Establishment of multicolored Asian lady beetle in Eastern North Carolina: Seasonal abundance and crop exploitation within an agricultural landscape

Seasonal abundance and cropexploitation of the multicolored Asian ladybeetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas)(Coccinellidae: Coleoptera), were identifiedduring its initial establishment in the easternNorth Carolina agroecosystem. Densities ofH. axyridis adults and larvae werecompared with densities of previouslyestablished predaceous coccinellids in wheat,potato, corn and soybean, which are thepredominant crops in this region. One-hundred-fifty whole plant samples werevisually inspected for coccinellid adults andlarvae in each crop on six farms every 7 to 14days. H. axyridis adults colonizedwheat, potato and corn, but reproduced only inwheat and potato. Soybean fields were notcolonized. The presence of H. axyridisin a crop was typically associated with anabundance of aphids, with the exception ofpotato, and no aphids were encountered insoybean. In addition to H. axyridis,four other lady beetle species, Coccinellaseptempunctata L., Coleomegilla maculata(DeGeer), Hippodamia convergens (Guerin)and Cycloneda munda L., were encounteredin the landscape. In wheat, potato and corn,densities of H. axyridis adults averagedthroughout the 1995 and 1996 seasons wereseven, ten and 28 times lower, respectively,than the season average density of the leastabundant species of previously established ladybeetle, whereas these densities averaged 82, 42and 356 times lower, respectively, than theaverage density of the most abundantestablished coccinellid species. H.axyridis is commonly encountered in theeastern North Carolina agricultural landscape,but its impact on the existing coccinellidassemblage cannot yet be determined. Theresults presented provide a baseline againstwhich the results of future studies can becompared to determine if H. axyridis isdisplacing established species.     

Safety,Health, and Environmental Risk Assessment of a Gas Power Plant: A Case Study from Southern Iran

This research was conducted to assess health, safety, and environmental risks of a gas power plant in southern Iran. In order to identify the subject risks of the power plant at operational phase a questionnaire was designed using the Delphi method. The questionnaires were put at the disposal of 99 electricity industry experts. Risk assessment was done using multicriteria decision-making methods such as technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), entropy, and Eigenvector technique. Following prioritization of risks at each power plant unit, top-priority risks were determined by one-way ANOVA. The obtained results indicated that the risk of working with medium voltage boards with a weight of 0.879 at the power plant's Electricity Unit is the most important safety and health risk in the studied power plant while risk of servicing the unit with fuel of gas weighting 0.807 and delivery of gas fuel with weight of 0.630 in the Exploiting Unit and work on liquid fuel clutch with weight of 0.603 in the Mechanical Unit are the most important environmental risks in the gas power plant. In conclusion, this study concludes that health, safety, and environmental risk assessment can be a structured and used as a systematic approach to plan for environmental protection and personnel health.     

The Temporal Evolution of Anthropogenic Phosphorus Consumption in China and Its Environmental Implications

Modern human activities greatly disturb substance flows in nature and senselessly discard massive amounts of precious resources to natural waste reservoirs; phosphorus (P) is a good example of this. In this article, substance flow analysis is employed to quantify and explore the temporal evolution of China's P consumption in main metabolic nodes from 1984 to 2008, and then the environmental implications for P flows into both surface waters and natural soil are investigated. Results show that the metabolic nodes of human life and animal husbandry have demanded increasingly more P inputs, while disseminating more and more P wastes, with the waste recycling ratios of these processes dropping, respectively, from 65.9% and 66.1% in 1984 to 50.7% and 40.6% by 2008. These change traits were closely related to national polices including the Household Contract Responsibility System and the Shopping Basket Program, as well as the policy vacuum existing between China's agricultural and environmental administration departments. To achieve high crop yield, increasingly more inorganic P fertilizers have been utilized in China, but their use efficiency has decreased by 46.3%. From 2003 to 2008, the total P load into surface waters was stabilized at about 900.0 kilotons (kt), while the total P load into natural soil increased by more than 3.8 times to 3,131.3 kt P in 2008. City life and the intensive breeding of crops are identified as the main targets for further pollution control and nutrient recycling in China. Some suggestions for achieving environmentally sound practices and resource sustainability in China are proposed at the end of this article.     

