) fertilizer recommendations in most European countries are based on plant-available soil P contents and long-term field experiments. Site-specific conditions are often neglected, resulting in excessive P fertilizer applications. P fertilization experiments including relevant site and soil parameters were evaluated in order to analyze the yield response. The database comprises about 2000 datasets from 30 field experiments from Germany and Austria. Statistical evaluations using a classification and regression tree approach, and multiple linear regression analysis indicate that besides plant-available soil P content, soil texture and soil organic matter content have a large influence on the effectiveness of P fertilization. This study methodology can be a basis for modification and specification of existing P fertilization recommendations and thus contribute to mitigate environmental impacts of P fertilization.     

Toxizitätsänderungen in Photoreaktionen von Azaarenen

The azaarenes and the structurally analogous PAH accompany each other and occur ubiquitously in nature. Photochemical conversions like direct photolysis or the photoreaction with nitrate are important natural degradation reactions of azaarenes. Furthermore, photoreactions with chlorine and bromine radicals can be expected in nature. The reactions generate a large number of oxidized, nitrated and halogenated products with unknown toxicity. In this paper, a first screening of changes is reported in acute toxicity during the course of the photochemical reactions. As test system luminescent bacteria are used. For quinoline, isoquinoline and phthalazine the investigations show different changes of the toxicity of the reaction mixtures in dependence on the respective reaction type. The toxicity of the reaction mixtures of quinazoline and quinoxaline increases in all reactions investigated. Furthermore the reactions of bromine radicals with azaarenes also show an increase of the toxicity in all cases. Compared with the azaarenes in all reactions products with significantly higher toxicity are formed.     

Continuous pollution monitoring using Photobacterium phosphoreum

Photobacterium phosphoreum is a marine bacterium which is used extensively as a bioluminescent indicator of pollutants, where the presence of toxicants diminishes light output. To evaluate the utility of cell immobilisation in continuous toxicity testing, the sensitivity of P. phosphoreum to five gelling agents was evaluated relative to the retention of bioluminescence in 3% NaCl-glycerol suspensions. Following storage at 4°C, the control cultures retained light output for up to 2 weeks before significant decline; alginate-glycerol suspensions were stable for up to 4 weeks and bioluminescence was detectable for up to 6 weeks. Cells stored in agar were no more stable than the control, whereas cells gelled in agarose and low-melting point agarose showed a significant decline in bioluminescence within 2 weeks of storage. Bioluminescence was totally retained in alginate-glycerol suspensions stored at −80°C for up to 12 weeks. P. phosphoreum was successfully immobilised in strontium alginate and showed a dose-related response to four of the five heavy metal ions, SDS and pentachlorophenol tested when responses were followed over a time-course. A flow-through system for Sr-alginate immobilised cells was developed and conditions for operation were optimised. When cells were exposed to a pulse of 4-nitrophenol or salicylate then the nutrient feed continued, bioluminescence declined in response (pulse of 4–6 min) to these pollutants then recovered to a new stable rate of decline which was faster than the pre-exposure rate. These results demonstrate the potential of using immobilised P. phosphoreum in a continuous flow-through system for real-time environmental monitoring of water quality.     

Political influence on non-cooperative international climate policy

We analyze non-cooperative international climate policy in a setting of political competition by national interest groups. In the first stage, countries decide whether to link their domestic emission permit markets to an international market, which only forms if it is supported by all countries. In the second stage, countries non-cooperatively decide on the number of tradable emission allowances. In both stages, special interest groups try to sway the government in their favor. We find that (i) both the choice of regime and the levels of domestic and global emissions only depend on the aggregate levels of organized stakes in all countries and not on their distribution among individual interest groups and (ii) an increase in lobbying influence by a particular lobby group may backfire by inducing a change towards the lobby group's less preferred regime.     

Managing the cooling capacity of the upper rhine: A case study

In most industrialized countries, environmental standards exist which prescribe the maximum allowable man-made increase in water temperature of a river. Together with flowrate and weather conditions, these standards determine the rate at which waste heat may be discharged into a river at any moment. Power generating stations with variable cooling systems can adjust their heat discharge into the river in compliance with environmental standards and by doing so exert an influence on power generation capacity. In this paper, a scheme is developed that allows a chain of power stations discharging into the same river to operate their cooling systems such that the output of total electricity is maximized and water temperature standards are accomodated. The optimum balance between stations is determined through dynamic programming. From the results of a simulation model using historical data, simple decision rules for day-to-day operation are abstracted. These rules are based solely on the river flow rates at each power station.     

Evaluation of the respicon as a personal inhalable sampler in industrial environments

The Respicon has been introduced as a sampler for health related measurements of airborne contaminants at workplaces. The instrument is aimed at simultaneous collection of three health related aerosol fractions: (a) the coarser inhalable fraction, defining the aerosol fraction that may enter the nose and mouth during breathing; (b) the intermediate thoracic fraction, defining the fraction that may penetrate beyond the larynx and so reach the lung; and (c) the finer respirable fraction, defining the fraction that may penetrate to gas exchange region of the lung. The instrument has a number of features attractive to occupational hygienists: in addition to providing the three aerosol fractions simultaneously, it is light and compact enough to be used as a personal sampler. yet can be a tripod mounted for area sampling, it can provide samples not only for gravimetric analysis but also microscopic and chemical analyses; and it is also available in a photometric direct-reading version. The instrument has previously been evaluated as an area sampler and, in this mode of operation, has shown reasonable accuracy in collecting respirable, thoracic and inhalable particles, the latter up to particle diameters of ca. 80 microm. Except for some scattered unpublished data there exist no systematic investigations in the Respicon's performance when used as a personal sampler in the industrial environment. In this paper, we will report on a study of side by side comparison of the Respicon with the IOM inhalable sampler, regarded as a reference instrument for the inhalable fraction. The main study was performed at six different workplaces in a nickel refinery. Statistical analysis of the gravimetrically-determined concentration data reveals consistently lower aerosol exposure values for the Respicon as compared to the IOM sampler. The data for the nickel workplaces are compared with findings from other studies. The results are interpreted in the light of the overall results and the possibility of introducing a correction factor is discussed.     

How honeybees perceive communication dances,studied by means of a mechanical model

Summary A mechanical model of a dancing honeybee was used to investigate the role of various components of the wagging dance in the transfer of information to follower bees. The model simulates the dance, carries a scent, and has an acoustic near-field similar to that of live dancers. The movements of the model are controlled by a computer, and selected components of the dance can be manipulated independently of others. The number of bees approaching scented baits at various distances and directions from the hive was observed, both during simulated normal dances and dances in which different components provided potentially conflicting information about the location of the food. The results indicate that the wagging run is the master component of the dance. The figure-of-eight dance path does not seem to convey information. Both sound and wagging must be present in the dance, but no specific roles were found for these components. Both sound and wagging convey information about distance and direction, and they appear to be largely redundant. Offprint requests to: A. Michelsen