In utero sonographic diagnosis of diaphragmatic hernia with hepatic protrusion into the pericardium mimicking an intrapericardial tumour

A case of right-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia was detected at 33 weeks of gestation. Fetal echocardiography revealed the presence of an intrapericardial mass (3.5 × 3 cm) localized at the right of the heart and surrounded by a massive pericardial effusion. This mass had the same echogenicity as the liver, with which it shared vascular channels. The diagnosis of right diaphragmatic hernia with protrusion of hepatic tissue into the pericardial sac and secondary pericardial effusion was made and confirmed after birth. In utero diagnosis of this anomaly enabled correct assessment of perinatal risk, and optimal fetal and infant management.     

Individual variation in mate care by alpha males in crested tit winter flocks

Summary Winter flocks of crested tits Parus cristatus, typically consisting of two adults and one or two non-kin 1st-year birds, were observed to split up into subflocks in a way related to ambient temperature. On warm days, when they were foraging in subflocks without 1 st-year birds, alpha males always occupied the most preferred upper foraging sites, as expected from their top dominance rank. On cold days, when foraging in flocks with 1st-year birds, 8 out of 13 alpha males shifted to lower (less preferred) positions below their alpha mates while allowing the latter to forage at the best sites. As enhanced access to preferred microsites on days with high energy stress is believed to increase overwinter survival probability, this shifting behaviour of alpha males can be considered as a form of mate care. Out of 13 alpha males, however, 5 did not shift and always occupied the best foraging sites irrespective of flock composition. As (i) these non-shifting males were in poorer physical condition than shifting males, (ii) they scanned significantly less for predators than either females or shifting males when foraging in the uppermost tree parts, and (iii) four out of five non-shifting males were replaced by immigrants in early spring, absence of mate care during winter may be caused by constraints due to condition. High-quality-territory owners in poor condition at the end of autumn were most vulnerable to replacement by immigrants. Therefore, as four out of five replacements affected high-quality territories, selective intrusion by immigrants is suggested. Correspondence to: L. Lens     

Mimicry: imitative depiction of discharged defensive secretion on carapace of an opilionid

Summary. The opilionid, Parampheres ronae, has a pair of orange markings on its carapace at a location where some other opilionids discharge yellowish, quinone-containing defensive fluid. P. ronae itself produces a defensive secretion, but the fluid is quinone-free and nearly translucent. We suggest that the orange markings in P. ronae are aposematic in the sense that they are imitative of the glandular emissions of quinone-producing opilionids.     

Climate change impact on water quality: model results from southern Sweden

Starting from six regional climate change scenarios, nitrogen leaching from arable-soil, water discharge, and nitrogen retention was modeled in the R?nne? catchment. Additionally, biological response was modeled in the eutrophic Lake Ringsj?n. The results are compared with similar studies on other catchments. All scenarios gave similar impact on water quality but varied in quantities. However, one scenario resulted in a different transport pattern due to less-pronounced seasonal variations in the hydrology. On average, the study shows that, in a future climate, we might expect: i) increased concentrations of nitrogen in the arable root zone (+50%) and in the river (+13%); ii) increased annual load of nitrogen from land to sea (+22%) due to more pronounced winter high flow; moreover, remote areas in the catchment may start to contribute to the outlet load; iii) radical changes in lake biochemistry with increased concentrations of total phosphorus (+50%), total nitrogen (+20%), and planktonic algae such as cyanobacteria (+80%).     

Effect of different redox mediators during thermophilic azo dye reduction by anaerobic granular sludge and comparative study between mesophilic (30 degrees C) and thermophilic (55 degrees C) treatments for decolourisation of textile wastewaters

The impact of different redox mediators on colour removal of azo dye model compounds and textile wastewater by thermophilic anaerobic granular sludge (55 degrees C) was investigated in batch assays. Additionally, a comparative study between mesophilic (30 degrees C) and thermophilic (55 degrees C) colour removal was performed with textile wastewater, either in the presence or absence of a redox mediator. The present work clearly evidences the advantage of colour removal at 55 degrees C compared with 30 degrees C when dealing with azo coloured wastewaters. The impact of the redox mediators anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS), anthraquinone-2-sulfonate (AQS) and riboflavin was evident with all dyes, increasing decolourisation rates up to 8-fold compared with the mediator-free incubations. The generation of the hydroquinone form AH2QDS, i.e. the reduced form of AQDS, was extremely accelerated at 55 degrees C compared with 30 degrees C. Furthermore, no lag-phase was observed at 55 degrees C. Based on the present results we postulate that the production/transfer of reducing equivalents was the process rate-limiting step, which was accelerated by the temperature increase. It is conclusively stated that 55 degrees C is a more effective temperature for azo dye reduction than 30 degrees C, which on the one hand can be attributed to the faster production/transfer of reducing equivalents, but also to the decrease in activation energy requirements.     

