Environmental Regulator Research Articles

Determination and analysis of solubility of brassinolide in different solvent systems at different temperatures (T = 278.15–323.15 K)

Brassinolide is a new environmental protection plant growth regulator. With the aim of knocking down selfcost and scale up agriculture market-place emulation, come what will manufacture method is adopted, the final step crystallization is significant for getting exclusive substances. The purpose of this study is to provide some authentic and general energetics data for the actual industrial production of brassinolide. In the research, the solid–liquid equilibrium of brassinolide in twelve pure solvents (tetrahydrofuran, dimethyl sulfoxide, ethanol, acetone, methanol, trichloromethane, acetonitrile, 1-butanol, isopropanol, xylenes, n-hexane and n-heptane) and three binary solvent mixtures (trichloromethane + tetrahydrofuran, acetonitrile + tetrahydrofuran and n-hexane + tetrahydrofuran) were tested by the circumstance of atmosphere pressure at range temperatures between 278.15 K and 323.15 K. Four models like the Buchowski–Ksiazaczak λh model, the modified Apelblat model, the Jouyban-Acree-van't-Hoff model and the Redich-Kister (CNIBS/R-K) model were employed to describe the change trend of solubility. On the groundwork of a series of data analysis, tetrahydrofuran is a better organic solvent and n-hexane can be applied as an effective anti-solvent when separating out brassinolides. These solubility data are very important for optimizing the extraction process and recrystallization of brassinolide.

Deterring environmental crime: Learning from how firms respond to regulatory discretion

The effort to deter environmental crime has increased over the past decade. So has environmental crime, despite strict standards and severe penalties. A puzzle is that regulatory discretion – for instance, a regulator’s choice of which specific firms to inspect at any time – is important but seemingly ineffective in improving environmental outcomes. To explore, I examine how a firm’s tendency to violate an environmental law is influenced by when and where a regulator has recently conducted inspections. I engaged with an environmental regulator to digitize data on a decade of inspections (2008-2018) of toxic waste-producing firms in six geographically contiguous jurisdictions in India. The results show that firms were more likely to violate an environmental law after other firms in their jurisdiction recently violated environmental laws, but not when geographically proximate firms were recently inspected. Firms were less likely to violate an environmental law if geographically proximate firms were recently caught violating environmental laws. The temporary compliance inducing effect of geographically clustered inspections was further pronounced among firms that were more frequently inspected in the past or were previously penalized for violations. These insights complement studies of corporate environmentalism by showing how firms engage with regulatory discretion. In addition, the results suggest that environmental outcomes depend on whether the goal is to induce compliance among firms proximate to the inspected firm, for which a routine of spatially compact inspections works well, or to detect and penalize violations, for which a routine of randomly choosing firms to inspect works well.

Design of air quality monitoring network of Luanda, Angola: Urban air pollution assessment

The World Health Organization has been making recommendations on assessing and monitoring air quality for human health protection. Its implementation implies a spatial distribution plan for air quality monitoring sites, especially in populated cities where high emissions of air pollutants with anthropogenic origin are observed. Therefore, the present study aimed: (i) to propose the spatial distribution of air quality monitoring sites in the city of Luanda (capital of Angola); and (ii) to determine the PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2 and CO concentrations at two monitoring sites (Avenida Deolinda Rodrigues, ADR, and Condomínio Vale do Talatona, CVT), during four weeks for each site. Due to the absence of national legislation, air quality measurements were then compared to the limits defined by the European Union through Directive, 2008/50/EC. At ADR site, the average concentrations for PM10, PM2.5 and SO2 exceeded the limits recommended for human health. At CVT site, CO, NO2, PM10, PM2.5 and SO2 concentrations were lower than the values measured at ADR site, due to the relative location of important fixed air pollutant emission sources: airport, thermoelectric plants, refinery, cement plants and the Port of Luanda. The weekend effect was also assessed at both sites. At ADR site, NO2, SO2, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were higher at weekends than on weekdays. At CVT site, NO2, SO2 and PM2.5 concentrations were higher on weekdays compared to weekends. The present research will contribute to the decision-making process by the environmental health regulator in Luanda.

