Performance enhancement in a semi-autonomous confined microsociety

Research in a continuously programmed human experimental laboratory has been directed toward identifying, defining, and expanding generalized knowledge concerning motivational factors within the structure of human behavioral repertoires that maintain and enhance performance. Participants (in groups of three) engaged in a series of repetitive work activities (e.g., word sorting and rug-hooking) for extended periods each day, while living continuously in a residential laboratory. Other parts of the day were spent either interacting socially with other participants or engaging in individual recreational activities. The percentage of time devoted to the various work tasks provided the basis for selecting one activity that occurred with high frequency and one with low frequency. Performance of the low-frequency activity was then required in order to gain access to the high-frequency activity. Under such contingencies, time devoted to the original low-frequency activity increased greatly, and the participants consistently did more than the required amount of the low-frequency work than was necessary to restore access to the restricted work activity. The theoretical significance of these findings resides in the clear demonstration that a time-based model of value applies as well to the enhancement of work-like performance as it does to voluntarily selected or preferred recreational activities.     

Altered Prey Responses in Round Goby from Contaminated Sites

Although prey must move to forage, escape predation or gain information about predation risk, movement itself enhances the risk of predation by increasing visibility of prey and encounter rates with predators. Animals subjected to stressors often show altered behaviour; a widely cited effect of contaminant exposure is an increase in vulnerability to predation, which may be mediated by an increase in risky behaviour. Round goby are invasive fish that typically rely on crypsis and sheltering (low‐activity behaviours) to avoid predators. We collected round goby from contaminated sites and tested whether they showed signs of altered risk‐taking compared with fish from a less contaminated reference site. We subjected the fish to a simulated predation event (a motor‐operated model bass) under both diurnal and nocturnal conditions. Fish from contaminated sites showed lower overall activity levels, but also failed to reduce activity following an attack, unlike fish from the reference site. The intensity of effects varied with diel period. Males, but not females, from contaminated sites showed reduced likelihood of darting during an attack, while females, but not males, from contaminated sites were less likely to approach the predator. Sex differences in round goby risk‐taking may reflect sex‐specific selection pressures on activities promoting predation risk. With the exception of post‐attack activity, round goby from contaminated sites generally showed signs of reduced risk‐taking. If contaminant exposure increases goby vulnerability to predators, it may be occurring through behavioural mechanisms other than impacts on risky prey responses.     

Applying Health Risk Analysis to Assess the Chemical Quality of Water for Recreational Bathing: The Case of Tres Arroyos Creek,Buenos Aires,Argentina

The aim of the study is to assess the probabilistic non-cancer and cancer risks by recreational bathing in Tres Arroyos creeks (southeastern Buenos Aires Province, Argentina). In these waters, hazardous substances (heavy metals, pesticides) have been detected, possibly related to agricultural activities. To assess such risk, USEPA models in aggregated (exposure through accidental oral water intake and dermal contact simultaneously) and cumulative approaches (combined exposure to more than one substance) were applied, performed for bathers of 5, 10, 15, and 20 years old. The results show that chronic bathing in these waters is not harmful at the concentrations and the exposure scenarios considered. Arsenic was the riskiest substance for both non-cancer and cancer effects, affecting mainly the youngest age group, and the accidental water intake during bathing was the most relevant pathway of exposure. On the other hand, the study highlights the key role of the frequency and duration of the bath event. We discuss the results in light of a previous paper of our authorship concluding that the health risk assessment is a valid alternative to analyze recreational water quality, which, unfortunately, is unused by water management agencies in Argentina.     

