Characterization of gaseous pollutant and particulate matter emission rates from a commercial broiler operation part I: Observed trends in emissions

This paper characterizes the emission rates of size fractionated particulate matter, inorganic aerosols, acid gases, ammonia and methane measured over four flocks at a commercial broiler chicken facility. Mean emission rates of each pollutant, along with sampling notes, were reported in this paper, the first in a series of two. Sampling notes were needed because inherent gaps in data may bias the mean emission rates.The mean emission rates of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were 5.0 and 0.78 g day^?1 [Animal Unit, AU]^?1, respectively, while inorganic aerosols mean emission rates ranged from 0.15 to 0.46 g day^?1 AU^?1 depending on the season. The average total acid gas emission rate was 0.43 g day^?1 AU^?1 with the greatest contribution from nitrous and nitric acids and little contribution from sulfuric acid (as SO₂).Ammonia emissions were seasonally dependent, with a mean emission rate of 66.0 g day^?1 AU^?1 in the cooler seasons and 94.5 g day^?1 AU^?1 during the warmer seasons. Methane emissions were relatively consistent with a mean emission rate of 208 g day^?1 AU^?1.The diurnal pattern in each pollutant’s emission rate was relatively consistent after normalizing the hourly emissions according to each daily mean emission rate. Over the duration of a production cycle, all the measured pollutants’ emissions increased proportionally to the total live mass of birds in the house, with the exception of ammonia.Interrelationships between pollutants provide evidence of mutually dependent release mechanisms, which suggests that it may be possible to fill data gaps with minimal data requirements. In the second paper (Roumeliotis, T.S., Dixon, B.J., Van Heyst, B.J. Characterization of gaseous pollutants and particulate matter emission rates from a commercial broiler operation part II: correlated emission rates. Atmospheric Environment, 2010.), regression correlations are developed to estimate daily mean emission rates for data gaps and, using the normalized hourly diurnal patterns from this paper, emission factors were generated for each pollutant.     

地下水脆弱性评价方法研究

地下水脆弱性评价是区域进行地下水资源保护和管理的重要依据。本文回顾了现有地下水脆弱性评价的方法,提出了应用地理信息系统平台和模糊逻辑与神经网络对地下水进行脆弱性评价的模型,并实际应用于美国与中国选定区域,创新并拓展了地下水脆弱性评价方法。     

Ultrasonographic diagnosis of a fetal abdominal mass: A case of a mesenchymal liver hamartoma and a review of the literature

A case of a prenatally recognized hepatic mesenchymal hamartoma is presented and the literature reviewed. These tumors are benign and usually present in early infancy with symptoms that are related to the mass effect on adjacent organs. Radiologic methods used in the past to image this tumor include angiography and ultrasound. However, there is no specific radiologic finding, and, therefore, the diagnosis is usually made during surgery. Once the tumor is removed, the prognosis is generally good. With the increasing use of high resolution ultrasound in prenatal diagnosis, this rare tumor should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any multicystic mass found in the fetal abdomen. The recognition of a mass should then alert the physician to the need for early neonatal intervention.     

Inheritance of a nuclear DNA polymorphism assayed in single bivalve larvae

We examined the inheritance of theMytilus edulis CaM-1 Intron 3 locus, a non-coding DNA locus with two potentially neutral length-variants. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to determine theCaM-1 genotype for 799 larvae obtained from 11 laboratory crosses. Larvae were typed singly only 8 to 24 h after fertilization. We find evidence that each allele can be inherited from either sex, that there are no barriers to fertilization between gametes of different genotypes, and that most larvae have genotypes compatible with Mendelian inheritance of the locus. Deviations from expected genotype frequencies were found in some crosses; we suggest that a contributing factor is aneuploidy in early larvae, but a major cause is more likely to be selection at a locus linked toCaM-1, occurring under the artificial laboratory culture conditions. This study demonstrates the feasibility of applying molecular genetic techniques to early larval stages of marine bivalves, and presents a new non-destructive biopsy method for DNA analysis from living adult mussels.     