A river classification scheme to assess macroinvertebrate sensitivity to water abstraction pressures

AbstractThe concept of environmental flows has been developed to manage human alteration of river flow regimes, as effective management requires an understanding of the ecological consequences of flow alteration. This study explores the concept of macroinvertebrate sensitivity to river flow alteration to establish robust quantitative relationships between biological indicators and hydrological pressures. Existing environmental flow classifications used by the environmental regulator for English rivers were tested using multilevel regression modelling. Results showed a weak relationship between the current abstraction sensitivity classification and macroinvertebrate response to flow pressure. An alternative approach, based on physically derived river types, was a better predictor of macroinvertebrate response. Intermediate sized lowland streams displayed the best model fit, while upland rivers exhibited poor model performance. A better understanding of the ecological response to flow variation in different river types could help water resource managers develop improved ecologically appropriate flow regimes, which support the integrity of river ecosystems.

Role of circadian rhythm disorders on EMT and tumour-immune interactions in endocrine-related cancers.

The circadian rhythm is a major environmental regulator of plants and animal physiology. The alternation of days and nights is translated at the cell and tissue level thanks to a molecular machinery, called the circadian clock. This clock controls in particular numerous endocrine functions, and its imbalances can have serious consequences on homeostasis. This is particularly true for the development of endocrine-related cancers, like breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. Circadian rhythm disorder (CRD) not only affects key hormone levels (including oestrogen, melatonin, insulin, glucagon, cortisol) but also favours a pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive phenotype in the tumour microenvironment. This particular aspect is conducive to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of solid epithelial tumours and cancer cell dissemination. It also favours resistance to chemo- and immunotherapy. Here, we discuss the current knowledge on this crosstalk between CRD, EMT and the immune microenvironment in endocrine-related cancers and its consequences for the development of efficient therapies.

The Effect of Enforcement Fairness on Environmental Performance

Many empirical studies explore the effects of regulatory enforcement on environmental behavior and performance. Within this literature, a few empirical studies explore environmental regulators’ approach to enforcement, such as the contrast between a coercive strategy and a cooperative strategy. However, very little empirical research explores the role of fairness, which we interpret broadly to include multiple dimensions, e.g., similar treatment of similarly situated regulated entities. This study empirically analyzes the effect of enforcement fairness on the extent of compliance with wastewater discharge limits imposed on U.S. chemical manufacturing facilities. For this analysis, we use a subjective measure of the degree of “fair treatment” of the regulated facilities by the environmental regulator, as perceived by facilities and reported in response to an original survey. The empirical results robustly reveal that a less fair enforcement approach leads to better environmental performance, i.e., greater compliance.

Genomic and molecular characterisation of Escherichia marmotae from wild rodents in Qinghai-Tibet plateau as a potential pathogen

Wildlife is a reservoir of emerging infectious diseases of humans and domestic animals. Marmota himalayana mainly resides 2800–4000 m above sea level in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and is the primary animal reservoir of plague pathogen Yersinia pestis. Recently we isolated a new species, Escherichia marmotae from the faeces of M. himalayana. In this study we characterised E. marmotae by genomic analysis and in vitro virulence testing to determine its potential as a human pathogen. We sequenced the genomes of the seven E. marmotae strains and found that they contained a plasmid that carried a Shigella-like type III secretion system (T3SS) and their effectors, and shared the same O antigen gene cluster as Shigella dysenterae 8 and E. coli O38. We also showed that E. marmotae was invasive to HEp-2 cells although it was much less invasive than Shigella. Thus E. marmotae is likely to be an invasive pathogen. However, E. marmotae has a truncated IpaA invasin, and lacks the environmental response regulator VirF and the IcsA-actin based intracellular motility, rendering it far less invasive in comparison to Shigella. E. marmotae also carried a diverse set of virulence factors in addition to the T3SS, including an IS1414 encoded enterotoxin gene astA with 37 copies, E. coli virulence genes lifA/efa, cif, and epeA, and the sfp gene cluster, Yersinia T3SS effector yopJ, one Type II secretion system and two Type VI secretion systems. Therefore, E. marmotae is a potential invasive pathogen.

Darkness-induced effects on gene expression in Cosmarium crenatum (Zygnematophyceae) from a polar habitat

Light is a key environmental regulator in all photosynthetic organisms. Many studies focused on the physiologic response to changes in light availability of species from the Zygnematophyceae, but the impact of the absence of light and the molecular acclimation process on the other side have been poorly understood. Here we present transcriptomic analyses of Cosmarium crenatum from a polar habitat exposed to darkness. The algae were cultured in dark for one week; cell number and quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) were monitored. Cell number was stable, but the Fv/Fm decreased in both groups, darkness-treated and control. Gene expression analysis revealed a strong repression of transcripts associated with photosynthesis, photorespiration and cell wall development. General carbohydrate and lipid metabolism were differentially regulated, but starch is shown to be the primary energy source in these conditions. Additionally, C. crenatum induced mRNA responsible for epigenetic modifications which may be a specific response to an adaption and acclimation to polar conditions. Our study sheds light on the molecular acclimation process to darkness and provides ecological implications for new perspectives in this specialized group of green algae.

