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A distinct population of Anteholosticha intermedia was isolated from soil in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, USA, and its morphology, morphogenesis and molecular phylogeny investigated by microscopic observations of live and protargol-prepared specimens and analyses of the sequence of small subunit (SSU) rDNA. Our population closely resembles the populations from Austria and Korea. Members of the genus Anteholosticha have been regarded as ontogenetically diverse, which is confirmed by the present work. The most noteworthy ontogenetic feature of the American population of A . intermedia is that the oral primordium in the proter appears apokinetally at the posterior end of the undulating membranes anlage at the beginning of division and then dedifferentiates midway through morphogenesis. Molecular phylogenetic analyses demonstrate, with high support, that the American population of A . intermedia is clearly distinct from congeners and branches as part of a sister lineage to the Bakuella – Urostyla clade that belongs to the major clade comprising the order Urostylida. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a time of deep mediatization, cross-media approaches to investigating media practices are becoming increasingly relevant. In this respect, we have to consider cross-media from at least two different perspectives. The first perspective considers the ‘individual’ whose cross-media use can be characterized as a particular ‘media repertoire’. The second refers to ‘social domains’ (collectivities and organizations) that can be analysed as communicative figurations characterized by a particular ‘media ensemble’. We propose to interlace both perspectives to help clarify the conceptual and empirical relationship between media use by individuals, on the one hand, and as part of the figuration of a social domain, on the other. From the perspective of the individual, media repertoires are composed of media-related communicative practices that individuals use to relate themselves to the figurations that they are involved in. From the perspective of these figurations, media ensembles are characterized by the media-related communicative practices of the actors involved in them. We argue that a methodological triangulation of media diaries, (group) interviews and sorting techniques is a productive way forward to qualitatively investigate both these perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the role of interpretation in cross-media uses. Highlighting the specificity of cross-media uses within meta-media environments such as Facebook, we argue that interpretative processes play a crucial role in the formation of cross-media repertoires. The methodology relies on a reception analysis for which we conducted interviews with eleven expatriates using Facebook on a daily basis, in conjunction with a commented consultation of their newsfeed. In the analysis, we show that reading Facebook’s newsfeed is an activity that contributes to the construction of the user’s mediated lifeworld. Schutz’s phenomenological approach allows us to explore how users develop reading strategies to typify their experience of the social world within Facebook, to maintain the relevance of their newsfeed and to negotiate the technological features of Facebook, shedding light on how users assemble their cross-mediated experience within meta-media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the arrangements made for storage of intermediate-level waste (ILW) at Sellafield, England, a nuclear reprocessing site, and forecasts the challenges and opportunities for the future storage of ILW. Topics discussed include source of ILW at Sellafied including fuel element cladding, solids recovered from liquid effluent, and development work in laboratories, forecasting of waste arisings at Sellafield, and storage methodology of ILW including charge floor design.

This study explores mass media’s agenda-setting function in a context of increased globalization to determine whether the theory, which was built upon intra-nation environments, functions in the global setting. It matches public agendas with media agendas to investigate agenda-setting effects in 11 countries worldwide, then compares media agendas across countries to consider whether inter-nation intermedia influence exists. Results suggest a general pattern of the agenda-setting function of mass media in the countries examined. The study finds evidence of inter-nation intermedia influence and thus presents a new way to look at the intermedia agenda-setting relationship – moving this research from comparisons within a local area to cross-national intermedia comparisons. Furthermore, this study checks for evidence of directional inter-nation intermedia agenda-setting. The findings suggest a complex inter-nation intermedia relationship and imply that, in the age of globalization, the simple ‘powerful West’ reasoning derived from the old days may need to be rethought and updated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: All pollution issues involve potential impacts on the surrounding interconnected air, water, and soil (i.e., multimedia) environment. Effectively addressing a wide range of multimedia pollution problems is of crucial importance to major socioeconomic sectors. This study presents an attempt to develop a new Numerical Multimedia Environmental Analysis System (NMEAS), which incorporates numerical analyses of pollutants fate and transport in the multimedia environment. Specifically, three different approaches were evaluated for solving two dimensional coupled pollutants advection–diffusion–reaction equations using experimental data from the literature: (a) NMEAS/FEM (numerical finite element method); (b) NMEAS/FDM (numerical finite difference method); and, (c) NMEAS/analytical method. Preliminary validation of the proposed NMEAS method has been conducted through a 2-D case study. In the case study implementing the NMEAS/FEM solution is