Coastal Zone Ecosystem Services: from science to values and decision making; a case study.

This research is concerned with the following environmental research questions: socio-ecological system complexity, especially when valuing ecosystem services; ecosystems stock and services flow sustainability and valuation; the incorporation of scale issues when valuing ecosystem services; and the integration of knowledge from diverse disciplines for governance and decision making. In this case study, we focused on ecosystem services that can be jointly supplied but independently valued in economic terms: healthy climate (via carbon sequestration and storage), food (via fisheries production in nursery grounds), and nature recreation (nature watching and enjoyment). We also explored the issue of ecosystem stock and services flow, and we provide recommendations on how to value stock and flows of ecosystem services via accounting and economic values respectively. We considered broadly comparable estuarine systems located on the English North Sea coast: the Blackwater estuary and the Humber estuary. In the past, these two estuaries have undergone major land-claim. Managed realignment is a policy through which previously claimed intertidal habitats are recreated allowing the enhancement of the ecosystem services provided by saltmarshes. In this context, we investigated ecosystem service values, through biophysical estimates and welfare value estimates. Using an optimistic (extended conservation of coastal ecosystems) and a pessimistic (loss of coastal ecosystems because of, for example, European policy reversal) scenario, we find that context dependency, and hence value transfer possibilities, vary among ecosystem services and benefits. As a result, careful consideration in the use and application of value transfer, both in biophysical estimates and welfare value estimates, is advocated to supply reliable information for policy making.

Effect of fuel and lube oil sulfur on the performance of a diesel exhaust gas continuously regenerating trap.

The continuously regenerating trap (CRT) is a diesel exhaust emission control that removes nearly all diesel particulate matter on a mass basis, but under some circumstances oxidation of sulfur leads to the formation of nanoparticles. The objective of the four year study was to determine CRT performance under controlled, real-world, on-road conditions, and to develop quantitative relationships between fuel and lubrication oil sulfur concentration and particle number exhaust emissions. It was shown that nanoparticle emissions are minimized by the use of ultralow sulfur fuels and specially formulated low sulfur lubrication oil. Nanoparticle emissions increased with higher exhaust temperatures. Fuel and lubrication oil sulfur increased the particle concentration by, on average, 36 x 10(6) and 0.14 x 10(6) part/cm3 for each 1 ppm increase in sulfur. On the other hand there was a decrease in nanoparticle emissions by the CRT as the system aged.

Investigation of superconductivity in electrochemically fabricated AuSn nanowires.

We have fabricated intermetallic AuSn nanowires by electrochemical deposition in porous polycarbonate membranes. By controlling the deposition parameters, nanowires of a single intermetallic phase, namely AuSn, can be fabricated. AuSn nanowires are found to be crystalline and fairly resistant to oxidation. Electrical transport measurements on arrays of nanowires showed a superconducting transition temperature, T(c)∼1.5 K. In addition, four-probe measurements were made on individual freestanding nanowires with electrodes formed by a focused ion beam (FIB). Results from the two sets of measurements are found to be in close agreement.

Enhanced coagulation due to evaporation and its effect on nanoparticle evolution.

A new explanation for the evolution of particles near a roadway is proposed. The explanation starts with data that suggest that small (<15 nm) liquid nanoparticles shed semivolatile organics (

On-road exposure to highway aerosols. 1. Aerosol and gas measurements.

On-road experiments were conducted to determine the sensitivities of rats to real-world aerosol. This article summarizes the on-road aerosol and gas measurements and provides background information for the companion paper on the rat exposures. Measurements were carried out over 10 days, 6 h/day, driving a route from Rochester to Buffalo. Aerosol instrumentation used in this study included two scanning mobility particle sizers (SMPS) to determine the aerosol size distribution from 10 to 300 nm, 2 stand-alone condensation particle counters to determine the total aerosol number concentration, and an electrical aerosol detector to determine the aerosol length concentration. A thermal denuder (TD) was used with one of the SMPS instruments to determine the size distribution of the non-volatile fraction. Filter samples were collected and analyzed for elemental carbon, and gas analyzers measured ambient levels of CO, CO(2), and NO. Average daily total aerosol number concentration ranged from 200,000 to 560,000 particles/cm(3). Past studies on urban highways have measured total number concentrations ranging between 10(4) and 10(6) particles/cm(3). The average daily NO concentration ranged from 0.10 to 0.24 ppm and the corresponding CO(2) concentration ranged from 400 to 420 ppm. The average daily geometric number mean particle size determined by the SMPS ranged from 15 to 20 nm. The TD reduced the average SMPS number concentration between 87 and 95% and the SMPS volume between 54 and 83%, suggesting that most of the particles consisted of volatile material. The TD also increased the geometric number mean diameter from 15 to 20 nm to 30 to 40 nm.