Intron-targeted PCR: a new approach to survey neutral DNA polymorphism in bivalve populations

PCR (polymerase chain reaction) amplification of non-coding introns in phylogenetically widespread genes, using DNA primers based on the conserved exon sequences, provides a widely applicable strategy for finding DNA polymorphisms in eukaryotic genomes. Polymorphisms in introns provide a new source of potentially neurtral genetic markers for use in population biology. Here we use this approach to design PCR primers for an intron of calmodulin genes. We show that there are at least two calmodulin genes in mussels of theMytilus edulis species complex, and using gene- and species-specific primers we resolve two alleles at a calmodulin intron locus. Population surveys using PcR of adult mussel DNA reveal that genotype frequencies at most sites surveyed in England, Scotland and Italy, conform to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, suggesting that this is a novel neutral genetic marker. The data also provide preliminary evidence for restricted gene flow between mussel populations on the west and northeast coasts of Britain, and for local effects around the Thames estuary.     

Effects of grazing by two species of sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus and Lytechinus anamesus) on recruitment and survival of two species of kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera and Pterygophora californica)

We studied the effects of grazing by two species of sea urchins on two species of kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera and Pterygophora californica) in the San Onofre kelp bed in southern California from 1978 through 1981. Both red sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus franciscanus, and white sea urchins, Lytechinus anamesus, were abundant and lived in aggregations. The purple sea urchin (S. purpuratus) was rare at the study site and was not studied. The aggregations of red urchins were either relatively small and stationary (for over 3 yr) or relatively large and motile (advancing at about 2 m mo^–1). Both stationary and moving aggregations were observed at the same time, and within 100 m of one another. Stationary aggregations of red urchins probably subsisted mainly on drift kelp and had no effect on kelp recruitment or on adult kelp abundance. In contrast, red sea urchins in large, motile aggregations or fronts ate almost all the macroalgae in their path. The condition of their gonalds indicated that red urchins in fronts were starved relative to red urchins in the small, stationary aggregations. Large, motile aggregations developed after 2 yr of declining kelp abundance (probably due largely to storms). We propose that a scarcity of drift algae for food results in a change in the behavior pattern of the red urchins and thus leads to the formation of large, motile aggregations. The aggregations of white urchins, which occurred along the offshore margin of the kelp bed, were large, but relatively stationary. The white urchins rarely ate adult kelps, but grazed extensively on early developmental stages of kelps and evidently prevented seaward expansion of the bed. The spatial distribution of both types of red urchin aggregations appeared to be unrelated to predation pressure from fishes or lobsters.Please address all requests for reprints to the senior author at his present address.     

Measuring conservation success beyond the traditional biological criteria: the case of conservation projects in Costa Rica,Mekong Valley,and Cameroon

Traditionally, the criteria used to measure conservation success or failure are based on biological factors. Biological factors include changes in the amount of targeted conserved species, biodiversity, and total area conserved. However, conservation efforts are not simply a matter of biological concern; environmental, political, social, and conflict pressures on different scales (ranging from local to global) also have strong influences on the outcome of conservation. These other factors can either pose threats to or enhance conservation, but are not addressed by current criteria. Using a proposed holistic rubric that includes interdisciplinary fields, this paper examines a set of conservation factors on different scales – ranging from local to global – to determine their importance in conservation. The paper analyses positive factor influences with more successful conservation and negative factor influences with less successful, or failed, conservation attempts. Neutral and non‐applicable factor influences are also identified, defined, and ranked as a standardization mechanism. The determination of success changed when the holistic rubric was applied to conservation projects in Costa Rica, Mekong Valley, and Cameroon. In the Costa Rica case study, conservation success for Guanacaste and Talamanca national parks is rated ‘moderately low’. In the case of Mekong Valley, conservation success is rated ‘low’ for Lower Mekong, ‘moderately low’ for Greater Annamites, and ‘low’ for Phong Nha‐Ke Bang national parks. Cameroon's Congo Basin and Sangha Tri‐National conservation efforts are both rated ‘low’, while Dja Faunal is rated ‘very low’. We conclude that if conservation efforts are to attain a high level of success, the strategy for global conservation must move away from the traditional biological approach, which focuses mainly on biological concerns, and embrace a holistic approach, which in addition to biological concerns, addresses environmental, political, social, and conflict pressures, which have strong influences on the outcomes of conservation.     