found to be better than that of NMEAS/FDM, especially at low concentrations of pollutants; and both pollutant fluxes across and distribution in the interconnected compartments are simulated in both numerical spatial and temporal scale for complex multimedia environment. The new NMEAS will be an innovative risk assessment tool aiming to formulate effective strategies of managing environmental impacts on multiple compartments resulting from pollution emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although the reuse of bottom ash has been favored gradually, reflected on regulations and researches, the associated risk is still an issue of great concern. This study quantified the health risks from multimedia transport and multi-pathway exposure to the concerned chemicals as a result of reusing bottom ash in road paving with consideration of various application scenarios. In particular, the using duration of the pavement was taken into consideration because movement of chemicals in the soils and groundwater would affect the subsequent exposure and risk. By using soil and groundwater transport modeling linked to food chain exposure assessment and incorporating the Monte Carlo method, the study identified Cr as the crucial toxicant and ingestion of drinking water and vegetables as the key exposure pathways. Furthermore, control of the using duration of road pavement is an essential factor of management and regulations to minimize the leaching of the hazardous constituents into the groundwater and subsequent contamination of food chain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: GLOBOX is a model for the calculation of spatially differentiated LCA toxicity characterisation factors on a global scale. It can also be used for human and environmental risk assessment. The GLOBOX model contains equations for the calculation of fate, intake and effect factors, and equations for the calculation of LCA characterisation factors for human toxicity and ecotoxicity. The model is differentiated on the level of 239 countries/territories and 50 seas/oceans. Each region has its own set of homogeneous compartments, and the regions are interconnected by atmospheric and aquatic flows. Multimedia transport and degradation calculations are largely based on the EUSES 2.0 multimedia model, and are supplemented by specific equations to account for the advective air and water transport between different countries and/or seas. Metal-specific equations are added to account for speciation in fresh and marine surface water. Distribution parameters for multimedia transport equations are differentiated per country or sea with respect to geographic features, hydrology, and climate. The model has been tested with nitrobenzene as a test chemical, for emissions to all countries in the world. Spatially differentiated characterisation factors turn out to show wide ranges of variation between countries, especially for releases to inland water and soil compartments. Geographic position, distribution of lakes and rivers and variations in environmental temperature and rain rate are decisive parameters for a number of different characterisation factors. Population density and dietary intake play central roles in the variation of characterisation factors for human toxicity. Among the countries that show substantial deviations from average values of the characterisation factors are not only small and remote islands, but also countries with a significant economic production rate, as indicated by their GDPs. It is concluded that spatial differentiation between countries is an important step forward with respect to the improvement of LCA toxicity characterisation factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The non-Aroclor congener 3,3'-dichlorobiphenyl (PCB 11) has been recently detected in air, water, biota, sediment, and suspended sediment. Although it has been known since at least the 1970s that this congener is produced inadvertently during the production of diarylide yellow pigments, this work presents the first evidence that the use of these pigments in consumer goods results in the dispersion of PCB 11 throughout the environment at levels that are problematic in terms of achieving water quality standards for the sum of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In this work, PCB 11 is measured at ppb levels in consumer goods that are likely to be discarded in ways that allow them to enter wastewater treatment plants and combined sewer overflows, including newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes used for food packaging, and plastic bags. Also, using data sets acquired for the purpose of calculating total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for PCBs, PCB 11 loads to the New York/New Jersey Harbor and Delaware River are calculated. Despite the fact that there are no known manufacturers of diarylide yellow pigments in the Delaware River watershed, the loads of PCB 11 to the Delaware River exceed the TMDL for the sum of PCBs by nearly a factor of 2. The ratio of PCB 11 to a characteristic dechlorination end product, PCB 4 (2,2'-dichlorobiphenyl), in these data sets indicates that dechlorination is not a significant source of PCB 11 in these systems. In the upper Hudson River, where extensive dechlorination of heavy PCB congeners occurs, the ratio is just 0.012. In contrast, downstream in the NY/NJ Harbor as well as in the Delaware River the ratio is much higher and more variable. Pigment use therefore appears to be the main source of PCB 11 in these systems, and this congener is likely to present a significant obstacle to achieving PCB water quality standards throughout the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have quantified the release of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) to Lake Michigan and the atmosphere. Navigational dredging is planned for this system, and there is concern that dredging will result in releases of PCBs. We have analyzed greater than 158 PCBs in surficial sediment, water, suspended