The Syrian refugee crisis: how local governments and NGOs manage their image via social media

This study, based on situational crisis communication theory and set in the context of the Syrian refugee crisis, seeks first to conduct a comparative analysis of the management of online citizen engagement by local governments and non‐governmental organisations (NGOs). Second, it aims to examine the relationship between certain factors pertaining to the types of responses submitted by citizens via the social media of the aforementioned actors. The sample is composed of several Spanish local governments and NGOs belonging to Red de Municipios de Acogida de Refugiados (Local Government Network for Refugee Allocation). The main findings are that NGOs' online engagement with citizens is more than that of local governments. Notably, NGOs are much more active on their Facebook pages than are local governments. The two actors converge, though, in terms of disseminating instructive information and paying less attention to ‘basic crisis response options’. Moreover, the factors ‘content type’, ‘reputation’, and ‘woman’ affect the type of response messages sent by citizens.     

Real-time monitoring of nanoparticle retention in porous media

Nanoparticles are not specifically targeted in conventional treatment schemes; consequently, typical wastewater treatment systems are ineffective for nanoparticles removal. With rapidly increasing concern over their health effects, improved understanding of nanoparticle transport and retention in porous media filters is critical because of its application in new wastewater treatment methods and for assessment of the fate of the discharged nanoparticles in soil. In this study, a unique and robust integrated method is developed and validated. Experimentally, this approach uses an on-line, real-time, and in situ method for measuring nanoparticle retention dynamics, eliminating the laborious and less accurate sampling and off-line analysis. The data analysis part is a process simulator which provides both kinetic properties of the retention process as well as the overall capacity and loading. This technique is validated by application to the transport and retention of TiO₂ nanoparticles in two vastly different porous filtration media—activated carbon and sand. TiO₂ retained concentrations ranged from 0.24 to 0.37 mg g^?1 for activated carbon and 0.01–0.014 mg g^?1 for sand. The integrated method presented here is useful for both comparison of the filtration effectiveness of various porous materials as well as for process optimization and scale-up for industrial applications.     

A comparison of pretreatment methods for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic materials

Lignocellulosic materials, which consist mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, are among the most promising renewable feedstocks for the production of energy and chemicals. Bioethanol is a major biofuel that can be produced from lignocellulosic materials. Its production typically involves a hydrolysis-fermentation route, which has three main steps: pretreatment to get fermentable sugars, fermentation to produce bioethanol, and a separation process to obtain highly concentrated bioethanol. The pretreatment step has been recognized as a technological bottleneck for the cost-effective development of bioprocesses from lignocellulosic materials. In this work we analyze the potential of several pretreatment methods for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic materials. Simulations based on stoichiometric relations and yield data were conducted to evaluate the energy requirements of each pretreatment method. Other parameters were also considered such as the cost of chemicals, consumption of water, and constraints on the composition of inhibitors. Performance benchmarks were identifies using targeting techniques and these benchmarks were used to assess the actual performance of the alternatives. The combination of the evaluated parameters with target production values obtained from reported yields served as the basis for identifying the most promising pretreatment options and for defining areas of opportunities. This approach uses limited information, but it provides reliable results in order to reduce the number of pretreatment alternatives. The target production usage gives an estimation of the global process efficiency without the completed flowsheet defined.     

Self-purification processes along a medium-sized stream

Water quality levels and loads of nutrients transported by the Agüera stream (northern Spain) were studied for a year to assess the self-purification capacity of this system. The main villages produce an increase of nutrient concentrations and a degradation of water quality. Nevertheless, the high retention capacity, especially for phosphate, allows the stream to recover its previous levels of quality after a short reach. The retention of nutrients depends on a complex combination of the flow level, hydrologic stability and the development of periphytic communities.     

