Mysids and environmental monitoring: a case for their use in estuaries

1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 827 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. D. Roast ◽  
R. S. Thompson ◽  
B , J. Widdows ◽  
M. B. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Monitoring ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Standing Stock ◽  
Toxicity Testing ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chemical Contaminants ◽  
Northern European ◽  
Local Endemic ◽  
Ecological Importance

Mysids (Crustacea : Mysidacea) are ubiquitous members of the permanent, endemic hyperbenthic fauna of estuarine and other coastal ecosystems. They often occur in high numbers and their ecological importance, particularly their role in food chains as a link between the benthic and pelagic systems, is becoming increasingly apparent. In general, mysids are omnivores, feeding on detritus, zooplankton and phytoplankton, and they contribute up to 40% of the standing stock of omnivores in some systems. In estuaries, specific mysid faunas often occur in discrete zones, usually as a result of different salinity tolerances, although responses to turbidity and water flow also determine mysid distributions. Many mysids are particularly sensitive to chemical contaminants as illustrated by their relatively low 96-h LC50 values. Due to this sensitivity, the United States Environmental Protection Agency promotes the use of Americamysis ( Mysidopsis) bahia for laboratory toxicity testing; however, there is growing interest in the use of local, endemic species rather than the standard American mysid. At Plymouth, novel and sensitive techniques are being developed for assessing sublethal responses to toxicants by use of the northern European estuarine mysid Neomysis integer. This paper summarizes the ecological role of mysids in estuaries and describes their potential for use for estuarine environmental monitoring.

EVALUATION OF THREE OIL SPILL LABORATORY DISPERSANT EFFECTIVENESS TESTS

1993 ◽  
Vol 1993 (1) ◽  
pp. 515-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Sullivan ◽  
John Farlow ◽  
Karen A. Sahatjian
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Toxicity Testing ◽  
Testing Procedure ◽  
The United States ◽  
American Petroleum Institute ◽  
Laboratory Methods ◽  
Oily Waste ◽  
Dispersant Effectiveness ◽  
Acceptability Criterion

ABSTRACT Chemical dispersants can be used to reduce the interfacial tension of floating oil slicks so that the oils disperse more rapidly into the water column and thus pose less of a threat to shorelines, birds, and marine mammals. The laboratory test currently specified in federal regulations to measure dispersant effectiveness is not especially easy or inexpensive, and generates a rather large quantity of oily waste water. This paper describes the results of an effort by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify a more suitable laboratory dispersant effectiveness test. EPA evaluated three laboratory methods: the Revised Standard Dispersant Effectiveness Test currently used (and required by regulation) in the United States, the swirling flask test (developed by Environment Canada), and the IFP-dilution test (used in France and other European countries). Six test oils and three dispersants were evaluated; dispersants were applied to the oil at an average 1:10 ratio (dispersant to oil) for each of the three laboratory methods. Screening efforts were used to focus on the most appropriate oil/dispersant combination for detailed study. A screening criterion was established that required a combination that gave at least 20 percent effectiveness results. The selected combination turned out to be Prudhoe Bay crude oil (an EPA-American Petroleum Institute Standard Reference Oil) and the dispersant Corexit 9527. This combination was also most likely to be encountered in U. S. coastal waters. The EPA evaluation concluded that the three tests gave similar precision results, but that the swirling flask test was fastest, cheapest, simplest, and required least operator skill. Further, EPA is considering conducting the dispersant effectiveness test itself, rather than having data submitted by a dispersant manufacturer, and establishing an acceptability criterion (45 percent efficiency) which would have to be met before a dispersant could be placed on the Product Schedule of the National Contingency Plan (NCP). Also under consideration by EPA is a sequential testing procedure for a dispersant being placed on the schedule, whereby successful effectiveness testing would be required before toxicity testing would begin.

scholarly journals Law and Public Policy: A Gap Between Theory and Teaching?

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-297
Author(s):  
Edward F. Kammerer ◽  
Neenah Estrella-Luna
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Policy Process ◽  
Policy Decision Making

ABSTRACTThe realization that policy and law are tightly intertwined dates at least to de Tocqueville’s observation that, in the United States, political questions often become judicial questions. Scholars have shown consistently that courts, both federal and state, play a role in public policy decision making. This is observed in social policy (e.g., same-sex marriage and abortion), environmental policy (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency regulations), economic policy (e.g., New Deal Era decisions), and more. Too often, however, graduate programs in public policy fail to prepare students for the role of the courts in the policy process. This study examines the requirements and core competencies from Masters of Public Policy programs to determine to what extent, if any, judicial policy making is taught. We find that there is a significant gap between the theory about the role of courts in the public policy process and what public policy programs teach their students. We conclude with recommendations for possible changes to curricula to close this gap.

