Plasma concentrations of sucralose in children and adults

We aimed to measure concentrations of the commonly used artificial sweetener sucralose, following ingestion of doses reflecting a range of consumption and to compare concentrations in children and adults. Eleven adults consumed 355 mL water containing 0 mg (control), 68, 170, or 250 mg sucralose (equivalent to 1–4 diet sodas). A second group of adults (n = 11) consumed 355 mL Diet Rite Cola? (68 mg sucralose and 41 mg acesulfame-potassium (ace-K)) or 68 mg sucralose and 41 mg ace-K in seltzer. Beverages were provided at separate visits in randomized order, prior to an oral glucose tolerance test. Eleven children consumed 0 or 68 mg sucralose in 240 mL water, in an identical study design. Blood was collected before beverage ingestion and serially for 120 min. Sucralose doses (corrected for weight) resulted in similar plasma concentrations in children and adults. Concentrations were comparable whether sucralose was administered in water, combined with ace-K, or in diet soda. Due to their lower body weight and blood volume, children have markedly higher plasma sucralose concentrations after the consumption of a typical diet soda, emphasizing the need to determine the clinical implications of sucralose use in children.     

Archaeological Evidence of Validity of Fish Populations on Unexploited Reefs as Proxy Targets for Modern Populations

Reef‐fish management and conservation is hindered by a lack of information on fish populations prior to large‐scale contemporary human impacts. As a result, relatively pristine sites are often used as conservation baselines for populations near sites affected by humans. This space‐for‐time approach can only be validated by sampling assemblages through time. We used archaeological remains to evaluate whether the remote, uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) might provide a reasonable proxy for a lightly exploited baseline in the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI). We used molecular and morphological techniques to describe the taxonomic and size composition of the scarine parrotfish catches present in 2 archaeological assemblages from the MHI, compared metrics of these catches with modern estimates of reproductive parameters to evaluate whether catches represented by the archaeological material were consistent with sustainable fishing, and evaluated overlap between size structures represented by the archaeological material and modern survey data from the MHI and the NWHI to assess whether a space‐for‐time substitution is reasonable. The parrotfish catches represented by archaeological remains were consistent with sustainable fishing because they were dominated by large, mature individuals whose average size remained stable from prehistoric (AD approximately 1400–1700) through historic (AD 1700–1960) periods. The ancient catches were unlike populations in the MHI today. Overlap between the size structure of ancient MHI catches and modern survey data from the NWHI or the MHI was an order of magnitude greater for the NWHI comparison, a result that supports the validity of using the NWHI parrotfish data as a proxy for the MHI before accelerated, heavy human impacts in modern times. Evidencia Arqueológica de la Validez de Poblaciones de Peces en Arrecifes Sin Explotar como Objetivos de Apoderamiento para Poblaciones Actuales     

The city as a refuge for insect pollinators

Research on urban insect pollinators is changing views on the biological value and ecological importance of cities. The abundance and diversity of native bee species in urban landscapes that are absent in nearby rural lands evidence the biological value and ecological importance of cities and have implications for biodiversity conservation. Lagging behind this revised image of the city are urban conservation programs that historically have invested in education and outreach rather than programs designed to achieve high‐priority species conservation results. We synthesized research on urban bee species diversity and abundance to determine how urban conservation could be repositioned to better align with new views on the ecological importance of urban landscapes. Due to insect pollinators’ relatively small functional requirements—habitat range, life cycle, and nesting behavior—relative to larger mammals, we argue that pollinators put high‐priority and high‐impact urban conservation within reach. In a rapidly urbanizing world, transforming how environmental managers view the city can improve citizen engagement and contribute to the development of more sustainable urbanization.     

