<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sympagohydra tuuli</Emphasis> (Cnidaria,Hydrozoa): first report from sea ice of the central Arctic Ocean and insights into histology,reproduction and locomotion

Various cnidarians have adapted their life style to interstitial habitats of marine sediments. Recently, for the first time a hydroid was reported from the interstitial brine channel system of Arctic fast ice. Due to its derived features, the new genus and species Sympagohydra tuuli was introduced. Here we describe findings of S. tuuli in sea ice at several sites within the central Arctic Ocean. In our view the results of this study do not allow assignment of Sympagohydra to any known family and we, therefore, suggest the introduction of a new family Sympagohydridae which is placed within the hydrozoan subclass Hydroidolina, order Anthomedusae, suborder Capitata. A first detailed histological analysis of S. tuuli is presented. In vivo analysis of locomotion and reproduction revealed a remarkable convergent evolution in S. tuuli and distant meiobenthic relatives. Shared traits are a flagellated epidermis enabling the animals to glide within small interstices by means of flagellar beating as well as an internalised embryogenesis. In S. tuuli gametogenesis occurs in the absence of gonophores inbetween gastro- and epidermis clearly separated from the epidermis. Budding was observed as the vegetative mode of reproduction. Documentation of feeding behaviour identified copepod nauplii and rotifers as prey items and demonstrates a high trophical position of the hydroids within the sympagic food web. Occurrence of reproducing individuals and pronounced tolerances towards changing temperatures and salinities indicate S. tuuli as a truly sympagic species. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Consumer attitudes towards timber as a construction material and towards timber frame houses – selected findings of a representative survey among the German population

This paper presents selected findings from a representative consumer survey of the German population exploring the image of timber as a construction material in general, and of timber frame houses in particular. The study found that prejudice regarding the deficiency of timber as a construction material and of timber frame houses, in terms of fire resistance, durability and stability, persists in the minds of consumers. On the other hand, timber as a construction material and timber frame houses have a positive association with well-being, aesthetics and eco-friendliness. Although these “soft” criteria are important factors in the choice of a certain building construction mode, these attributes are not sufficient, on their own, to trigger the choice of timber as a construction material.     

Processes in informal end-processing of e-waste generated from personal computers in Vietnam

Informal treatment of e-waste plays an important role in many countries which have no or weak formal waste management structures. One of the challenges for assessing informal e-waste recycling technologies is to identify their disadvantages and potential technology improvement. The analysis of informal recycling processes starts with a balance of input and output materials for each of the processes. Main obstacles are the fact that in most cases, mixed or variety materials serve as input and, secondly by nature, the informal sector does not systematically measure and monitor the process. This study presents the processes and available data for informal e-waste recycling of desktop personal computer as it consists of components made of plastic and many metals within the Vietnamese context. To identify the most relevant processes, critical flows and technology gap, two scenarios are compared: (1) current situation in which recycling activities are taken in recycling craft villages and (2) appropriately selected BAT. The selected materials from e-waste cover a wide range of recycling processes and technologies: Printed Circuit Board treatment, metal (ferrous metal, aluminum and copper) and plastic recycling.

     

Driving anger expression in Germany—Validation of the Driving Anger Expression Inventory for German drivers

Objective: The main objective of this article is to examine whether the Driving Anger Expression Inventory (DAX) applies to German drivers because this scale has previously been given to drivers in many different countries.

Methods: We applied German versions of the DAX, the Driving Anger Scale (DAS), and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) to a sample of 501 German drivers. We computed confirmatory factor analysis and principal axis factoring (PAF) analysis to examine the structure of driving anger expression in Germany. Finally, we related the drivers’ anger exp ression scores to their driving anger experiences and their general anger propensities to assess the validity of the DAX for German drivers.

