Trophic Assessment iof Ten Publicly-Owned Northeastern Ohio Likes

Author Institution: Department of Biology, The University of Akron ; Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating AgencyTrophic assessments of 10 publicly-owned northeastern Ohio lakes including Aquilla, Baldwin, Findley, Hinckley, Hodgson (Muddy), Spencer, Lower Shaker, Upper Shaker, Virginia Kendall, and Wallace indicated that all were highly eutrophic. Criteria for these assessments were based on a Trophic State Index developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that incorporated epilimnetic levels of total phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, inorganic nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll a and Secchi disk water transparency into a single numerical index of trophic status (TIN). The most eutrophic lakes were Spencer, which had been purposely enriched to increase productivity, and the Shaker Lakes, which were enriched by storm water overflows of sanitary sewers. The least eutrophic lakes were Hodgson, Aquilla, Virginia Kendall, and Wallace reflecting relatively better watershed protection from soil erosion and domestic organic wastes

A framework of criteria for the sustainability assessment of nanoproducts

AbstractNanotechnology applications (nanoproducts) have entered the market or are expected to do so in the near future. Robust and science-based criteria are required to appraise and manage their sustainability. This paper describes the approach used to develop a comprehensive and reliable framework of criteria, which was missing until now, for evaluating the sustainability of nanoproducts. A literature review of the frameworks and tools employed to assess nanoproducts sustainability implications was firstly performed to select an initial set of criteria. A survey of experts in the sustainable nanotechnology domain was then conducted to elicit their knowledge in terms of completeness, reliability and validity of the criteria set. Ranking and correlation analyses completed the research by identifying the parameters of major interest as well as the links and dependencies between them. A total of 54 and 65 experts replied to the pilot and main survey, respectively. The reliability and validity of the criteria was assessed with the responses from both questionnaires, whereas the answers from the main survey were used to calculate the relative index of the criteria as well as their correlations. This research resulted in a framework composed of 68 criteria, which are structured into six main areas: (i) economic performance; (ii) environmental impacts, (iii) environmental risk assessment; (iv) human health risk assessment; (v) social implications and (vi) technical performance. This study helps to broaden the understanding on the identification of criteria for sustainability assessments. It also provides those interested in evaluating nanotechnology implications with the basis for real case studies, possibly by integrating available information with the stakeholders using tools that support decision-making

Safety Aspects Of Nanotechnology Based Activity

Nanoscience has emerged rapidly in terms of interdisciplinary research, technological applications, and consumer products. The unique properties of engineered nanomaterials may be accompanied by undesired health hazards, leading to a concurrent interest in the safety of nanotechnology related work, application and disposal environment. However, the field of nano-environmental safety has fallen behind commercial development due to the lack of resources and, in some cases, motivation in researching this field. In order to encourage nano-environmental safety and determine if work is needed to answer research questions in this area NSF organized a workshop with participants from universities, national laboratories and industry. The purpose of the workshop was to share information across organizations, discuss the current state of nano-safety, and identify research challenges and solutions. This article presents the significant outcomes from the study. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd

The National Nanotechnology Initiative Approach to Environment, Health, and Safety: A Model for Future Science Investments

This article discusses the very recent story about the new science of nanotechnology and the careful and clear-headed efforts to regulate it. Nanotechnology offers great promise in numerous applications, including national security, but can also raise far-reaching health and environmental concerns. This story of incremental discussions and debates on the regulatory guidelines for the new technology, informed largely by Dr. Karn’s experience at the center of those discussions, offers a good look behind the scenes at modern science policy development in government. We learn of the government’s essential legal and financial roles, but also much about the interaction between concerned scientists, the National Institutes of Health, and the White House. In this case, that collaboration was a success

The rate of reduction of copper(II) with hydrogen peroxide in seawater

The rates of reduction of copper(II) with H 2O 2 have been measured in seawater solutions as a function of pH (6–9), temperature (5–45°C) and salinity (5 to 35). The rate constants, k, for the reduction d[Cu(II)]/d t=− k [Cu(II)][H 2O 2] have been fitted to the equation log k=2.12+1.29 pH—6534/ T+2.72 I 1/2 with σ=0.13 in log k. At a given salinity, the rates increase as a function of [H +] to the 1.3±0.1 power. Speciation calculations indicate that this slope is related to the concentration of Cu(OH) 2 which is reactive to reduction with H 2O 2. The increase in the rates with increasing ionic strength or salinity is due to the increasing Cl − concentration. The rates increase with increasing chloride to the 1.8±0.2 power. The pH and Cl − results indicate that in seawater the reactive species may be Cu(OH) 2Cl 2 2−. The reaction of the dichloro Cu(II) complex leads to the formation of the dichloro Cu(I) complex, that is resistant to oxidation with O 2 and H 2O 2. Measurements in the major sea salts indicate that the rates in seawater are nearly the same as in NaCl at the same level of Cl − and HCO 3 −. Measurements in NaCl with increasing levels of NaHCO 3 and NaH(OH) 4 at the same pH indicate that CuCO 3 and Cu(CO 3) 2 2− are non-reactive, while CuB(OH) 4 + is reactive to reduction with H 2O 2

Testing for selection on the androgen-binding protein in the Danish mouse hybrid zone

International audienceThe three peripheral subspecies of the house mouse Mus musculus have fixed specific variants of the androgen-binding protein (ABP) that have been proposed to be part of a recognition mechanism that could participate in sexual isolation between the subspecies. We tested for selection on Abpa by characterizing the pattern of Abpa introgression across a transect of the hybrid zone between M. m. musculus and M. m. domesticus in Jutland. On the musculus side, the cline for Abpa resembled that of a nearly neutral allozyme more than that of strongly selected X and Y chromosome markers. However, the high central step which displaces the tail of introgression of Abpa to higher frequencies was best accounted for by linkage to a locus under strong selection against hybrids. Still, we cannot exclude that this pattern results from weak selection against Abpa in the tail of introgression, which would be compatible with an assortative choice mechanism. On the domesticus side there was little introgression close to the hybrid zone, presumably due to a geographical barrier to migration. However, substantial frequencies of musculus alleles occurred further away, suggesting mixed colonization patterns as well as flow across the hybrid zone