The nexus amid foreign direct investment,urbanization, and CO2 emissions: Evidence from energy grouping along the ECOWAS community

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The vision of every country or subregions is to achieve economic growth and sustainable economic growth. Thus, the Economic Community of West African...     

Muster und Prozeß: Komplementarität im biologischen Denken

Evolutionary theory is said to explain order in nature by a historical process. An analysis of the writings of E. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire shows, however, that pattern and process in nature are not based on simple, i.e. unreflected observation, but rather constitute alternative and incompatible ways of interpretation of observations according to certain methodological rules. It is concluded that pattern and process are complementary views of nature, pattern providing process with a direction, process giving an explanation for pattern.     

Is the contribution of bacteria to terrestrial carbon budget greatly underestimated?

Some commonly found species of soil bacteria use low molecular weight organic acids as their sole source of carbon and energy. This study shows that acids such as citrate and oxalate (produced in large amounts by fungi and plants) can rapidly be consumed by these bacteria. Two strains, Ralstonia eutropha and Xanthobacter autotrophicus, were cultured on acetate- and citrate-rich media. The resulting CO₂ and/or HCO₃^- reacted with calcium ions to precipitate two polymorphs of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), calcite and vaterite, depending on the quantity of slime produced by the strains. This production of primary calcium carbonate crystals by oxalate- and citrate-degrading bacteria from soil organic carbon sources highlights the existence of an important and underestimated potential carbon sink.     

Bicycle helmet effectiveness is not overstated

Objective: The objective of this study was to discuss the challenges in estimating bicycle helmet effectiveness from case–control studies of injured cyclists and to estimate helmet effectiveness from cases and available exposure data.

Methods: Data were extracted from studies of cyclists in Seattle; Victoria and New South Wales, Australia; and The Netherlands. Estimates of helmet use were used as exposure to compute relative risks for Seattle and Victorian data. Cycling distance data are routinely collected in The Netherlands; however, these data cannot be disaggregated by helmet use, which makes it unsuitable for estimating helmet effectiveness. Alternative controls were identified from larger cohorts for the Seattle and New South Wales cases.

Results: Estimates of helmet effectiveness were similar from odds ratios (ORs) using hospital controls or from relative risks (RRs) using helmet use estimates (Seattle: OR = 0.339, RR = 0.444; Victoria: OR = 0.500, RR = 0.353). Additionally, the odds ratios using hospital controls were similar when controls were taken from a larger cohort for head injury of any severity (Seattle: OR = 0.250, alt OR = 0.257; NSW: OR = 0.446, alt OR = 0.411) and for serious head injury (Seattle: OR = 0.135, alt OR = 0.139; NSW: OR = 0.335, alt OR = 0.308). Although relevant exposure data were unavailable for The Netherlands, the odds ratio for helmet effectiveness of those using racing, mountain, or hybrid bikes was similar to other estimates (OR = 0.371).

Conclusions: Despite potential weaknesses with case–control study designs, the best available evidence suggests that helmet use is an effective measure of reducing cycling head injury.     

Life cycle assessment of spray dried soluble coffee and comparison with alternatives (drip filter and capsule espresso)

This paper aims to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with spray dried soluble coffee over its entire life cycle and compare it with drip filter coffee and capsule espresso coffee. It particularly aims to identify critical environmental issues and responsibilities along the whole life cycle chain of spray dried coffee. This life cycle assessment (LCA) specifically uses foreground data obtained directly from coffee manufacturers and suppliers. Aside from energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions, water footprint is also studied in detail, including regionalization of water impacts based on the ecological scarcity method 2006. Other impact categories are screened using the IMPACT 2002+ impact assessment method.The overall LCA results for a 1 dl cup of spray dried soluble coffee amounts approximately to 1 MJ of primary non-renewable energy consumption, to emissions of 0.07 kg of CO_2-eq, and between 3 and 10 l of non-turbined water use, depending on whether or not the coffee cultivation is irrigated and wet treated. When considering turbined water, use can be up to 400 l of water per cup. Pouch – and to a lesser extent metal can packaging alternatives – show lower environmental burdens than glass or sticks.On average, about one half of the environmental footprint occurs at a life cycle stage under the control of the coffee producer or its suppliers (i.e., during cultivation, treatment, processing, packaging up to distribution, along with advertising) and the other half at a stage controlled by the user (shopping, appliances manufacturing, use and waste disposal). Key environmental parameters of spray dried soluble coffee are the amount of extra water boiled and the efficiency of cup cleaning during use phase, whether the coffee is irrigated or not, as well as the type and amount of fertilizer used in the coffee field. The packaging contributes to 10% of the overall life cycle impacts.Compared to other coffee alternatives, spray dried soluble coffee uses less energy and has a lower environmental footprint than capsule espresso coffee or drip filter coffee, the latter having the highest environmental impacts on a per cup basis. This study shows that a broad LCA approach is needed to help industry to minimize the environmental burdens directly related to their products. Including all processes of the entire system is necessary i) to get a comprehensive environmental footprint of the product system with respect to sustainable production and consumption, ii) to share stakeholders responsibility along the entire product life cycle, and iii) to avoid problem shifting between different life cycle stages.     

