Chlorinated flame retardants, particularly dechlorane plus (DP), were widely used in commercial applications and are ubiquitous in the environment. A total of seven species of aquatic organisms were collected concurrently from the region of a chemical production facility in Huai’an, China. DP and structurally related compounds including mirex, dechloranes 602, 603, 604, chlordene plus (CP), DP monoadduct (DPMA), and two dechlorinated breakdown products of DP, decachloropentacyclooctadecadiene (anti-Cl10-DP) and undecachloropentacyclooctadecadiene (anti-Cl11-DP), were detected in these aquatic organisms. Nitrogen stable isotope ratios were also measured to determine the trophic levels of the organisms. Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) for these chemicals were calculated with values ranging from 1.0 to 3.1. TMFs for CP, mirex, anti-DP, and ∑DP were statistically greater than 1, showing evidence of biomagnification in the food web. Concentration ratios of anti-Cl11-DP to anti-DP showed a significant relationship with trophic level, implying that anti-Cl11-DP had a higher food-web magnification potential than its precursor. The biota-sediment accumulation factors and TMFs for DP demonstrated stereoselectivity, with syn-DP having a greater bioaccumulation potential than anti-DP in the aquatic environment.

Since cyclones Sidr (2007) and Aila (2009), communities in southern Bangladesh have increasingly needed to protect their homes and livelihoods from destructive natural disasters. WorldFish embarked on a climate-resilient housing project in 2013, building a prototype climate-smart house that is resilient to cyclones and is also water, food, energy and space efficient. This brief describes how the climate-smart house provides protection against cyclones and flooding and supports efficient use of water and energy. Many features of the house are aimed at increasing food production and helping families become more self-sufficient and better able to cope with extreme weather events | Hossain, E., Nurun Nabi, S.M., Kaminski, A. (2015) Penang, Malaysia: WorldFish. Program Brief: 2015-27

This introduction sets the scene for the special issue compiled by Martin Keulertz, Eckart Woertz and Tony Allan.

O Semiárido brasileiro é caracterizado pela presença do bioma da caatinga, e essencialmente pela ocorrência dos menores índices pluviométricos do país, cujas precipitações médias anuais são inferiores a 800 mm, marcada pela alta variabilidade espacial e temporal das chuvas. Apesar disso, é reconhecido que essa região dispõe de um potencial suficiente para o desenvolvimento e permanência da população no campo. A utilização de tecnologias alternativas de convivência com a seca, tal como o uso de cisternas, pode assegurar à população rural uma alimentação com qualidade e em quantidade, por meio dos manejos sustentáveis da terra e da água. A presente pesquisa teve como objetivos conhecer a situação atual do uso de cisternas do Programa Pl +2 e avaliar a produtividade de um pomar e de uma horta, explorados no sistema de agricultura familiar, através do volume de água de uma cisterna do tipo Calçadão, na região semiárida de Pernambuco. A pesquisa foi conduzida em campo com cinco espécies de fruteiras: mangueira, cajueiro, aceroleira, pinheira e laranjeira, com quatro anos de idade, no espaçamento de 5 metros entre plantas e 5 metros entre linhas. O delineamento das culturas em campo foi composto por dois tratamentos, o irrigado com água da cisterna e o não irrigado, com três repetições para o tratamento irrigado e duas repetições para o tratamento não irrigado, sendo uma planta de cada fruteira correspondendo a uma repetição, conforme arranjo [(3x5) + (2X5)] totalizando 25 plantas. Para o dimensionamento da quantidade de água a ser aplicada, foi considerado o volume de água armazenado na cisterna, e o ano dividido em três momentos: período chuvoso, período intermediário e período seco, sendo realizada respectivamente, a aplicação crescente do volume de água, na ordem de 8, 12 e 16 litros de água, três vezes por semana por planta, conforme a duração de cada período. A pesquisa também contemplou dois canteiros, cada um com quatro metros quadrados, cultivados com pimentão, couve folha, rúcula, coentro e alface, sob duas lâminas de água da cisterna: 32 e 16 litros por dia, durante 365 dias. Com vistas a colher dados quanto à umidade do solo, foi monitorado o conteúdo de água no perfil do solo, pelo método indireto, através da Reflectometria no Domínio da Frequência - FDR. Para tal utilizaram-se de tubos de acesso localizados a 40 em do caule de cada planta do pomar e no centro dos canteiros. Após um ano de observações, constatou-se que os volumes de água aplicados no pomar proporcionaram produções significativas. Para as hortaliças, a melhor relação água/produção foi obtida com 16 litros de água aplicados diariamente. Os resultados obtidos evidenciam que a utilização da cisterna pode garantir um consumo regular de frutas e hortaliças na dieta alimentar das famílias rurais do Semiárido de Pernambuco, contribuindo para a permanência da população no campo. | Dissertação (Mestrado em Engenharia Ambiental) - Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife. Orientado por Fernando Cartaxo Rolim Neto; coorientado por Luiza Teixeira de Lima Brito; Embrapa Semiárido; Tarcizio Nascimento, Embrapa Semiárido.