The effects of parametric uncertainties in simulations of a reactive plume using a Lagrangian stochastic model

A combined Lagrangian stochastic model with micro-mixing and chemical sub-models is used to investigate a reactive plume of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) released into a turbulent grid flow doped with ozone (O₃). Sensitivities to the model input parameters are explored for different source NO_x scenarios. The wind tunnel experiments of Brown and Bilger (1996) provide the simulation conditions for the first case study where photolysis reactions are not included and the main uncertainties occur in parameters defining the turbulence scales, source size and reaction rate of NO with O₃. Using nominal values of the parameters from previous studies, the model gives a good representation of the radial profile of the conserved mean scalar ${\overline{\Gamma }}_{{\text{NO}}_{\text{x}}}$ although slightly over predicts peak mean NO₂ concentrations ${\overline{\Gamma }}_{{\text{NO}}_{\text{2}}}$ compared to the experiments. The high dimensional model representation (HDMR) method is used to investigate the effects of uncertainties in model inputs on the simulation of chemical species concentrations. For this scenario, the Lagrangian velocity structure function coefficient has the largest impact on simulated ${\overline{\Gamma }}_{{\text{NO}}_{\text{x}}}$ profiles. Photolysis reactions are then included in a chemical scheme consisting of eight reactions between species NO, O, O₃ and NO₂. Independent and interactive effects of 22 input parameters are studied for two source NO_x scenarios using HDMR, including turbulence parameters, temperature dependant rate parameters, photolysis rates, temperature, fraction of NO in total NO_x at the source and background ozone concentration [O₃]. For this reactive case, the variance in the predicted mean plume centre ${\overline{\Gamma }}_{{\text{O}}_{\text{3}}}$ is caused by parameters describing both physical (mixing time-scale coefficient) and chemical processes (activation energy for the reaction O₃+NO). The variance in predicted plume centre ${\overline{\Gamma }}_{{\text{NO}}_{\text{2}}}$ and root mean square NO₂ concentration ${\gamma }_{{\text{NO}}_{\text{2}}}^{\prime }$, is strongly influenced by the fraction of NO in the source NO_x, and to a lesser extent the mixing time-scale coefficient. Adjusting the latter gives improved agreement with the Brown and Bilger experiment. Some weak parameter interactions are observed.     

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) for environmental forensic investigations in developing countries

The disposal and dumping of toxic waste is a matter of growing concern in developing countries, including South Africa. Frequently these countries do not possess access to gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) for the determination of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This publication describes an alternative approach to the investigation of toxic waste using comprehensive gas chromatography coupled to time of flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOFMS). The technology permits both comprehensive screening of toxic samples for numerous classes of organic pollutants and also quantitative analysis for the individual compounds. This paper describes the use of this technique by analysing samples obtained from a hazardous waste treatment facility in South Africa. After sampling and extraction the samples were analysed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and four dioxin-like non-ortho substituted polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The quantitative values, as well as detection limits, obtained using the GC × GC-TOFMS methodology compares well with those obtained using GC-HRMS; the accepted benchmark technology for this analysis. Although GC × GC-TOFMS is not a target compound analytical technique (as is GC-HRMS), it is possible to obtain information on numerous other classes of organic pollutants present in the samples in one analytical run. This is not possible with GC-HRMS. Several different column combinations have been investigated for handling very complex waste samples and suggestions are presented for the most suitable combination.     

The role of hydrostatic pressure on developmental stages of Pomatoceros lamarcki (Polychaeta: Serpulidae) exposed to water accommodated fractions of crude oil and positive genotoxins at simulated depths of 1000-3000 m

The effect of high hydrostatic pressures on the ecotoxicological profile of pollutants is an unexplored research area. Using Pomatoceros lamarcki as a surrogate organism for this eco-barotoxicological study, it was found that in a 48 h larval bioassay with water accommodated fractions (WAF) of crude oil of up to 15.1 mg L⁻¹ (total hydrocarbon content) and hydrostatic pressures up to 300 bar (3000 m), an additive response was found (p < 0.001) rather than any synergism (p = 0.881). Comprehensive cytogenetic analysis of 6-h (15 °C) embryos exposed to WAF (0.19 mg L⁻¹) at 100 bar showed no effects on mitotic fidelity or cell division rate over the 1 bar treatment. However, embryo's treated with the clastogen mitomycin-c at 100 bar exhibited a significant increase in mitotic aberrations over 1 bar treated as was the case with hypo/hypersaline treatments (p < 0.05). Conversely, an increase in hydrostatic pressure actually reduced the effects of spindle inhibition by the aneugen colchicine (p < 0.05).