Preliminary Studies on the Population Genetics of the Central Stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum) from the Great Miami River Basin, Ohio

Molecular approaches are particularly useful for measuring genetic diversity and were applied to samples of central stonerollers obtained from sites along tributaries to the Great Miami River in Ohio. We used Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis to assess the level of genetic diversity within and among these populations. RAPD analysis generates genetic profiles that were used to develop indices of genetic similarity. The RAPD method provides a cost effective means of generating an arbitrary sample of anonymous loci across the genome and generate a virtually unlimited set of loci for use in genetic analysis in the absence of specific sequence information. These attributes make RAPDs well suited for use in evaluating the diversity and assessing the potential vulnerability to exposure of populations across multiple spatial scales. The results demonstrate that a significant amount of structuring exists among populations analyzed to date and that a trend exists towards genetic diversity being an inverse function of site distance from the main stem as well as a being directly related to stream order. This indicates that populations farthest from main conduits or in lower order streams, and thereby most isolated, may be the most vulnerable populations to stressor exposure. It is hoped that information pertaining to genetic diversity, when integrated with other metrics of resource condition, will aid in making scientifically grounded decisions on resource management that enhance the probability of population survival and preserve natural evolutionary processes.     

Dynamics of the agricultural frontier in the Amazon and savannas of Brazil: analyzing the impact of policy and technology

While many government policies stimulating deforestation have been reversed, private sector lobbies for uncontrolled logging and soybean export corridors threaten the Amazon. Under a favorable scenario (macroeconomic stabilization, controlled logging and road building, sustainable technologies, global environmental markets) reconversion of natural habitat could be 30% lower than under unfavorable policies and technologies, without sacrificing production.     

An FTIR investigation of isocyanate skin absorption using in vitro guinea pig skin

Isocyanates may cause contact dermatitis, sensitization and asthma. Dermal exposure to aliphatic and aromatic isocyanates can occur in various exposure settings. The fate of isocyanates on skin is an important unanswered question. Do they react and bind to the outer layer of skin or do they penetrate through the epidermis as unreacted compounds? Knowing the kinetics of these processes is important in developing dermal exposure sampling or decontamination strategies, as well as understanding potential health implications such exposure may have. In this paper the residence time of model isocyanates on hairless guinea pig skin was investigated in vitro using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectrometry. Model isocyanates tested were octyl isocyanate, polymeric hexamethylene diisocyanate isocyanurate (pHDI), polymeric isophorone diisocyanate isocyanurate (pIPDI) and methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). Isocyanates in ethyl acetate (30 microL) were spiked directly on the skin to give 0.2-1.8 micromol NCO cm(-2) (NCO = -N=C=O), and absorbance of the isocyanate group and other chemical groups of the molecule were monitored over time. The ATR-FTIR findings showed that polymeric isocyanates pHDI and pIPDI may remain on the skin as unreacted species for many hours, with only 15-20% of the total isocyanate group disappearing in one hour, while smaller compounds octyl isocyanate and MDI rapidly disappear from the skin surface (80+% in 30 min). Isocyanates most likely leave the skin surface by diffusion predominantly, with minimal reaction with surface proteins. The significance of these findings and their implications for dermal exposure sampling and isocyanate skin decontamination are discussed.     

Understanding the changing role of global public health in biodiversity conservation

Zoonotic disease emergence has become a core concern of biodiversity conservation amid the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Major international conservation groups now comprehensively center larger human–nature imbalances not only as problems of global public health but as a core challenge of the conservation movement, alongside habitat destruction, biodiversity loss and climate change. There is, however, little consideration of how new biosecurity concerns might alter conservation practice with unexpected and potential harmful impacts on human communities, particularly in developing nations with significant human–wildlife interfaces. Reviewing emerging policy positions from key conservation organizations, this article argues that the proposed responses to the COVID-19 pandemic hold the potential to (a) amplify existing people-park conflicts, and (b) generate new tensions by integrating global systems of viral surveillance into biodiversity conservation. I conclude that the close integration of biosecurity concerns into conservation policies requires greater acknowledgment of the unique challenges for human communities.Supplementary InformationThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-021-01576-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Finding Common Ground: How Advocacy Coalitions Succeed in Protecting Environmental Flows1

Abstract: This paper reviews several recent case studies in which states or countries have strengthened their protection of environmental flows to explore the key policy, stakeholder, and scientific elements that contributed to these advances in water management. A conceptual framework is developed to describe the actions of interest groups and individuals, how environmental flow issues get onto the formal agenda of decision makers, the events and conditions which precipitate this attention, the role of science and scientific uncertainty, and how interactions and dialog among individuals and groups with different interests lead to changes in state and national statutes. In general, the review found that changing policies is a result of actions of informed groups of interested parties using science and information to inform both the public and decision makers about the need for action and about the specific action needed. In almost all cases, environmental flow issues make it onto the formal agenda of institutions through one or more precipitating events, often legal challenges that call into question the existing legal framework for water management. Significantly, in almost all cases the engagement between advocacy coalitions with different and often opposing views results in reframing the issues to provide a common approach or solution upon which the competing coalitions can agree.     