东亚地区夏季干旱、强台风事件与松树枯萎病的关系

松树枯萎病的发生和流行给东亚的日本、中国和韩国带来了不小的损失,引起许多国家的重视. 本文应用实地观测和气象数据分析等方法,研究了东亚地区松树枯萎病的发生和流行特点,以及与灾害气象事件之间的关系.结果表明: 在日本、中国和韩国,持续的夏季干旱少雨和强台风等极端气象事件能够诱发松树枯萎.在极端干热的环境中,松树常出现能量代谢失调, 以至于受胁迫的松树整株枯萎;而在低温多雨的年份,松树枯萎少,甚至没有发生枯死现象.在松材线虫及其媒介昆虫侵染之前,松树的活力业已下降.松树枯萎病似乎应该局限在台风频发和持续干热的地区.在自然环境优越、少有台风和干热事件出现且没有不当扩大松树栽培范围的地区,松树枯萎病大面积发生的可能性不大.     

Human Health Risk Assessment of Non-Regulated Xenobiotics in Recycled Water: A Review

Water suppliers face increased pressure to explain the relative health risks from non-regulated xenobiotics that may be present in recycled water, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and endocrine disrupting compounds. This report reviews their occurrence, fate, and recent human health risk assessments for potable and non-potable water reuse. The most effective advanced treatment for PPCPs is reverse osmosis (RO) followed by advanced oxidation. During soil aquifer treatment, the majority of PPCPs are attenuated relatively quickly (within 100 days), yet some are persistent and can migrate to the underlying groundwater at low concentrations. Recently, several investigations have assessed the potential human health risks associated with xenobiotics in recycled water, focusing on exposure from drinking water (e.g., planned and unplanned indirect potable reuse) and non-potable reuse (e.g., exposure via recreational, occupational, and irrigation-related activities at sites utilizing recycled water). Risk assessments conducted over the last 10 years have found no adverse human health effects or significant risks. Though advanced treatment of wastewater that is discharged or recycled may not be required to protect public health, it may be necessary to prevent potential effects on exposed biota and to address, to some degree, the public's perception of water reuse.     

Fish assemblage–environment relationships suggest differential trophic responses to heavy metal contamination

相似文献   

The influence of urban land use on seed dispersal and wetland invasibility

Urban habitats are generally considered highly invaded by exotic species due to the frequency and extent of disturbance caused by human activities and development. Our previous study had demonstrated that forested wetlands within residential areas are more extensively invaded than wetlands within industrial–commercial areas. In this study, we investigate whether the structure of the forest edge and seed dispersal can explain the differential in the invasion of wetlands surrounded by industrial and residential land use. Our results indicate that edges of industrially bordered wetlands are denser, with vegetation concentrated at the boundary of tree growth, whereas the edges of residentially bordered wetlands are more open and diffuse. This difference influences the number of seeds and species capable of dispersing into the wetland. Less dense edges resulted in a higher number of seeds entering residential wetlands; however, there were no differences in the numbers of exotic seeds or exotic species in the seed rain residential and industrial wetlands. Although seed dispersal could not directly explain differences in the current extent of invasion of these sites, seed dispersal did follow corridor pathways, including ditches and trails that breach the edges and extend through the wetlands. These disturbances act as corridors for seed dispersal into both types wetlands and may play a role in introducing new species to the interior of the wetland, an outcome supported by a higher number of exotic species in the seed banks of residential sites. Our results suggest that both the type of adjoining land use and the provision of access to people on trails in urban wetlands can affect the composition of these communities.     

Review of chemical,physical, and toxicologic properties of components of total petroleum hydrocarbons

Risk is a function of exposure and hazard, and both aspects must be incorporated into sound risk assessment efforts. However, risk assessment for sites contaminated with petroleum products is complicated by a general lack of information relevant to exposure to and toxicity of petroleum mixtures (especially total petroleum hydrocarbons, or TPH). Specifically, there is often inadequate information about the components of the TPH present at the site and the physical and chemical properties and toxicities of these components. Such information is crucial to developing a strong conceptual model of exposure to and risk from petroleum hydrocarbons at contaminated sites. This article presents information that can be incorporated into risk assessments for sites contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons.     