Real or Perceived: The Environmental Health Risks of Urban Sack Gardening in Kibera Slums of Nairobi, Kenya

Cities around the world are undergoing rapid urbanization, resulting in the growth of informal settlements or slums. These informal settlements lack basic services, including sanitation, and are associated with joblessness, low-income levels, and insecurity. Families living in such settlements may turn to a variety of strategies to improve their livelihoods and household food security, including urban agriculture. However, given the lack of formal sanitation services in most of these informal settlements, residents are frequently exposed to a number of environmental risks, including biological and chemical contaminants. In the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya, households practice a form of urban agriculture called sack gardening, or vertical gardening, where plants such as kale and Swiss chard are planted into large sacks filled with soil. Given the nature of farming in slum environments, farmers and consumers of this produce in Kibera are potentially exposed to a variety of environmental contaminants due to the lack of formal sanitation systems. Our research demonstrates that perceived and actual environmental risks, in terms of contamination of food crops from sack gardening, are not the same. Farmers perceived exposure to biological contaminants to be the greatest risk to their food crops, but we found that heavy metal contamination was also significant risk. By demonstrating this disconnect between risk perception and actual risk, we wish to inform debates about how to appropriately promote urban agriculture in informal settlements, and more generally about the trade-offs created by farming in urban spaces.     

Social Determinants of Health in Environmental Justice Communities: Examining Cumulative Risk in Terms of Environmental Exposures and Social Determinants of Health

Residents of environmental justice (EJ) communities may bear a disproportionate burden of environmental health risk, and often face additional burdens from social determinants of health. Accounting for cumulative risk should include measures of risk from both environmental sources and social determinants. This study sought to better understand cumulative health risk from both social and environmental sources in a disadvantaged community in Texas. Key outcomes were determining what data are currently available for this assessment, clarifying data needs, identifying data gaps, and considering how those gaps could be filled. Analyses suggested that the traditionally defined EJ community in Port Arthur may have a lower environmental risk from air toxics than the rest of the City of Port Arthur (although the entire city has a higher risk than the average for the state), but may have a larger burden from social determinants of health. However, the results should be interpreted in light of the availability of data, the definitions of community boundaries, and the areal unit utilized. Continued focus on environmental justice communities and the cumulative risks faced by their residents is critical to protecting these residents and, ultimately, moving toward a more equitable distribution and acceptable level of risk throughout society.     

The suprapopulation dynamics of Bothriocephalus acheilognathi in a North Carolina reservoir: abundance, dispersion, and prevalence

A 2 1/2-year study (September 1980-March 1983) of abundance, dispersion, and prevalence of the pseudophyllidean cestode, Bothriocephalus acheilognathi, in 3 species of fish (Gambusia affinis, Notropis lutrensis, and Pimephales promelas) was conducted in 3 ecologically distinct areas of a North Carolina cooling pond. Mean infrapopulation density and prevalence differed by site, season, and species and size of hosts. Degree of aggregation and abundance and prevalence of gravid worms differed by species of host. Abundance of gravid worms was significantly lower in metapopulations from localities that received power plant effluents. The differences in infrapopulation density, prevalence, and aggregation appeared to be related to predator-prey interactions, which varied with season and local community structure. Differences in abundance of gravid worms, on the other hand, were probably caused by differential suitability of hosts and by local variation in selenium concentration in the water column. Thus, it appears that both biotic and abiotic components of the host community determined the suprapopulation dynamics of B. acheilognathi in Belews Lake.     

The ecology of Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio cholerae, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus in North Carolina Estuaries

While numerous studies have characterized the distribution and/or ecology of various pathogenic Vibrio spp., here we have simultaneously examined several estuarine sites for Vibrio vulnificus, V. cholerae, and V. parahaemolyticus. For a one year period, waters and sediment were monitored for the presence of these three pathogens at six different sites on the east coast of North Carolina in the United States. All three pathogens, identified using colony hybridization and PCR methods, occurred in these estuarine environments, although V. cholerae occurred only infrequently and at very low levels. Seventeen chemical, physical, and biological parameters were investigated, including salinity, water temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, levels of various inorganic nutrients and dissolved organic carbon, as well as total vibrios, total coliforms, and E. coli. We found each of the Vibrio spp. in water and sediment to correlate to several of these environmental measurements, with water temperature and total Vibrio levels correlating highly (P<0.0001) with occurrence of the three pathogens. Thus, these two parameters may represent simple assays for characterizing the potential public health hazard of estuarine waters.     

