Reduction of U(VI) by the deep subsurface bacterium, Thermus scotoductus SA-01, and the involvement of the ABC transporter protein

In this study we investigated the effect of uranium on the growth of the bacterium Thermus scotoductus strain SA-01 as well as the whole cell U(VI) reduction capabilities of the organism. Also, site-directed mutagenesis confirmed the identity of a protein capable of a possible alternative mechanism of U(VI) reduction. SA-01 can grow aerobically in up to 1.25 mM uranium and has the capability to reduce low levels of U(VI) in under 20 h. TEM analysis performed on cells exposed to uranium showed extracellular and membrane-bound accumulation of uranium. The reductase-like protein was surprisingly identified as a peptide ABC transporter, peptide-binding protein. This study showcases the concept of protein promiscuity, where this protein with a distinct function in situ can also have the unintended function of a reactant for the reduction of U(VI).     

Lagrangian sampling of 3-D air quality model results for regional transport contributions to sulfate aerosol concentrations at Baltimore,MD, in summer 2004

We use ensemble-mean Lagrangian sampling of a 3-D Eulerian air quality model, CMAQ, together with ground-based ambient monitors data from several air monitoring networks and satellite (MODIS) observations to provide source apportionment and regional transport vs. local contributions to sulfate aerosol and PM_2.5 concentrations at Baltimore, MD, for summer 2004. The Lagrangian method provides estimates of the chemical and physical evolution of air arriving in the daytime boundary layer at Baltimore. Study results indicate a dominant role for regional transport contributions on those days when sulfate air pollution is highest in Baltimore, with a principal transport pathway from the Ohio River Valley (ORV) through southern Pennsylvania and Maryland, consistent with earlier studies. Thus, reductions in sulfur emissions from the ORV under the EPA's Clean Air Interstate Rule may be expected to improve particulate air quality in Baltimore during summer. The Lagrangian sampling of CMAQ offers an inexpensive and complimentary approach to traditional methods of source apportionment based on multivariate observational data analysis, and air quality model emissions separation. This study serves as a prototype for the method applied to Baltimore. EPA is establishing a system to allow air quality planners to readily produce and access equivalent results for locations of their choice.     

An investigation into the origins of a series of PM10 anomalies at a remote location in NW England

Throughout 2004, PM(10) concentrations were measured at 10 min intervals at Hazelrigg, a remote location in NW England. The annual mean concentration was 6.1 microg m(-3) and likely origins were determined using directional and particle size characteristics. The fine temporal resolution of the monitoring also allowed several short periods (< 20 h) of persistently high PM(10) concentration to be identified and then 'typed' by event start time, duration, wind direction and particle size characteristics. A series of night time PM(10) anomalies (concentration < 465 microg m(-3)) of no obvious source were identified, and by elimination assumed to have originated from a ground-based fire of particle-rich fodder. A novel methodology combining Stokes' Law with systematic and rigorous modelling of source strength (using ADMS3.2) was developed to locate a possible burn site. The process was limited by the lack of previous modelling studies related to ground-based fires, and also by the capacity of ADMS3.2 to model sub-hourly time-varying emissions and fluctuations in wind speed and direction in the near field. However, modelling did suggest the source was located <400 m SSE of Hazelrigg, and investigation of this area revealed a burn site where tyres and plastic bags were piled nearby. Few studies have combined directional analysis and modelling to locate a source based on sampled data. This innovative methodology could be used by regulatory bodies to investigate the origins of unidentified PM(10) observed within the particle record.     

Is shrimp farming a successful adaptation to salinity intrusion? A geospatial associative analysis of poverty in the populous Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna Delta of Bangladesh

The Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta of Bangladesh is one of the most populous deltas in the world, supporting as many as 140 million people. The delta is threatened by diverse environmental stressors including salinity intrusion, with adverse consequences for livelihood and health. Shrimp farming is recognised as one of the few economic adaptations to the impacts of the rapidly salinizing delta. Although salinity intrusion and shrimp farming are geographically co-located in the delta, there has been no systematic study to examine their geospatial associations with poverty. In this study, we use multiple data sources including Census, Landsat Satellite Imagery and soil salinity survey data to examine the extent of geospatial clustering of poverty within the delta and their associative relationships with salinity intensity and shrimp farming. The analysis was conducted at the union level, which is the lowest local government administrative unit in Bangladesh. The findings show a strong clustering of poverty in the delta, and whilst different intensities of salinization are significantly associated with increasing poverty, neither saline nor freshwater shrimp farming has a significant association with poverty. These findings suggest that whilst shrimp farming may produce economic growth, in its present form it has not been an effective adaptation for the poor and marginalised areas of the delta. The study demonstrates that there are a series of drivers of poverty in the delta, including salinization, water logging, wetland/mudflats, employment, education and access to roads, amongst others that are discernible spatially, indicating that poverty alleviation programmes in the delta require strengthening with area-specific targeted interventions.     