Developing a Conceptual Framework for Environmental Health Tracking in Victoria, Australia.

Victoria’s (Australia) Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the state’s environmental regulator, has recognized the need to develop an Environmental Health Tracking System (EHTS) to better understand environmental health relationships. To facilitate the process of developing an EHTS; a linkage-based conceptual framework was developed to link routinely collected environmental and health data to better understand environmental health relationships. This involved researching and drawing on knowledge from previous similar projects. While several conceptual frameworks have been used to organize data to support the development of an environmental health tracking system, Driving Force–Pressure–State–Exposure–Effect–Action (DPSEEA) was identified as the most broadly applied conceptual framework. Exposure and effects are two important components of DPSEEA, and currently, exposure data are not available for the EHTS. Therefore, DPSEEA was modified to the Driving Force–Pressure–Environmental Condition–Health Impact–Action (DPEHA) conceptual framework for the proposed Victorian EHTS as there is relevant data available for tracking. The potential application of DPEHA for environmental health tracking was demonstrated through case studies. DPEHA will be a useful tool to support the implementation of Victoria’s environmental health tracking system for providing timely and scientific evidence for EPA and other decision makers in developing and evaluating policies for protecting public health and the environment in Victoria.

Genome-wide identification and molecular characterization of Citrusunshiu WRKY transcription factors in Satsuma mandarin: clues for putative involvement in cell growth, fruit ripening, and stress response

WRKY transcription factors, being involved in several biological roles, stimulus signaling, and stress response, could be interesting candidates to prospect, particularly in the Citrus unshiu (Satsuma mandarin) genome. Our approach, mainly based on computational analyses, led to the identification of 51 CiuWRKYs followed by their molecular characterization. Syntenic relationship analysis showed significant bias towards sweet orange and Arabidopsis chromosomes. Analyses of promoter region showed that CiuWRKY1 modulates gene transcription through W-box site targeting. The deduced CiuWRKY1 protein was moderately hydrophobic. A comparative in silico analysis among Arabidopsis thaliana and Citrus sinensis WRKYs allowed us to designate orthologous genes. Lacking available CiuWRKY1 expression data, the expression patterns of these orthologous genes indicated that CiuWRKY1 transcription would be modulated by various environmental and biotic constraints and growth regulator stimuli. Our results suggested that the characterization of the CiuWRKY genes in C. unshiu provides new information that can help characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying stress responses and cellular growth, and that CiuWRKY1 would be an interesting candidate to use in Citrus breeding technologies.

Towards more effective online environmental information provision through tailored Natural Language Generation: Profiles of Scottish river user groups and an evaluative online experiment

As a result of societal transformations, political governance shifts, and advances in ICT, online information has become crucial in efforts by public authorities to make citizens better stewards of the environment. Yet, their environmental information provision may not always be attuned to end users' rationales, behaviours and appreciations. This study revolves around dynamic river level information provided by an environmental regulator – updated once a day or more, and collected by a sensor network of 333 gauging stations along 232 Scottish rivers. Employing an elaborate mixed methods approach with qualitative and quantitative elements, we examined if profiling of web page user groups and the subsequent employment of a specially designed Natural Language Generation (NLG) system could foster more effective online information provision. We identified profiles for the three main user groups: fishing, flood risk related, and paddling. The existence of well-distinguishable rationales and characteristics was in itself an argument for profiling; the same river level information was used in entirely different ways by the three groups. We subsequently constructed an advanced online experiment that implemented NLG based on live river level data. We found that textual information can be of much value in translating dynamic technical information into straightforward messages for the specific purposes of the user groups. We conclude that tailored NLG could be widely used in more effective online environmental information provision, and we provide five practical recommendations for public authorities and other information providers.

Modifier genes in cystic fibrosis-related liver disease.

Cystic fibrosis (CF; OMIM 219700) is caused by variations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene. CF-related liver disease (CFLD) affects approximately one-third of patients with CF, but the severity of CFLD is highly variable. This review provides the latest knowledge in the pathophysiology and CF genetic modifier research in CFLD. So far, the only modifier gene validated in CFLD is SERPINA1 (α-1-antitrypsin) Z allele. Recent studies support the view that cholangiopathy arising in CF is the result of an ill-adapted innate immune response to endotoxins coming from the intestine and triggering a pro-inflammatory response. The pathophysiology of liver disease remains uncertain and so far, no therapy has proven effective to prevent the progression of CFLD. A better understanding of the pathophysiology and the effect of environmental and non-cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator genetic influences in the context of CFLD development would help improve management and develop new drug therapies.

