Biomonitoring aquatic environmental quality in a marine protected area: A biomarker approach

The main aims of the present study, conducted in the framework of the MONIQUA-Egadi Scientific Project, were twofold: first, to make the first step in the development and validation of an ecotoxicological approach for the assessment of marine pollution in coastal environments on the basis of a set of biomarker responses in new sentinel species; and second, to obtain preliminary information on environmental quality in an Italian marine protected area, the Egadi Islands (Sicily). Several cytochrome P450-dependent mixed-function oxidase activities were measured in the following sentinel species: rainbow wrasse Coris julis, gastropod limpet Patella caerulea, and sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. The results suggest that specimens from the Favignana Harbor may be exposed to P450 inducers, whereas most of the other sites seem to share similar environmental quality. The proposed approach has potential for assessment of environmental quality in marine protected areas.

Evidence and Spatial Planning for Sustainable Development: A Model for Spatially Allocating Material Flows

The aspiration the spatial planning should act as the main coordinating function for the transition to a sustainable society is grounded on the assumption that it is capable of incorporating both a strong evidence base of environmental accounting for policy, coupled with opportunities for open, deliberative decision-making. While there are a number of increasingly sophisticated methods (such as material flow analysis and ecological footprinting) that can be used to longitudinally determine the impact of policy, there are fewer that can provide a robust spatial assessment of sustainability policy. In this paper, we introduce the Spatial Allocation of Material Flow Analysis (SAMFA) model, which uses the concept of socio-economic metabolism to extrapolate the impact of local consumption patterns that may occur as a result of the local spatial planning process at multiple spatial levels. The initial application the SAMFA model is based on County Kildare in the Republic of Ireland, through spatial temporal simulation and visualisation of construction material flows and associated energy use in the housing sector. Thus, while we focus on an Ireland case study, the model is applicable to spatial planning and sustainability research more generally. Through the development and evaluation of alternative scenarios, the model appears to be successful in its prediction of the cumulative resource and energy impacts arising from consumption and development patterns. This leads to some important insights in relation to the differential spatial distribution of disaggregated allocation of material balance and energy use, for example that rural areas have greater resource accumulation (and are therefore in a sense “less sustainable”) than urban areas, confirming that rural housing in Ireland is both more material and energy intensive. This therefore has the potential to identify hotspots of higher material and energy use, which can be addressed through targeted planning initiatives or focussed community engagement. Furthermore, due to the ability of the model to allow manipulation of different policy criteria (increased density, urban conservation etc), it can also act as an effective basis for multi-stakeholder engagement.

Care and Management of Ancient Stone Monuments During Environmental Change

Ancient stone monuments (ASMs), such as standing stones and rock art panels, are powerful and iconic expressions of Britain’s rich prehistoric past that have major economic and tourism value. However, ASMs are under pressure due to increasing anthropogenic exposure and changing climatic conditions, which accelerate their rates of disrepair. Although scientific data exists on the integrity of stone monuments, most applies to “built” systems; therefore, additional work specific to ASMs in the countryside is needed to develop better-informed safeguarding strategies. Here, we use Neolithic and Bronze Age rock art panels across Northern England as a case study for delineating ASM management actions required to enhance monument preservation. The state of the rock art is described first, including factors that led to current conditions. Rock art management approaches then are described within the context of future environments, which models suggest to be more dynamic and locally variable. Finally, a Condition Assessment and Risk Evaluation (CARE) scheme is proposed to help prioritise interventions; an example of which is provided based on stone deterioration at Petra in Jordon. We conclude that more focused scientific and behavioural data, specific to deterioration mechanisms, are required for an ASM CARE scheme to be successful.