particles, and air. We predicted the release of PCBs from sediments to water and from water to air. To quantify the level of confidence in our calculations, we used a Monte Carlo simulation for each congener flux. We determined that 4 ± 0.05 kg of ΣPCBs were released from the sediment to the water and 7 ± 0.1 kg of ΣPCBs were volatilized from the water to the air annually. We measured input from the upstream regions of the canal system of 45.0 kg yr-1 and export to Lake Michigan of 43.9 kg yr-1. The ΣPCBs mass balance accounts for nearly all the PCB inputs and losses to the navigational regions. The congener profiles in sediment, water, and air support our determination that the contaminated sediment is a major source of PCBs into the water and air above it. We have shown that the system is currently a significant source of PCBs to the air and to Lake Michigan, even under quiescent conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in air and soil, measured by various research groups from around the world, were compiled and analyzed. Data for air were available from most regions, particularly in Europe and Asia. The average air concentrations (pg/m³) for ΣPCB at background sites were 70 (5.1-170) for Europe, 79 (49-120) for North America, 66 (18-110) for South America, 270 (9-670) for Central America, 59 (17-150) for Asia, and 15 (13-17) for Australia. Data for soils exhibited better global coverage compared to air and were available from most regions. The average soil concentrations (pg/g dry weight) for ΣPCB at background sites were 7500 (47-97000) for Europe, 4300 (110-25000) for North America, 1400 (61-9 500) for South America, 580 (120-2 900) for Asia, 390 (94-620) for Africa, and 280 (140-540) for Australia. Based on available studies where coupled measurements of PCBs in air and soil were made, the equilibrium status of PCBs in the air-soil system was investigated for China, West Midlands of the UK, central and southern Europe, and along a latitudinal transect from the south of the UK to the north of Norway. Differences were observed in plots of the soil-air equilibrium status (expressed as the soil-air fugacity fraction, ff) for different PCB homologues. This was explained by varying contributions from primary and secondary emissions-spatially and temporally. The net effect after several decades of PCB emissions to air, preferential transport of lower molecular weight PCBs through primary and secondary emission, and reductions in emissions to air in recent decades is that the lower molecular weight PCBs have achieved (and in some cases exceeded) soil-air equilibrium in many parts of the world. The exception is remote and background sites that are still dominated by primary sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The release of excess nitrogen-containing compounds into groundwater is a major concern in aquifer recharge by the Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT) process. Ammonium () is one of the most nocive and common nitrogen compounds in wastewaters. In order to assess the risk of wastewater use for aquifer recharge,adsorption onto Souhil wadi soil sampled from the SAT pilot plant (Nabeul, Tunisia) was studied using laboratory columns experiments. Several experiments were conducted using aqueous synthetic solutions under different aqueous ammonium concentrations and flow rates. Furthermore, a real wastewater solution was used to test the effect of competitive cations contents on adsorption. Afterwards, the Hydrus-1D model was used in inverse mode to simulate the ammonium transport through the Souhil wadi soil. For the synthetic solutions, the adsorbed ammonium amount varied from 1 to 30.7 mg kg−1 for aqueous ammonium concentrations between 4.9 and 36.4 mg L−1. The linear isotherm model was found to be the most suitable for describing this adsorption. The flow rate decrease from 45 to 15 mL min−1 induced an increase in the ammonium adsorption capacity by 49%. Indeed, the lesser the flow rate is, the longer the residence time and the higher the exchange between the aqueous solution and soil matrix. The use of wastewater instead of aqueous synthetic solution decreased about 7 times the Souhil wadi adsorption capacity of ammonium because of its relatively high concentrations of competitive ions such as calcium and magnesium. The use of the Hydrus-1D model showed that the chemical non-equilibrium model was the best to simulate the ammonium transport through the laboratory soil columns. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Stable isotope and contaminant analyses revealed differences in nutrient sources and contaminant pathways in two species of dipper, Cinclus mexicanus and Cinclus cinclus in western Canada and western Britain. We collected dipper prey and eggs from relatively pristine British Columbian rivers contrasting in the presence of salmon-derived nutrients, and rural Welsh rivers with varying food-web complexity associated with stream acidity. Enriched δ13C and to a lesser extent δ15N in American dipper eggs and prey confirmed that streams with migrating Pacific salmon were enriched with marine-derived nutrients, but overall contaminant concentrations did not differ strongly in dipper eggs between rivers with and without salmon. However dipper contaminant profiles, particularly PBDEs, mercury and ΣDDTs, were related to δ13C, reflecting the marine influence and greater fish consumption at salmon sites. Irrespective of catchment influences and despite feeding at a higher trophic level, American dipper eggs (n = 17) contained lower levels of organohalogens than Eurasian dippers (n = 37), but with similar PCB (153 and 138) and PBDE (47 and 99) congeners dominanating. Eurasian dipper eggs from circumneutral streams contained more dieldrin, ΣDDT and Shexachlorocyclohexanes while Σchlordanes, mirex, ΣPBDEs and ΣPCBs predominated at acid sites. Our data reveal how dippers indicate contaminant levels and sources under contrasting conditions at scales ranging from local to intercontinental, but local environmental