Tax Policy, Environmental Concern and Level of Emission Reduction

Regulators often use environmental policy to induce green initiatives by firms. This paper examines the emission-reduction-inducement effect of the environmental tax deduction (ETD) incentive by Stackelberg game models between an environmental regulator and a profit-maximizing monopolistic firm facing emission-dependent demand. Different cases, i.e., with/without considering the regulator’s environmental concerns, were used to investigate the ETD policy effects with a numerical example. This paper shows that the regulator’s tax policy will only affect the emission reduction level, but cannot influence the output, which combined with the firm’s operation factors mainly depends the consumers’ attitude toward green products and price sensitivity. Numerical simulation results showed that for the cases with a moderate level of environmental concern and emission standard, the regulator can set an ETD incentive to motivate the choice of a higher level of emission reduction and simultaneously increase social welfare; otherwise, the increase in environmental quality is at the expense of social welfare. When the market’s environmental consciousness increases, it is easier for the regulator to guide the firm to adopt an ETD solution. Therefore, improving consumers’ awareness of environmental protection is an effective way to promote green investment of firms.

Voluntary Engagement in Environmental Projects: Evidence from Environmental Violators

An important question in the business ethics literature concerns organizational response in the aftermath of an unethical business practice. This study examines factors affecting firms’ decision to take reparative action in the aftermath of an environmental violation. Specifically, we investigate environmental violators’ decision to undertake a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP), which is an initiative that promotes restorative justice. To settle an environmental violation, the United States’ environmental regulator allows offenders the option of either paying the full penalty or a reduced sum while spending additional effort and engaging in an environmental project. As predicted, we find that firms with poorer past environmental performance and greater shareholder environmental activism are more likely to engage and invest in a SEP. Additionally, there is a stronger association between shareholder activism and SEP investment when firms have poorer past environmental performance. Our findings inform regulators, stakeholders, and business ethics researchers on the factors that lead firms to undertake reparative action following unethical business practices.

Incorporating monitoring technology and on-site inspections into an n-person inspection game

A two-stage game between an inspector and multiple inspectees is modeled in which the inspector may choose to invest in a monitoring technology in the first stage to supplement the inspector’s subsequent inspection strategy in the second-stage simultaneous game. The game is motivated by an environmental regulator that has a limited budget for monitoring and inspecting several industrial enterprises, each with an incentive to pollute. A monitoring technology may alter the payoffs of the second-stage game, by making inspection more efficient and by altering the inspectees’ payoffs so as to increase the effect of deterrence. Computation of Nash equilibria is challenging for nonzero sum games in general and also challenging in our case as the utility function of the inspector is nonconcave in its actions. Using the special structure of our game we develop an algorithm to efficiently determine Nash equilibria. We then derive some managerial insights by applying the algorithm to several examples and examining the Nash equilibria, including a counterintuitive outcome that the addition of monitoring technology may cause more inspectees to pollute than would otherwise.

The Value of Regulatory Discretion: Estimates From Environmental Inspections in India

High pollution persists in many developing countries despite strict environmental rules. We use a field experiment and a structural model to study how plant emission standards are enforced. In collaboration with an Indian environmental regulator, we experimentally doubled the rate of inspection for treatment plants and required that the extra inspections be assigned randomly. We find that treatment plants only slightly increased compliance. We hypothesize that this weak effect is due to poor targeting, since the random inspections in the treatment found fewer extreme violators than the regulator's own discretionary inspections. To unbundle the roles of extra inspections and the removal of discretion over what plants to target, we set out a model of environmental regulation where the regulator targets inspections, based on a signal of pollution, to maximize plant abatement. Using the experiment to identify key parameters of the model, we find that the regulator aggressively targets its discretionary inspections, to the degree that half of the plants receive fewer than one inspection per year, while plants expected to be the dirtiest may receive ten. Counterfactual simulations show that discretion in targeting helps enforcement: inspections that the regulator assigns cause three times more abatement than would the same number of randomly assigned inspections. Nonetheless, we find that the regulator's information on plant pollution is poor, and improvements in monitoring would reduce emissions.