A sensitive liquid–chromatography–electrospray tandem mass spectrometry multiclass method for determination of 45 veterinary compounds belonging to 9 different antibiotic groups, including aminoglicosides (4), β-lactams (13), diaminopyrimidines (1), fluoroquinolones (10), lincosamides (1), macrolides (5), pleuromutilins (1), sulfonamides (6) and tetracyclines (4), in water from breeding animal watering supply system has been developed. Isolation of the analytes was carried out by solid phase extraction with heptafluorobutyric acid as an ion-pair agent on the Strata-X reversed phase cartridges. All analytes were determined simultaneously in one single run on a C18 column with gradient elution and short analysis time (13min). Method was validated, average relative recoveries were in the range of 84.3–109.3% with satisfactory precision are repeatability for all compounds are in the range of 4.7–12.2%, within-laboratory reproducibility are in the range of 4.4–13.5% for. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) of the method was in the range of 0.02–10μgL−1, depending of analyte. The applicability of the method was tested by determining antimicrobial compounds in real water samples collected from water supply systems in breeding animal farms. The average antibiotics concentration in real water samples were, respectively, in the range of 0.14–1670μgL−1.

El propósito de esta investigación fue determinar el perfil microbiológico de alimentos de baja actividad de agua (Aw) y a su vez conocer el comportamiento de Salmonella en estos productos. Frutos secos (nueces y cacahuetes), frutas deshidratadas (pasas y jitomates secados al sol) y muestras de chocolate. Se recolectaron 350 muestras de productos vendidos a granel en mercados de la ciudad de Querétaro. Se cuantificó el contenido de bacterias mesófilas aerobias (BMA), coliformes totales (CT), Escherichia coli, hongos y levaduras, así como la detección por métodos convencionales, de Salmonella enterica y Staphylococcus aureus. Adicionalmente, se realizó la estandarización de una técnica de detección molecular para norovirus en muestras de cacahuates, nueces, pasas y jitomate secado al sol. Los valores de las medianas de los microorganismos indicadores en los cinco productos oscilaron entre 3.1 a 5.2 Log UFC/g para BMA, 0.6-1.2 Log NMP/g para CT, 0.5-0.9 Log NMP/g para E. coli, 1.7-2.4 Log UFC/g para los hongos, 2.0-2.8 Log UFC/g para levaduras levaduras. En ninguna muestra se detectó S. aureus. Por el contrario la presencia de Salmonella de detectó en cacahuates (31 %), nueces (40 %), pasas (30 %), tomate secado al sol (56 %) y chocolate (26 %). El método que resultó efectivo para la detección de Norovirus Murino (MNV-1) consistió en extracción de RNA seguida por RT-PCR; se lograron detectar concentraciones de 2.6, ~0.6, <1 y <1 Log PFU/g en cacahuates, nueces, tomates secados al sol y pasas. | The purpose of this investigation was to determine the microbiological profile of low water activity food items and to know the surveillance of Salmonella in these products. Nuts (pecans and peanuts), dehydrated fruits (raisins and sun-dried tomatoes) and chocolate samples (a total of 350) sold in bulk were collected in city markets. Aerobic Plate Count (APC), Coliforms (TC), E. coli, molds and yeasts quantifications and Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus detection were carried out by conventional methods. In addition the standardization of a molecular detection technique for norovirus from peanuts, pecans, raisins and sun dried tomato samples was carried out. For the determination of indicator microorganisms the medians observed for the five products are between the values 3.1-5.2 Log CFU/g for APC, 0.6-1.2 Log MPN/g for TC, 0.5-0.9 Log MPN/g for E. coli, 1.7-2.4 Log CFU/g for molds, 2.0-2.8 Log CFU/g for yeasts; there was no detection of positive thermonuclease S. aureus in any sample. Salmonella spp was detected in all the analyzed products: peanuts 31 %, pecans 40 %, raisins 30 %, sun-dried tomato 56 %, and chocolate 26 %. RNA extraction followed by RT-PCR was able to detect the minimum MNV-1 concentrations: peanuts and pecans up to 2.6 Log PFU/g and up to ~0.6 Log PFU/g, respectively. Sun-dried tomatoes showed detection to <1 Log PFU/g and raisins to <1 Log PFU/g.

Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) are advantageous over conventional detection methods in terms of their simplicity and rapidity. These assays have been reported using various types of labels but colloidal gold nanoparticles are still the preferred choice as a label because of their easy synthesis, visual detection and stability. Bacterial contamination of food and drinking water is a major threat and hindrance towards ensuring food and water safety. Enterobacteriaceae family members are mainly transmitted by the consumption of contaminated water and food and implicated in various food or water borne infections. The LFIAs have been popularly used for detection of bacterial cells in different matrices. Therefore, this review intends to provide an analysis of the gold nanoparticle based lateral flow assays developed for detecting enterobacteriaceae family members in food and water samples. The review includes detailed data and discusses the factors that influence the performance of LFIAs and their shortcomings.

Growth rates of individual freshwater shrimp of the species Atya lanipes and Xiphocaris elongata were measured in a second‐order stream in the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico over 10 years (1997–2007). Shrimp living at lower altitudes in warmer water and wider stream channels with more algal and detrital foods were predicted to grow and reproduce more rapidly. Shrimp were marked and recaptured periodically in pools located at three altitudes to determine whether temperature affected growth rates among individual A. lanipes and X. elongata. Mean annual water temperatures ranged from 20 to 24 °C with the uppermost pool being cooler than the lower pools. Mean annual growth rates for Atya and Xiphocaris were 0.27 and 0.1 mm carapace length, respectively, for all three populations. Differences in growth were partially influenced by how each species obtains its food. Atya is a filter feeder and scraper and has continuous access to suspended organic particles and biofilms. The slower growth rate for Xiphocaris elongata is most likely a result of the wider range in quality and accessibility of food resources. Differences in pool morphology and depths probably affected differences in food availability. Increased leaf litter retention in the deeper upper and lower pools probably increased shrimp growth rates, while washout of leaf litter from the relatively shallow, elongate mid‐altitude pool decreased Atya lanipes growth rates. These long‐lived, slow‐growing shrimp species transform a wide range of organic materials into their biomass. Because of the slow growth rates of these detritivores shrimp, tropical storms, hurricanes, droughts or other disturbances could have persistent, long‐term impacts on detrital processing and on the populations of their predators.

This article uses the WaterWorld Policy Support System, coupled with a global database for commodity flows, to examine the impacts of AR4 SRES climate change scenarios on Africa's drylands and the commodity flows that originate from them. It shows that changes to precipitation and, to a lesser extent, temperature in Africa's drylands can significantly affect the potential to supply water-for-food locally and internationally. By comparing the geographical distribution of climate change with the supply chain–connected distribution of climate change, it shows how food-water impacts of climate change may affect local dryland populations but also those dependent on these flows from afar.