Hydrologic disturbance reduces biological integrity in urban streams

The impact of urbanization on stream ecosystems is linked by land cover changes to the alteration of the natural hydrology and subsequent physical disruption of stream biota and habitat. Seasonal floods are part of the natural disturbance regime of many streams, but urbanization increases their frequency and magnitude. This study evaluated the impact of hydrologic disturbance on fish and aquatic macroinvertebrates in 81 (56 urban/25 reference) Ohio streams. Hydrologic variables included annual and monthly 24-h rainfall maxima and computed annual peak discharge, with computation supported by GIS-based drainage area delineation and land cover characterization. Ohio biological criteria for fish and macroinvertebrates measured during the late spring and summer were negatively impacted by annual peak discharge in urban streams as compared to reference streams. Results support the application of stormwater best management practices as part of stream restoration efforts to mitigate urbanization impacts to fish and macroinvertebrates.     

Chromosome analysis of first trimester chorionic villus biopsies Prepared by a maceration technique

A technique for the culture of chorionic villi for cytogenetic studies is described which is simple, reliable, rapid, and suitable for routine laboratory use. This method eliminates the need for multi-stage and time-consuming procedures inherent in previous techniques which have been developed for this tissue. Cultures suitable for analysis were obtained in an average of sixteen days and the risk of maternal cell contamination was evaluated. Results of cultures initiated from 50 chorion biopsies obtained by transcervical blind aspiration at a weekly termination clinic are presented, and the potential use of this technique as a routine procedure is discussed.     

聚合物改性粉煤灰制备多孔复合材料及其性能研究

制备了高掺量粉煤灰为基质的聚乙烯醇/纤维素复合多孔材料。该复合材料制备过程简单易行,不需高温高压。通过XRF、XRD、FT-IR、SEM以及压汞法对该粉煤灰复合材料进行了表征和结构分析,探索了原料混合比例、干燥温度对样品结构和性能的影响。研究发现:聚乙烯醇可以有效提高该复合材料的无侧限抗压强度,纤维素可有效改善材料的孔隙结构;材料的孔隙主要来自水分蒸发过程中的气泡聚合,在外部不加压的条件下制备样品,需控制干燥温度对样品内部孔隙结构的影响。当粉煤灰含量为80%,聚乙烯醇含量为10%,纤维素含量为10%时,复合材料具有较好的孔隙率、孔隙结构、抗压强度和吸水性及保水性。有一定强度的以粉煤灰为基质的亲水性材料也适合作为吸附材料或滤料,未来可以进一步通过改善材料内部结构,以及活化功能性官能团以提高材料的综合性能,为粉煤灰的综合利用拓展途径。     

Comparative assessment of coal tars obtained from 10 former manufactured gas plant sites in the eastern United States

A comparative analysis was performed on eleven coal tars obtained from former manufactured gas plant sites in the eastern United States. Bulk properties analyzed included percent ash, Karl Fisher water content, viscosity and average molecular weight. Chemical properties included monocyclic- and polycyclic-aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations, alkylated aromatic concentrations, and concentrations of aliphatic and aromatic fractions. It was found that there was at least an order-of-magnitude variation in all properties measured between the eleven coal tars. Additionally, two coal tars obtained from the same manufactured gas plant site had very different properties, highlighting that there can be wide variations in coal tar properties from different samples obtained from the same site. Similarities were also observed between the coal tars. The relative chemical distributions were similar for all coal tars, and the coal tars predominantly consisted of PAHs, with naphthalene being the single-most prevalent compound. The C(9-22) aromatic fraction, an indicator of all PAHs up to a molecular weight of approximately 276 gmole(-1), showed a strong power-law relationship with the coal tar average molecular weight (MW (ct)). And the concentrations of individual PAHs decreased linearly as MW (ct) increased up to ca. 1000 gmole(-1), above which they remained low and variable. Implications of these properties and their variation with MW (ct) on groundwater quality are discussed. Ultimately, while these similarities do allow generalities to be made about coal tars, the wide range of coal tar bulk and chemical properties reported here highlights the complex nature of coal tars.     

