Host Plant Species Mediates Impact of Neonicotinoid Exposure to Monarch Butterflies

Neonicotinoids are the most widely used insecticides in North America. Numerous studies document the negative effects of neonicotinoids on bees, and it remains crucial to demonstrate if neonicotinoids affect other non-target insects, such as butterflies. Here we examine how two neonicotinoids (imidacloprid and clothianidin) affect the development, survival, and flight of monarch butterflies, and how these chemicals interact with the monarch’s milkweed host plant. We first fed caterpillars field-relevant low doses (0.075 and 0.225 ng/g) of neonicotinoids applied to milkweed leaves (Asclepias incarnata), and found no significant reductions in larval development rate, pre-adult survival, or adult flight performance. We next fed larvae higher neonicotinoid doses (4–70 ng/g) and reared them on milkweed species known to produce low, moderate, or high levels of secondary toxins (cardenolides). Monarchs exposed to the highest dose of clothianidin (51–70 ng/g) experienced pupal deformity, low survival to eclosion, smaller body size, and weaker adult grip strength. This effect was most evident for monarchs reared on the lowest cardenolide milkweed (A. incarnata), whereas monarchs reared on the high-cardenolide A. curassavica showed no significant reductions in any variable measured. Our results indicate that monarchs are tolerant to low doses of neonicotinoid, and that negative impacts of neonicotinoids depend on host plant type. Plant toxins may confer protective effects or leaf physical properties may affect chemical retention. Although neonicotinoid residues are ubiquitous on milkweeds in agricultural and ornamental settings, commonly encountered doses below 50 ng/g are unlikely to cause substantial declines in monarch survival or migratory performance.

Tracking the Movement of Electronic Cigarette Flavor Chemicals and Nicotine from Refill Fluids to Aerosol, Lungs and Exhale

SUMMARYElectronic cigarettes (ECs) have been linked to lung diseases, including COVID-19, with little understanding of exposure, retention, and exhalation of EC aerosol chemicals. Here, flavor chemicals and nicotine were quantified in two refill fluids, their transfer efficiency to EC aerosols was determined, exhalation by human participants was measured, and chemical retention was modeled. Nicotine transferred well to aerosols irrespective of topography; however, transfer efficiencies of flavor chemicals depended on the chemical, puff volume, puff duration, pump head, and EC power. Participants could be classified as “mouth inhalers” or “lung inhalers” based on their retention and exhale of flavor chemicals and nicotine. Only mouth inhalers exhaled sufficient concentrations of flavor chemicals and nicotine to contribute to chemical deposition on environmental surfaces. These data help distinguish two types of EC users, add to our knowledge of chemical exposure during vaping, and provide information useful in treating EC-related diseases and regulating EC use.

Automatic Optimization of Oilfield-Scale-Inhibitor Squeeze Treatments Delivered by Diving-Support Vessel

Summary Oilfield-scale deposition is one of the important flow-assurance challenges facing the oil industry. There are a number of methods to mitigate oilfield scale, such as reducing sulfates in the injected brine, reducing water flow, removing damage by using dissolvers or physically by milling or reperforating, and inhibition, which is particularly recommended if a severe risk of sulfate-scale deposition is present. Inhibition consists of injecting a chemical that prevents the deposition of scale, either by stopping nucleation or by retarding crystal growth. The inhibiting chemicals are either injected in a dedicated continuous line or bullheaded as a batch treatment into the formation, commonly known as a scale-squeeze treatment. In general, scale-squeeze treatments consist of the following stages: preflush to condition the formation or act as a buffer to displace tubing fluids; the main treatment, where the main pill of chemical is injected; overflush to displace the chemical deep into the reservoir; a shut-in stage to allow further chemical retention; and placing the well back in production. The well will be protected as long as the concentration of the chemical in the produced brine is greater than a certain threshold, commonly known as minimum inhibitor concentration (MIC). This value is usually between 1 and 20 ppm. The most important factor in a squeeze-treatment design is the squeeze lifetime, which is determined by the volume of water or days of production where the chemical-return concentration is greater than the MIC. The main purpose of this paper is to describe the automatic optimization of squeeze-treatment designs using an optimization algorithm, in particular particle-swarm optimization (PSO). The algorithm provides a number of optimal designs, which result in squeeze lifetimes close to the target. To determine the most efficient design of the optimal designs identified by the algorithm, the following objectives were considered: operational-deployment costs, chemical cost, total-injected-water volume, and squeeze-treatment lifetime. Operational-deployment costs include the support vessel, pump, and tank hire. There might not be a single design optimizing all objectives, and thus the problem becomes a multiobjective optimization. Therefore, a number of Pareto optimal solutions exist. These designs are not dominated by any other design and cannot be bettered. Calculating the Pareto is essential to identify the most efficient design (i.e., the most cost-effective design.)

Contaminant retention characteristics of fly ash–bentonite mixes

It is important to determine the contaminant retention characteristics of materials when assessing their suitability for use as liners in landfill sites. Sand–bentonite mixtures are commonly used as liners in the construction of landfill sites for industrial and hazardous wastes. Sand is considered to be a passive material with a negligible chemical retention capacity; fly ash, however, offers the additional advantage of adsorbing the heavy metals present in landfill leachates. There have been few studies of the contaminant retention characteristics of fly ash–bentonite mixes. The study reported here determined the contaminant retention characteristics of different fly ashes, bentonite and selected fly ash–bentonite mixes for Pb2+ using 24 h batch tests. The tests were conducted by varying the initial concentrations of metal ions under uncontrolled pH conditions. The efficiency of the removal of Pb2+ by the different types of fly ash and fly ash–bentonite mixes was studied. The influence of multiple sources of fly ash on the retention characteristics of fly ash–bentonite mixes was investigated.