2018 offshore petroleum exploration acreage release

The Australian Government’s 2018 offshore petroleum exploration acreage release was announced by the Commonwealth Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator the Hon Matthew Canavan at the 2018 APPEA conference. This paper provides insights into the processes that the Australian Government has undertaken to select the final release areas and goes into detail on the ongoing petroleum related activities of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (the Department). The annual acreage release is a central component of ensuring ongoing, sustainable and responsible investment in Australia’s offshore petroleum sector. The annual acreage release remains the primary mechanism for securing investment in offshore oil and gas exploration in areas of known petroleum potential and new geological frontiers. Continued exploration for oil and gas in Commonwealth waters is a central component of ensuring Australia’s future energy security. Australia’s well established and independent environmental regulator, NOPSEMA (the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority), ensures all petroleum activities in Commonwealth waters are performed safely and in an environmentally responsible manner. Combined with NOPTA’s (National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator) leading practice titles administration, Australia remains an attractive investment destination while offering industry leading environmental protections and ensuring safe working conditions industry-wide. Australia offers investors access to data, secure tenure, a stable economic environment and a well-established transparent regulatory system for offshore petroleum activities. A key driver for sustainable activity in Australia is the acceptance of multiple use access to Australia’s marine resources. Recognising this, the department consults with a range of stakeholders on the areas it proposes to release for petroleum exploration. This consultation process provides an opportunity for all interested parties to provide comments and feedback on the areas proposed and in particular highlight how interested parties or the areas might be impacted by exploration activities. The 21 areas in the 2018 offshore petroleum exploration acreage release are located in the offshore areas of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and the Ashmore-Cartier Islands. These areas will enable the next wave of investment in the Australian resources sector, and the prospect of new oil, gas and condensate production.

Environmental Concerns, Environmental Policy and Green Investment.

Environmental regulators often use environmental policy to induce green investment by firms. However, if an environmental policy fails to exert a long-run effect on regulating the economic agents’ behavior, it may be more reasonable to think of the firm as the leader in the game, since the investment in green technology is usually a strategic decision. In this paper, we consider a three-stage Stackelberg game to address the interaction between a profit-maximizing firm (Stackelberg leader) facing emission-dependent demand, and the environmental regulator (Stackelberg follower). The firm decides on the green technology level in the first stage of the game based on its understanding of the regulator’s profits function, especially an environmental concern that is introduced as an exogenous variable. In the current research, we show that high levels of the regulator’s environmental concerns do not necessarily lead to the choice of green technology by the firm, and green investment level depends on the combined effects of the market and operational factors for a given level of the regulator’s environmental concerns. The result also shows that increasing environmental awareness amongst the consumers is an effective way to drive the firm’s green investment.

Administrative Persistence in the Face of a Hostile Regime: How the Environmental Protection Agency Can Survive the Trump Administration

With Donald Trump's nomination of Scott Pruitt to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are serious concerns for fence-line communities seeking the help of a robust environmental regulator. Of all the actions an inimical presidential administration and its appointees might take that impact environmental justice (EJ) communities, it is inaction specifically the deprioritization of environmental oversight and enforcement that may prove most dangerous to the health of people in EJ communities. Using a principal-agent framework, this article explores how administrative agencies, such as the EPA, can persist in pursuing long-standing organizational goals in the face of potentially hostile presidential regimes. The EPA has a long-standing organizational culture that values strong environmental enforcement and we explore how career administrators in the agency have maintained these commitments under similar regimes. We offer hope, where the current presidential appointees and the president may take certain actions that will weaken enforcement and protections for EJ communities, but certain institutional dynamics will persist that prevent them from nullifying all of these protections.

Political, economic and environmental crisis in Northern Ireland: the true cost of environmental governance failures and opportunities for reform

Decades of systemic failure to take environmental protection seriously has brought Northern Ireland to the brink of environmental, and now political and economic disaster. This article will consider the reasons why environmental governance in this jurisdiction has continued to be so problematic and the cost of government failure in this context for the people of Northern Ireland. It will set out the environmental, economic and socio-political consequences of the epic failures of successive devolved administrations to take environmental governance seriously, to respond to critiques of the performance of the environmental regulator and to ensure the effective enforcement of environmental law. Finally, it will consider options for dealing with this ongoing problem in a turbulent political environment where collapsing political institutions at Stormont and wider constitutional issues associated with the UK’s plans to leave the EU may continue to stymie reform or present a unique opportunity to reinvent environmental governance and begin the process of remedying the damage caused by years of neglect.