麦夸里岛毛皮海豹体内小塑料颗粒的来源和生物聚集

本文研究了从麦夸里岛上毛皮海豹(Arctocephalus spp.)粪便中发现的164个塑料颗粒(平均长度为4.1mm).其中41个塑料颗粒的电子显微照片显示,从其形状来看,没有一个可被确定为塑料颗柱原料--通常这样的颗粒是圆柱形和球形的.而海豹粪便中的164个塑料颗粒全都是7种颜色的角形颗粒(原料颗粒通常是透明的或白色的),并可被分为两类①沿晶体线碎裂的和可能是紫外线分解的;②被磨蚀成带有圆角的不规则形状(擦痕明显可见).白色、棕色、绿色、黄色以及蓝色是最常见的颜色.在成分上,它们来自于5种聚合物群聚乙烯93%;聚丙烯4%;多(1-CI-1-聚丁二烯)聚氯丁二烯2%;三聚氰胺-尿素(酚)(甲醛)树脂0.5%以及纤维素(绳纤维)0.5%.较大的群是漂浮的,比重小于海水.这些小塑料是由较大颗粒(碎片)分解而成的.它们看来是被水冲上岸的并在卵石海滩上受到研磨的塑料用品分解而成的.大多数颗粒(70%)肯定是由于经过不断的磨蚀而最后形成今天的形状.据假设,塑料颗粒被冲到海洋中,然后按其大小有选择地被一种中上层鱼--Electrona subaspera--吃掉,而这种鱼后来又被毛皮海豹吃掉.因此,这些塑料颗粒是由这种鱼和海豹在其正常的摄食过程中聚集的.     

一个特大城市:墨西哥城大都市区的水资源管理

引言 墨西哥城大都市区(MCMA)位于被称作"墨西哥谷(Valle deMexico)"的天然围合的盆地里,海拔2240m.它下辖联邦区和墨西哥州的34个自治市.墨西哥城是墨西哥的首都,位于联邦区(DistritoFederal,DF),四面环山,海拔高度超过5000m.墨西哥州是墨西哥人口最稠密的地区(据报道有1300万居民),人口仅次于它的是墨西哥城,大约有860万人[1].     

Prenatal diagnosis of GM2-gangliosidosis B1 variant

Prenatal diagnosis in a pregnancy at risk for a juvenile B1 variant of GM₂-gangliosidosis was carried out. The biochemical study of the cultured amniocytes and the affected fetal brain is reported. The results obtained show that the sulphated artificial substrate can be used in the diagnosis of B1 variant, but not the neutral one. The accumulation of GM₂-ganglioside in the fetal brain of the B1 juvenile form and an infantile form of GM₂-gangliosidosis (0 variant) was compared.     

Scaling and Mapping Regional Calculations of Soil Chemical Weathering Rates in Sweden

Weathering rates of base cations are crucial in critical load calculations and assessments of sustainable forestry. The weathering rate on a single site with detailed geological data can be modelled using the PROFILE model. For environmental assessments on a regional scale, the weathering rates for sites are scaled into regional maps. The step from sites to regional level requires focus on the spatial variation of weathering rates. In this paper, a method is presented by which weathering rates are calculated for 25589 Swedish sites with total elemental analysis for the soil. Based on a part of the results, a methodology for creating area covering maps by geostatistical analysis and kriging is described. A normative reconstruction model was used to transform total elemental analysis to mineralogy. Information from the Swedish Forest Inventory database and other databases were used to derive texture and other important information for the sites, e.g. climate, deposition and vegetation data. The calculated weathering rates show a regional pattern that indicates possibilities for interpolation of data in large parts of Sweden. Geostatistical analysis of an area in southern Sweden shows different properties for different base cations. Kriging was performed for potassium to demonstrate the method. It was concluded that different base cations and different regions have to be analysed separately, in order to optimise the kriging method.     