Rapid screening procedure to optimise the anaerobic codigestion of industrial biowastes and agricultural livestock wastes in Cyprus

Small-scale experimental investigations were undertaken on the anaerobic digestion (AD) and codigestion of livestock waste and industrial biowastes. A simple procedure was developed to rapidly determine the suitability of wastes for digestion. The experiment was split into two phases; initially, the seed (digested brewery waste) was replaced by the test waste over a period of 5 days. During the second phase, the test waste was incubated and monitored for methanogenesis. Dairy cattle slurry was the most efficient co-substrate which, when codigested with pig slurry in an equal ratio achieved volatile solids destruction of 32%, CH(4) production rate of 97.4 ml d(-1), maximum CH(4) content of 61.6% and total gas yield of 2229 ml after 529 h. High fat content wastes were unsuitable for AD due to low pH value and because the dominant microbial reaction was fermentation. Codigestion was investigated to overcome any inhibitions; however, dairy cattle slurry, abattoir wastewater and NaOH additions did not lead to methanogenesis. Treating these wastes by AD is feasible but without CH(4) production.     

Test methods to aid in the evaluation of the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) from landfill

A wide range of waste characterization methods are available, each developed for a specific purpose such as determining compost stability, or for landfill acceptance criteria. Here test methods have been evaluated for the purpose of assessing waste treatment process performance and monitoring the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) from landfill. The suitability factors include the timescale of the method, applicability to a wide range of materials and ability to indicate the long-term biodegradability of organic waste samples. The anaerobic test methods, whilst producing reliable results, take at least several weeks to complete, therefore, not allowing for regular routine analysis often required for diversion assessments. Short-term tests are required which can correlate with, and, therefore, estimate, values obtained from long-term anaerobic methods. Aerobic test methods were found to offer a significantly improved timescale compared with anaerobic test methods; however, they have limitations due to not measuring the full extent of sample biodegradability. No single test method was found to be completely sufficient for routine biodegradability analysis suitable for monitoring the BMW diversion from landfill. Potential areas for further research include spectrographic FT-IR or enzyme-based approaches such as the ECD or EHT methods.     

Evaluation of the potential of applying composting/bioremediation techniques to wastes generated within the construction industry

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the viability of reducing landfill requirements to satisfy EC Landfill Directive requirements by applying composting/bioremediation techniques to the construction and demolition (C&D) industry waste stream at laboratory scale. The experimental study was carried out in nine test rigs to examine different wood mixtures; untreated timber, creosote treated timber and chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated timber. Several experimental variables affecting the process were characterised and optimised. These include the best nitrogen additive and optimum moisture content required for composting. Poultry manure was found to be the best nitrogen additive. The optimum moisture content was decreased after the addition of poultry manure. The composting/bioremediation process was evaluated through monitoring the microbial activity, carbon dioxide emissions and toxicity examination of the composted product. A typical temperature profile suggested that untreated and CCA treated mix could be classified as hot composting whereas creosote treated mix could be classified as cold composting. The paper reports on the results obtained during this investigation.     

Modelling contra-flow in crowd dynamics DEM simulation

This paper highlights the growing need for a realistic crowd simulation in the design of large venues such as concert halls and stadia. A discrete element method (DEM) technique for modelling crowd dynamics has been developed that represents each person within the model as 3 overlapping circles, a position, orientation and velocity in 2D. Contact forces between elements are included in the model as well as psychological forces, motive forces and moments. The motion of each person is then modelled in a Newtonian manner with a numerical integration time-stepping scheme. The model has been shown previously to work well in predicting egress. In this paper the predicted model behaviour is compared to actual video footage shot at various locations around University Park Campus, Nottingham. It did not match well to the video footage when people are moving towards each other, as in cases of contra-flow on a walkway. In order to improve the model, a general algorithm for ‘avoidance’ was included which appeared to make the model significantly more realistic in these cases. The paper also shows areas for further potential development, such as incorporating people into associative groups such as family or friends.     

Mitigation of two pyrethroid insecticides in a Mississippi Delta constructed wetland

Constructed wetlands are a suggested best management practice to help mitigate agricultural runoff before entering receiving aquatic ecosystems. A constructed wetland system (180 m × 30 m), comprising a sediment retention basin and two treatment cells, was used to determine the fate and transport of simulated runoff containing the pyrethroid insecticides lambda-cyhalothrin and cyfluthrin, as well as suspended sediment. Wetland water, sediment, and plant samples were collected spatially and temporally over 55 d. Results showed 49 and 76% of the study's measured lambda-cyhalothrin and cyfluthrin masses were associated with vegetation, respectively. Based on conservative effects concentrations for invertebrates and regression analyses of maximum observed wetland aqueous concentrations, a wetland length of 215 m × 30 m width would be required to adequately mitigate 1% pesticide runoff from a 14 ha contributing area. Results of this experiment can be used to model future design specifications for constructed wetland mitigation of pyrethroid insecticides.