Results: Results indicated that the DAX’s original factor structure does not apply to German drivers because the confirmatory factor analysis did not show a good model fit. An item analysis revealed that many DAX items had no meaningful variability. They were excluded from further analysis. The subsequent PAF analysis indicated that German drivers do not use personal physical aggression to express their driving anger. Instead, they reported unique preventive anger expression management behavior. In addition, their driving anger expressions were significantly related to their driving anger experiences and their general anger propensities indicated the validity of the refined DAX for German drivers.

Conclusions: We conclude that German drivers do not use strong behaviors to express their driving anger. Many statements of Deffenbacher et al.’s (Behav Res Ther. 40:717–737, 2002) original American questionnaire were not applicable for our sample of German drivers. These findings are in line with several other studies showing discrepancies in driving anger expression in various countries. Future investigations should examine the reasons for discrepancies in driving anger expression.     

Chemical composition of water from roofs in Gdansk, Poland

This study deals with the assessment of roof runoff waters from the region of Gdansk collected during the winter season (2007/2008). The chemical analysis includes 16 chemical variables: major ions, PAHs and PCBs measured at 3 sampling sites for 6-14 rain events. Although the data set is of limited volume the statistical data treatment using self-organizing maps (SOM) reveals the main factors controlling roof runoff water quality even for a data set with small dimension. This effort for explanation of the identified factors by the possible emission sources of the urban environment and air-particulate formation seems to be very reliable. Additionally to the roof runoff water quality factors the rain events patterns are found: “background” group of events and groups formally named “PAHs”, “PCBs” and “air-borne particles” - dominated events. The SOM classification results give an opportunity to uncover the role of roof “impact” on the runoff waters.Rain runoff water quality is described by four latent factors and the “roof” impact is uncovered.     

Artificial radioactivity in environmental media (air, rainwater, soil, vegetation) in Austria after the Fukushima nuclear accident

Several environmental media in Austria were monitored for artificial radionuclides released during the Fukushima nuclear accident. Air (up to 1.2 mBq/m³ particulate ¹³¹I) and rainwater (up to 5.2 Bq/L ¹³¹I) proved to be the media best suited for the environmental monitoring, allowing also a temporal resolution of the activity levels. Significant regional differences in the wet deposition of ¹³¹I with rain could be observed within the city of Vienna during the arrival of the contaminated air masses. Forward-trajectory analysis supported the hypothesis that the contaminated air masses coming from the northwest changed direction to northeast over Northern Austria, leading to a strong activity concentration gradient over Vienna. In the course of the environmental monitoring of the Fukushima releases, this phenomenon—significant differences of ¹³¹I activity concentrations in rainwater on a narrow local scale (8.1 km)—appears to be unique. Vegetation (grass) was contaminated with ¹³¹I and/or ¹³⁷Cs at a low level. Soil (up to 22 Bq/kg ¹³⁷Cs) was only affected by previous releases (nuclear weapon tests, Chernobyl). Here, also significant local differences can be observed due to different deposition rates during the Chernobyl accident. The effective ecological half-lives of ¹³⁷Cs in soil were calculated for four locations in Austria. They range from 7 to 30 years. No Austrian sample investigated herein exceeded the detection limit for ¹³⁴Cs; hence, the Fukushima nuclear accident did not contribute significantly to the total radiocesium inventory in Austrian environmental media. The levels of detected radioactivity were of no concern for public health.     

Biomechanical Consequences of the Hand’s Action on Unstable Handle

The concept of muscular stabilization refers to imposing active muscular constraints on the joint degrees of freedom that are not used in a given motor task and the stabilization of unstable working objects. The human organism bears considerable cost due to the realization of this process, which in the case of muscular static force developed in relation to an unstable working object reaches approximately 24%. The aim of this article is twofold: (a) to determine the useful efficiency of the hand-working object system with an unstable handle in relation to the released muscular force and power dynamics and (b) to identify the relative contribution of the upper extremity muscles engaged in the realization of motor or stabilizing functions in the electromyography (EMG) sphere.     

Reforming smallholder farms to mitigate agricultural pollution

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - China’s agriculture is dominated by smallholder farms, which have become major sources of negative environmental impacts including...