Development of a heterogeneous catalyst for lignocellulosic biomass conversion:Glucose dehydration by metal chlorides in a silica-supported ionic liquid layer

An attempt is made to immobilize the homogeneous metal chloride/EMIMCl catalyst for glucose dehydration to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. To this end, ionic liquid fragments were grafted to the surface of SBA-15 to generate a heterogenized mimick of the homogeneous reaction medium. Despite a decrease in the surface area, the ordered mesoporous structure of SBA-15 was largely retained. Metal chlorides dispersed in such ionic liquid film are able to convert glucose to HMF with much higher yields as is possible in the aqueous phase. The reactivity order CrCl > AlCl > CuCl > FeCl is similar to the order in the ionic liquid solvent, yet the selectivity are lower. The HMF yield of the most promising CrCl-Im-SBA-15 can be improved by using a HO:DMSO mixture as the reaction medium and a 2-butanol/MIBK extraction layer. Different attempts to decrease metal chloride leaching by using different solvents are described. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog.

Holocene floodplain palaeoecology of the Humberhead Levels; implications for regional wetland development

The acquisition of high quality, well-dated local site records is essential for progressing regional environmental reconstructions. As part of a wider study designed to examine intra- and extra- site ecosystem responses to environmental change, this paper presents new palaeoecological data from the floodplain of the River Torne in the Humberhead Levels, South Yorkshire. The sampling site lies adjacent to the lowland raised mire of Hatfield Moors, a location with a long history of palaeoecological investigations. The potential of using floodplain records to reconstruct local variations in ecosystem response to environmental change is also considered. Coleoptera and pollen are used to reconstruct floodplain ecosystem dynamics, whilst chronologies are established using Bayesian age–depth modelling. Between 10,200 cal BP and 2300 cal BP, the floodplain experienced multiple phases of ecological change. At 10,200–9910 cal BP, a cut-off channel began to infill with peat, while the surrounding floodplain remained relatively dry with Pinus forest growing nearby. Between 9630–9500 cal BP and 7270–7020 cal BP, a depositional hiatus occurred in the sedimentary record. By the end of this period, the local woodland had diversified and expanded to mixed deciduous tree cover. A wet shift identified at 6870–6160 cal BP was shortly followed by a rise in Alnus and Tilia from 6410–6160 cal BP. At this time, widespread floodplain paludification had occurred in the Humberhead Levels, which was largely controlled by relative sea-level (RSL) rise and the associated rise in regional water tables. Floodplain expansion also resulted in the widespread occurrence of Alnus dominated fen woodland. The local Torne floodplain experienced varying levels of wetness that influenced the decline and subsequent regeneration of the woodland from 5870–5640 cal BP. At this time, the Ulmus decline is identified in the pollen stratigraphic record. Floodplain hydrology appears to have been controlled by a combination of water table fluctuations and changes in channel pattern/flow, both of which can be linked to RSL variations recorded in the Humber Estuary. Floodplain alluviation, also linked to rising water tables, is dated to 4360–4160 cal BP. Anthropogenic woodland clearance further upstream may have further compounded this event.

Development of a planar waveguide microarray for the monitoring and early detection of five harmful algal toxins in water and cultures

A novel multiplex microarray has been developed for the detection of five groups of harmful algal and cyanobacterial toxins found in marine, brackish, and freshwater environments including domoic acid (DA), okadaic acid (OA, and analogues), saxitoxin (STX, and analogues), cylindrospermopsin (CYN) and microcystins (MC, and analogues). The sensitivity and specificity were determined and feasibility to be used as a screening tool investigated. Results for algal/cyanobacterial cultures (n = 12) and seawater samples (n = 33) were compared to conventional analytical methods, such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Detection limits for the 15 min assay were 0.37, 0.44, 0.05, 0.08, and 0.40 ng/mL for DA, OA, STX, CYN, and MC, respectively. The correlation of data obtained from the microarray compared to conventional analysis for the 12 cultures was r(2) = 0.83. Analysis of seawater samples showed that 82, 82, 70, 82, and 12% of samples were positive (>IC20) compared to 67, 55, 36, 0, and 0% for DA, OA, STX, CYN, and MC, respectively, for conventional analytical methods. The discrepancies in results can be attributed to the enhanced sensitivity and cross-reactivity profiles of the antibodies in the MBio microarray. The feasibility of the microarray as a rapid, easy to use, and highly sensitive screening tool has been illustrated for the five-plex detection of biotoxins. The research demonstrates an early warning screening assay to support national monitoring agencies by providing a faster and more accurate means of identifying and quantifying harmful toxins in water samples.