Recreational Portage Trails as Corridors Facilitating Non-Native Plant Invasions of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (U.S.A.)

Abstract:  Wilderness areas are protected and valued in part for recreation; recreational use, however, can negatively impact these areas. In particular, recreational use can facilitate transport of non-native propagules and create open sites for establishment of non-native species. We examined the role of recreational portage trails in the introduction and establishment of non-native plants into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of northern Minnesota (U.S.A.). On 20 portages, we sampled non-native plant richness and cover at four distances (0, 10, 25, and 50 m) from trails. Non-native richness and cover were not related to distance from wilderness entry point. Non-native richness and cover were, however, negatively related to distance from trails. All six non-native species we observed were either directly on or within 1 m of trails. These results suggest that recreational trails act as corridors facilitating invasions of non-native plants into wilderness areas. It remains unclear, however, whether these effects are caused by dispersal of propagules, creation of bare ground, or changes in the native plant community.     

Another look at the locus of control–organizational commitment relationship: it depends on the form of commitment

Previous studies imply that individuals with an external locus of control (LOC) are less likely to be committed to their organizations. More recent work on organizational commitment has suggested that commitment is not a unidimensional construct and can take several forms (e.g., affective and continuance). Using a sample of 232 employees of a Canadian governmental agency, we examined the relations between LOC and two different forms of organizational commitment that have been found to have different antecedents and consequences. We found that internal LOC was associated with affective commitment and external LOC was associated with continuance commitment. Implications for research and practice are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Uncertainty requirements of the European Union’s Industrial Emissions Directive for monitoring sulfur dioxide emissions: Implications from a blind comparison of sulfate measurements by accredited laboratories

When annual average PM_2.5 (fine particulate matter sized 2.5 microns and less) data for 2005 became available in April 2006 and the 3-yr average PM_2.5 concentration in an area just north of the Houston Ship Channel reached 15.0 µg/m³, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) initiated daily collection of quartz fiber as well as Teflon PM_2.5 filter samples for chemical speciation analysis. The purpose of the chemical speciation analysis was to use the speciation data, together with meteorological data and hourly TEOM (tapered element oscillating microbalance) PM_2.5 mass data, to identify the causes of the high PM_2.5 concentrations affecting the monitoring site and the neighborhood. The ultimate purpose was to target emission reduction efforts to sources contributing to the high measured PM_2.5 concentrations. After a year of data collection, it was recognized that a specific source, unpaved driveways and loading areas along the Ship Channel and dirt tracked onto Clinton Drive, the main artery running east-west north of the Ship Channel, were the primary cause for the Clinton Drive site's measuring PM_2.5 concentrations significantly higher than other sites in Houston. The source characterization and remediation steps that have led to sustained reduced concentrations are described in this paper.

Implications: With PM_2.5 exceedances it can be essential to have or develop chemical speciation data as part of the process of identifying the source types causing exceedances of an annual standard. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis proved to be a powerful tool that identified the two locally emitted species contributing to exceedances, which did not occur at other sites in the region. They were calcium sulfate (gypsum), an industrial by-product, and soil minerals. Other data analysis approaches were necessary to distinguish North African dust events, which PMF failed to identify.     

Overestimations of food abundance: predator responses to prey aggregation

Understanding and predicting the consequences of trophic interactions for community processes requires knowledge of the role of food availability, which is often wrongly conflated with prey abundance. For prey animals in groups, this is not fully understood. Previous work has shown that oystercatchers more frequently attack solitary rather than aggregated limpets and are more successful in predation attempts on singletons. It has also been demonstrated that an attack on one limpet in a group alerts the entire group, all of which then clamp down and become unavailable. I show that Eurasian Oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus L.) attack only one limpet in a group and then move on to attack another individual limpet, and I also demonstrate that the distance they move is greater than the distance at which groups of limpets have been known to detect attacks. Thus in the oystercatcher-limpet predator-prey system on rocky shores, groups of limpets are actually one prey item independently of the number of limpets in the group. This has implications for assessment of food supply for avian predators on rocky shores, with consequences for our understanding of previously documented trophic cascades.