Human milk contamination by nine organochlorine pesticide residues (OCPs)

Abstract

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are widely used around the world as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, nematicides, and rodenticides. Despite banned in Brazil, the usage remains occurring in many countries. The persistence and extreme mobility of OCPs contribute to the contamination of the environment and the human body. The OCPs bioaccumulation in adipose tissue triggers the excretion into human milk during breastfeeding. Hence, the present study determined eighteen OCPs residues in the breast milk of mothers from the Western Region of Bahia State, Brazil. Nine different residue species were found, including beta-Hexachlorocyclohexane (9.24?±?0.00?ng g^?1 fat), delta- Hexachlorocyclohexane (22.15?±?10.48?ng g^?1 fat), Heptachlor (58.08?±?74.13?ng g^?1 fat), Aldrin (142.65?±?50.65?ng g^?1 fat), Dieldrin (774.62?±?472.68?ng g^?1 fat), Endosulfan I (408.44?±?245.51?ng g^?1 fat), Dichloro-diphenyl-dichloro-ethylene (29.17?±?22.42?ng g^?1 fat), Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane (28.87?±?0.00?ng g^?1 fat) and Methoxychlor (1699.67?±?797.43?ng g^?1 fat). The Methoxychlor presence in all samples may reveal a recent exposure, while Dieldrin and Endosulfan I analyses can point to distant past exposure.     

Study of new reinforcing materials for cementitious panel production

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The development of building materials using new types of raw materials is currently on demand by society and the industry. It is intended to reduce...     

Innovations strategy for moving from created regional clusters to co-creation in life sciences for health care and well-being ecosystems

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Over the last decades, the demographic changes have all altered the population structure and influenced the social, economic, and political...     

Assessment of eco-labelling criteria development from a strategic sustainability perspective

To turn current patterns of consumption and production in a sustainable direction, solid and understandable market information on the socio-ecological performance of products is needed. Eco-labelling programmes have an important role in this communication. The aim of this study is to investigate what gaps there may be in the current criteria development processes in relation to a strategic sustainability perspective and develop recommendations on how such presumptive gaps could be bridged. First a previously published generic framework for strategic sustainable development is described and applied for the assessment of two eco-labelling programmes. Data for the assessment is collected from literature and in semi-structured interviews and discussions with eco-labelling experts.The assessment revealed that the programmes lack both an operational definition of sustainability, and a statement of objectives to direct and drive the criteria development processes. Consequently they also lack guidelines for how product category criteria might gradually develop in any direction. The selected criteria mainly reflect the current reality based on a selection of negative impacts in ecosystems, but how this selection, or prioritization, is made is not clearly presented. Finally, there are no guidelines to ensure that the criteria developers represent a broad enough competence to embrace all essential sustainability aspects.In conclusion the results point at deficiencies in theory, process and practice of eco-labelling, which hampers cohesiveness, transparency and comprehension. And it hampers predictability, as producers get no support in foreseeing how coming revisions of criteria will develop. This represents a lost opportunity for strategic sustainable development. It is suggested that these problems could be avoided by informing the criteria development process by a framework for strategic sustainable development, based on backcasting from basic sustainability principles.     

Revisiting the plant hyperaccumulation criteria to rare plants and earth abundant elements

The several established criteria to define a hyperaccumulator plant were applied to a rare and endangered species, Plantago almogravensis, and to the 3rd most abundant element in the earth crust, Al. Using the most common criteria, P. almogravensis undoubtedly is an Al hyperaccumulator plant. If the recent proposed requirements were considered, most of them matching those for a plant to be used in phytoextraction, it can only be considered an unusual accumulator of Al. A discussion is made concerning the several criteria of a hyperaccumulator plant in order to include rare and endemic ones and abundant elements. In ecological terms, the enrichment in Al and Fe observed may account for the differences in the vegetation pattern. Due to the rarity and endangered nature of this plant, the contribution of this work is also relevant for the ecological understanding and the development of conservation options of this endemic species.