Geochemical fractionation of metals and metalloids in tailings and appraisal of environmental pollution in the abandoned Musina Copper Mine,South Africa

The economic benefits of mining industry have often overshadowed the serious challenges posed to the environments through huge volume of tailings generated and disposed in tailings dumps. Some of these challenges include the surface and groundwater contamination, dust, and inability to utilize the land for developmental purposes. The abandoned copper mine tailings in Musina (Limpopo province, South Africa) was investigated for particle size distribution, mineralogy, physicochemical properties using arrays of granulometric, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence analyses. A modified Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential chemical extraction method followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry/atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-MS/AES) technique was employed to assess bioavailability of metals. Principal component analysis was performed on the sequential extraction data to reveal different loadings and mobilities of metals in samples collected at various depths. The pH ranged between 7.5 and 8.5 (average?≈?8.0) indicating alkaline medium. Samples composed mostly of poorly grated sands (i.e. 50% fine sand) with an average permeability of about 387.6 m/s. Samples have SiO₂/Al₂O₃ and Na₂O/(Al₂O₃?+?SiO₂) ratios and low plastic index (i.e. PI?≈?2.79) suggesting non-plastic and very low dry strength. Major minerals were comprised of quartz, epidote, and chlorite while the order of relative abundance of minerals in minor quantities is plagioclase?>?muscovite?>?hornblende?>?calcite?>?haematite. The largest percentage of elements such as As, Cd and Cr was strongly bound to less extractable fractions. Results showed high concentration and easily extractable Cu in the Musina Copper Mine tailings, which indicates bioavailability and poses environmental risk and potential health risk of human exposure. Principal component analysis revealed Fe-oxide/hydroxides, carbonate and clay components, and copper ore process are controlling the elements distribution.     

Conservation implications of physiological carry‐over effects in bats recovering from white‐nose syndrome

Although it is well documented that infectious diseases can pose threats to biodiversity, the potential long‐term consequences of pathogen exposure on individual fitness and its effects on population viability have rarely been studied. We tested the hypothesis that pathogen exposure causes physiological carry‐over effects with a pathogen that is uniquely suited to this question because the infection period is specific and time limited. The fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans causes white‐nose syndrome (WNS) in hibernating bats, which either die due to the infection while hibernating or recover following emergence from hibernation. The fungus infects all exposed individuals in an overwintering site simultaneously, and bats that survive infection during hibernation clear the pathogen within a few weeks following emergence. We quantified chronic stress during the active season, when bats are not infected, by measuring cortisol in bat claws. Free‐ranging Myotis lucifugus who survived previous exposure to P. destructans had significantly higher levels of claw cortisol than naïve individuals. Thus, cryptic physiological carry‐over effects of pathogen exposure may persist in asymptomatic, recovered individuals. If these effects result in reduced survival or reproductive success, they could also affect population viability and even act as a third stream in the extinction vortex. For example, significant increases in chronic stress, such as those indicated here, are correlated with reduced reproductive success in a number of species. Future research should directly explore the link between pathogen exposure and the viability of apparently recovered populations to improve understanding of the true impacts of infectious diseases on threatened populations.     

Bacterial toxicity testing and antibacterial activity of parabens

Parabens are used because of their antimicrobial effects, yet they have multiple adverse effects. The aim of this work was to evaluate the bactericidal activity and bacterial toxicity of the most common parabens: methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, isopropylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben and phenylparaben. The bactericidal action was evaluated by means of the dilution-neutralization method against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and the biotest of inhibition of growth of E. coli was applied for the bacterial toxicity assay. Bactericidal concentrations were reached only for propylparaben, butylparaben and isobutylparaben. The toxicity study showed methylparaben to be the least toxic, whereas the most toxic one was phenylparaben. It can be concluded that the disinfectant activity of the parabens studied is insignificant against S. aureus and E. coli. Acute toxicity is very low, and the inhibitory effect is weak. Our results provide information about the risk–benefit balance of parabens use.     