Managing Mediterranean soil resources under global change: expected trends and mitigation strategies

Regional Environmental Change - The soils of the Mediterranean Basin are the products of soil processes that have been governed by a unique convergence of highly differentiated natural and...     

Characterization of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the east of France urban areas

Background

Air samples collected on three different urban sites in East of France (Strasbourg, Besan?on, and Spicheren), from April 2006 to January 2007, were characterized to measure the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the particulate phase (PM₁₀) and to examine their seasonal variation, diurnal variations, and emission sources.

Results

The average concentrations of ??PAHs were 12.6, 9.5, and 8.9?ng?m^?3 for the Strasbourg, Besan?on, and Spicheren sites, respectively. Strong seasonal variations of individual PAH concentrations were found at the three sampling sites, with higher levels in the winter that gradually decreased to the lowest levels in the summer. The diurnal variations of PAH concentrations in summer presented highest concentrations during the morning (04:00?C10:00) and the evening (16:00?C22:00) times, indicating the important contribution from vehicle emissions, in the three sampling sites. Furthermore, the ratio of BaP/BeP suggests that the photochemical degradation of PAHs can suppress their concentrations in the midday/afternoon (10:00?C16:00), time interval of highest global irradiance. In winter, concentrations of PAH were highest during the evening (16:00?C22:00) time, suggesting that domestic heating can potentially be an important source for particulate PAH, for the three sampling sites.

Conclusion

Diagnostic ratios were used to identify potential sources of PAHs. Results showed that vehicle emissions may be the major source of PAHs, especially in summer, with a prevalent contribution of diesel engines rather than gasoline engines at the three sites studied, independently of the seasons.     

Documenting lemming population change in the Arctic: Can we detect trends?

Lemmings are a key component of tundra food webs and changes in their dynamics can affect the whole ecosystem. We present a comprehensive overview of lemming monitoring and research activities, and assess recent trends in lemming abundance across the circumpolar Arctic. Since 2000, lemmings have been monitored at 49 sites of which 38 are still active. The sites were not evenly distributed with notably Russia and high Arctic Canada underrepresented. Abundance was monitored at all sites, but methods and levels of precision varied greatly. Other important attributes such as health, genetic diversity and potential drivers of population change, were often not monitored. There was no evidence that lemming populations were decreasing in general, although a negative trend was detected for low arctic populations sympatric with voles. To keep the pace of arctic change, we recommend maintaining long-term programmes while harmonizing methods, improving spatial coverage and integrating an ecosystem perspective.     

In situ characterization of sulphur in gill-endosymbionts of the shallow water lucinid Codakia orbicularis (Linné, 1758) by high-pressure cryofixation and EFTEM microanalysis

In this study, Codakia orbicularis gill-tissues were cryo-fixed by using high-pressure freezing, a freeze substitution process and finally by cryo-embedding in Lowicryl. Ultrathin sections were then used for an EFTEM microanalysis. Results show that intracellular bacterial symbionts contain elemental sulphur in periplasmic vesicles as indicated by conventional TEM. When sulphur is temporarily depleted in the environment, such structures may act as energy sources for bacterial metabolism. Moreover, sulphate was detected in the cytoplasm of the bacterial symbionts, suggesting the oxidation of elemental sulphur, located in periplasmic granules, to sulphate (the final step in sulphur oxidation) by these chemoautotrophic bacteria. To assess the effects of host starvation on the bacterial sulphur content, adult individuals of C. orbicularis were maintained in starvation for 6 weeks in sterile artificial seawater depleted in sulphur. During starvation, both (1) the number of bacteria inside the bacteriocytes and (2) the number of periplasmic granules per prokaryotic cell decreased. The content of the remaining periplasmic granules had been modified to sulphate. This observation suggests that bacterial gill-endosymbionts used the elemental sulphur in their periplasmic granules as stored substrate for oxidation in order to produce energy in case of sulphur depletion.     

Dynamic extreme values modeling and monitoring by means of sea shores water quality biomarkers and valvometry

Water quality can be evaluated using biomarkers such as tissular enzymatic activities of endemic species. Measurement of molluscs bivalves activity at high frequency (e.g., valvometry) during a long time period is another way to record the animal behavior and to evaluate perturbations of the water quality in real time. As the pollution affects the activity of oysters, we consider the valves opening and closing velocities to monitor the water quality assessment. We propose to model the huge volume of velocity data collected in the framework of valvometry using a new nonparametric extreme values statistical model. The objective is to estimate the tail probabilities and the extreme quantiles of the distribution of valve closing velocity. The tail of the distribution function of valve closing velocity is modeled by a Pareto distribution with parameter ??_t,τ, beyond a threshold τ according to the time t of the experiment. Our modeling approach reveals the dependence between the specific activity of two enzymatic biomarkers (Glutathione-S-transferase and acetylcholinesterase) and the continuous recording of oyster valve velocity, proving the suitability of this tool for water quality assessment. Thus, valvometry allows in real-time in situ analysis of the bivalves behavior and appears as an effective early warning tool in ecological risk assessment and marine environment monitoring.