The distribution of heath balds in the Great Smoky Mountains,North Carolina and Tennessee

Abstract. We used remote sensing and a geographic information system to model the distribution of evergreen shrub communities, called ‘heath balds’, in the Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina and Tennessee, USA. The 421 heath balds averaged 1.8 ha in size and covered 0.3% of the landscape. They reached their greatest importance on upper slopes (92% had relative slope positions > 80), convex topography (82% occurred on sites with a curvature greater than 2.6), and elevations between 1100 and 1600 m (94% of the balds). Although heath balds were found in old‐growth watersheds, the two watersheds with the greatest number of balds burned extensively after logging in the early 1900s. Bald occurrence was positively correlated with burned sites, old growth condition, and a highly acidic rock type. Heath balds showed a striking geographic pattern, with 88.1% of the area of this community found in six watersheds comprising only 35.4% of the study area. Despite similar topography, geology, and history, the eleven other watersheds had only 11.9% of the bald area while comprising 64.4% of the study area. Multivariate models showed that this community occurs on only 0.4 to 9.0% of the seemingly appropriate sites. Once established, this shrub community, with its dense evergreen canopy and thick leaf litter, is resistant to tree invasion. Both forest and shrub communities are stable on sites that are seemingly ideal for heath bald occurrence.     

Air Pollution from Industry and Traffic: Perceived Risk and Affect in the Moerdijk Region,The Netherlands

The aim of the present study was to compare the perceived risks of air pollution from industry and traffic in the Moerdijk region in The Netherlands, and to identify the demographic and psychometric variables that are associated with these perceived risks. We sent out a questionnaire and risk perceptions were explored using multiple regression models. The results showed that the perceived risks of industrial air pollution were higher than for those of traffic-related air pollution. The perceived risk of industrial air pollution was associated with other variables than that of traffic. For industry, the psychometric variable affect prevailed. For traffic-related air pollution, the demographic variables age and educational level prevailed, although affect was also apparent. Which source was considered as the major source—traffic or industry—depended on a high risk perception of industrial air pollution, and not on variation in risk perception of traffic-related air pollution. These insights can be used as an impetus for the local risk management process in the Moerdijk region. We recommend that local authorities consider risk perception as one of the targets in local risk management strategies as well.     

A Human Health Risk Assessment Software for Facilitating Management of Urban Contaminated Sites: A Case Study: The Massa Site,Tuscany, Italy

The goal of this article is to present the Human Health Risk Assessment (HRA) software developed as one of the NORISC ^{1 1}NORISC is the acronym of the project “Network Oriented Risk assessment by In-situ Screening of Contaminated sites” realized under under the 5th European Union Community Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities. View all notes decision support software system components that could be used as a tool for facilitating management of urban contaminated sites. The NORISC-HRA software provides sufficient technical and procedural support to conduct a simple site-specific risk assessment. The employed HRA methodology is generally based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) procedures. The software determines the level and spatial distribution of human health risks at a given site and sets up site-specific preliminary Health-Based Remedial Goals (HBRGs)/Risk-Based Concentrations (RBCs) for soil and groundwater. The NORISC-HRA software is recommended for use when national soil and groundwater limit values are exceeded. Exposure pathways considered in this software are associated with three land use patterns—residential, industrial/commercial, and recreational. The aricle also presents the software testing results obtained at one of the NORISC test sites—the Massa site (Avenza-Carrara, Tuscany, Italy). Findings of the HRA indicated that the contaminated soil at the Massa test site might pose potential cancer and non-cancer risks to industrial workers in its present condition. Arsenic was the dominant substance responsible for most of the baseline risk and at the RBC of 1.77 mg/kg it was the primary driver of remedial decisions at the Massa site.     

A Risk-Based Approach to Health Impact Assessment for Input-Output Analysis, Part 2: Case Study of Insulation (8 pp)

Goal, Scope and Background In the first part of this paper, we developed a methodology to incorporate exposure and risk concepts into life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). We argued that both risk assessment and LCIA are needed to consider the impacts of increasing insulation for single-family homes in the US from current practice to the levels recommended by the 2000 International Energy Conservation Codes. In this analysis, we apply our model to the insulation case study and evaluate the benefits and costs of increased insulation for new housing. Results and Discussion The central estimate of impacts from the complete insulation manufacturing supply chain is approximately 14 premature deaths, 400 asthma attacks, and 7000 restricted activity days nationwide for one year of increased fiberglass output. Of the health impacts associated with increased insulation manufacturing, 83% is attributable to the supply chain emissions from the mineral wool industry, which is mostly associated with the direct primary PM2.5 emissions from the industry (98%). Reduced energy consumption leads to 1.2 premature deaths, 33 asthma attacks, and 600 restricted activity days avoided per year, indicating a public health “payback period” on the order of 11 years. Over 90% of these benefits were associated with direct emissions from power plants and residential combustion sources. In total, the net present value of economic benefits over a 50-year period for a single-year cohort of new homes is $190 million with a 5% discount rate, with 49 fewer premature deaths in this period. Conclusion Recommendation and Outlook. We have developed and applied a risk-based model to quantify the public health costs and benefits of increased insulation in new single-family homes in the US, demonstrating positive net economic and public health benefits within the lifetimes of the homes. More broadly, we demonstrated that it is feasible to incorporate exposure and risk concepts into I-O LCA, relying on regression-based intake fractions followed by more refined dispersion modeling. The refinement step is recommended especially if primary PM2.5 is an important source of exposure and if stack heights are relatively low. Where secondary PM2.5 is more important, use of regression-based intake fractions would be sufficient for a reasonable risk approximation. Uncertainties in our risk-based model should be carefully considered; nevertheless, our study can help decision-makers evaluate the costs and benefits of demand-side management policy options from a combined public health and life cycle perspective.     