快速城市化地区住宅用地表层土壤有机碳的变异性及其影响因素——以福州南台岛为例

在高分辨率影像提取福州市南台岛(仓山区)住宅用地的基础上,从覆盖研究区的30m×30m网格中随机选择50个样方进行表层土壤取样,进而分析这一快速城市化地区住宅用地表层土壤有机碳密度(Soil organic carbon density,SOCD)的变异特征及其影响因素。结果表明:城市地区住宅用地在剧烈的人类活动干扰下,土壤呈现明显的空间变异特征,其SOCD平均值为33.814t/hm~2,变异系数达72.8%,其中郊区村镇住宅用地0—20cm土层的SOCD高于城市居住用地72%,预示着村镇就地城市化后将造成土壤碳储量的下降;然而,表层土壤有机碳含量与密度在建成时间为0—5年和5—10年的城市住宅小区间无显著差异,只有住宅建成时间达到10—15年才有显著提高。基于湿度、热度、绿化率与物业管理费等因子构建的城市住宅区绿化环境管理质量指标,与城市居住区表层土壤有机碳含量及密度存在显著正相关,与土壤容重呈显著负相关,成为快速城市化地区影响SOCD变异的另一主要因素。     

A national study on the residential impact of biological aerosols from the land application of biosolids

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the community risk of infection from bioaerosols to residents living near biosolids land application sites. METHODS AND RESULTS: Approximately 350 aerosol samples from 10 sites located throughout the USA were collected via the use of six SKC Biosamplers. Downwind aerosol samples from biosolids loading, unloading, land application and background operations were collected from all sites. All samples were analysed for the presence of HPC bacteria, total coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, coliphage, enteroviruses, hepatitis A virus and norovirus. Total coliforms, E. coli, C. perfringens and coliphage were not detected with great frequency from any sites, however, biosolids loading operations resulted in the largest concentrations of these aerosolized microbial indicators. Microbial risk analyses were conducted on loading and land application operations and their subsequent residential exposures determined. CONCLUSIONS: The greatest annual risks of infection occurred during loading operations, and resulted in a 4 x 10(-4) chance of infection from inhalation of coxsackievirus A21. Land application of biosolids resulted in risks that were <2 x 10(-4) from inhalation of coxsackievirus A21. Overall bioaerosol exposure from biosolids operations poses little community risk based on this study. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study evaluated the overall incidence of aerosolized micro-organisms from the land application of biosolids and subsequently determined that microbial risks of infection were low for residents close to biosolids application sites.     

Soil Cleanup Goal for Dioxin Using Probabilistic Risk Assessment Techniques

State regulators in Florida recently approved a first-of-its-kind probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) for determining an alternative residential Soil Cleanup Target Level (SCTL) for dioxin (32 ng/kg TEQ). The default residential SCTL (7 ng/kg TEQ) is based on a single, deterministic calculation with numerous conservative assumptions, resulting in an overly conservative value far beyond the regulatory mandate (i.e., 10^?6 increase in cancer risk). Conversely, this PRA used a Monte Carlo simulation to estimate risk for all members of a large population using a combination of scientific data and professional judgment, with final details developed during negotiations with regulators. The simulation parameters were defined probabilistically and reflect the ranges of values for the following exposure variables: body weight, exposure duration, exposure frequency, fraction from contaminated source, soil ingestion rate, and relative bioavailability. Other variable and uncertain parameters were treated deterministically per direction from the regulators. The state also required that a pre-supposed high-risk subpopulation be analyzed separate from the full receptor population. Despite the conservativeness of the alternative SCTL, this PRA represents a significant step toward more realistic estimates of human health risks caused by environmental contaminant exposure.     