Deep-sea bottom-living fishes at two repeat stations at 2 200 and 2 900 m in the Rockall Trough,northeastern Atlantic Ocean

Repeated sampling of deep-sea bottom-living fishes was conducted at two stations in the Rockall Trough at depths of 2 200 and 2 900 m. The 2 200 m station (M) was sampled 16 times by an Agassiz trawl between April 1978 and April 1985 and yielded 473 fish belonging to 17 species. The 2 900 m permanent station (PS) yielded 781 fish belonging to 11 species from 9 Agassiz trawls, 2 small box otter trawls, 4 semi-balloon otter trawls and 7 epibenthic sledges between March 1975 and April 1985. Macrourid fishes were numerically dominant at both stations with Coryphaenoides guentheri and Coryphaenoides (Nematonurus) armatus being the most abundant species at M and PS, respectively. In terms of biomass the morid, Antimora rostrata, was dominant at M but C. (N.) armatus was dominant at PS. The only species that showed clear evidence of a seasonal reproductive cycle was C. guentheri. Many species showed no indication of reproducing in the Rockall Trough. The diets of almost all the species are described and considered in relation to the food resources exploited. Investigations on the pelagic and benthic invertebrate faunas at these stations should reveal the extent to which the bottom-living fishes exploit the available resources.     

Lead from dust and water as exposure sources for children

Data from the Edinburgh Lead Study are used to estimate the respective contributions of water and dust lead to blood lead in 6–9 year old children. Both sources are significantly related to blood lead. An exposure of 100 g/l in kitchen cold water is estimated to be equivalent to 2700 g/g of lead in dust. In this population water is a more important source of lead than dust for the bulk of the population.This paper is also being published in Proceedings of the Conference on Lead in the Home Environment and is one of several selected from SEGH sponsored conferences for simultaneous publication in this journal.     

The European Council,the Council and the Member States: changing environmental leadership dynamics in the European Union

ABSTRACT

The leadership dynamics between the European Council, the Council and the Member States in European Union (EU) environmental policy since the 1970s are analysed. The puzzle is that, although the EU was set up as a ‘leaderless Europe’, it is widely seen as an environmental leader, albeit sometimes as a one-eyed leader amongst the blind. While differentiating between leadership types, it is argued that the European Council has the largest structural, the Council the most significant entrepreneurial, and the Member States the most important cognitive and exemplary leadership capacities. Most day-to-day environmental policy measures are negotiated by the Environment Council (in collaboration with the European Parliament). The European Council’s increased interest in high politics climate change issues is largely due to the EU’s global leadership ambitions. Member States have traditionally formed environmental leadership alliances on an ad hoc basis although this may be changing.     

欧洲环境执政新模式分析

对欧盟新的、开放式的和更具弹性的环境治理模式进行了评估,发现该政策的新模式并不是一剂万能药.在实际的引进与使用过程中,存在很多障碍,这些障碍主要与机构和文化因素有关.对政策制定或(和)执行所做的任何创新都必须从现有的机构设置和旧有的工作常规起步.证明机构路径依循的影响取决于具体事件和国家.因此,即使对于相同的一件事,在不同的政治系统中影响也可能不同.同一项政策在某个国家可能成功执行,在另一个国家可能要产生严重的问题.即使是很多基本特征都相似的邻国,也可能会出现这种差异.环境执政新模式,如自愿或协商的协议和其他方式,关注对公共-私营关系的加强,尤其是决策权力从国家中央向执行的分支部门和私营部门的转移.这要求所有有关方面情愿脱离现有的行政路径,从根本上重新分配各自的权力.解决问题的适当形式和成功很大程度上取决于运用新模式的国家的政治和机构背景.一般说来,市场手段要求正常运作的市场经济氛围,而公众参与或公共-私营关系只有可能在国家、企业和公民社会之间有相对公开沟通的背景下才能进展良好.当满足这些基本条件后,根据创新模式的具体特点,还有各种具体的政治和机构因素与其执行有关.     

Timing matters when assessing dominance and chemical signatures in the paper wasp Polistes dominulus

A recent study (Izzo et al., Behav Ecol Sociobiol 64: 857–864, 2010) reported that cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) correlate with fertility, not dominance, in the paper wasp Polistes dominulus thus contradicting the results of recent investigations which concluded that social dominance is the main determinant for CHC signatures in this species. We suggest here that different forms of dominance in the pre-nesting and post-nesting phases caused the apparently contradictory results. Thus the assumption that dominance behaviour in the pre-nesting stage is synonymous with dominance after colony foundation is incorrect. We provide standardised definitions for forms of “dominance” observed in the P. dominulus life cycle to avoid apparent discrepancies in the future among studies dealing with the same topics in different annual stages.