Distribution of the Lamellibrachia spp. (Siboglinidae,Annelida) and their trophosome endosymbiont phylotypes in the Mediterranean Sea

During the 2010/2011 Exploration vessel Nautilus expedition to the Mediterranean Sea, samples of Lamellibrachia (Siboglinidae, Annelida) were imaged in situ and collected from hydrothermal vent and methane “cold seeps.” An analysis of these Lamellibrachia and their endosymbiotic thioautotrophic gammaproteobacteria reveals two distinct endosymbiont phylotypes. Phylotype 1 was present in Lamellibrachia specimens from 947 m at the Eratosthenes seamount seep (a seep off Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean), and Phylotype 2 was found in siboglinids from 618 m at a hydrothermal vent within Palinuro volcanic complex in Tyrrhenian Sea. Both phylotypes coexist in siboglinids at 1,036 m from the Palmachim disturbance, a cold seep in the Eastern Mediterranean’s Levantine basin. Our results, combined with existing knowledge of siboglinid host and endosymbiotic bacteria biogeography, reveal that two major groups of endosymbionts coexist within lamellibranchids and escarpids. The phylogenetic clustering of these bacteria is primarily influenced by geographic location, rather than selection by the siboglinid host.     

Observations on the suitability of the aethalometer for vehicular and workplace monitoring

A field study was undertaken to evaluate the suitability of the aethalometer, an instrument capable of performing near-real-time measurement of low-level (10-1,000 ng/m3) airborne combustion products, for vehicular and workplace monitoring. Several technical limitations were identified: (1) there was no ready means for external calibration of optical measurements; (2) airflow rates were unstable; (3) effective range of concentrations was limited; and (4) the aethalometer demonstrated sensitivity to movement and vibration. Unless addressed, these limitations will restrict future uses of the aethalometer for vehicular and workplace monitoring.     

Currarino triad: concurrent US and MRI diagnosis in the fetus and the mother

We report an unusual case of the complete Currarino triad diagnosed in a fetus at 21 weeks' gestation by means of prenatal ultrasonography (US). The highly suspicious findings in the fetus were accompanied by analogous US findings in the mother who suffered from mild symptoms of up to that time unrecognized Currarino triad. Consecutively, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed the findings simultaneously in the fetus and in her mother. This is the first report describing the prenatal diagnosis of Currarino triad without the background of positive family history. To our knowledge, the prenatal MRI findings of Currarino triad have not yet been published. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Technology use and psychosocial factors in the self-reporting of musculoskeletal disorder symptoms in call center workers

PROBLEM: Evidence exists to suggest that working with computer terminals and keyboards is associated with the development and exacerbation of a range of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Research has suggested that psychosocial factors may be of more importance than computer use factors in the development of MSDs in the computing workplace. METHOD: A questionnaire-based study was undertaken to test this hypothesis in a sample of 67 call center workers. A Spearman's rho was performed on the data, as well as chi(2) tests on the individual variables. RESULTS: It was found that overall, computer use factors were significantly associated with self-reporting of MSD symptoms, whereas psychosocial factors had no such association. However, certain individual psychosocial factors emerged as having a significant association with MSD symptoms. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that specific areas of call center work have associations with poor worker health and possible long-term MSD problems. These areas appear to be workload and particular management-worker relations, rather than computer use. SUMMARY: This suggests that the relationship among computer use, psychosocial factors, and MSD is a complex area that would benefit from more research. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This study raises issues about the importance of psychosocial and organizational factors and employee welfare in the call center working environment.     

Photosynthesis, chlorophyll integrity, and spectral reflectance in lichens exposed to air pollution

The major objective of the present study was to identify the relationship of physiologial parameters of the photosynthetic system with the elemental content of the lichen Ramalina lacera (With.) J.R. Laund. Thalli of R. lacera were collected in an unpolluted site and transplanted in a national park and an industrial region in Israel for 8 mo. Analyses of photosynthetic activity, chlorophyll integrity, spectral reflectance, and amount of 11 metals were performed after this period of exposure. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), indicative of the spectral reflectance response of the thallus, correlated with photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll and K content and correlated inversely with amounts of Ba, Cr, Cu, and Ni. The NDVI appears to enable the detection of early signs of pollutant-induced stress before changes in other physiological parameters become apparent. Elevated amounts of Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn in lichens transplanted to an industrial area and the correlation of Mn and Ni, Mn and V, Ni and V, Fe and Mn, Fe and V, and Fe and Zn point for the greater part to metal processing in a steel smelter. Correlations of Cr and Ni, Cu and Ni, Zn and Cu, Cu and Mn, and Zn and Ni could be related to metal processing in the industrial area but indicate also vehicular activity as a possible originator.     

An analysis of occupational stair accident patterns

This report describes an analysis of existing occupational injury data concerning stairway-related falls. Injury data based on reports obtained from the Ohio and California workers' compensation agencies were analyzed to identify common stair injury patterns. Frequency tabulations are provided for the following factors: (a) location (indoors vs. outdoors, on vs. off employer's premises, site category); (b) task (ascending vs. descending, body movement on the stair, task being attempted); and (c) events (precipitating actions and conditions). One of the most outstanding findings is that 92 % of the injuries occurred when the worker was descending the stair, i.e., 636 of the 688 cases in which direction of travel was indicated. Additionally, injury records from the New York and Ohio workers' compensation agencies were used to rank industries in terms of combined frequency and severity rates of stairway-related injuries.     

Some considerations in the aftermath of the WWFs anniversary celebrations in Assisi

Summary The author considers various moral, social and political issues that have become apparent from the aftermath of the WWF's twenty-fifth Anniversary Celebrations in Assisi, Italy. In particular, the difficulty of making people understand the very ethics of conservation, when their cultural history has shaped their minds quite differently, is highlighted, and this is reflected in the author's suggested subtitle for the paper, How to Love Nature Without Getting your Shoes Wet.But don't ever leave me alone with Nature, For I know too much about her not to be afraid (Alfred de Vigny)Maria Luisa Cohen is President of the Assisi Nature Council (See also,The Environmentalist, 5 (3) 227–229).     

PROJECTED INCREASES IN MUNICIPAL WATER USE IN THE GREAT LAKES DUE TO CO2-INDUCED CLIMATIC CHANGE1

ABSTRACT: Two scenarios of CO₂-induced climatic change are used to estimate changes in water use for a number of municipalities in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. Both scenarios, based on General Circulation Models produced by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab (GFDL), project warmer temperatures for the region. Using regression models based on monthly potential evapotranspiration for individual cities, it is projected that annual per capita water use will increase by a small amount, which will probably have only a marginal effect on water supplies in the Great Lakes basin. This method could also be used to assess the potential impacts of CO₂-induced climatic change on water use by the agriculture and power sectors, as well as the effectiveness of water policy initiatives, such as price changes. More work is needed to project water use during peak periods (warm dry spells), which may occur more frequently in a 2 × CO₂ climate in this region.