In Situ flushing of contaminated soils from a refinery: Organic compounds and metal removals

This article demonstrates the applicability of in situ flushing for the remediation of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons at a Mexican refinery. The initial average total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration for the demonstration field test was 55,156 g/kg. After six weeks of in situ flushing with alternate periods of water and water/surfactant, an average concentration of 1,407 mg/kg was reached, achieving a total removal efficiency of 98 percent. At the end of the process, no hydrocarbons such as diesel; gasoline; benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene (BTEX); or petroleum aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were found. Iron washing achieved a removal efficiency of 70 percent, and for vanadium, the removal efficiency was 94.4 percent. The volume of soil treated was 41.6 m³ (38 m²), equivalent to 69.5 tons of soil. A rough calculation of the process costs estimated a total cost of $104.20/m³ ($114.00/m²). Our research indicates that there are a few studies demonstrating in situ flushing experiences under field conditions where both organic (TPH, diesel, gasoline, PAHs, BTEX) and metal (iron and vanadium) removals are reported. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Prenatal diagnosis of primary anophthalmia with a 3q27 interstitial deletion involving SOX2

We report an interstitial deletion of chromosome 3q26-q28 in a fetus in which anophthalmia had been detected prenatally. FISH analysis, using BAC clones encompassing the SOX2 locus, showed that SOX2 gene was involved in the chromosomal breakpoint of the deletion. This case confirms that haploinsufficiency for SOX2 plays a crucial role in human eye development and emphasizes the necessity of careful chromosomal analysis, including FISH analysis of the 3q region, in case of prenatal discovery of anophthalmia. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aerosol composition as a function of haze and humidity levels in the Southwestern U.S.

The observed composition of visibility-reducing aerosols in the Grand Canyon region is summarized in climatological terms. Observations are from SCENES, a measurement program extending from 1984 to 1989. Results are presented as average mass balances stratified by various factors.Aerosols were found to exhibit substantial seasonal variation, but little systematic diurnal variation. Crustal material was a dynamic component, and peaked during springtime. Aerosol composition, but not total concentration, depended strongly on ambient relative humidity, with crustal material augmented at low humidities and sulfates augmented at high humidities. Total fine-particle concentrations correlated strongly with light scattering, as expected; however, little association between chemical composition and light scattering was observed.     

The Impact of Brown-Headed Cowbird Parasitism on Populations of the White-Crowned Sparrow

Brown-headed Cowbirds, Molothrus ater , are brood parasites on many species of North American Passerines. Cowbird parasitism is frequently cited as a contributing factor in the decline of United States passerine populations, based on three lines of evidence. First, range expansion and population increases by Cowbirds in this century are dramatic and well documented. Second, increasing rates of parasitism have been discovered in a variety of host species populations. Finally, direct negative effects of parasitism on certain vulnerable species notably Kirtland's Warbler, Dendroica kirtlandii , have been demonstrated. It remains unproven, however, that Cowbirds have significant negative effects on more abundant and widely-distributed hosts.
We report here on the impact of Cowbird parasitism on populations of Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli , in the San Francisco Bay Area. This widespread songbird is now subject to a 40–50% rate of parasitism in San Francisco, an increase from 5% only 15 years ago. Using known mortality and fecundity values, we calculate that this population of White-crowns cannot maintain its numbers when the parasitism rate exceeds approximately 20%. Present levels of parasitism thus appear to threaten the longevity survival of this adaptable Songbird in the San Francisco Bay Area.     

Sand-swimming behaviour reduces ectoparasitism in an iguanian lizard

Social interactions may shape brain development. In primitively eusocial insects, the mushroom body (MB), an area of the brain associated with sensory integration and learning, is larger in queens than in workers. This may reflect a strategy of neural investment in queens or it may be a plastic response to social interactions in the nest. Here, we show that nest foundresses—the reproductive females who will become queens but are solitary until their first workers are born—have larger MBs than workers in the primitively eusocial sweat bee Augochlorella aurata. Whole brain size and optic lobe size do not differ between the two groups, but foundresses also have larger antennal lobes than workers. This shows that increased neural investment in MBs precedes social group formation. Larger MBs among foundresses may reflect the increased larval nutrition provisioned to future queens and the lack of social aggression from a dominant queen upon adult emergence.

