Extreme34S-Anreicherungen in gelöstem Sulfat von Grundwässern im Umfeld einer Altmülldeponie

Wir danken Dr. Kerndorff für die kritische Durchsicht des Manuskripts.     

Activities of alkaline phosphatase in first trimester chorion biopsy tissue

We have determined the activity of alkaline phosphatase in chorionic villous tissue obtained in the first trimester of pregnancy, in order to obtain the normal range of values as a prerequisite for application to the prenatal diagnosis of the rare bone disease hypophosphatasia. The activities found were a combination of intestinal and liver/bone/kidney types; traces of placental type were present in only one sample.     

Radio-telemetric evidence of migration in the gregarious but not the solitary morph of the Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex: Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)

 The Mormon cricket, Anabrus simplex, is one of just a few species of katydids (or bushcrickets, Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) that, like migratory locusts, appear to have solitary and migratory morphs. Using radio telemetry we studied movements of individuals of two morphs of this flightless species. Individuals within each migratory band had similar rates of movements along similar directional headings whereas solitary individuals moved little and showed little evidence of directionality in movement. Our results also add to other recent radio-telemetry studies showing that flightless insects of 1–2 g in mass can be tracked successfully using these methods. Received: 28 February 2000 / Accepted in revised form: 19 June 2000     

The application of life cycle assessment to design

This paper explores the practical application of life cycle assessment (LCA) to product system development. While life cycle assessment methods have been studied and demonstrated extensively over the last two decades, their application to product design and development has not been critically addressed. Many organizational and operational factors limit the integration of the three LCA components (inventory analysis, impact assessment and improvement assessment) with product development. Design of the product system can be considered a synthesis of individual decisions and choices made by the design team, which ultimately shape the system's environmental profile. The environmental goal of life cycle design is to minimize the aggregate environmental impacts associated with the product system. Appropriate environmental information must be supplied to decision makers throughout each stage of the development process to achieve this goal. LCA can serve as a source of this information, but informational requirements can vary as the design moves from its conceptual phase, where many design choices are possible, to its detailed design and implementation. Streamlined approaches and other tools, such as design checklists, are essential. The practical use of this tool in product development also depends on the nature and complexity of the product system (e.g. new vs. established), the product development cycle (time-to-market constraints), availability of technical and financial resources, and the design approach (integrated vs. serial). These factors will influence the role and scope of LCA in product development. Effective communication and evaluation of environmental information and the integration of this information with cost, performance, cultural and legal criteria will also be critical to the success of design initiatives based on the life cycle framework. An overview of several of these design initiatives will be presented.     

Optimising the environmental benefits of emission reductions from UK coal- and oil-fired power stations: a critical loads approach

This paper describes a method for determining reductions of SO₂ emissions from coal- and oil-fired power stations, oil refineries and large industrial units in the UK taking into account their pollution potential. The method is based on the use of two gridded data sets: critical loads, which represent the sensitivity of the environment to acid deposition and modelled estimates of total (wet + dry) sulphur deposition for 646 point sources within the UK. An iterative method is used to identify and subsequently reduce emissions from point sources that contribute most to areas of critical loads exceedance. This paper demonstrates how the method may be used to determine an optimal allocation of emissions across the UK which yields the maximum amount of environmental protection per unit of emission.The paper then goes on to consider the changes that will have to take place within the UK power generation industry in order to meet the revised EC Large Combustion Plant Directive which comes into force on 1 January 2008. Particular emphasis is placed upon proposed emissions trading schemes and the environmental implications of allowing trading between stations with high and low pollution potentials. The paper concludes by suggesting that the emissions trading process should take into account the pollution potential of each source, irrespective of whether the proposed emission is within the plant's agreed emission limit. An approach based entirely on minimizing environmental damage rather than one which takes cost into account, as in current integrated assessment modelling, could provide an interesting approach across the rest of Europe.     

Effects of landscape homogeneity on starling roost distribution

The possible effects of landscape structure on starling roost distribution were investigated in western France using GIS analysis at different radii (2, 4, 8 and 10 km). Composition (11 land use classes) and configuration (patch size, diversity index) of the landscapes surrounding 97 roost sites used by starlings from 1981 to 2002 and surrounding 50 random points not used as roost sites were compared. Significant results suggested that starling roosts were established preferentially in the centre of an agricultural landscape where large units of pastures and arable land predominated and where natural areas were lacking both in large patches (forests or wetland classes) and in small patches such as woods in the mixed land class. A varied farmland landscape with natural areas and small patches should be promoted to limit the starling damage in wintering regions and also to favour their reproduction in regions where it has declined.