Atrazine degradation by fungal co-culture enzyme extracts under different soil conditions

This investigation was undertaken to determine the atrazine degradation by fungal enzyme extracts (FEEs) in a clay-loam soil microcosm contaminated at field application rate (5 μg g^?1) and to study the influence of different soil microcosm conditions, including the effect of soil sterilization, water holding capacity, soil pH and type of FEEs used in atrazine degradation through a 2⁴ factorial experimental design. The Trametes maxima–Paecilomyces carneus co-culture extract contained more laccase activity and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) content (laccase = 18956.0 U mg protein^?1, H₂O₂ = 6.2 mg L^?1) than the T. maxima monoculture extract (laccase = 12866.7 U mg protein^?1, H₂O₂ = 4.0 mg L^?1). Both extracts were able to degrade atrazine at 100%; however, the T. maxima monoculture extract (0.32 h) achieved a lower half-degradation time than its co-culture with P. carneus (1.2 h). The FEE type (p = 0.03) and soil pH (p = 0.01) significantly affected atrazine degradation. The best degradation rate was achieved by the T. maxima monoculture extract in an acid soil (pH = 4.86). This study demonstrated that both the monoculture extracts of the native strain T. maxima and its co-culture with P. carneus can efficiently and quickly degrade atrazine in clay-loam soils.     

An investigation impact of user’s positions in closed space over SAR in the head induced from mobile phone

The purpose of this work was to investigate the impact of user’s positions in close space over the variations of SAR distribution in human head induced from mobile phone under the worst case conditions. The “worst case” considered in this paper refers to conditions that include (1) a half-wavelength dipole antenna, placed near the model of human head—SAM phantom; (2) a vertically oriented dipole antenna, parallel to the side walls of closed space for maximum reflection; (3) metallic closed space acts as a resonant cavity; and (4) 360 randomly selected observation points. We also used a free space model for comparative purposes. The maximum 1- and 10-g average SAR and average SAR in whole-exposed object probability density function curves have been derived to illustrate the percentage of SAR values that have been induced inside SAM for different locations of user in the closed space. The obtained results show that in more than 86.7% of all investigated user’s positions in the metallic closed space, the induced maximum 1-g average SAR in user’s head is in the boundaries of ±10% of maximum 1-g average SAR, when the user use mobile phone in free space. This relationship keep still at maximum 10-g average SAR, where in 85.9% from all investigated user’s positions, SAR values are in boundaries of ±10% of maximum 10-g average SAR in free space. The results showed that closed space causes more significant changes on average SAR in whole-exposed object than maximal SAR values. When we estimated the average SAR in whole-exposed SAM in 85% from all investigated user’s position in closed space, the induced SAR is higher than SAR values in free space model. It can be noted that the highest obtained SAR values in closed space were with 8.5% (for 1 g), 6.7% (for 10-g average SAR), and 15.1% (for average SAR in whole SAM) higher than these of the free space.     

An experimental design for the optimization of the extraction methods of metallic mobile fractions from environmental solid samples

The evaluation of the cadmium and lead mobile forms from environmental solid samples provides information about their mobility and bioavailability. In the present study, the Cd and Pb mobile fractions were obtained by two modified extraction methods applied to industrial and acidic pH soils or to polluted sediments. In order to highlight that the extraction procedure does not significantly influence the quantitative atomic absorption spectrometric determination of cadmium and lead, the robustness of the extraction methods was evaluated and proven applying a Youden and Steiner factorial design. Within this experimental design, the shaking rate, the shaking time, and the solid/liquid extraction ratio were modified. The measurement uncertainty of the whole analytical procedure was assessed, the contribution of the factors involved in the extraction process being insignificant compared to the other uncertainty sources. The importance of the study is related to the fact that it proves the applicability in the routine laboratory practice of the modified extraction methods by increasing the extraction ratio following thorough optimization and robustness studies.     

Progressive Optimal Technology-based Border Carbon Adjustment (POT BCA) - A New Approach to an Old Carbon Problem

The idea of Border Carbon Adjustment (BCA), which makes it possible to transform the standard tax on carbon emissions from production (origin principle) to a tax system imposed at the point of consumption (destination principle), has received a considerable amount of attention from academia and policymakers. In this paper, we go back to the source of environmental destination-based taxation and generalize the results of Markusen (Journal of International Economics, 5, 15–29, 1975) for optimal tax and tariff by extending domestic environmental policy on both goods featuring positive carbon intensities. Following Jakob et al. (Environmental and Resource Economics, 56(1), 47–72, 2013) we remove the strategic term from the optimal tariff and deal with the so-called optimal carbon tariff, targeting primarily environmental externality. Further, we develop a handy approximation for optimal tax and optimal carbon tariff structure in a multiple good setting. Such trade taxation is, however, likely to face further legal obstacles, which may hinder its implementation. This motivates us to adjust the results accordingly and to include refunds for low-carbon investments in a ‘dirty’ country granted proportionally to the difference in carbon intensities between trade partners. This new scheme, known as Progressive Optimal Technology-based Border Carbon Adjustment (POT BCA), mitigates several legal problems and increases political acceptance compared to the ‘standard’ BCA. It can also be seen as advantageous from the economic point of view: it mimics the performance of the optimal carbon tariff while aiming to decrease foreign carbon intensity over the long term.     

