The Water Poverty Index: Development and application at the community scale

The article details the development and uses of the water poverty index (WPI). The index was developed as a holistic tool to measure water stress at the household and community levels, designed to aid national decision makers, at community and central government level, as well as donor agencies, to determine priority needs for interventions in the water sector. The index combines into a single number a cluster of data directly and indirectly relevant to water stress. Subcomponents of the index include measures of: access to water; water quantity, quality and variability; water uses (domestic, food, productive purposes); capacity for water management; and environmental aspects.
The WPI methodology was developed through pilot projects in South Africa, Tanzania and Sri Lanka and involved intensive participation and consultation with all stakeholders, including water users, politicians, water sector professionals, aid agency personnel and others. The article discusses approaches for the further implementation of the water poverty index, including the possibilities of acquiring the necessary data through existing national surveys or by establishing interdisciplinary water modules in school curricula. The article argues that the WPI fills the need for a simple, open and transparent tool, one that will appeal to politicians and decision makers, and at the same time can empower poor people to participate in the better targeting of water sector interventions and development budgets in general.     

环境中的药物——LC-MS/MS分析地表水和地下水

成百上千的活性物质正被用于人药和兽药处方中.由于药物的广泛应用,它们的残留物可通过多种途径进入环境.虽然主要通过尿和粪便的排泄,但是药品生产中的排放也应被考虑.当抗生素用于水产业,就会产生更直接的影响.污水处理设备不能完全除去药物,因此药物会出现在地表和地下水样品中.近年来,人们对环境中药物的兴趣正在增加,需要建立一种快速、灵敏、有选择性的方法来分析水样.     

Cross-sectional biomonitoring study of pesticide exposures in Queensland,Australia, using pooled urine samples

A range of pesticides are available in Australia for use in agricultural and domestic settings to control pests, including organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides, herbicides, and insect repellents, such as N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET). The aim of this study was to provide a cost-effective preliminary assessment of background exposure to a range of pesticides among a convenience sample of Australian residents. De-identified urine specimens stratified by age and sex were obtained from a community-based pathology laboratory and pooled (n = 24 pools of 100 specimens). Concentrations of urinary pesticide biomarkers were quantified using solid-phase extraction coupled with isotope dilution high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Geometric mean biomarker concentrations ranged from <0.1 to 36.8 ng/mL for organophosphate insecticides, <0.1 to 5.5 ng/mL for pyrethroid insecticides, and <0.1 to 8.51 ng/mL for all other biomarkers with the exception of the DEET metabolite 3-diethylcarbamoyl benzoic acid (4.23 to 850 ng/mL). We observed no association between age and concentration for most biomarkers measured but noted a “U-shaped” trend for five organophosphate metabolites, with the highest concentrations observed in the youngest and oldest age strata, perhaps related to age-specific differences in behavior or physiology. The fact that concentrations of specific and non-specific metabolites of the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos were higher than reported in USA and Canada may relate to differences in registered applications among countries. Additional biomonitoring programs of the general population and focusing on vulnerable populations would improve the exposure assessment and the monitoring of temporal exposure trends as usage patterns of pesticide products in Australia change over time.     

Mechanisms enabling sperm economy in blenniid fishes

Sperm competition, cost of spermatogenesis and spawning frequency are known to influence ejaculate expenditure. Accordingly, males, particularly those with high reproductive costs, are expected to have evolved mechanisms enabling them to prudently allocate sperm, such as the fractioning of ejaculate expenditure or the semi-cystic type of spermatogenesis, hypothesised to favour the production of small ejaculates. In this study, we investigate sperm competition risk, ejaculate size and mode of ejaculate release in seven polygynous blenniid fish where males provide sole paternal care of eggs. In addition, we estimated the relative size of the two parts composing the male gonad, the strictly testicular (testicular lobules or testis) and the glandular (testicular gland), as the development of the latter is indicative of the level of semi-cystic spermatogenesis. In all the examined species, eggs were laid one by one, and the sperm expenditure at mating, evaluated as the total number of sperm released per mating, was parcelled out in several successive ejaculations, allowing males to adjust the release of sperm to the duration of egg deposition. In accordance with sperm competition theory, species experiencing higher sperm competition risk allocated more in sperm, both considering ejaculate size and ejaculate expenditure per mating. An increase in sperm expenditure was paralleled by the development of the testis at the expense of the testicular gland. Smaller species, whose males do not face sperm competition risk and fecundity is low, produced smaller ejaculates and exhibited a more developed testicular gland, supporting the hypothesis that a semi-cystic type of spermatogenesis is a mechanism allowing sperm economy.