Oryzalin fate and transport in runoff water in Mediterranean vineyards

An experimental study was conducted in a 91.4-ha Mediterranean vineyard catchment in southern France to characterize the fate and transport of oryzalin in runoff water and thus to assess the risk of contamination of surface waters. Oryzalin concentrations in soil were monitored on two fields, one no-till and one tilled from March 1998 to March 2000. Concentrations in solution and on solid phase of runoff water were measured at the outlets of both fields and the catchment. The droughts in the two summer periods reduced the dissipation of oryzalin and increased its field half-life up to 35 days. Consequently, oryzalin was detected throughout the year in runoff water, with maximum dissolved concentrations > 600 microg l(-1) at the field scale. Oryzalin transport essentially occurred in solution. At the no-till field, seasonal losses were 2.29% and 1.89% of the applied amount in 1998 and 1999, respectively. The corresponding values at the tilled field were 1.56% and 0.29%, since tillage reduced total losses by reducing surface runoff. At the catchment scale, oryzalin concentrations were smaller than those at the field scale, due to dilution effects and staggering of application. Large part of the overland flow from the fields reinfiltrated in the ditches before reaching the outlet of the catchment. As a result, seasonal oryzalin losses were <0.2% of the applied amount.     

Characterization of the liver cytochrome P450 in the marine fish Mugil cephalus and effects of some hydrocarbons on the mixed-function oxidase components

The marine fish Mugil cephalus was caught in the Bay of Marseilles (France) in 1985 and the liver microsomal cytochrome P₄₅₀ was identified at a concentration of about 0.230 nmol mg^-1 protein. Optimal assay conditions were established to measure two mixed-function cytochrome P₄₅₀-dependent oxidases: aniline hydroxylase and p-nitroanisole O-demethylase. Induction of cytochrome P₄₅₀ occurred after exposure of mullet to an aromatic hydrocarbon and a water-soluble petroleum fraction. The liver cytochrome P₄₅₀ was solubilized and purified. The monomer molecular weight of partially purified cytochrome P₄₅₀, determined by sodium dodecyl-sulfate-gel electrophoresis, was 51 000.     

Introduction to the special issue on Advances in Life-Cycle Approachesto Business and Resource Management in the Asia-Pacific Region

This special issue of the Journal of Cleaner Production was initiated as a result of the 5th and 6th meetings of the Asia Pacific Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production (APRSCP), which were held in Melbourne, Australia and Hanoi, Vietnam, respectively. A need identified at those meetings was to create another means of communicating the best ideas and papers being presented, to a wider audience. The Asia Pacific region has special development needs given its rapid emergence as a global production hub, but coupled to that are also the rapid social adjustments and shifts in patterns of consumption and production which aren't positive for the environment. This special issue contains eight papers covering the implementation of cleaner production and life cycle principles at the systems and regional planning level. These articles cover urban development, corporate CP programs, supply chain management, eco-industrial networks, and industrial parks, recycling, and understanding the role of human factors in bringing about environmental change.     

Trace elements biomonitoring in a historical mining district (les Malines, France)

The aim of this study is to investigate the trace elements (TE) contents of potential biomonitors in a historical Zn–Pb mining district: apiary products (honey, royal-jelly and beeswax) lichen and moss were sampled and analysed. In spite of high TE concentrations in mining waste and soil, apiary products are free of TE contamination originating from historical mining. Lichen/moss show high TE levels, which suggest atmospheric input of local dust. Pb isotopes analysis proved the origin of TE found in lichen/moss to be mainly mining waste. These results help discuss the choice of relevant organisms for monitoring TE in the environment and bring additional data on the potential impacts of brownfields left after mining, especially on food products from apiaries.     

Sea ice and primary production proxies in surface sediments from a High Arctic Greenland fjord: Spatial distribution and implications for palaeoenvironmental studies

In order to establish a baseline for proxy-based reconstructions for the Young Sound–Tyrolerfjord system (Northeast Greenland), we analysed the spatial distribution of primary production and sea ice proxies in surface sediments from the fjord, against monitoring data from the Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring Programme. Clear spatial gradients in organic carbon and biogenic silica contents reflected marine influence, nutrient availability and river-induced turbidity, in good agreement with in situ measurements. The sea ice proxy IP₂₅ was detected at all sites but at low concentrations, indicating that IP₂₅ records from fjords need to be carefully considered and not directly compared to marine settings. The sea ice-associated biomarker HBI III revealed an open-water signature, with highest concentrations near the mid-July ice edge. This proxy evaluation is an important step towards reliable palaeoenvironmental reconstructions that will, ultimately, contribute to better predictions for this High Arctic ecosystem in a warming climate.     

Characterization of the pro-inflammatory potencies of purified Jatropha phorbol esters by a gene expression-based in vitro bioassay

The oil extracted from Jatropha seeds is an emerging biodiesel feedstock that also contains several pro-inflammatory phorbol esters. These phorbol esters can elicit adverse inflammatory responses through activation of the protein kinase C, as previously described for the prototypical phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. We extracted and purified the six phorbol esters identified in Jatropha oil and assessed their pro-inflammatory activities using a recently developed gene expression-based bioassay. Borrowing from an approach used for the assessment of dioxin toxicity, we expressed their pro-inflammatory potencies in relation to the potency of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (in terms of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate toxic equivalency factors). The pro-inflammatory potencies of Jatropha phorbol esters were orders of magnitudes below the potency of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Interestingly, the cytotoxicity of phorbol esters did not appear to be directly related to their pro-inflammatory potencies. Calculations based on phorbol ester potencies and concentrations led to overestimation of the pro-inflammatory activity of Jatropha oil, as measured by the same gene expression-based bioassay. The preliminary results presented here suggest that further work on the described approach may lead to the development of valuable tools and metrics to quantify and predict the pro-inflammatory activities of complex phorbol ester mixtures.     