Development of a Temperature-Recording Vaginal Ring for Monitoring User Adherence

Background: Vaginal ring devices are being actively developed for controlled delivery of HIV microbicides and as multi-purpose prevention technology (MPT) products combining hormonal contraception with prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Presently, there is no reliable method for monitoring user adherence in HIV vaginal ring trials; previous acceptability studies have included some type of participant self-reporting mechanism, which have often been unreliable. More objective, quantitative and accurate methods for assessing adherence are needed.
Methods: A silicone elastomer vaginal ring containing an encapsulated miniature temperature recording device has been developed that can capture and store real-time temperature data during the period of designated use. Devices were tested in both simulated vaginal environments and following vaginal placement in cynomolgus macaques. Various use protocols and data sampling rates were tested to simulate typical patient usage scenarios. Results: The temperature logging devices accurately recorded vaginal temperature in macaques, clearly showing the regular diurnal temperature cycle. When environmental temperature and vaginal temperature was significantly different, the device was able to accurately pinpoint the insertion and removal times. Based on the data collected it was possible to infer removal periods as short as 5 min when the external environmental temperature was 25 °C. Accuracy increased with data sampling rate. Conclusions: This work provides proof-of-concept for monitoring adherence using a vaginal ring device containing an encapsulated temperature logger. The addition of one or more active agents into the ring body is not anticipated to affect the temperature monitoring function. A clinical study to compare self- reported user adherence data with that obtained by the device would be highly informative.

Progress in the development of immunoanalytical methods incorporating recombinant antibodies to small molecular weight biotoxins

Rapid immunoanalytical screening of food and environmental samples for small molecular weight (hapten) biotoxin contaminations requires the production of antibody reagents that possess the requisite sensitivity and specificity. To date animal-derived polyclonal (pAb) and monoclonal (mAb) antibodies have provided the binding element of the majority of these assays but recombinant antibodies (rAb) isolated from in vitro combinatorial phage display libraries are an exciting alternative due to (1) circumventing the need for experimental animals, (2) speed of production in commonly used in vitro expression systems and (3) subsequent molecular enhancement of binder performance. Short chain variable fragments (scFv) have been the most commonly employed rAb reagents for hapten biotoxin detection over the last two decades but antibody binding fragments (Fab) and single domain antibodies (sdAb) are increasing in popularity due to increased expression efficiency of functional binders and superior resistance to solvents. rAb-based immunochromatographic assays and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors have been reported to detect sub-regulatory levels of fungal (mycotoxins), marine (phycotoxins) and aquatic biotoxins in a wide range of food and environmental matrices, however this technology has yet to surpass the performances of the equivalent mAb- and pAb-based formats. As such the full potential of rAb technology in hapten biotoxin detection has yet to be achieved, but in time the inherent advantages of engineered rAb are set to provide the next generation of ultra-high performing binder reagents for the rapid and specific detection of hapten biotoxins.

Ecology of testate amoebae in an Amazonian peatland and development of a transfer function for palaeohydrological reconstruction

