Integration of Adverse Outcome Pathways, Causal Networks and 'Omics to Support Chemical Hazard Assessment.

Several approaches have been used in an attempt to simplify and codify the events that lead to adverse effects of chemicals including systems biology, 'omics, assays and frameworks such as the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP). However, these approaches are generally not integrated despite their complementary nature. Here we propose to integrate toxicogenomics data, systems biology information and AOPs using causal biological networks to define Key Events in AOPs.

Behavior of the Reststrahlen Band in the 17-25 m Spectral Region in the Diffuse Reflection Spectra of Sand and Silt Mixtures.

Studies on the reflectance spectra of different mixtures of sand and silt were performed in the infrared spectral region of 7-25 µm to explore the behavior of a second reststrahlen band occurring between 17 and 25 µm with respect to different mixtures of sand and silt. The reflectance spectrum of all samples exhibited reststrahlen bands within both the long wavelength infrared (LWIR) and the very long wavelength infrared (VLWIR) regions of the reflectance spectrum. Results demonstrate that both LWIR and VLWIR reststrahlen bands increase in area as the fraction of sand increases to 80%.

Trait space of rare plants in a fire-dependent ecosystem.

The causes of species rarity are of critical concern because of the high extinction risk associated with rarity. Studies examining individual rare species have limited generality, whereas trait-based approaches offer a means to identify functional causes of rarity that can be applied to communities with disparate species pools. Differences in functional traits between rare and common species may be indicative of the functional causes of species rarity and may therefore be useful in crafting species conservation strategies.

Post-Katrina fecal contamination in Violet Marsh near New Orleans.

Fecal material entrained in New Orleans flood waters was pumped into the local environment. Violet Marsh received water pumped from St. Bernard Parish and the Lower Ninth Ward.

Anaerobic treatment of pinkwater in a fluidized bed reactor containing GAC.

Pinkwater is generated during the handling and demilitarization of conventional explosives. This listed hazardous waste contains dissolved trinitrotoluene (TNT) and cyclo trimethylene trinitramine (RDX), as well as some by-products. It represents the largest quantity of hazardous waste generated by the operations support command, and its treatment produces a by-product hazardous waste--spent granular activated carbon (GAC).