Prenatal diagnosis of dilated coronary sinus with persistent left superior vena cava in a fetus with trisomy 18

A case of dilated coronary sinus with persistent left superior vena cava diagnosed at 33 weeks in a fetus with trisomy 18 is reported. The features of this cardiac anomaly on prenatal ultrasonography and its association with trisomy 18 are discussed. Published in 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nuclear Wastes in the Arctic Ocean. the Consequences of Past Dumping and Opportunities for Future Prevention

The view is expressed that the assessment of disposal of nuclear waste in the ocean (specifically the Arctic and Kara Seas) is critical to understanding Arctic pollution. Much needs to be done in deciding what we should do, even though many wastes are long-standing and persistent. in 1993, disclosures about Russian dumping of submarine nuclear reactors, nuclear fuel, and other radioactive wastes into the Arctic Ocean brought this region and its problems into the world spotlight and raised public concerns about the resulting health and environmental risks. As a result of this concern, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment published a 1995 study, Nuclear Wastes in the Arctic (US Congress Office of Technology Assessment, 1995). This paper summarises and updates that study.     

Arsenic in the food chains of a revegetated metalliferous mine tailings pond.

The environmental distribution, transfer and ecotoxicological risk associated with arsenic in a grassland ecosystem established on metalliferous mine tailings has been determined. High levels of arsenic in the mine tailings (630 +/- 34 mg kg-1) were not reflected in live vegetation due to the physico-chemical nature of the tailings which mitigate against plant uptake. However, elevated levels of arsenic were associated with plant litter. Low concentrations of arsenic in herbivorous invertebrates mirrored those found in their food, although there was evidence of minor detrivoral food chain transfer. Dietary exposure of small mammals to arsenic was well below that demonstrated to induce a toxicological response, and tissue concentrations were consistently below analytical detection limits. There appears to be little ecotoxicological risk associated with arsenic residues at the mine site investigated.     

Ethical considerations for community-based participatory research with Sami communities in North Finland

This study examines the perspectives of Sami community members and university researchers regarding the ethical considerations for engagement in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) with Sami communities in northern Finland. Key informant interviews were conducted with Sami people from Finland who were exposed to or participated in research in their communities as well as with researchers who have conducted research with the Sami in Finland across diverse topics. Five themes were identified: establishing trust, research preparation, research comprehension, research ethics, and inclusion in research. The differences in participant perspectives were compared based on their community versus researcher roles. Our findings emphasize the need for (1) strategies to develop and maintain trust between Sami communities and researchers; (2) methods to bridge concepts of bias projected onto Sami communities and researchers by the others’ differing world views and beliefs about research; and (3) increased education in community-engaged methods for social and natural scientists working with Sami communities. This study supports the need for the development of formalized ethical protocols for conducting community-based engaged research with and for Sami people in Finland that ensure mutually beneficial research for all involved.     

Comparing Scales of Environmental Effects from Gasoline and Ethanol Production

Understanding the environmental effects of alternative fuel production is critical to characterizing the sustainability of energy resources to inform policy and regulatory decisions. The magnitudes of these environmental effects vary according to the intensity and scale of fuel production along each step of the supply chain. We compare the spatial extent and temporal duration of ethanol and gasoline production processes and environmental effects based on a literature review and then synthesize the scale differences on space–time diagrams. Comprehensive assessment of any fuel-production system is a moving target, and our analysis shows that decisions regarding the selection of spatial and temporal boundaries of analysis have tremendous influences on the comparisons. Effects that strongly differentiate gasoline and ethanol-supply chains in terms of scale are associated with when and where energy resources are formed and how they are extracted. Although both gasoline and ethanol production may result in negative environmental effects, this study indicates that ethanol production traced through a supply chain may impact less area and result in more easily reversed effects of a shorter duration than gasoline production.