Tropical peatlands represent globally important carbon sinks with a unique biodiversity and are currently threatened by climate change and human activities. It is now imperative that proxy methods are developed to understand the ecohydrological dynamics of these systems and for testing peatland development models. Testate amoebae have been used as environmental indicators in ecological and palaeoecological studies of peatlands, primarily in ombrotrophic Sphagnum-dominated peatlands in the mid- and high-latitudes. We present the first ecological analysis of testate amoebae in a tropical peatland, a nutrient-poor domed bog in western (Peruvian) Amazonia. Litter samples were collected from different hydrological microforms (hummock to pool) along a transect from the edge to the interior of the peatland. We recorded 47 taxa from 21 genera. The most common taxa are Cryptodifflugia oviformis, Euglypha rotunda type, Phryganella acropodia, Pseudodifflugia fulva type and Trinema lineare. One species found only in the southern hemisphere, Argynnia spicata, is present. Arcella spp., Centropyxis aculeata and Lesqueresia spiralis are indicators of pools containing standing water. Canonical correspondence analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling illustrate that water table depth is a significant control on the distribution of testate amoebae, similar to the results from mid- and high-latitude peatlands. A transfer function model for water table based on weighted averaging partial least-squares (WAPLS) regression is presented and performs well under cross-validation (r 2apparent=0.76,RMSE=4.29;r2jack=0.68,RMSEP=5.18. The transfer function was applied to a 1-m peat core, and sample-specific reconstruction errors were generated using bootstrapping. The reconstruction generally suggests near-surface water tables over the last 3,000 years, with a shift to drier conditions at c. cal. 1218-1273 AD

Development of a doped titania immobilised thin film multi tubular photoreactor

This paper describes a novel doped titania immobilised thin film multi tubular photoreactor which has been developed for use with liquid, vapour or gas phase media. In designing photocatalytic reactors measuring active surface area of photocatalyst within the unit is one of the critical design parameters. This dictate greatly limits the applicability of any semi-conductor photocatalyst in industrial applications, as a large surface area equates to a powder catalyst. This demonstration of a thin film coating, doped with a rare earth element, novel photoreactor design produces a photocatalytic degradation of a model pollutant (methyl orange) which displayed a comparable degradation achieved with P25 TiO2. The use of lanthanide doping is reported here in the titania sol gel as it is thought to increase the electron hole separation therefore widening the potential useful wavelengths within the electromagnetic spectrum. Increasing doping from 0.5% to 1.0% increased photocatalytic degradation by ∼17% under visible irradiation. A linear relationship has been seen between increasing reactor volume and degradation which would not normally be observed in a typical suspended reactor system. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Environmental forensic investigations: The potential use of a novel heavy metal sensor and novel taggants

This chapter presents a novel hand-held instrument capable of real-time in situ detection and identification of heavy metals, along with the potential use of novel taggants in environmental forensic investigations. The proposed system provides the facilities found in a traditional laboratory-based instrument but in a hand held design, without the need for an associated computer. The electrochemical instrument uses anodic stripping voltammetry, which is a precise and sensitive analytical method with excellent limits of detection. The sensors comprise a small disposable plastic strip of screen-printed electrodes rather than the more common glassy carbon disc and gold electrodes. The system is designed for use by a surveyor on site, allowing them to locate hotspots, thus avoiding the expense and time delay of prior laboratory analysis. This is particularly important in environmental forensic analysis when a site may have been released back to the owner and samples could be compromised on return visits. The system can be used in a variety of situations in environmental assessments, the data acquired from which provide a metals fingerprint suitable for input to a database. The proposed novel taggant tracers, based on narrow-band atomic fluorescence, are under development for potential deployment as forensic environmental tracers. The use of discrete fluorescent species in an environmentally stable host has been investigated to replace existing toxic, broadband molecular dye tracers. The narrow band emission signals offer the potential for tracing a large number of signals in the same environment. This will give increased data accuracy and allow multiple source environmental monitoring of environmental parameters.