Business closure and relocation: a comparative analysis of the Loma Prieta earthquake and Hurricane Andrew

The occurrence of a number of large‐scale disasters or catastrophes in recent years, including the Indian Ocean tsunami (2004), the Kashmir earthquake (2005), Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Ike (2008), have raised our awareness regarding the devastating effects of disasters on human populations and the importance of developing mitigation and preparedness strategies to limit the consequences of such events. However, there is still a dearth of social science research focusing on the socio‐economic impact of disasters on businesses in the United States. This paper contributes to this research literature by focusing on the impact of disasters on business closure and relocation through the use of multivariate logistic regression models, specifically focusing on the Loma Prieta earthquake (1989) and Hurricane Andrew (1992). Using a multivariate model, we examine how physical damage to the infrastructure, lifeline disruption and business characteristics, among others, impact business closure and relocation following major disasters.     

Selective detection of metal ions,sulfites and glutathione with fluorescent pyrazolines: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Pollution by toxic metals is a worldwide health issue, yet analytical methods to monitor selectively metal ions in complex media are limited. Fluorescence sensing...     

Energy balance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Octopus maya</Emphasis> fed crab or an artificial diet

The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of a natural prey (the crab Callinectes sp.) and an artificial diet (pellet with squid paste and offered as a paste) on the survival and assimilation efficiency of subadult octopuses with 486 g of initial live weight. In order to reach this goal, the effects of the type of diet on energetic balance were assessed by recording ingestion rate (C), respiratory rate (R = R routine, R _rout + R apparent heat increment, R _AHI), ammonia production rate (U = U routine, U _rout + U post-prandial, U _PP) and biomass production (P) of Octopus maya during its growing process. Energy lost from faeces (H) was calculated as H=C−(U+R+P) and assimilated energy (As) as R + P. Octopuses fed an artificial diet had almost five times higher ingestion rate compared to that observed in octopuses fed crab. However, growth rate and production (P) were high in octopuses fed crab in comparison to octopuses fed artificial diet. An inverse relation between faeces (H) and type of food was observed, indicating that animals lost 77% of the ingested energy when fed artificial diet and only 5% when fed crab. A higher assimilation and production efficiency were obtained in octopuses fed crab (P/As: 61%) than in animals fed the artificial diet (P/As: −5%). The routine O : N ratio for animals in fasting was 9.1 and 2.3 for octopuses being fed crabs and the artificial diet, respectively. The post-alimentary O : N ratio was 3.6 and 2.2 for animals fed crabs and the artificial diet, respectively. This indicates that animals fed on both diets rely almost exclusively on protein. Based on energy balance data, a value of 472 kJ week⁻¹ kg⁻¹ of live octopus was estimated as the energy needed to obtain a growth rate near 9 g day⁻¹ (2.8% BW day⁻¹) for O. maya subadults. The total crab biomass needed to obtain 1 kg of fed O. maya biomass was calculated. A comparison with other different energy balance measurements made in other octopus species indicates that O. maya and Enteroctopus megalocyathus (Pérez et al. 2006) tend to be more efficient by channelling more ingested energy to biomass production (P = 69.5% of C) than O. vulgaris (P = 23% of C; Petza et al. 2006) or Paraledone charcoti (P = 4% of C; Daly and Peck 2000).     

Cadmium,zinc, copper and metallothionein levels in the kidney and liver of humans from central Poland

Cd, Zn, Cu, and metallothionein (MT) levels have been determined in the renal cortex and liver of 70 persons who died in Lodz and its surroundings in the years 1985–1989. The mean concentrations were: 44.9±28.6 µg Cd/g, 52.0±16.7 µg Zn/g, 2.4±1.0 µg Cu/g, 0.79±0.40 µmol Hg/g, and 3.5±1.8 µg Cd/g, 66.7±30.5 µg Zn/g, 4.9±2.1 µg Cu/g, 0.50±0.38 µmol Hg/g wet tissue in renal cortex and liver, respectively, with mean age 54.0±13.8. Smokers showed 2.4 times higher levels of Cd in the renal cortex than non-smokers. The mean body burden of Cd was 33.4±17.3 mg. Smoking increases it twofold from 22.0 mg in non-smokers to 41.8 mg in smokers.This work was supported by the grant CPBR 11.12(C-56/86) from the Institute of Rural Medicine, Lublin, Poland.Deceased.     

Zooming on light packaging waste differences by scanning electron microscopy

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the present paper, different types of pure and commercial plastic waste from different EU countries (UK, France, Italy, and Romania) were...     

Orchard management under the effects of climate change: implications for apple,plum, and almond growing

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The authors analyzed certain species and varieties of fruit tree in which applied crop technology is used and also undergoes the effects of climate...