conditions apparently alter feeding ecology and exposure pathways even in these closely related species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Monte Carlo analysis is used to quantify environmental parametric uncertainty in a multi-segment, multi-chemical model of the Venice Lagoon. Scientific knowledge, expert judgment and observational data are used to formulate prior probability distributions that characterize the uncertainty pertaining to 43 environmental system parameters. The propagation of this uncertainty through the model is then assessed by a comparative analysis of the moments (central tendency, dispersion) of the model output distributions. We also apply principal component analysis in combination with correlation analysis to identify the most influential parameters, thereby gaining mechanistic insights into the ecosystem functioning. We found that modeled concentrations of Cu, Pb, OCDD/F and PCB-180 varied by up to an order of magnitude, exhibiting both contaminant- and site-specific variability. These distributions generally overlapped with the measured concentration ranges. We also found that the uncertainty of the contaminant concentrations in the Venice Lagoon was characterized by two modes of spatial variability, mainly driven by the local hydrodynamic regime, which separate the northern and central parts of the lagoon and the more isolated southern basin. While spatial contaminant gradients in the lagoon were primarily shaped by hydrology, our analysis also shows that the interplay amongst the in-place historical pollution in the central lagoon, the local suspended sediment concentrations and the sediment burial rates exerts significant control on the variability of the contaminant concentrations. We conclude that the probabilistic analysis presented herein is valuable for quantifying uncertainty and probing its cause in over-parameterized models, while some of our results can be used to dictate where additional data collection efforts should focus on and the directions that future model refinement should follow. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Contaminant loadings to the Venice Lagoon peaked from 1950s–1980s and although they have since declined, contaminant concentrations remain elevated in sediment and seafood. In order to identify the relative importance of contaminant sources, inter-media exchange and removal pathways, a modified 10-segment fugacity/equivalence-based model was developed for octachlorodibenzodioxin/furan (OCDD/F), PCB-180, Pb and Cu in the Venice Lagoon. Results showed that in-place pollution nearby the industrial area, current industrial discharges, and tributary loadings were the main sources of contaminants to the lagoon, with negligible contributions from the atmosphere. The fate of these contaminants was governed by sediment-water exchange with simultaneous advective transport by water circulation. Contaminants circulated amongst the northern and central basins with a small fraction reaching the far southern basin and the Chioggia inlet. As a consequence, we estimated limited contaminant transfer to the Adriatic Sea, trapping the majority of contaminants in the sediment in this “average” circulation scenario which does not account for periodic flooding events. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The work discussed here is part of a comprehensive study to develop tools for characterization and modeling of pollutant flows transported by water flowing in the unsaturated zone of an aquifer (quantitative approach). In our study, we present a practical model for calculation of transfer of pollutants emitted by a source of pollution in our case represented by a production plant paintings located in the city of SOUK AHRA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We adapted an indoor multimedia fugacity model to consider emissions and fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and to understand the variability of indoor concentrations. The model was applied to an office in which an 80% decrease in PBDE air concentration was observed after an old computer was exchanged with a newer one. PBDE-impregnated polyurethane foam (PUF) and carpet were treated as pseudo- steady-state components with specified fugacities derived from measured concentrations of 173 and 2140 ng·g-1, respectively. Emission rates of 35 and 5.4 ng·h-1, for the old and new computers, respectively, were calculated using the pseudo-steady-state approach. Particle movement (deposition and resuspension) dominates within-room transport processes, and dust removal (vacuuming) and air advection (ventilation) are the main loss processes. The most sensitive parameters to air concentrations and estimated emission rates are room temperature, particle concentrations and deposition velocity, and air exchange rates. The air exchange rates and bouncing on PUF furniture can alter whether the PUF and carpet are sources or sinks of PBDEs. Model results suggest that exposure via air can be reduced by removing dust, having a high air exchange rate, and low indoor temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life-cycle air emission effects of supplying water are explored using a hybrid life-cycle assessment For the typically sized U.S. utility analyzed, recycled water is preferable to desalination and comparable to importation. Seawater desalination has an energy and air emission footprint that is 1.5-2.4 times larger than that of imported water. However, some desalination modes fare better; brackish groundwater is 53-66% as environmentally intensive as seawater desalination. The annual water needs (326 m3) of a typical Californian that is met with imported water requires 5.8 GJ of energy and creates 360 kg of CO2 equivalent emissions. With seawater desalination, energy use would increase to 14 GJ and 800 kg of CO2 equivalent emissions. Meeting the water demand of California with desalination would consume 52% of the state's electricity. Supply options were reassessed using alternative electricity