     

Ecological restoration as a strategy for mitigating and adapting to climate change: lessons and challenges from Brazil

Climate change is a global phenomenon that affects biophysical systems and human well-being. The Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change entered into force in 2016 with the objective of strengthening the global response to climate change by keeping global temperature rise this century well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 °C. The agreement requires all Parties to submit their “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) and to strengthen these efforts in the years ahead. Reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation is an important strategy for mitigating climate change, particularly in developing countries with large forests. Extensive tropical forest loss and degradation have increased awareness at the international level of the need to undertake large-scale ecological restoration, highlighting the need to identify cases in which restoration strategies can contribute to mitigation and adaptation. Here we consider Brazil as a case study to evaluate the benefits and challenges of implementing large-scale restoration programs in developing countries. The Brazilian NDC included the target of restoring and reforesting 12 million hectares of forests for multiple uses by 2030. Restoration of native vegetation is one of the foundations of sustainable rural development in Brazil and should consider multiple purposes, from biodiversity and ecosystem services conservation to social and economic development. However, ecological restoration still presents substantial challenges for tropical and mega-diverse countries, including the need to develop plans that are technically and financially feasible, as well as public policies and monitoring instruments that can assess effectiveness. The planning, execution, and monitoring of restoration efforts strongly depend on the context and the diagnosis of the area with respect to reference ecosystems (e.g., forests, savannas, grasslands, wetlands). In addition, poor integration of climate change policies at the national and subnational levels and with other sectorial policies constrains the large-scale implementation of restoration programs. The case of Brazil shows that slowing deforestation is possible; however, this analysis highlights the need for increased national commitment and international support for actions that require large-scale transformations of the forest sector regarding ecosystem restoration efforts. Scaling up the ambitions and actions of the Paris Agreement implies the need for a global framework that recognizes landscape restoration as a cost-effective nature-based solution and that supports countries in addressing their remaining needs, challenges, and barriers.

     

Chemical looping with oxygen uncoupling: an advanced biomass combustion technology to avoid CO2 emissions

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Bioenergy with carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage (BECCS) technologies represent an interesting option to reach negative carbon...     

Permanent exposure versus facultative concealment of sexual traits: an experimental study in the house sparrow

In many bird species the cryptic winter plumage is due to the presence of light feather tips that conceal conspicuous colorations. The gradual abrasion of these tips that makes sexual traits visible has been interpreted as a strategy to improve mating success (here referred as the permanent exhibition hypothesis). However, under some circumstances, the maintenance of a full plumage that facultatively enables the bird to exhibit or cover aggression-inducing traits has proved to be advantageous (the coverable badge hypothesis). In a population of house sparrows where black throat patches (here called badges) are used in intrasexual competition, the degree of abrasion of dull feather tips that conceal bright colour early in the breeding season correlated neither with badge size nor with traits indicating morphology and body condition. These results are only in accordance with predictions of the coverable badge hypothesis. In 1992 experimental clipping of badge feather tips, which forced permanent exposure of badges, negatively affected birds with the largest badges in terms of nest acquisition, but an opposite trend was indicated for birds with the smallest badges. In 1993, when more novel birds in the study area were competing for nesting sites than in 1992, only badge size, but not the experimental manipulation, affected nesting success. These results suggest that the loss of the ability to conceal badges was disadvantageous, and more so if most competing individuals had already been resident in the colony in previous years and the larger their badges were. There is a striking contrast between the results reported for this study population, where badges mainly signal fighting ability, and those reported for another house sparrow population, where badges are mainly used in mate choice. In this last population, tip abrasion is advantageous for dominant individuals showing the largest badges. This suggests that the trade-off between conserving versus wearing off the feathers that conceal ornaments could have different optimal resolutions depending on the relative importance of inter and intrasexual selection on indicator traits. Received: 29 September 1995/Accepted after revision: 14 July 1996