Development of a biocidal treatment regime to inhibit biological growths on cultural heritage: BIODAM

Existing chemical treatments to prevent biological damage to monuments often involve considerable amounts of potentially dangerous and even poisonous biocides. The scientific approach described in this paper aims at a drastic reduction in the concentration of biocide applications by a polyphasic approach of biocides combined with cell permeabilisers, polysaccharide and pigment inhibitors and a photodynamic treatment. A variety of potential agents were screened to determine the most effective combination. Promising compounds were tested under laboratory conditions with cultures of rock deteriorating bacteria, algae, cyanobacteria and fungi. A subsequent field trial involved two sandstone types with natural biofilms. These were treated with multiple combinations of chemicals and exposed to three different climatic conditions. Although treatments proved successful in the laboratory, field trials were inconclusive and further testing will be required to determine the most effective treatment regime. While the most effective combination of chemicals and their application methodology is still being optimised, results to date indicate that this is a promising and effective treatment for the control of a wide variety of potentially damaging organisms colonising stone substrates

A multi-capability sensor for hydrocarbons, synthetic-based fluids and heavy metals:Applications for environmental monitoring during removal of drill cuttings piles

As part of any drilling cuttings pile removal process the requirement for monitoring the release of contaminants into the marine environment will be critical. Traditional methods for such monitoring involve taking samples for laboratory analysis. This process is time consuming and only provides data on spot samples taken from a limited number of locations and time frames. Such processes, therefore, offer very restricted information. The need for improved marine sensors for monitoring contaminants is established. We report here the development and application of a multi-capability optical sensor for the real-time in situ monitoring of three key marine environmental and offshore/oil parameters: hydrocarbons, synthetic-based fluids and heavy metal concentrations. The use of these sensors will be a useful tool for real-time in situ environmental monitoring during the process of decommissioning offshore structures. Multi-capability array sensors could also provide information on the dispersion of contamination from drill cuttings piles either while they are in situ or during their removal.

Investigation of organic xenobiotic transfers, partitioning and processing in air-soil-plant systems using a microcosm apparatus. Part I:Microcosm development

A microcosm system was developed to investigate transfers of organic xenobiotics in air-soil-plant systems. This was validated using ¹⁴C labelled 1,2-dichlorobenzene (DCB) as a model compound. Trapping efficiency was 106 ± 3% for volatile compounds and 93.0 ± 2.2% for carbon dioxide in a blank microcosm arrangement. Recovery of 1,2-dichlorobenzene spiked to grassed and unplanted soils was > 90% after 1 week. The predominant DCB loss process was volatilisation with no evidence for mineralisation over 1 week and 20-30% of the added spike remained in soil. Although there was no evidence for root uptake and translocation of added label, foliar uptake of soil volatilised compound was detected. The microcosm showed good potential for study of ¹⁴C labelled and unlabelled organic xenobiotic transfers in air-soil-plant systems with single plants and also intact planted cores.

Carbon distribution within the plant and rhizosphere in laboratory and field-grown Lolium perenne at different stages of development

Carbon distribution within perennial ryegrass was determined at different stages of plant development, by pulse-labelling laboratory and field-grown plants with ¹⁴C-CO₂. During the early stages of growth (23-51 days), C distribution of laboratory grown plants was not markedly affected by plant age, with 12.4-24% of net assimilated label lost into the soil as root-soil respiration. The percentage of net assimilate translocated below ground was 20-28% during this stage of growth. At 65 days, the percentage of the label translocated below ground decreased to 8.1% of the net assimilate, with a subsequent decrease in root-soil respiration to 3.9%. The ability of the plant to fix the label (expressed in MBq g^-1 oven dry total plant weight) decreased steadily as the plants aged. When the 30 day old plants were subjected to water stress (soil water potential -1.5 MPa) for 2 days before pulse-labelling, root-soil respiration of the pulse-label decreased compared with plants grown at field capacity. The distribution of a ¹⁴C pulse-label within perennial ryegrass grown under field conditions was found to be dependent on the age of the plants. For 4 week old plants, 67% of net assimilated label was translocated below ground, with 64.8% of this respired by the roots and soil. Less label was translocated below ground at subsequent pulse-labels from weeks 8 to 24. The proportion of label translocated below ground respired by the roots and soil also decreased. The investment of label in the plant shoots was found to be greater in field grown plants as compared to plants of the same age grown in a controlled, laboratory environment. © 1990.