mixes, including the average mix of the United States and several renewable sources. Desalination using solar thermal energy has lower greenhouse gas emissions than that of imported and recycled water (using California's electricity mix), but using the U.S. mix increases the environmental footprint by 1.5 times. A comparison with a more energy-intensive international scenario shows that CO2 equivalent emissions for desalination in Dubai are 1.6 times larger than in California. The methods, decision support tool (WEST), and results of this study should persuade decision makers to make informed water policy choices by including energy consumption and material use effects in the decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The fate and transport of organic pollutants in the environment is usually assessed with the help of multimedia models. A target variable calculated with these models is the environmental exposure to a substance. It indicates that part of the potential hazard of a chemical that is caused solely by the chemical’s fate and transport behaviour, regardless of toxicological substance properties. So far, pulse-emissions are usually assumed in order to arrive at an easy-to-compute expression for exposure. Here, we show that exposure does not depend on the shape of the emission function. Exposure calculated for the pulse release of a particular mass of contaminant is equal to exposure calculated for any arbitrary dynamic release of the same mass. This result extends the meaning of model evaluations at steady-state. It also allows for a more general interpretation of the persistence and the spatial range of a chemical, as well as of the toxicity potential used in life cycle impact assessment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In multimedia mass-balance models, the soil compartment is an important sink as well as a conduit for transfers to vegetation and shallow groundwater. Here a novel approach for constructing soil transport algorithms for multimedia fate models is developed and evaluated. The resulting algorithms account for diffusion in gas and liquid components; advection in gas, liquid, or solid phases; and multiple transformation processes. They also provide an explicit quantification of the characteristic soil penetration depth. We construct a compartment model using three and four soil layers to replicate with high reliability the flux and mass distribution obtained from the exact analytical solution describing the transient dispersion, advection, and transformation of chemicals in soil layers with different properties but a fixed boundary condition at the air-soil surface. The soil compartment algorithms can be dynamically linked to other compartments (air, vegetation, groundwater, surface water)in multimedia fate models. We demonstrate and evaluate the performance of the algorithms in a model with applications to benzene, benzo[a]pyrene, MTBE, TCDD, and tritium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multimedia waste audits of three industries that generate significant quantities of waste and are vital to the future economic life of Hungary were performed by CH2M HILL; VRF (The Institute for Environment and Safety in the Chemical and Explosives Industry); and Post, Buckley, Schuh, and Jernigan (PBS&J). The industries were tanning, chemical production, and metal plating (galvanic). The seven plants selected for the audits were given detailed questionnaires concerning their manufacturing processes, waste production, energy consumption, and waste treatment and disposal practices. The plants were then visited, and the staff were interviewed. The results of the audits were general waste minimization strategies for the seven plants and detailed waste minimization feasibility plans for two of the plants. The plans included cost estimates for the waste minimization recommendations. The results of the audits were used by the Hungarian Ministry of Industry and Trade to provide potential foreign investors with information on how best to invest in these companies to modernize them and reduce their environmental risks and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has developed a Cross-Media Comparative Risk Assessment model to address certain regulatory concerns. The model generates a Human and Ecological Risk Index for a facility releasing toxins into the environment. The risk indices are based on chemical fate and transport predictions, toxicity, population density, and ecological sensitive areas. The model can be used to rank facilities for inspection or as a tool to assess the progress of pollution prevention programs. Regulatory permitting departments can use the model to address the cross-media transfer of pollutants from one environmental compartment to another. The versatility of the model allows adaptation to each specific users needs. KEY WORDS: Comparative risk; cross-media; fate and transport; fugacity; facility ranking; pollution prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCB), their history as environmental contaminants, and their regulation starting in the 1970s. Also noted are definitions of PCBs, PCB congeners, and environmental-prevalence studies of PCB congeners. The author notes public fears regarding PCBs that, at times, became outweighed by other environmental concerns including acid rain, ozone depletion, and disposal of Styrofoam containers. Research on the environmental aspects of PCBs, however, is said to have continued unabated and is chosen as the topic of this focus issue on PCBs.

The article discusses the environmental legacy of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) produced in the early- to mid-20th century, including persistent residues and their global cross-media transport. The article highlights 3 related articles in this focus issue on PCBs. The articles address remoteness between PCB sources and points of detection, soil-to-air PCB releases in cold regions, and urban storage of PCBs in electrical transformers and polysulfide-building sealants.