Organophosphate Pesticide Residues in Drinking Water from Artesian Wells and Health Risk Assessment of Agricultural Communities,Thailand

Organophosphate pesticide (OPPs) concentrations in artesian wells located in Thai agricultural and non-agricultural communities were studied during both wet and dry seasons. A total of 100 water samples were collected and subjects were asked to complete a survey. Gas chromatography flame photometric detector was used for OPP analysis. The average OPP concentration in the agricultural communities (0.085 and 0.418 μg/l in dry and wet season) was higher than in the non-agricultural communities (0.004 μg/l in both seasons). Ingestion of OPPs in contaminated water in the agricultural communities were estimated to be 0.187 and 0.919 μg/day during the dry and wet seasons, respectively, and 0.008 μg/day during both seasons in the non-agricultural communities. Agricultural communities were exposed to pesticide residues under the oral chronic reference dose. This study suggests that people in agricultural communities may be exposed to significantly greater levels of pesticides than non-agricultural populations during the dry and wet seasons (p < .001, .001).     

绿狐尾藻人工湿地治理水污染模式及其在广西的应用

广西畜牧业蓬勃发展,但农业面源污染日益严重。实地调研及水样检测结果表明,水生植物绿狐尾藻生态治理养殖废水效果显著,对推进养殖业废弃物资源化利用,防治农业面源污染有重要意义,值得在广西畜禽养殖集中区域推广应用。     

Inupiat Health and Proposed Alaskan Oil Development: Results of the First Integrated Health Impact Assessment/Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Oil Development on Alaska’s North Slope

We report on the first Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for proposed oil and gas development in Alaska’s North Slope region. Public health is not generally analyzed in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process in the U.S. We conducted an HIA for proposed oil development within the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska in response to growing concerns among North Slope Inupiat communities regarding the potential impacts of regional industrial expansion on their health and culture. We employed a qualitative HIA methodology, involving a combination of stakeholder input, literature review, and qualitative analysis, through which we identified potential health effects. The possible health outcomes identified include increases in diabetes and related metabolic conditions as a result of dietary change; rising rates of substance abuse, domestic violence, and suicide; increased injury rates; more frequent asthma exacerbations; and increased exposure to organic pollutant, including carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. There are also potential benefits, including funding for infrastructure and health care; increased employment and income; and continued funding of existing infrastructure. Based on these findings, we recommend a series of public health mitigation measures. This project represents the first formal effort to include a systematic assessment of public health within the U.S. EIS process. The inclusion of public health concerns within an EIS may offer an important and underutilized avenue through which to argue for environmental management strategies that focus on public health, and may offer communities a stronger voice in the EIS process. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Interactions between Global Health Initiatives and Country Health Systems: The Case of a Neglected Tropical Diseases Control Program in Mali

Background

Recently, a number of Global Health Initiatives (GHI) have been created to address single disease issues in low-income countries, such as poliomyelitis, trachoma, neonatal tetanus, etc.. Empirical evidence on the effects of such GHIs on local health systems remains scarce. This paper explores positive and negative effects of the Integrated Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Control Initiative, consisting in mass preventive chemotherapy for five targeted NTDs, on Mali''s health system where it was first implemented in 2007.

Methods and Findings

Campaign processes and interactions with the health system were assessed through participant observation in two rural districts (8 health centres each). Information was complemented by interviews with key informants, website search and literature review. Preliminary results were validated during feedback sessions with Malian authorities from national, regional and district levels. We present positive and negative effects of the NTD campaign on the health system using the WHO framework of analysis based on six interrelated elements: health service delivery, health workforce, health information system, drug procurement system, financing and governance. At point of delivery, campaign-related workload severely interfered with routine care delivery which was cut down or totally interrupted during the campaign, as nurses were absent from their health centre for campaign-related activities. Only 2 of the 16 health centres, characterized by a qualified, stable and motivated workforce, were able to keep routine services running and to use the campaign as an opportunity for quality improvement. Increased workload was compensated by allowances, which significantly improved staff income, but also contributed to divert attention away from core routine activities. While the campaign increased the availability of NTD drugs at country level, parallel systems for drug supply and evaluation requested extra efforts burdening local health systems. The campaign budget barely financed institutional strengthening. Finally, though the initiative rested at least partially on national structures, pressures to absorb donated drugs and reach short-term coverage results contributed to distract energies away from other priorities, including overall health systems strengthening.

