Tolerance and phytoremediation potential of Calopogonium mucunoides to boron

Soil contamination by trace elements (TEs) is a problem of great concern since the industrial revolution. However, not all TEs are essentially toxic, and several micronutrients such as boron (B) play essential roles during plant development and, in this case, B acts in plants as a structural element. Soil B levels above 3.0 mg dm^–3 may be toxic to many plants and the greatest input of B to the environment occurs through the anthropic way. An environmentally promising alternative is phytoremediation, in which contaminant‐tolerant plants are used to remove or stabilize TEs in soils. Therefore, this work has been carried out to aim C. mucunoides’ tolerance to increasing B concentrations and its potential as a phytoremediator. We found out that C. mucunoides tolerates B doses up to 480 mg dm^?3, the B uptaken is transported at a 1:1 ratio between root and shoot, suggesting that C. mucunoides can be used as a phytostabilizer and phytoextractor due to its potential to be used in phytoremediation techniques because it can tolerate toxic concentrations of B.     

Putting the 'E' into LSPs: Representing the Environment within Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) in the UK

This article reports the findings of a qualitative study with residents living in six deprived neighbourhoods in the UK and the front-line workers and local policymakers responsible for the renewal of these areas. The study was an attempt to raise awareness of local environmental concerns in the context of a national and local policy agenda, which has, until recently, largely overlooked the impacts of degraded environments on the lives and activities of the people who live in them. A key aim for the study was to raise people's concerns with local decision-makers and examine how far these might be addressed through the existing financial, administrative and legislative arrangements for neighbourhood renewal in the UK, namely Local Strategic Partnerships. The research was designed to provide practical lessons and policy recommendations for others wishing to raise the profile of environmental justice in the context of neighbourhood level regeneration projects, in both the UK and elsewhere in the 'developed' world.     

The effect of the limited availability of H2O2 in the competitive deposition of sulfur and oxidized nitrogen

To understand the influence of the reduction of SO2 emissions from a single source in the S and N deposition around its local environment, the application of the Sulphur Transport Eulerian Model 2 (STEM-II) was introduced in this paper. Observed local deposition patterns were analysed and explained in terms of the main processes involved in the pollutants deposition. It was necessary to take into account the limited availability of H2O2 because of its influence on both S(IV) and oxidized nitrogen deposition. In order to estimate the quantitative relationship between the SO2 emissions reduction and the observed S and N deposition patterns, these processes were simulated for different meteorological conditions. Simulation results were in agreement with both observed deposition patterns and limited availability of H2O2, specially if significant changes in the S deposition patterns were considered. Both observed and estimated S deposition patterns changed their top value location from the Southwest (1990) to the Northwest (1997) of the domain, because of the reduction of dry deposition. The global reduction of total S depositions, estimated and observed, were in good agreement too. Model simulations could explain the higher S dry deposition reduction, considering the emissions reduction strategy applied.     

Are rapid population estimates accurate? A field trial of two different assessment methods

Emergencies resulting in large-scale displacement often lead to populations resettling in areas where basic health services and sanitation are unavailable. To plan relief-related activities quickly, rapid population size estimates are needed. The currently recommended Quadrat method estimates total population by extrapolating the average population size living in square blocks of known area to the total site surface. An alternative approach, the T-Square, provides a population estimate based on analysis of the spatial distribution of housing units taken throughout a site. We field tested both methods and validated the results against a census in Esturro Bairro, Beira, Mozambique. Compared to the census (population: 9,479), the T-Square yielded a better population estimate (9,523) than the Quadrat method (7,681; 95% confidence interval: 6,160-9,201), but was more difficult for field survey teams to implement. Although applicable only to similar sites, several general conclusions can be drawn for emergency planning.     