Scanning electron microscopy of asbestos-containing material where the asbestos fibers are considered locked in a binder

1993 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 472-473
Author(s):  
J. R. Millette ◽  
R. S. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
The United States ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
Asbestos Fibers ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Binder Material ◽  
Scanning Electron

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has labeled as “friable” those building materials that are likely to readily release fibers. Friable materials when dry, can easily be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder using hand pressure. Other asbestos containing building materials (ACBM) where the asbestos fibers are in a matrix of cement or bituminous or resinous binders are considered non-friable. However, when subjected to sanding, grinding, cutting or other forms of abrasion, these non-friable materials are to be treated as friable asbestos material. There has been a hypothesis that all raw asbestos fibers are encapsulated in solvents and binders and are not released as individual fibers if the material is cut or abraded. Examination of a number of different types of non-friable materials under the SEM show that after cutting or abrasion, tuffs or bundles of fibers are evident on the surfaces of the materials. When these tuffs or bundles are examined, they are shown to contain asbestos fibers which are free from binder material. These free fibers may be released into the air upon further cutting or abrasion.

The Role of Gender and Sensation Seeking in Film Choice

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smita C. Banerjee ◽  
Kathryn Greene ◽  
Marina Krcmar ◽  
Zhanna Bagdasarov ◽  
Dovile Ruginyte
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Arousal ◽  
Subject Design ◽  
Happy Mood

This study demonstrates the significance of individual difference factors, particularly gender and sensation seeking, in predicting media choice (examined through hypothetical descriptions of films that participants anticipated they would view). This study used a 2 (Positive mood/negative mood) × 2 (High arousal/low arousal) within-subject design with 544 undergraduate students recruited from a large northeastern university in the United States. Results showed that happy films and high arousal films were preferred over sad films and low-arousal films, respectively. In terms of gender differences, female viewers reported a greater preference than male viewers for happy-mood films. Also, male viewers reported a greater preference for high-arousal films compared to female viewers, and female viewers reported a greater preference for low-arousal films compared to male viewers. Finally, high sensation seekers reported a preference for high-arousal films. Implications for research design and importance of exploring media characteristics are discussed.

Confronting the Problems of Professional Sports: A Public Policy Response to Franchise Relocation and Stadium Subsidization

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor F Brinkman
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Professional Sports ◽  
The United States ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Sports Organizations ◽  
Sports Leagues ◽  
Sports Finance ◽  
Sports Venues ◽  
Benefits And Costs

During the past decade, forty-six professional sports venues were constructed in the United States, while only 16 expansion teams were created by the major sports leagues. Nearly two thirds of these newly built stadiums and arenas were funded with public tax revenues, despite substantial evidence showing no positive economic impact of new sports stadium construction on local communities. In reviewing the economic literature, this article investigates the role of professional sports organizations in the construction and public subsidization of new sports venues. Franchise relocation and public stadium subsidization is a direct result of the monopoly power of professional sports leagues, whose franchise owners extract large subsidies from their host communities by threatening to relocate to viable alternative locations. After explaining how the most common methods of stadium subsidization project a disproportionate allocation of the benefits and costs of hosting a professional team to local community interests, this article outlines several considerations for local policymakers who seek to reinvigorate public discussion of equity concerns in professional sports finance.

After Victory

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. John Ikenberry
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Politics ◽  
World Order ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
The United States ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
World Politics ◽  
Napoleonic Wars ◽  
Power Politics ◽  
The Cold War

The end of the Cold War was a “big bang” reminiscent of earlier moments after major wars, such as the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the end of the world wars in 1919 and 1945. But what do states that win wars do with their newfound power, and how do they use it to build order? This book examines postwar settlements in modern history, arguing that powerful countries do seek to build stable and cooperative relations, but the type of order that emerges hinges on their ability to make commitments and restrain power. The book explains that only with the spread of democracy in the twentieth century and the innovative use of international institutions—both linked to the emergence of the United States as a world power—has order been created that goes beyond balance of power politics to exhibit “constitutional” characteristics. Blending comparative politics with international relations, and history with theory, the book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the organization of world order, the role of institutions in world politics, and the lessons of past postwar settlements for today.

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