Differences in phosphorus translocation contributes to differential arsenic tolerance between plants of Borreria verticillata (Rubiaceae) from mine and non-mine sites

We have identified new arsenic-tolerant plant species Borreria verticillata (Rubiaceae) that has mine and non-mine populations at a highly contaminated site (CS) and an uncontaminated site (UCS), respectively, in Brazil. Plants of B. verticillata from both sites were cultivated at different As and P concentrations. At low P concentration, CS plants showed reduced As uptake, higher P translocation to shoots, higher constitutive levels of phenolic compounds in roots, and higher tolerance to this metalloid. At the lowest P and highest As concentration, CS plants showed higher biomass. In addition, CS plants showed higher P uptake in the absence of As, suggesting that more efficient P translocation could contribute more to tolerance than decreased As uptake. In contrast, at low P concentration, UCS plants showed higher As content in shoot and root, increase in phenol levels in roots, reduction in dry biomass, and decrease of the effective efficiency of photochemical reactions and the electron transport rate. Under higher P concentrations, the decrease in As uptake was similar in both populations. The differences between the two populations with respect to As and P uptake suggest that altered kinetic properties or expression of P transporters contribute to higher As tolerance in B. verticillata from CS. As a ruderal and As-tolerant plant, B. verticillata could be successfully used for the revegetation of contaminated soils.     

What Can Funders Do to Better Link Science with Decisions? Case Studies of Coastal Communities and Climate Change

Many reports and studies have noted that a significant portion of problem-oriented coastal science does not actually link to decisions. Here, three competitively funded project case studies are studied to determine what funders can and should do to better link science with decisions. The qualitative analysis used for this study indicates that the studied program was seen as being unusually attentive to the issue of linking science to decisions, as opposed to simply generating new knowledge. Nevertheless, much of the data indicate that funders can and should do more. Three ideas figured most prominently in the qualitative data: (1) funders should do more to ensure that the problem itself is defined more thoroughly with people who are envisioned as potential users of the science; (2) funders need to allocate more resources and attention to communicating effectively (with users) throughout the project; and (3) funders need to demand more engagement of users throughout the project. These findings have important implications for how funders review and support science, especially when competitive processes are used. Most importantly, funders should adjust what kind of science they ask for. Secondly, funders need to change who is involved in the review process. Currently, review processes focus on knowledge generation, which means that the reviewers themselves have expertise in that area. Instead, review panels should be balanced between those who focus on knowledge generation and those who focus on linking knowledge to decisions; this is a separate but critical discipline currently left out of the review process.     

Co-pyrolysis of swine manure with agricultural plastic waste: Laboratory-scale study

Manure-derived biochar is the solid product resulting from pyrolysis of animal manures. It has considerable potential both to improve soil quality with high levels of nutrients and to reduce contaminants in water and soil. However, the combustible gas produced from manure pyrolysis generally does not provide enough energy to sustain the pyrolysis process. Supplementing this process may be achieved with spent agricultural plastic films; these feedstocks have large amounts of available energy. Plastic films are often used in soil fumigation. They are usually disposed in landfills, which is wasteful, expensive, and environmentally unsustainable. The objective of this work was to investigate both the energetics of co-pyrolyzing swine solids with spent plastic mulch films (SPM) and the characteristics of its gas, liquid, and solid byproducts. The heating value of the product gas from co-pyrolysis was found to be much higher than that of natural gas; furthermore, the gas had no detectable toxic fumigants. Energetically, sustaining pyrolysis of the swine solids through the energy of the product gas could be achieved by co-pyrolyzing dewatered swine solids (25% m/m) with just 10% SPM. If more than 10% SPM is used, the co-pyrolysis would generate surplus energy which could be used for power generation. Biochars produced from co-pyrolyzing SPM and swine solid were similar to swine solid alone based on the surface area and the ¹H NMR spectra. The results of this study demonstrated the potential of using pyrolysis technology to manage two prominent agricultural waste streams (SPM and swine solids) while producing value-added biochar and a power source that could be used for local farm operations.