BTX concentrations near a stage II implemented petrol station

A combined monitoring and dispersion modelling methodology was applied for assessing air quality at three different levels of proximity to the selected service station: (I) next to the fuel pumps, (II) in the surrounding environment, and (III) in the background. Continuous monitoring and passive sampling were used for achieving high temporal and spatial resolution, respectively. A Gaussian dispersion model (CALINE4) was used for assessing the road traffic contribution to the local concentrations under different meteorological conditions. It was established that Stage 2 vapour recovery reduces BTX concentrations not only near the pumps, but also in their surrounding environment. However, there is evidence that the efficiency of the system is wind speed dependent. The modelling simulation of the worst case wind scenario revealed the significance of local traffic emissions. It was shown that the traffic contribution even from a single road in the vicinity of the station can, under certain conditions, be higher than the contribution of the station itself to the local BTX levels. Finally, after comparison with previous studies, the concentrations measured near the service station (which was situated in a rural environment) appear to be lower than those observed in busy street canyons in city centres. It can be concluded, although Stage 2 recovery system effectively reduces working VOC losses in service stations, that it will only have a limited positive impact on local air quality if the service station is located in a heavily polluted area.     

Biochemical and molecular studies on declining and decline-resistant spruce in the north-east of France

In declining forests of the Vosges mountains (northeast of France), we previously observed that the yellowing of spruce (Picea abies L. cv. Karsten) needles was associated with impairment of the free radical scavenging capacity of the cells and coincided with chronic exposure to ozone. Chloroplasts of yellow needles were characterized by an abnormal accumulation of photosystem II (PSII) D1-protein in the thylakoids. Further experiments carried out on declining and decline-resistant individual spruce trees characterized in previous studies showed that needle yellowing was associated with impairment of the overall anti-oxidative defense in both the cytosol and the chloroplasts. Both enzymic (peroxidases) and non-enzymic (carotenoids) oxidant scavengers were shown to be affected in the declining spruce. PSII D1-protein accumulation seemed to result from a stabilization of the polypeptide, which led us to hypothesize that oxidative processes might interfere with the specific degradation of this protein in declining spruce, with destructive consequences for the photosystems.     

Monitoring of pesticide residues in a cotton crop soil

This paper reports on the residues of methyl parathion (O,O-dimethyl O-4-nitrophenyl phosphorothioate), trifluralin (alpha, alpha, alpha-trifluoro-2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-p-toluidine), endosulfan [(1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7-hexachloro-8, 9, 10-trinorborn-5-en-2, 3-ylenebismethylene) sulfite] and dimethoate (O, O-dimethyl S-methylcarbamoylmethyl phosphorodithioate) in a cotton crop soil. Soil samples (0-15 cm) were collected at different periods from the cotton crop farm and subjected to Soxhlet extraction. The extracted material was analysed after clean-up by a HP5890 II gas chromatograph equipped with a 63Ni electron-capture detector (ECD-63Ni) and fitted with a 25 m x 0.2 mm i.d. fused silica capillary column [Ultra-2 (5% phenylmethyl polysiloxane)]. The recoveries of the pesticide residues from the spiked control soil were determined after Soxhlet extraction and C18 cartridges clean-up by using radiotracer techniques with the corresponding 14C-pesticides. The results show that in the cotton crop soil the pesticide residues under study were present in the range of 0.1 to 0.4 mg.kg-1. Endosulfan was found to be rapidly degraded in the soil and formed a sulfate metabolite.     

Nonstructural Urban Stormwater Quality Measures: Building a Knowledge Base to Improve Their Use

This article summarizes a research project that investigated the use, performance, cost, and evaluation of nonstructural measures to improve urban stormwater quality. A survey of urban stormwater managers from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States revealed a widespread trend of increasing use of nonstructural measures among leading stormwater management agencies, with at least 76% of 41 types of nonstructural measures being found to be increasing in use. Data gathered from the survey, an international literature review, and a multicriteria analysis highlighted four nonstructural measures of greatest potential value: mandatory town planning controls that promote the adoption of low-impact development principles and techniques; development of strategic urban stormwater management plans for a city, shire, or catchment; stormwater management measures and programs for construction/building sites; and stormwater management activities related to municipal maintenance operations such as maintenance of the stormwater drainage network and manual litter collections. Knowledge gained on the use and performance of nonstructural measures from the survey, literature review, and three trial evaluation projects was used to develop tailored monitoring and evaluation guidelines for these types of measure. These guidelines incorporate a new evaluation framework based on seven alternative styles of evaluation that range from simply monitoring whether a nonstructural measure has been fully implemented to monitoring its impact on waterway health. This research helps to build the stormwater management industry’s knowledge base concerning nonstructural measures and provides a practical tool to address common impediments associated with monitoring and evaluating the performance and cost of these measures.