Alginate modifies the physiological impact of CeO2 nanoparticles in corn seedlings cultivated in soil

Alginates are naturally occurring components of organic matter in natural soil whose effects on nanoparticle （NP） toxicity to plants is not well understood. In the present study, corn plants were grown for one month in soil spiked with 400 mg/kg CeO2 NPs with various alginate concentrations. After one month of growth in the NPs impacted soil, plants were harvested and analyzed for Ce and mineral element concentrations. Chlorophyll concentration and heat shock protein 70, used as biomarkers for oxidative stress, were also evaluated. Results showed that, compared to CeO2 NPs treatment, alginate at 10, 50, and 100 mg/kg increased Ce concentration in roots by approximately 46%, 38%, and 29% and by 115%, 45%, and 56% in shoots, respectively. CeO 2 NPs without alginate increased Mn accumulation in roots by 34% compared to control. CeO2 NPs with low and medium alginate increased Mn by ca. 92% respect to NPs without alginate and by ca. 155% respect to control. CeO2 NPs without/with alginate significantly increased accumulation of Fe and Al in roots. In addition, alginate at 50 mg/kg increased Zn accumulation in roots by 52% compared to control. In shoots, K increased at all NP treatments but the accumulation of other elements was not affected. Alginate enlarged the impact of CeO2 NPs to corn plants by reducing chlorophyll a content and triggering overexpression of heat shock protein 70.     

Mitigation needs adaptation: Tropical forestry and climate change

The relationship between tropical forests and global climate change has so far focused on mitigation, while much less emphasis has been placed on how management activities may help forest ecosystems adapt to this change. This paper discusses how tropical forestry practices can contribute to maintaining or enhancing the adaptive capacity of natural and planted forests to global climate change and considers challenges and opportunities for the integration of tropical forest management in broader climate change adaptation. In addition to the use of reduced impact logging to maintain ecosystem integrity, other approaches may be needed, such as fire prevention and management, as well as specific silvicultural options aimed at facilitating genetic adaptation. In the case of planted forests, the normally higher intensity of management (with respect to natural forest) offers additional opportunities for implementing adaptation measures, at both industrial and smallholder levels. Although the integration in forest management of measures aimed at enhancing adaptation to climate change may not involve substantial additional effort with respect to current practice, little action appears to have been taken to date. Tropical foresters and forest-dependent communities appear not to appreciate the risks posed by climate change and, for those who are aware of them, practical guidance on how to respond is largely non-existent. The extent to which forestry research and national policies will promote and adopt management practices in order to assist production forests adapt to climate change is currently uncertain. Mainstreaming adaptation into national development and planning programs may represent an initial step towards the incorporation of climate change considerations into tropical forestry.     

Extending parental mentoring using an event-triggered video intervention in rural teen drivers

Teen drivers are at high risk for car crashes, especially during their first years of licensure. Providing novice teen drivers and their parents with a means of identifying their risky driving maneuvers may help them learn from their mistakes, thereby reducing their crash propensity. During the initial phase of learning, adult or parental supervision often provides such guidance. However, once teens obtain their license, adult supervision is no longer mandated, and teens are left to themselves to continue the learning process. This study is the first of its type to enhance this continued learning process using an event-triggered video device. By pairing this new technology with parental feedback in the form of a weekly video review and graphical report card, we extend parents' ability to teach their teens even after they begin driving independently. Twenty-six 16- to 17-year-old drivers were recruited from a small U.S. Midwestern rural high school. We equipped their vehicles with an event-triggered video device, designed to capture 20-sec clips of the forward and cabin views whenever the vehicle exceeded lateral or forward threshold accelerations. Preliminary findings suggest that combining this emerging technology with parental weekly review of safety-relevant incidents resulted in a significant decrease in events for the more at-risk teen drivers. Implications for how such an intervention could be implemented within GDL are also discussed.     

How to stay together? Habitat use by three sympatric sharks in the western coast of Baja California Sur,Mexico

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Sharks are top predators and play an important role in the regulation of marine ecosystems at lower trophic position. Mustelus californicus, Sphyrna...