Wildlife in the cloud: A new approach for engaging stakeholders in wildlife management

Research in wildlife management increasingly relies on quantitative population models. However, a remaining challenge is to have end-users, who are often alienated by mathematics, benefiting from this research. I propose a new approach, ‘wildlife in the cloud,’ to enable active learning by practitioners from cloud-based ecological models whose complexity remains invisible to the user. I argue that this concept carries the potential to overcome limitations of desktop-based software and allows new understandings of human-wildlife systems. This concept is illustrated by presenting an online decision-support tool for moose management in areas with predators in Sweden. The tool takes the form of a user-friendly cloud-app through which users can compare the effects of alternative management decisions, and may feed into adjustment of their hunting strategy. I explain how the dynamic nature of cloud-apps opens the door to different ways of learning, informed by ecological models that can benefit both users and researchers.     

BRC4Env,a network of Biological Resource Centres for research in environmental and agricultural sciences

The Biological Resource Centre for the Environment BRC4Env is a network of Biological Resource Centres (BRCs) and collections whose leading objectives are to improve the visibility of genetic and biological resources maintained by its BRCs and collections and to facilitate their use by a large research community, from agriculture research to life sciences and environmental sciences. Its added value relies on sharing skills, harmonizing practices, triggering projects in comparative biology, and ultimately proposing a single-entry portal to facilitate access to documented samples, taking into account the partnership policies of research institutions as well as the legal frame which varies with the biological nature of resources. BRC4Env currently includes three BRCs: the Centre for Soil Genetic Resources of the platform GenoSol, in partnership with the European Conservatory of Soil Samples; the Egg Parasitoids Collection (EP-Coll); and the collection of ichthyological samples, Colisa. BRC4Env is also associated to several biological collections: microbial consortia (entomopathogenic bacteria, freshwater microalgae…), terrestrial arthropods, nematodes (plant parasitic, entomopathogenic, animal parasitic...), and small mammals. The BRCs and collections of BRC4Env are involved in partnership with academic scientists, as well as private companies, in the fields of medicinal mining, biocontrol, sustainable agriculture, and additional sectors. Moreover, the staff of the BRCs is involved in many training courses for students from French licence degree to Ph.D, engineers, as well as ongoing training.     

Statistical method for the determination of the ignition energy of dust cloud-experimental validation

Powdery materials such as metallic or polymer powders play a considerable role in many industrial processes. Their use requires the introduction of preventive safeguard to control the plants safety. The mitigation of an explosion hazard, according to the ATEX 137 Directive (1999/92/EU), requires, among other things, the assessment of the dust ignition sensitivity. PRISME laboratory (University of Orléans) has developed an experimental set-up and methodology, using the Langlie test, for the quick determination of the explosion sensitivity of dusts. This method requires only 20 shots and ignition sensitivity is evaluated through the E₅₀ (energy with an ignition probability of 0.5). A Hartmann tube, with a volume of 1.3 l, was designed and built. Many results on the energy ignition thresholds of partially oxidised aluminium were obtained using this experimental device (Baudry, 2007) and compared to literature. E₅₀ evolution is the same as MIE but their respective values are different and MIE is lower than E₅₀ however the link between E₅₀ and MIE has not been elucidated.In this paper, the Langlie method is explained in detail for the determination of the parameters (mean value E₅₀ and standard deviation σ) of the associated statistic law. The ignition probability versus applied energy is firstly measured for Lycopodium in order to validate the method. A comparison between the normal and the lognormal law was achieved and the best fit was obtained with the lognormal law.In a second part, the Langlie test was performed on different dusts such as aluminium, cornstarch, lycopodium, coal, and PA12 in order to determine E₅₀ and σ for each dust. The energies E₀₅ and E₁₀ corresponding respectively to an ignition probability of 0.05 and 0.1 are determined with the lognormal law and compared to MIE find in literature. E₀₅ and E₁₀ values of ignition energy were found to be very close and were in good agreement with MIE in the literature.     

Light, sediment, temperature, and the early life-history of the habitat-forming alga Cystoseira barbata

Recruitment is essential for the maintenance of populations, but far more is typically known about the more easily-observed adult stages than their smaller, often microscopic early life-history counterparts. This discrepancy can be particularly problematic for populations of foundation species that create biogenic habitat for a multitude of other taxa, but are themselves prime candidates for exploitation, fragmentation, and loss, and therefore become the focus of restoration efforts partly or fully dependent on recruitment. The purpose of this study was to improve ecological understanding for early life-history stages of the habitat-forming marine alga Cystoseira barbata (Stackhouse) C. Agardh (Fucales: Sargassaceae), member of a genus that has experienced considerable fragmentation and population decline on European coasts. Using experimental manipulations of water temperature, light intensity, and sediment accumulation, we observed that sediment virtually precluded recruitment of C. barbata, and greatly impacted the survival of recently settled germlings (up to ~83% mortality). Stronger intensities of light facilitated the growth of germlings, including the capacity for ~50% of them to outgrow detrimental sediment and survive. Temperature (10 vs. 16°C) had no effect on early recruitment, survival, or growth. This information helps to identify likely causes and locations of recruitment failure, and by extension, the conditions needed (either naturally or through human intervention) to facilitate recruitment and possible habitat restoration. Ultimately, this knowledge can increase our capacity to predict population persistence and the likely success of restoration efforts.