Shearwater diet during migration along the coast of Rio Grande do Sul,Brazil

The coastline of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) is used annually as a migratory route by a number of seabird species. Thirteen surveys were carried out between July 1997 and July 1998 to obtain information on the diet of Puffinus gravis, Puffinus griseus, and Puffinus puffinus along the coast of Rio Grande do Sul. Sampling efforts focused on dead beach-cast specimens. One hundred twenty-one stomach content analyses were performed on P. gravis from a total of 238 specimens; 17 stomach content analyses were performed on P. griseus from a total of 54 specimens; and 25 stomach content analyses were performed on 25 P. puffinus from a total of 61 dead specimens. Cephalopods were the main prey found in the stomachs of the three species and were present in 96% of the P. gravis stomachs. The following cephalopods were observed: Ommastrephidae, Gonatus antarcticus, Gonatus sp., Lycoteuthis lorigera, Lycoteuthis sp., Histioteuthis sp., Cycloteuthis sp., Loligo plei, Loligo sanpaulensis, Sepiidae, and Argonauta nodosa. The latter was the most abundant species in the three species of Puffinus. The following fish were identified from otoliths: Porichthys porosissimus, Ctenosciaena gracilicirrhus, Paralonchurus brasiliensis, Cynoscion guatucupa, and Trichiurus lepturus. There was also a high incidence of synthetic materials such as plastic, polyethylene and rubber.     

Resource defense polygyny shifts to female defense polygyny over the course of the reproductive season of a Neotropical harvestman

Although studies classify the polygynous mating system of a given species into female defense polygyny (FDP) or resource defense polygyny (RDP), the boundary between these two categories is often slight. Males of some species may even shift between these two types of polygyny in response to temporal variation in social and environmental conditions. Here, we examine the mating system of the Neotropical harvestman Acutisoma proximum and, in order to assess if mate acquisition in males corresponds to FDP or RDP, we tested four contrasting predictions derived from the mating system theory. At the beginning of the reproductive season, males fight with other males for the possession of territories on the vegetation where females will later oviposit, as expected in RDP. Females present a marked preference for specific host plant species, and males establish their territories in areas where these host plants are specially abundant, which is also expected in RDP. Later in the reproductive season, males reduce their patrolling activity and focus on defending individual females that are ovipositing inside their territories, as what occurs in FDP. This is the first described case of an arachnid that exhibits a shift in mating system over the reproductive season, revealing that we should be cautious when defining the mating system of a species based on few observations concentrated in a brief period. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Assessment of the Viability of NIH3T3 Fibroblast Cells Cultured in Polymer Matrices with rhGH

Developing a biomaterial that functions as a scaffold (osteoconductor), combined with a growth factor (osteoinductor), is of great interest for clinical application in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Growth hormone (GH) is a good candidate, as it is a major regulator of postnatal bone growth and remodeling. Pure PLGA and 70/30 PLGA/PCL matrices were prepared by the solvent evaporation method, combined or not with GH, and tested for toxicity and cell viability using an MTT assay with NIH3T3 mouse cells (ATCC). Cell toxicity was assessed at 24, 48, 72 h, and 7 days of biomaterial exposure to culture medium. All polymers had high cell viability rates. However, from 48 h onwards, the groups with GH-polymer combinations had better results than the polymer groups without association with GH when compared to the control group. At 7 days of culture, only the pure PLGA matrix showed a significant difference from the control group. These results may suggest a preference of cells for the presence of GH in the biomaterial in culture medium, especially in the PLGA matrix. GH appeared to contribute to the increase in cell viability observed at some assessment time points, especially when combined with PLGA as compared to pure PLGA.     

Styrene/Lignin-Based Polymeric Composites Obtained Through a Sequential Mass-Suspension Polymerization Process

A modified sequential mass-suspension polymerization was employed to ensure adequate dispersion of lignin into the monomeric phase. Due to its complex macromolecular structure and low compatibility with styrene, eucalyptus wood-extracted lignin, via a modified Kraft method, was esterified with methacrylic anhydride to ensure organic phase homogeneity into the reaction medium. Infrared spectroscopy showed a decrease in the hydroxyl band, a characteristic of natural lignin (3200–3400 cm^?1) and an increase in the characteristic ester band (1720–1740 cm^?1) whereas nuclear magnetic resonance measurements exhibited intense peaks in the range from 1.7 to 2.05 ppm (–CH₃) and 5.4 to 6.2 ppm (=CH₂), related to methacrylic anhydride. Comparatively, the esterified lignin also displayed an increase of its glass transition temperature for 98?°C, related to natural lignin, whose T _g was determined to be equal to 91?°C. Styrene/lignin-based polymers exhibited higher average molar masses in comparison to the values observed for polystyrene synthesized with similar amounts of benzoyl peroxide, due to the ability of lignin to act as a free-radical scavenger. Composites obtained with styrene and natural or esterified lignin were successfully synthesized, presenting regular morphology and proper lignin dispersion. Based on a very simple polymerization system, it is possible to enhance the final properties of polystyrene through the incorporation of lignin, which represents an important platform for developing attractive polymeric materials from renewable resources.