某焦化场地土壤中多环芳烃分布的三维空间插值研究

为准确界定污染场地土壤中多环芳烃在3维条件下的污染分布范围和受污染土方量,选择我国某焦化污染场地苯并(a)芘分布为研究对象,对比研究Krig-3D、IDW-Shepard、IDW-(Franke/Nielson)以及Nearest Neighbor 4种3维插值方法对界定污染范围的不确定性影响。结果表明,不同3维插值模型计算结果差异较大,交叉验证结果显示Krig-3D插值模型插值精度最高,插值结果能较真实地反映场地实际污染情况。通过修复目标对比确定进一步表明,基于4种插值模型计算所得的污染土壤土方量分别为8.51×105、5.62×105、7.12×105、1.09×106m3,选择合理的插值模型将对预测污染范围的不确定性产生重要影响。研究结果对分析污染范围和修复治理过程土方量确定提供重要参考。     

Maintenance of plastid RNA editing activities independently of their target sites

RNA editing in plant organelles is mediated by site-specific, nuclear-encoded factors. Previous data suggested that the maintenance of these factors depends on the presence of their rapidly evolving cognate sites. The surprising ability of allotetraploid Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) to edit a foreign site in the chloroplast ndhA messenger RNA was thought to be inherited from its diploid male ancestor, Nicotiana tomentosiformis. Here, we show that the same ndhA editing activity is also present in Nicotiana sylvestris, which is the female diploid progenitor of tobacco and which lacks the ndhA site. Hence, heterologous editing is not simply a result of tobacco's allopolyploid genome organization. Analyses of other editing sites after sexual or somatic transfer between land plants showed that heterologous editing occurs at a surprisingly high frequency. This suggests that the corresponding editing activities are conserved despite the absence of their target sites, potentially because they serve other functions in the plant cell.     

Challenges and Research Needs for Risk Assessment of Pesticides for Registration in Africa

Risk assessment is necessary for registration and risk management of new pesticides. The aim of this article is to discuss challenges that risk assessors in Africa face when conducting risk assessment of pesticides. Risk assessment requires toxicity assessment, environmental fate studies, and the use of models for occupational, dietary, residential, and environmental exposure assessments. Toxicity studies are very costly with the result that toxicity data used to register pesticides in Africa are often sourced from northern hemisphere countries. Assessors also often use exposure modeling results from the northern hemisphere. This is not an ideal approach as occupational exposure is influenced by agricultural practices, climatic conditions, and other factors. Furthermore, residential exposure models require time-location-activity information, exposure factors, and toxicokinetic rate constants for particular pesticides. Dietary exposure assessment needs accurate and comprehensive local food consumption data. Authorities in African countries should therefore generate the required data, despite these being very costly and tedious. Authorities should also provide guidance on the type of models and standard scenarios for estimating predicted environmental concentrations in various environmental compartments. It is recommended that higher educational institutions in Africa should incorporate risk assessment in general and pesticide toxicity and exposure models in particular in their curricula.     

长三角地区休闲游憩服务供需关系研究

依托生态空间的休闲游憩服务是提升人类福祉至关重要的贡献者。但由于经济发展、城市扩张、人口增长等因素,区域休闲游憩服务供需矛盾突出,且供给与需求在空间上错位、不匹配等问题严重。研究休闲游憩服务供需关系对合理规划、管理区域生态用地,促进生态文明建设等方面具有重要的理论和现实价值。以长三角为例,基于土地利用与人口数据,提出不同可达半径下区域休闲游憩服务供需关系的评价方法,研究41个地级市不同可达半径下供需关系的空间分异规律。研究结果表明：（1）2015年长三角地区休闲游憩服务的供需比为1028%,供给远大于需求,但供需关系空间异质性明显,高供给区与高需求区明显错位,空间不匹配问题严重。（2）随着可达半径由0 km扩大至50 km,区域赤字区面积占比由43.14%减少至7.83%,休闲游憩服务需求未得到满足的人口占比由65.47%下降至10.64%。（3）根据41个地级市不同可达半径下休闲游憩服务供需关系的演变规律,将其划分为5种类型区,提出相应的发展建议。研究表明,快速城市化和城市扩张过程中,应强化城区内绿色空间的分散化配置;同时,在长三角经济一体化发展过程中,休闲游憩服务供需的盈余区、赤字区可以建立生态补偿和经济合作关系,促进长三角绿色发展的一体化。     

Novel roles for genetically modified plants in environmental protection

Transgenic plants of environmental benefit typically consist of plants that either reduce the input of agrochemicals into the environment or make the biological remediation of contaminated areas more efficient. Examples include the construction of species that result in reduced pesticide use and of species that contain genes for either the degradation of organics or the increased accumulation of inorganics. Cutting-edge approaches, illustrated by our own work, focus on the applicability of genetically modified (GM) plants that produce insect pheromones or that are specifically tailored to the phytoremediation of cadmium or PCBs. This paper discusses the role that the next generation of GM plants might play in preventing and reducing chemical contamination and in converting contaminated sites into safe agricultural or recreational land.     