Evaluation of posturing in macular hole surgery.

AIM: To objectively evaluate the postoperative face down posturing in macular hole surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic device called 'Maculog' was developed consisting of three basic components, a mercury switch triggered by the angle of tilt placed inside an earpiece, a data-recording device connected to the earpiece with cables and a windows based software program, specially written to analyse the recorded data in the form of tables and graphs. Ten patients undergoing macular hole surgery were fitted with the device on the first postoperative day before discharge. They were also asked for a subjective record of their posturing times. Four patients were given a posturing chair to take home. The device was retrieved after the first week and the data were downloaded to a PC for analysis. The actual posturing times recorded on the device were compared to the patients' own recollections. Results In all ten patients the actual posturing time was less than the time they had recorded themselves. The average actual posturing time was 48% of the perceived posturing time. The worst time for posturing, as expected, was between midnight and early morning. The compliance was better in patients who used the posturing chair. CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible to quantify the time of posturing using an electronic device and computer analysis. The study has shown that the actual posturing time is significantly less than the perceived posturing time. A further large study using 'Maculog' is now planned to correlate actual posturing time to the results of macular hole surgery.

The optimal form of urinary drainage after acute retention of urine.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of different forms of urinary drainage, particularly for urinary tract infection (UTI), operative findings and patient preference, in patients treated for acute urinary retention (AUR). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A feasibility trial was conducted of men presenting with AUR; after a short period of indwelling catheterization (IDC) patients were taught how to use clean intermittent self-catheterization (CISC). Patients who failed this were re-catheterized and taught to manage a valve, or failing this a leg bag, and then discharged home. The patients were followed to assess the occurrence of spontaneous voiding, UTI, findings at prostatectomy and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: The CISC group (34 men) had a higher rate of spontaneous voiding than the IDC group (16 men; 56% vs 25%). The incidence of UTI was 32% in the CISC and 75% in the IDC group. At TURP, 20% in the CISC group had a UTI, compared with 69% in the IDC group. Patients using CISC preferred it and had fewer complications than the IDC group. The CISC group had a similar ability to manage and similar acceptance of their method of drainage as the IDC group. CONCLUSION: CISC is managed and accepted well by patients who can use the technique and results in fewer UTIs. It should be considered in patients who present with AUR, and it may delay surgery.

Mechanical properties of metallic stents: how do these properties influence the choice of stent for specific lesions?

PURPOSE: To assess selected balloon-expandable and self-expanding stents for radial force, flexibility, radio-opacity, and trackability, and to relate these physical characteristics to potential indications for placement. METHODS: Force-strain curves were plotted for each stent and the force required to produce 50% luminal narrowing was recorded. The ability of the stent to show elastic recoil following deformation was also noted. Flexibility was measured by bending the stents against a force transducer and recording the force required per degree of flexion. Radio-opacity was measured by comparing each stent against a standard aluminum step wedge. Trackability was measured by testing the ability of the stent on its delivery system to track over angles of 90 degrees and 60 degrees. RESULTS: The balloon-expandable stents showed greater radial strength and radio-opacity but, apart from the AVE Iliac Bridge stent, showed poorer flexibility and trackability. The self-expanding stents showed less radial force but were able to re-expand following deformity. They were generally more flexible and had better trackability but lower radio-opacity. CONCLUSION: There is no stent which exhibits all the ideal properties required and therefore the interventionist will need to keep a range of stents available if all lesions are to be addressed.

A 50,000-year record of climate oscillations from Florida and its temporal correlation with the heinrich events.