Conclusions

Our study indicates that positive synergies between disease specific interventions and nontargeted health services are more likely to occur in robust health services and systems. Disease-specific interventions implemented as parallel activities in fragile health services may further weaken their responsiveness to community needs, especially when several GHIs operate simultaneously. Health system strengthening will not result from the sum of selective global interventions but requires a comprehensive approach.     

Taurine and zebu admixture in Near Eastern cattle: a comparison of mitochondrial, autosomal and Y-chromosomal data

Eight Bos taurus cattle breeds from the Near East region were screened with a Bos indicus (zebu)-diagnostic Y-specific microsatellite (INRA124) to estimate the proportion of zebu Y chromosomes in each population. This value was compared with previously published values for zebu introgression for both the mitochondrial and autosomal gene pools of the same breeds. All breeds revealed considerable levels of introgression from B. indicus cattle when the autosomal data were taken into consideration; this was particularly apparent in cattle populations from Iraq in the east, and declined in the populations further west towards Anatolia. This non-random pattern of introgression and admixture is suggestive of the introduction of zebu cattle from the region corresponding to present-day Iran and northern Pakistan. In addition, the maternal and paternal markers demonstrate that the movement of cattle into and within the Near East was complex.     

Building the Infrastructure, Modeling the Nation: The Case of Birth in Palestine

This article explores the intersection between the professional politics of medicine and national politics during the second Palestinian uprising, which erupted in 2000. Through an analysis of stories about childbirth from actors in the birth process--obstetricians, midwives and birth mothers--it examines two overlapping movements that contributed to building the public health infrastructure, the movement of sumud or steadfastness (1967-87) and the popular health movement (1978-94), as well as their contemporary afterlife. Finally, it deals with relations between medicine and governance through an analysis of the interpenetration of medical and political authority. The birth stories bring to light two contrasting visions of a nation in the context of restrictions on mobility and a ground chopped up by checkpoints. The quasi-postcolonial condition of Palestine as popular construct, institutional protostate organism, and the lived experience of its experts and of its gendered subjects underlie the ethnographic accounts.     

Exposure to Metals through the Consumption of Fish and Seafood by the Population Living Near the Ebro River in Catalonia,Spain: Health Risks

The health risks due to metal exposure from consuming various fish and seafood species were assessed for the Catalan population living near the Ebro River (Spain). The concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, manganese, nickel, and lead were determined in samples of mussel, clam, hake, sole, cuttlefish, sardine, and anchovy randomly acquired in various localities of the zone under evaluation. In general terms, metal concentrations were similar or lower than the levels recently reported in the literature. The current dietary intake of metals is analogous to that recently estimated for the non-exposed population of Catalonia. Metal exposure through fish and seafood consumption would only mean a slight increase of noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risk for arsenic, whereas the remaining elements showed risk values below the corresponding threshold levels.     

Understanding Land Use, Livelihoods, and Health Transitions among Tibetan Nomads: A Case from Gangga Township, Dingri County, Tibetan Autonomous Region of China

Tibetan nomads in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China have experienced profound transitions in recent decades with important implications for land use, livelihoods, and health development. The change from being traditional nomads to agropastoralists engaged in permanent agriculture, a sedentary village life (known as “sedentarization”), has been associated with a remarkable change in diet and lifestyle, decline in spatial mobility, increase in food production, and emerging infectious and noncommunicable diseases. The overarching response of the government has been to emphasize infrastructure and technological solutions. The local adaptation strategies of Tibetan nomads through maintaining balanced mobile herding, reindeer husbandry, as well as off-farm labor and trade could address both the cause of environmental degradation and improve the well-being of local people. Drawing on transdisciplinary, preliminary field work in Gangga Township of Dingri County in the foothills of Mt. Everest, we identify pertinent linkages between land use and health, and spatial and temporal mismatch of livelihoods and health care services, in the transition to sedentary village life. We suggest emerging imperatives in Ecohealth to help restore Tibetan livelihoods in transition to a sedentary lifestyle.