Monitoring of waterborne pathogens in surface waters in amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the potential health risk associated with exposure to cryptosporidium and giardia in these waters

The water in the canals and some recreational lakes in Amsterdam is microbiologically contaminated through the discharge of raw sewage from houseboats, sewage effluent, and dog and bird feces. Exposure to these waters may have negative health effects. During two successive 1-year study periods, the water quality in two canals (2003 to 2004) and five recreational lakes (2004 to 2005) in Amsterdam was tested with regard to the presence of fecal indicators and waterborne pathogens. According to Bathing Water Directive 2006/7/EC, based on Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococcus counts, water quality in the canals was poor but was classified as excellent in the recreational lakes. Campylobacter, Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia were detected in the canals, as was rotavirus, norovirus, and enterovirus RNA. Low numbers of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts were detected in the recreational lakes, despite compliance with European bathing water legislation. The estimated risk of infection with Cryptosporidium and Giardia per exposure event ranged from 0.0002 to 0.007% and 0.04 to 0.2%, respectively, for occupational divers professionally exposed to canal water. The estimated risk of infection at exposure to incidental peak concentrations of Cryptosporidium and Giardia may be up to 0.01% and 1%, respectively, for people who accidentally swallow larger volumes of the canal water than the divers. Low levels of viable waterborne pathogens, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, pose a possible health risk from occupational, accidental, and recreational exposure to surface waters in Amsterdam.     

阿苯哒唑对蚯蚓（Eisenia fetida）酸性磷酸酶、谷胱甘肽硫转移酶及腺三磷酶活性的影响

研究了蚯蚓在染毒2,7d和14d时,兽药阿苯哒唑(100～600mg/kg)对蚯蚓体及其不同部位的酸性磷酸酶(AP)、谷胱甘肽硫转移酶(GST)、腺三磷酶(Ca2 -ATPase)活性的影响。结果表明,阿苯哒唑对蚯蚓3种酶的活性均有显著影响,其中对AP和GST活性的影响比对Ca2 -ATPase的大。该药对AP和GST活性的抑制作用均随染毒时间的延长而加强,染毒浓度和时间表现出显著的互作效应。另外,AP活性也显著受到染毒浓度与蚯蚓部位的互作影响,影响最大的部位是蚯蚓前部;该药对Ca2 -ATPase活性的影响相对较小,浓度、时间和部位没有表现出明显的互作效应。     

Leptospirosis: risks during recreational activities

Rats, dogs, cattle, bats and sea lions, exemplify the diversity of mammalian species that can facilitate transmission of the zoonotic disease leptospirosis. The causative agent, pathogenic species of Leptospira , is shed in urine of chronically infected hosts. Direct contact with infected urine, or indirectly with water sources contaminated with infected urine, poses a risk of infection for humans exposed during water-related recreational and occupational activities. New serovars of Leptospira and maintenance hosts continue to be identified. In the western world, incidences of recreational exposure are increasing, while incidences of occupational exposure are decreasing. Adventure travellers returning from tropical regions, are presenting at clinics with symptoms of leptospirosis following participation in high risk activities including white water rafting, triathlons, endurance races and caving. Risks of infection can be reduced with increased awareness of how the disease is contracted, by avoiding contact with high risk water sources and the use of prophylaxis during high risk activities. Molecular techniques can be used to provide risk assessments prior to competition, to supplement epidemiology, and to assess shedding of Leptospira in urine samples.