Oscillations of Pinus (pine) pollen in a 50,000-year sequence from Lake Tulane, Florida, indicate that there were major vegetation shifts during the last glacial cycle. Episodes of abundant Pinus populations indicate a climate that was more wet than intervening phases dominated by Quercus (oak) and Ambrosia-type (ragweed and marsh-elder). The Pinus episodes seem to be temporally correlated with the North Atlantic Heinrich events, which were massive, periodic advances of ice streams from the eastern margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Possible links between the Tulane Pinus and Heinrich events include hemispheric cooling, the influences of Mississippi meltwater on sea-surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, and the effects of North Atlantic thermohaline circulation on currents in the Gulf.

Sexual abuse and drinking and drug use: implications for prevention.

Based on a survey of adolescent females in grades seven through twelve in a suburban school system, the relationship between drinking, drug use, and sexual abuse is examined. Using a holistic approach to adolescent deviant behavior, connections between family, peer, psychosocial factors and drug use and delinquency are explored. Girls who report sexual molestation are more likely to have used a number of drugs, different from the prevalence profile of the larger sample. Significant correlations for younger girls between sexual molestation and delinquency are also reported. Implications for school based drug prevention programs are discussed.

Drug abuse and eating disorders: prevention implications.

This article explores the relationship between drug and alcohol abuse and eating disorders in a sample of adolescent females using a self-report methodology. An Eating Disorders Risk (EDR) Scale is adopted and correlated with drug and alcohol use, other forms of deviance, family and peer relationships, and depression. The findings support the concept of a generalized theory of addictions based on psychosocial, family, and peer factors. Family and peer prevention applications and a need for further research on the correlates of depression are discussed.

Caterpillar-induced keratitis.

Caterpillar hairs are responsible for a well-described though infrequent form of ocular trauma and disease sometimes referred to under the term ophthalmia nodosa. Four patients with this condition are presented with a review of the pathology and treatment guidelines.

Correlates of drinking and drug use by higher education faculty and staff: implications for prevention.

The prevalence and frequency of drug and alcohol abuse among higher education faculty and staff is not known. Higher education is a cultural environment which, on the one hand, is stressful and, on the other, permits a high degree of autonomy. This relationship of stress and autonomy is predicted to produce drug and alcohol abuse. Information is gathered by anonymous, self-report questionnaires, on the frequency and prevalence of faculty and staff drug and alcohol use at a regional university. Responses show alcohol and drug use within the last year and month among four higher education occupational groups: faculty, administrators, clerical staff, and physical plant/custodial staff. While stress was found to be weakly correlated with some drug use in the last month, depression was consistently correlated with drug use and moderately correlated with suicidal thoughts and tendencies, as well as job dissatisfaction. Drug and alcohol abuse is a factor in behavioral problems that affect faculty/staff and can be addressed through Employee Assistance Programs.

Teacher drug use: a response to occupational stress.

Work-related stress is predicted to be correlated with wanting to leave the teaching profession and drug use. A stratified random sample of 500 Texas teachers was surveyed (56.5% responded), regarding working conditions, collegial and supervisory relationships, job satisfaction, rigidity of attitudes and drug use. Two-thirds of teachers may want to quit the profession, while 36.4 percent are likely to quit. Teachers report higher rates than a national sample of lifetime alcohol, amphetamine, and tranquilizer use and higher rates of alcohol use in the last year and last month. Selected measures of stress are correlated with drug use, particularly amphetamine use, over the lifetime, last year, and last month.

The relationship of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other illegal drug use to delinquency among Mexican-American, black, and white adolescent males.

This study examined the relationship between drug use and delinquent behavior among 348 high school males (154 whites, 172 Mexican-Americans, and 22 blacks) and 89 adjudicated delinquent males confined to a maximum-security facility for violent and repeat offenders (37 whites, 25 Mexican-Americans, and 27 blacks). Data were collected in the spring of 1986 using self-administered questionnaires. Analyses were performed separately for each racial subgroup. Simple correlations revealed that self-reported alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other illegal drug use were all significantly related to both minor and violent delinquency for all three racial groups. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the use of these substances accounted for 40% to 47% of the variance in minor delinquency and for 59% of the variance in violent delinquency among blacks, 53% of the variance in violent delinquency among Mexican-Americans, and 34% of the variance in violent delinquency among whites. The best predictors of violent delinquency were the frequent use of illegal drugs other than marijuana and use of tobacco, in that order, among Mexican-Americans; the frequent use of other illegal drugs, marijuana, and tobacco, in that order, for whites; and the frequent use of illegal drugs, followed by marijuana, for blacks.